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Two Seater Buggy Chassis, which to buy?

mobil1syn said:
i have a 96 bronco with a 5.8, a 96 f150 with 5.0, and a 06 tahoe with a 5.3. 5.3 > 5.0 >>> 5.8 my bronco is getting listed at the end of the month, 78% is because the 5.8 is a DOG, 8% california smog laws are stupid so i cant fix the first 78%, the other 14% is because 3 kids in carseats + 2dr suv sucks. i was so sad at the power when i got the bronco.

why not a bomber trail chassis?
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The truck 5.0Ls and 5.8Ls got all the worst factory parts, so yes they are dogs :laughing: The truck 5.8L does make less horsepower and torque than a Mustang or Explorer 5.0L above ~4,000-4,500RPM. I am not sure how the 5.8L compares to a truck 5.0L, but they were only rated ~5HP higher from the factory. It is kind of ironic that the Explorer ended up with all the best parts, but the factory killed their power with a baby cam and super restrictive exhaust manifolds to get it to fit in an Explorer frame. Your 5.3L makes 285-295HP in factory trim, and getting that kind of power out of a 5.0L, especially an Explorer 5.0L, is very easy.

The reason I would go with a 5.8L if I weren't using one of the 5.0Ls I already have is that you can stroke them out to 408ci and make 400+ HP without even trying and the blocks are stronger than the 302 blocks (not that I would be drag racing).
 
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HELL BOUND said:
Campbell ent grizzly, if they are still building them wouldn't be a bad choice not super small but not crazy big either.
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I think they don't have the fixtures anymore but Shannon said on Insta that he might consider making one at some point. YMMV
 
JHF Goatbuilt chassis from belly to top of roof is 52.5" - 7.5" belly to rail - 1.75" top bar thickness = 43.25" clearance top of rail to bottom of roof but that does not account for the drivetrain sticking through the floor above the rail. The regular Ibex is 43" clear but the drive train is completely under the floor.
Unless you are sitting on the transfer case your are going to look like Dino.
JH is a petite guy and his style is from the moon buggy realm which throws comfort out the window in trade for weight and size. The JHF Goatbuilt chassis is a great product built in the wrong scale.
My friend has a 4 seater jeep that is about ready to put to pasture and transplant all the guts into a new chassis, he looked at the JHF for cost and size but there wouldn't be room for gear and the rear seats are only for small kids which would be outgrown quickly.

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HYDRODYNAMIC said:
JHF Goatbuilt chassis from belly to top of roof is 52.5" - 7.5" belly to rail - 1.75" top bar thickness = 43.25" clearance top of rail to bottom of roof but that does not account for the drivetrain sticking through the floor above the rail. The regular Ibex is 43" clear but the drive train is completely under the floor.
Unless you are sitting on the transfer case your are going to look like Dino.
JH is a petite guy and his style is from the moon buggy realm which throws comfort out the window in trade for weight and size. The JHF Goatbuilt chassis is a great product built in the wrong scale.
My friend has a 4 seater jeep that is about ready to put to pasture and transplant all the guts into a new chassis, he looked at the JHF for cost and size but there wouldn't be room for gear and the rear seats are only for small kids which would be outgrown quickly.
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I'd have to agree with HD here. I have no specific input on whose chassis, but to comment on dimensions: My comp car was 54" belly to roof. 51" door skin to skin. My Jeep(ish) chassis is 59" belly to roof and 59" door skin to skin. The comp car was cozy but workable as long as you were sub-250. The bigger guys who've ridden in it were not comfortable. The Jeep is roomy, pushing silly, for somebody my size. I'm 5'11" and fatter now (probably 180ish) than I was when I built the comp car. The Jeep has a real back seat that I can (have) put adults in, it's not someplace I'd want to roadtrip across four states in, but to drive across town or on a trail ride, it's safe for adult size people. Front seat can accomodate 6'1"+ and 200lb+ without issue, I don't think I've had anybody in it that was over about 220 as yet. It was also built to match certain CJ body dimensions, which ended up making it dimensionally bigger than "needed" in a few places, but I'm not presently regetting that. For my height, I could lower the roof probably 4" and be OK but somebody 6'4" would be tight-to-uncomfortable by then. I wasn't going to go to the work of chopping a CJ windshield (that's what the roof height matches); chopping more from the belly-to-cowl height wasn't happening based on engine/trans package height.
 
First off.. thank you to everyone mentioning the BFR chassis line.

