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

Thanks Lambert!

I haven't counted my labour in he £3,000 agreed value, I'll send you a quote including my labour

Bah, the thread has just "turned the page" to a new one...

I just added that I've now insured it too, please see previous page folks...  

Cant wait to see it in the flesh

Looks great Dave, I hope you get many enjoyable trips out in her once we are permitted. I bet you can't wait.

Thanks Guys

Mother's Day today, so not much done... I had a bit of a lie-in, and then went round to the local Cafe and picked up an afternoon tea of sandwiches and cake and a scone, and went to see my Mum for a few hours...

Then, I got back and checked the Jimny over with the thoughts of an MOT on my mind... With it being ready for the road, and now insured, I figured I'd sneak out for a little test drive, test the brakes, steering, gearing, suspension, etc...

 

I'm lucky where I live (in the middle of that red circle), that the road I live on (the yellow) changes to a little-used country lane to the west, and then at the T junction to the left and the right are very few properties, very little traffic as it's a dead end thanks to the A55 coast expressway being built to the north end... So I drove up to the T-junction and headed right to the end, turned round, and then went all the way to the left, turned round again, and then back down the lane and home...

Suspension? - check! It handled the speed bumps well, no crashing, just nice and smooth...
Brakes? - fine, it stops well and doesn't pull either way
Gearing? - that seems fine too, on the lane at the top I stuck it in four-low with the hubs unlocked and the "crawling" speed seemed acceptable!
Stering? - fine too, the steering wheel is centred, the steering damper works well, everything nice and smooth

Back into the garage then!...

And an afternoon of just tinkering...

 

I sorted the keys out... the bunch on the right are mine - the driver's - main ignition key, key to the lockable fuel filler cap, and a key for all the padlocks.... And the bunch on the left are for the co-driver (mostly our Alan when he's ready to return ) so there's the remote for the winch, a spare ignition key (with no imobiliser fob) to get in the glovegox (but can be used if the ignition key snaped to still start the vehicle), a key to the fuel cap and another key for all the padlocks...

Padlocks? Yup, keep up! I bought a set of four matching-keyed padlocks some time ago... 

 

One for the snatch block (winch pulley that is used to winch backwards when a loop of rope is taken off the drum through that giant hawse fairlead).

 

One for the waffle boards... there's a bolt with a wing-nut going through them to hold them securely when greenlaning, but when parked (overnight sometimes outside a pub with rooms ) the padlock stops the bolt being removed...

 

One for the fake jerry can which houses the quick strop / tree strop (a loop of webbing strap with a big loop at one end and a hook on the other, so you throw it round a tree and clip the hook through the ring to winch to safety) .

And any other valuables can be locked in the glove box -



With the ignition key (or spare on the co-pilots keys)

So. that leaves one more padlock...?

I spent a good while trying to think of a way to stop the ground anchor going astray... it's bolted to the rear tray's elliptical diagonal stays with two M12 wingnuts, but is a bit easy to steal, so...

 

I bolted a U-bolt through the little perforated steel 'wall' to match the waffle boards on the other side, and the fourth padlock stops that wandering off too...

Ummm, not much more to do then?...

Wales has just annunced a two week period of "Stay Local" (five mile radius of home) rather than "Stay Home", and that ends on the 27th of March when we (the Welsh) will be able to travel freely within Wales to enjoy the Easter period amd beyond...

So, it looks like I'll be able to go 'laning soon...?

Better book an MOT then?...

That and it's only ten weeks to when we can hopefully get out on on our first trip of 2021 with Brett's group... Covid rules willing...
 

OMG ... Dave finishes a project, well done matey ... is it 7th time lucky?

maverick wrote: OMG ... Dave finishes a project, well done matey ... is it 7th time lucky?

Cheeky! 

If we're talking buggies, it's sixth time lucky!

I started this thread by saying -

 

...way back in February 2019, and already had this Jimny donor from the 31/08/18 and had started work on it before this thread began...

So, yes, I have had previous attempts at building a buggy, so this was on my bucket list...

So history then from photos I can find -

 

It all started years ago with a Fiat 126 based build, similar to the NCF Blitz but from Australian plans from Predator Buggies  (on which the NCF Blitz was also appratently based)... I got almost to the end of this build but decided two-wheel drive was not the way I wanted to go...

 

Later I started on an SJ based buggy, but that too wasn't really the way I wanted to go...

 

At the end of "Stealth" the Vitaras life, it was stripped to a chassis and an NCF Outbak frame was bought second-hand, but that project was also not seen to fruition...

 

 

Then a Jimny donor was tried, but I felt with this one I'd cut too much off, and it was too far away from being road-legal...

So many of the parts from that one went on to the current one...

Which, I'm pleased to say, is finished... and will appearing on - and off - the road as soon as it safe and legal to do so...


 

How's this for an un-planned colour match?!

 

Aftermarket Suzuki biker leather jacket on the bonnet of the Boogie...
 

It wasn't a bad guess ... only one out ;-0)

Can't wait for 23rd May

Well, today was the day...

 

MOT day! 

 

And.........................

 

PASSED! First Time... no advisories... Chuffed!