Buggy attempt #17...

[Will Carter]

No fun pictures...but I got an extension on my due date (this is part of a semester project) so I'm slowing back down (as if I was moving fast?) to do things like I really want them...

I've been on the phone the past couple of days...look like the new setup might involve a pair of these......

 

[lowestjumperTJ]

I don't mean to sound like a total n00b, but what exactly IS that? ^



lol


I've never seen anything like it. ever. haha


looks like it's going to be a fun little (er...big) project!

 

[Will Carter]

It’s an aftermarket portal box. Uses the same principle as Unimog, Volvo, Hummer portal axles.

Portals put some (about half in these) gear reduction at the hubs and they also enable you to raise the centerline of the axle shaft/tube a few inches higher.

 

[SPOA87YJ]

 

[farmboy]

You going back with a regular straight axle and portal teks for the front or is this for the rear?

 

[Will Carter]

Portal teks in the front with IFS is what I'm hoping...rear will be standard straight axle...still doing some research/figuring/drawing on the idea though...

 

[wheelNC94GC]

Just curious as to why you are going to run IFS in the front. What type of trails is the buggy going to be ran on?

 

[Will Carter]

Just curious as to why you are going to run IFS in the front. What type of trails is the buggy going to be ran on?

'Cause it'll be bitchin' cool.

All kinds...especially the kinds with jumps...

 

[farmboy]

Portal teks AND ifs huh? Hmm that is an intresting idea. It might give you the lift without taking your down travel...I like it!

 

[highrollintj]

hey man i think you put your engine in backwards

 

[wheelNC94GC]

'Cause it'll be bitchin' cool.
All kinds...especially the kinds with jumps...

Hell ya man, it will be cool. Can't wait to see it done.

 

[Will Carter]

So I parted it all out and am starting over...






No...not yet at least...

So i've spent a few nights in the machine shop the past week...

Started with some of this...

Squeezed out a few of these...these go where factory ball joints would go in a knuckle...

Like this...crappy cell phone pic...

 

[Will Carter]

So that lower Jimmy Joint looks pretty freakin' close to that axle shaft right?...


Well don't you worry...I'll take care of that...

Before's on left...After's on right...

 

[Will Carter]

Before...

After...

EDIT: Please save your single shear concerns for another thread. Thank you.

 

[bigblocks10]

turned out nice will!!

 

[Will Carter]

I also wasn't pleased with the original front stubby housing...

So I made another...

Remember that first chunk of steel? I made a couple of these out of it too...

You're looking at a Dana 60 spindle bearing and two spindle seals stacked together...if those don't work then I'll get 3 o-rings...

Aligned up in the new housing...oh yeah...I had to make some adapters for my alignment jig...luckily the bearing surface on a dana 60 shaft is 1.5"...so a piece wire wheeled DOM worked nicely...

Doing it this way allowed me to save about 5 inches from center to center of u-joints on the front housing...that's either 4-5 degrees more steering or 3-4" off of wms-wms...I haven't decided yet...

 

[Will Carter]

Oh yeah...about the portal-tek idea...

2 negative things:
-spending that one time chunk of change...
-holy crap those things weigh alot...trying to hit the woops hard...don't want an extra 100 lbs at each corner having to go up and down...at least with the 60 knuckles I'm using (which gotta weigh a good 40 lbs each) I can upgrade to Curries aluminum ones in the future if I see fit...

 

[336wheeler]

This build is pretty sweet. I'm digging the trend of new wave builds here lately.

 

[farmboy]

You keep plugging along! Looking forward to seeing progress...how ever long that may take.

 

[braxton357]

Fawesome. Score one for ingenuity. Hope to finally see a finished buggy.

 

[Kegcrawler]

its a shame you aren't doing something new and different, i am a little disappointed...a little creativity never hurt anyone, just kidding...nice work but lets try and finish this one and not let it turn into a big pile of and get parted out (although i am not sure what you would be able to part out this time, seems like most of your stuff has been cut and chopped somehow)...nice work man...

 

[336wheeler]

I read that you weren't looking to run the portal tek boxes. From checking out their website, it seems that they sell complete axle assemblies with 9" centers? It doesn't seem that they are adaptable to other axles, as it would have to be double splined, correct?

 

[Will Carter]

...It doesn't seem that they are adaptable to other axles...

Oh they're adaptable. And yes, they only sell complete axles...I had to call 2 or 3 times and explain what I was trying to do before they'd even tell me a price on a box seperate from a complete axle...

...as it would have to be double splined, correct?

I'm not sure what you mean by double splined...?...

 

[336wheeler]

By being adaptable to other axles I meant that (and this is all assumption, being that I'm not familiar with the internals of the Portal Tek boxes) there would only be certain areas it would be able to float, such as on the spindle. Thus, a double splined axle splined in the side gear and something that resembles a side gear in the portal box, would be necessary.

 

[Will Carter]

By being adaptable to other axles I meant that (and this is all assumption, being that I'm not familiar with the internals of the Portal Tek boxes) there would only be certain areas it would be able to float, such as on the spindle. Thus, a double splined axle splined in the side gear and something that resembles a side gear in the portal box, would be necessary.

Yeah that's the way they're made...they accept a Dana 44 30 spline into the top gear...front and rear boxes are pretty much the same aside from the fact that there are kingpin attachments on a front box.
You are correct thinking that a rear would have to have the axle shaft splined on both ends. The front accepts a shortened Dana 44 outer though.