It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:26 pm

Board index » Blogs » Perrib's Place

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:55 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:27 pm
Posts: 496
Location: Chandler Az
WARNING: Viewer discretion advised. content heavy on text and pictures about rails.People who object to this subject matter should of never opened the post.
My old rail is nothing special just a collection of mostly used parts. Most people don't give it a second look until they go for a ride in it.
Having owned it for 19 years its a long story GRAB A DRINK maybe two. Paul the owner of Arrowhead Towing found it in someone's back yard in 1990. (He also found a Myers Tow'D for me but that's another story) I bought it sight unseen for $125.00. The previous owner delivered it. He had rolled it at Sycamore Creek and it burnt to the ground. It was a 87 inch wheel base Chenowith frame, swing axle and king and link. I got started, Fabricating a wiring harness that used VW wire colors ( I worked on to many rails that used the same color wire for every component.), raised the rear, installed used low back fiberglass seats, Hurst shifter, drivers seat adjuster, steering coupler 1600 DP, steering wheel, shifter, KC lights, 8 gallon aluminum tank, tires and Jackman rear rims and new seat covers and brake parts. I installed a rear cage and a skid plate made from a Rabbit roof folded over 5 times to make it thick enough. I made the floor from a VW Rabbit roof. It returned to Sycamore and the rear torsion bars collapsed in about an hour. I returned home raised them. Returning the same day they collapsed again. Off to Karl's for a set of 30 mm Sway Away bars. I welded in downward travel limiters and fabricated spring plate straps. Next trip revealed how inadequate anything but suspension seats are. I installed hi density foam under the seat covers. Mike Fischer of Competition Engineering supplied two sets of hardly used but out of date for racing safety harnesses. Thenn I had Jim at Brandwood Cars in Phoenix dual shock the rear and add a tube making the windshield area smaller and a place the instrument panel could fit.
After a rear wheel almost fell off my Baja, I also installed Sway Away 14 mm wheel studs. Now I had six new rear KYB shocks and two KYB shocks up front. It was getting better. I installed a hand operated wiper, horn, windshield, head license plate and tail lights. I welded in some tubes to stiffen the front frame that kept cracking. One night in the hills at Sycamore it died, the tank mounts broke and the tank disappeared. Joe the owner of Arizona Off Road Recovery said he would find it if I gave him an old 40 HP VW engine I agreed. He looked from 11 pm to 4 am and found it in a ravine.

Image
Full picture:
http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc28 ... ject33.jpg
It got remounted where it would not fall off if the mounts broke again. I installed a larger fuel tank, Beard Seats and a turning brake from Karl's Kustom. Next came tags.
I was blowing front stock tires on a regular basis and returning back to camp on a flattened rim. Bill Kapetch sold me a set of 700-15 Yokohama's which went on a set of used Jackman wheels. It became obvious the transaxle and engine were woefully weak for the 33" rear tires.
With the help of Dean Lowry (DDS), Weber Cams, Mark Magruder (Team Sandwinder) and Bill Kapatch of AZ Transaxle came a close ratio off road gear box, axle tube stiffeners, custom made heads, Webber 163 cam, Webber full circle crank and rods, large diameter Tri Mill exhaust and a single Zenith carb.
Image

Mark helped with assembling a vintage style 2180 off road engine. I installed a Scat shifter. I made an instrument panel from another Rabbit roof to hold VW Cabriolet oil pressure, volts and oil temp gauges. I ran 15.5 in the 1/4 at Firebird. One 96 plate cooler was not enough to keep it cool. It got another and two 5 cylinder VW Eurovan 1 quart oil filters to hold 6 quarts of oil. The 2180 also made the brakes inadequate. I installed T-3 rear brakes, front brakes and a proportioning valve.
Suddenly I got the need for speed and bought a set of Deans Super Flow Heads ported for an FK 89 cam. Dean supplied the slicks, 51 mm carbs, case, FK 89 cam, crank and rods. Friday it would run with the 2275 at Firebird and Saturday and Sunday the 2180 went in for the desert. It ran 12.1 at Firebird with the 2275 engine. The track officials were not happy. I made wheelie bars and installed a staging brake. They were still unhappy.

