Dutchguy Erwin building Badlands ST2

[ErwinBnl]

Hello everybody!

After reading hundrets of posts, finally an own topic!

First: excuse me for my sometimes bad English

I'm building an Badland ST2 Long Travel, this is my first buggy and I really don't have any experience so it will be difficult sometimes. I choose for the ST2 because I really love the design! I wanted to build an single seater and after looking and searching a lot, i decided to choose for an ST2.


A little bit about me,

My name is Erwin and i'm from The Netherlands, a very small country in Europe for those who don't know where it actually is. I'm an 21 year old student at the Fontys University of Eindhoven and i do ICT Media & Design: Building websites, design stuff and work on advert campagnes and stuff.

That's something else than building a buggy haha. I was like 14 years old when i did some laps in an go-kart for the first time in my life. I really loved it and wanted to have one for myself. So i draw some 'designs' in MS Paint and wanted to get started haha, but you guessed it: It never happened. And because we live in the woods, it't almost unpossible to drive an go-kart around here. Then i saw an movie with an kind of 'buggy' at the end of it and i was sold immediatly! I must have one of these haha.
That's like 7 years ago and I always dreamed about it. Also to build one of my own seems very cool to me! Just build and finally drive it.

I build an 'buggy' at the age of 15 but it didn't have brakes and it had tires of an wheelbarrow haha. But it had suspension... of an moped Me and some friends really had an good time with it, driving off steep hills in the woods haha.

Then the project became to rest but it started to itch again begin January.
I found out this forum and looked around, gathered some info and bought the plans.

I did some research on how to laser cut my parts and what the costs will be on my tubing. That with very much things more.

Last week I finally started on the project.
This because I (still) couldn't convince my parents of building one haha. And I will need some help of my dad, for example to get my tubing.

In my next post, i will discuss the first steps and issues.

I hope that you like to read my progress as much i will love to work on the project.

Greetings from The Netherlands,
Erwin

[ErwinBnl]

As I said in the topic starter, I begun with doing several research.
For instance, i searched for an 'Tube Notcher' but here in The Netherlands, you can't get it haha. I have searched for weeks but no.. Now I don't know exactly how i'm gonna solve that. I don't want to grind every tube. Buying it from eBay is way to expensive on shipping costs and border control.

Last week I started with drawning all the bends that have to be maked according Badland's instructions. For my main chassis I will be using 35mm tubing.

Here in The Netherlands we use the Metric measuring system and for me it's very difficult to measure in Inches. The 1/16 etc are pretty much hocus pocus to me. The iron that I will use:

40mm square tube with 2mm wall thickness for the base of the chassis,
20mm square tube for the frame reinforcement.
35mm tube for the main structure of the chassis.
27mm tube for the secundairy chassis components and the suspension.

This brings me the first problem: I can't find any jig for the tube bender that is 35mm. Only 32,5/33,5/40/42,5mm.


I also bought a differential and drive axles. I don't want to build an chain driven driveline with one rear axle. This because I want to drive on pavement and don't want to ruin my tires and driveline.

This brings several problems along, like the location of the rear suspensionarms, the way to attach my differential properly to the chassis and how to place my engine (That I still don't have yet). The differential will be cleaned and painted soon so it will look like new hahaha. An technical n00b question: How do i mount it? With the bolts upwards like at the picture, or faced down?


I think that my engine will be mounted above the differential because there just isn't enough room in front of the differential and I don't know if the buggy will be driving the right way then.



I want to use an cardan driven motorcycle engine, anyone who have some experience with it? Like the RPM of the driveshaft: do I need to use sprockets to devide the motor RPM on the differential?

I hope that I made myself clear to you what I mean exactly, because my English is not perfect...

Does anyone have an idea of how to solve these problems and issues?

I have some pictures of my drawning board and driveline.

[Gene]

Welcome to MBN Erwin!

Looks to me like the differential bolts go up so i'm intrested to read what other members think.

