SXOR single seater build

[Hokie_YJ]

I didn't get to update over the weekend. Saturday I got the drivetrain in what I think will be the final position and tacked in some motor mounts. I will gusset them when I'm sure that nothing needs to be moved. I still need to build the transmission mount, and the Atlas support mount. I have the design in my head, I just need to pick up the material I need to build them.





Here you can kinda see the clearance issue with where the pinion yoke will be and the oil pan. I'm gonna pull the oil pan tomorrow and put it up for sale. I'll put my truck pan back on until I can buy the pan I'm gonna run.



Today I started off with mounting the seat.





Here you can see how close it is to the transmission.



Then I mounted the Wilwood brake pedal and MCs.



My motor is DBW and the stock pedal is firewall mounted, but I had to have something floor mounted. Lokar makes a floor mountable DBW pedal, but the price on it is ridiculous. So I decided to hack up my stock pedal and make it work the way I needed it to. It's not pretty, but it will get the job done.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

I spent most of the day in the shop, but it doesn't feel like I got much done. I spent a lot of time just staring at it trying to figure out what's gonna go where, and how to make it fit there. Kind feel like I'm hitting a wall, but I'm not gonna give up now.

One thing I did accomplish today was finding a place for the winch and mounting it. About the only place to put it was right in front of the seat under my legs.





I made the mounts out if some 1.5" angle I had in the shop. I just had to notch it a little to clear the body of the winch. And the notched it to fit 1.5" tubing.








It's tight, but it actually fits pretty good there.








The way my knees will be bent I don't even notice it there. I can reach down under my left leg and work the clutch lever easily too. I have a narrow fairlead that I will put on the winch mount I just didn't have any socket head bolts to mount it. The rope will run right under the floor pan under my feet and through another fairlead that will mount to the tube right behind the track bar in the picture below. I think the rope will be fine running under the buggy, but if I need to I'll figure out some way to protect it.




I plan to work on it some more tomorrow. I really have no idea what I'll work on, but I'll find something I can do. This is my first time taking on a project like this, and as you can tell I don't have it very well organized. I really need to take the time to set down and make a list of things that need to be done. That way I can plan things out better and have goals to work towards.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Worked on this thing for a little while today. Got the orbital mount tacked in place where I "think" it needs to be. The column I had is too short so I had to order a longer one. I'm not a big fan of having the orbital so close to me, but there's nowhere else to put it.





After that I started tacking in the seatbelt mounts. After I took this picture I decided to weld the locknuts to the tabs to make them easier to remove. I didn't take pics of the rest of the tabs, but nobody cares anyway, that's boring.



After I finished the belt mounts I started working on the Atlas tail support.







Anybody see anything wrong with the way I mounted that? That's 1/4" plate for the base. Do you think it will be ok bridging that gap? It will obviously be welded on both ends, as well as to the tube running diagonally across the middle. I'm going to do the transmission mount tomorrow. I'm planning to do it pretty much the same way unless somebody talks me out of it.

Also I ordered my new wheels last week. Went with another set of Stazworks, 17"x9" with 3" BS. They said lead time would be at least 6 weeks, it's a long wait but I know they'll be worth it. It's a long way from that stage, but I think I've decided on colors too. I hate the design on the skins that came on this thing. I think I'll try to do plasti-dip on the skins in satin black, and then paint the chassis with Rustoleum hammered copper. I think that will look pretty decent.

 

[grapehead]

how close will the belts be to the motor? from the angle of that pic, i would think heat would be an issue on the belts

 

[Hokie_YJ]

They're pretty close, but I don't think it will be a problem. On my old buggy the exhaust ran right under the seat and the crotch strap was less than an inch away from it. It was never a problem.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Spent a couple hours on this thing today. I had a lot of other stuff to do around the house before I go back to work tomorrow so I didn't get a lot done. About all I accomplished was cutting the pieces for the transmission mount and getting it tacked in place. It's pretty similar to the Atlas support mount.





Unfortunately progress is probably about to grind to a halt for a couple weeks. It's shutdown time at work starting Monday, and it will be a minimum of two weeks straight of 12 hr days. Most likely longer than that. Last year I worked 31 days straight. I might be able to accomplish a few things in the evenings if I'm not dead tired, but don't expect miracles.

