Build The Dirt Squirrel 3.0

[DirtSquirrel]

Some ass end shots. Im undecided on how i want to finish out the rear portion of the chassis. I'm thinking a couple down bars to the lower rails making a "V" or a "X". I left the angled end pieces a little long and will trim as needed.

So close (yet so far away) to making my old trail yeti fit in between the shock mounts.

Im still offshore on a boat in Brazil bobbing around. Should be back in a few weeks to continue making slow progress.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Bling bling

 

[woody]

always so pretty when they are new....

 

[DirtSquirrel]

As i sit here offshore im trying to plan ahead on a couple of things:

1. Solid mount vs poly mount? And if poly mount, would the tailhousing mount on the Atlas be enough or would i need one at the transmission as well? Whatever i choose the mounts will be same front to back solid/poly.

2. Transmission removal out the top of bottom of the chassis? Im leaning towards trying to see if i can design the interior tubing to be removable with interlocking tube clamps and then just fully welding the AR400 skid plates under the engine and on the belly. Or should the transmission drop out the bottom with a removable skid plate?

Decisions decisions.

 

[Blitz]

As i sit here offshore im trying to plan ahead on a couple of things:

1. Solid mount vs poly mount? And if poly mount, would the tailhousing mount on the Atlas be enough or would i need one at the transmission as well? Whatever i choose the mounts will be same front to back solid/poly.

2. Transmission removal out the top of bottom of the chassis? Im leaning towards trying to see if i can design the interior tubing to be removable with interlocking tube clamps and then just fully welding the AR400 skid plates under the engine and on the belly. Or should the transmission drop out the bottom with a removable skid plate?

Decisions decisions.

Im just running a 1.6 zuk motor and th180 with a divorced sami case, but I solid mounted everything. Even solid mount the sami case and made it removable through the top. Only because it doesn't really weigh that much.

 

[woody]

1. Solid mount vs poly mount? And if poly mount, would the tailhousing mount on the Atlas be enough or would i need one at the transmission as well? Whatever i choose the mounts will be same front to back solid/poly.

2. Transmission removal out the top of bottom of the chassis? Im leaning towards trying to see if i can design the interior tubing to be removable with interlocking tube clamps and then just fully welding the AR400 skid plates under the engine and on the belly. Or should the transmission drop out the bottom with a removable skid plate?

Mine is poly mounted. If I were redoing it, I'd likely solid mount. Little reason to poly in a stiff chassis.

My belly skid is bolted, but the side/angled skids are welded for rigidity. Madcow is dealing with a cracked chassis on his single seat (bolted skid), and I know Jesse commented that all the single seats are now welded skids to help with lower link forces. IMO, weld if you can. I would have to do a few tube clamps to get my trans out the top too, and may end up doing that at some point. I did do tube bracing for all the lower link mounts.

 

[SteerAndStuff]

Another thought on belly and skid, I tried to make all my skid mounts adjacent to link mounts to use the skid as support for the crossmember loads, not just the corners. Dropping skid is nice for maintenance, last winter I dropped skid to clean out debris and replace trans pan gasket and shift fork seal. Would have been a pain to yard trans just for that job.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Another thought on belly and skid, I tried to make all my skid mounts adjacent to link mounts to use the skid as support for the crossmember loads, not just the corners. Dropping skid is nice for maintenance, last winter I dropped skid to clean out debris and replace trans pan gasket and shift fork seal. Would have been a pain to yard trans just for that job.

I can definitely see the advantage to having a removable belly pan.

 

[JarrodBrazil]

My engine is solid mounted in 5 places. . The 3.9 doesn’t vibrate but I haven’t driven it much yet.

My Kalif skid is welded. Dana 300 t case pan gasket is leaking and I’m gonna need to remove interior dash bars and motor mounts to lift transmission 1” to remove tcase

 

[Broski]

SWEET build !!

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Started to focus on the interior seat mounting and center console area. I moved the down bars forward and in some to help open up some foot room. ill add gussets as necessary. Seat bar will tie into the door bars once they are in place.

Some CAD work.

Center console will continue down the center through the middle of the seats. I plan on making the tubework on top of the trans removable so i can pull the trans from up top if need be.


Anyone got the hookup for tube clamps/couplers? Either interlocking or straight? With looking at Kartek and Ruffstuff ill be needing like $500 worth of them.

 

[woody]

What will be run off the Switch Pro panel? I know I spend a LOT of time making sure all of my switches and levers could be controlled by either hand, can't count the number of times when the right hand is on the cutting brake or needs to shift something while the other hand hits a winch or locker switch.

I did the same CAD design work, and added some zip tie magic too

 

[DirtSquirrel]

What will be run off the Switch Pro panel? I know I spend a LOT of time making sure all of my switches and levers could be controlled by either hand, can't count the number of times when the right hand is on the cutting brake or needs to shift something while the other hand hits a winch or locker switch.

