ive been thinking of building an f-toy buggy for some time now, but really dont know what im getting myself into as far as budget is concerned. i was looking at getting the hendrix 2+2 chassis, and definitely can get a donor truck for a great price over here. is it sacrilegious if i were to use some hi-pinion dana 60s? i have a friend over here that has a set he would sell me for suuuper cheap. same goes for the motor. do i have to use a toyota engine and trans, or should i go with something like an SBC? i know the little things like the lockers, brakes, transfer case, suspension, and all the miscellaneous nuts, bolts, washers, and steel will add up really quick...

i guess im asking what kind of figures am i looking at for a decent set up. mind you, i live in the middle of the pacific, so ill never see moab or any of those other spots that you guys get to go to. but id love to be able to keep up with the guys from ICU and check out the trails they run.

We built ours on a budget (originally).
Found a donor frame and axles...free.
Had an engine/trans/tcase laying around...free.
Most of the rest of the stuff I had to order, but still tried to get the best stuff for the cheapest price. We built ours comp legal, and our initial build cost was just over 12k.
We have upgraded numerous things due to breakage, so we are now closer to 20k.

IMO, if you are going to build a comp legal rig, the ftoy chassis is a smokin deal. The biggest limiting factor with an ftoy is the small engine and the leaf springs. If you are not planning on using either if these, then buy an x chassis, link it, 60's and a sbc in it. Since you don't have certain ftoy rules to build by with an x, the sky is the limit on $.

there are plenty of ftoys that dont run toy drive train. run what you have accessible to you. as far as budget, its very hard to stay under 10k unless you have free stuff coming to you.

mine was 12k with a carb motor and no frills when i first built it. i couldnt beleive it when i added it all up.

so... 12k is about an average price for a build? there are no competitions over here (that i know of) so i'd be building something that is more or less a cruiser and to have fun in.

is there any benefit from running coil overs as compared to leaf springs? cause i know that 4 linked front and rears + c/o's are gonna be more expensive in the long run...

Leafs are simple, cheap, and proven. But they also require spring hangers which tend to do what they say...they hang up on stuff. If you have trails with lots of ledges and undercuts, they will get in the way. It just takes a different driving approach than it would with links. Im happy with mine, but then again, I have 4 other trail rigs, and they all have leafs. If I put c/o's on one of them, I'd probably want them on the rest :D

I have about 8K in mine, but it's far from done. It's "'wheelable", but nothing special. Check out my build thread to see what 8K gets ya...

where is "over here"? can you even get a chassis shipped there? the Ftoy thing is meant to be a budget build and be super capable. i have leaf springs up front and links in the rear and you are right on that the price goes up when you start doing that. The problem you are going to have money wise is going to be that you are going to start out behind not having a donor rig. Simple things like brake and gas pedals, radiator, electrical stuff (depending on your setup), drive shafts, etc.. add up FAST! add in your fab work, suspension, fuel tank (or propane), wheels/tires, gears, seats, steel, wiring, pedals, steering, etc... you will EASILY be 15K into it.

you'd have the first Ftoy on the ICU trail...(keep it long and durable...) There should be plenty of $500 donor trucks around... and I'm sure if you hook up wit the ICU boys, they can point you in the right direction for misc toy parts... good luck and post up your build

I have just under $8k in mine, but I did a ton of trading for parts.

Free frame
Free trans
Free t-cases
Free axle housings
$600 engine
Sponsored MasterCraft seats
SummitRacing cheap gauges
Used AP front leaves
Davez rear leaves
Used 5.29 e-locker front
barely used 30spl Longs
Cheap ($200) e-locker rear
Marlin MC-07R10 duals
BBCS shocks
Most of my misc. tubing and sheet metal was out of scrap piles at work.
Winch from my co-dawg
$700 36" Iroks
Reworked exhaust from donor with free muffler
Retubed drivelines (retubed a High Angle I used to have on my 4Runner for the front)

Traded parts for store credit with a PBB vendor:
(7) IFS boxes and (8) t-cases turned into:
FJ40 rotors, 5.29 rear gears, TG 4.7's, braided brakelines, axle gussets, twinstick, shifter knobs, steering pump

I made all my own brackets and misc. parts.
You can build a nice buggy for under $10k, but it will take a lot more of your time.