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Zuk powered Lizard buggy build

Low tooth counts and small diameter pinion gears are not a weird stigma. Strength starts dropping off after 4.88, the higher the ratio, the weaker they get for the most part. If 6.50's were the shit, underdrives wouldn't exist.
6.17s in a 9, is not 6.17s in a Dana axle. Completely different.
 
Are you saying deep 9” gears are not stronger than deep dana gears?
No, I'm say taller ratios are weaker than lower ones due to the reasons stated earlier. Doesn't matter what diff, same issue.
 
Still working to get all the systems in the buggy laid out, and installed. For the rear mounted radiator I’m using a YXZ sxs unit with shroud and fan. It’s the same size as a Sami radiator and the cfm is strong. Decided to go with 1” copper tube and silicone fittings. I sanded the copper and clearcoated it, so it won’t turn green over time.

My wife made the decision for me when it comes to storage. I’ll be using the miliwaukee Packout system. Storage and cooler snap in with no tie downs.

On my last buggy I had a 12” dump off the turbo. This time around, I wanted a quieter setup. I got a flow thru muffler and ran a dump, out behind the seats. It’s not shown, but I ended up wrapping everything with DEI exhaust wrap.

I got some info from friends and made new, wider bash bars to protect the rams and links better, front and rear.

I do plan on competing in WERock So installed cutting brakes for the rear. The rear steer is actuated with an electric over hydraulic valve. I had also found a location for my RaDesign shifter.

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Inspired by some great looking work from Cutler Fab. I came up with this floating gauge cluster.
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I am getting close to painting the chassis. I decided to go with a rattle can job. I know this rig is going to get beat up. This way, touch ups will be a lot easier.
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At this point, everything that is going on the buggy has it’s place. Now it’s time to strip the buggy down to the bare chassis, so I can finish weld all the mounts and brackets, before painting
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Came across a couple deals, and got the wheels and tires. 20” Avengers, and 42” BFG reds.
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Stripping the chassis is done, and finish welding has begun.
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While the engine is out, I figured it was a good time to refresh the engine Make sure it’s ready for showtime. A head stud kit for a turbo that only puts out 6 psi of boost, max. The peace of mind, is worth the money.
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PetroWerks is a short drive down the freeway. So, I decided to have them rebuild my head. This is when I learned that my 1.6 L block, had a 1.3 L head. From what they told me, back in the day, people thought that doing this would give you a higher compression ratio. I guess that doesn’t really work. But, I was just looking to make sure everything was in good running order anyway. The engine ran great when it was in my old buggy. So I just put a rebuilt 1.3 L head back on. I’m sure it will just run great in this new buggy.
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I did all the finish welding on the axle housings. The mounts for the rams, and the bash bars. I also added a couple extras. Loops to connect the suck down winch lines, front and rear. As well as, Tiedown mounts for strapping the buggy down to the trailer. These will prove to be very convenient in the future.
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I was happy to get the belly skid plate mounted up. It’s made of AR 400 plate. His belly skid is super strong and will last the entire life of the buggy.
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With all the welding, complete. It’s time to paint. I decided to go with a rattle can paint job on the chassis. I know this thing is going to get scratched up every time I take it out. I figured it would be a lot easier to do touchups this way. I found a really cool metallic gray that I liked. It looks really good in the bright sun, and it lays down pretty easily.
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With all the painting complete. It was time to start final assembly. The first thing I had to do was get the drive train back inside the chassis. This was definitely going to be a two-man job. So I recruited the help of my good friend Dave. He came out for a weekend visit and we got the drive train installed as well as got the axles and suspension links all mounted up. With the buggy now sitting on its own weight, I could start installing and hooking up all the systems needed to make this thing an actual running car.
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You have any worries about catching that ram mount on anything and everything on the trail? :confused:

I think it's just a wierd camera perspective making it look odd. But it's level with the top of the knuckles?

It looks like it sticks out kinda far, but not sure you could make it much less. Personally, I don't car for the tiny minimalist ram mounts on some buggies, I'd rather not be changing or straighting rods and ram bodies every other trip. But I sometimes drive by braille with the front axle :flipoff2:
 
