Whats the best Chassis for a project vehicle?

[Barefoot Dave]

Following on from statements in my Disco chassis/ Fender ( Dakar/ Bush Rangie style) bodied kit car got me thinking. Where is the best place to start for we project builders. Hopefully this can become a 'Rough Draft'for builders to sort the BIG question about their builds.
So, What IS the best chassis to go for?

Please comment on :
1.Availability/ Price

2.Ultimate Strength/ flexibility

3. Rarity and hence intrinsic value to a restorer (Leave the 88', 100'&109's for the restorers!)

4. Price availability or components to suit (Axle swaps/ upgrades)

5.Ability / ease of modification for different bodies

6.Best application for different lengths, eg Winch, Outback Challenge, Ramp-overetc

7. Other stuff I hadn't considered...

Cheers, Dave.

[c.h.i.e.f]

this will be an interesting thread :eek:

all i have to say is from what i have seen is that out of any 4wd (not including the exotic 4wd's and unimogs etc etc) land rovers have probably the biggest,well designed and strongest looking chassis out of all of them :o land rover also offers alot of sizes for different tasks such as 90",110",130"(127") so on and so forth to be suited to certain tasks.

if you wanted a rock crawler i am asuming (being a land rover man) getting a 90" due to it having less length which will make it less likely to belly out but thenagain with a bit of a lift it will also be less stable than a 110 or 130 i would think :confused: so thats where you get portal axles , greater offset rims , bigger tyres and setup suspension so that it doesnt sit 50million inches of the ground (hence meaning more unstable) but give the suspension more flex/droop etc etc (lift isnt everything)

all depends on the exact purpose i suppose

there is also a place in south australia (i think its in south australia) that sells new galvinsed land rover chassis which would be the go :D think they were around the $3000 mark though

[Slunnie]

I think most of the rock crawlers, buggies etc are somewhere around 100-110" and generally on the longer side of within that range. The 110 chassis is a deeper section chassis and so probably stronger chassis than the 100" chassis. For that type of thing I think the Defender chassis followed by the Discovery/Rangie chassis is the go.

[Rangier Rover]

I would think the 100" Rangie or Disco would be the most popular as plentiful and cheap. Some comps are set up to catch the 100" out though.:mad:
The 100" chassis needs to be braced for serious off road use.
I had a look at the bush Ranger kit a wile back. Bit expensive for a highly impractical vehicle I think.:confused:

[Barefoot Dave]

Great start, fellas. Thanks for the input.


Bit expensive for a highly impractical vehicle I think.:confused:
Exactly, Hence my interest in this particular kit (NCF Sahara), heaps cheaper and easier to build by the looks.

[87County]

D1 & RRC chassis are probably the cheapest coilers....one thing to keep in mind if it is to be road-registerable is that it is easier if the chassis doesn't come from a write-off

[Barefoot Dave]

87C, thanks, that was what I thought.
The tricky bit will be to get a repairable right-off with a (relatively minor) rear-end shunt for what I have in mind.
No small order ; /

[Rangier Rover]

Great start, fellas. Thanks for the input.


Exactly, Hence my interest in this particular kit (NCF Sahara), heaps cheaper and easier to build by the looks.



They're great if you want to do a kit. Be the one I'd go for. You end up with a multipurpose vehicle at the end.

You really need an update Disco that had a light roll over etc. They come up cheap and have good running gear.

This is what you have in mind?
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.scruton/sahara2.html

[blitz]

Exactly, Hence my interest in this particular kit (NCF Sahara), heaps cheaper and easier to build by the looks.[/QUOTE]


can you post a link so we can see what you have in mind?? (may give me some insparation)

[Barefoot Dave]

G'Day Blitz
The thread on the project I have in mind is here:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/107088-fender-body-disco-chassis.html

Cheers, Dave.

[harry]

rangie, call GuyG, he has one he wants to pass on to a new home,

[c.h.i.e.f]

thats a very good point that rangier rover pointed out about the 100" being caught out on some tracks :mad: if you are considering a full comp truck little tricks like that should be considered and overcome...somehow ;)

suspension setup will be the biggest and most "bestest" (sorry spelling gurus :D) place to spend most of the designing on now that we have istablished that land rover chassis are the way to go :angel: (slunnie will be able to advise you on the suspension side of things)

bearfoot you are refering to a comp style truck build arent you? if not land rovers still have the most ground clearance and biggest/strongest chassis without having to strengthen any components!

or could save up and buy a bowler wildcat/tomcat etc etc with choices of small v8 petrols to big v8 petrols or twin turbo v6/v8 diesels and they now have range rover style ones out (called nemesis) with independant suspension and every race spec thing needed for offroad racing (not rock crawling even though it has height adjustable suspension :eek:) expensive yes!!! but looks to be very capable machines......

[Barefoot Dave]

Rangier Rover, Thats the one.
Thanks mate, Great link!!
Cheers, Dave.

