Best picture I have ATM (this was from a few days ago when I looked at it, its too late to take a better one tonight)
The plan is to use this to teach the kids (and my wife - she said she wants to learn too!) how to work on cars since all the major components (engine, suspension, etc) that would be hidden or otherwise hard to see on a regular car are exposed on a sand rail.
Much like the Volvo wagon was this is going to be junkyard tech, with as little money as possible being spent to get it running and street legal. Once that is accomplished I may do a engine swap, probably a turbo Volvo redblock or perhaps a 2.2 ecotec.
More pics and info to follow tomorrow when I get it home.
------------------ Read my Earthship thread in Totally O/T si vis pacem, para bellum
"The said constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Samuel Adams
What part of "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" is so hard to understand?!
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 04-10-2014).]
if you decide to pull its motor get me some specs on its current motor. May be worth a trip. I have been building mine for oh 10 years now with life it just kinda got put on back burner.
There are not enough sandrails in this world. I grew up 10 min away from Pismo Beach and we had an old 1835cc VW that was a trooper. I have very fond memories with that thing.
Thanks guys! Yeah that was me, I started cleaning the Volvo up to trade and decided I couldn't do it, I loved it too much to trade it away. So late Sunday morning I am lamenting to my neighbor that I really wanted a sand rail (have wanted one since my teens) but I just couldn't trade my Volvo away and she says "You know Tom (our other neighbor) has a sand rail sitting in his back yard. You should go talk to him." So I did and the rest is history.
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 04-10-2014).]
Here's a better picture with my Monkey (my youngest) and I playing around for the camera:
The plan:
I've wanted an Ariel Atom since before they were even available in America but I know I'll likely never get one so this is going to be the next best thing, for me at least. The end-game will be a fast, well handling machine. However in the short term I just want to be able to teach my wife and kids about cars so we will be building in stages.
Stage 1: Clean it up and make all the mechanisms work properly. This includes rebuilding the brakes, making sure all cables and linkage functions correctly, a new wiring harness and, since it doesn't have them, headlights and tail lights etc etc.
Stage 2: Make it run and make it street legal. This includes rebuilding or replacing the engine plus jumping through whatever hoops the state of Arizona requires to make it legal, likely a windshield at the very least.
Stage 3: Handling. At this stage it will get 4-wheel disc brakes and all the VW handling mods I can throw at it.
Stage 4: Motor, motor, motor. Had originally wanted to swap in a turbo Volvo redblock but the more I read about ecotec swaps the more I'm leaning in that direction.
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 04-10-2014).]
And, even though the guys at Turbobricks assure me its been done before, I can't find pics or vids or threads of a Redblock powered sand rail, so here's a video of a 2.0/2.3 Ford sand rail, which is very similar to a redblock:
Here's a better picture with my Monkey (my youngest) and I playing around for the camera:
The plan:
I've wanted an Ariel Atom since before they were even available in America but I know I'll likely never get one so this is going to be the next best thing, for me at least. The end-game will be a fast, well handling machine. However in the short term I just want to be able to teach my wife and kids about cars so we will be building in stages.
Stage 1: Clean it up and make all the mechanisms work properly. This includes rebuilding the brakes, making sure all cables and linkage functions correctly, a new wiring harness and, since it doesn't have them, headlights and tail lights etc etc.
Stage 2: Make it run and make it street legal. This includes rebuilding or replacing the engine plus jumping through whatever hoops the state of Arizona requires to make it legal, likely a windshield at the very least.
Stage 3: Handling. At this stage it will get 4-wheel disc brakes and all the VW handling mods I can throw at it.
Stage 4: Motor, motor, motor. Had originally wanted to swap in a turbo Volvo redblock but the more I read about ecotec swaps the more I'm leaning in that direction.
That looks a lot better with somebody behind the wheel. I liked the video below. Too bad I'm maxed out on vehicles and not money right now or I'd be tempted to get one of those.
I'll tell you what, though. One can of that Rustoleum bed liner does not go very far. At $10 a can I will not be buying any more from Autozone. I've learned that Home Depot has it by the case (of 6) for $45, a much better deal.
It was a pretty productive day. We got most of the upper "Roll bar" area stripped and painted. I've got my $45 case of bedliner on order at Home Depot but its going to take a week and a half for them to get it so in the meantime we're going to pull the wheels and strip them and hit them with a coat of this:
Oh, and we'll be doing the brakes and shocks before the wheels go back on. Also the rear wheels will get some cheap used tires so that we can roll it around as needed.
