Build JHF Trail Chassis

This site earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

woody said:
The transmission cross member is ready to be welded.
View attachment 15008
Click to expand...

Woody, did you trim the outout shaft on your 7004r? I see you have a super short adapter to the D300 and everything i am reading says ill need a 1" spacer to bolt up my atlas. Im wanting to use this adterper from Advance 1.5 TH350/700R ATLAS ADAPTER to save myself an inch of drivetrain ength. I would cut off the foot on the adapter and just run one similar to yours under the transmission itself. Thoughts?
 
DirtSquirrel said:
Woody, did you trim the outout shaft on your 7004r? I see you have a super short adapter to the D300 and everything i am reading says ill need a 1" spacer to bolt up my atlas. Im wanting to use this adterper from Advance 1.5 TH350/700R ATLAS ADAPTER to save myself an inch of drivetrain ength. I would cut off the foot on the adapter and just run one similar to yours under the transmission itself. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
The adapter I used replaced the output shaft. And that was from 2005ish....and Sunray Engineering doesn't even exist anymore. My memory isn't that good ;)
 
I used an adapter from novak for my 700/300 that is like 2.5" long and because of that my trans output shaft bottomed out in the case input gear. I cut about 1" off my trans output shafts and everything fit together great. I would feel if they recommend a 1" spacer for the fit up stock you could do without and trim output shafts.
 
SteerAndStuff said:
I used an adapter from novak for my 700/300 that is like 2.5" long and because of that my trans output shaft bottomed out in the case input gear. I cut about 1" off my trans output shafts and everything fit together great. I would feel if they recommend a 1" spacer for the fit up stock you could do without and trim output shafts.
Click to expand...
Interesting. AA recommends a 1" spacer if i would use their 1.5" long adapter. They dont say anything about trimming with their 2.5" adapeter or that a spacer is needed. I went with their 2.5" version so we will see when it comes in. I have about 3" of shaft past the end of the trans.
 
Doesn't the atlas have a space per say for the mounting flange that's different from a 300. If you have the atlas already slide it onto shaft till it bottoms and measure gap and measure how much spline you have left of you can cut and still get engagement.
 
SteerAndStuff said:
Doesn't the atlas have a space per say for the mounting flange that's different from a 300. If you have the atlas already slide it onto shaft till it bottoms and measure gap and measure how much spline you have left of you can cut and still get engagement.
Click to expand...
sadly i have another 14-16 weeks left on my order time for my new one to come in.
 
Woody I was wondering if you could answer a couple questions about your engine. I'm building a Fabn801 Rock lizard chassis with the same 3800 super charged engine in it.
I changed the oil pan to a fire bird pan and oil pickup tub. Did you do any thing else to the pan for oil baffling.
I'm also running a rear mounted radiator. Does the factory water pump seem to have enough flow to keep the engine cool.
Thanks Dustin
 
68Rockhorse said:
Woody I was wondering if you could answer a couple questions about your engine. I'm building a Fabn801 Rock lizard chassis with the same 3800 super charged engine in it.
I changed the oil pan to a fire bird pan and oil pickup tub. Did you do any thing else to the pan for oil baffling.
I'm also running a rear mounted radiator. Does the factory water pump seem to have enough flow to keep the engine cool.
Thanks Dustin
Click to expand...
I've had no cooling issues with the rear radiator, but don't run a thermostat at all. I did weld the PCV valve shut and then tapped both valve covers for venting. Nothing fancy. Other than that, the motor is stock. Oil level is filled to full (5 quarts on the dipstick I think, with the external oil filter) and then an additional bottle of Lucas is added to overfill.
 
Thanks for the reply. I will look in to pluging to pcv vent. I don't have a way to tig weld aluminum so i mite have to get creative. When you tapped valve covers did you do run rubber line to catch can or filter mounted on ythe chassis some where. My current progress. Thanks for the help.

20221204_121005.jpg
 
68Rockhorse said:
Thanks for the reply. I will look in to pluging to pcv vent. I don't have a way to tig weld aluminum so i mite have to get creative. When you tapped valve covers did you do run rubber line to catch can or filter mounted on ythe chassis some where. My current progress. Thanks for the help.

View attachment 16798
Click to expand...
The PCV is steel, I just mig'd the actual valve closed and reinstalled it. Super easy. It's internal to the intake.

I used plastic line and small fuel filters, looped around the intake. Easy to tap the plastic valve covers...I moved the fill cap to the passenger side and tapped it, the tapped the other side towards the front/top. Can get pics in a few days
 
My valve cover vents, with small engine filters. One per side.

PXL_20221227_171206701.jpg


And I literally pulled the PCV and welded this hole shut and reinstalled. Stupid simple. (Pic from internets)
PCV-Valve-2.jpg
 
Fuel line update:

Simply, this stuff sucks. I still have run it for my return line, but the pressure line leaked twice so I gave up. The hose got soft and began leaking, no abrasion whatsoever.

Amazon.com: EVIL ENERGY 6AN Fuel Line, AN6 Braided Fuel Hose Nylon CPE 20FT Black : Automotive

Buy EVIL ENERGY 6AN Fuel Line, AN6 Braided Fuel Hose Nylon CPE 20FT Black: Fuel - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
amzn.to

Replaced with Fragola 6000 braided fuel line with the PTFE liner. Much nicer quality.



Nitrous approved...hmmm..
 
woody said:
Fuel line update:

Simply, this stuff sucks. I still have run it for my return line, but the pressure line leaked twice so I gave up. The hose got soft and began leaking, no abrasion whatsoever.

Amazon.com: EVIL ENERGY 6AN Fuel Line, AN6 Braided Fuel Hose Nylon CPE 20FT Black : Automotive

Buy EVIL ENERGY 6AN Fuel Line, AN6 Braided Fuel Hose Nylon CPE 20FT Black: Fuel - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
amzn.to

Replaced with Fragola 6000 braided fuel line with the PTFE liner. Much nicer quality.



Nitrous approved...hmmm..
Click to expand...
Fragola is all I use on all of my vehicles. Haven’t had an issue yet.
 
So, Winter 4x4 Jamboree was this week, and lived up to its name....snow on Thursday evening...an inch or so depending on where you were. That took our already wet/slick sandstone and made it even slicker, and frequently added sandy soup and mud to the bottom of the climbs. Worse on the N facing slopes (which oddly, is most of Sand Mountain...)

Ran Broken Chain with a buddy on on Saturday afternoon. The climb into the final bowl was super slick, my normal crawl line had no chance. Finally ended up hooking the right front around the point and was able to slip/slide the passenger slider/door up...fun combination of full lock front and rear. Seemed to take forever....

And then the final waterfall. A bit of snow in the bottom. NO tire tracks since the snowfall Thursday night. Sand soup and mud at the notch where the drivers tire needs to climb. I'm guessing I made 10 attempts at it, the first 5-6 were 1st gear, the last few were 2nd and just shy of the rev limiter. It took a SOLID bump to get the front up onto the ledge, and then another few minutes of front/rear steer and winch in/out playing to finally get it to transition smoothly and make the climb into the wedge.

I've usually got this dialed with a single bump and climb....not this time. Never seen it so slick and challenging. All the rubber on the wall is mine :)

Car was VERY stable....snugged the front winch, then backed off a touch. VERY careful to get the drivers rear tire in the correct spot and ensure the rear steer was straight. Patience for the win :)

BrokenChain-snow.jpg
 
Last edited:
Crazy fun. Sorta like what us east coast guys deal with all the time. Traction crawling is hard to do with as much mud and wet sand as we have. We are certainly more inclined to bump it than the west coast folks.
 
whiterhino said:
Crazy fun. Sorta like what us east coast guys deal with all the time. Traction crawling is hard to do with as much mud and wet sand as we have. We are certainly more inclined to bump it than the west coast folks.
Click to expand...
We end up with bumps in competition pretty regularly, but usually due to the size of the climb, not the traction available. And we are "finding" more and more stuff at Sand Hollow that isn't crawlable too...I'm not a big fan of bumping climbs, but it's been a good tool to learn. Needed it quite a few times in recent weeks with our wet weather.
 
Fantastic build, Woody! Very interested in a JHF chassis myself but am seeing that while LS engine swaps are possible...it appears fitting a 3 speed Hero would potentially be a no-go (and I have two brand new ones sitting here along with 2 5.3L LSXs that I really want to put in my next build).

