My Yerf upgrade thread

[x-bird]

Likely the last time around the woods for this version. Moved the sunl project to the trailer and parked it in the "teardown" lane of the garage. Even with 1 totally blown and two partially "soft" shocks it still can take a beating.

http://youtu.be/ZkVSfMqP_8o

was actually going to run the wife's baja around, but it wouldn't hold idle. cleaned carb real quick since it's been sitting for 3-4 months and it holds idle but stalls as soon as i touch the gas. likely needs valve adj. and a more thorough carb cleaning.

[bear]

Speaking of buggy shuffles, gotta big revamp on the garage next week, while the car is in the shop getting repaired. I'm putting up new shelf to get rid of some clutter and making more room for the buggy's. I gotta get started on finishing "ole Blue", Our first big outting is at the end of March @ Haspin Acres and we want to be able to take all three buggy's along!

[x-bird]

250/IRS conversion is officially underway.

Pulled the swingarm assembly out. Scaled it out of curiosity, that sucker weighs 240 pounds! (engine, axle assy., tires swingarm) --nearly all of it unsprung.

new arms with brake calipers, sprockets hubs and axles weigh in at 40 pounds each. add in 25 per tire and another 15-20 for shifter/linkages, and jackshaft rig and another 100 for the engine and bracing and it works out to be an even wash with only 90 of it unsprung.

a quick floor mockup of the engine and swingarms looks to fit, tight but it should work. swingarms are 1.5 inches shorter than what i was running but i may have to push the mounts back off the frame for jackshaft sprocket clearance. overall track width is going to come down to rim offset. hubs are 137mm bolt centers, i think i already have a pair of matching rims. ))

here i go again ....

[x-bird]

Put a couple hours into it today. Basic strip and chop session.


original full quad frame rough mockup showed a couple ways to hook into the chassis and keep the engine mounts. I soon realized there'd be no good way to pull the engine out easily.


Keeping engine access in mind i think the best way to go is to weld in a cross bar for the top front mount tabs and add a second cross bar pretty high up with a bolt-in "H" mounting bracket for the rear top engine mounts.

At the bottom, i think running a pair of my lovely 2x2 1/4 wall tubes straight back under the original quad frame is my best bet. heavy, but strong enough not to need a fully tied in frame around it all. I'll keep the quad's bottom frame and maybe bolt it to those tubes for ease of removal and possible chain tension adj. (that's a whole nother can o worms) The rear quad frame pieces would get cut out with that setup.

Mounting the engine--once that's all sorted is fairly easy, as are the swingarms. I've already cut otu my bars that triangulated the rear of the roll cage--thsoe will go back in once the trailing arm mounts are in.

I've set those at 25-inch tire height with about 1.5 to 2 inches of expected loaded sag change.

Biggest challenge is the jackshaft. the coupler i found would force the trailing arms to far outwards to get the clearance needed to run a chain forward to the pivot jackshaft. I'm thinking a very short run to a jackshaft mounted directly below the original drive sprocket with a dual sprocket like a crossfire. even that deal gets very close to the trailing arm sprocket.

shifter mech is going to be a solid shaft with rod ends off the old kick shifter (shortened and boxed) going to a lower 3/4 pivoting tall shifter handle.


and what to do with this hunk??? Labor of love that it was, thinking maybe just hook it to the sunl and that's half that buggy done. may have to jump onto that one to stir up some funding for this one.

[bear]

Thats alot of though in one day! looks like the commitment is on!!!

[x-bird]

the magic "levitating 250"

Until i get the driveline runs figured out, i went to work on setting the upper engine mounts. Used all quad frame parts so far, including the footpeg cross bar. I've made it so I can unbolt and remove the rear top frame mount. That gives enough room to remove the carb, unbolt the rest of the top, front and bottom mounts and slide the engine back then tip it forward to finish pulling it straight out from the rear. Fuel tank, exhaust and carb have good clearance, muffler is going to need to run across the back otherwise it'll be hanging way out there.

My latest idea for the extension shaft went down in flames as the inner clutch hub i found with the same dia. and splines and was going to use the center from is aluminum. I'm still at the choice of welding or bolting sprockets together then to a shaft for an extension or just doing the intermediate jackshaft.

The second choice keeps coming back to me as the easiest, with nothing really "special" needed and all replacement parts available off-the-shelf. Yes, it'll suck up some power, but i figure if i gear this 11 Drive to maybe a 14 on the intermediate, then 1-1 the inter to pivoting and to the final 32 T sprocket with the 5-speed trans, i'll have plenty of bottom end for 25 inch tires.

Next challenge is making sure all the base frames can be set with proper chain clearance. Set the engine a little higher than i'd like, just to give enough room, and offset it a little extra to the right for the same reason.

[SYCARMS]

Oh but wait, it appears Murphy has been away so you better hurry.or else: banghead:

[x-bird]

murphy is in charge of my levels and straight edges ... that said, he screwed up and after fixing his little engine leveling mistake and hammering, cutting and rewelding the hangars, his fix fubared the carb clearance. a little notching will fix that.

See, i now just delegate the blame. i've learned from the best in management .. "that would be great"

[SYCARMS]

Not only from the best in management but also politicians for I believe it was they who taught management the current art of blame delegating.

[bear]

a.k.a. "not me, him!"

[SYCARMS]

It's all Bushes fault

[x-bird]

took the day off ...
finished bridging the top engine mount and welded all of the uppers in place. the rear uppers will need something better to bolt into. (some 1/8th in. tabs welded to the tubes) Added a brace across the bottom of the rear mount and chopped the top one out for carb clearance .. MURPHY

started in on the bottom, ground about 1/4 of the old junk out of the way and burned up two flapper discs.

the bottom frame is going to be suzuki meets polaris with a bit of yerf tossed into the mix.

Trailing arm mounts and jackshaft are going to sit above the rear frame tube.

Decided to go with a jackshaft mounted behind the engine on 3x3 angle iron attached to the back of the quad frame. It's going to use 3 bearings to help avoid torquing forward under load. It makes the chain run to the front longer, but to drop straight down would have required grinding off the mounting flange and bolt boss for the sprocket cover. i want to keep that to help support the shifter shaft.

[x-bird]

getting closer little by little. been very picky about making sure the engine is level in both planes and squared to the frame. Despite the fact that there isn't a symmetrical tubing run anywhere, its getting into the sub-1/16th tolerance zone.