Image
Full picture
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc28 ... ject31.jpg

I stuck the engine in Deans old dragster and ran 10.1.

Image

Image

After a NHRA tech certification inspection in 1995 revealed it would take 20 grand to make them happy I got back to the desert.
I took it to the Dunes with the 2386 (Engle 130 cam) pissed off quite a few sand queen owners when they were passed by a rail with 7.00 15 Yokahama front tires.
Image
Note the retarded idea about stiffening the frame and keeping the center open for a spare tire. It created more breaks than it fixed.
The 2180 had the nasty habit of snapping axles when climbing rough hills under full throttle. The second time after a five mile walk on a 110 degree June day to get the truck I bought two Diamond Racing Axles from Az Transaxle. No more broken axles.
I made an aluminum roof panel. Installed it with DZUS fasteners and fabricated a roof rack. I did a lot of weekend 300-600 mile off/on road trips. It was nice but getting up to speed in the rough was hard and slowing down was brutal on my back.
In 2004 I had Jack Wood fabricate a pair of rear 3x3 arms. He supplied the 930 CVs, Sway Away axles and chromemoly flanges and stub axles. The old torsion housing was beat. I welded in an IRS housing. I added an extra section of roll bar hoop to attach the shock mounts. $50 for two used Bilstiens. I relocated the battery and installed it in a battery box. A 1991 Vanogon positive battery cable runs from front to back. I made new mounts for a used stock geared three rib Bus transaxle. I cut down T-3 rear hubs to fit 914 Porsche rotors and used Audi A-4 rear calipers. I relocated the proportioning valve next to the shifter and steering brake.
Last year I straightened a bent 5 "wider chromemoly beam added used 1" longer used arms, used 33x9.5 x15 All Terrain front tires.Brandwood cars supplied the Bilstiens, Lasted Rage rack, Latest Rage steering universals also keep loosening up. Brandwood reamed the spindles for larger tie rod and supplied aluminum tie rods, two Ford and two International tie rod ends. I welded gussets to the stock spindles. I stuck the 2180 back in and the starter went clunk. Water had gotten into a cylinder. In went a 1600 cc single port for the test drive.
The LR rack fell apart after about 24 gallons of fuel usage (no odometer). Star washers cured that problem. The LR steering u joints loosen up until I over tighten the 8 mm bolts to about 35 ft lb. Relocating the battery box to the right side will allow me to redo the u joint angles which should help. One Saturday later the drivers spindle broke where it was supposed to. The 33 x9.50 tires were a little to hard on stock spindles. I think it might have broken the first day if the 2180 was in it.
Image
Note it was cracked for quite some time.
Image

Image
It was also time to fix the frame bracing.
Image

Image

Image
Finally no more frame breakage.
Image
The 2180 was returned to it in December 08 with a new cam. The old cam is going back in it soon. This one has a little to much overlap and duration 114 vs 108 and 262 vs 258 duration.The switch from 4.12 RP to 5.38 makes them almost the same but I want to see what the Weber VZ 25 style cam will do with this gearing.

Image

It could use a wider track to match the rear but with used you take what you can. A longer wheelbase would be nice but most of the trails are to tight and twisty for anything much longer and wider to go fast.The satin black paint is by Krylon. No powercoating its always being changed or welded on.
Image

Image
This tire gave up at 60mph on the highway. Nothing worse than tread coming at you at 60 while the rail is going 60 mph in the opposite direction.
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
The floor sounded loose Seemed like a good place to check it.
Image
Image
False alarm. Everything looked ok.
Image
Studs would of helped on the decomposed granite.
Other than mounting a high lift jack, permanent fuel can holders and extending the roof rack no major changes are in the works.


