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Buggy build "Indecision"

Bebop said:
You're just jealous you don't get any crepes.

Currently working on it as I'm posting.
It's getting close.
Needs a few more weekends of busting ass before being 100% ready for photoshoot though.


ATTABOY FRENCHIE... Glad to see you finishing it up for them. :dblthumb:




ADMINISTRATOR
 
Thank you, but this is a team effort. I'm just wrapping up some details.
Lori had some help from wonderful people in the industry and she is now writing a recap about how everything went down.
Photo-shoot is planned and the pics will be released along her story.

But I've got a few things going on right now, between moving, work, my own buggy build and helping on hers.
Cramming 30h of **** in a 24h day, burning day light and stuff haha ;D
 
Hopefully it's cool I'm posting the picture.i guess it's on IG and Facebook. So I should be good.
e4cf3d1e390ff75181a90ddb82abb3e3.jpg
 
Wow! It looks absolutely amazing. Patrick would be beside himself. Great work to everyone that done that. It looks like a different buggy.
 
Indecision buggy began as an idea that my late husband Patrick Holmann had. It got its name "Indecision" because he could not decide on what he wanted. After a couple different half started and sold ideas that we tried in the garage, I asked him : "why don't you do what you do and let someone else build you a chassis". Patrick was a hardworker and I knew that he would be happier with the buggy if he let someone build the cage and him just pick up a few extra wrenching jobs after work to offset the cost.

Patrick then took the idea to his friend Travis Vance at Barnyard Fab. Travis and Jesse began the work of building the cage. These guys built the beginning of Indecision. She is truly a beautiful buggy and they listened to his ideas and built him exactly what he asked for.

Patrick put many a night into putting this buggy together and making it wheelable, a couple different motors, then another idea or two for a transmission and transfer case combo, so on and so forth. Let's just say that the name Indecision truly fit this build.

We enjoyed wheeling this buggy as it was for almost two years before Patrick was taken from me in a fatal car accident. He was my best friend and my husband and my life will always be forever changed because of him.

Patrick had planned a Hardline ride in October 2017. Unfortunately this ride got switched to the Patrick Holmann Memorial ride and I wasn't about to miss it! I was determined that I was going to drive his buggy at his memorial ride.

Enzo, the wandering frenchie, a friend of Patrick and I, jerry-rigged some pedal extensions, stuck a bunch of pillows behind my back and started running in front of the buggy in order to spot me on the trails. He taught me how to drive the buggy, pick lines, do front digs and so on. He has spent a lot of time being my co-pilot, mechanic, and teacher. He has shown me how to load and unload, strap the buggy down and tow it on the trailer.

I spent the next couple of months just trying to get some seat time in the buggy. My good friends Amanda (Wilddogdesign) and Donny (Rafterb2000) were always there to offer guidance and support as well. I really want to thank these 3 people as they have really been supportive and enthusiastic about helping me through this journey. Which brings me to how I came to complete the buggy build.

Sitting around the campfire at RBD 2017 (a good friends birthday for those of you that are not Hardline or into off-roading), my friends and I were brushing on the subject of finishing the buggy. Later that weekend, Donny and Amanda were taking the "Bad Apple" buggy, one of the OG's of rockbouncers to Jimmy Smith to have a fresh spin put on it. They wondered if I wanted them to get his thoughts on finishing Indecision, which I thought was a wonderful idea!

When they called me back later that day, saying that Jimmy Smith was touched by my story and was interested in finishing the buggy, this felt like a dream come true! It's no lie that the « Sinful » rockbouncer, Donny and Amanda's buggy, has always been my favorite, but I never imagined that Jimmy Smith who built it and countless other famous / successful buggies would consider finishing out mine. Then began the journey of "Indecision 2.0"!

After driving the buggy for about 6 months, we gained excellent knowledge of the buggy condition and shortcomings. Some welds needed finishing, brackets needed gusseting, steering was on its last legs and most importantly the driving position needed to be completely revised in order to fit me. I couldn't see over the big Vortec truck intake, the seats and pedals were still rigged from 6 months ago, the harnesses were cutting in my neck and driving more than a few hours physically hurt.

Another topic that needed addressing was the parts from various unknown origin that were present on the buggy. Patrick was an auto mechanics teacher and had spent years working on everything you can imagine from tractor trailers to skid steers to cars and pickup trucks. I always said I was his biggest fan, I truly believe he could have done anything; however, this posed a serious problem since I'm not a mechanic! I needed this buggy to be standardized so that if and when something broke, I would be able to find a replacement part without running to every tractor / dirt track shop in town hoping for some luck. Patrick could have told me exactly where to get this or that but a lot of his knowledge was lost with him. Thank goodness that his buggy build was made a sticky on Hardline and I was able to read it and find a lot of very useful information. Still, figuring out the parts used on this vehicle ended up being a huge task and even then, some turned out to be unavailable or had to be modified to fit.

