3amigo's build

[3amigo]

I thought it was about time to put up a couple of pics of my build.

I'm getting 13.25" metal to metal in the front.
I'm not sure what the rear springs will be happy with, but I'm thinking around 16" for now. When I can pop for deavers I should be able to get 18-20".

Next big project is the cage.

[3amigo]

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc264/chadzu/DSC01275.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc264/chadzu/DSC01276.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc264/chadzu/DSC01277-1.jpg

[BajaBronco13]

I don't know if you mention this in another thread but what are you building?

Chris

[Blanco]

I don't know if you mention this in another thread but what are you building?

Chris

:rolleyes: Look at his screen name.

[3amigo]

This is an Isuzu trooper. The frame and body are 1989 vintage.
The motor for now is a 3.2L 24 valve sohc aluminum v6.
The transmision is an isuzu 5 speed w/integrated t-case.
Front suspension is basically all stock isuzu stuff. T-bar sprung to keep the rule gurus happy.
single 2.5" smooth body resi shock at each corner, 12" in front and 18" for the back.
2.5" bump stops on the front
Ford 9" rear axle, sitting SOA on 64" chevy 1500 springs.
106" WB as it sits.


This is going to be a bare bones race car. Nothing is going on it that doesn't have to be there. I want to keep it light and keep it simple.

[BajaBronco13]

:rolleyes: Look at his screen name.

Don't be a douche bag Cam. An Isuza Amigo is different then an Isuza Trooper. Just like a Score 2" legal roll cage and a mickey mouse 1.75 cage.


See the difference?

Chris

[Blanco]

Don't be a douche bag Cam.
I was'nt trying to be douche bag ( as you called me. ), I thought he was building an Amigo. My Bad. http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/paperbag.gif


No need to start calling anyone names Chris. :(

[kal]

travil in class 3 is 15" front and rear

[BajaBronco13]

Cam: Think about what you write before you write it because this isn't the first time that someone has responded to you like this.

Back to the thread. Four door or two door Trooper?

[Blanco]

Hey 3Amigo, Why is it you call yourself Amigo Anyways?

I figured you were building a Class 3 Amigo. :confused:

& Chris I at least was'nt the one calling people Names...

[BajaBronco13]

Hey 3Amigo, Why is it you call yourself Amigo Anyways?

I figured you were building a Class 3 Amigo. :confused:

& Chris I at least was'nt the one calling people Names...

Well don't assume just cause the title says Amigos it's an Amigo. That's why I asked. I called you a douche bag because you give a douche bag type response. Sorry I hurt your delicate feelings. Now lets get back to the build. Geesh.

[3amigo]

Wheel travel is not restricted in class 3. bitd no longer has a class 3000 so their old rules have no standing. We have agreed to abide by score class 3 rules for the class 3 cup races.

Cam, when I found this site I was working on an amigo, and it was going to be a pre-runner type vehicle. Once I decided to go for a race only vehicle the longer wheel base offered by the trooper made much more sense. I had all ready picked my screen name, so there you go.

Wish me luck, I am going to try and lay up a one piece front end this week.

[3amigo]

bajabronco, the body is a 4 door, I don't think the 2door was still around in '89

I want to make both doors just a skin of fiberglass that is all one piece, so it will keep its stock "profile" but be much lighter than having the doors bolted on.

[BajaBronco13]

bajabronco, the body is a 4 door, I don't think the 2door was still around in '89

I want to make both doors just a skin of fiberglass that is all one piece, so it will keep its stock "profile" but be much lighter than having the doors bolted on.

Sounds like a cool build. It's nice to see other types of vehicles from what we have seen in the past. Do you know the wheel base? Shoot some pics of the body when you are stripping it down. Those are always interesting to see, then you can compare it to the finished product. Good luck.

Chris

[Blanco]

Cam, when I found this site I was working on an amigo,

Thank you for pointing out why I figured you had a Class 3 Amigo going.
I knew You had mentioned this in the past. :o

So I suppose I'm not as big a douche bag as Chris claims. :D

Thanks & keep up the good work on your rig.
I like the idea of having an A-Arm class 3 in the ranks.
It sorta looks like an arm's.
Do I see them right? http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/6.gif

[3amigo]

Thanks for the encouragement.
The body is totally stripped down right now and looks pretty lonely. I think that I will set the body on the frame and get to building the fibergalss parts I want to make. I will then cut the body up and only put the metal parts that I need to keep back on. I'll be sure and post up some pics as I progress.

cam, yes it is an unequal length a-arm suspension on the front end. It is sprung with a torsion bar off of the lower a-arm. This front end has proven to be about as bullet proof as any factory design can be. I'm sure I will uncover any weak spots when it goes racing. Then I get to try and figure out how to make it better.
Steering is a pretty standard recirculating ball type steering box that I have been very happy with, even on my solid axle crawler.
My biggest concern is with the t-bars, I have a couple of stock diameter choices and I hope I can make work ok. It would be a lot easier if they were coils because of the spring rate choices that are available. I will use the bumps as secondary suspension if it becomes necessary.