You have any worries about catching that ram mount on anything and everything on the trail? :confused:
Well, I designed it as a ram mount/bash bar. So it is made to hit things, in order to protect the ram. If you zoom in on the pic. You‘ll see the ram is well protected. The tube is 1.3/4” x .25 DOM. The front of the bash bar is 26” off the ground, and about 15” behind the front of the tires. So, I feel good about it.
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With the chassis fully welded and painted. The first thing I went about was bolting in everything that had a mount. I had all the parts so I completely assembled the front and rear axle and steering components. I wanted to get rid of the upper ball joints, front and rear. I contacted American Iron and spoke with the owner. Even though he didn’t advertise a kit for my dodge knuckles, he worked with me and helped me modify a set of his Ford kit, to work on my Dodge knuckles.
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I decided to go with all the factory dodge outer parts. Unit bearings, rotors and brakes. I figured these parts are designed for an 8000 pound truck that can tow up to 17,000 pounds. I figured that is going to be plenty strong for my sub 3000 lbs buggy. once I got the knuckles together, and started hooking up the steering linkage. I needed to create a double shear mount for the steering rod ends. No way a single bolt, with single sheer was gonna stand up to what I needed.
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There was still a bunch of small stuff to do, that is super boring, and not that interesting. Here’s a couple highlights of the last things that went into finishing up the build. If you have any questions about any part of my build. Feel free to ask.
I decided to use an electric switch for my rear steer control. I make a mount to place the switch at the bottom of the shifter. It’s a convenient location. I Can rest my palm on my leg while operating the switch. Very steady operation.
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There isn’t much of an interior to this buggy. I’m not good at metal work, and I like keeping it simple. I did put panels on both sides and above the dash panel. This created a doghouse around the back of the engine.
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I was really happy with how the powder coating came out. When I started the build, I wasn’t planning on 42’s on 20’s. But that’s what I ended up with. I like it a lot.
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In September of 22’ I drove the buggy out of the garage for the 1st time. After a year and 8 months of building, I was super excited. I still had some loose ends to button up. But I knew I’d be out on the trail soon.
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Very cool. I like the minimal panels for the visibility, but I think you could install a couple plexiglass panels at the back side of the tires. A rock coming off the tire could hurt. Even mud is kind of a pain.
 
My excitement was very short lived. When I pulled the buggy out. I let it run, to put some heat in everything. This is my 1st rear radiator, so I wanted see if that was working. This is when I noticed a severe oil leak, coming from the back of the oil pan. After a complete investigation, I came to the conclusion that the rear main seal is the problem. Now I’m in new territory. I don’t even know if the engine will come the top. I disconnected the engine, but couldn’t get it out of the top. But, with some maneuvering I was able to rotate the engine 90*. I pulled and inspected the RMS. The seal was good. The problem was the gasket for the housing that holds the RMS. This fixed , I put it all back together.

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I had mounted the winch solenoid box in the engine bay, behind the winch. At about this time, I discovered winch contractors. I like the idea of a smaller, simpler unit, doing the same job, as the original solenoids.This created more space and work’s great.
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I finished the basic floorboards. I got creative with the grip tape, so it wasn’t so boring.
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With these things and a few other things complete. The buggy was ready for it’s 1st test drive.
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Fortunatly I live up against some rolling hills. This is perfect for an easy test drive. No rocks to crawl. But there are some steep climbs, and I can drive all I want without any worries.The test drive was going great. Everything was working as it should…
Until it wasn’t.
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After driving around for half an hour, the doubler didn’t want to stay in gear anymore. I had to hold the shifter in place, to get the car back to the house. I immediately contacted the builder of the doubler. He informed me that it is possible for the output shifter of the doubler, can walk out of the case, if there is a void between the end of the output shaft and the inside of the input cavity. He said, this usually only happens when you add a clocking ring, and pull the doubler away from the Tcase a 1/4”. The actual fix is a simple 5 minute job. Separate the doubler and the Tcase. Smack the outp shaft of the doubler with a deadblow hammer. Figure out how much void there is , and fill that void with a spacer, of some sort. I used a couple of washers, about the same diameter as the output shaft. The hard part was getting the doubler/Tcase combo out of the chassis. It has to come out the top. #buggylife.
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since I had the Dana 300 out. I decided to rebuild it. I had noticed some leaking when I was pulling it from the rig. I had purchased it off of Craigslist. Although it turned smoothly, I never opened it up an looked inside. The rebuild went well. No real issues were found. Just some old gaskets, and I replaced all the bearing. I’m running the stock gears in tHe case. With the doubler, I have a 4.7:1 low range. This is working out fine for me.
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This is what it takes to lower the doubler/case combo back into the car. When you’re working by yourself. No fun. Lol
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So, it’s been a minute since I’ve been on here. After the incident back in April, with the transfer case and doubler. I’ve been driving the buggy , with only a few minor issues. I guess you could call it new car blues, or growing pains. I had some rear axle seal issues caused by my ARB and an incorrectly set up axle housing breather. That’s been since fixed and I have no other issues with the rear end. But for the most part I’ve been having a blast wheeling this buggy, for most of this year. I did a couple of WERock events. I took the buggy to trail hero and I’ve been to my local spot on multiple occasions. This buggy came out incredible. It’s one of the most stable cars I’ve ever been in. I couldn’t be happier with how it has turned out. Here’s a few pictures from the last few months.
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