Last edited by perrib on Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:34 am, edited 2 times in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:15 am 
Offline
WoodsBuggy Addict
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:26 pm
Posts: 3010
Location: GEORGIA ON MY MIND
That was special
nice pics


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:34 am 
Offline
BOTM Winner
User avatar

Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:35 pm
Posts: 3097
Location: Rome Ohio
Wow , you should copy this over to the Blog Forum. Nice write up.

_________________
Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 8:52 am 
Offline
BOTM Winner
User avatar

Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:16 pm
Posts: 1511
Location: cleveland oHIo (columbia station)
Odyknuck wrote:
Wow , you should copy this over to the Blog Forum. Nice write up.

x2

_________________
**********"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity."
- Sigmund Freud
**********
**********"The problem is not the availability of guns, it is the availability of morons."
- Antonio Meloni
**********


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:23 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:55 pm
Posts: 265
Location: Trussville, Alabama
Good story.....like the top rack :lol: :lol:

_________________
Redneck famous last words...hey yall watch this
Buggy drivers famous last words....hold my beer, it dont look that steep


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:41 pm 
Offline
BOTM Winner
User avatar

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:54 pm
Posts: 318
Location: missouri
I am curious what do you do or have you done professionally? I am geussing some kind of foriegn car mechanic? I am a fabricator who has to work on toyoytas cylinder head dies for groceries. I also liked your rack so much I put on on my car.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:34 pm 
Offline
WoodsBuggy Addict
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:10 pm
Posts: 1537
Location: HUNTINGTON WV home of the cool black ecotac buggy
good story very detailed welcome to the site

_________________
i dont always ride my buggy but when i do im glad it has a bad ass bow tie makin the horsepower

Jesus loves me, but everyone else thinks im an asshole.

Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail us now!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:58 am 
Offline
WoodsBuggy Addict
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:04 pm
Posts: 1625
Location: Massillon, Ohio
awesome!!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:30 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:27 pm
Posts: 496
Location: Chandler Az
Thank you. The blog it is, I thought I was in the Buggy Build section when I wrote it. I was an Auto Mechanic 21 years German cars 30 years total in auto body and mechanics. For those of you who have been in the garage to long and rail racks not female racks give you inspiration :P I left out this rack is removable. :) Sorry it was just to easy.
Image

Image

I know the welds are pitiful but it has been on its roof twice. I can do better with.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:22 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:19 pm
Posts: 17
so cool thanks rail buggy love


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:00 am 
Offline
WB Contributor
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:43 pm
Posts: 1091
Location: Deep South, GA
The only question I have, Perri, is WHERE do you keep coming up with all the Rabbit roofs? :P :mrgreen:

_________________

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not."
Thomas Jefferson

Darlene


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 5:51 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2007 11:27 pm
Posts: 496
Location: Chandler Az
GatorGal wrote:
The only question I have, Perri, is WHERE do you keep coming up with all the Rabbit roofs? :P :mrgreen:


It is Az they did not rot away When I had the shop we bought a lot of Rabbits with blown head gaskets for $50-$100. The ratty ones got parted and lost thier roofs. It is easy to fill them with scrap that way.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:22 pm 
Offline
WB Contributor
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:43 pm
Posts: 1091
Location: Deep South, GA
Ok, yeah.....I guess that WOULD be the difference between AZ and GA......Out here, if it sits still very long crap starts falling off of it :roll: I was in Barstow, CA for several months and it was way hot and dry....but, come to think of it, I didn't see a single rusted-out automobile, either.....of course, that might have been just because they were all holding out hope that if they stayed relatively rust-free they stood a better chance of getting out of Barstow (AKA The Armpit of these United States) 8)

_________________

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not."
Thomas Jefferson

Darlene


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 

Board index » Blogs » Perrib's Place

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group