Building mid engine buggy. Questions...

ManglerYJ

ManglerYJ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Lexington, NC
Anyone who has built a mid-engine buggy, I have a question (or a thousand). This will predominantly be a trail rig with light rock crawling duties. (max 33" tire) Im planning on using a Honda 2.0 and a 5 speed tied to two Samurai axles. I plan on running a rear locker no matter what, but was wondering if welding the spiders in the transaxle differential is mandatory for light trail duty. I'm assuming so or else the first time a front tire slips, the whole rig stops.

Any thoughts?
 
In this set up the transaxle becomes the transfercase. So I'd think without locking it up you'd be searching between front and rear drive.
 
I chose Zuk axles because I already have them. I'd have to spend money on Yotas. Zuk axles are already in line with the outputs of the transaxle, also. I agree, they are SIGNIFICANTLY weaker, though. As beat up as the motor is that would be going into it, I doubt uncontrolled horsepower will be a problem.

Does anyone have a write-up on how to open the transaxle to weld up the spiders? The transaxle in question is out of an 89 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si 5 speed
 
The zuk axles will break the first day out with the diff welded. Step up to yota axles before you go any further or you will have to redo it later.
 
I am in Winston-Salem (actually wallburg), if you want to bring the transmission up sometime I can help you take it apart. I have done 3 different 5 speeds so far, wouldn't want to tackle an automatic though.

It would be April before I have a free weekend to mess with it though.

I still think you ought to get some Yota axles though. I used FJ-40 axles in mine which are offset, they worked great.
 
Tacoma747 said:
I am in Winston-Salem (actually wallburg), if you want to bring the transmission up sometime I can help you take it apart. I have done 3 different 5 speeds so far, wouldn't want to tackle an automatic though.
It would be April before I have a free weekend to mess with it though.
I still think you ought to get some Yota axles though. I used FJ-40 axles in mine which are offset, they worked great.
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Will do! It will be long after April before I'll start into it anyway. So far, the car still isn't mine (step-daughter is still driving it until her Mammaw buys her a "new" car)

The idea behind this build is to use stuff I already have to get it out of the yard. Depending on how it does, I may just get a lunchbox locker in the rear since they are getting cheap for Zuk axles. I'm not looking to build something to compete in - just something to run trails in. Basically building a side-by-side (Rhino) on the cheap. I don't even think I'll run 33's. We'll see what I can get my hands on cheap.

I'd love to get Toy axles for the strength, just so far I've only seen them in the $500+ range for the set and that's more I would have into all the parts I've collected so far including the motor and trans!
 
ManglerYJ said:
Will do! It will be long after April before I'll start into it anyway. So far, the car still isn't mine (step-daughter is still driving it until her Mammaw buys her a "new" car)
The idea behind this build is to use stuff I already have to get it out of the yard. Depending on how it does, I may just get a lunchbox locker in the rear since they are getting cheap for Zuk axles. I'm not looking to build something to compete in - just something to run trails in. Basically building a side-by-side (Rhino) on the cheap. I don't even think I'll run 33's. We'll see what I can get my hands on cheap.
I'd love to get Toy axles for the strength, just so far I've only seen them in the $500+ range for the set and that's more I would have into all the parts I've collected so far including the motor and trans!
Click to expand...

300 is going rate for a set....
You can get fronts on the reg for 200 and IFS rears for 100
 
IFS isn't offset, though. I need an offset rear to line up with the transaxle output.
 
Oops. Didn't think about that. Rear steer :)
 
I don't want or need rear steer. I'm keeping this light, simple and cheap. None of which apply to rear steer even as much fun as being able to crab walk. The main goal for this is to use some parts that I already have laying around (as crappy as they are) with minimal additional cost as possible. I'm budgeting about a grand for the chassis (actually looking into a sand rail kit and welding it to the Samurai frame I already have. Not as strong as I would build from scratch, but the bending is would already be done. Just add some additional triangulation and gusseting.) Light and cheap with enough strength for trail riding and light duty rock crawling.
 
The Sami axles may last longer than people think. I've got an 87 Samurai with a 1.6 16v Sidekick motor and 6.5:1 TC gears. The rear diff is welded, and the front has a lockright. I did upgrade the front shafts to the 26 spline TT chromo ones but they are only $250. I ran the rig like that on some worn 32's for about 1-2 yrs and never broke a shaft. I steppped up to 34" LTB's, and broke one of the front chromo shafts, and one stock rear shaft during the first year. I was hammering it very hard down at the Farm when the chromo shaft broke, and I think the rear was consequential damage, because it broke the next trip out when I wasn't even beating it too hard. I've since backed off the go pedal a little to make them live until I can install the Yota axles that are in my shed.

I like your idea, and I hope you build it. You should start a build thread once the build begins. Rather than buy a sandrail kit though, I would just use pipe and an HF bender.
 
Just to think on:

FJ-40 axles, leave stock (4.10 likely) gears in them, upgrade rear to disc brakes if you want ($80 brackets, $40 rotors, $40 calipers) Front axle upgrade to disc brakes and hi-steer, this basically involves having a mini-truck front axle for the knuckle parts and birfields.

You would probably never break the stock birfs running 33's or smaller, most people can make them last a long time even with 35's/37's. Your highest expense would be the axles (think I paid $400/pair). I have steering knuckles and hi-steer arms you could use for the front axle I'd sell for cheap, you just gotta get the broken studs out of the arms :D

I am with Danny on the cage though, just build it from scratch, I think you have a cool idea with making it "rhino" sized though.
 
I have a buddy that has a little shop at his house that has a tube bender (JD2 I think - the non hydraulic old school kind). He used it to build a roll cage for his drag race car. He said I could use it to build this, but with my limited knowledge of bending and no real blueprint of the buggy as yet, I think my project would sit for long stretches in his way. That's not cool. I need to draw this thing up on paper so I at least know what I'm doing. As of right now, I'm just gathering info and dreaming. Pissing my wife off in the process, too.

I've seen on a couple other Honda buggy builds where for one of the driveshafts, they had to build a "pillow block" (I think that's what they called it), which looked like a bearing in the middle of the driveshaft. Any idea why this would be necessary? I figured maybe to compensate for a centered rear pig, but maybe there was another unforeseen reason. I'm hoping to center the transaxle exactly between the front and rear differential even if it means I have to shift the seats forward a bit. My goal is to run equal length driveshafts so I can carry one spare.
 
Most need a pillow block because the front driveshaft is really long and would be hard to fit without one. I ended up having to put a pillow block on both driveshafts just to keep the transmission end from pulling out of the trans, the C-clips wouldn't hold them in.

I'll sell you my chassis after the last ECORS race so I can build another :D Swapping in the 2.0 should be relatively simple.
 
Now that makes sense. I was wondering how that little itty bitty retaining ring would hold a driveshaft in place. Seems like since the Honda based rock buggy thing is getting popular in teh competition world, that someone with an entrepreneurial spirit and some machining capability would be able to market a dual pillow block mount that would cradle and protect the underside of the transaxle and create two flanges from the output shafts all at once....

Being unemployed, I have WAY too much time on my hands thinking ab out this crap.


P.S... When is the season over, how much would you want for what's left after the season and what does it look like?
 
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