[Barefoot Dave]

C.H.I.E.F, Mine will be an all rounder, but because of the additional flex/droop space and reduction of f&R overhang afforded by the kit, it could lend itself to crawling/ comp.

I left the questions about application open so this thread could be a comparison of chassis to application for builders.
Cheers, dave.

[c.h.i.e.f]

auh i see .... well sounds like a 110 chassis is the way to go so what sort of suspension are you looking at?

i would love a three link rear end with "coil over" long travel fox shox :D:cool: but i dont know about the road legal part :(

[long stroke]

I agree RRC/Disco 100'' or 110 chassis would be your best bet, if you plan on doing plenty of steep hill climbs etc i would try keep the chassis on the longer side of things, plus trying to find a 90'' chassis would be fun:angel:
If it were me building it i would probably go for a 100'' and stregthen the chassis if need be (they are pretty strong though).

CHEERS TIM.

[Skiboy]

NCF Sahara looks neat - not seen these before.

I agree with longstroke - 100" chassis - ie RRC or Disco as these are the same. We run a RRC ute 100 inch in comps but find the rear chassis gets caught some times - a cut is planned.

RRC/Disco - Lots around and can be cheap. Best bet is a cheap 3.5 Disco - or 3.9 with bad body - I paid $1000 for my last one - the 3.9 repowered my disco and the auto went into the comp car and TC I sold. Used rest for parts on current project (more on this later)

If you want it road legal then you are better off looking for a late 70's RRC chassis not rusted - check the serial number on front right outer side of chassis where steering box bolts go though the chassis (look up number for date on web) to ensure a 70's one - why? you will then have the least ADRs to comply with. The chassis age determines the applicable ADRs.
However the problem with a chassis this old is getting a non rusted one and the running gear will be tired.

Running gear - 3.9 with auto and Disco Transfer case is your best bet as most plentiful. We run this (actually 3.5 we run) with reduction gears in the TC. These are the highest volume/most wrecked landrover out there making parts easy to come by.

In such a build remember all the small parts - bolts, seals, hoses, etc all cost. So getting a complete car that needs a new body (floor and firewall not rusted) can save a lot - lots of small amounts add up! You are literally doing a body swap then using all the other components - brake systems, cooling system, elect system, fuel system. Also means servicing is for the donor car model - everything from same model/year.

If you don't want to buy a kit (does anyone make these or import them to Aust - has to be a market for this or a ute version!) then you could look at using a series/defender body on a disco/RRC base. BIG issue here is getting a firewall (and to a lesser extent doors) that not rusted! I looked for ages at Counties and Defenders and Stage one's to find a good donor series body with no/little rust to repair.

We are currently building a Series 3 Stage one body on a 78 RRC chassis - we have used Nissan Diffs/axles as stronger (heaps bigger) and easy to get parts. We have a 3.5 with Auto and LT230 TC. The tub for the back will be shortened as the rear of the chassis is about 3-400 shorter than the original RRC length. Cab will be lengthened longer than standard Defender cab so have room behind the seats). All Disco Ser 1/Rangie (late 80's) parts fit this set up (we are using a mix from wrecked vehicles).

Remember the hardest bit to change is the chassis - so this part has to be sound - rest can be replaced.

Ideally you would want to find a donor with all the bits running wise you want - lockers, tyres, reduction gears etc. The more it comes with the less you have to buy and add on. A slow roll repairable wreck might be the go.
Good luck
Skiboy

[Barefoot Dave]

Skiboy, Thanks.
You are confirming most of my thoughts.
Thanks for the comp/ build experiences. That should save someone some dramas in the future.
cheers, Dave.

[Skiboy]

Dave - No Prob

Here is a pic of our Rangie Ute from the side - it was a 4 door 1989 Rangie 100" chassis - currently unmodified chassis - all Transport Dept plated.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/06/329.jpg

The issue with a Disco/Rangie chassis (they are the same) is that the rear section scoops down after the spring hanger. This makes for a bad departure angle in comps. We have already had to dump the long range tank as dented it badly. Even a standard tank catches the odd dent.

The Defender/Series Chassis is different in that it does not drop as much after the rear spring hanger.

For our ute what really need to do at very least is cut rear 3-400 mm of chassis off, shift tank up under tray/above A frame. In our other project the chassis is cut so better exit angle.

My suggestion to anyone looking at the chassis qu is to get an engineered chop then replace the chassis section aft of the Spring hangers with a section horizontal to the ground - if getting this engineered I would have a tow mount built into the final product at the same time. The only issues is that your fuel tank will no longer fit as the space between the rear of the chassis and springs will be too small.

Using standard aftermarket Rangie/Disco side tanks (under driver and passenger between chassis rail and side of car) is about your only option unless want the tank (a) in rear of ute/tub or (b) get a special smaller tank made for final cavity.

Hope that helps anyone looking at this issue.
Skiboy