Desert Patrol Vehicle build 3 year adventure sort of.

[gorth]

The round thing on the top is communications gear.
Jim
Here is one of my drawings

[Leatherneck]

gorth cool build. Do you plan on doing any serious off-roading with this?

[gorth]

Off road, well that is really what that design was made for but after all of the $$$$$ and time i have put into it i kind of would hate to mangle it. So far as you can see in the video the off roading has been in my back yard, due to not owning a chunk of land to bounce about the woods. Now a great area i was thinking about and would sort of being in line with my work checking the training areas and tank trails that i am in charge of all the way home from my office and i do know the game wardens out there due to the training areas and tank trails. Those Georgia clay trails would let me see what she could do but it would be stretching in claiming to be checking my areas. I also have an aircraft paved runway area that would be fun to see how fast i could go. Well i am not going any where until i either am able to fix my left axle or worst case have to save up to buy a new transaxle. Here is some of my updated drawings.

[gorth]

Here is another picture just before adding the aft gunners cage. Note i moved the side bars in to give more clearance for the shocks. I later had to curve the stubs that you see in to meet the new location of the side bars. I also added a support bar behind the seats.

[gorth]

Saw this on line. That would be neat to build.

[cherokee140]

In one of those pictures it looks mid engined in the other it looks rear engine....I wonder if it is a prototype?

[gorth]

Does any one out there have a better price on a differential side gear to replace my chewed up one? The only one i found was form pacific customs ltd for $45.00??? I also found 2 differential side gears and 2 spider gears for around $129.00. I am wondering if the spider gears are chewed up and the other diff too??? Here is a picture of the buggies current state.

Here is a picture of the aft gunner seat mount and foot rest.


Latest addition for a back up / flood light.

Here is a picture of my tube horn frame.

Current Left side minus the axle.

Jim

[gorth]

Here is a real DPV from our Fort Pierce Museum.

[gorth]

Well i am waiting to get the parts i ordered so i can get the axle back on and hopefully have the buggy moving again. I felt both spider gears and they did not seem to have any wear so hopefully replacing the end gear will do the trick.
Jim

[cherokee140]

Here is a real DPV from our Fort Pierce Museum.

COOL...got any more pics?

[gorth]

Yep i will try to post them tonight when i get home. Still waiting on parts and it is raining like crazy so no working outside today.
Jim

[gorth]

Here are some more pictures from the museum.

[gorth]

Well the week end went well and i got the end gear, axle and tire back on but the axle boots i got did not come with the nuts and bolts so that is the only thing i am waiting on before i can fill the transaxle and get the bug back to moving again.
Jim

[gorth]

Well got some more parts on order. Once i get them i hopefully will be able to install front breaks and put the new boots on the old swing axle and bet the transaxle topped off with fluid and i will be moving again. After that its back to the quest to become street legal. Its getting colder so my goal will be to be street legal and be able to drive to work next year. Well got to go i am on snake patrol. My neighbor doesnt like cotton mouths and neither does my wife and there is a big one in the drainage ditch behind our houses. The police shot and missed twice yesterday with a glock 40 cal just as i was getting home from work. My 12 gauge pump with bird shot will do a better job and i am cleared to engage said snake by the police. Licence to kill sort of. All for now.
Jim

[gorth]

Here is the latest update. The axles are back together, the axle boots installed, transaxle filled, break lines installed and breaks bled. Just waiting on parts to be delivered to put the breaks on the front and i should be all set. Two other problems have come up. Of course when the axles were waiting on parts the engine would start right up and run no problem so of course now the engine is stalling. I did get it started yesterday and into first and moved a couple of feet. I did not want to go too far until i got break fluid and the breaks bleed. Second i need to do some electrical trouble shooting due to the head lights and side position lights not coming on when the switch is on. Of course it was not a bad fuse that would be too simple. It has to be some where at the switch. Well all for now.
Jim