Dust Buggy

Bebop said:
Adding to this:


A good tuner will charge around $1000 for a complete tune for a similar setup provided that you bring him a fully functional, no plumbing/wiring issues vehicle. That means working order injectors that are sized properly, no boost leaks, no lines to reroute, no fuel pump that runs out of pressure past 50% throttle, no overheating once stationary and strapped to a dyno, no driveshaft that wants to yeet itself at 100mph etc etc

$400 is a fair price for a start-up tune.

Complete tune would probably take close to a full day of work thus rendering the $1000 price tag fairly cheap when you think about the fixed costs of a dyno etc.
Click to expand...

More than that, $1000 is chump change compared to the total price of building a rig.
 
gt1guy said:
More than that, $1000 is chump change compared to the total price of building a rig.
Click to expand...
That was for a boosted application with some boost control and a few sensors to setup.

A basic cammed N/A LS shouldn't cost you more than $600ish
 
I wanted one of the Gucci Gates green heavy duty engine belts and they only come in limited sizes so while checking belt and tensioner function, I found out the Goat Built bracket put the tensioner in a non ideal spot. Keep in mind there are a ton of GB brackets and mine is an old model. The tensioner maxed out installing the belt because it hits the thermostat housing requiring a looser belt. The tensioner is mid distance between crank and alternator so the tensioner travel has minimal belt length change due to wrap angles.

I moved the tensioner closer to the alternator and up about 1.5” which clears the thermostat housing and gets a little more wrap on the alternator pulley and pulls the belt in more due to the angles.

I used a belt I could barely get on and it was perfect while running and still had tension on a rev. Before the belt would stretch and tensioner would go max and stop applying pressure and the belt was not under proper tension.

Simple thing that was overlooked.
 
First real run in the river bottom.
Needs some shock and engine tuning and will be ready for Hammers.







IMG_6610.jpeg



IMG_6606.jpeg
 
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Dyno tuned at Cal Speed Bakersfield. Said he gets a line of U4 cars on the way out to KOH.
Balanced the sensor readings and fuel.
Adjusted timing and air fuel to reliably run hard for hours on end.
Kept MAF for elevation changes. Some trails will be 8k.
Raised the rev limiter from 5k to 6.5k can hear it kick in at old 5k in video.
Hopefully fixed the rough idle when cold, said it was lean and might have a small vacuum leak that is very hard to find. If I do ever find it he would retune to remove the correction.
283 RWHP with doubler 1:1 NP205 2:1 rear low.
 
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mobil1syn said:
whats the belly height and overall height?
Click to expand...
EDIT
17" and 81" unloaded and aired down, just noticed, I have to air down to get in and out of the garage, I have about two inches of clearance when aired down.
The springs have settled down 1/2" since first time out. Rate adjusters where 1" and are now 1/2".
I have 150# of nitrogen per corner.
4.75" till full bump front 2.5" air bump
6.5" till full bump rear 2.5" air bump
The front and rear drop about 1/2" per side when I get in at 220# front seats are about dead center.
The rear bench is dead center of the axle so only the rear drops when people are in the back.
 
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HYDRODYNAMIC said:
EDIT
17" and 81" unloaded and aired down, just noticed, I have to air down to get in and out of the garage, I have about two inches of clearance when aired down.
The springs have settled down 1/2" since first time out. Rate adjusters where 1" and are now 1/2".
I have 150# of nitrogen per corner.
4.75" till full bump front 2.5" air bump
6.5" till full bump rear 2.5" air bump
The front and rear drop about 1/2" per side when I get in at 220# front seats are about dead center.
The rear bench is dead center of the axle so only the rear drops when people are in the back.
Click to expand...
That's some great detailed info!
 
HYDRODYNAMIC said:
Dyno tuned at Cal Speed Bakersfield. Said he gets a line of U4 cars on the way out to KOH.
Balanced the sensor readings and fuel.
Adjusted timing and air fuel to reliably run hard for hours on end.
Kept MAF for elevation changes. Some trails will be 8k.
Raised the rev limiter from 5k to 6.5k can hear it kick in at old 5k in video.
Hopefully fixed the rough idle when cold, said it was lean and might have a small vacuum leak that is very hard to find. If I do ever find it he would retune to remove the correction.
283 RWHP with doubler 1:1 NP205 2:1 rear low.
Click to expand...

You drove it after the tune?
 
Another run with new engine tune and shock tuning.
Crossed a lot of water. Went as far as we could go. It was scary as it was difficult to see how deep it was. Water was around 20” most of the time and one spot we dropped down about 30”. When we dropped I floored it in 2nd and got the tires spinning then shifted into 3rd with water and mud flying everywhere and we chugged along through the crossing until the tires caught firm sand and we got out. It was so much fun and a mess to clean up.
I need to move some of the breathers up higher and out of the way of tire spray if we do this again. Also need to add some drainage holes to the skid plates.

IMG_6677.jpeg


IMG_6682.jpeg




IMG_6690.jpeg
 
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gt1guy said:
How is the Steel-It holding up to being sand blasted? That's a pretty good test.
Click to expand...
Sand, no problem
Pressure washing, no problem. Had one spot on the axle that pressure washed spots away. Must have been oily / bad prep.
Hitting it with anything hard is a guaranteed chip because it’s so hard when fully cured.
Best part is it blends perfectly so touch ups look good.
 
Bebop said:
You drove it after the tune?
Click to expand...
Second run was with tune. Before run I pressure smoke tested the intake up to the filter. Found the MAF / sensor housing was leaking. Used a thicker o-ring and it sealed up. Everything was 1PSI smoke tight for the second run.
Second run the engine was still rough at idle. Once warmed up it ran great. Has a high idle for unknown reason around 900. I seem to never hit the rev limiter so I’m probably lugging it but when I mash the throttle and shift it just keeps making power beyond what the suspension can handle for the terrain.
 
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Documenting as I forget or loose info on what parts I have.
Torque Converter, 12 in. Diameter, Chevy LS, 4L80E, 2.650 in. Hub Height, 6 Bolt on 11.5" Centers
Summit Racing #700339
Estimated 2,400-2,700 Stall and up to 500-600 horsepower
Torque Converter, 12 in. Diameter, Chevy LS, 4L80E, 2.650 in. Hub Height, 2,400-2,700 Stall, Each
With an iBooster with 1"MC and smaller F-250 rear calipers at all four corners it will hold in 1st. + doubler 241 low 2.7 + 205 low 2:1+ 4.88 with a high idle.
On pavement from a stop it will not spin the tires on take off, but will chirp shifting from 1-2 and 2-3 with doubler high 1:1 + 205 low 2:1.
 
Sunday stroll through the river bottom.
Rear needs more valving, front feels about right.
We were out for about 4 hours and the engine was off a few minutes so we could talk otherwise someone was on the gas the whole time.




 
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