# Off road buggy



## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

@Functional Artist and @Seb34567 have recent builds in the genre that they've shown on here, so go have a look. 

Lots of choices on how to do it


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Hi,

For my buggy project I used a chironex komodo with missing transmission. Total cost is 9000$CAD but I will get back maybe 1.5k$ selling the working ice 1000cc engine with wires dash and all. The custom adapter plate and clutch fitting was really expensive at 2k$.

I used a transmission/tcase assembly from a Suzuki carry. I'm still looking for a smaller and more efficient way to reduce the electric motor drive ratio by 8 time to feed the differential. I saw some performance gearbox custom built for Nascar or else but way too heavy and expensive.

For your project the suspension/linkage/bushings/brakes part will suck a lot of time and money. I think you should find a side by side or old buggy with a dead engine but with everything else working. The old wolks buggy are great if you find one in good shape. But doing it all by yourself would be a great satisfying project.

To compare, my project use a 10kw motor liquid cooled and a 72v 72ah battery which gives around 30km range (I have a lot of mountains with very steep road so probably a lot more in conventional buggy use).

Power is sufficient for my need, I just need to optimize the water cooling to cool the controller too who is heating faster than the motor.


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## Functional Artist (Aug 8, 2016)

I like it  
Very Kool!

Q:
Is it "nose heavy" with the batt pack up front (& up high) like that?


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Functional Artist said:


> I like it
> Very Kool!
> 
> Q:
> Is it "nose heavy" with the batt pack up front (& up high) like that?


Hi, not at all. I installed the battery pack in front to replace the weight loss in cause of the front diff and axle removal. I wanted a lot of cargo space in the back too.

The pack weight is 110lb (50kg).

I've done some reckless cornering and some little jumps too. Everything is good. I will probably redesign the battery box to enlarge it and make it less thick. This winter after the other projects.

The komodo chassis is really strong and well done, I would not do that with a cheap side by side, I would put the pack as close to the ground as possible.

Trustpete found blade cells for is carry project, very long and thin. It could be easier to fit them on such conversion project.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

remy_martian said:


> @Functional Artist and @Seb34567 have recent builds in the genre that they've shown on here, so go have a look.
> 
> Lots of choices on how to do it


hi thanks for those ive had a good look through them


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Seb34567 said:


> Hi,
> 
> For my buggy project I used a chironex komodo with missing transmission. Total cost is 9000$CAD but I will get back maybe 1.5k$ selling the working ice 1000cc engine with wires dash and all. The custom adapter plate and clutch fitting was really expensive at 2k$.
> 
> ...


Hi Seb
sorry for the slow response ive been on my holi holidays, your project looks right up my street its what i had in mind, let me find some pics back in a minute................


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

what i would like is a run time of around an hour maybe a bit more if i can get it, top speed 30 mph would be plenty, it dosent have to be road legal which here in the uk makes things easier, the intended use is on a grass track though the woods, no steep inclines, fairly flat ground but needs more suspension travel than a stock mx5 which i sometimes race around, i have 2 choices in my head either use a vitara rolling chassis add motor batteries and some tube work, these seem less work as all the frame suspension steering is already done for me so its possibility ? the added bonus is that it could be street legal easily enough










but im not sure it will have enough suspension travel and its a little larger than i wanted

so the route im leaning towards is very much like yours, i have what i guess you would call a sxs
ive had it for 10 years plus and it goes just fine, original engine soon gave up and a nissan micra 4 cyl 1000cc unit replaced it, its all good except that im 6'4" and i dont fit in it very well my knees are up behind the steering wheel, oh for an extra 6"...









.









so the route i think im taking is to just to make a new buggy from scratch based on my orange buggy but with a bit more space in the cab for me, im a steel fabricator so dont see any problems in producing a new frame based on the buggy below










its the arrangement of the drive train, motor size, battery size etc i would like to discuss 

thanks Andy


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

and i have lots of stupid newbie questions lol
like do you have to have a gearbox to get reverse does the motor only work in one direction ?


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> and i have lots of stupid newbie questions lol
> like do you have to have a gearbox to get reverse does the motor only work in one direction ?


Hi, any AC motor will do reverse with a simple switch. You will be able to set on the controller the Rev acceleration and torque percentage. Far better than a geared reverse.

I think your chosen route is better than using a car frame for your application (mostly about weight and suspension).

