Hello! I’m new here and building a Suzuki Jimny based buggy

jimnyBuggy

New member
Hello All!

I’m new here, I’m from North Wales and I am building a buggy based on a Suzuki Jimny based buggy... I’m assuming reading some of the posts that 4x4 buggies are okay on here.?

Here’s some introductory photos... I’ll create a build thread later if this kind of thing is your kind of thing?,,,

stripping.JPG


I started with a cheap X-reg donor...

DSCN9446.JPG


I completely stripped and rebuilt the rear axle, fitting a locker and heavy duty rear shafts: and new bearings and seals everywhere, and poly bushes in all the suspension joints.

DSCN9450.JPG


The front axle then got the same treatment, although standard shafts and CVs were rebuilt into the front... the steering bars were sleeved with seamless tube to stop them bending, and a steering damper was added...

DSCN9529.JPG


The transfer box was dropped out and tapped for a breather which runs up - with the two axles - to a manifold block in the engine bay where it will eventually go up into the snorkel head. It was then mounted back under the donor in a custom built cradle and heavy duty mounts. the gearing is stock in the transfer box, both diffs in the axles were swapped for later VVT model diffs to alter the gearing to suit the taller 30” chunky tyres (stock tyres are 27” - diffs were swapped from 3.9:1 to 4.3:1)

buggy2.jpg


As it stands at the moment! Much of the body has been cut away, including half doors

buugy3.jpg


From the front...

buggy6.JPG


The rear - transferring weight, the winch is located in the rear, a tube is used to thread hthe winch rope under the passenger sear, down the front chassis rail and out of the front through a “donut” shaped fairlead. This means the winch can be used to pull in either direction,to winch backwards you just take a loop off the drum and thread it through the oversize rear fairlead and use a “snatch block’ (pulley) I the loop. The battery and solenoid controller sit next to it.

buggy.PNG


My inspiration... this is a Brazilian ATV / UTV that some of you may have seen images of on the ‘net.... combined with...

fordex.jpg


The Ford EX concept car that was featured in one of the Jurassic Park films.

I’m taking design cues from both of these whilst working in the constraints of it being Jimny based, I can’t alter the chassis, it has to be recognisable as Jimny based, road legal obviously (for greenlaning), and not cost the earth!

I’ve asked Santa for a Polaris RZR for the last five years, but the wide says he can’t stretch to it, so I thought I’d build my own! :)

My other cars are Jinny’s too!...

DSCN9732.JPG


The off-road one... this gets Greenland once a month

DSCN9734.JPG


The daily driver...

Hope this is of interest to Muddy Buggies... it will eventually be exactly that! B)
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
A few more of the buggy...

buggy1.JPG


Side shot

0506-3.jpg


Front suspension upgrade parts

DSCN9470.JPG


Transfer Box cradle in flat pack form

buggydoortop.JPG


Door capping ready to weld in, bucket seats in

F42AD7EA-9815-414A-A476-E7AEC709FFDA.jpeg


Front bumper and recovery points taking shape, the Front donut fairlead will sit just above the right shackle, you can just make out the winch rope guide tube...

That’s about where I am up-to-dats...
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
Everybody is welcome mate, loving the buggy, son/mates used to do off roading in Vitara's biggest weak point they seemed to have was the CV joints I know he came back once with 3 broken ones, he locked out the only front one that was left & that got him home.
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
Aye, I started in Vitaras before "upgrading" to the Jimnys...

THANKS for the welcome... seems quiet on here? (Same as every forum these days thanks to facebook?!)

Front bumper finished today -

DSCN9827.JPG


And sidebars fitted -

DSCN9835.JPG


That's now most things in place before starting on the tube / bodywork... I need all the other bits in place first to work out the lines of everything... plastic lorry wheel arches need ordering next, then push it out of the garage, stand back and stare at it to get everything set in my mind... ;)
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
jimnyBuggy":2bowatgy said:
THANKS for the welcome... seems quiet on here? (Same as every forum these days thanks to facebook?!)
Yes unfortunately it is, most buggies are built, I'm too old & it's too cold to go outside ;D ;D

As to Fecesbook, I don't do it, it's a plague on society bit like that other one Twatter
 

wagon_1.0

Member
Loving a new build - very welcome by my book!

I'd love to be doing a bit more in the garage - just that life is mental and I never get to :D
 

Danny

Administrator
My other forum is manic still.... but yeah facebook has trashed most communities

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
 

ChaosMS

Active member
Looking great this, and welcome to the forum! interested to see how this ends up should be a lot of fun, my next build is using the same ford concept car as a ideas starting point (though its firmly shelved at the moment)

As for Farcebook and Titter totally agree with Alan, both are just a festering pustule on the anus of humanity!!!!!!!
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
THANKS for the welcomes!