Tied together and welded up the lower frame. Also had to extend the top mount by about 3/4 to lower the engine. Last pieces of the frame puzzle will be and extension of the center pillar that will have a "Y" run into the rear frame hoop and a forward bar off the same into the center floor behind the seat--that one comes after the jackshaft is set. So far total weight of the lower engine frame is 6.5 pounds. had I used 2x2 box or 3x3 angle i'd be in the 30+ pound range. The jackshaft and frame for that are going to jump it up another 10-15.

[bear]

Super nice weight save!

[SYCARMS]

Looks good , and strong too.

[Masteryota]

I like the way you think, and making me ponder about using portions of the ATC frame for mine.

[x-bird]

It's nice not having to mess around creating the direct-bolt mounts. Not much fun landing an oddball structure in place on the chassis though.

been messing with ratio calculators since when i try and do the mental gymnastics i end up flip-flopped half the time.

Using the original quad sprockets (not referencing the transmission ratios --as i have no clue what i've got in this thing) it came with a 3.45 driving 22-in. tires.

if i stay in a direct 1 to 1 run until i reach the pivoting jackshaft, i can go with a 14T input on it and 11s driving the 32 T sprockets at the wheels. That setup will give me 3.70 in relation to the quad's original tire size of 22. if i go up to 25s, i end up with 4.20
if i bump up to a 16T, i end up with 4.81. While i'm not concerned with roosting 'em, i will need this thing to be able to put the bottom end 1st - 2nd gear tire spin on some of the bigger rocks etc. without killing the clutch.

[Masteryota]

I would say go with the lower ratio, as long as the RPM is high enough to keep the clutch shoes engaged, I think it would be OK. That's the beauty of having a gearbox tranny, you always got more gears.

I was pondering the very same thing, except obviously mine will be simpler, to an extent, and I think I want to drop my final drive ratio to around 4.5:1, thats down from the stock 3.9:1 with 20" tires. I'm not not certain which tires I will have out back, but I would like the option to go to 22" or 25" if I wanted to, and if I were to get some real digger tires, I might still drop it a bit lower, say maybe 4.8:1, but thats the advantage of running a jackshaft, relatively easy to change gear ratios, not to mention cheaper.

[x-bird]

Progress ... Rigged up some old bearings to align the a-arm mounts and locate the jackshaft bearings. With that in place, i've managed to get the right side a-arm mount fully installed and am finishing the left side today. starting to look like something ....what but something ...

Inspected the old 3203 axle, found a little bend in it . ...can you say trees?, but not enough to cause any real issues. So it got chopped and will be used for the two jackshafts.

[bear]

Wow, looks like you almost have a pulse!!! lol

[SYCARMS]

I alway's liked the dual chain drive. By the way what are you doing with my cordless drill, I wondered what happened to mine.

[x-bird]

You can have my hitachis when you pry them from my cold lifeless hands! )))

I've had the drill/recip/light HXP combo since 2007, those poor pieces have probably close to or over 1,000 hours of actual run time on them. Hitachi rebuilt the recip over the winter and gave me two new batteries at no charge whatsoever. When we were doing the new construction at work, i couldn't keep either the drill or the recip out of everyone's hands. the run time on the batteries beats anything i've ever owned or tried, and the torque out of the drill is enough to snap your wrist if it snags something ...

[SYCARMS]

I'm down to one battery and it's starting to get weak. I've had mine since 2004 and it has been the best cordless drill I've had. Too bad the new ones won't give that type of service.

[x-bird]

The HXP series has a lifetime warranty on them. I got mine in trade, no receipts etc. I took it to fastenal and they sent it up to NY for repairs. You may be able to bring in your batteries for warranty exchange. always worth a try.

[SYCARMS]

I'll have to try that thanks

[x-bird]

Finished up the arm mounts last week. A bit difficult with the flexibility of the copper tube. There's a little bit of play in the bolt holes already, I figure I can take it up and fix any little bit of misalignment i may have by either opening up and migging the holes as needed--I'm also thinking about bushing the holes and i can dial it in when enlarging the holes to accept them. Have to see if i can find something sized correctly first.

I did an aluminum scrap run that got me enough to order the bearings and sprockets, so hopefully those are on their way already (surplus center).

Meantime I hit the airplane for some parts for my shifters. Chopped out the control stick which has some nice bushed through tubes and pivot shafts. Going to cut the sprockets on it flat to weld up for the shifter base, then cut the main tube and flip it to put the top pivot in the lower portion of the handle for the linkage back to the tranmission. I may have to put a bellcrank on the rear frame to keep the linkage tube down low--also a way to reverse the direction of the shifts through the gears. Looks like the choke and fast idle handles from the plane are going to be the choke and fast idle set for the buggy. For reverse i may use one of the other control stick chunks or the plane's throttle handle/bracket setup, which has a small, cammed secondary lever for locking it in position.

[x-bird]

jackshaft base is "in" but not quite done. Going to have to put some anti-torque support underneath once i have the chains and everything else in. Trying to keep the oil filter cover accessible with the engine in place.

[SYCARMS]

Lookin good, I always liked the dual chain independent suspension drive.

[x-bird]

Went ahead with the rest of the cradle structure once i figured out that it won't interfere with anything. My supply of tubing is down to small scrap, so the main runs underneath had to be pieced together. primary purpose is to prevent the engine and jackshaft from torquing the original cradle, which was a little on the rusty/weak side.

Managed to save the original headpipe. Overall it looks really crusty/rusty, most of it was external pitting except in one pipe where water sat just past the flange and pinholed it. Built it up from the inside first with the mig, then hit the outside. Used my die grinder followed by stones and sanding rolls to finish the interior. Left most of the exterior welds alone unless they interfered with the flange. The Y collector also had water sitting in it, so i ground off the seam flange, rebuilt the shoulder then used a small sheared strip of metal to finish the seam off. Haven't worked on rusty metal this thin since i fixed all the pinholes in my firebird's trunk.

I have a stock 250 muffler from a cn or cf engined buggy heading my way. Once i get that I can get the carb dialed in better. At some point I'll get a gasket and clutch pack set and tear it down to give it a go-over -- I can still get pistons and rings if need be.

Also have the shifter pretty well figured out. I could run a straight piece of EMT tube from the handle to the foot shifter, but it will likely be in the way of the chains. I came up with a pair of cable brake pull hangers off the trailboss that i'll run a pivot tube through and use those to offset the shift rod run. Also keeps the handle inside from interfering with my seat slider handle--but i may get rid of the sliders and lock the seat in place since it rocks a little on one side. it'll also drop me down about 3/4 of an inch ....

still waiting on sprockets and bearings ...

[SYCARMS]

Look's like your almost there, you could just about smell the dirt.

