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 Post subject: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:07 am 
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Posts: 13
So I traded my 2000 KTM 250sx for a rail buggy. The KTM was awesome, but because of serious health issues I couldn't ride it any more.

I ended up trading even for the buggy I have. It is titled as a 1981 and was last registered and plated in 1993

Let me start by saying THIS THING IS ROUGH.

I cannot find any markings on the chassis that indicate whom manufactured the chassis. I have found that the majority of the tubes are chrome-moly

Details:
Unknown origin chassis

IRS rear suspension

Bus front suspension

15x10 with 31/15.5/15

15x3 front 175/75/15 (new tires unmounted)

Bus 3 rib transmission (earlier without sleeve on output shaft. Still the good one with Phillips screws on the axle seals

2000cc pancake motor (not installed)

Bilstein coilovers (not installed (new))

New seats (plastic with covers (new))

The frame looks much worse in pictures than in person. Apparently the last person painted it with a rust colored paint.

I also believe that the chassis has been widened. The windshield hoop has been raised and a second roll loop was added.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:11 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
Image


Image


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:20 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
So far I have begun stripping the nasty paint and ugly components off.

Removed the seats, windshield, fuel tank, a couple unnecessary brackets and have begun cutting out the steel floor so I can replace it with aluminum.

I plan on eliminating the torsion bats front and rear and running coilovers. I also have to cut out some of the nasty angle iron that somebody welded in to hold the transmission.

My goals for the buggy are to build a fun buggy. I want to run wide tires in the front and wider in the rear. I may setup some sort of power steering or something. Minimum s rack and pinion setup.

This is a family project. I plan on teaching my kids how to weld and work on cars.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:35 am 
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Wow. You have a lot of work and head of you.

I am a huge fan of a family build. It is a lot of fun to include the kids in the design and build of the buggy.

Looking at you frame and considering you end desire, I am not sure that is going to be your best frame choice. I think you have a bunch of usable parts but you should consider getting a new frame

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:40 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
I think I am going to cut the tree rails off of it and start from scratch with them. The braces on the current ones were added by someone after initial construction. They are really long solid bolts that have been welded to the chassis.

I would prefer to mold them out of some thick tubing and and bracing them accordingly.

I will also be molding a body for this frame. I have all the materials gathering dust so this will be a no dollar project.


Last edited by Ajkirton on Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:46 am 
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Posts: 13
MickeyMouse wrote:
Wow. You have a lot of work and head of you.

I am a huge fan of a family build. It is a lot of fun to include the kids in the design and build of the buggy.

Looking at you frame and considering you end desire, I am not sure that is going to be your best frame choice. I think you have a bunch of usable parts but you should consider getting a new frame



I have thought about that, but money is tight due to medical bills.

I do have all of the tools to make this chassis work.

I have a Lincoln 250amp welder, pipe bender, pipe notcher, bead roller, dimple die set...

I cant afford to buy all new tubing, but I can buy a couple tubes and do all the fab work myself.

I will make this look good. I wish I took more pictures of my previous projects.

The only thing that is shady onbthis chassis is the rear transmission mount and bracing.

We will see. All I have to loose is some of my own labor.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:21 am 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
The bike I traded

Image

When I got this it looked like it had sat in a field for 10 years. The plastic was so dry it cracked and broke off on the drive home.

There was extensive rust on the main frame and all bearings were shot. I replaced any rusted tubes and cleaned, painted and lubed everything. The engine Washington great shape though so I did a quick teardown to clean and inspect everything. In all I had about 300 in this bike.

This was the project before the KTM.


Image

It had been burnt and wrecked (I bought it for $150 and spent maybe another $500. I sourced a new chassis and built everything back up with a stroker motor (434cc) I made a massive prophet on this one.

I like rebuilding things.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:30 am 
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Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:05 am
Posts: 163
Location: Pittsburgh,Pa.
Older frames often have failure (cracking)
where water has collected at the lowest
sections of tubing. It is not always obvious
if, where and when this is a concern.
I personally would want to "beef up" all of
the connections where the frame is attached
to the rear torsion with gusseting and mending
plates.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:42 am 
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Posts: 13
I was planning on gusseting most of the main structural bars.

I will make sure it's safe. Again. The only sketchy part is the transmission mount. That is going to take some major rework. I am also planning on shortening the rear of the chassis.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:50 am 
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Location: Petersburg, Ky
where are you located? looks like an older berrian 952 or 295 frame

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:58 am 
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I live in western NC. Rutherfordton to be exact.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:07 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
It looks like the actual main chassis is from a kit. Then somebody down the line did some crappy modifications.

I am cutting all the modifications off. the welds on the main chassis are a thing of beauty. The welds on the modifications look like piles of pigeon poop.

I am adding the gussets for my own ease of mind.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 1:28 pm 
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Location: Petersburg, Ky
yep, the 952/295 comes as a knock down kit (generally).

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 3:46 pm 
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It also appears to have been widened 6 inches. I think that was to accumulate the rear torsion rod assembly.

Were there multiple widths? This thing definitely has been widened.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:11 pm 
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Location: portage county ohio
I would consider replacing the main windshield hoop and roof bars, and get rid of the pieced together stuff on the main roof bars, cause its gonna be a weak spot if you were ever to put it on its lid. Good luck

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:25 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
I agree. I plan on doing some more research on these, but they actually look pretty good. There are rose welds on 2 sides of each spliced pipe roughly 3 inches from the splice. I am assuming the bar penetrates 4 inches.

I am also planning on adding braces like what I have very roughly drawn on my phone below

Image

I know it's rudimentary but you can see what I am thinking of.

I want to build the tree bars out of square tubing and make them a storage compartment. I want to add additional braces on the roof and additional braces for the front end.

I am also planning on adding shock mounts to the front to run coilovers. I will do a thru-rod torsion beam elimination on the front.

I am also going to eliminate the rear torsion bars as well.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:33 pm 
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Location: Elizabethton Tn
Oh yeah....air baggin it. It's awesome! Good luck with your build.

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:23 pm 
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Location: Rome Ohio
I would have kept the KTM! :shock:

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:02 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
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I couldn't ride it. I could have kept it as a decoration.

I also like projects. You would have said the ktm was a total loss if you had seen it before.

The atv was a total loss I bought at an insurance auction.

I only have about 3 functioning fingers on each hand and most of my spine has fused and is continuing to fuse.

I grew up in machine shops and race shops. I enjoy turning junk into something really nice.

Trust me. This will be nice when done. I have enough fabrication tools and cage building knowledge to make sure this is safe. Once I am done. I will try and trade it for a baja buggy. That's just what I do.


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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:32 am 
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Sounds like you have a plan. Keep us posted on the build and let us know if you have any questions.

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 Post subject: Re: A real mess!!!
PostPosted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 5:50 pm 
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Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:16 am
Posts: 13
I plan on putting the chassis under the knife this week.

I will post more pictures as I remove tubing and add bracing.

I also plan on removing the transmission and reworking the transmission mount.

Ordered a few pieces of tubing that should be here this week.

This is the fun part.


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