Build The Dirt Squirrel 3.0

[Blase]

way off topic........Is that a Mallet building your working in? If so how do you like it? Seems like it would be CRAZY hot in our area this time of year with no insulation!

 

[DirtSquirrel]

way off topic........Is that a Mallet building your working in? If so how do you like it? Seems like it would be CRAZY hot in our area this time of year with no insulation!

Not sure the exact brand. It has an “insulated” roof but yeah, it’s been 90-92 in the shop the last week with this 100+ weather down here in TX. I live on the prairie so there is always a breeze so it’s not “that bad”. I’m fat so it helps me keep my girlish figure.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I had a buddy do me a solid and weld on some Wide Open Design aluminum mounting pucks to my radiator and mounted it up. lower mounts will have some 1/4" neoprene between the mount and radiator. Probably not needed with everything solid mounted in a stiff chassis.

Plenty of clearance now to cobra head intake elbow.

I then focused on the last couple of things that i need to figure out a place for, brake pedals. I originally had planned to mount one of those huge dildo-handled cutting brake levers for the rear, but changed up the plan to have dual brake pedals with individual masters (7/8" for now). i bought two reverse swing single pedal assemblies from Busted Knuckle and trimmed them up to make them a single assembly with dual pedals. The plan is to have the left pedal for the rear driveline brake and the right for the front calipers. We will see if it works out or not.

 

[woody]

I did that same style bung/puck for my fuel cell mounting, love it. And the cushion is a smart move, EVERY chassis has a tiny bit of flex.

Burping the air out might be a trick however with that cap angle...

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I did that same style bung/puck for my fuel cell mounting, love it. And the cushion is a smart move, EVERY chassis has a tiny bit of flex.

Burping the air out might be a trick however with that cap angle...

Ill cross that bridge when i get there, lol. Im thinking a long flexible funnel about 18" above the radiator to help get the air out.

 

[mac33]

I then focused on the last couple of things that i need to figure out a place for, brake pedals. I originally had planned to mount one of those huge dildo-handled cutting brake levers for the rear, but changed up the plan to have dual brake pedals with individual masters (7/8" for now). i bought two reverse swing single pedal assemblies from Busted Knuckle and trimmed them up to make them a single assembly with dual pedals. The plan is to have the left pedal for the rear driveline brake and the right for the front calipers. We will see if it works out or not.

From my experience, I think you’ll still want a rear cutting brake or at least plan a place for one.

I originally had a singe pedal, with a push/pull cutting break and found it could get tricky, especially going down hill in front dig holding the hand brake then adjusting the rear steer. So I swapped my brakes to a dual pedal and left my cutting brake as rear only and still use it a ton.

The dual pedals work good but there’s definitely times when the rear cutting brake is useful.

One example is again going downhill in front dig the rear pedal alone isn’t enough to hold the car so I’ll pull the cutting brake and can feather the front/rear pedal. Without the hand brake there’s a moment where you have to let off the foot brake pressure to grab the other pedal (if that makes sense ). It’s nice to have the hand brake to hold a bit while you adjust your foot. A shorter throw on the foot pedal would definitely help. But the hand brake eliminates that moment of no brakes which can get sketchy on something super steep

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I started to mockup the brake masters and pedals. Even with the forward swing, they arent where i want them as the rear of the pedal mount hits the down tube. Cant move them any more left. I have a plan though to chop up each pedal and move them over essentially one pedal width and down an inch or so. I dont have much room for my right foot with how they are now. Ill plate them all back up and decide if i want to cut out another pedal on the table or just run it.

 

[SteerAndStuff]

I use this for bleeding the cooling system and works really good. Has angle adapters as well.
Amazon product ASIN B01I40ZQWE

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Cut and kinked the pedals to move them over 1.5" Much more room for my right foot. Still not sold on the configuration. May end up just having one pedal, but will see if i can make it work for now.

Next up is mounting the orbital and steering column/shaft.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Whats everyone using for power steering coolers? Im eying the radial dynamics cooler so i can run 10AN lines. There is a PSC one that uses 8AN lines thats about a third of the price. Is 8AN enough? The rest of my system is all RD stuff and id hate to destroy it to save a few bucks.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Gas pedal mounted. I definitely didnt sit in the seat and make vroom vroom noises.

 

[woody]

Whats everyone using for power steering coolers? Im eying the radial dynamics cooler so i can run 10AN lines. There is a PSC one that uses 8AN lines thats about a third of the price. Is 8AN enough? The rest of my system is all RD stuff and id hate to destroy it to save a few bucks.

I have the PSC and have had no issues. But I agree, hard to switch from one brand to another and have confidence that it's going to be okay.