[x-bird]

the "goods" arrived today ... working nights only now so i'm hitting it kind of hard before i start doing double shifts. first order of biz was to turn a 50 series sprocket down to a 520. just wrapped that up and laid out the shafts and bearings. goofed on my cradle, the end of the support tubes are right where the rear bearing mount bolts need to go so i'll have to burn the end of the left side tube off inside the corner with the torch tomorrow. that should be some fun slag splash. the other side i can just shift over.

BTW Tom, do you have any brake masters with built in reservoirs that only feed a single circuit? I've got a complete spiderbox setup, (still assembled with lines to the caliper/reservoir and already bled--i should sell it for a million LOL) but I don't think that little master will be enough for the two rear calipers. Anyone ever try it???

[x-bird]

pics

Made a 1 " collar for my old Belsaw mower blade sharpener then used a variety of stones (and files and hacksaw blades etc.) hand-held against the sprocket as it spun at high rpm ... whee Took about 2 hours of work, but finally got it down to fit 520 chain. for the final inside radius that i couldn't get a grinding stone into I fired up the angle grinder with a cut off wheel, hit the switch and lightly ran it into the sprocket in the opposing direction of rotate ... "don't try this at home" Didn't blue out the sprocket at all, gave it a lot of breaks to cool down, hopefully didn't loose much of the hardening in the teeth.

[ckau]

[QUOTE=x-bird; but I don't think that little master will be enough for the two rear calipers. Anyone ever try it???[/QUOTE]

I'm going to try it. got them installed and ready to go but I got the same concerns as you. Travis @ BD assured me that master works fine for the front brake conversion kit he offers so I figure why not I anticipate if they don't work out... Plan B - Wilwood offers masters with the same basic diminsions, mounting configurations and a larger bore so a swap won't be too bad. I thought I'd give these a try first since I got a box full of them.

[x-bird]

Think i'll give it a try with the yerf master C, thanks for the info. It's going to be a tight fit, but i'll probably put the master behind or beside the brake pedal for a straight solid push on the rod. Trying to simplify/de-linkage as many things as possible. There's a "T" type block on the Sunl master that i may scavange to feed both circuits, but i'm also liking that setup you have--i take it the handle is a parking brake? Curious as to where you got that, would be nice to dump any thoughts of using the cable brake setup on the calipers.

Got my front jackshaft mounts in, need to clean up the welds on the one close to the upright. Haven't made up my mind between plate or tube gussets for upper support.

Did some shade-tree keyways. angle grinder and dremel ... Of course i had the sprocket and bearing directions all figured out before i took it apart to make the keyways and didn't take any notes Just hung in place right without final alignment tweaking.

[ckau]

Placing the master up front is really the best fail safe way but I just didn't have the room.
That hancle, red top lever is a Wilwood bios adjuster on the front brakes. It allows brake adjustments on the fly. There's times when rear brakes only helps my manuvering.
I haven't tested this idea yet either.

[x-bird]

Buy stock in a chain production company ...

Nothing's set totally onthe money, jsut hung so i could get some chain runs made and flip the bearings and sprockets to where they need to be.

Next step is to take it all apart yet again, lock front jackshaft in dead center, adjust the a-arm mount holes if needed (i think the left outside hole need moved) then brign the engine/cradle back in for final positioning and welding so i can get done with this fun.

[x-bird]

going high tech ... spent a couple hours this am setting alignments ... wish i had thought about breaking out the self leveling laser level before today ... after a couple "moves" of the mount holes, i'll be inside of 1/16th on the shaft to a-arm axle positions. also using the laser to indicate the sprocket alignments works really well for that. jsut have to make sure the buggy itself is level.

[bear]

That is alot of seriuos fabbin!!! cant wait to see the end results!

[x-bird]

little update ...
got everything aligned and welded the rear frame in.
finished the bolt-in upper engine frame last week and drilled out the bolt holes and welded the nuts to the backside plates today. engine/platform is rock solid feeling.



got the shift linkage finished, managed to simplify it to a single rod (conduit) run with steering arm rod ends. piper's control stick got chopped and rewelded to make a mid-shifter linkage pivot point (had nice bronze bearings in it). beefed up the foot shifter while i was at it.

finished the reverse shifter today, do washing machine parts qualify as having everything including the kitchen sink?? Handle setup is the throttle control from the plane, has a cammed lock lever which works pretty nice. grabbed a $6.00 generic mower throttle cable and it's good to go.

mounted the thumb throttle behind the seat, drilled it out and ran a small bolt through it to a clevis below it. the clevis has one end of the old yerf brake cable in it to pivot through the arc and the other attaches to the old spring loaded yerf throttle rod. still have to weld in the mounts for the cable.

also scarfed a T fitting off the sunl brakes for the yerf master, but no room behind the pedal. i'm going to run a short rod to the bellcrank with the master mounted on an angle up off the floor about 6 inches ahead of the pedals in the center of the floor. don't really like it, but can't come up with any other options with the parts i have.

[x-bird]

Dem's da brakes ....

[T3beatz]

Lookin good... So much welding to do!

[SYCARMS]

I would just add a gussett on the back side.

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by SYCARMS

I would just add a gussett on the back side.

Considering it for what I'd call the front side because of the direction of pull. the pedal it's made from is 3/16ths or 1/4 and it may not really need it. i've been trying to cut as much metal off this beast as possible.

[ckau]

You got me worried.. I'm beginning to wonder if the position , vertical or horizontal makes any difference in how well the master works. Your's is vertical as in the original position, mine are horizontal. At this point I'm keeping my fingers crossed there's no effect on performance ! If so? I'll be back to the drawing board with alot of wasted work. I do know that in the vertical position, removing the plunger then filling the system through the master makes the bleeding process so much easier. Those particular masters are notorious for trapping air.
Boxing in the master would probably be a good idea. looks like a good candidate for getting some leg meat. Road signs are a good source of sheet material for such things. By no means would I ever advocate riding around in the middle of the night with a battery powered saws-all. Very illegal! I'm just sayin....

[x-bird]

I don't think it matters that much as long as the reservoir is above it. I'm more worried because i have it upside down from original mounting--i'd almost rather be horizontal. either way the plunger is going to draw from the reservoir feed and the system is sealed. bleeding it is the real issue and i'll be removing it and doing it with the mity vac.

No need to raid the roadways, i have lots of sheetmetal in the form of a half dozen old drop-in florescent light fixtures from the build up at work. you'd be surprised at what ballasts are bringing these days at the scrapyard, so they went on the pile in the backyard. I also have some nice new clean sheet, but i'm saving that for the MGA since I raided it's supply during the original build.

