Every month I work on this buggy, and every month it's still not done! I feel like themythical Greek character, Sisyphus, who was destined to push a boulder up a hill for eternity only to watch it roll back down every time he gets it to the top.
In case you missed it, I'm building a buggy with the guys from Poly Performance. It's taking forever and a day, but that's because we only work on it during free weekends. We also always seem to choose the more difficult designs for each component.
This brings me to a problem many of us encounter, Giant Project Vehicle Burn Out (commonly referred to as GPVBO). This is when you take on an enormous buildup which is way beyond your skills, bank account, or patience only to get neck deep and begin wondering how in the heck you're ever going to pull it off. This condition can be compounded by significant others wondering if the pile of parts in the garage will ever leave, buddies constantly bugging you to go wheeling, neighbors harassing you that your junk is ruining their property values, and of course the stress that what you started building two or three years ago will no longer be state-of-the-art when it's finished.
Dear readers, do not fret. You'll get that 4x4 back on the trail some day by simply following these steps. First and foremost, set goals. I'm not saying set a final finish date, but rather set a weekend or evening goal for every time you work on it. Just base that goal on what you can realistically do, and this will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep the positive juices flowing. Next, remember that wrenching on your ride is fun and when you have a problem with it don't get mad, simply close the toolbox for a while and go do something different-mow the lawn, eat lunch, or read a magazine (this magazine).
Finally when the pressures of life, wife, family, and friends creep in, then maybe that truck is just what you need. Get these people to help out for an evening by handing you a wrench or pointing a flashlight. Or on the other hand, lock yourself in the garage away from it all for an hour or 10, just long enough to get your mind off your daily stress and have fun playing with your rig. This sport, whether wrenching or wheeling, is about having fun with your 4x4; don't let the slow buildup ruin the fun of it all.
In last month's issue, the front and rear suspension was pretty much dialed in, but we still needed to mount the shocks. Any normal fabricator would bend a tube and weld on a set of tabs to bolt the shocks onto, but we decided that some trick sheetmetal mounts would be cool. The 0.090-thickness chromoly sheet was used, and it was all TIG-welded to the mild-steel DOM tubing. | 
Each piece of sheetmetal is first made out of a piece of posterboard and bent to determine the best fit. Then it is cut out with the bandsaw and if need be bent with the press. In order to strengthen the pieces we also cut holes and used the Light Racing flared-hole kit to dimple some of the sheet. |
To strengthen the mounts we added a second triangular piece where the bolt goes through the plate. This helps spread the load and prevent buckling of the material. | 
With the front shock mounts done, we moved rearward and worked on the seat mounts for the Mastercraft suspension seats. First we bent up this plate that covers the Atlas transfer case and 700R4 automatic. Note where we had to clearance the plate around the shift rails and how the outer seat mounts bridge the gap from the boxed substructure and the rock rails. |
In order to get the centerpiece to attach to the tubes cleanly we needed a curve cut into the sheetmetal. Using a die grinder with a heavy-grit sanding drum, we quickly removed material and left a nice curve that matches the tube. | 
Since we are working with both thin mild steel and chromoly material, a lot of the welding is being done with a Miller Synchrowave 200 TIG. This is a great entry-level machine that can also serve well in a full-blown fab shop. Some exciting features are that it is also a stick welder, it has pulse control that helps lay clean strong weld beads, and you can adjust the AC balance to fine tune the weld-cleaning action and penetration on aluminum. |
Drew Burroughs, who runs Poly Performance's fab shop, TIG-welds part of the center seat mount. Notice how his left hand feeds the weld bead more rod while his right hand holds the torch. The Synchrowave comes with an air-cooled Weld-craft torch, but if you are doing production work or welding a lot of thick material, you may want to upgrade to a water-cooled torch that comes with a pump and runs water through the torch handle. | 
The TIG torch is usually controlled by a foot pedal, which can be tricky when trying to work up on top or underneath your truck or chassis. Check out this shot where Drew is welding and using his knee to control the foot pedal since he had to squat down under the chassis. As with anything, welding gets easier with practice, and TIG-which necessitates using both hands and one foot or knee-requires a lot of practice to master. |
Fully hydraulic steering can be very reliable off road, but when dealing with other unpredictable drivers on the street, a conventional box with ram assist offers what I feel is a larger safety margin. I decided to go with a ram assist from PSC Motorsports up front because I hope to drive the Fun Buggy on the street some day. (Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but I have a plan I'll reveal in a future issue.) The steering box is an Xtreme Duty Jeep CJ box, which in the unlikely event of a failure can be found at any parts yard in East Topeka to keep us moving. | |