I did the same CAD design work, and added some zip tie magic too

I plan on using the Switch Pros to run the entire rig. Ignition/start, trans fan, lights, radio, etc. The computer will control the cooling fan, but i will have an over ride to turn it on and off from the panel if need be. Im running spools and the only toggle ill need to reach is for the winch in/out. My rear steer toggle will be welded to my trans shifter like in the last buggy. I do plan on having one cutting brake handle just for the rear brakes.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

My Northern radiator (22x19) and fan (16" Spal) assembly came in yesterday, along with the 12-gallon RCU Rock Crawler fuel cell. I went to mocking things up and lets just say the radiator/fan clearance is super tight, but i think i can make it work.

Its a dual pass radiator and the upper outlet is trying to occupy the same space as the alternator.

I plan on relocating the upper to the side and running a -20 AN fitting with a 90 degree fitting.

Fan clearance is tight to the water pump pulley. Ad as you can see, the air intake elbow is going to be problematic. i have a 3" elbow coming to see how it looks with a super tight radius. I can still move the engine back like 1/2" before the atlas rests on the rear subframe tube. Worst case is that i flip the intake manifold 180. Good news is that it all fits under the hood line by about 1/8".

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Fuel cell position mock up. Im not a huge fan of it. It blocks some of my view of the passenger rear tire. I ended up buying a Jaz 8-gal cell that will fit between the lower chassis rails. This way i can sink it down probably 6" to help with the COG. I plan on not running a passenger seat probably 75% of the time, so improving the visibility is important.

Peekaboo with an old 42" red not bolted up.

The 8-gal Jaz cell i bought to see if it works out. Based on the dimensions listed on Summit, it will fit between the rails. Its ~21" x 16" x 8.5"

 

[Blitz]

That is gonna be tight.

 

[woody]

run the cell front to back and you'll see more

My 12gal cell barely blocks anything.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

run the cell front to back and you'll see more

My 12gal cell barely blocks anything.

I would but that takes up valuable cooler space. Priorities you know. We will see how the new one works out but now I have options.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I was pretty productive today and got the seat mounts complete. They are pinned at the front for quick release and can be pulled in 5 seconds each. I had to bolt up the driveline brake but quickly ran into an issue. I guess the brackets are different for driver/passenger drop cases and also with or without speedo in the tail housing. Like with everything else, i chopped it up and modified the bracket to make it all work.

Seat mounts. The rear inners are on a removable bar. The front and rear bars will be tied together with a single bar to mount my winters shifter between the seats. It will all be removable starting at the dash tubes so i can pull the trans/t-case from the top, if need be.

Here is how the rear of the seats are bolted to capture the slotted brackets.

 

[Blitz]

Love the seat mounts. Better than trying to get to each bolt to tighten them.

 

[Blase]

Seat mounts are very cool! Are they pretty loss when no one is sitting in the seat? I want to steal this idea but chances or the passenger seat will be empty most of the time....No one is crazy enough to ride with me.

Also just noticed only the crotch strap will come thru the seat? All the other belts go over/ around that seat?

 

[Ghetto Fab]

Is the driveline brake an e-brake, or is that the rear brakes?

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Is the driveline brake an e-brake, or is that the rear brakes?

Its going to be my rear brakes. Ill have a cutting brake handle just for the rear as well.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Seat mounts are very cool! Are they pretty loss when no one is sitting in the seat? I want to steal this idea but chances or the passenger seat will be empty most of the time....No one is crazy enough to ride with me.

Also just noticed only the crotch strap will come thru the seat? All the other belts go over/ around that seat?

Thanks. I borrowed the idea from a few who have similar mounts in their rigs.

Crotch strap will be the only strap through the seats, if i run them this time. The rest go over/around the seats. I love my PRP daily drivers in the couple trucks i have them in. Super comfy and not too crazy on the bolster.

 

[Ghetto Fab]

Its going to be my rear brakes. Ill have a cutting brake handle just for the rear as well.

I see, so one caliper for the rear brakes on the driveline and then a caliper at each wheel for cutting brakes?

 

[woody]

I see, so one caliper for the rear brakes on the driveline and then a caliper at each wheel for cutting brakes?

Cutting brakes are plumbed inline, so only one caliper per wheel.

 

[DirtSquirrel]

I won’t have any calipers at the axle in the rear. Just the driveline brake. The “cutting” brake handle will lock up the rear driveline brake by itself so I can do mad front digs when needed.

 

[woody]

I won’t have any calipers at the axle in the rear. Just the driveline brake. The “cutting” brake handle will lock up the rear driveline brake by itself so I can do mad front digs when needed.

I know some comp cars will run a rear t-case driveline brake....with a front dig, unlocked rear diff and the rear driveshaft held by the brake, the rear tires will turn in the opposite direction

 

[DirtSquirrel]

Im starting to really like having a plasma table. Ill never cut anything by hand again.

Borrowed a winters shifter for mockup to see if i could fit it between the seats, so i made a mount for it.

Single cross tube to mount the shifter. Once i get the t-case shifters figured out, ill mount this permanently.

 

[woody]

I don't know how I survived for so many years without a plasma table....so useful!