Dave's la(te)st buggy build...

It's starting to look a lot like a rzr but designed by someone who actually goes off road. Good work that man!

Lambert wrote: It's starting to look a lot like a rzr but designed by someone who actually goes off road. Good work that man!

WOW :woohoo: Praise indeed, THANKS Lambert... if we go back to the very first post on this thread...

X8GGY wrote: Ok, some history first, I've attempted to build a buggy five times, and always given up due to lack of time and.or funds. I've asked Father Christmas for a Polaris RZR buggy for the last few years, but apparently he can't afford one. And lastly, I've drooled over the Ford EX Concept vehicle for many years too -

And recenty I found this Brazilian buggy, more of an ATV size but more of what I was thinking of in terms of inspiration...

So, last year I started looking for a cheap soft-top to be a winter project to try and create a buggy inspired by the above two photos, but more for the British climate, so retaining the windscreen and front soft-top roof section for some protection from showers...

Eventually I found a good donor from the one and only James Priestley (J999PRE on here) and he dropped it off for me

... part of the idea was to build a buggy 'like' an RZR but as lot cheaper, for greenlaning, but with bigger tyres than a UTV, as one of my greenalning mates (Gary Wrench I think?) said that Jimnys have a better ground clearance than the average UTV anyway, and being as I've always tinkered with Suzuki 4x4s it seemed sensible to base it on a jimny...



It's getting there! Looking forward to getting back out on the 'lanes soonish... and the BugJimny Meet for it's unveiling of course..

Speaking of which.. I'll probably do the "last" update on this thread on Sunday when the front 'wing' area, A-pillar and tree wire loop should be finished, and then stop updating for a while, whilst the finishing touches and paint are done, so that there is something to unveil at the meet, otherwise you'd have all "seen it all before"...?

Dave

Nice work Dave,have you weighed, good achievement,

Sent from my SM-A305YN using Tapatalk

Thanks (Old) Neil...

No, I'll weigh it when it's road legal though, I'd be interested to know too

Cheers!

Good idea on the keeping it under wraps for BigJimny meet, looking forward to it.

Dave. You are a Monstrous tease! Ten weeks is not a long time in buggy building, you had best crack on!

mlines wrote: Good idea on the keeping it under wraps for BigJimny meet, looking forward to it.

Thanks Martin
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Lambert wrote: Dave. You are a Monstrous tease! Ten weeks is not a long time in buggy building, you had best crack on!

Yup, still a fair bit to go! :ohmy:

Better organise the shop staff to do some overtime?!

I had a spare hour this morning as we were waiting for a delivery...

So...



I cut the last of the lorry wheels arches in half* and trimmed it to fit, the front still needs cutting off to match the other side though, but the delivery truck then turned up :lol:

* Cutting the lorry arches exactly in half, means...



I have four spare mudguards!

But...



They've got a logo and white pin stripe on the "front"... but I'm sure they'll rub off with a tickle from the angle grinder though?

Is It Sunday Yet?

Knocked off early today, as I got done what I planned to do today, and also as I need a bit of a rest



A-pillar tube cut, shaped and welded in, and the other tree wire mount drilled, welded and shaped...

And then I shortened the tree wires to suit...



So that the turnbuckle sits in the middle top of the windscreen...

So to attach the tree wires you just clip them to the rings on the wing-tops, slip the stainless cables through the other rings on the roofline "halo hoop" and then clip them to the turnbuckle and tighten it up so the cables are taut... by standing on the front tyre...



The snorkel in place too, as I also trimmed whats left of the body to suit...

I'm still thinking of shortening the top of it so the head of the snorkel is "under" the line of the tree wires... :huh:



So a couple more things knocked off the list

Off for a shower, a beer, and the sofa... :woohoo:

[hr]

As mentioned above, this is the last update to this build thread for a while...

I'm hoping to unveil the buggy at the BigJimny Meet in Tong on the 4th of October (assuming we don't get a second wave of Covid-19!), so the finishing details will not be blogged so that I've got something to unveil then, otherwise you'd all have seen it all before

See you on other areas of this fine discussion board though

Dave

Wednesday - passenger side bonnet edge formed from oval tube, welded in place, tidied up, bit of filler... looks good... (No photos )

Welded the passenger side half door up too, and then ran out of gas yet again, so went to fetch hopefully the last bottle as the welding stage is nearing completion.

Finished early to search for and order some parts and materials...

Does your welder not have a gas switch in the trigger? You dont half seem to get through some gas compared to what mine uses and your on bigger bottles than me...

Buggy is looking very well in the latest pics

and so the Big Tease begins! At least we have written updates.