As you can see from the pics my car is going to sit quite low. I'm sure this will be a mixed bag. It should help out during the handling portions of the course, but it could hurt me when higher clearance is needed. Part of the reason I went SOA in the rear was to try and maximize clearance. Time will tell if it will make any difference I supose.

One of the driving factors for me to build this car is because it is different. I want to bring some diversity to the class. This trooper is the kind of car that can be found for cheap almost anywhere and it might get peoples imagination going on what can actually be done with the japanese vehicles.
Tonite is my Fri. and I'll have 3 days to work on it comming up. I'll post up with some progress in a few days.

[straightaxle]

Years ago there was an Isuzu/Chaps sponsored Trooper in Class 3. Were the early ones straight axle in the front? Shouldn't be any reason that a-arms wouldn't work. Even though the truck is low, it may have more clearance than a straight axle. Clearance becomes an issue in the silt and in the loop races where the ruts get really deep. If you use 35's you should be in good shape, 33's will drag on everything. I can actually tell the difference when the we air the tires down an extra 2 psi and we start dragging on more stuff.

[AngerIssues]

Sounds like a cool build. It's nice to see other types of vehicles from what we have seen in the past. Do you know the wheel base? Shoot some pics of the body when you are stripping it down. Those are always interesting to see, then you can compare it to the finished product. Good luck.

Chris

Hey you douche-bag... he said in the first post that it sits at 106 inches. Maybe you can't read? :D:D:D

Seriously, though, I was laughing my ass off at you bagging on Cam... and then you ask a douche-bag question yourself! You could be the Anger Issues poser child. Oops... I meant poster child!

He he. I'm in a MOOD tonight! ;)

flame-on!!

OK, back to the thread... very cool chassis, in that you have the upper and lower control arms, and seemingly a nice chunk of working travel!!

Good luck and get your butt out there and race. Good strategy, btw... nothing that doesn't need to be there!

Ken

[BajaBronco13]

Hey you douche-bag... he said in the first post that it sits at 106 inches. Maybe you can't read? :D:D:D

Seriously, though, I was laughing my ass off at you bagging on Cam... and then you ask a douche-bag question yourself! You could be the Anger Issues poser child. Oops... I meant poster child!

He he. I'm in a MOOD tonight! ;)

flame-on!!

OK, back to the thread... very cool chassis, in that you have the upper and lower control arms, and seemingly a nice chunk of working travel!!

Good luck and get your butt out there and race. Good strategy, btw... nothing that doesn't need to be there!

Ken

Damn Ken why do you have to be such an a-hole? There is no name calling in here. Cam and I and cleared the air now you want to stir the pot. What a douche
:D

[AngerIssues]

Damn Ken why do you have to be such an a-hole? There is no name calling in here. Cam and I and cleared the air now you want to stir the pot. What a douche
:D


Couldn't resist. Hell, I DID start Anger Isssues Racing!!! After 1.5 hours in the car each way, I come home a little GRUMPY!! OK... a LOT grumpy. I have to drive to Cam's 'hood every day! ARGH!

Hope you will still wear the Class 3 Cup shirts and not take it personally!! :eek:

[Blanco]

Damn Ken why do you have to be such an a-hole? There is no name calling in here. Cam and I and cleared the air now you want to stir the pot. What a douche
:D

Sorry Chris. :p

Its just that us Team mates must stick together & I'm glad to see my Team leader standing up for me! http://www.thewebwheeler.com/forums/images/smilies/wiggle%20tongue.gif

[BajaBronco13]

Ken,

May the smog gremlins continue to plague your Bronco, ha ha ha. Just kidding. Back to the thread.

[AngerIssues]

Ken,

May the smog gremlins continue to plague your Bronco, ha ha ha. Just kidding. Back to the thread.

Ya, the bad karma police are ALL over me... trust me!!

:D :D :D

I feel like OJ on trial (again)!! :eek:

[BajaBronco13]

Hope you will still wear the Class 3 Cup shirts and not take it personally!! :eek:


Rocking it right now at work.

[Brokenbronco]

What a bunch of douches! :eek:

[BajaBronco13]

What a bunch of douches! :eek:


How dare you????? LOL

[AngerIssues]

How dare you????? LOL

OK, we hijacked the thread. Now back on track! Do women still do that anymore? wait... don't answer that!

more on 3 amigo!! (no cam, it's not an amigo). Are we back where we started? he he :rolleyes:

[Blanco]

OK, we hijacked the thread. Now back on track! Do women still do that anymore? wait... don't answer that!

more on 3 amigo!! (no cam, it's not an amigo). Are we back where we started? he he :rolleyes:

But it was when he registered. :p

[3amigo]

The trooper never had a solid axle in the front, its always been independent. Basically the trooper, rodeo, amigo, vx, all share the same basic front suspension. I have gone out of my way to keep this thing class 3 legal. There is no way I would have stuck it out with t-bars if it weren't for the class rules.

Progress, I layed up my front fenders this week. I took a couple of pics and I need to get them on photobucket so I can put them up. I think if I build a hundred more sets I might start getting the hang of working with fiberglass.

[3amigo]

Here are a couple of pics of my front fender building adventure.
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc264/chadzu/DSC01278.jpg
http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc264/chadzu/DSC01279.jpg

[retroblazer]

The trooper never had a solid axle in the front, its always been independent. Basically the trooper, rodeo, amigo, vx, all share the same basic front suspension. I have gone out of my way to keep this thing class 3 legal. There is no way I would have stuck it out with t-bars if it weren't for the class rules.

Progress, I layed up my front fenders this week. I took a couple of pics and I need to get them on photobucket so I can put them up. I think if I build a hundred more sets I might start getting the hang of working with fiberglass.

Personally, I would set up your front end with a progressive coil-over shock in addition to the standard torsion. It would be much easier to make changes than finding alternative t-bars. You might as well set-up the car with it now. I would anticipate that at some point it will be legal. I know that you indicated 13"+ inches of travel, but how much angularity can the front cv's take over stock reliably? The c/o's would really be helpful if you decided to widen the front arms to help lessen the cv angle range. Worst case is that you could use the Toyota Taco or LC stuff or the drivetrain that the WSOAR's Ultimate 4x4 class will be using.

[3amigo]

the CV angles are not that bad. Much of the extra travel I gained was in bump, which is under used in the stock suspension. The travel I have set up is with the stock ball joints and stock steering tie rod ends. The ball joints have proven to be pretty strong to this point and I'm going to run them until they prove to be a weak link. The steering IS the weak link right now and I will have figure out a way to beef it up before I thrash it too much.
I know that ultimately the ifs front 4wd suspension will not be up to the task. My plan for now is to run in 2wd as much as possible to try and save the front end. If the front end proves to be unreliable I will have to take it on at that point. I am concentrating on putting a vehicle on the starting line right now and I'm sure the weakest link will show itself in due course and I will tackle the problems as the arise.

COIL OVERS.....Yea, I would love to run them.
I have given a great deal of thought to how I could use them and still be inside the rules. I'm not sure if the tender spring/main spring thing will work all that well. A t-bar has a spring rate that is a function to the 4th power as the bar twists. As the bar twists it gets much stiffer very quick. I have used the longest bars that isuzu used to try and help with this, but I don't really know where the spring rate is going to end up. I hope I can fine tune a little with the bumps.

Longer a-arms. The rules limit how wide I can be. Longer arms would mean that I need stiffer t-bars..."that I can't get", and custom half shafts. Any sort of custom center mount a-arm is way beyond what I am willing to do at this point. This car is budget challenged, so stock parts are going to have to do.

The delivery truck just dropped off 180 feet of 1.75" .120 DOM at my house, so I better get my bender dusted off and get busy.

Right now my concentration is putting a car on the course! I'm tired of web-racing. I'm sure it won't be perfect out of the box, but it will beat the hell out of sitting in front of the computer.

[retroblazer]

More power to you. We're all enjoying seeing a new truck get underway. Major points for the non-ford platform.

[fj40]

More power to you. We're all enjoying seeing a new truck get underway. Major points for the non-ford platform.

Major points for the non-Bronco platform...... ;)

[Yikes]

Major points for the non-Bronco platform...... ;)

Major points for just doing something. Get that camera out and start a scrapbook.

[BajaBronco13]

Major points for just doing something. Get that camera out and start a scrapbook.

Brian, you know you're going to get a goofing on for using the word scrapbook, lol.

Damn, I'm late for my knitting class. Later guys.

Chris

[3amigo]

I should have some cage pics to show off in a little while. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do, but I will be asking for your opinions as I go.

[3amigo]

Personally, I would set up your front end with a progressive coil-over shock in addition to the standard torsion. It would be much easier to make changes than finding alternative t-bars. You might as well set-up the car with it now. I would anticipate that at some point it will be legal. .

I think I just may have the loophole I need! The word CAPABLE! A t-bar with no preload on it is still "CAPABLE" of maintaining ride height. The rule book doesn't say anything about "capable without adjustment". HA!! Coil-overs here I come!
You just made more work for me Raffo, thanks, I needed the kick in the butt.


Secondary suspention allowed. With secondary suspension system disconnected the primary system must be capable of maintaining ride height +/- 1.5".