 

[Crawler Nut]

Lookin good man. Keep it up. That should be one mean buggy with that LQ9 I love mine an mine will weigh 3 times what your buggy will weigh.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Thanks man.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Finally got a little time in the shop after work today. I got the protection for the Atlas sticking out of the side chassis tacked in place.







I also got the battery box where I think it's going to go. I debated whether or not to make it bolt in or just weld it. Finally decided to just weld it in. It's just tacked for now in case it needs to move though.



Due to the way the motor sits in the chassis the B-pillar brace had to be cut out. I cut and notched a piece of 1.25" tube and put the brace back in the opposite direction. I'll cut out the rest of the old brace and clean it up when I tear the chassis down.



Then I made a cardboard radiator so I could find a place to fit it. On the down tubes above the engine is pretty much my only choice. It may set a little lower than where I have it in the pics, and I'll also build a removable cage around it for protection. I also ordered the radiator from PRC today. 22"x19" is the biggest I can fit. It will be dual pass with -16 inlet/outlet, a .25" NPT bung for the steam ports, and a blank shroud so I can mount a Volvo fan. I hope that's enough to keep this thing cool.





I also decided to ditch the truck intake in favor of a LS6 intake purely to gain a little room because the truck intake is so tall. I may flip it around backwards as well. I found a used LS6 intake today, it should be here next week. I still need to do a little more reading on what style fuel rail and injectors will work best.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

I got a little more done today. I got all the brake lines ran on the axles, I'll do the plumbing on the chassis later. The brake lines are all .25" stainless tubing and braided hoses with swage type compression fittings. I used RuffStuff brake line tabs to mount everything.





After that I cut a fairlead mount out of some flat bar and tacked it in place.





It's certainly not a lot of progress, but it's a couple things to mark off the list.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

It's been a really long, really busy month at work. So I haven't had much time to even touch this thing. But at least all the OT has allowed me to order more parts. Over the last few days I've had a little time to work on a few small things.

LS6 intake installed.





New oil pan installed.





Orbital, column, and steering wheel mocked up.



The lighting in that picture is horrible, but you can kinda see the new fuel cell sitting there too. I decided to ditch the RCI cell, and had a custom ATL cell built. It's a 8 gallon cell with an in-tank Bosch 044 pump feeding from a trap door surge tank. It was pricey, but man is it nice.

I also got the Radiator in from PRC. I highly recommend them if you need one built. I ordered it on a Friday afternoon and it was built and shipped by Wednesday. The quality is top notch as well.

Once I got the radiator here I decided I didn't like it mounted over the engine so I decided to put it back down in front of the engine. So far I just have the lower mount mocked up. I split a short piece of 1.75" tube to saddle the 1.5" and welded on a piece of 2" flat bar to support the bottom of the radiator.









I still have to bend some tube to protect the radiator and build the top mount off of.

I also worked on the shifters for the Atlas. With the the standard shifters the levers were almost behind the seat.



I cut the levers off short and used a couple short pieces of 1/2" sch. 80 pipe as a sleeve for the new lever.



I bent and threaded a couple pieces of 1/2" for the new levers, and added the pistol grip handles just because.



New shifters installed. They're easy to reach now, and I think the extra leverage will make the Atlas easier to shift.





I know this is a pretty boring update, but I hope to get some more stuff knocked out this weekend and next week.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Today I worked on the radiator protection/top mount. This was my first time ever bending tube. So it was slow going. No better time to learn than in the middle of a build I guess. Lol. Love the RogueFab bender so far though.



I just bent a simple hoop to protect the top of the radiator and added tube flanges so it can be removed to pull the motor.





Made the plate to clamp the top of the radiator from some 2" flat bar and some shock tabs I had here in the shop.



I had to make a couple tabs to attach the top plate to the tube.



Finally finished.





The radiator is isolated with 1/8" silicone rubber between the top and bottom mounts, but it's still a little loose. I need to find something a little thicker that will still compress and hold it tighter. Any suggestions?

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Today I got the fuel cell mount built. I added a piece of tube between the shock mounts to mount the front of the brackets on.



I made the brackets out of some 1" angle and mounted them to the bolts holding the can together. I used the same rubber I used on the radiator between the brackets and the top of the cell and between the cell and the floor.