Can I bother you to give me a few measurements and some info from off your chassis to see if one of these JHF's would work? What's the belly height from the bottom of the chassis to the top of the 'rocker' rail? And what's the width between the lower frame rails? (trying to see what kind of room I have to work with with a 3 speed). With the offset rear diff, did you shift your drivetrain to the passenger side at all? Did I read that your thirds pinions are 10" off axle centerline? It looks like all of your SREs are 3/4" bore x 7/8" shank. Any reason other than weight/size you didn't go 1x1.25"? Also, why tabs on the steering links instead of traditional PSC clevises? Clearance issue?

Sorry for all the dumb questions.....and thanks in advance.
JHF Trail Buggy Side View Belly Height.jpg
 
Sean762 said:
Fantastic build, Woody! Very interested in a JHF chassis myself but am seeing that while LS engine swaps are possible...it appears fitting a 3 speed Hero would potentially be a no-go (and I have two brand new ones sitting here along with 2 5.3L LSXs that I really want to put in my next build).

Can I bother you to give me a few measurements and some info from off your chassis to see if one of these JHF's would work? What's the belly height from the bottom of the chassis to the top of the 'rocker' rail? And what's the width between the lower frame rails? (trying to see what kind of room I have to work with with a 3 speed). With the offset rear diff, did you shift your drivetrain to the passenger side at all? Did I read that your thirds pinions are 10" off axle centerline? It looks like all of your SREs are 3/4" bore x 7/8" shank. Any reason other than weight/size you didn't go 1x1.25"? Also, why tabs on the steering links instead of traditional PSC clevises? Clearance issue?

Sorry for all the dumb questions.....and thanks in advance.
View attachment 16871
Click to expand...
I'm not by the buggy for another few days, so I don't know all the measurements....but the rocker width is 48" outside. Drivetrain is centered (or very close). Yes, diffs are 10" offset. 7/8-3/4 heims, 12 rights and 4 lefts....the chassis tabs and axles were designed around that size heim. And the PSC clevises are huge, the JHF setup simplifies things a bit.

Unless you are running a VERY short trans, a 4-speed case likely won't work....I don't have a measurement from the back of the 700 to the rear bottom bar tho either...
 
woody said:
I'm not by the buggy for another few days, so I don't know all the measurements....but the rocker width is 48" outside. Drivetrain is centered (or very close). Yes, diffs are 10" offset. 7/8-3/4 heims, 12 rights and 4 lefts....the chassis tabs and axles were designed around that size heim. And the PSC clevises are huge, the JHF setup simplifies things a bit.

Unless you are running a VERY short trans, a 4-speed case likely won't work....I don't have a measurement from the back of the 700 to the rear bottom bar tho either...
Click to expand...
Right...I read the 48" at the A pillar, 52" at the B. What I meant by width of the lower frame rails was the lower rails at the bottom of the buggy.....see red arrow in your pic below.
Woody's Frame Rail Width.jpg


I have a TH350 and 700R4. The Hero 3 speeds I have are big, but not really that much bigger than an Atlas II. I'm just not sure it will fit in the JHF chassis height and width wise, hence the questions about the measurements. No rush on getting the numbers, but if you happen to remember and have time, I'd very much appreciate the help!
 
Sean762 said:
Right...I read the 48" at the A pillar, 52" at the B. What I meant by width of the lower frame rails was the lower rails at the bottom of the buggy.....see red arrow in your pic below.View attachment 16872

I have a TH350 and 700R4. The Hero 3 speeds I have are big, but not really that much bigger than an Atlas II. I'm just not sure it will fit in the JHF chassis height and width wise, hence the questions about the measurements. No rush on getting the numbers, but if you happen to remember and have time, I'd very much appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
My skid is 28" wide, so that's close (per the CAD cut file)
 
woody said:
My skid is 28" wide, so that's close (per the CAD cut file)
Click to expand...
And 1.75" tube for those main lower frame rails, correct? So....24.5" ID. ***EDIT: Actually, since your skid is probably at the center of the 1 3/4" tube (or just over it), the ID is probably more like 26.25"***
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top Bottom