A-arm conversion?

Firebug · **Posted:** Tue Sep 09, 2008 6:21 pm

I found this a while back,,gives me some ideas,,, thought I'd get your input as well

http://www.norcalsandandoffroad.com/aarm.shtml

Stevo · **Posted:** Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:19 pm

I like it but will it handle a tree hit?

MadMike · **Posted:** Tue Sep 09, 2008 8:54 pm

I dont think that would last very long in the woods
You want to see what works
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4280

nickschlemer · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 2:13 am

MadMike wrote:

I dont think that would last very long in the woods
You want to see what works
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4280

that buggy is badass. But i could see a wheel getting ripped off just like an a-arm..

RaceBugg1098 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:26 pm

I think if you are a good driver (by that I mean you don't hit trees and stuff) an a-arm car will hold up in the woods. Look at 4-wheelers, they don't bend a-arms too often, yes I know they are lighter, but you can compensate for that with heaver wall tubing. Then if you make the arms simple enough, you'll have a jig (I hope) and if you do tear one up, it will be easier to replace. If you are the kind of driver that does hit trees hard, then you should probibly stay with a stock beam for now :wink:

mudd mutt · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:50 am

Hey Kyle,,,A-frames aren't for you then :mrgreen:

If ya dont know Kyles a tree hugger!

Andrew_Ha · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:39 am

u mean your not suposed to hit tree? thought they were there to help stop u

D. Marks · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:22 pm

I think that would be great. Wheel travel is awesome. The only thing I worry about is getting to wide to fit. But I think that a design like that one or Curts would work. Hell if Curt can run them on Big Red we can run them on ours. I am sure mine weighs less than half of what his weighs. I just wish I had the guts to cut the frame and do it.

Firebug · **Posted:** Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:20 pm

I'm thinking that if I cut the frame ,,,then I have no choice but to do it. If a jig can be made that will work on all 4 arms then a couple of spare arms can be made just in case. I just got to figure out a way to make them wierder :mrgreen:

D. Marks · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:59 am

It looks to me like that design would work well in the woods also due to the rear arm going almost straight back. That would have to help if you were to hit something. Also you could build the entire front suspension and make sure it works correctly before you install it.

rockrockets1 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 16, 2008 9:31 am

Dean in your case you need to start with a new frame and leave mighty mite alone

hillpilot · **Posted:** Sun Nov 23, 2008 8:55 pm

I think they would be stronger than you think with the longitudinal brace going back to the frame that would brace it alot I have a frame that is a good contender for a-arms

khaney01 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:28 pm

Chaindrive Rail wrote:

You want your wheel to go back when it goes up thru the entire travel when it's not pulling in the woods. With the desert design it goes forward until it gets to the mid point of it's travel which would be great for racing but have some bad side effects in large rocks or hill climbing. It would be a lot like running your rear trailing arms backwards. The only way that the desert design would work well in the woods is if you only use the travel in it's above mid point state which would obviously be a hindrance in the woods.

Curt

Could you explain this a little more in depth. I'm having trouble visualizing how the a-arm is moving forward and backward in relation to the frame. I understand how they move in an arc up and down but not front to rear. My brother and I have been discussing swapping over to an a-arm setup since you took him for a ride at wellsville this summer.

khaney01 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:51 pm

So the front pivot point sits higher than the rear pivot? I was thinking that both would be in the same plane and the only way it would move would be like a swingaxle, up and down in an arc with no fore or aft movement. I guess it having backward movement would help minimize bump steer. Hmm...... You know of any good sites that I could use to research this a little further, I know you understand how it works but I hate to question you to death with really basic questions.

khaney01 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:54 pm

I just saw that your design puts your bottom ball joint (or heim) further in front than the top, that must help with steering stablity a bunch. What would you recommend as the best angle for this "layback" in order to get the stability without making it drive like a log truck?

