Sandrail Body’s

[Booky1]

Yes that’s what I did but it still will not let me open add files under attachments.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I had an instance in the last few days where the picture I have had saved was not a jpeg file but a BMP file. I resized it OK but ignored they type of file so would not get past the choosing part of the attachment choice. I figured out how to convert it and I was able to post it a couple times in the last few days. Check what type of file it is and try to convert it to Jpeg if it isn't already.

[Booky1]

The photos right above your post is pics of my rail it has metal panels but I was looking for fiberglass panels and if someone made them for my rail.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Is it possible for you to use the metal skin as a form for molding the FG?

http://www.cstsales.com/fiberglass_mold_instr.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple- ... -carbon-f/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9wdAZWh0OA

Just a couple of results from a quick search.

Lee

[dustymojave]

Your frame looks like it may have been a 1970s or early 80s eastern built like a Probst or possibly even Berrien Laser single set frame. Fiberglass bodies for those frames or Funco / Hi Jumper / Chenowth, whatever that were built like yours have not been made since then and you're not real likely to find just the body panels for sale. Most modern offroad race cars since that time have sheet metal (usually aluminum) panels made for the car.

It looks like you're doing clean work so far. The front hood could be made more fancy with a bead roller and a bending brake (even if it's a jury rigged setup like a 2x4 and the edge of a work table) and bending long curves using pieces of various diameter tubes or even logs to bend over. Use 3003 or 5052 aluminum alloy for easy forming. Even just doing say a vee crease in the existing hood panel with the point of the vee at the steering box and the wide part at the base of the windscreen would add a lot of appeal. You could make a nose piece that fits over the front part of the existing front hood with simple shapes to it.

Or form a nose piece out of cardboard and bondo, or plaster, and take a fiberglass mold off it. Then make parts out of fiberglass. You can make a shape like I describe above and then simply apply fiberglass over that without a mold. That makes for making the surface smooth a little more difficult, but still VERY do-able.

Search the web for pictures of old 1970s single seat race buggies for inspiration for shapes.

Like the nose on my old Hi Jumper 2 seat (the yellow one - the orange car is a Funco, but VERY similar). They made single seat buggies with very nearly the same shape nose.


Funco single seater


This is a Hi Jumper with a metal hood like yours that was for sale a few years ago, but the stripes make it look like there is more to the body work than the simple shapes that are there.

[Booky1]

Thanks for the reply.I did roll the hood down over the side panels.There was an article in a Vw publication recently that had an article on an old Baja single set that really like the looks.The panels I made are made of 16 gage steel for some safety hoping to make it street legally in Pa.

[cbeck]

Have you been on tos and seen axitech's thread on all the hoops they made him jump thru to become street legal?

[Booky1]

Yes I have I have talked to him and he has told me make sure my ducks are in a row this has been a two year build up to this point.

[VDub67]

Hello. It's been probably years since I posted here, and just stumbled onto this.

Does anyone have a good subbestons for the best place in CA or AZ for a 2-seat sandrail chassis?

I've seen Acme Car Co. but there have to be others.

Many I had been tracking 20-30 years ago have gone by the wayside.

[Wolfin]

I built my sand rail as a Trail Rail, more bracing and more equipped for trail expeditions. When I got to the "skin", I thought long and hard about it and then made two decisions: First, I was going to finish it in Woodland Camouflage. It's kind of cool and unusual looking plus it's very easy to touch up. No straight lines and no gloss! Second, I decided to make the skin out of cloth! I used a very heavy grade of military camouflage cloth. I was going to use snaps but decided to use screws and marine type cloth hold down washers. After it was installed, I sprayed it all really heavy with clear satin clear paint to give it some added durability and sun resistance. It's been over a year and its worked out fine.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=sandrail+ ... d63f6a5fb9

I did a quick search, just for the heck of it, and this is what I came up with but I didn't put "location" in as part of the search.

One of the decisions is just what do you want? Long wheel base or short, suspension front and rear including travel and shocks/dampeners, power plant and a whole bunch of other factors including # of people it will hold. Not everyone, it seems, may not be able to give you a lot of that. At the bottom of the URL are more subjects you might want to look at.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sa ... ML&first=1

Lee

[VDub67]

Wolfin - that's a nice looking rail - SW style !!

Lee - of the 2 links you posted, he first one was complete rails, not chassis. The 2nd link revealed nothing useful.

To your questions: the chassis I'm looking for could be either short or long (haven't decided).

It would bolt on a ball joint front end off a '67 beetle.
The rear end would allow me to weld in a swing arm torsion housing off a /67 beetle.

I would then install my transmission, and I am detailing a 2180cc engine for the powerplant.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Lee - of the 2 links you posted, he first one was complete rails, not chassis. The 2nd link revealed nothing useful.

To your questions: the chassis I'm looking for could be either short or long (haven't decided).

It would bolt on a ball joint front end off a '67 beetle.
The rear end would allow me to weld in a swing arm torsion housing off a /67 beetle.

I would then install my transmission, and I am detailing a 2180cc engine for the powerplant.

The idea of the URLs were of some of what is out there and there are an awful lot of designs out there too.

For what it is worth.

From what you have said, BJ + Swing the standard wheel base was usually considered going with a minimum of 80" and a max of 103" wheel base. With the longer travel suspension now days that wheel base has lengthened out a lot especially with the motors being used.

A BJ front beam has a limitation of travel which is something like 5: or 6". You can get more out of it (9" of front end travel or so I have heard said ???) to change to the modified BJ that have the slots longer but wear faster or can be dam(n)aged easier. Also, the lower ball-joint is pressed down from the top of the arm with the connection pointed up making it easier to pull the BJ out on a hard hit/landing (Somewhere I have pix of the spindle but can't find them right now.

IMG_2516 copy 2.jpg

Bug spindle.JPG

This is a stock VW BJ front beam using the stock spindle.

Thing spindle.JPG

This is a Thing spindle on stock VW arms. Notice that the spindle comes down lower than the stock unit does...

DSC04087.JPG

so the BJ is now facing down so on hare hits the spindle does not pull loose.

013.JPG

This shows the two styles of arms side by side. The Thing spindles are hard to find and expensive. The upper BJ for the Thing is easier to find but the adjuster cone is more than difficult to find.

setting up for hook and pin stops 007.JPG

This is something else that should be done to protect the BJs.

vw swing axle.jpg

Swing axle movement. Not the best for bouncing around especially on uneven ground. IRS does have some of this but in a very small measure.

Does any of this help.

Lee

[VDub67]

Lee -

I do appreciate all you say and demonstrate abouit the embellished BJ front end. Great pictures!! I will certainly take that under advisement.

What I'm trying to do as a first step is get a chassis that I can adapt my front end rear end to.

Once I get to that point, as time goes on (should I live long enough), I wil entertain ugrades.

So ... any leads on manufactures of basic chassis ?? Preferably in the SW (NM, AZ, UT, CO, West TX). Trying to keep shipping costs down ...