[x-bird]

Hard to believe it's been a month! Been crazy busy at work, so i've picked along at it here and there. Overcame a major "obstacle" in getting my rear shock mounts fabbed and the installation started.

Upper supports went in about a week ago. Cut the side off a pair of the old trailboss lower a-arms to use as platform frames and then used a piece of the control stick tubing to brace up to the rear corner of the cage.

Couldn't find any flat stock in my scrap, so for a whopping $2.71 i got a piece of 3/16x3"x7' from fastenal for the mount tab "roof" then use some angle stock (old bed frame) --knew i'd end up with a piece of that stuff in this thing to make 3-hole mounts.

took a lot of grinder "finessing" to get it set dead inline and level, once again the laser level is paying off big-time! The left side is just about ready to tack in as well.
With that done i'll have a roller.

after that i sill have to cut a keyway in the rear jackshaft, position the sprockets and bleed the brakes ...

on that subject, i found debris from the banjo bolt washer seals in the master plugging the feed hole, flushing the entire system and replacing all of that type of seal with copper. hopefully i can get through that task much faster as i got 80 percent of the way done with it and probably messed with it for 8-10 hours over 3 weeks ...

BTW, scored a pair of Fox podiums from a predator 500 of CL, really nice shape. 18", but stroke at 5" is a little short for what i wanted. They'll probably get put on the wifes baja when i have the funds.

[x-bird]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHVgHQ_iyRg

TEST RUN .. couple minutes of clips from a 25 minute session yesterday.

no brakes, so i went pretty mellow and got used to shifting.

leaky crank seal is the cause of the smoke--made a bit of a mess back there

rear jackshaft bearings come loose too easily--going to take some 3/4x1/2 "stock (golf cart steering arms) and make threaded holes in them to run a bolt through and into the front of the bearing housings to locate and lock them in place.

throttle needs some work, could only get it to 3/4 before it hit spring bind on the rod. need a longer spring. if i ran it out, it wouldn't return and with no brakes that wouldn't be a good thing.

[Masteryota]

Very nice, I can't wait till I get mine running. I know you said you went easy on it, but how you say the gearing is, will it be a low end beast or a top end screamer?

[x-bird]

looks like right now it's pretty close to stock quad performance. (from what i can remember of this model from nearly 30 years ago when a friend of mine bought one new) rear tire size is same as the quad right now while the weight is probably 200+ pounds more. I have no idea of the condition of the clutch pack or how the stock ratio is spread internally. I'd prefer mostly low end even if i have to row it through the gears quickly. first pulls away ok, second gear seemed to really have it dialed in nice in the 20 to 30 mph range--a lot like my 150's mid-top range pull. 3-4-5 seemed bogged down, but i also really didn't have any room to run them and by the time I went higher up in 2 then went to 3 with enough rpm i had to back off completely because of the lack of brakes.

a buggier on another forum built one with the same engine and says about 40-45 top speed--slightly different gearing though. I think it could get up to about 50 with taller tires and a lot of room to run in--wont' get there fast, but that's really not what i'm after. Once i put a longer spring on the throttle rod to get full range I'll know if i want to change up the gear ratio.

[x-bird]

another day off and another full on buggy session in hte garage.

one item on the hit list since last year has been the upper a-arm mounts. don't know what i was thinking going with horizontal heim position and hi misalignment setup to get the necessary travel. that deal led to a reduction in bolt size to 5/16ths and regularly bent bolts and crushed spacers. Like the hardware? didn't want to run to ace for the permanent pieces. LOL

made new vertical mounts for the top of the spindle pin with basic plate stock.

decided to reset the shocks to the soft travel/high clearance setting and blew the hose end off my shock pump while checking/resetting the pressure on the second one. fortunately i was able to hold it in place without leakage to get it refilled (300+ psi). I think i need stiffer springs up front.

made and installed my drive jackshaft bolt adjusters/stops.

lost one of them in the garage for about 2 hours -- talk about aggravating. did the finish welds on the shock uppers.

managed to get a somewhat decent fill on the brakes over the weekend, so tossed them back in

Made a quick cover out of dum-dum and a can lid to contain some of the oil from the bad crank seal (pic is after the run) it's also leaking from the oil filter cover.

So right around dinnertime (yes, the other one wasn't too happy with me today!) I got in about 15 minutes of run time. Mainly shot the vid to see how the suspension is reacting and if the body roll is correlating to what i'm feeling in the seat.

I really just don't have the room to get this thing up to speed in 3rd or beyond. no matter where i'm at when i top second and grab third, i've got to back off for something. Can't really tell, but i'm pretty sure the clutch plates are shot--didn't want to pull up a little incline from a dead stop--revved but no roll. Might also be that the oil level was getting low inside. bald rear tires--if it was wet out, this thing would be a hoot!


3:20 video of some drive-bys ....

http://youtu.be/b25KJW_qK2c

[Masteryota]

Are you using motorcycle oil? Normal engine oil has crazy friction modifiers in it and will play hell on wet clutches.

[x-bird]

i was thinking about that, i think i dumped some basic rotella in it back when i first dragged it into the garage. either way it's getting a new set, next paycheck is going to have a set aside for engine work.

[x-bird]

It's getting there ...too slowly ...first race (about a 10-mile 2-lapper on a short version of the course in reverse called the "3.5 miler" LOL) is June 8!!!! :shock:

The 250 has officially gone from junkyard dog to an 3-figure investment since i went on a parts ordering spree yesterday to get everything in time for the race.

* Full clutch/plate/spring set & tool
* new plug, & coil (been running a gy6 orange coil)
*full gasket set along with a spare crank seal just in case it's not included
* oil filters
still need a regulator/rectifier and tires.

electrical routing and mounting may get put off as will further work on the brakes most likely.

also ordered a 19 and 21 T sprocket, i need more bottom end pull.

Have to sort out a sprocket misalignment on the right chain drive, jackshaft sprocket keeps walking out on that one.

changed the oil out and it seems a little better. i also may lean out the midrange to see it will help the boggishness by moving the needle back down a slot (i bumped it up one to richen it up) so far plug has shown good color, no signs of detonation.

Mounted the go pro on the nose for a short session before i pull the engine.

http://youtu.be/-cI9fE0Vu1M

[SYCARMS]

lookin good

[Masteryota]

Talk about crunch time, I am aiming for July 1st and sweatin bullets that it won't get done in time. The gearing was one of my major concerns for using a auto clutch like ours, and I now know mine will do ok with the ratio I was planning to use.

[x-bird]

started in on teardown and minor tweaking.

first thing i did was pull all the wiring out of the looms and organized the runs to have something decent since a quad's layout is just a tad different.