If you still don't have your motor/controller, I recommend a little more than 10kw. In my 10kw setup, some say that the motor can take up to 25 but I find the water cooling not so efficient. Maybe the experienced users will give to you other brand/option than golden motor.

My buggy is two seat and seems heavier than yours. With two people in it (one which is overweight...) I've done a 30km run, fast and without thinking about efficiency. My battery stops charging at 80V, I'm waiting for an active balancer to charge it to 84V, and I think I will be able to go to a range of 40km if driven efficiently.

Battery is 72V/72ah lifepo4. I'm not sure I would go up in voltage because of the risks.

I'll try to weight the complete vehicle soon.

Your first trouble will be to find or reuse a gearbox between your electric motor and the driveshaft of the buggy. You need to know your final drive gearing (jack the buggy and check how many turn you diff do with one turn of the wheel, be sure the two wheels turn at the same time with a helper). If you get good suggestion about which gearbox to use please forward them, I'm looking for a less clunky way myself.

I used a transfer case/transmission assembly from a Suzuki carry. It works but it's big and I only use the first gear.

I'm no expert but don't hesitate to ask it will be a pleasure to share my errors and what I learned.

Seb


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

hi
so your only using 1st gear which at a guess is around 3.6 to 1 what diff do you have in it and how do you find the gearing, about right or would you go higher or lower given the choice ? just trying to get an idea of what i should be aiming for ......
thanks Andy


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

i see i posted the same pic twice above  is there a way of editing posts ?

this is what i meant to post 









not particularly pretty and definitely not very strong, its very lightweight tube and i wouldent trust it in a roll over
but it works and handles quite well so i think i might just copy it but 8" or so longer so i can get in it ..
i was pondering mounting the motor above the diff facing forwards coupled up to a transferbox of something like a suzuki sj which would then feed back into the diff giving a 2 speed box for cruising or low range for more spirited driving, that might have the advantage that it frees up space so i can move the seats back allowing me to make it dimensionally the same size


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Andy.Baloo said:


> ... i wouldent trust it in a roll over
> but it works and handles quite well so i think i might just copy it but 8" or so longer so i can get in it ..


One issue in a rollover is that the cage width looks like it was chosen for a single-seater, but used for a side-by-side. For reasonable protection, it needs more width.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

brian_ said:


> One issue in a rollover is that the cage width looks like it was chosen for a single-seater, but used for a side-by-side. For reasonable protection, it needs more width.


i agree but its a cheap Chinese buggy and thats how they come, road legal in the uk crazy crazy really but its a good base to model off in terms of size, needs to be tube that will actually do something in a roll over and as you say much more protection, brakes are not the best either, i will just use it for size reference


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

to me this sort of shape is more appealing, still a bit sparse on tubing though


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> to me this sort of shape is more appealing, still a bit sparse on tubing though
> 
> View attachment 130832


This is a chironex komodo and it's the exact same one that I used


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

in europe we would know it as a PGO bug racer 600cc fuel injected

pgo bug racer - Google Search


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

nice looking machine


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> hi
> so your only using 1st gear which at a guess is around 3.6 to 1 what diff do you have in it and how do you find the gearing, about right or would you go higher or lower given the choice ? just trying to get an idea of what i should be aiming for ......
> thanks Andy


It's really about your diff. The one in my buggy is 4.65:1 and the trans+tcase is 5.106:1 so total reduction is 23.74:1 from motor to wheel.

When motor spins at 5000rpm with this ratio and 27 inch wheels I'm at 27kmph

Your buggy is lighter and you have smaller wheels, you will be more that ok with a 10kw motor. To find your diff gearing do is I said on the last answer and check this :






Tire Size, RPM, Speed, and Differential Ratio Calculator


Describes the process for converting a gasoline powered car to electric power



www.advanced-ev.com


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## remy_martian (Feb 4, 2019)

Andy.Baloo said:


> to me this sort of shape is more appealing, still a bit sparse on tubing though
> 
> View attachment 130832



That thing is not properly triangulated for a rollover. Typical Chinese half-assedness to keep it cheap - lives are worth about $10 over there.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> nice looking machine
> 
> View attachment 130833


It's the 500cc komodo. I found the 1000cc version with which I've done the project. If you can find one go for it. Automotive class suspension, very good stiff frame and really easy to disassemble (the upper part is bolted). Brake are really strong but use a power vaccum. If you find one with it's CVT transmission the motor fitting will be super easy and you will be able to keep the 4wd.

