For those who have built Southern style buggies

[NoRotor86]

Hey everybody, this is my first post on this forum so be gentle please!

I'm looking to build a 2.2 scale Southern style rock bouncer (ie. showtime, coleworx, old blue style buggies). It will be a slow build as I don't really have a lot of time on my hands currently. I have fabrication skills and what I think is enough equipment to get the job done but, I'm really not sure how to approach building it. Can anyone who has experience fabricating their own scale tube chassis give me some input on what materials to use, (aluminum vs. steel and thickness), hollow or solid, and methods on actual fabrication (what are you using to make your bends and assuring symetry?) Any input at all you can give is greatly appreciated.

[KennethXJ]

I have a little experience. I built to truggy/buggys so far. The first one I built it with solid 3/16" rod I got from tractor supply. It was easier to bend then brake line. BUT it is very heavy and will make life hard on plastic running gear. The second build was brake line I got from O'Reilly Auto Parts. I bought a 25' roll for less then $25. They also sell many different types of brake line bending tools. A MIG welder will come in handy for tacking. But to finish the job I would recommend Brazing with Silver Solder 45. Good luck!
I am sure others with much more experience will speak up, but if you have any questions you can PM me.

[JasonInAugusta]

Go here: RCCrawler General Tech - Tools, and Procedures at RCCrawler.com

search "tube bending"

Lots of info.

[Bulldog]

Welcome to the forum. Your questions make me think you need to spend some more time researching on the forum and looking at builds before you jump in. Not trying to be an "a" hole, just trying to save you from a major headache and waste of time. If you search for any of the buggies (including mine), you'll see common trends and techniques. Brazing brakeline and tubing is a totally different process than tig or mig welding solid rod. They both have their issues. As for layout and where to start...it's custom building. Trial and lots of errors. Again, search for the builds and learn from what guys have done. It easily will take 6 months to a year researching to get enough ideas to successfully pull off a functioning southern buggy from scratch. And even the most generous amounts of technical advice will still leave you with plenty of issues to overcome. Take your time, enjoy what you find and when you're ready...start something. PM me with any questions. Here is my headache of a southern buggy....And again...I speak from experience...
Bulldog's Screamin 2 Southern Buggy

[salmonfacesalad]

You may want to PM Ecoli and Colby.

Ecoli is the southern buggy king on here, unquestioned. He will have lots of tips.

Colby just started fabricating southern buggies but will have lots of pointers for newbies.

I'd say pm bulldog also but he has already gave some great advise.


My buggy by Ecoli.

[Dtempleton]

Your best bet man is to build something less complicated & work ur way to a southern buggy, I am almost finished with my first tube chassis & I am sooo glad I tried something more simple first to get a feel for brazing & what I was doing before jumping head first into a southern buggy, its way harder than the pros on here make it look... As for materials the best thing to do is use 3/16 solid rod for the main bottom frame & 3/16 brakeline for the rest, a lot of people just use brakeline but for something like a southern buggy ur gonna be bashing on real hard its better to overbuild than underbuild & have to tear it apart & redo it later because of bends & breaks.. either way have fun & enjoy it & be sure to have plenty of extra rod/tube because ur gonna screw up some

[project_mayhem]

Anyone with decent hand skills and some basic tools can build a rig. You don't have to be an rc guru, a genius, or some kind of prodigy builder. It helps if you have built a few things in your life. The trick is to not re-invent the wheel on your first go. Try to make your first rig a duplicate of another rig. My first hand built was a slightly modified wraith, made out of aluminum rod. My suggestion is to start with a pre-made base. Example: wraith skid, links, axles, and tranny. Suspension geometry isn't hard to learn, but why complicate things. This way you only need to worry about shock mounts, battery, and electronics locations. Don't be discouraged, and break it down to steps.

[ngward79]

Originally Posted by project_mayhem

Anyone with decent hand skills and some basic tools can build a rig. You don't have to be an rc guru, a genius, or some kind of prodigy builder. It helps if you have built a few things in your life. The trick is to not re-invent the wheel on your first go. Try to make your first rig a duplicate of another rig. My first hand built was a slightly modified wraith, made out of aluminum rod. My suggestion is to start with a pre-made base. Example: wraith skid, links, axles, and tranny. Suspension geometry isn't hard to learn, but why complicate things. This way you only need to worry about shock mounts, battery, and electronics locations. Don't be discouraged, and break it down to steps.

Well put !!! You could be the first to build Tim Cameron's new buggy Game Changer.

[project_mayhem]

Originally Posted by ngward79

Well put !!! You could be the first to build Tim Cameron's new buggy Game Changer.

Sweet! These things are as much art as function.