Also found the needle-in-the-haystack correct regulator on e-bay (i let the smoke out of a gy6 one i was trying to use when i was first attempting to fire it up--no spare cans of Lucas smoke around either ... ;~) Wiring ate up most of the day.

Put a cut in the exhaust to straighten out the run and move the muffler away from the air filter. Need to weld that up tomorrow so i can add a real muffler hangar then pull the engine since that's the last bit of fab work needed in the engine area.

Also have to slot the rear jackshaft holes.

Any power transmission/gear ratio gurus here?

I keep getting the nagging idea that a double jackshaft/sprocket run negates any effect of the intermediate sprockets in terms of final ratio. I'm going 11T engine back to an 11T with a 16T on the other end of that jackshaft that then goes to an 11T jackshaft which finally feeds to the 32T drive sprocket. I keep thinking that no matter what's on the jackshaft behind the engine, its going to always work out to 11-32.

any thoughts????

[Masteryota]

The 11 to 11 effectively cancels out the 11T driven(1:1), so we can assume it goes 11T(engine) to 16T to 11T to 32T(Final Drive), which works out to 4.23:1. Since the #1 J/S spins at the same speed the output shaft of the engine turns, it has no effect on the ratio.

[SYCARMS]

From x-bird'd description I thought what? but after looking at pics of his setup you will figure the ratio as such. 11 into 16 = 1.46 rounded, then 11 into 32 = 2.91 rounded. Now add the two together it comes out to a 4:37 ratio. The tricky part is figuring in the tire size which I have no clue.

TOM

[Masteryota]

Yeah, I didn't take tires into the equation either.

Here is a site I found to help with the gearing math for jackshafts, seems pretty accurate so far.

fasttrackraceway.com/calc/

[x-bird]

I've been using the burris jackshaft ratio calculator, but it only takes into account a single jackshaft. Tires are presently 22s, going to 23s--which doesn't help. Trying to get as much clearance under the final sprockets as possible.

Coming my way this week are a 16 and a 21 T sprocket. Mulling over either keeping the 11T on the first jackshaft with either the 19 or 21T on the other side of it or turning one of them down to 520 width and replacing the 11T with it. I still get the feeling that the engine/clutch/trans is "seeing/feeling" the final chain's 11-32 run as the stress load it operates against during initial engagement.

To run anything larger on the second jackshaft, i'd have to cut off the trailing arm and bearing mounts and start all over to get the needed clearance.

As you can see in the vid, it doesn't want to pull up even a small incline from a standstill-- which is a huge issue for me. That could be down to clutch condition though. weight-wise, the buggy isn't that far off from the original quad.

[Masteryota]

IMHO, I would start with the clutch first, and use a good bike engine oil. Having seen guys put Mobile 1 synthetic in their bikes and then have to replace the clutches. Once those friction modifiers in engine oil soak into the plates, they are done. I made the mistake of switching to synthetic bike oil at 30k miles on my kawasaki cruiser, and almost immediately the clutch was slipping going into 2nd gear. Make sure to check the centrifugal clutch while you have it apart, not sure on your engine, but mine seems to be in ok shape, and measured the plates this morning to the manual clutch, and they too are in good condition, but I did spring(pun intended) for heavier springs to help hold under the weight.

Whether you replace the shoes and plates is up to you, but I would soak them in good bike oil overnight either way.

[x-bird]

ive got new shoes, plates and springs (also heavier rate) on the way, nothing really out there for the centrifugal clutch except used ones for too much that look shot already. i'm just hoping that the inside of the outer shell on that isn't too grooved out. got some non-syn 10w40 bike oil--put it in before that last ride and it seemed to help a little. got the bench cleared of 10,000 nuts and bolts and a couple pounds of grinding dust, coated with tyvek and ready to drop the chunk on it over the weekend.

[Masteryota]

I took a second look at the cent clutch on my honda this afternoon, and measured the plates, steels, and I.D. of the drum, and all were either the new part spec, or very close, so a good soaking and will be reassembling very soon while the cylinder is at the machine shop.

It sure is a relief to not need to sink more $$ into this engine, but I'm still way under what used quad engines are going for in my area, although some rebel engines popped up recently....

Like I said, I would try the clutch first before doing mods to the drivetrain, I have a feeling you won't need to. I am currently contemplating adding a trx200 stator and regulator, but can't find any info on whether it would fit.

[x-bird]

i figure i can't lose changing the sprockets no matter what rebuilding the clutch pack does. a little more chain and some cheap sprockets that shipped out today. I can't run much beyond 2nd gear here at the house and i have nowhere local to ride. I need low gear to be able to crawl up some pretty steep, rutted and rocky sections so even if i go way up into the 5s with the ratio, i don't think it'll see 5th gear unless i decide to take it for a road ride ...

[x-bird]

tires arrived from rocky mtn and instead of 23x10x10 bear claws i get 25 x 10 x 12 executioners ... they made it right and are doing an asap ship out and sent me a return label. good deal, crap happens..

engine is out, cover is off, cent. clutch not too bad, a bit groovy. outer pressure plate screws were loose, tension setting off. this engine is damn clean inside. jsut waiting on the rest of the clutch parts.

any recommendations for what to soak the cent. clutch shoes in too clean them of the regular oil?

found a boo-boo where i didn't finish a weld run on the exhaust just after the collector---huge leak slit where i joined on a turn. fixed that and added my muffler hangar so i can paint the frame.

[Masteryota]

I would start with some good brake cleaner, the cheap stuff leaves a film on the surface, or leaves water behind, which makes me think its just pressurized water. I have heard of using heated mineral spirits to expand the pores of the material and draw the oil out, but that sounds dangerous. Old schoolers have suggested cornstarch or raw rice to draw out moisture, but not sure how effective it would be with oil. Be sure to break the glaze on the shoes and drum when you put it back together, and after a good heat cycle, change the oil.

[x-bird]

that's what i went with ... having had the stuff backsplash into my eyes enough times, i can tell you it isn't just water, pretty sure it's a chlorine base of some sort. at least it evaporates quickly.
I left the shoes--which look to have some life left to them, in the hub on an angle and soaked them good, left the bottom one in the puddle for 5-10 minutes then drained, rotated and repeated. was getting clear cleaner in the hub puddle by the time i finished. i figure i'll let them dry for a day or two, scuff them then soak them in the proper oil. clutch discs were pretty close to being worn out of spec on the pad height. used the brake cleaner to wash the oil out of all the bearings and the case on the clutch side, i may repeat on the other. and definitely on the pump screen.