And I will be jealous.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

im probably using a Mazda RX8 diff which is 4 to 1 then i have a 4 to 1 transfer box giving me 16 to 1 against your 23 to 1 but im different size tyres... will do the maths tomorrow


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Seb34567 said:


> It's the 500cc komodo. I found the 1000cc version with which I've done the project. If you can find one go for it. Automotive class suspension, very good stiff frame and really easy to disassemble (the upper part is bolted). Brake are really strong but use a power vaccum. If you find one with it's CVT transmission the motor fitting will be super easy and you will be able to keep the 4wd.
> 
> And I will be jealous.


i have looked for one but they are a step up from the usual Chinese buggies and hence command a much higher price i have more chance of knitting fog than find a cheap PGO lol


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

i just did the maths, your at 27km an hour at a motor rpm of 5000, if i use the the RX8 diff then my 4 to one transfer box and the 31" tyres i have it works out at 28.5 km/h at the same 5000 motor rpm sounds near enough to me but i can always drop to 30" tyres if i need to ........


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> i just did the maths, your at 27km an hour at a motor rpm of 5000, if i use the the RX8 diff then my 4 to one transfer box and the 31" tyres i have it works out at 28.5 km/h at the same 5000 motor rpm sounds near enough to me but i can always drop to 30" tyres if i need to ........


31" tires are the stock ones on your buggy? Should be a good match. You should test that before final assembly. Mark your transfer box input shaft and count how many turns it makes with one rotation of the wheel.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi
No orange buggy is on 27s I think, but I'm starting afresh nothing on the orange buggy is worth saving it all to weak or flimsy, I will biuld a new chassis and start from there l think. 
l have lots of 31 tyres off my suzukis so message sense to use them up but that may fail as I'm planning to use an RX8 diff driveshafts and hubs which means I will probably use the RX8 wheels as well and they are 18" dia and my 31" tyres will all be 16" so might have to buy new tyres anyway


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## tylerwatts (Feb 9, 2012)

Hi @Andy.Baloo 
I suggest you look up KJ Racing (Facebook, Instagram etc) and go with his plans to build from scratch. You can adjust leg room or rear room and have single or two seater. Or there are various others but KJ's plans are so well thought out for DIY builders.

Or convert a PGO if you can find one. Or similar. There's a lot of these sorts of buggies that go cheap when the engines die or wear out and most parts are standard or simple enough to repair and customise for your build.

I'd suggest the simplest for you is use a 138 70h v3 motor from QS Motors and chain drive a differential then you have full control of gearing. Look at how KJ and others build a rear drive from Mazda MX-5 drive shafts etc. Simple and cheap and robust. You could even put the diff lengthways and drive front and rear UTV diffs for 4wd if you want to get dirty and just adjust your gearing to include the diffs. Probably would be very low on the motor then. Or use a QS 138 90H motor (no built in reduction, more powerful) to drive the diff as it'll handle higher continuous power and can get water cooled version.

Or the age old ideal, buy a used/crashed bike and transfer the electric drive, Zero is ideal for lots of torque and air cooled system ready to go.

Good luck

cheers
Tyler


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

tylerwatts said:


> Hi @Andy.Baloo
> I suggest you look up KJ Racing (Facebook, Instagram etc) and go with his plans to build from scratch. You can adjust leg room or rear room and have single or two seater. Or there are various others but KJ's plans are so well thought out for DIY builders.
> 
> Hi Tyler
> ...



before i buy a motor i need to establish how big a motor what size will give exciting performance is 10kw enough ??
thanks Andy


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Seb 34567
are you happy with your 10 kw motor would you go bigger if you could ??


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

is this the motor you have used ?
10 KW BLDC Motor Liquid Cooled - Golden Motor - Canada & USA


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> is this the motor you have used ?
> 10 KW BLDC Motor Liquid Cooled - Golden Motor - Canada & USA


Hi, yes this one but on 72V not 48V. Yes I'm happy but, I find the water cooling not so efficient. I'm working on cooling the controller (done, just need to assemble all back).

Once done I will crank things up and do real tests. People say this motor could go up to 20-25kw, but to do so I need a beefer controller.

If you can wait one week just ask me again and I'll have the final comment on this setup.

