Defender Buggy Build

[onetoncrawler]

Starting on a new project. The goal of this buggy was to be as maintenance free as possible. I enjoy riding at least twice a month so I wanted something I could bring home, wash, check it over and ride again. I also wanted a buggy that I could race ECORS and local comps with safely and comfortably. I am not building this for KOH, but if the opportunity arises I wouldn’t turn down a chance to go. This will probably be a slow build. Thanks to Mark for loaning me half of his shop and a lot of help. Thanks to EOR for all the parts and advice. Jimmy always answers any question I have. Also thanks to Mo, I always bounce Ideas off of him and know I can get an honest answer.

On with the parts list:
• Chassis â€" KORE defender chassis â€" all tube 1.75” DOM
• Motor â€" 07 6.0 with Kevco oil pan â€" Jim's Harness chop and Lane Culver cam swap and dyno tune â€" summit headers
• Transmission â€" PTC TH400 â€" FRMVB with compression braking â€" tci style aluminum shifter, 10.5” PTC “nitrous” torque converter
• PRC Aluminum 30x19 Radiator with dual Spal fans and -16an fittings
• Front axle â€" 14 bolt pas drop â€" Solid C’s, knuckles, and high steer arms - 5.13 gears, spool, RCV shafts and drive flanges â€" Barnes 4wd 13 bolt cover - Yukon hardcore hubs & spindlesâ€" parts mike KP caps â€" spidertrax hat’s and rotors with willwood 4 piston calipers
• Rear axle â€" 14 bolt â€" 5.13 gears, spool, stock shafts for now, spidertrax hats and rotors, willwood 4 piston calipers, Barnes 4wd cover
• T-case â€" Atlas 2 â€" 3.0 with 32 spline F & R outputs, 1410 yokes
• Shocks â€" 2” remote reservoir Fox coilovers 14” front â€" 16” rear
o Fox 2” x 4” bumps up front
• Wheels â€" Raceline monster
• Tires â€" 39” Krawlers
• Suspension â€" 2” aluminum 7075 lowers with 1.25” QA-1 heims â€" 1.5” aluminum uppers with 7/8” QA-1 heims
• Seats â€" Corbeau Baja Ultras with Crow 2” padded 5 points
• Hood â€" Jim’s fiberglass JK 54” cowl, hood, and grille
• Optima battery
• Patooyee motor mount plates and head plates

Started out with sourcing all the parts â€" picked up a couple of 14 bolts and sent one to EOR to have new tubes pressed in and the inner C’s welded on.

 

[onetoncrawler]

Got the tires and wheels mounted up

Started on the rear at home, cut off all the old mounts and ground everything smooth in preparation for the 4 link tabs and truss

Stripped the old drum brakes off the rear hubs, cleaned them up and put in new bearings and seals â€" then pressed the spidertrax hats onto the back of the hubs using new studs, this allows the rotor to line up close to the flange on the 14 bolt. Should be able to make a simple bolt on caliper bracket.

Also got the motor stripped of the wiring harness and exhaust manifolds â€" test fit the new headers and installed the kevco oil pan and pickup

I hated the dipstick that came with the Kevco pan so I ordered some Lokar Locking dipsticks and get them installed. The oil dipstick screws right into the pan and the transmission dipstick has a lock nut on the inside of the pan to hold it in place.

 

[onetoncrawler]

Then I made the 10+ hour drive to Oklahoma to Kings Offroad Enterprises to pick up the chassis.

The chassis is really wide which makes mounting everything a breeze.

Started working on the suspension mounts. Went with 7” up-travel in the front with the 14” shocks and 8” up travel in the rear with 16” shocks

Got the high steer arms drilled out to ¾” to run the 2” al tie rod with 7/8” x ¾” heims
Also started working on the rear brake brackets. I took a BTF disc conversion bracket and modified it. Would have probably looked better to make some from scratch but these were sitting on the shelf collecting dust.
(pic to come)

Next I started on the hood and cowl. Had to notch both to sit as low as I wanted.

 

[onetoncrawler]

Scratched my head for a few days over the rear shock mounts. I wanted to tie them into an additional bar to help share the load but didn’t want an extra piece of tubing running front to rear if it wasn’t necessary. I ended up making a hoop and then tying those together with ¼” plate and capping them off with 1/8”. I think they should hold up but If I start to see some movement I can add additional support.

That is where I am currently at â€" I ordered the radiator last week so I hope to get it mounted up after Thanksgiving and RBD.

 

[skipnrocks]

cool build!

 

[KINGSNAKE]

sweeeet, hope to see it on the trail soon...

 

[Draco]

LOVE this thing!

Gonna be

 

[wizzo]

good looking buggy and the parts list is

 

[kmcminn]

Cant wait to see the finshed product!

 

[onetoncrawler]

Thanks guys , I just hope it works well :****:

 

[NOVI FED COUPE]

drool Pimp man...Cant wait to see it done.

 

[Rokcrler]

Meh... not bad of a build thread
But for the picture whore webwheeling S.O.B.'s like me how bout the rest of the pics

Seat mock-up (checkout speedy in the left)

Assembly of Atlas Shifters and figuring front seat mounts.

Rear seat mount fitted.

Starting to look like something.

Hurry up and keep the motivation going... cant wait to peel out in this whip!

 

[Travis]

Stripped the old drum brakes off the rear hubs, cleaned them up and put in new bearings and seals â€" then pressed the spidertrax hats onto the back of the hubs using new studs, this allows the rotor to line up close to the flange on the 14 bolt. Should be able to make a simple bolt on caliper bracket.

Did you use stock 14 bolt wheel studs? I really want to put spidertrax brakes on my 60 and 14 hubs.

 

[torquefreak]

I really like that chassis. Wish they made it in a 4 seater.

Build looks great !

 

[onetoncrawler]

I'm still looking for studs for the front hubs, I went to o'reillys and got the studs that were 1/4" longer for the rear

Call kore they offer a 4 seater in a dif chassis so he may do one in the defender

 

[nateb83]

Looks badass, great setup so far, looking forward to seeing final result

 

[onetoncrawler]

thanks guys

cpl more pics of the hood and cowl fit up

 

[B.DRAKE]

Gonna be sweet!!! Can't wait to see it get beat!

 

[Draco]

Nice cowl/hood/hoop fit man. Cutting that new fiberglass would give me an ulcer worrying if I got it right. :****:


Curious to see what you do with the interior....

 

[onetoncrawler]

Curious to see what you do with the interior....

Me too lol