I also started working on the interior panels. I'm using 1" thin walled tubing for the framing, and probably will use 1/8" aluminum for the panels. I want to make them all easily removable to make it easier to work on. It's definitely going to be snug inside for a big guy like me, but it's still comfortable.

 

[Pennsylvaniaboy]

Wouldnt you have solved some problems with the driveline and the atlas sticking out but pushing it a few more inches to the drivers side? I know it's too late now, and uber tight with the seat, just curious.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Yeah, it would solve a few problems, but those few inches don't exist. The transmission is less than an inch from the seat, I actually had to cut a little tab off the case so the seat would fit at all. And the seat is against the tube on the other side, the shoulder bolster actually sticks out of the chassis a little bit.

 

[seed60]

This thing is too cool. Awesome work.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

Appreciate it man.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

I just had a couple hours to work on this thing today. I made a couple tabs and got the light bar mounted. It's a 20" flood/spot combo from TrailWorthy Fab. I started to bend up some tube to protect it, but I ran out of time.

 

[Will Carter]

Do you have 3rd members for this project? I have a couple of complete diffs with Currie 'upside down' pinion supports that would work good for you. They need new ring and pinions so I can put whatever gear in you want. ARBs or spools too.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

I have all the parts for the 3rd members but they're not put together yet. I've got Yukon HD nodular diffs, the currie upside down pinion supports, spools, and 5.13 gears. If it was a screaming deal I might sell what I already have though. PM me if you want, we might work something out.


How did the Currie pinion supports work as far as oiling issues? All i could find on them was a couple old threads on Pirate, and they were mixed reviews. I don't plan on doing any racing so I'm thinking they should be fine.

BTW, the powerglide is one of your old spares that I bought from you a few years ago.

 

[Will Carter]

I have all the parts for the 3rd members but they're not put together yet. I've got Yukon HD nodular diffs, the currie upside down pinion supports, spools, and 5.13 gears. If it was a screaming deal I might sell what I already have though. PM me if you want, we might work something out.


How did the Currie pinion supports work as far as oiling issues? All i could find on them was a couple old threads on Pirate, and they were mixed reviews. I don't plan on doing any racing so I'm thinking they should be fine.

BTW, the powerglide is one of your old spares that I bought from you a few years ago.

I'll see what I can work out on the thirds. Maybe with you sending me the gears you already have...?


I got the Currie supports mainly because they use bigger/stouter bearings in the pinion support compared to the usual 'Daytona' style support. Honestly I never had any oiling problems using standard low pinion support. Just had to fill it up to at least the centerline of the pinion which meant you had to have good double seals. But since I was buying the upgraded support I might as well get the 'upside down' version to make it all right.

 

[Hokie_YJ]

So do the Currie supports require a different install kit than a standard Daytona kit? I've got Yukon install kits, do I need something different?

 

[Will Carter]

So do the Currie supports require a different install kit than a standard Daytona kit? I've got Yukon install kits, do I need something different?

They should have sold you bearings with the support. No? What part number do you have?

 

[Will Carter]

Don't do your Trans and Tcase mounst like this. If you weld them in like this you might have to unbolt your motor to even get the trans back far enough to get it out should you need to. Same goes with the Tcase. Make the upright tabs on either side bolt to the chassis so they can be unbolted and the trans just slid back. Connect the two tabs you have there with another piece and put two bolts through it and the plate you have welded on the chassis. Make any sense?

 

[Hokie_YJ]

They should have sold you bearings with the support. No? What part number do you have?

All I got was the pinion support itself. Part #CE-4048CU. I see now on their site the CE-4048CUK which is apparently the whole kit. I guess I missed that when I ordered. That sucks.

My install kits are Yukon YK-F9-HDD-SPC. That's the big bearing Daytona install kit with solid spacer.

Don't do your Trans and Tcase mounst like this. If you weld them in like this you might have to unbolt your motor to even get the trans back far enough to get it out should you need to. Same goes with the Tcase. Make the upright tabs on either side bolt to the chassis so they can be unbolted and the trans just slid back. Connect the two tabs you have there with another piece and put two bolts through it and the plate you have welded on the chassis. Make any sense?

What you're saying makes sense, but the way this chassis is built there's really no way to pull the tranny or t-case without pulling the motor too. I know that sucks, but the belly pan is all welded solid and not removable. So the drivetrain pretty much has to go in and come out as one unit.