Ryan told me not to, but i think instead of buying a Dune, im going to custom-build one, i may use my grandpa to help me with welding, but i think im going to find a junker, prolly outta a junkyard, to start with, i hope i can find one cheap with a running engine, im workin on the design part right now......idk, it might be too much for someone my age......but wth ill go for it! ill post up pics of my drawings of the design as i finish them, any help is apreciated

Well if you building out of tubing make shure all the Angles are exact. you don't wanna look back and say i wish i had went back and fix it when i could. Take it slow and think before doing. Don't get ahead of your self. Welding isn't to bad one you the proper technique down.

thx, i guess the only thing would be learnin how to weld and buying one, then the other tools and tubing this will also be used at my bike races to get me around and i might try 4-seater if the price doesnt get too high, so i can let my parents use it while im out on the trail, wait, im gettin ahead of myself again

this is what i have so far, idk what the engine will be so i havent added it in
any comments or ideas?

Awesome ET, Go for it !, YOU CAN DOO IIT, it looks good so far , and it's gotta start somewhere, you will appreciate this kart more than any ten you could buy, from what I can see/tell from your style I think you'll do well. I am real happy for you. I look forward to the process, Lots-O-Pics, please, so load up on film/1gig cards and start shotting BTW Ryan? who's Ryan? do you always listen to strange people .... OH! That Ryan JK, ORK
Keep in mind it's your first build ,try not to set the bar to high. many a first builds sit in the back room forgotten.

thats a good drawing, I like the design. measure 3 times cut 1 time. go slow and triple check after welding.

Not a bad design. Get all of your parts first and then build around them. You should definitely get the seat, steering wheel/shaft and rack before you try to build a custom passenger compartment. Also get the engine, foot controls and wheels so you can be sure there is adequate room for those as well.

I always start out by getting a nice flat and level surface built up so I can work off of that. Once that is ready I set my seat and pedals on that surface and draw out some line with a carpenters pencil. I measure along those lines and note where the bends start and end. Then I make the base of the frame and put it right on the flat surface and use some blocks of plywood to hold the edges of the tubing in place and an occasional piece of plywood block over the other blocks so it will not lift off the flat surface.

Now that the base is made I Keep the seat in the compartment and I make the hoop that goes behind the seat. Be certain you make it at least 6 inches higher than the back of the seat and wide enough at the shoulders and base of the seat so that your body parts will not come out of the frame once you have it together. Then I make the hoop at the steering wheel mounting location. Be certain it is high enough to allow your legs to get under the steering wheel and shaft. Now you can complete the sides of the passengers compartment by connecting the two hoops with what ever design you like provided it is functional and adequate with regard to frame rigidity.

You should do the front end (nose) now remember to make it long enough to accommodate the A-Arms and wide enough that the rack and pinion pivot points are at the point that the A-Arms pivot. You should definitely have your rack and pinion before this point. Making certain that this is done correctly will aid in a minimal bump steer and easy turning. After the nose is complete and your rack and pinion are temporarily in place you can make your A-arms. Generally the bottom arms will be longer than the top. I use Heim joints for my pivot points as well as the spindle connectors but delrin bushings or equivalent can be used. Having your rims, tires and hubs for the front would be a great idea at this point so you can determine the width of your A-arms otherwise your buggy may end up too wide for your riding area. If you do not have a spindle design I would recommend that you buy a set of plans and use their geometry for this part of the build. It is essential that you use a minimum of 6 degrees built in to your spindle angle. The height and length of the spindles will play a large roll in steering behavior. If the Rack is mounted too low or too high there could be issues regarding bump steer and other positive or negative camber an acceptable amount will have to be made based on your desires.

The Engine compartment is integral to the rear suspension. It must be sturdy enough to hold the engine weight and torque as well as rear suspension movement and travel. Again I would recommend that you get a set of plans to help you along with the geometry of the rear suspension especially if you are using independent rear axles. I used Chevy cavalier driver side axles for my buggy. The cup had to be altered some but it was a fairly cheap and simple job. The A-arms are not equal and you should have the CV axles prior to making the a-arms since the overall distance between them will have to be enough to allow the axles through the center of the carrier with out making contact.

If at all possible get the donor car from the junk yard and buy what ever parts you will need prior to actually starting your frame. Many have built their buggies without parts first but they usually ran in to issues with fitment after the fact. Good luck and ask as many questions as you need to there are a few of us here that have experience with custom buggy building.

Way to go Randy. Heck, I'm ready to build one now.

Empty tank,
I like that your designing from scratch One thing that you should get before you get too far on the drawings is a protractor(it measures angles) If you know your angles going into the primary bending of the tubes this will save you from "Well it worked on paper" and tossing a bunch of tubing into the trash! Some other pointers would be keep it simple. Cutting/bending/and welding are alot tougher than drawing and erasing arebldr gave you some great tips...Leave your self more room in the cockpit than you think you need, Make sure you keep in mind that the motor mount has many different torsional stresses on it, acceleration,deceleration ,vibration etc.. the front suspension I always leave room to move the rack around. Alot of guys don't..and have huge steering probs.

thx for the help guys, anyone know of a cheap car with full independant suspension and a small engine? im thinking about a mazda 626 at a local pick-a-part, anyone know if it has independant suspension? i like the HP numbers too, 114 HP in a 2.0L pacage. any other ideas or suggestions? thx