Information needed

[Diverbill45]

:?: I live in the pacific northwest (Oregon) and am looking for information on org. or persons that I can contact. I know quite a few people that are involved in quads and VW powered sandrails, but I am more interested in the smaller versions. I am in the process of building my first unit and any contacts, along this line, would be of great help. I have a background in welding and fabrication, pipefitting, building race cars and trailers. Now that I have taken an early retirement from the construction trade and have my own small welding shop, which is set up for tube and pipe bending, (just to have something ELSE to do besides scuba diving) I've been looking at getting involved in this. I have no intention of building some $40,000.00-$50,000.00 nitros huffing, alcohol burning, 200mph fire breathing dragon, just something where my sons and I can go out and have a good time and meet some people that share the same interests. One of my sons has his own construction company and the other is an electrican for one of the mills in the valley. Since they have my grandsons involved in dirt bikes, I'm sure that, before long, they will be wanting me to build one of these cars for them, maybe not. Wishfull thinking!!
Anyway, thanks for any info that anyone can pass along.......... Bill

[dave-x15]

Sorry that I cant help much as I live in AUS but have you decided what type of buggy your interested in and the power plant you want to use??

There is very little flat going where I live so I have opted for a smaller buggy, similar to a Sidewinder, which I can use in the tighter bush trails.

Its been out of action for a few months and now that I have done the neccessary repairs and mods, it's the middle of winter so I prob wont get out too often.

Hope you get as much enjoyment out of your as my sons and I have.

Cheers
DAVE

[Diverbill45]

Dave,
Sorry it took so long to reply but I've ben real busy and haven't been on the site lately. ops:

I've decided to go with a Badland buggy setup. I want to run a 1000cc, but that will depend on how the budget is holdng up when I get to that point. I know where I can pick up a 750cc for not much cost, but I really want a little more power.

I have just started to teach my 12 year old grandson to weld and this is going to be good experience for him to learn about fabrication. At this point I'm still rounding up material, but will be bending tube soon. I'll post pics later, as things progress.

The whole project is going to be TIG welded and this will also be good for the grandson to get some experience at. I'm wanting to get it powder coated, but a couple of my friends, who are painters, want to give it a paint job, on the custom side. They said that if I supply the paint, they would supply the time . I'll just have to wait and see.

I'm looking forward to the fun of the sand dunes when this project is complete and so is the grandson. ............ Bill

[dave-x15]

OK Bill
- sounds like you have worked out what you want to do and where you are going to use it.

I have nowhere near here that I could use something that large or powerfull. Would need a 2 hour drive to get to any sand dunes. From my home, I can be in the bush tracks in 15 minutes, so the smaller buggy is right for me.

It is good that your grand son is interested in learning some skills that will be usefull throughout his life. It is much better for youngsters to be learning and having interests.

I have a CBR900 motor here for sale which would be ideal for you (130hp) but it's a long way to the USA. I was thinking of building a bigger buggy and obtained the engine by chance after a workmates friend crashed the bike.. But for the reasons above I have decided against building it.

Would like to see some pics as you progress, Bill.
I guess that you will take a while to build the buggy so I will keep an eye out for photos on this site.

DAVE

[Diverbill45]

Dave, .............. Sure wish we didn't live so far apart because that CBR900 sounds just like what I'm looking for. I can just imagine what the freight bill would be on that. I've got a few places to check out around here so I'm sure I'll find what I need.

Yes it's going to take awhile to construct the whole thing, but I'm hoping to have it done before spring. I will be posting photos as I progress so stay tuned. I'm going to let my grandson make a few welds on it if he has progressed that far, but he is still going to help with the fabrication, which he wants to do, just so he can see how things go from paper to reality.

The sand dunes here in Oregon are about 2-1/2 hrs. from where I live, but they run for miles, so it is quite an open area. Lots of people on the weekends, but since I'm retired, I can go during the week when it's not so crowded.

I'll keep you posted .......................... Bill

[champ110]

Just curious as to which badlands plans you went with?

[Gene]

Four years later . . . good luck getting an answer!

Welcome to MBN!

[minibajaman]

Talk about bringing a thread back from the dead! I wish we had a Zombie simile. Welcome to the site. You may want to ask that question in a more recent thread, there are several dealing with Badland buggies.

[rowycoracing]

Originally Posted by champ110

Just curious as to which badlands plans you went with?

In my opinion there are much better plans out there than the Badlands plans. You might want to look at all the options available before you put any money down. The first buggy I built was an ST-2 that I finished several years ago and the plans were pretty marginal.

[wyattboche]

Originally Posted by rowycoracing

In my opinion there are much better plans out there than the Badlands plans. You might want to look at all the options available before you put any money down. The first buggy I built was an ST-2 that I finished several years ago and the plans were pretty marginal.

Oh come on they aren't that bad. Ya they are pretty bad even the center section in the rear diff is made out of farm shafting. To maybe hold 20HP?? I think if you modify there plans a little bit you can achive a good quality buggy. Depends how much time and MONEY you have. Yes there are better minibuggie plans out there. But if your just starting out and need the experince then these would work great. It wouldn't something i would brag to my friends about.