I see you're making progress. I assume it has a VW motor in it?
Yeah, my middle son (in the picture above) is on fire for this thing. He jumps right in any time I go out there to work on it.
And yes, currently VW motor, unknown size, unknown disposition. Obviously someone had spent some time on it at one point. There were a lot of parts sitting in the thing when I got it among which were a nice chrome stinger exhaust, and both dual solex single barrel carbs and a double barrel weber, with the manifolds for either setup...
We're doing the motor last in part so that I can have some time to do some research and figure out exactly what I've got.
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 04-13-2014).]
More pics of the Rail. You can also see that I have quite a bit of rednecking to reverse.
The master cylinder is toast, the front brakes are not hooked up (doesn't look like they ever were), and yes, that's a wire rope rednecked into a clutch cable.
It's got a very nice fuel tank, though. I measured and did the math and it works out to a 10 gallon tank. Did some research and the price of a 10 gallon aluminum fuel tank is not much less than what I paid for the whole rail.
[This message has been edited by OKflyboy (edited 04-13-2014).]
So far its been mostly stripping and painting because rust bugs the S out of me but the first real mechanical work we do will be brakes. As seen I will need a new brake master cylinder for certain. Also going for new shoes, wheel cylinders and spring kits. I've read that you can put 70s Super Beetle wheel cylinders in the rear for better brake bias.
Question - Can I just run lines out from the master cylinder straight to the brakes or do I require a proportioning valve?
Also, I know its a little premature but has anyone used one of these for a turn signal/headlight/horn switch? Seems like a convenient all-in-one solution, and they're cheap:
Still here though I had to spend some time in the hospital (nothing vehicle related) so we haven't done all that much to it yet.
Still working on cleanup:
I figure no matter what else I do to it I want to make sure it rolls when I want it to and stops when I don't so brakes will be the first priority.
We will be buying the hardware to start here in the next few days. We're going to go for a full rebuild at each wheel - have the drums turned, new shoes, hardware kit, wheel cylinder, seal and pack the bearings. It'll need a new master cylinder (two chamber and I'm going to use the push-on reservoir from Chirco. Found out they're in Tucson so I went by to see them - great guys!) and will need all new lines and hoses and I'll have to add an emergency brake to satisfy the state of AZ. Whew... I've got my work cut out for me!
Due to health issues and a recent surgery progress has been very slow, really nothing has been done since my last update. Though we now have a very clear design goal - We're going to make a replica of Chenowth Fast Attack Vehicle, minus the 50 cals and gunner seat, anyway:
Spent most of last summer/fall in and out of the hospital so no further work has been done on the rail. However, I'm now recovered and back to work so things should start picking up.
Still debating what to do for the engine. Already decided I will not be using the stock VW motor. It's still undecided whether I will go with a GM ecotec (light and powerful but expensive, prob $3k after its all said and done), or a turbo Volvo Redblock (cheap and easy but heavy).
Freebie alert: I managed to get two 5-gallon jerry cans free from work, already olive green, too.
bump for the first time reading this and I like the concept
Have you considered a subaru engine? There's a part you can get to convert the AWD transmission to FWD only. I saw it on some buggy sites a while back when I looked into using it for a fiero swap.
bump for the first time reading this and I like the concept
Have you considered a subaru engine? There's a part you can get to convert the AWD transmission to FWD only. I saw it on some buggy sites a while back when I looked into using it for a fiero swap.
I'm trying to stick with what I know. I'm intimately familiar with Volvo redblocks and somewhat familiar with ecotecs, hence the leanings. I will, however, consider any swaps that I can buy adapters for that don't require me to custom fabricate anything.
I assume since it had a VW engine it also has a VW transmission, yeah? If so, you can readily get bell housing adapters for a Subaru flat four (or six!) or even a Mazda rotary. I believe KEP (Kennedy Engineered Products) has both ready to go. Although I like the rotary idea, finding a good rotary for a good price is rough... Subaru motors are everywhere! Plus, they come in everything from 100hp to 300hp, and keep the character of the original motor.
Very jealous - I've wanted a sand rail for a long time, even a Manx-esque dune buggy would be awesome. Just never had the opportunity.
ok. I may be intersted in some of those engine parts if your willing to ship some of it maybe we can make a deal. Pm me. dont wanna take away from this thread. I have been building my rail for almost 10 years. life always comes first.
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