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Rear engine buggies - Seat mounting vs. transmission

13K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  lxh0318 
#1 ·
So I'm not quite ready to build my next project yet, but I've had it laid out in my mind for a couple years. The one thing that I haven't decided on is how I want to mount the seats with the trans right there. It will have a 6.0 and one of the autos.

I'm always browsing buggy builds, but I can never remember engine configurations and such, hoping to get a few examples in here.

The first one I came across is the 2012 Murphy's Law motorsports build. They opted to keep the chassis width very narrow by having the seats almost entirely above the trans, but I'm not sure i'd be satisfied with how tall the chassis would have to be.




Are there some decent build pics with people who opted to mount the seats wider to tuck the trans up? How much width do you really have to start adding to get the seats around it?
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Thanks for putting the width in perspective, I know the rough numbers a lot of guys seem to shoot for is in the upper 40" range for a narrow two seater but I didn't have a clue what kind of width that chassis had. Good to have an estimate!

Is the UFO build still around? For some reason I thought it went away.

I can't find a better pic, but it looks like Tweaky has got the trans tucked up pretty well, anyone know if that's a relatively wide chassis, or just packaged well
 
#4 ·
I mounted mine in-between. This is the only picture I could find from the build:



But, thats a very tall trans. And it's so far cab forword that the t-case is under the drivers seat. It came out 52in wide, and 6'1 to the tallest point. 19in belly.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Try to remember to cover that baby from your booty with a minimum of 1/4" 6061-t6 aluminum floor or TRANS shield. That was learned the hard way in the dez last year....Or buy one of the new SFI cases for $1500.

B&M Trans Shield & Locking Dipstick - JEGS

Edit: Yes a scattershield or thick floor...or both? A thick floor might make installation of seats and other items easier. (Not the belts) Threads suggested below talk pretty openly about the issue. Thanks guys.

Soon, the new SFI T400 cases should be popular. They should solve the trailhousing breakage problem also. Something to consider when you are after new.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/moto...racing-super-hydra-400-transmission-case.html
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/gene...067-peek-atis-new-2-piece-sfi-th400-case.html

(Back to making it all fit!...on the smart side)
 

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#7 ·
#6 · (Edited)
To be able to put the seats on the skidplate next to an Atlas, the chassis will have to be about 64" wide at the belt line and minimum of 54" at the bottom using standard suspension seats. Ridgid shell seats will allow you to narrow it up maybe 4". This knowlege is based on my current front engine build. Rear engine will change it a bit.

A few like JR and Tweaky above have used divorced t-cases to get the case forward enough to be in *front* of the seats but the kicker is it has to be IFS cause the driveline becomes so short it wouldn't cycle with a solid axle. Of course at that point the obstacle for narrow and low seat placement becomes the trans but a few inches up from the bottom most of them are quite a bit narrower than a t-case, especially if you're not trying to put the seats right up against the back of the block, so having the t-case divorced helps with that too.
 
#10 ·
I was going to ask if that was an NV4500. Good to know, my current WJ has an NV3500. Not similar by and means...I was tempted by a 4500 but the weight and fact I needed an adapter pushed me away.

You brought up a good point on the shrapnel shield, and I'll definately be adding some protection in those terms. The part I didn't add in my original post, is I want to build this around a DJ-5 (postal jeep) body. The body is pretty damn narrow, but considering I'm already going to be chopping the top, widening to body to fit the seats with a flat belly isn't all that bad. I willl say, this thing is going to be different when it comes to be :D
 
#12 ·
Just as an fyi, when I did all the research on this, I found out that an NV4500 with fluid and clutch was 3 pounds lighter than a TH400 with fluid and torque converter. The height is the problem IMO, but it is skinny.
 
#13 ·
#16 ·
JR Thanks a ton for posting those up for us, that is EXACTLY what i'm looking to acheive. It looks like a divorced tcase with a two peice rear shaft makes for the most compact setup. I'm planning an IFS setup as well, so the short front shaft wouldn't bother me at all. But that definately looks just about as space efficient as you can do.

Just for comparisons sake, any other builds with a divorced tcase for packaging?
 
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