Yes, I'm lucky, we built another extension a few years ago so that our daughters can stay as long as they want... I we needed something to hold our bedroom / ensuite / walk-in-wardrobes up... so I had to build a nice big garage underneath ;)

I work long hours running a shop and post office, so I get Wednesdays and Sundays off to play in the garage or offroad ;)
Bit more today -

DSCN9840.JPG


Marked up the same piece of 6"x4" box section that I made the bumper out of...

DSCN9843.JPG


And formed the top of the lower grill section from it...

The tabs sticking out on the sides are for...

DSCN9845.JPG


... the JCB headlights to attach too...

DSCN9852.JPG


I then cut two pieces of plate to make the sides of the lower grill, the donut fairlead mount will sit on the right but needs an extra bit welding on the top to make it the right length and shape, and the other bit is the matching left hand side... It was easier to add a bit to the supplied donut fairlead mount as it would mean cutting the big hlole, and drilling and countersinking the mounting holes!...

DSCN9856.JPG


Like that, with some perforated sheet to make the lower grill section...
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
"Funished" the front grill today -

buggy271119.jpg


It was tacked together the other day, so stripped it off and welded it front and back, ground, sanded, painted, and reassembled...

The lorry wheel arches from Poland are due today with Parcelforce, so I'll be able to play around with the look of them over a few evenings ;)
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
Still can't get my head around how the winch will work form the front, a picture may help if you get chance
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
[youtube]nrZn-2WKWcs[/youtube]

This was my inspiration, this is the Offroad Armoury's old Jimny based competition buggy using an over-volted twin motor Warn 8274 ... listen to it scream!

Mine's a lot simpler setup but using the same principles... you can see at the start of the video they are winching up / forward, then the "winch bitch", sorry "co-driver" takes a loop off the back of the drum to winch backwards, or in this clip lower the buggy down the steep drop... you would normally run it through a snatch block (pulley) but in the clip they just do it through a quick strop for speed...

buggy6.JPG


From the back of the buggy, the winch is positioned at the back, for weight distribution too, but also to be able to winch both ways... In front of the winch drum you can see the donut fairlead where the rope will run through the tube to the front of the vehicle... behind the drum you can see the enormous fairlead where I'll be able to grab a loop off and insert a snatch block / pulley to winch backwards...

buggy7.jpg


And there's the seamless tube running through the engine bay on top of the chassis rail to the front of the buggy...

buggy271119.jpg


So the winch rope and hook will pop out of the 'donut' fairlead here on the front, so to winch forward you just use it like a conventional winch, only it's located at the back and the rope runs through a tube under the passenger seat and through the firewall, along the chassis rail and out the front in a straight line pull off the drum...

There's always going to be the occasion when you get stuck in or down into something and need to pull yourself backwards the way you came in when greenlaning rather than pulling onwards in a competition scenario.

There will also be another farilead on the top back of the cab section, so that I can pull a loop off the front of the drum before it enters the donut fairlead, and thread that through the top / roof fairlead for self-righting if the buggy has a "little liedown" or needs support from tipping over - side slopes, etc..
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
DSCN9737.JPG


That was the one bend in the seamless tube to guide the rope through...

DSCN9739.JPG


And although it's rolled squiffy slightly, you can see the straight path under the passenger seat and through the firewall...

buggy13.jpg


Slightly cramped for my usual passenger, but he doesn't mind ;)
 

Phaeton

Moderator
Staff member
Gotcha, makes sense now, I was figuring you were going to have to feed it through the tube each time you wanted to use it up front, never thought about just doubling the rope up for the back
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
Hi! Sorry, not been on here for a while... the last few times I came back earlier in the year there were PHP error messages everywhere, but that seems to have been resolved?

I'm still cracking on with this Jimny based buggy, here's some latest photos...

DSCN9653.JPG


DSCN9659_2020-07-01.JPG


DSCN9670.JPG


That was yesterday, the 1st of July when I drove (!) it out of the garage to turn it round...

That's the problem... I now have to do the other side to match!!! -

DSCN9672.JPG


Another couple of months of Sundays then?! :D

DSCN9675_2020-07-01.JPG


All the parts of the jigsaw are here though!!! ;)
 

Baloo

Member
hi
thats looking rather tasty
ive always had a soft spot for the jimny i could easily get sucked into having a tube buggy on a jimny chassis ::) ::) ::)
 

jimnyBuggy

New member
Hello! Sorry I haven't been off for ages... last time I came back there was database errors everywhere? Then Covid struck, etc, etc...

Anyways, I've been self isolating in the garage most of the year, and today the buggy saw the light of day...

060121-6.jpg


060121-7.jpg


060121-8.jpg


060121-9.jpg


060121-10.jpg


060121-11.jpg


060121-12.jpg


Not quite finished yet, but it's getting there!

Wiring to finish, new clutch to fit, and then engine makeover... new radiator, belts, plugs, etc, etc...

Aiming for May when hopefully the sun comes out and the Covid clouds dissipate ...!

Dave 8)
 
Top