Dave's la(te)st buggy build...

Jimny flash mob..... that would be funny :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

sniper

will it have number plates with all those mods

safari wrote: will it have number plates with all those mods

I hope so!



I've fallen foul of the DVLA and VOSA when I built "Stumpy" the Grand Vitara years ago -



So I vowed to never alter a chassis again, so the buggy should qualify the same as a kit=car as only the body has changed a little...?

sniper wrote: Jimny flash mob..... that would be funny :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

sniper

Now that would be great :lol:

:woohoo:

Back to it today... not got much done in the last week as our youngest daughter flew to Malta (for seven months ) last Wednesday (my day off in the week usually) and the wife went to wave her off with her sister, and then the wife was away in EuroDisney from Thursday to Monday with a youth choir she chaperones for... but, as said, back to it today...



I began by making a gusset plate for the top of the roof hoop on the passenger (Alan's) side



And having drawn around all the fixing points I ground them back to shiny metal, and then re-assembled for the last time, ready for welding...

Notice the flat bar welded to the 'main' crossbar?...



You can just about see it there... that's to line up the other crossbar after I've cut in in half...



I marked the centre line, and then the start and end of the 'fishmouth' cut...



There on the bench you can see it better, just a flat triangle cut to start it off...



Like that...



So that roughly fits around the 'main' crossbar, and then attack it with a grinding disk...



So that we get a nice join like this



And then bring in the other half again, and mark that up...



Repeat the fishmouth cutting and grind, et-voila!



And we have our X crossbrace in place!



And during assembly the gusset plates are squeezed into position...



All ready for welding, probably on Sunday...



The other side (Alan's) with the gusset plate in place...

So the thicker tube of the 'X' butts up to the gusset place, and the smaller seamless tube is then hammered through the hole in the roof / hoop of the body into the bigger tube as it just passes through the hole in the gusset plate, I've also drilled four holes in the tops of the crossbars to puddle weld through to the smaller tube inside... once it's all welded up it should be super strong, and brace the weakened body due to back half being removed...



From the top you get the idea?... the bits protruding through are to hold / join to the tree scraper bars that will go around the roofline of the buggy, and also protect the front section of the soft-top, just like my previous blue Jimny previously known as S200KYS...

I had sketched up the roofline bars like this -



To get a quote for them bent up for me, but it proved to be too expensive (for a budget 'laning fun buggy) so I'm going to have to rethink it... Which I did after finishing today, I stood back with a cuppa and planned it all in my mind, and will come back to that one...

I also mocked up the back of the buggy when the X-brace was in place, but I've run out of time now, I need to have a shower and get back to the shop, so I'll post all the other photos later tonight...

Yet more good work that man! I think you should knock through into the shop and do these professionally! :laugh: