RatRod

earlytimz · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2009 5:58 pm

Here's a look at what I've been up to lately. After many days and nights w/ help from my cousin (he's an underwater welder by trade), more $$$ than I care to admit, more beer than I care to admit and a small variety of performance enhancing substances, I am ready for the critics to KINDLY give their opinions on how it is going to kill me and why. I basically want to know if this thing is gonna be safe? I have no doubt in the strength of the welds and all butt joints are sleeved w/ .083 x 1 1/4" x 10" long w/ 2 plug welds on either side of the joint. All the 1" & 1 1/4" tube I added is .083 and all the 1 1/2" I added is .120 wall. Why you ask? 'Cause that's what they had at the steel place I went to.
Started with a beeline packrat that desperately needed more headroom and more roof to cover the back seat. Adding bars to widen the roof wasn't going to cut it so I decided to step it up a notch. These pics are a couple weeks old so since then I have finished the seat mounts and all associated tabs. Also added a few light tabs here and there as well as other various little things that seem to keep coming up. I only like a few more odds & ends and waiting for a warm weekend so I can get it outside and put some paint on it. Rattle can of course.
Now w/ the new racetrim seats I have plenty of headroom and I can even sit in the backseat w/ about an inch or two of headroom to spare. Should be plenty for the youngins. Not sure about how much weight I added w/ the new tubing but I plan to weigh the old roof and measure everything I added so I can get a rough estimate. I bet it's not that much difference. It doesn't really matter to me anyway, This isn't a purpose built hill climber or anything. It's just a fun buggy that's ass-loads more comfortable now. (No pun intended)

"RatRod"

My solution to upper rear shock mount

More pics to come later... Thanks!

P.S. If you're keeping score, I had 5 grinders w/ different wheels & grits at any given time...

Bad Influence · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:21 pm

Cool. That new seats sure looks comfy!!!!

MadMike · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:41 pm

Is there any way to X brace the 'B' roll bar? I see the X brace at the back but that's not where it's needed.
Just thinking out loud. :wink:

Firebug · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:17 pm

Yea,,what Mike said,,,and it looks real roomy...your gonna like that :wink:

earlytimz · **Posted:** Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:51 pm

Well...

Yeah, I could put an X behind the front seats but...

I milled over that in my mind for a long time. An X brace there would really cramp the style of anyone in the back seat. It just doesn't leave any legroom. Originally, I didn't have the X on the back, but later added it as a compromise for not having it farther forward. The way I thought about it (and I've never been accused of being the sharpest tool in the shed) was the roof is U shaped in the back to follow the lines of the frame surrounding the engine. This seemed like a weak point to me since the roof bars aren't bent downward in the back and attached to the frame like most buggies you see. I wanted it to be as strong as possible back there but I also knew I needed some sort of X-ing. You may also notice that there are some gusset-type grab bars near the roof for the rear passengers. They aren't there by accident as they serve a somewhat X purpose as well.
Now I know it's probably not ideal, and I doubt anyone will want to copy it, but I tried to come to a happy medium by taking into consideration the use of the rear seat. It's not easy to put a functional rear seat into a 2 seater frame. There has got to be some compromise somewhere and I really wanted to be able to fit two adults in the rear. I'm trying to get my cousin into buggies and that way I can take him riding and have the ladies in the back. If it were for kids only I could probably do it, but I want my cake and eat it too.

I appreciate the comments and suggestions. I hope I explained my thinking in a way that somewhat makes sense and not like it was just thrown together. I could go ahead and add the X where it really needs to be and really limit the use of the back seat, but if it's not going to kill me I'd like to leave it like it is. :?:

Thanks fellers, yall know way more than I do about this stuff. Keep it coming...

earlytimz · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:39 am

I got another question???

What's the best way to put sheetmetal body panels on a buggy? I'm interested in putting it from front to back on the sides to keep the front tires from throwing mud in my lap. Something like the sides on Andrews buggy seen here: http://www.woodsbuggy.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... =23&t=5636
I've got some sheets of aluminum 15" wide x 10-12' long (not sure of thickness, but it's durable)and I've already got them cut to fit. I'm trying to come up with the best way to attach it. Doesn't seem like a good idea to use rivets, and I thought about tie-wraps, so are welded tabs and small bolts the best way to go? How about a mix or combo of these? I think I can do it with tie wraps, but I'm concerned about the front tires grabbing the bottom edge of the aluminum and peeling it up whenever I cut the wheels really hard. (front tires occasionally rub the frame rails) I can't come up w/ a good way to attach the bottom edge. Tie-wraps won't last long on the bottom tube.
Any thoughts on this?

Thanks !

Firebug · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:58 am

I like the idea of threaded tabs,,,no nuts necessary,,use a rounded socket head bolt. As far as the tires rubbing,,,I know it may add a little bump steer but you could get less offset wheels,,,,or limit the turning radius. Or protect the sheeting by placing it behind some tubing some way

But I'm no expert..I don't have any body panels. :oops:

Odyknuck · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:40 pm

Self ejecting Dzus fastners are the best way to mount the panels. They are a little pricy however they allow you to remove the panels quickly for cleaning and when you need to work on the buggy. The self ejecting Zues stays put and you dont loose them. I bolted the panels on my first buggy and what a pain in the bi\ut that was to deal with. As far as your tires hitting the frame I would Install steering stops.

earlytimz · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:32 pm

I've seen the zeus fasteners before and yeah they are kinda pricy. How do they mount, or in other words, what does it take to use them?
Thanks!

fortydegnorth · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:16 pm

A tab welds to your frame and a spring pop rivets to the tab. Drill a hole in the panel and dimple the panel if you are using flush mount dzus buttons. Then you just put the fastener in and turn a quarter turn. Dzus is a brand name they are called quarter turn fasteners I think. I used them on all my panels and they are great, very easy to remove a panel. I bought the dimple die from speedway motors to recess the fasterner so its flush with the panel. You can see them from the front side in the first picture and if you look at the drivers side you can see the tab and spring on the inside.

Griffin · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:20 pm

I kinda like the way the cage makes that buggy look. Its different.

Dzus fastners are nice but expensive. If its not something your going to remove a lot you can use weldnuts on the back of tabs. This way you don't have to use a wrench on the backside. You can see some in this picture.

Here's one place you can get them.
http://www.warrenfasteners.com/Metric_Hex_Weld_Nut.html

fortydegnorth · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:38 pm

I don't think they are that expensive. If you use bolts you would likely want stainless unless you don't mind some rust. Between bolts, nuts, washers, tabs it I don't think its any cheaper. Here is a set of Dzus fasteners on Ebay for about $65 shipped. 24 fasteners will hold the sides and a roof.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DZUS-BUT ... leQ5fParts

Griffin · **Posted:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:45 pm

Man that's cheap. They used to be slightly less than $10 ea.

John

earlytimz · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:34 am

fortydegnorth wrote:

A tab welds to your frame and a spring pop rivets to the tab. Drill a hole in the panel and dimple the panel if you are using flush mount dzus buttons. Then you just put the fastener in and turn a quarter turn. Dzus is a brand name they are called quarter turn fasteners I think. I used them on all my panels and they are great, very easy to remove a panel. I bought the dimple die from speedway motors to recess the fasterner so its flush with the panel. You can see them from the front side in the first picture and if you look at the drivers side you can see the tab and spring on the inside.

Hey yeah man, that's what I'm talking about. That looks like the way to go!
Although, the weldnut idea doesn't sound bad either. What's stopping someone on a budget from just welding regular nuts instead of weldnuts? Just for looks?
I'm gonna check out those on Ebay. Thanks!

earlytimz · **Posted:** Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:53 am

Oh yeah by the way, that's an awesome looking buggy!! If I had something that nice I would definitely use the dzus fasteners for sure. On my old pile, I'm not sure if it's worth it but it's sure tempting! One question though... When do you use the fish finder?? LoL

fortydegnorth · **Posted:** Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:17 am

Its a GPS. It was really only put in for a speedomoter to be street legal. Its designed for offroad so it will be usefull for that also.

earlytimz · **Posted:** Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:36 am

Yeah man, I gotcha... :wink:

It rocks. Looks good in the dash. I wouldn't expect anything less, the whole buggy is awesome

Kyle · **Posted:** Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:42 am

earlytimz i used regular grade 8 nuts and welded them to tabs no problem. every nut is welded to the tabs lol.

D. Marks · **Posted:** Sun Feb 01, 2009 12:28 pm

I have one suggestion. For some reason I think it would look cool with a surf board or something like that on the roof. Goes with the Rat Rod theme.

earlytimz · **Posted:** Sun Feb 01, 2009 1:03 pm

Hey Dean it's funny you said that... I do have a little surprise in store. It's not a surfboard but I do believe it will tie the "ratrod" theme together.

Stay tuned

D. Marks · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:24 am

I can't wait. It does have a differant look thats for sure.

Terry fryer · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 3:02 pm

Now you just need a set of these. http://www.hubcapmike.com/racing_disc_wheelcovers.html

earlytimz · **Posted:** Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:52 pm

Ok folks, almost done with the Ratrod.
All I like is the new exhaust that I've got to order this week. I'm going with the 1.5" u-bend downturn type. It'll still be plenty loud plus no worries about rain getting in.
I've also got to put tubes in the rear tires, although I'm not sure if I'll keep them or not. I might be talked or traded out of them for the right price. They are brand new but I'm almost afraid they'll be too much for my buggy. (trans mainly) They have been cut, but not extremely. I took about 28-30 lbs off of them combined. Looks really good now and should last a long time. Damn that's some serious tread!!! Been thinking about taller fronts too. 5.00-15's are really short but easy to turn.
I want to take the rear end down a click on each side to give the suspension a little droop. It's almost tight on the limit straps now which I expect will stretch a little since they're new.

↓ back seat ↓

↓ Here ya go Dean, it's not much but it's definitely a Ratrod now ↓

↓ I added blue bullet lights and custom tow hooks ↓

↓ Old top ↓

Firebug · **Posted:** Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:32 pm

Nice,,,I want them rear tires

earlytimz · **Posted:** Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:12 am

I just may part with them after all...
They are actually only 33" tall. My old worn out 8 plys are only 28" so there's only 2.5" difference in ride height but it seems like so much more.

RatRod

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