Desert Patrol Vehicle build 3 year adventure sort of.

[gorth]

Latest update from this week end. After some confusion the front breaks are installed. Now i just need to measure how much break line i need and install the lines and do another break bleed to get all of the air out of the lines. I checked the headlight switch and all the connections there were good so i guess i will start at the power and find out where i loose it. Of course my battery is almost dead. After all of that i need to adjust the aft torsion bars due to all of that weight in the back. See pictures below.

Here is a picture of about an inch off the stop.

All for now.
Jim

[Leatherneck]

Looks like what Tako had going on Yup some turn on the torsion is in your future. Have you weighed this? Front, back and total?

[gorth]

Leatherneck,
That's what i was afraid of. No i have not gotten a weight on it yet. The only scale i have here is my wife's bathroom scale and i am fairly sure it is not rated for that and crushing it would probably happen which would not please the wife too much.
Jim

[david58]

Three options I know of.
Take it to the truck stop.
Take it to the dump.
Take it to Jody Prices junk Yard right past my shop.
All three have scales. I would trust Jody's because it is very accurate, and brand new. I stepped on the scale and it read my weight.

[gorth]

Thanks for the info Dave.
I am not going to get anything done today. I am down for the count due to being sick with what feels like strep throat with a fever. I have lost my voice and can only whisper. I usually get sick once a year and i guess i am due. All for now.
Jim

[gorth]

While sick hacking and coughing i did get the break lines installed and bled but got caught by the Wife and chewed for being outside with a bad cold. That's about it.
Jim

[bajaherbie]

[Leatherneck]

Herbie spends a lot of time in there so you might have to make reservations, that or double up

[gorth]

Yep i think we are all some what familiar with the dog house. I am real lucky to have found a wife that can put up with me and my "various hobbies" so i do not see the dog house much. A couple of years ago when i was building my dog house aka SHOP she was a bit concerned due to me installing a refrigerator, air condishner, ceiling fan, TV, sterrio, and dart board. Well its nice to know she likes to spend time with me. She named my buggy a couple of years ago "THE MISTRESS". I did go out yesterday and figured out the head lights problem. I did a continuity check across the switch to see if it was making and breaking contact and it was not so i changed out the switch and now the head lights are operational. I also swapped over the instrument lights wire to the other side so they do not come on unless i turn on the head lights. Some time i need to draw out a wiring diagram of how i wired this. Still need to wire in power to the back up light. I did push the buggy back over to the shop and was going to get out the welder and weld the front break line supports in but got to hacking my lungs out i figured i had better not push it. Here is a good link to view a real Navy DPV at the UDT/Seal museum at Fort Pierce Florida the birthplace of the TEAMS, that you can move the camera around and see the buggy and a HMMV. http://udtnavysealvt.net/NSMVehicles091006/ To see this you will need to install PURE Player for windows from ImmerVision Enabling Panoramic Technolegy. Just GOOGLE PURE Player for windows.
I am going to try to get the battery out and take it to town to see if it has a bad cell. This will be my third battery so some thing is draining it or its not charging right. Now this may not fit in with the Commanding Officers plan of the day but she is still asleep at least for right now. Well all for now. Got to wash the two dogs today also. Dont want to have stinky dogs just in case of a remote chance i do some thing to end up in the dog house. Well the wife is now up so all for now.
Jim

[gorth]

I have been working on my wiring diagram of the buggy but still have a few more things to add but here it is so far.

[perrib]

Nice work. I am waiting to see a video of it prowling the woods.

[gorth]

I do have an earlier post with the buggy in motion prowling my back yard with the utube link. Here are my updated drawings of my buggy.

[ThunderBlunder]

Kewl build !!!!

I live in west palm beach near Fort Pierce and will be visiting the Seal museum to get a better look at one.

Here in florida, the best and easiest way to title a buggy, is to buy an old junked vw bug with title (as cheaply as possible) and then transfer (rivet) the VIN tag to your rail frame. Other route is to build and then take to DMV, but that will cost you mucho, time (many trips), money and aggrevation!!! You can strip anything salvagable, (steering, motor/transaxle etc) and then sell rest to a scap yard for near what you paid for it.

Do you have drawings in a CAD format ?

Jim Benzel

[kyle_pc_75]

It's coming along nicely. I wonder if you should get some stiffer torsion bars to handle all that weight?

What are you using to do all your drawings? The electrical diagrams, too.

Thanks,
Kyle

[gorth]

I just used the paint program that comes on most computers to do my drawings and diagrams.
Jim