10" tuber

[Plays_with_Toys]

Now that I've gotten some progress done I thought I'd share this creation I'm working on. Its a TLT with a parma bug body (yep, an older body brought out of retirement). Anyway, the body is short, and I'm aiming for a little truck I can shoot down the dorm halls and jump around the skate parks around here.

Plans are for the tube frame to be white. I'm going to take the blue anodizing off the shocks. The bug body is pearl biohazard orange. Wheelbase will be 10.25" or so. Chopped springs with limiting straps for some droop off of jumps. Laid down pede tranny with motor on the passenger side to combat torque roll.

I'm using mapp gas, 3/16" brake line from autozone (I have noticed no noticeable fumes coming off the two times I forgot to prep the area for sauder, however, it does boil and change colors letting me know I screwed up). Anyway, I have to say, I suck at fabrication, every form of fabrication, so either I found my niche with this stuff, or anyone can and should do this atleast once. Bending and forming everything seems to be the hardest part for me anyhow. Well, onto some pics...

the general idea:
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23195
my solution to holding 3/16" tube in a 1/4" bender:
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23198
another over all, taped up:
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23203
brazing progress, back end pretty much done:
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23244
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23245
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23246

and the must have tuber tool:
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23243

Shortly after I realized I didn't like how the front end was going together, so I've scratched that idea, and am taking a quick break writing this. I need to figure out how I want to box out the front, and the details of the cab are not yet figured out either.

[rocpede]

looking really good too. i seen a bug body 4x4 in a off-road mag last week and it looked really cool rig to build. keep up the good work to.

rich

[Plays_with_Toys]

Front end is coming together, probably won't change much from this.
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23247

I need to burn off all the goobers hanging off. I've decided how I want the trans/battery, however, I'm having a heck of a time bending the tube to form fit my stick pack...

Thanks for the compliments rocpede!

[JasonInAugusta]

Lookin' good.

If you have a MIG available, tack the tubing with the MIG, then braze the joint. Work will go much faster and be less of a headache. Maybe you could tack it all with a MIG on the weekend, then braze in the dorm.

And the thread title is hilarious! :lol:

[Plays_with_Toys]

Thanks jason! As for a welder, none near me. I don't even have a drill press :shock: I had planned to take welding classes next summer, but this project just solidifies that.

Added the floor runners and a cross member below the windshield. I chopped part of the lower crossmember off to clear the front driveshaft. I am going to add a little transmission hoop thing there and tie that into the upper cross member to get back some of the strength I lost when I cut it.

http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23258
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23260

[run2jeepn]

Cool. You don't see very many Bug Tubers.

[BaddClod]

Here's a bug-based tuber.The guy building it is using PTI mini Goliath axles.
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/BaddClod/vw1_113.jpg

[STANG KILLA SS]

lol at the VW logo in the door.......

[Double J]

Nice build. I like the way it looks.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Got the battery holder bent up, I need to figure out how I intend to keep the battery in though. ooh I just had an idea! Anyway, Here's the stance of the truck with some axles under it.

http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23270
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23271
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23272

Still to do: side braces, windshield braces, mount the battery holder, and attach link mount box below the truck. Also need the rear tranny hoop and braces, and I need to figure out how to attach my shocks, since the nuts I was going to use won't adhere to the sauder? Oh well. I have ideas for that as well. :twisted:

[Got Rocks?]

looking good plays with toys glad to see ya back around;-)

[62PYRO]

Looking good.I've wanted to do a bug also.Decided to use it as a sand dragger.Nice thing is,that body has been rereleased in case you want spares.:) :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Parma-PSE-VW-Beetle-Body-w-Wing-for-TMaxx-EMaxx-Savage_W0QQitemZ6066489224QQihZ009QQcategoryZ44028 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Keep the pics coming.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Just a little progress today. Got the lower cage all mapped out, including the battery holder. Now I need to figure out link geometry, so I will probably do shock mounts, tranny mounts and my top link mount for the axle on wednesday. Then I can do the suspension mounts on the chassis, build the links and start testing it

http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23433
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23434

[T_Boy]

lookin good there i like the overall looks of the thing, but it looks like the battery might be a lil low that direction, but thats just the way it looks to me.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Yeah, there's only about 2-2.5" of ground clearance, but again, this is no crawler, its designed more as a Monster Jam style monster truck racer. Hopefully if I can brace the axles well enough I can get some video of it at a local skate park. They just built on a year ago that has tons of ramps. :twisted:

[rbgerrish]

Hey that's super cool! I like the design, and you can tell the final bug will look awesome. It'll probably be a blast to drive! You've got some great tubing skills too. :)

ryan

[run2jeepn]

Looks like good progess so far.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Hey that's super cool! I like the design, and you can tell the final bug will look awesome. It'll probably be a blast to drive! You've got some great tubing skills too. :)

ryan


Praise from Caesar! Thank you. 8)

And thank you to everyone else supporting this little truck of mine. Wait till you see the top link mount, it should be an easy to replicate tube mount.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Update time. Took me forever to get the links mounted. So long in fact, that by the time I figure out a solid way to do it, a thunderstorm rolled in and forced me to close shop for the night. Its subsided, but there might be another wave heading in.

I was going to keep the shocks secret until the final reveal, but oh well... Remember my worries about the driveshaft angles? Yeah, still worried. I'm going to do some filing, and possibly some shock travel limiting (maybe straps? maybe internal?)

http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23659
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23661
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23660
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23662

[thaclodking]

Nice work so far! I do have to say those driveline angles look pretty scary though. How do you think they will hold up?

[run2jeepn]

Still looking good. I'll be watching this..

[fullmodtxt]

Very cool work on that tube frame, but man, those driveshafts.... I hope there is nobody in the hall when you hit the throttle the first time! Those sliders are sure to become projectiles!

[Plays_with_Toys]

Alright, after some firework/cop/why are a you a jerk type trouble with the neighbors, I finished the link mounts. And no I wasn't the one to call the cops on my neighbors :lol:

I am quite scared of the driveshafts, but I knew it'd be tricky putting a stick pack below the tranny. Maybe I should've laid it flat instead of horizontal... Probably will put a bearing carrier somewhere in front/behind the current drive shafts then add an extra set of driveshafts, and caster the axles forward a little. So much for K.I.S.S.. I still need to do the side tubing for the cabin, and the upper roll cage additions as well.The back end is too high, so I'll see if I am going to move the upper shock mounts higher or if I'll do something else. I've also decided on the final paint scheme. So it should look pretty nice when its all done.


http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23694
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23695
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=23696

[Plays_with_Toys]

It's still going. Slowly but surely. I was off this weekend, and with the 1:1 fixed I got working on this again.

http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24096
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24097
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24098
http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24099

I put the TLT shocks on, which resolved the issues I had with the truck being too tall and the crazy driveshaft angles, but, I am not so sure I like them, because they like to stick if they are even at a small angle...