techBox » Buggy http://www.thegecko.org Buggies, tech and programming... Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:09:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Nipples n stuff http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/07/nipples-n-stuff/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/07/nipples-n-stuff/#comments Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:35:00 +0000 Rob /post/2007/07/Nipples-n-stuff.aspx I dry-assembled the front suspension today to get the car rolling.
Just need to mount the discs and wheels and that end is done.

Had some fun with an angle grinder removing some unwanted bits (included the front tow point) to make it fit correctly.

I also found that the grease nipples on the beam are right in the way of the mounting brackets, but have been assured that the grease will stay in if they are removed :)

I will be designing some sort of bonnet lifting mechanism in the coming weeks so watch this space for some more CAD drawings :D

The work continues…

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/07/nipples-n-stuff/feed/ 0 Bought more bits http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/bought-more-bits/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/bought-more-bits/#comments Sun, 27 May 2007 12:37:00 +0000 Rob /post/2007/05/Bought-more-bits.aspx I have taken delivery of some new parts, some nice shiny 7″ front lights and a brake master cylinder, both from http://www.coolairvw.co.uk/. Mmm free delivery :)

I’m also thinking about engines and have decided to build one from scratch using a custom kit from http://www.vwspeedshop.co.uk/.

Just finalising some details about the size of components to use to decide the overall engine capacity to end up with. At the moment it’s looking to be between 1776 and 2017 cc, but I need to investigate torque levels and power curves some more.
Any advice for something thats a bit beefy and has quick acceleration without going overboard (I like my gearbox unbroken), greatly received.

Cheers!

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/bought-more-bits/feed/ 0 French fibreglassing http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/french-fibreglassing/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/french-fibreglassing/#comments Thu, 03 May 2007 20:33:00 +0000 Rob /post/2007/05/French-fibreglassing.aspx Have today created a mould with Mel Hubbard to knock out some pods to house the rear lights. ‘Frenching’ them in.

Also created one pod and it’s perfect. Will be cutting it to size and begin chopping the rear of the buggy around to make them fit.
Also had a crash course in glassing and will be attacking the sidepods (blending them in) over the coming weeks. Work continues, if a bit slower than I’d hoped (darn bathroom:p).

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/05/french-fibreglassing/feed/ 0 New year, new parts http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/03/new-year-new-parts/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/03/new-year-new-parts/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:54:00 +0000 Rob /post/2007/03/New-year2c-new-parts.aspx Well it’s another year and I’m starting to rekindle the buggy build.
I’ve been dreading venturing into the cold, windy garage, but bought some new parts to get me started again.

After much deliberation, I have chosen the rear lights and bought them (not nasty LED ones, either!).

Mmm, clear indicators.

I have also got some new wheel bearings and wheel bolts so I can eventually add the rims and get it all rolling. This will make working on it a lot easier as I will have more room wheeling it out of the garage.

A minor setback, though. The front discs have been drilled to fit the wheels (6 holes at 12mm diameter *just* fit!), but unfortunately the pitch was drilled to 1.75, not 1.5. More holes to follow :)

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2007/03/new-year-new-parts/feed/ 0 The return http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/08/the-return/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/08/the-return/#comments Sun, 13 Aug 2006 10:40:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/08/The-return.aspx Finally, I have taken delivery of the completed chassis (well hired a drop-side and driven 6 hours to pick it up 8O ).

Now I have it all back, I’ll be concentrating on sorting out my A-B car (audi coupe quattro) for the next couple of Months (damn bushes!) before starting work on the buggy properly.

Depending on the financial situation I’m hoping to get it to a rolling state before Christmas to be completed mid -2007, but I’ll keep you all posted!

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/08/the-return/feed/ 0 Arrival of seats http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/05/arrival-of-seats/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/05/arrival-of-seats/#comments Thu, 18 May 2006 10:33:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/05/Arrival-of-seats.aspx Just a quick update for a few pictures of the seats I took delivery of today.

Very chuffed ;)

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/05/arrival-of-seats/feed/ 0 Seats ordered http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/seats-ordered/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/seats-ordered/#comments Sun, 30 Apr 2006 17:52:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/04/Seats-ordered.aspx After much deliberation over seat styles, colours and finishes, I have finally ordered some seats for the buggy. This will mean that fabrication of the frame can be completed once they are delivered.

I decided I wanted some comfy, yet thin seats which would fit in the very restricted area in the car. I also wanted some seats without the typical side bars usually found on clubman or bucket seats. I found it quite hard to find something to match my criteria.

The following are some corbeau seats I liked the look of, the last being the ‘fall-back’ option if I didn’t find anything suitable.

From http://www.corbeau-seats.co.uk:

Additionally, the following cobra seats were also on the cards.

From http://www.cobraseats.com:

Ideally, recliners would have been perfect, but with some fine measurement, I found I was extremely limited by space. This led me to settle for the cobra roadster 7 seats (pictured last above).

After speaking with cobra and thumbing through their sample swatches of materials (one which was suspicially like cheese cloth), I opted for a black and grey nylon finish without piping. Most images of these seats are with a vinyl finish, so I’ll just have to wait and see how they turn out :D

Images will be posted when they arrive in 7 to 10 days!

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/seats-ordered/feed/ 1 Frame almost complete http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/frame-almost-complete/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/frame-almost-complete/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:24:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/04/Frame-almost-complete.aspx Sorry for the delay in posting, I have a couple more images of the frame in progress.
All that is needed now is for me to buy some seats so that John and I can ascertain the positions for the handbrake, gearstick and pedals. More information on that soon.

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/04/frame-almost-complete/feed/ 0 Teasers http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/02/teasers/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/02/teasers/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:31:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/02/Teasers.aspx Some photos of the frame in progress.
I’ve decided to keep the build photos a bit vague to work up some suspense.
This way when it’s all finished it should be a pleasant surprise to you all.
Rest-assured I will still be uploading and posting, but you won’t get to see it all till the end :D

]]> http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/02/teasers/feed/ 0 And another one http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/01/and-another-one/ http://www.thegecko.org/index.php/2006/01/and-another-one/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2006 18:51:00 +0000 Rob /post/2006/01/And-another-one.aspx Here’s how the frame is coming along:

I’m hopefully seeing it in a week or so, so I’ll get some higher resolution images.
The beam is coming along nicely now I’ve decided to polish it up, too.
I’m also decifing on some seats – cobra or corbeau recliners are the order of the day at the moment.

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