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The "trophy husband" pro mod buggy build

N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I braved the cold tonight and put in a little time on it. I got the bottom of the b-pillar asterisk in, as well as the tubes below it that connect to the rear of the belly skid.
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Does it drive me crazy that the middle tube support has to angle down to the belly skid? It did until I reminded myself form follows function and I don’t want that tube to dead-end right there. Having it dead-end one level lower is good enough for me lol. I wish I could connect that tube like the left one but the driveshaft will be in the way. It’s going to work great!

I also got one of the rear vertical supports for the belly in place. It too connects in a way that’s not ideal but angling it and connecting it the way I want to won’t clear the upper link. Also just fine. It’s kind of hard to see in the pic.
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Side angle for no reason.
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I’m happy with the progress for the night. I even took the time to clean out the garage to get the #momcar inside. She’s been very cool about parking outside, even with this ridiculous weather but she’ll be happy it’s inside. Gotta stay a trophy husband somehow…
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
What is the deadline you are working towards for this build? I know nothing about competition and assume that you're building this for those? Is your drivetrain all running or will that take a bunch of work when you get there too? Just curious.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
nnnnnate said:
What is the deadline you are working towards for this build? I know nothing about competition and assume that you're building this for those? Is your drivetrain all running or will that take a bunch of work when you get there too? Just curious.
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I don’t really have a hard deadline because I would just miss it 🤣. I wanted it done a couple years ago but just don’t have time and/or the skills to really hammer it out quickly. It would be nice to have it done for a competition or two this year or even just nationals in September but I’m not holding my breath.

People joke that getting it to roller status is really only like 50% of the work so that’s depressing.

The engine was running in a cop car that I bought. I had a guy trim down the wiring and modify the computer to make it work so that hopefully won’t take too much work to get it going, just some basic wiring.
Transmission is from an almost 40 year old Jeep so I need to pull it and have it built. No biggie, just $.
Atlas is new and beautiful.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Got a couple hours in tonight and got 6 tubes in. Some 1” DOM from the b-pillar/shoulder bar junction to the asterisk to help spread forces when I roll this beast. Also (2) small tubes connecting the bottom spreader to the seat mount tube. Last but not least, the front supports for the shock hoops.
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I also finally put my Ruffstuff angle grinder mounts to use. I realized I’ve been sitting them on the ground between notches and other times I’m using them on metal in the vise. So that’s dumb and I welded them on the vise pedestal. I’m pleased.
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Boom, productive evening by my standards.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
Tonight I added the last rear belly support tube and the rear tracbar support tube. One of my old young men stopped by and hung out with me while I worked on it. He’s taking a welding class right now at J-Tech so he’s pretty excited about the whole process. It was nice to have another pair of hands for moving stuff around.
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And now I get the joy of endless hours of trying to figure out where to put everything. It’s agonizing 🤣
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
This are the three parts I’m looking at placing first since they’re the biggest/heaviest.
Radiator- I’ve always planned on that spot. It’s up high enough to work but far enough to the driver side to not block my over the shoulder view.
Winch- pretty much the best place for it, especially if I want to keep it low. The rope will come up to a pulley off the tube right above it and then go down to the center of the axle.
Fuel cell- I like the placement. I like that it’s pretty low but totally plan on making an aluminum heat shield since the fan blowing hot air on it would cause issues.
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I’ve toyed with the idea of moving the fuel cell to behind the passenger seat but then that kills my over the shoulder visibility- not that I can see everything anyways- but it also brings it up way higher too. I’m still torn.

I really only have 3 other big-ish things I need to find a home for back there: the battery, air compressor and trans cooler/fan assembly. The rear skid plate will be an easy place to mount the battery and compressor as well as the fuel pump. The trans cooler/fan assembly may need to go behind the passenger seat next to the radiator.
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
After chatting with Ryan I decided to move the cell next to the radiator, behind the passenger seat. It just works.

Today I mocked it up and moved on to making the winch mount. I rotated it so it comes out of the winch at a better angle and made the plate. It should work well. I’m torn about making a little pulley for it or just throwing it over the tube.
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And a couple pics of the fuel cell mocked up. I also ran to cal ranch for some flat bar to make straps. I am pleased with it so far. I bent them up in my vise and I’m going to cut the head off some 3/8” bolts to weld to them. It make packaging the brackets easier than bending the ends and running a bolt through them.
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
I ordered a battery box from Artec, some threaded aluminum pucks for mounting the radiator from WOD and a little pulley from Amazon that will hopefully work for the suckdown winch. Wooooo I love getting parts in the mail!
 
N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
gertsch said:
Great work Nate. Really inspiring on getting going on a buggy build.
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If I had any takeaways for somebody that was thinking about starting a buggy build they would be-

1. Don’t do it. Ever. It’s hard.
2. If you absolutely must do it, buy an effing chassis. It might seem like a lot, throwing $5k at a chassis but it will save you ALL OF THE TIME (AND MONEY) in the long run.


That being said you’re a tall mofo like me so our options are limited. That is probably 90% of the reason I did my own chassis. I would see if you can fit in the variety of awesome chassis’ available for purchase before starting from scratch and if so, buy ALL OF THE BITS AND PIECES they have to finish it out.


I should’ve been a motivational speaker… 🤣


Also- thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. 😘 Come hang out with me at our (empty) DCRC booth at the SLOREX show :rofl:
 
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N-Smooth

N-Smooth

Smooth Gang Founding Member
Location
UT
mbryson said:
Why is booth empty?
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Because we basically got the booth from SLOREX due to our partnership and we can’t figure out what to put in it 🤣

It’s 10x10 so too small for a rig. I’m not a vendor show guy at all so I’ll bring some random stuff and just chat with people about rock crawling. That last part should be cool cause I kinda like it.
 
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