well after talking with the wife she has decided a 4 seater is what we need for the family and the rest is up to me lol. i want a automatic for when i have to many and she needs to drive. at first i thought about a powerglide and all that but would really like to have a more simple setup from a front wheel drive car. then i thought of this. what if i used a th425 from a cadillac eldorado and a 500 big block with air bag rear. ok now the problems with this 2.73 gears and 35's may be a problem. but may could go chain drive to solve this. also the car i have found is i believe a 70 model factory specs is 365hp and 535 tq. it may have the tq to spin them and not care but who knows. also the weight the motor even being a 500 it weights less then a bbc and only about 50 lbs more then a sbc when you trade the cast iron intake for alum. but also the tranny weights about 400lbs so your looking at close to 1000 lbs on the rear of the car. even it being a 4 seater it may just wheelie everywhere what do you guys think.

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

If you want something lighter with same engine tranny set up,
Look at the 3.5L out of 300M/LHS
All aluminum around 300hp has tranny like the caddy with auto stick


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I'm thinking either one would have to be mid engine to get right tire rotation.


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Also i have found a vanago camper with a knocking engine I can get decently cheap I don't know the model but it looks newer then I was expecting and I couldn't look at the motor owner wasn't home but it has o2 sensors in the exhaust would this be a decent platform to start with its not a auto but you can't have everything. Can I use the torsion and all in a buggy

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

That's sucks I took a eldarado setup and a 400 out of my buggy and scrapped most of it .
The stock setup don't work cause of the gearing , it had no power on the launch. .
Rick from Flashback in Ohio has perfected the setup with a lot of machine work and making gears from a 205 t case and fitting them into the eldarado trans . I spoke with him about doing the trans work and he was not intersted cause of the cost of labor . I asked him for a number andhecould not even make one .....
I'm not telling you not to do it , just telling ya what to expect . Dvs1 built the setup and my opinion is he got rid of the car out of frustration after doing it . He had a ton of time in it and did a great job setting it up but it had no power on launch .
Good luck
Jason

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Theirs no replacement for displacement !

I have read that you can get the gears from a turbo400 and swap into the 425 and havea little lower 1st gear and if you can fInd one some rv's had them and had a 410ring and pinion. That would probably be the best bet

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

Bob, sounds like a cool idea. I think it might be a little heavy, lol! I want to build a smaller version of what you are talking about. I want to build a single seat buggy narrow enough to fit down the SxS and quad trails where I live. I want to use a FWD engine and trans, to a chain-drive setup with air-bags. I still haven't found a suitable frame for this project. Good luck with your project!!!

I have no idea were you could find a frame pure built for that but a Suzuki swift or maybe a geo metro or ford fiestiva would be a cool candidate for that swap.

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

Bob, I am actually looking for an old home-made single seater frame, VW powered. I would put a FWD engine and trans in that style of frame, both the engine and trans would be behind the driver. I don't have much experience with newer engines, but I think a 4 cylinder Honda would be nice, maybe a turbo, lol!

I just saw this buggy and it made me think of your project big bob. Let me know what you think.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1519085

good luck it did not work for dvs1 and i dont think it will work for you

i believe after burnt the only way to do it and get it geared to were it can be rideable is to make it chain drive i have looked everywere and i have not found reference to that 410 ring and pinion anywere else. i have found 3.07 and a rv place sold a 3.31 i believe but it was crazy for the price and still not low enough. so i would believe that chain drive is the only way to go.

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

What about a Covair air cooled 6cly with the auto that was in them? I'm sure there are tons of gear ratios for the powerglide! Just a thought


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Check out mickeymouse's fo x fo Subaru.

You owe it to your kids to forget about a wild combo. 150 HP is plenty to push a station wagon down a trail and it wouldl be a whole lot easier to teach someone to drive a manual. JMHO

lol it may be safer for the kids on the wild idea and a big block but you really should see my wife try and drive a manual 91 s-10 plus her equals 1 clutch 3 starters and a small electrical fire i have gave up on her learning to drive a stick it was to expensive.

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

I had a triple black 71 Eldo and the couch of a front seat would swallow you when you opened up the Quadrajunk carb so I am aware of the potential of a Caddy 500. Don't give up on the wife learning to drive a stick or switch to light beer, there's a reason 99% of buggies are manual.

Just get a Honda oddesey minivan and pull the engine and use the auto- trans that goes with


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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

Odyssey transmissions are crap. I replace one every month at work. WAY more than any other car. Now multiply its torture by putting it in a buggy you wont go far.

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If it ain't broke ill fix that

Not trying to hijack just wondering freak is there any particular years like 2000 thru 2006 just curious so I know what year engines to buy if they have junk trans like the accords and Acura's.

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

What irs diff besides the corvette can the power glide be adapted to

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2008 brute force 750 lifted and snorkled
2000 Yamaha banshee 421 serval cub big bore stroker
Still looking for a buggy

I know If you use the 2005 GTO rear diff you can still run 930 CV's.
My friend runs them on his 700+ hp street Goat


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second generation 98-04 seem to be the worst. They lose second gear. A minivan weighs alot more than a buggy but I don't see any Odyssey's with 35" tires either:grin:

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If it ain't broke ill fix that

Just stay air cooled[FLUSHED FACE][FLUSHED FACE][RELIEVED FACE][GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]


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Notice my wagon riding on 31" DOT All terains. I have a 2001 J32- the transmissions had a major issue that caused the 2nd gear clutches to starve for preasure burning them up. The good new for owners is the trans is warrenteed until like 150,000. Great for guys like me good engines are a dime a dozen and usualy with less than 150,000 miles.

I am looking into the Porsche Boxter trans for a new project once re-employed.

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)