[Masteryota]

It's hard to discern which clutch was really slipping without being there, but I am thinking it was likely the main(plate) clutch, as it has multiple areas to fail, and the cent clutch seems pretty tough, I would think you could see some heat spots in the drum if it was slipping that much. Plus, you said the spring bolts were loose?? Thats not normal, but it all points to the main clutch from this angle.

On the subject of brake cleaner, toyota makes THE best stuff I have ever used, no film, no residue, quick evaporation, but it runs about $7/can, good thing I get it for free, lol. Ours contains toulene(hydrochloric acid) and some additives, but not chlorinated, we got a batch of chlorinated stuff, and it was aweful, and guys were getting all loopy off the fumes.

[x-bird]

not the spring bolts, but the 3 screws that hold the outer ball guide plate.

[Miamieddie]

You guys know ur stuff very impressing.... just thought id throw that in. I also read on the other website you'll be going to a race in a few days hope you have a gopro. So we can ride cockpit with you..... anyways as you were.

[x-bird]

latest round after a clutch rebuild. going back to stock steels cured the clutch apply plate issue. Missed the race --lack of brakes. Have that issue sort of sorted out. Still need to work on the gearing. the bearclaws i put on the rear measure 24" tall, just too much for the weight, gearing and clutch pack to handle in terms of going up anything steep or over rocks from a stop.

http://youtu.be/kbgzd39W3YM

[x-bird]

finally the light at the end of the tunnel. had my drive/driven sprockets backwards from the rear to front jackshaft--primarily because i was working within space limitations and not thinking all the way through how the sprockets work with each other. So after a consult with my buddy the engineer and advice from a couple other buggiers, i got my head and sprockets on forwards. LOL

originally what i'd setup was a 4.2 final ratio combined with a problematic clutch issue = poor low end performance. then i fixed the clutch, revised the gearing and ended up with a 2.18 final ratio --- can you say Doh!

After a sawzall, grind and weld session (yay lots of dirty chain fun) today i tested an 8.07 ratio. 5th gear was all in by about 25-30 mph and 3700+- rpm. 1st gear goes about 3 to 5 feet ))))))))))

I can easily get the ratio to a 6.07, which is my next test target. besides that it's time for some plug inspection/possible rejet work, maybe some exhaust tweaking, a heat shield for the seat and final wiring to hopefully get a working regulator to provide some accessory and charging juice. I may revert to the 8.07 ratio for the final race in september.

[Masteryota]

No more slip? What will the sprocket numbers be with the 6:1?

[x-bird]

So far all seems well with the clutch. I may spring for a new centrifugal setup if the price is under 100 for the bell and shoe assembly. I really need to see how well it works with an all-around ratio that i'm happy with. with what i did today it was right there on each shift, positive engagement with no slippage. i put it to a stop at my rock-ringed landscaped mound in the front yard and had no problem pushing the front wheels up and over a pretty much vertical chunk of limestone more than a foot tall. likewise i pulled up to a cinderblock with a rear tire, put it right on it, then just crawled the tire right over.


sprocket sets:
----------Now----------First try----Second try
engine -- 11/16 --------11/11------11/16
inter-----11/21 --------16/11 -----21/11
hub -----11/32 --------11/32------11/32
final ratio 8.07 ---------1.99 -------2.2

Next is going to be a swap of the inter driver to a 16T. It will give me 5.5
For that, all i have to do is make a new chain run, 10 minute change.

If i want to go up yet again, i can add 10Ts to the end of the front jackshaft and should only need to adjust the hub tension--maybe remove 1 link. that one is about 1/2 hour change and gives the 6.07

beyond that i'm back to completely removing the front jackshaft and putting the 19T as the driven on it. about a 2-3 hour job to get the shaft out and back in with the alignment spot on.



as you can see even my numbers just earlier today were off. i have a bit of an issue with numeric dyslexia.

[Masteryota]

Originally Posted by x-bird

So far all seems well with the clutch. I may spring for a new centrifugal setup if the price is under 100 for the bell and shoe assembly. I really need to see how well it works with an all-around ratio that i'm happy with. with what i did today it was right there on each shift, positive engagement with no slippage. i put it to a stop at my rock-ringed landscaped mound in the front yard and had no problem pushing the front wheels up and over a pretty much vertical chunk of limestone more than a foot tall. likewise i pulled up to a cinderblock with a rear tire, put it right on it, then just crawled the tire right over.

Thats good to hear, I was pricing out the cent parts for this honda and almost spit out good beer, $140 for just the drum, and no aftermarket suppliers, plus another $45 for aftermarket shoes. I am going to pull the drum off this afternoon and see if I can't weld up the grooves and smooth it back out on my drill press.

How about changing the engine sprocket to raise the gear ratios? One or two teeth there will make a significant difference, and it would seem easier to change out than a jackshaft gear, in my mind, that is.

[x-bird]

No engine sprockets lower than 11 are available that i can find---one of my first and longest searches. This one has an odd 6-spline 20mm shaft. In actuality, the rear jackshaft outer is the easiest swap--2 set screws.

The intermediate chain run interferes with the pull start case. I may "change that" by using the case as a mount for an adjustable or spring loaded roller tensioner and eliminate the need for different length chains with different sprockets. That would let me toss the pull start back on.

I'd be more than a bit leery of welding the clutch drum--pretty sure they're tempered and you'd have to get it on a lathe or end mill to get it concentric again. I put pieces self-stick sanding discs on my smoothest flat-profile rounded body dolly (the curve was really close to matching the drum radius) and used that to deglaze and knock down the highest portion of the grooves. If you're gasket shopping i'd get a couple for the clutch side of the case. I need to order a new one already. (going to get two)

As far as bearings, seals and other like items, see if you have "Browns Transmissions" near you. it's a chain, don't know if it's regional or national. I'm getting smaller sprockets at $6.00 ea and a 10-ft run of 50 chain cost $21.00--5 minutes from me--they stock Timken, National etc. They also had a metric seal for the crank--much better than the one i found at NAPA, but it still has a bit of a leak.--got to look at the outer portion of the bore hole.

[Masteryota]

Thats good to hear, I was pricing out the cent parts for this honda and almost spit out good beer, $140 for just the drum, and no aftermarket suppliers, plus another $45 for aftermarket shoes. I am going to pull the drum off this afternoon and see if I can't weld up the grooves and smooth it back out on my drill press.

I pulled it out this morning and inspected the grooves, not as worn as I had thought, but I will break the glaze for sure. The new concern is the weights being right at throw away spec, I hope dropping the gear ratio will bypass that.

