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Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 10:15 pm
by Devastator
I used a similar method for building my trailing arms. Be careful to use it at the correct ride height for your car. I didn't and I have more camber, and in the wrong direction, than I expected.

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:24 pm
by madmitch
more rear alignment before final welding of trans mounts. Camber and toe set at projected ride height.
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I set toe at 3/8 inch toe in. What are you settiing yours at?

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 7:38 am
by madmitch
Trans mid mount fabbed in

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Mounted a 14 " fox shock mid travel to see where top mount will wind up being located.
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Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 8:17 am
by CentralWAbaja
madmitch wrote:Image[/url]

I set toe at 3/8 inch toe in. What are you settiing yours at?
I think this question got lost?

That seems to be a lot based on what I have read? Most of what I read is 1/16-1/8" toe in, some even say a smidge of toe out at ride.

That amount of toe will get exaggerated a bunch as the wheel travels through its arch especially if you are using stock geometry pivots. Cycle your hubs up to full bump and measure it again, then do it down a full droop, you will see what I am talking about. Then think about what will be happening at speed. You will have what is basically "Bumpsteer" happening on the rear. The thing will be trying to steer itself all over the place with the back tires.

I may be way outa whack on this (wouldn't be the first time) but this is my understanding of it :wink:

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 9:58 pm
by madmitch
You are correct in the toe change during rear suspension travel Darrin. If my memory serves me right it toes out on compression and in on droop. Keeping in mind this is a short course setup I believe a little more toe out will help on corner exit then rear suspension is slightly loaded during acceleration. I may be wrong too but may be a good topic for discussion.

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:39 pm
by CentralWAbaja
Been a while since I had my head wrapped around this entire concept on my car. I went back in my thread and through my notes but cant find where I measured and recorded that stuff with my old arms. I just know that when it was explained to me and I cycled mine is when I decided to make the changes I did. You can probably verify your theory pretty easily by cycling things on yours and measuring what it is actually doing where in the cycle. And then Yes definitely set it up for the short course style stuff you will be doing with it. Probably make yourself go crazy thinking about all of it too :lol: lets see..... does it toe in under breaking or or toe out? In or out under acceleration ect?

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:01 pm
by Ol'fogasaurus

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 7:08 pm
by Ol'fogasaurus
Mitch, anything new on your buggy?

Lee

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 10:03 pm
by madmitch
No Lee. Project got shelved when grades and attitude started falling. Attitude has improved, school year is almost over and thankfully grades are improving too. Miles got to drive my dwarf car last weekend at Ventura and we will be there tomorrow too. Could be a buggy in his future this summer.
Something about teenage boys and driving makes for great incentive to do school work. OBTW, he's turning 16 June 3.

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 8:21 am
by Ol'fogasaurus
You sound like a good and caring pop Mitch. I hope he appreciates it before it is too late :wink: . Looking forward to see this updates soon and maybe his rig documented too.

Lee

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 8:38 am
by madmitch
I've decided on a change in direction for this project. I'm going to put it back together so I can drive it with IRS upgrade from the original swing axle. Should be pretty easy to finish it up and I have almost all the parts. I think it will make a nice dune buggy to go play in.

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:27 am
by Ol'fogasaurus
Yeah, we have a couple of swing axle play rails that it would be nice to do IRS swaps to also. The swing axle is good but bottom side clearance is limited as is travel safety (tuck under). Tire size is also going to come into play unless you go wider and longer trailing so another mud puddle to step into :roll: .

I don't remember if you have "link" pin" in the front or BJ but there is a supposed ratio of 60% to 90% travel front to rear that is recommended w/o getting into the race style of setup.

If it isn't one thing then its another.

Good to hear the son is maturing as it is so important to get a good start to be ready for life...good job dad! 16... hmmm! :wink: :lol:

Lee

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:34 am
by madmitch
Thanks for the words of encouragement Lee. I plan to go mid travel on the rear suspension maybe using bus cv joints and 8" Bilstein shocks. I already have the parts. The front is a complete Wright front end with rack and pinion, links and spindles. Trailing arms are stock VW. Front torsion bars are round
SWAY-a-WAY. I had never seen them before. I'm trying to jump mud puddles rather than step in them.

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:26 am
by Ol'fogasaurus
I don't every remember hearing about round torsion bars for the front beam either but I guess anything is possible. If I (operating word is I) were going to switch from a buggy to a rail (I can't as I get motion sick within a very short distance) I think I would go a bit more radical (suspension wise that is) than to stick with torsion bars. One of the suggestions I would have made for the front beam would be to change the torsion bars by adding adjusters that way you could lighten up the front suspension some. Messing with the spring stacks would have been another option but with round rods in the front I don't know what, if anything can be done. Are they designed for rails only? (http://swayaway.net/joomla/images/SAW_Catalog_Part3.pdf Page down and you will see Porsche round front torsion bars. I wonder....)

I have some friends that are pretty heavy into sand running; they run both the southern dunes in Oregon and the Imperial dunes (I think that is their name anyway) in AZ. They seem to be almost continually up-grading/dating as they find different ways of doing things.

They are now running either longer travel front beams, usually without the shock towers and using custom made tubular units or IFS, both using coil over suspension either way so that way they can "tune" their suspensions to where they are riding as. From what I have seen and talked to others about, both dune areas require somewhat different "tuning" setups.

They also seem to be pretty much switching to electric power steering now which is kind of weird to me. They are also running larger diameter front sand tires that have two rib as I remember.

In the rear the torsion tube is either gone with a custom IRS setup or the torsion tube itself is still used but w/o the torsion bar. They are pretty much running coil overs as, again, they can tune the suspension to their needs and get good shock/dampeners.

I am not a big fan of putting coils in mixed with torsion bars. Even though they are both torsion bars they react at different speeds hence they can fight each other's peculiarities.

I have about 8" of travel in the rear running a ~1/4" notch in the spring plate. I changed over to Bilsteins several years ago after a pair of "incidents" where the well known "up grade" shocks I had did not cover the "incidents" well at all. Proper use shocks do make a difference in my opinion.

For what it is worth.

Lee

Re: Funco SS2 Barn find

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:11 am
by Skidmark
Lee,
I am not sure why you think that electric power steering is kind of weird... it reduces hand and forearm fatigue in a big way. At least a 50-60% reduction in bump steer. I can now run my baja through rough rocky sections using only one hand. Us old folks can't rely on the old school "Joe Armstrong" method anymore. The electric power steering assist was one of the best upgrades I have ever done to my car!

Skid