Hey guys my names Chris I'm from waterford MI, and I just bought a semi-built buggy about a month ago. After throwing ideas around I narrowed it down to the ecotec swap. I picked up a donor 2004 grand am and have my 6rib 091 on the way. I'm about to be in the middle of converting it from swingaxle to IRS. I found a guy here in Michigan that's selling the IRS rearend so I'm just going to cut mine off and weld that up. I'm hoping that the stock trailing arms shock mount will line up and work without further modification.

My next question is what cv joints and axles and all the stuff you need running from trans to wheels most people go with. I'm trying to keep things cheap for now and will upgrade down the road when needed and when I get some more money lol. I have drums from the swingaxle trans that came with the buggy. What would I need for those to work on the new setup?? I will need to change backing plates, one side is rotted. However I did open one side and internals looked good. I got ahold of my pinout of the wire harness so once I yank the motor I will get underway with that. Only question is what all do most people keep?

More questions will follow I'm sure, but that's really where I'm at right now and just trying to get this thing on the road this summer.

Thanks

As for the rear drive setup, it is worth the extra money to go with 930 CVs if you can swing it. That would mean a pair of transaxle drive flanges, axles & stub axles, four CVs and 3x3 trailing arms. There are kits available for around a grand that covers all that.

A cheaper alternative would be stock bus (type 2) axles which is what most people run. For this you will need two axle assemblies (2 CVs and an axle each side) plus a pair of type 2 conversion stub axles. For the setup to bolt on, you will need 2x3 trailing arms.

I started out with the type 2 setup and ran for years with it, but as my horsepower increased I began to break things and upgraded to 930s and I ain't broke those yet.

How much HP is that Ecotec? You plan on doing any hill climbing?

Dale

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Lets RIDE!

Type of riding makes a big difference on what you want to put on it. Welcome to the sport and the site. I use to live up in Novi, we were almost neighbors, lol.

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Welcome to woodsbuggy.
You might need these axles http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1288153

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

Well to be honest with you, I'm sure most of my driving will be on street/ dunes. Not to sure about hill climbing just yet, just looking to get the toy running and working and enjoy it. How do you tell if its a bus or car torsion setup? Also what are stock trailing arms? I know people keep talking about the 2x3 or 3x3. Yes I know it means longer and wider, but for now if I didn't have to spend the extra $1000 on the 3x3 I really would like to wait. I'll try to get some pics posted up tonight of the buggy. But I need cv joints, axles, and stub axles? Also what do I have to do to keep my 5 lug setup. Like I said I looked at the drums and besides needing to be turned they look like their in good shape. I just need new backing plates. I had planned on converting to disc, but after I saw the prices I figured I would hold off a little bit.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1260588


http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1260590

That's what I'm looking at, guy said he would make me a package deal.

Would something like this work??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1284799

That is a good deal the cvs and boots are worth that, but you would have to have 2X3 arms,converted car stub axles to make it work with the bus axles.
Bus axles are about 1.5" longer than car axles.
It would be cheaper to find a complete torsion with arms,axles,hubs,drums,etc complete.
Maybe find an old rusted out beetle and cut out what you need yourself, then cash the rest in for scrap.
Here is one. http://ohio.locateanyauto.com/auto-part ... t-out.html
If you don't get in too big of a hurry you will find what you want for cheap.
The other guy with the torsion and arms, maybe he has the rest of the stuff he can throw in with the deal.
You can get 4 lug to wide 5 adapters to make your wheels work.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

Here is another http://www.woodsbuggy.com/index.php?opt ... =7&t=12438

_________________
A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

An another in Elk Rapids Mi http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1293489
I'd call about this one for sure, you will get most of your money back for scrap after you are through with it.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

Ok then here comes the dumb question, I'm guessing there isn't a way to run what I have with a stock IRS setup? Obviously I have to buy the cv's and axles and things. There's not a way to just buy axles that would work? I know the other trailing arms give you a better travel range up and down, but I can't see having issues as I'm not going to be putting large strains on them up and down. At least not as of right now.

Yes, you can use a car axle from the bus cv on the 6 rib to the car cv on the stub axle, both cvs are the same spline.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

welcome to woodsbuggy the bus joints to car axles and cvjoints and car stub axles is how i started plus you can buy trailing arm brackis to weld to a swing axle torsion and cut your spring plates to fit and redrill them to bolt up thats what i did to my it work great until i upgraded to 3 by 3s thats the cheapest way to go good luck

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Ok, so if I do that whats the big downside since everyone seems to keep pushing me to go other routes. I'm sure the 2x3 and the 3x3 are way better down the road but that's something I want to work towards, rather than dropping another chunk of change into the suspension setup.

Now what axles are going to be good for 150hp lol, don't need top of the line to start. Just want something that's going to hold up, until I decide to beef up the suspension.

the 2x3 or 3x3s are a lot nicer and stronger but are expensive but stock work pretty good and you can buy kits to beef them up if you get bus stub axles and bus joints on both ends with car axles they will work good for until you can get some 2x3s or 3x3s if your like me you have to work with what you can afford until you can do better

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if you cant run with the big dogs than slow down and make fun of the little ones

Ok, yeah finally I'm hearing what I wanted to hear. Ok so my question is, the cv joints I have linked earlier in this thread, would they work with a car axle? And then I would just need a bus stub axle? I feel like an idiot because I don't have this stuff in front of me which would probably answer 90% of my questions lol. Problem is jumping into the buggy world and going all out right from the beginning.

The stub axle needed is a car stub, that has had the flange made wider and redrilled so the wider bolt pattern of the bus cv will bolt to it.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

How big of a pain is that going to be to find? And how much am I looking at for that??

on my buggy i took car stub axles and grind the ring down til its flat get a broken bus joint counterset the holes and tack weld in place drill new holes and tread them that way you can run car or bus joints its a pain in the ass but its cheaper than bus stub axles unless you can find a cheap used set of bus stub axles and on the brakes if you can get a set of rotors you can go to the junkyard get a set of used capibers and make your own brackets and weld them on floating capibers work best

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if you cant run with the big dogs than slow down and make fun of the little ones

Aftermarket chromoly forged ones, they are about $70 ea.
I not positive about this, but I think you might grind the raised lip off a stock stub axle and possibly have enough room to redrill and tap it so the bus cv will bolt to it.

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A good friend will bail you out of jail. A best friend will be sitting next to you saying: "Damn that was fun!"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wGMaUMXUQ

yea they work good like that i have run my for 8 years like that if you brake a joint in the woods you can run whatever joint you can get your hands on

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if you cant run with the big dogs than slow down and make fun of the little ones

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. I'll get some pics up when I get a chance.

Welcome to woodsbuggy.com....

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I'm at the point where its pretty much stripped down to the frame and ready for everything to be assembled. I had to plug about 25 holes that the PO had drilled because he wanted to do paneling

Heres some pics for you guys...

So after looking at the setup a little more, would running a bus cv joint then car axle to car cv with car stub work? Would that be an easier setup or not even work? Im just wondering if going with doubled up bus cv joints is creating other problems??

I would run bus on both ends the car cv's will never last with the ecotec