Specifically, you sat in a CK1 which is based off of the smallest thing we make. Here's a direct comparison to a CK1 and an EVO3R in size. Your going to notice the EVO3R has a little more head room since your seat is a little more vertical. The foot room in the tube work is longer in the EVO3R, the seat belt bar is pushed back more... but more importantly, that bar can be moved back behind the B-pillar to create tons of room. (I can barely reach the pedals in Bebops EVO3R.) The "bed space" is also a good bit larger as well if you need to pack some gear. That's just the cosmetics.. on the actual features of the chassis, there's tons of differences and options available that I can add at time of build. Since these are still built by hand here in the shop, It's very easy to set it up specific to the customers needs. Here's a picture of the CK1 inside an EVO3R for reference.

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The new CH2 actually has several changes to it, it's worth looking at compared to the EVO3R as well. I actually did stretch the interior a good bit compared to the CK1. The tube work where the pedals are is pushed forward and the seat is reclined pushing the seat belt bar further back to the same dimensions as the EVO3R. Its just locked in there vs the EVO3R can be moved back further. We will release a +2 roof option for the CH2 soon, but if your into a +4 tall seat, the EVO3R is going to be a much more comfortable chassis to be on the trails all day in.

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

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I replied to your pm on pirate. Call Tim about the new evo chassis. You will not be disappointed with the performance or tech he offers.
 
I figured I would update this thread. Tim at Bent Fab has me pretty well sold on a CH2 as it looks like it is bigger than a CK1 in all the right places (for me anyways) and should have good legroom with a reverse swing pedal setup. I hope Tim doesn't mind me sharing the overlay of the CH2 (Blue) and the CK1 (Grey) and the description of the differences he sent me:

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Bent Fabrications said:
The main differences are in 4 places. The foot well tube work is pushed foreword to give your heel more room in the CH2. The seat belt bar is pushed back right at 4" and the upper part of the B pillar is back another 2". This allows you to lay the seat position back a little further to get your head lower in the chassis. The rear tube for the seats is raised .5" for additional clearance on the shifter rail pocket of an Atlas transfer case. the rear section of the rub rail at the back of the seats is 1" wider to allow a +2 wide seat to stay centered. and of course that front end shape that is recognizable as the Cliffhanger front end allows you to directly mount your shocks to the chassis without an additional bracket up there. Where the CK1 was designed as a portal chassis and the shock would mount to the node behind that front end section. Basically I took what i learned off the first set of CK1 kits and made it a better product that's able to run standard axles easier and fit bigger guys a little better.
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Also, I just came across a couple of build threads over on Rockcrawler.com (https://www.rockcrawler.com/forum/threads/the-search-for-the-perfect-trail-buggy.3988/ & https://www.rockcrawler.com/forum/threads/jhf-trail-chassis.3977/), and apparently Rich Klein and Woody worked with Jesse Haines to develop a new "trail" chassis that looks pretty interesting and may be available direct from JHF in the near future. It sounds like it won't be a kit though and you would have to pick up the welded chassis from him.

Here's a picture I stole from Rich's build thread:
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I love Jesse Haines engineering. He's been coming up with the next trend in Rock Crawling every time.

But his new cars are bleak compared to how cool the Bent Fabrication ones look IMO. glad to see you're giving ol'Tim some buisness.
 
I'll have a new chassis line after the first of the year. Pricing will be available soon.
CutlerFab chassis #001 RCT- right coast trail
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Taking inspiration from many of my favorite chassis designs, dating back to the OG #twistedcustoms classic roof lines, #jimsgarage simplicity, and as late as #reddot brilliant packaging- with the similar door, because bad knees
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Drew Burroughs
@goatbuilt jumped in with the jdsquaredinc #dragon and his CNC expertise to bring the 50", chromoly chassis to the NC mountains. I then designed a fixture for my certiflat @weldtables and we had it lasered as well. There is a generous mix of 1.75" and 1.5", with varying wall thickness from a .188 subframe, .120 mains, and .093 supports. Fully tig welded with precision in the laser cut chassis fixture, with my duet of @everlastwelders.
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The #001 ship flagship build will be complimented with 71" Spidertrax housings with pro knuckles, 40 spline 300m shafts and Gearworks HP" thirds.
Scott Trimarco
, #scottscustomoffroad gear pump and @psc_performance_steering rams and orbital. Cooling designed by John Lehr-Webster @johnnyscustommotorsports_ and @crracing . And of course the standard rolling stock of the east, @intercotires 43"x20 sticky SX, wrapped around @kmcwheels #235 grenades from Scott Goforth @goforth_motorsports_inc and stopped by @wilwooddiscbrakes. @prpseats to keep me comfy and safe, suspended by @fox 2.5 coil overs and dsc adjusters. Standard powerplant of LS2, th350, and atlas tcase.
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Looking for it to hit the trails in late spring.
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DOM and chromoly Chassis pricing to land by 2021.
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#maketrailridinggreatagain #firstchassis #weldeverydamnday #fabricationlife #shoplife #cutlerfab #eastcoast

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Glad to see you here. will be keeping an eye out for your pricing and details. Thanks.
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