Metric is hocus pocus for many US citizens and is used almost everywhere else. Not much help from me on that issue but others will chime in with informed answers.

About that tube notcher my bet is that you can build one and we should have some comments about that too.

[bugbite]

Hi Erwin, first of all don't worry about your english it's clear enough, unlike the tech support most of us here in the states get, anyway my guess with the diff is to figure out how to bolt it up like you have in the pictures. One thing I might sugest if your not shure how to but it togeather is to build a full scale modle out of wooden dowles (think sticks), like yoshie does this help you figure out how you want to mount the things inside the cage. And if there isn't enough room you can lengthen the buggy frame a little bit. Just some ideas and good luck on your build

p.s. like gene said you should be able to build a tube notcher, just look and copy one of the hole saw ones, or if you have a laith you can use that, just look around for a thread on it, I know I saw one someware on here,

bugbite

[Daniel Dk]

Hi Erwin


You have begun!

As for the tube notcher - I used a drill press and bolted a vice to its table. Notched every pipe like that... Just be shure to use a holesaw-holder with morse taper designed specifically for a drill press. Do not use the standard drill chuck!
also - leave the centering drill in the hole saw and keep the rpms above 700
You might consider buying another 35mm holesaw as you will propably destroy the first one like i did

As for your diff if it is upside-down your buggy will be going in reverse - i think - so that should be a no-brainer If you haven't allready bought an engine - take a look at bmw motorcycles they are cheap, reliable and are usually shaft driven. And if you are completely nuts take a look at the yamaha vmax

Cheers

Daniel

[boostinjdm]

My first thought after looking at that diff is to flip it over so the input is towards the rear bumper. Then set the shaft drive engine right on top so it is facing forward like it does in the bike. You could use sprockets and chain from the engine to the diff and being on the back end, the only thing to get in your way when servicing them would be the rear bumper. It would also keep all the moving parts safely away from the pilot.

[buggito]

Welcome to the site ex-neighbor , I come from Belgian and so far no problem with my English here.
Where did you got the rear end ?

[ErwinBnl]

Originally Posted by buggito

Welcome to the site ex-neighbor , I come from Belgian and so far no problem with my English here.
Where did you got the rear end ?

I got it from an car demolition company nearby. Was very cheap if you ask me



Today, i made the first visual steps in the building process. I made the base of the chassis

We have an garage, full with tools and iron because my dad used to do this for his work/hobby. I noticed that there was about 8metres of 40mm square tube with an wall thickness of 2mm. Júst what i need for my base.. I asked my dad if he needed the iron in the uncoming weeks but he didn't so I could use!!

Within days, i go to the local steelshop and look around for good steel for my buggy.

I may use steel with an wall thickness of 3mm for my rollcage and the few other things that need to be bended. This because I have an bender that is only usefull for steel with an big wall thickness. To lower the weight and costs, i will use normal sized wall thickness steel for the other applications.

I'm almost done with the base, i need to finish welding tomorrow and then I go and start with my differential, make it fit my chassis.

You will hear from me!

Erwin

[ErwinBnl]

Today i welded my base frame together and cleaned my differential and axles.

Now I know for sure what the upside is of the differential haha. Under the 1/4" of dirt and other stuff, i found the outlet for the oil haha.

After i had finished welding my base, i wanted to fit my differential and make an little frame where the differential fits in but because it was so dirty, it was very hard to do it right. So i began cleaning.

On the backside there is/was an mount that i could screw off so i did. It took me a lot of strenght! Really.. first i tried and tried but no the whole differential turned with me so i clamped it (see illustration) but that didn't work either..

Then i lengted my liftingarm and it worked! Finally haha.. They were loose in no-time then haha.

And i was planning to fully weld the base frame because that is carrying the whole buggy frame. I'm going to tack-weld the rest of the frame untill that's finished.

Here are some pictures.

[el diablo]

cleaning dirt, oil and grime off of parts is not the fun part!! But in the end it will turn out looking nicer.