No go on the browns transmission around here, tractor supply has sprockets and chain, but at $20 for a 12 tooth, I will pass.

I figured if you had already dropped to 8:1, then changing the engine sprocket would be easier, but at $6 for a sprocket, it definitely is not cheaper. I still look from time to time for engine sprockets for this thing, mainly cause I don't want to have to cut down every single gear I use when I need to change the ratios, I think an 11, 12, and 13 are available for me, I will likely go with the stock 11.

[x-bird]

picked up two 10Ts (drivers for final chain run) and a 14 and a 16 (drivers for the intermediate) another $28--hoping to get the 14 or 16 on tomorrow. priced out the centrifugal clutch parts--despite the fact that the entire quadsport/runner line looks identical they came back as discontinued. I didn't have them do a nationwide search for any eisting shop stock. the shoe assembly was 29.23 but the drum was listed at $220! I may go after a new shoe set. I was even wondering if you could find a relining service.

[Masteryota]

On another forum(3 wheelers), there was one guy who worked for a brake factory, and had his set relined with some heavy duty material, and cut them down to fit. As long as its oil compatible, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[x-bird]

Got the 16T on the inter giving a 5.5 ratio and think i pretty much found her sweet spot.
shot some vid, set the Go Pro to R1 and am having sound/framerate timing issues, so no vid for the time being.

Clutch seems to engage well (one reason i like the vid is i can listen to it later just to make sure--bad slip is easy to hear while driving, slight slip not so much) Seems like top speed will be somewhere around around mid 40s to 50. Tried a variety of 1st and 2nd gear climbing tests -- drove right over my 1 and a half stack of 6x6 landscape ties that separate my yard and sidewalk. went to drive over a 6-8 inch diameter pear tree trunk and ended up pushing and turning it with the front wheel--in 2nd. spun the tires on some roots in first on a little hillclimb in the woods area, dug a hole for each tire and stalled it when i looked back to see if it was actually spinning the bearclaws. (i have them at 36psi) lots of grin factor now! think this is not only a good all-around setup, but it'll likely do well for both races coming up.

[Masteryota]

Thats awesome! I was toying with the idea to drop mine some to around 5-5.2:1 instead of the 4.6:1 originally planned. I guess no real need to replace the shoes at this point?

[x-bird]

They seem ok, but i'll buy a set if they still exist on someone's shelves gathering dust. still messing with the go pro file trying to get the sound and vid in-sync. when i use the r1 mode which gives the smallest file size, the video lags behind the sound.

[x-bird]

Ok, so either my video card in my computer is really dying out (decent bfg from my gaming days, one of the fans is cracked, noisy and doesn't run full speed) or the GoPro is really acting up--it got dropped a couple times in the last week.

Anyway, here's a 3-clip compilation. Today and yesterday. top speed run, an overgrown trail run into a massive stump hole and a real short body roll test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPsW3Lgo1FQ

while this seems to have a lot of framerate lag and starts with an off sync sound jump, the sound does correct pretty quickly and the fps hasn't been altered--for me the video is very jumpy and pixelated. LMK how the quality is if you watch--really appreciate commentary on that. having a lot of difficulty editing because of the sync issues etc. with videopad for some reason this week.

i could top-end the setup a little more by swapping my driven 21 for the 19. It's a real blast, but something tells me i may just want a little more for the july "goat run" race. i could definitely do the 7-miler with this setup. My old Garmin Etrax showed 39 as top speed, with an accuracy rating of 57 feet.

[SYCARMS]

Lookin good.

[zman007007]

awesome ride there x bird. I wish I had somewhere to ride like that . great little bull dozer you have there lol

[x-bird]

poached ride on my business property--1 time deal--have enough issues with the neighbors complaining about range balls in their yards and the height of my grass to add any more problems. back to shredding the front and back yard.

[x-bird]

did yet another sprocket swap yesterday. put the 19 in place of the 21 (16-19) for a 4.95 final ratio. still have wall crawler bottom end and 4th and 5th gear pull scary fast from 2400-3500+ top speed is probably mid 40s. good enough for this old man.

I've been fighting a sprocket alignment issue all along, right side drive sprocket on the front jackshaft keeps walking off into the trailing arm mounting nut. I can get vertical alignment dialed in real easily, but the horizontal alignment of the shaft has no where to measure off of, so i've been playing with the bearing shims. hopefully i have it cured.

Next area is to hook up the regulator and ground harness--hopefully i won't cook it. I picked up a $2.00 electric radiator fan at the junkyard (looks to have been off a truck--siemens) that and the horn are the only electrical items for now some i'm hoping the output is good enough for it. also getting tired of charging the battery.

next deadline is 3 weeks. still have to do a good plug test and see if this thing wants more jet. and add a chain tensioner (roller style mounted on the pull start) and add a mirror, and add the $7.00 aluminum heat shield and re-mount my fenders, and revise my steering rack/tie rods and ..... and .... and ... and ... )))))

shorter vid from the nose of the stump hole ... i added that section of trail into the woods run before i got "banned" when it had the 150/swingarm, i could get through it, but the fronts had to hit a pair of rocks perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqsZb0QvaQ

[Masteryota]

At least you got the clutch and gearing dialed in, the rest is easy compared to tearing engines apart once they are mounted in the frame.

I was thinking of swinging by the ol' boneyard and see if I can't swindle them out of a bike fan for the oil cooler, and maybe an oil cooler as well, but some of these guys want as much for their junk as the new stuff.

[x-bird]

i don't know if the capacity and line size would work, but saab 900/9000 turbos have nice compact oil coolers on them--might find one in the boneyard. should be 2 bolts (might be torx--been just a few years since i worked on those --decades) plus the lines holding it in place behind the front bumper on the driver's side underside.

[x-bird]

Still picking away at the little stuff

Sorted out the electrical, managed to get the taillight working with an on-off switch on the dash panel, tied the horn in to the system and in general reconfigured the runs and have them mostly neatened up. Used the quad's rear electrical panel---starter solenoid and neutral relay on the front, CDI is mounted on the back. i went with a different negative cable as the white one was just too long.

added the engine ground harness and the regulator seems to be working without overheating. may add a piece of 1/4 in. thick aluminum as a backing mount for it. was reading 130 degrees at idle with some revs tossed in it (a friend had an infrared spot meter with him.) not fully warmed up, exhaust was reading 500 degrees right off the engine and the engine case around the bottom of the jug was reading in the 200 range--just idling in the garage with a few blips of the throttle tossed at it.

made a battery box, decided to add some rubber sheet (old mini golf tee pad) to help protect it.

going to rotate the tach 90 -- may weld a plate to the shift handle to bolt it to.


header is wrapped, and i also did the fuel line just to keep the heat off the fuel

still on the list is an aluminum plate for behind the seat as well as a fan--if i can fit it and the electrical can handle it.

also made a new pivot arm for the brake master (straightens out the piston rod push into the master a little bit) and straightened out the hangar--it's going to get some substantial beefing up as i twisted it pretty badly


made a chain tensioner of sorts using a chunk of the quad's original chain guide. quieted things down back there a lot it also let me put the pull start back on--nice to have a backup---funny how you can never get those dang things to take up all the cord after a rebuild. (no, i don't try to pre-load the pulley after getting that bloody spring back in there--i just pullextra out and re-knot it shorter ...

