My Aunt's Dune Buggy

[V8Nate]

Looks like you are doing it right. Should be a fun ride when done.

That's the idea:)

[Ol'fogasaurus]

d031e3ea47033c1511e0ddfcd78b0206 copy.jpg

Nate, this shows options so... this is a for what it is worth thing.

When several joins are clamped together like this there is always a chance of one then others pulling/coming loose if the bolt clamp loosens up any or just one of the wire(s) pulling loose at the clamp. While I doubt that will happen here, but I would keep an eye on it too.

Copy of Dune Buggy rebuild 10-11-06 005.jpg

This is one way of doing it, it allows you to keep an eye on the join better and it can be used for the positive or the negative side of the circuit.

Copy of Dune Buggy rebuild 10-11-06 002.jpg

This is kind of cheating on grounding, but it is the idea of potential ways of doing some things I am trying to pass on.

In this case it is a hot wire circuit. One side is switch controlled while the other circuit is a not switced but a hot circuit both with-in the same circuit box.

Grounding can be handled the same way especially if you want to keep the grounding secret. I do use a strong ground switch between the battery and charging circuit as a primary safety thing but this way I can also be used to switch certain individual circuits in the system. It also allows me to safely keep a charging circuit on the battery when not in use.

Lee

[V8Nate]

Thanks for the tips Lee! I'll let my cousins know about keeping an eye on the ground bolt:) the only relays on this buggy are for the horn and flasher(how the fuse panel was wired) time will tell how this ebay fuse block will stand the test of time but so far it looks to be descent quality:)

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Thanks for the tips Lee! I'll let my cousins know about keeping an eye on the ground bolt:) the only relays on this buggy are for the horn and flasher(how the fuse panel was wired) time will tell how this ebay fuse block will stand the test of time but so far it looks to be descent quality:)

The different types of connectors, open or closed ends for example, are interesting as to their uses or intended uses. Somethings that people, including those that even know the whys and wherefores', sometimes forget.

The same for "bussing" like the last pix shows is often forgotten and it is so easy to deal with after it is done.

Lee

[V8Nate]

I agree bussing is a great technique, that is how the fuse box is. 4 wires going to hot/key on/accessories and they are bussed to the 14 fuses on the fuse panel

[V8Nate]

Progress report-

Got all the electrical minus the engine hooked up and working as it should:) I had a couple hiccups along the way, one was I didn't test the rear lights and I assumed both filaments of the 1157 were the same brightness...wrong. I was scratching my head trying to figure out why the brake lights were coming on with the park lights.lol a simple cut open my finished wiring harness and swap wires took care of that.

The other problem was the 2 pin flasher. How I wired this car is the wire coming off the flasher went to the turn signal switch, the the front 194's were tied in accordingly to the left/right wire. The wires then went to a 3 to 2 wire trailer tail light converter for the rear tail lights. We'll after messing around wondering why the turn signal wouldn't flash I finally figured it out. I had to get a 3 pin led relay for a 2 to 4 bulb load because the 194's just didn't load the flasher enough to flash.

Fast forward a couple days and I got the motor pulled out of my bug, new clutch installed and put into the dune buggy. Got the rear cage on and have grabbed all my old exhaust and cut it up to make a header. It's a tight fit for sure! It reminds me of a sidewinder header, I have some more to do to it like #3 needs a bend added as well as flanges for both cyl 3 and 1. I tried saving the collector but after I ground it down it ended up being to small so I ordered a collector off Amazon to make it fit


https://youtu.be/H6XV5qhFins[IMG]https: ... dc080c.jpg[/IMG]

[V8Nate]

https://youtu.be/v5Msy6SqNAQ

[Ol'fogasaurus]

On the skid plate don't forget to put the oil drain access hole in. Heard a lot of irked swearing when it was suddenly discovered not to be there . Also, don't forget to bend the front of the skid plate up so it doesn't want to dig in like a flat front could.

Lee

[V8Nate]

I told my cousin about the hole I don't have my torch at home so he's going to cut it. The front is held on by a hinge so hopefully that doesn't catch anything! Thanks for the tips!

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Another slight tip. Make the hole big enough that besides the tool to remove the drain plug but also large enough so fingers can get in if needed to get the bolt started correctly. Fingers are more sensitive to threads mismatching up than a socket, especially with an extension involved, might not get a proper thread start.

Lee

[V8Nate]

Definitely a great tip!

[V8Nate]

Here's how far I got with the header last night. Got all the pipes welded together and sanded down, collector trimmed to fit and 2 adapters to get it from 3" down to 2" all welded on. I have a 2" vband flange coming in for the collector as well as some 2" pipe to make the exhaust tubing coming in today and I'm hoping to have the muffler section built today after work. The flanges for the j tubes should be in by Monday and once those are welded in I can paint this exhaust and move on to the next step

[V8Nate]

Got the vband welded on today and mocked up the muffler and tailpipe section

https://youtube.com/shorts/tgXDnc9DTf8? ... bbd195.jpg[/IMG]

[V8Nate]

Well everyone the buggy is a runner and driver:) it's pretty quick for a 1600 with a small cam and small single carb! I still need to dial in the choke and before it's picked up I'll adjust the brakes but I put 17 miles on it yesterday and all went smoothly and I'm glad the transmission was good since I had no way of checking that out


https://youtu.be/kmzAnNUFY4s

https://youtu.be/lOEftAp2D5A

https://youtu.be/iyiLP9kVeDM

It will get some better wheels in the future and although the outside doesn't look much different all the work done under the car with its new brakes, beam, wiring, plumbing, engine ect really brought this car around.

Thanks to everyone that watched the show and gave some pointers. This car is pretty much done on my part now it's time for my aunt to enjoy it:)

[V8Nate]

Today was the big day! My aunt came and picked up the buggy and she loved it! I'm very pleased with how it turned out and am so glad they will enjoy it. Here's a few pictures of before and after