RaceBugg1098 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:20 am

On the spindle, thats castor. The car I'm building has around 5 degrees of castor, and no change throughout the travel. You can set it up to change how ever much you want, as well as the camber.

khaney01 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:21 am

RaceBugg1098 wrote:

On the spindle, that's caster. The car I'm building has around 5 degrees of caster, and no change throughout the travel. You can set it up to change how ever much you want, as well as the camber.

LOL! I was having a senior moment last night. For the life of me I couldn't remember the words "Caster" and "Camber". :lol:

The Wild Kids · **Posted:** Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:50 pm

Firebug, its already been done and all the geometry figured out and even put on the rear of the buggy as well. Wild Bills is coming to the creek on Saturday with this buggy from the Speedshop. I have drove this buggy and I want one someday. When its done right there is no bumbsteer and you can drive with only one finger on the wheel over the rocks and such.

The Wild Kids

khaney01 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:53 am

So how would that yellow buggy get around if it had a chaindrive setup like Dean was doing on his? That is kinda what I am looking about building someday, a little mini chaindrive that will fit in the woods that I ride in.

Also, those front shocks are laid over so far that it looks like they would bind before you got much travel out of it. Is there something that I am missing that lets them be laid over like that and still function correctly?

Any idea how much travel he is getting with that setup?

khaney01 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:38 pm

Chaindrive Rail wrote:

It would work great if your wanting to run big engines and tires.
Curt

2276/2332 with 31X15.50 Firestone floations big? Or v-8 with 44 inch boggers big?

I might would do it if I can not get too far away from what I am familiar with. I've been around buggies all my life but have never wrenched on V-8s, 4wds, etc. very much at all. I would be as useless as tits on a boar hog around a 4wd ride. :lol:

rockrockets1 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:56 am

K-Baby runs a 2276 091 stock trany with 18.5x44 TSL

buggymaster · **Posted:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:54 am

dd is a master mechanic and he modifyed a truck a-arm and put it on his sons buggy and it is bad and it holds up to anything

Firebug · **Posted:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:15 am

buggymaster wrote:

dd is a master mechanic and he modifyed a truck a-arm and put it on his sons buggy and it is bad and it holds up to anything

I saw it at Wilborns and it is tough...Rodeo? right?

The Wild Kids · **Posted:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:02 am

khaney01 wrote:

So how would that yellow buggy get around if it had a chaindrive setup like Dean was doing on his? That is kinda what I am looking about building someday, a little mini chaindrive that will fit in the woods that I ride in.

Also, those front shocks are laid over so far that it looks like they would bind before you got much travel out of it. Is there something that I am missing that lets them be laid over like that and still function correctly?

Any idea how much travel he is getting with that setup?

There is no binding of the shocks at all drives better than a Cadilac travel I think was something in the neighborhood of 14". I will talk to him afterwhile and get the scoop. If your coming to the creek he will be there.
On a CD I dont think you would have a problem at all and it would be great. Wild Bill is building frames with this A Arm set up on it. You will have to talk to him about price for it I don't know that.

The Wild Kids

khaney01 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:58 pm

The Wild Kids wrote:

khaney01 wrote:

So how would that yellow buggy get around if it had a chaindrive setup like Dean was doing on his? That is kinda what I am looking about building someday, a little mini chaindrive that will fit in the woods that I ride in.

Also, those front shocks are laid over so far that it looks like they would bind before you got much travel out of it. Is there something that I am missing that lets them be laid over like that and still function correctly?

Any idea how much travel he is getting with that setup?

There is no binding of the shocks at all drives better than a Cadilac travel I think was something in the neighborhood of 14". I will talk to him afterwhile and get the scoop. If your coming to the creek he will be there.
On a CD I dont think you would have a problem at all and it would be great. Wild Bill is building frames with this A Arm set up on it. You will have to talk to him about price for it I don't know that.

The Wild Kids

Thanks for the info. Get a price from him if you can.

A-arm conversion?

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