Enzo and I sat down, made a list of things to change and parts to buy in order to make this buggy perfect. Some parts where given to me by good friends (brand new Twisted Stitch seats, LS car intake). Jake Burkey from Busted Knuckle Offroad took care of getting the PRP Black series harnesses and PSC Motorsport dual ended ram and orbital valve to me for a great deal. These will make my life so much easier! And he got those parts to me quick! Jake, I've never met you but I hope to meet you on the trail one day!

After all this brainstorming and parts gathering, it was time to get the list and buggy to Jimmy ! Jimmy and Tommy are great guys ! Not only is their work impeccable but the amount of feedback and professionalism that I received was astounding! Even though this was a business transaction I feel as though I have known them both for years! The first time going down to Red Bank, Tennessee and meeting Jimmy so that he could get measurements and fit the buggy to me, I was greeted by his amazing wife who offered for me to stay for dinner. When I say measuring me for the buggy, I truly mean this! They fit this buggy for me! Patrick was 6'0" and 205, I'm 5'2" and well we won't go there... Jimmy and Tommy tore the buggy down, cleaned up the wiring, did some welding, built me a lowered engine cage that I can see over, added in some missing panels and a load of other stuff! There is definitely some Jimmy Smith flare added to this buggy.

Buggy tear down and powder coat was under control with Jimmy Smith but there was still another thing that needed fixed.
The transmission. It leaked from the start and only got worse through the time spent driving the buggy. I checked with my friends Mike, Blake and Shelby for a reputable builder. It all came back unanimous, John Rickard of Superior Performance Transmissions. I contacted this guy who had never met me but he was willing to help me out in this endeavor by building the best transmission he could on a very reasonable budget all while maintaining a very fast turnaround time in order to not stop the progress at Jimmy Smith Mortsports. It seemed like everything was just working seamlessly and it was all coming together!John even meet me on his day off and lifted the transmission in and out of my truck and treat me as if he knew for his entire life! John Rickard is a local in Knoxville, but if you don't live here, he's definitely worth the drive!

One day, Jimmy texted me to let me know the buggy was ready for pick up. And after seeing it in person for the first time, I can say now I have a new favorite buggy ! Sorry Donny and Amanda ! Sinful will always be in the top two. The Powder Coat is done in the colors that Patrick and I discussed before he passed. Luckily I saved the text he sent me, asking me which colors I liked, he had it narrowed down to 3 different greens. When I told him my thoughts he said : « ya know that's the one I liked the best too ».

Last order of business was rebuilding the front axle which started to let go during the last ride before tear down. With a complete replacement of every wearable parts and some seals-it outer seals, that axle is ready for some beat downs !

Labor Day weekend was the buggy's maiden voyage since the rebuild. Donny, Amanda and Enzo and I spent some quality time on the trails of Harlan and around the campfire. The buggy performed amazing thanks to the new parts and work. The driving position is comfortable and safe, the steering is precise and responsive, the transmission shifts crisp, holds gears, never gets hot and the buggy shines under the sun.

I can't say it enough, I have truly been blessed with all these great people in my life who have been helping me finish Patrick's dream.

I think we're all caught up now, only thing left is a trip to Lane Culver in order to tune the engine due to changing the intake manifold.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, hope to see you on the trails soon.
Wandering Frenchie to add pics for me. :)
 
The green is off in the pics. I blame the JPG format conversion on my old ass computer.
The green is much deeper.
 
I can't say enough what a trooper and inspiration you are and have been since Patricks demise. You have definitely carried on his dream and made this machine yours, like no one else could have. IT LOOKS FABULOUS AND HE IS VERY PROUD OF YOU POPPY. Looks like all we need now is to christen her with some shine and a mud bath. I think I speak for many others here by saying that we are all glad you have stuck to your guns and kept his spirit alive in the wheeling community. Everytime someone sees this gem, they will be able to put a name with a face and a buggy. To all the people that have stuck by your side and helped you make your dream possible, thank you from myself. (Maybe someday I can actually make a ride and see it in person, but don't hold your breath) :rolf: Congratulations Lori...




ADMINISTRATOR
 
Rig looks awesome, what a tribute to a man everybody here misses, hope you get many many years of enjoyment outta it, good thing those tires were only 43's or ya woulda needed a ladder lol


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CHASMAN9 said:
I can't say enough what a trooper and inspiration you are and have been since Patricks demise. You have definitely carried on his dream and made this machine yours, like no one else could have. IT LOOKS FABULOUS AND HE IS VERY PROUD OF YOU POPPY. Looks like all we need now is to christen her with some shine and a mud bath. I think I speak for many others here by saying that we are all glad you have stuck to your guns and kept his spirit alive in the wheeling community. Everytime someone sees this gem, they will be able to put a name with a face and a buggy. To all the people that have stuck by your side and helped you make your dream possible, thank you from myself. (Maybe someday I can actually make a ride and see it in person, but don't hold your breath) :rolf: Congratulations Lori...




ADMINISTRATOR


Thank you Gregg, I appreciate all of the kind words.
 
Zjman said:
Rig looks awesome, what a tribute to a man everybody here misses, hope you get many many years of enjoyment outta it, good thing those tires were only 43's or ya woulda needed a ladder lol


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:****: no joke!
 

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