[x-bird]

After a bit of work today ...real quick set of clips from the static camera vid--much better quality ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZCqnu6zF1s

[ckau]

That thing really moves out now! I love the exhaust sound especially when it gets up on the pipe. I noticed you have substantial body roll in the sharp turns, enough to pick up the inside wheel. Is that characteristic of that type of IRS? Is that something you feel that may needs to be addressed or is it not worth being concerned about

[x-bird]

Originally Posted by ckau

That thing really moves out now! I love the exhaust sound especially when it gets up on the pipe. I noticed you have substantial body roll in the sharp turns, enough to pick up the inside wheel. Is that characteristic of that type of IRS? Is that something you feel that may needs to be addressed or is it not worth being concerned about

Short question long answer .

I knew the body roll was coming--looked forward to it;
Even with the swingarm, I was lifting the inside rear tire. Having body roll at the rear has actually lessened it and taken the torsional stress off the frame/then swingarm.

I also have a pretty high center of gravity and roll center--especially now with IRS. (going to calculate out the roll center and axis one of these days soon) This has more rear center and overall clearance than most of the vw woods rails--and needs it. Given the rocks i'll be running in, it's a major plus and outweighs flatland handling concerns.

i get very sharp initial turn-in response with the "negative" or "reverse" ackerman i built into it and the outside tire takes the bite and leads the turn.

(The decision as to which way is "correct" is a matter of heated debate for many)

For my design and application it works. "true" ackerman flat out does not work for me, just creates massive understeer.

I limited the amount of total steering input by using the rack/tie rod connection bolt/nut as a stop against the bulkhead. i could make this turn even sharper. but i'd be two-wheeling it a lot more. (Still plan on "dropping: the connection point as when i had to flip the rack, i created some bump steer)

I considered an anti-sway bar at the rear to cut the roll, as the donor did have one (i didn't get the bar with the trailing arms) but it would reduce its uneven terrain capabilities.

Right now it's mainly a matter of getting the feel for body roll, cornering grip/slip and front outside shock reaching full compression to know when the tire's going to come up. been forcing it into 3 and 2 wheel turns a lot to get used to what's going on.

I'd actually like the rear shocks to have more travel and softer spring rate to equalize front and rear a bit more. It'd roll more and more quickly, but it's kind of what i'm after. I need to be able to pile drive this thing through the rougher stuff without the back end kicking too much. It's better with the podiums/IRS, but not quite there yet.

vid "561" on my channel has a short clip at the end of it of forcing two wheels into the air.

So far i'm ultra happy with it overall, plush plush plush i've thought of going for a little more top end speed, but i think i'm too close to the limits of the centrifugal clutch ....

[Masteryota]

Dude, you are killing me! I need to get my sh!take together and get mine rolling now.

I agree with the exhaust note too, I was worried mine would sound loose and 'thumpy' but yours gives me hope. BTW, what kind of muffler are you using?

Overall, your buggy looks fantastic, and yes, I am jealous, lol.

[x-bird]

muffler is from a hammerhead 250--probably an SS. I got it from kearney karting after he modded out his HH. It's a 3-piece design, 2 end caps and the shell with though bolts that went threaded in from teh pipe end and tightened into threaded bosses in the aluminum end cap. Those were broken when i got it (very common) and i just made it a total through bolt design. the threaded rod is too skinny and losing it's clamp as it heats up though. Ask around on the various forums, lots of guys remove these mufflers in favor of aftermarket. not a bad piece actually, jsut needs a bit of work to make it stay together.

[Masteryota]

I was asking because I have a few mufflers here than I plan to use one of them. One is a set of stock sportster cans, and then I bought a scratched up 2 brothers can off a GSXR 1K, which was my first choice. The 2 brothers can I can actually take apart and cut down and pop rivet the ends back on the center section. I just don't want my buggy to sound like a go kart.

[x-bird]

So i took the plunge and decided to address the front end. Waaaay back when i put the rack in, i was forced to mount it in a manner that gave less than desirable geometry with resultant bumpsteer--and none too perfect alignment. I can't move the rack, so i came up with a drop linkage to connect the tie rods to in a position that improves the bumpsteer issue.

old junk used includes two used up 1" holesaws and a couple cro-mo tube stubs over the holesaws to provide a little more meat to work with. (holesaws fit over the rack perfectly). Those were notched then a 1/4 in thick tab welded in on each side to make a pair of "D" caps that bolt over the ends of the rack. The "D" flats prevent the linkage from rocking and binding the pinion gear on the rack.

Flat stock provided the plates. Those are welded to some golf club rack tubing that already had a slip-fit setup. I added a spacer and boxed the inside to prevent crushing. A bolt goes through into a nut welded to the backside. The two halves separate pretty easily.

A bit beefy, but you know how i am. LOL

Been having fun with my "new" drill press. something i should've bought a long time ago! ($50. 1983 3-spd bought at local rental place tent sale) runs like a champ.

tie rods are going to be 1" cro-mo--same as the a-arms-- with weld in bungs and 1/2" heims l/r. Old rods are in just to show change in angle in relation to the arms . spindle steering arms and mount points will also be revised and beefed up. heim will sit vertically with a misalignment spacer on each side.

[SYCARMS]

Looks good

[Masteryota]

This guy right here, I tell you what, he comes up with some genius fixes.

[ckau]

you just got to love this ingenuity! Your one clever dude!
I solved the same problem by machining stand-off mounted to the spindles to get the tie-rods in the correct angle but I always thought this may be a weak point. prone to bending. But I like this concept so much better for it's durability.
I've always wanted to use some sort of steering damping that would help soften the rough jerky wheel but never could figure how to go about mounting a small push-pull, self centering cylinder that wouldn't interfere with suspension motion. "Borrowing" from your conception, if you have no objection, would eliminate those weak leverage standoffs at the spindles and substituting a dampener in place of your " golf club rack tubing would kill two birds with one stone!