Thread: Whats the best Chassis for a project vehicle?

thats a very good point that rangier rover pointed out about the 100" being caught out on some tracks 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 ) place to spend most of the designing on now that we have istablished that land rover chassis are the way to go (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 ) expensive yes!!! but looks to be very capable machines......

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

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 but i dont know about the road legal part

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
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.

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

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.