If the suggested qs motor is around the same price, personally I would have tried this brand instead of golden motor.

If you go with modifying your existing buggy, you will be really ok with the same motor as mine I think. Your buggy is way lighter than mine.


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

tylerwatts said:


> Hi @Andy.Baloo
> I suggest you look up KJ Racing (Facebook, Instagram etc) and go with his plans to build from scratch. You can adjust leg room or rear room and have single or two seater. Or there are various others but KJ's plans are so well thought out for DIY builders.
> 
> Or convert a PGO if you can find one. Or similar. There's a lot of these sorts of buggies that go cheap when the engines die or wear out and most parts are standard or simple enough to repair and customise for your build.
> ...


Hi, I don't find many info on the suggested qs motor, it seems less powerful than the gm 10kw ?

Price.is real good though.

Do you have some pictures about the suggested chaindrive? I'm looking to replace the big trans/TCASe assembly with something smaller.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

hi
i found this motor on the golden motor website but its a lot dearer than the 10kw motor,
way more than twice the price so it would be cheaper to buy 2 10kw motors and have one up front so its 4 wheel drive again ??


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

no pics of my drive arrangement yet im not that far down the road but heres the diff i plan on using, ive been working out wheel travel to determine the length of my A arms the RX8 diff is pretty strong and comes standard with an lsd fitted or it does over here, it also has the 4 bolts on the top that will make it easy to mount the motor on top of it then just chain drive down to the input flange on the diff, i like the idea as its easy to tinker with the ratio by altering the size of the 2 sprockets but just as important to me is that it is short and that will allow me to move the seats back somewhere between 12 and 18" buying me valuable cabin space for my long legs, could even turn the diff round so its facing the back and get even more room but the seats would probably be running into the back tyres by then 

















im getting around 12" of wheel travel which should be more than enough for the intended use which is around my buggy track through the woods, its undulating nothing severe


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

will try and draw my drivetrain arrangement


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> hi
> i found this motor on the golden motor website but its a lot dearer than the 10kw motor,
> way more than twice the price so it would be cheaper to buy 2 10kw motors and have one up front so its 4 wheel drive again ??
> View attachment 130843


Going with two motor will be complicated. I know you can parralel wire the throttle but it will be difficult to match the motors rpm. You are better with an axle if you want 4x4. One 20kw in your setup should be very very powerful! If you only use the type of trails I saw in your pictures, 2 wheels drive will be more than enough. 12 inch suspension travel is more than I got with my buggy.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Seb34567 said:


> Going with two motor will be complicated. I know you can parralel wire the throttle but it will be difficult to match the motors rpm. You are better with an axle if you want 4x4. One 20kw in your setup should be very very powerful! If you only use the type of trails I saw in your pictures, 2 wheels drive will be more than enough. 12 inch suspension travel is more than I got with my buggy.


2wd is fine for me in the buggy i have a rockcrawler for anything that requires 4wd, i having difficulty imaging 20kw is enough, i think that is 26 hp ? my honda pilot is 38 hp i think and thats much lighter, more research required lol


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> 2wd is fine for me in the buggy i have a rockcrawler for anything that requires 4wd, i having difficulty imaging 20kw is enough, i think that is 26 hp ? my honda pilot is 38 hp i think and thats much lighter, more research required lol


It's really not the same. Very difficult to compare HP with electric motors. Torque is instantaneous and on all the range, nothing comparable to combustion engine. I had doubt like you, when I started the project. I ordered a 5kw fan golden motor at first and just after I choose to go with the 10kw. Keep in mind the weight of your buggy and the stiffness of its frame.

If we where not so far you could do a test run here lol

I'm sure you will be satisfied with the 10, but if you have the money, why not the 20kw!


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi
well dont have limitless funds so maybe i will stick to the 10kw motor and use a lighter buggy
i have a thing called an NCF Blitz which is a buggy of sorts they were popular 20 years ago you just bought a frame from a company and then swapped over all the bits off an austin mini so you ended up with a 4 cylinder 1300cc powered buggy but on road car suspension they were great on the road but to bouncy on the rough stuff, the tube frame is made from inch and a half dia tube with a 1/8 wall thickness they are nice and sturdy, i have an engineless one out in the barn somewhere maybe i will convert this instead, i will need to be rear suspension for it if im going to install a motor in the back end, what do you think ?


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

how are you doing the water cooling, do you use a little electric water pump and route the water through something like a motor bike radiator ?


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> 2wd is fine for me in the buggy i have a rockcrawler for anything that requires 4wd, i having difficulty imaging 20kw is enough, i think that is 26 hp ? my honda pilot is 38 hp i think and thats much lighter, more research required lol





Andy.Baloo said:


> 2wd is fine for me in the buggy i have a rockcrawler for anything that requires 4wd, i having difficulty imaging 20kw is enough, i think that is 26 hp ? my honda pilot is 38 hp i think and thats much lighter, more research required lol





Andy.Baloo said:


> Hi
> well dont have limitless funds so maybe i will stick to the 10kw motor and use a lighter buggy
> i have a thing called an NCF Blitz which is a buggy of sorts they were popular 20 years ago you just bought a frame from a company and then swapped over all the bits off an austin mini so you ended up with a 4 cylinder 1300cc powered buggy but on road car suspension they were great on the road but to bouncy on the rough stuff, the tube frame is made from inch and a half dia tube with a 1/8 wall thickness they are nice and sturdy, i have an engineless one out in the barn somewhere maybe i will convert this instead, i will need to be rear suspension for it if im going to install a motor in the back end, what do you think ?
> 
> ...


I think it's a really perfect base!


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## Seb34567 (10 mo ago)

Andy.Baloo said:


> how are you doing the water cooling, do you use a little electric water pump and route the water through something like a motor bike radiator ?


Exactly, but I used a transmission cooler small radiator which I mounted on the front.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi which controller did you use did it come with the motor ?

was it this one ? if so what do the power brake handles do ?










thanks Andy


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Seb34567 said:


> Going with two motor will be complicated. I know you can parralel wire the throttle but it will be difficult to match the motors rpm.


You don't need to match the speed of the motors with each other - in fact, the front and rear axle speeds should be different whenever the vehicle is turning, just like the left and right wheels on the same axle. The challenge with more than one motor (one per axle in AWD, or one per wheel on the same axle) is to balance the front versus rear and left versus right drive _torque_ properly, and to make sure that all have speed limiting so they don't spin wildly when only one end (or one wheel) loses traction.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Andy.Baloo said:


> ...
> i have a thing called an NCF Blitz which is a buggy of sorts they were popular 20 years ago you just bought a frame from a company and then swapped over all the bits off an austin mini so you ended up with a 4 cylinder 1300cc powered buggy but on road car suspension they were great on the road but to bouncy on the rough stuff, the tube frame is made from inch and a half dia tube with a 1/8 wall thickness they are nice and sturdy, i have an engineless one out in the barn somewhere maybe i will convert this instead, i will need to be rear suspension for it if im going to install a motor in the back end, what do you think ?
> 
> View attachment 130867
> ...


Very nice, and the frame looks better-designed than the recent cheap buggies. Of course the Mini front suspension doesn't have enough travel (and is too stiff) for either end of an off-road buggy.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

brian_ said:


> Very nice, and the frame looks better-designed than the recent cheap buggies. Of course the Mini front suspension doesn't have enough travel (and is too stiff) for either end of an off-road buggy.


you are of course absolutely right about the suspension fine on a smooth road, we have tried using them in the fields but you bounce so much you cant control the throttle pedal and it just gets out of control disaster usually follows lol,
i was thinking about making an Arm suspension up front with fox air shocks and at the back i cant decide if i should use a live axle as its easier to install or go for double A arms again, but either way its so far removed from the original buggy i might as well start again and make it a little wider so its a true 2 seater instead of only being able to seat to skinny beans


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

tylerwatts said:


> Hi @Andy.Baloo
> I suggest you look up KJ Racing (Facebook, Instagram etc) and go with his plans to build from scratch. You can adjust leg room or rear room and have single or two seater. Or there are various others but KJ's plans are so well thought out for DIY builders...


Is this _KJ Raycing_ and their VF crosskart? That's VF-1 for single-seat, VF-2 for two-seat.

While some of the cage design makes no sense to me, it at least looks sturdy.
These are designed to use a motorcycle powertrain, with chain drive to the axle, which can easily be adapted to a different motor. They apparently don't use a differential - that's typical for crosskarts but bad for most buggies - but chain-drive differentials are available and one could presumably be used. They are rear wheel drive only.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

brian_ said:


> Very nice, and the frame looks better-designed than the recent cheap buggies. Of course the Mini front suspension doesn't have enough travel (and is too stiff) for either end of an off-road buggy.


