What it takes to build a buggy...On a budget.

[Zullock Holmes]

ohhhh yea tracking down a wiring issue fucking blows. i will agree with you on that any day lol. Troubleshooting a problem is deff more difficult that running the wiring in general.

Still even though its time consuming that doesn't make it omg the worst and hardest thing on earth.

I have never done a rock buggy, but i've done troubleshooting on motorcycles, i'm doing my own engine wiring harness and various other projects..... i stand behind my comment, its not that bad.

[HeavyMetal]

omg the worst and hardest thing on earth.

who said that?

we all know thats reserved for iro long arms

[OWEN]

One thing I love about the sport is most of the stuff you are buying to build is made in the USA, often times from USA materials... Can't feel too bad about blowing your cash, at least its going back where it belongs.

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

I'm going to build a buggy with all Chinese parts. Cheap as fuck and breaks twice as fast

[justtorchit]

One thing I love about the sport is most of the stuff you are buying to build is made in the USA, often times from USA materials... Can't feel too bad about blowing your cash, at least its going back where it belongs.

[Dizzaster]

I'm going to build a buggy with all Chinese parts. Cheap as fuck and breaks twice as fast

So your saying you are going to buy all Trail Gear parts?????

[DizzDizz]

if i do the wiring start to finish i really dont mind it. i put my head phones in and just soder and build shit. when i have to jump into a pre existing harness that has been messed with i wanna pull my hair out.

[Timmay]

Good thread Andy. I could add my 2 cents but that would end up 40 pages long.

Wiring is one of the hardest things to do correctly in a RACE application. Crawl comp and trail rigs see nowhere near the amount of prep that a race rig sees.

For example I have rewired my entire buggy 3-4 times this season. I have three separate harnesses running to my fuel pump all on different relays. If at any point I have an issue with the fuel pump not running, I can just switch harnesses. It's something you learn over time.

I'm at the point that I think about wiring and plumbing a chassis before I even bend tube. I'm working on Tim Smoluk's now and seclusion is the biggest thing on my mind. Hot on one side, flammable on the other. Exhaust and 12v wiring on the driver's side, fuel system and trans lines on the passenger side. Fire safety starts with preventing contact in the first place.

Looking at Andys list, buying a chassis is not a bad idea. A lot of chassis builders can bust out the hard stuff for fairly cheap. Spending an extra $1,000 on a proven design professionally welded really should not be an issue in this sport. Surprisingly it is (unfortunately for me...).

Some interior/racing stuff off the top of my head:

Corbeau Baja SS Ultra - $230 each ($460)
Corbeau 5 point harnesses - $100 each ($200)
Winters or Hurst shifter - $180-300
Gauges, Glowshift on the cheap, Autometer on the not cheap - $250-750 (i'm currently developing a gauge package specifically for our industry, fully sealed and liquid filled)
Switches and relays - $100
Fire extinguishers and mounts - $250-500
Communications - $120-2000 (I have about $1800 into my comm system and race radio)
Helmet, dirt bike helmet with goggles to full face with pumper and comm system - $100-550 each
Fire suit, I recommend multi layer - $100(single layer) - $400 (decent multi layer - I have a Crow suit)

I'll post more when i'm not working.