 

[SteerAndStuff]

I have used the Howe large inline cooler on a few rigs now and temps per my racetemp stickers is always in check. I used -10 for my return/ cooler circuit (-8 for pressure and -12 for suction)

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Steering column and orbital mounted. Its a little close to the interior for my liking (its above my feet), but tis the best place to fit it. Ill likely make a shield to protect my legs in the event a line happens to burst.

Also started to mock up the tierods for the steering. I am running some 3/4" heims on the rams and and 7/8x3/4 on the knuckles. I having an internal debate on what size material to use. 1.25 x .120 or 1.5x.25 DOM. The 1.25" just doesnt pass the eye test to me and id hate for them to bend if im bound up and the ram overpowers them. Leaning towards the 1.5" stuff.

 

[woody]

Mine are 1" .188 wall DOM and have been bulletproof. Easy direct tap for the heim too.

 

[vogelj]

Is there a benefit to building the tie rod like that instead of using a bung?

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Is there a benefit to building the tie rod like that instead of using a bung?

I was told that you get more steering with these as opposed to having the clevis on the ram, but he may have been full of shit.

 

[woody]

I was told that you get more steering with these as opposed to having the clevis on the ram, but he may have been full of shit.

IMO, the clevises are an oversized PITA....the heim setup (like you show) is just easier to deal with and MUCH easier should any field repairs be needed (ie: replacing a ram)

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I went ahead and used 1.5" for the tierods. One less thing to worry about.

Also built a removable steering column support. It definitely removed some of the wiggle. I may end up mounting my switch pros panel off of it as well. I want everything within arms reach in the event of a roll i can cut it all off quickly without have to unbuckle the shoulders.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I progressed some over the long holiday weekend.

Added some removable tubes over the engine.

Installed the trans cooler behind the drivers seat. Its a Derale with a Spal fan and is beef. Part Number 65861

You can also see the battery tray that is between the seats. I need to fab up a hold down for it .

I made a tray to mount the power steering cooler and Radial dynamics rear steer valve. They will sit in the dead space under the radiator.

Added some tubes to the rear to finish it out. Tubes still need to be capped.

Started on some filler plates for the front and rear upper link mounts.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I also started to re-drill the unit bearings until the belt on the drill piece took a shit. But i got enough done on one to mount up a wheels and tire. Its a spare with 5" BS but lets me see what its going to look like.

I took a sledge to the Cs and fixed the caster. At bump, im at 10 degrees up front and 7.5 in the rear. This made me move my lower shock mounts which i revised some.

Branik was nice enough to offer 15% off the 32-spline 1550 direct drive outers so i went ahead and ordered all 4 of them for the buggy. Saved me about $510. Thanks Stan. Also ordered a Switch Pros RCR-12. Once i get the rest of the unit bearings re-drilled, i plan on getting the chassis off the table.

 

[woody]

All the tedious yet important stuff to make it right I hated those times, 4-5 days of 12 hour work and from 50' away, nothing changed.

Looking good!

 

[Blitz]

Looking good so far Alex.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

All the tedious yet important stuff to make it right I hated those times, 4-5 days of 12 hour work and from 50' away, nothing changed.

Looking good!

exactly. The last 10% takes 90% of the time. Plus this nickel and dime stuff is running me dry.

 

[SteerAndStuff]

Looking good. All the little things that have to fit somewhere and the last 20% of components that take 50% of the build time to complete. I may suggest rethinking that steering cooler behind the radiator fan. Might turn it into a steering fluid heater blowing 200 degree air onto it. Maybe it could fit in front of radiator behind winch? Thats were I had mine on my old buggy with front radiator and worked good.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Did a little CAD work last night and this morning for the axles.

I ordered some 3/16" AR400 plate and will use it for the skids and axles.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Christmas came early. These bad boys are a work of art.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Started on the interior panels over the weekend. I hate sheetmetal and aluminum work, so this is going to be as simple as possible. Floor in front of the seats will be expanded flat metal so i can see through it. Under the seats and rearward will be aluminum . I will try to enclose it as much as possible. there will also be a panel behind the one with the gauge cluster that will mount most of the electronics, i.e switch pros, power/ground distribution blocks, etc. The ECU will go under the passenger seat. The master disconnect will go on the side panel on the drivers side for easy access. All of the aluminum is 1/8" and the steel is 14ga. Its what i had laying around. Ill be using trick tabs and u-nuts with 1/2" button head bolts to hold it all in place.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Wheels came back from the powdercoat yesterday and all i can say is damn they look good. Shiny and full of sparkles. Cant wait to see them mounted on some mud tars.

 

[woody]

hot damn, those are sharp!