Hi Brian
you sound like you know a thing or two about buggies, would you like to discuss how i should go about designing my frame suspension ?


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Andy.Baloo said:


> Hi Brian
> you sound like you know a thing or two about buggies, would you like to discuss how i should go about designing my frame suspension ?


I just noticed that there are areas in the VF frame design which are strangely not triangulated; the front even has nearly parallel tubes not effectively combined into a truss. This sort of thing is not specific to off-road buggies, as it applies to any tube frame (found in all kinds of racing, and in other structures such as bridges).

Being electric doesn't change the suspension, and doesn't really change the frame, but it's worth looking at how the large and awkward battery pack will fit in the frame - buggies are designed to fit engines, and it would make sense when making a custom frame to allow for the battery from the beginning. It might make sense to leave a large rectangular space between the seats and the motor (which is presumably in the rear) for battery, open on the bottom and with a bolted-in skid plate designed to close off and reinforce that section of the frame after installing the battery from below.


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi i think im going round in circles i cant decide which motor and controller to go for, i found this guy on youtube and he has a full build in ten parts this one is the batteries and wiring
Homemade Electric Buggy, Ep 10: Wiring & Programming Kelly Controller - ME1616 Motor - YouTube 
the motor is a 55kw ME1616 which is cheaper than the golden motor 20kw motor by a long way but it needs a simpler controller for me the kelly looks complicated to program in the video's


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

i found some live rear axles with the motor built in would you even consider a live rear axle in a buggy or does it have to be independent ??


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Andy.Baloo said:


> i found some live rear axles with the motor built in would you even consider a live rear axle in a buggy or does it have to be independent ??


Lots of people build beam-axle buggies... for rock crawling. People building for high-speed off-road use who go all the way to building a custom frame for a lightweight buggy (instead of using a truck-style frame and cab) normally go with an independent suspension, but that's not technically necessary. A very heavy beam axle in a very light vehicle is a poor combination for suspension performance.


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## tylerwatts (Feb 9, 2012)

Hi Andy
The Blitz is a perfect do or to build on. Think about finding Polaris ATV McPherson front suspension for it, and you can build a simple rear suspension. Using the rx8 diff with chain drive is great. I would even try use rx8 or mx5 rear hubs also and just make your own wishbones.
Like was said by Seb, electric motors are not comparable to combustion because they produce much more torque and continuously. So 10kw is good, and a 10kw motor can output double that for shorter moments, you don't hold max throttle for more than a few seconds anyway. The key is to use an appropriately sized controller.
The golden motor is a good choice, or QS Motors also. I would suggest if you don't want to program yourself, get a matched set. But I fear a Golden Motor will come with an under powered controller and Seb already said it can take more power in the 10kw motor. The QS Motors are 'rated' at a low power but they could run forever at that power. E.g. the QS 138 90h motor is rated as 4kw but can do 15kw continuous in most cases and over 30kw in short bursts. And geared for 30-40mph like you'd want that will spin the tyres every time! So don't worry about trying to match kW to bhp.
I recommend you fetch the Blitz out and decide how you can convert it, suspension mainly, and space for the motor and battery. Remember electric motors can operate clockwise or counterclockwise so I'd suggest you face the motor to the diff low to the floor and to one side, with the controller on the floor to the other side. Then you have a nice flat area of space behind the seats to put a battery low and flat above the motor/diff/controller. And like you said, chain drive gives lots of gearing options. I'd go with 420 motorcycle chain, it's plenty strong enough and light weight. You could use 520 but it's not necessary for your requirements.
I look forward to seeing the Blitz out, always been a fan of them.

cheers
Tyler


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## Andy.Baloo (Aug 11, 2012)

hi tyler
ive drifted towards the ME1616 motor how do i size a controller for it ? would the sevcon gen 4 be a good match ?
are you uk based ? and where do you buy stuff like this in the uk ?
ive decided that im going to drag the blitz out and more or less copy it but make it a little larger and use double A arm suspension all round, ive just tuned up some bearing carriers that the RX8 driveshafts wheel end will fit into next is the hub its self a bit like this









that one uses rose joints but im going with rubber bushes, ive just ordered 32 landrover radius arm bushes for the A arms, cheapest bush i could find at £2 each


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