Scott in Bellingham Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Im thinking about maybe building a UTV based on a Subaru car,right now its just in the idea stage might not even happen, Ive built a 4 seater buggy for my daughter based on a 89 EA82 wagon , wheelbase shortened 20" not sure what car to start with on this one, im thinking the gen1 and gen2 Legacy with the EJ would be a good platform 1990-1998 as they are getting cheep and readily available, I tried doing this back in 2008 and never finished it, if I work this right I could make a kit and with my kit you could make your own UTV from a Subaru , one doner car or a mixture of stock Subaru parts and aftermarket parts, my own car would have an EJ 2.2, a Dual range transmission and 27-28" DOT tires with a towbar and be licensed as a car , so I could tow it on the road with the family Forester make it a 2 seater with a utility bed on the back, shortened 24", so 77" wheelbase my daughters buggy https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1694996424059252&l=d01767ee24 other inspiration http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc276/jonb8/Picture086.jpg more http://www.4wdonline.com/2000/PiCs37/Rhn-Humbug2.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 So would you do a tube frame kind of thing? I think that'd pretty sweet, maybe with the radiator under the utility bed to shorten up the front? I've wanted something like that for a while. Would make a cool street legal utv if done right :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 So would you do a tube frame kind of thing? I think that'd pretty sweet, maybe with the radiator under the utility bed to shorten up the front? I've wanted something like that for a while. Would make a cool street legal utv if done right :-) Yes frame and roll cage and body panels, maybe options at different stages , maybe a bolt together or weld up kit or a turnkey option if you deliver a car to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 I think you'd have a good market for that one, I know several guys here have talked about building one. Get a few in the woods and out on the sand I think it'd catch on, way cheaper then a rzr or the like. Make it so the gauge cluster and all the sensors plug and play no harness stripping. EFI 135hp+ utv, possibly street legal, with a heater. Sorry I've had a lot of different Subaru ideas kicking around in my head this is one of them. I just don't have to time or the talent to do it. One other idea I've had for something like this is to move the front wheels forward like ea82 control arms on ea81 crossmember, with the radiator in back and the wheels two inches further forward the front overhang wouldn't be to bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 However, the problem becomes a legal issue.The subaru is a car so its only allowed on "jeep" type trails.Where the smaller UTVs can fit on preexisting 53" wide trails. Alot of people buy the bigger side by sides only to find out they can't ride them anywhere because they are close to 60" wide.A park ranger will ticket a UTV if its on a trail designated for 53" or less.They will throw the book at you for a car based buggy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 well for me I would be looking at it as a poor mans rzr 1000 which has similar to dimensions to what Scott would be making. Good for sand,logging roads, jeep trails, etc. with short wheelbase high ground clearance and a utility bed would make a great hunting rig/camp rig, or would be a blast in the dunes or embarrassing jeeps in the woods :-) not so much to explore the atv trails kinda rig. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 well for me I would be looking at it as a poor mans rzr 1000 which has similar to dimensions to what Scott would be making. Good for sand,logging roads, jeep trails, etc. with short wheelbase high ground clearance and a utility bed would make a great hunting rig/camp rig, or would be a blast in the dunes or embarrassing jeeps in the woods :-) not so much to explore the atv trails kinda rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 well for me I would be looking at it as a poor mans rzr 1000 which has similar to dimensions to what Scott would be making. Good for sand,logging roads, jeep trails, etc. with short wheelbase high ground clearance and a utility bed would make a great hunting rig/camp rig, or would be a blast in the dunes or embarrassing jeeps in the woods :-) not so much to explore the atv trails kinda rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Somebody please delete two of those sorry about that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 many of the utvs are stock 64" wide and wider with custom rims and tires, a stock gen2 legacy is 67.5" wide , all the places I ride would be fine, the sand dunes, walker valley ORV on the Jeep trails, my own property, Ive had a lot of fun with my daughters buggy and its just a wore out EA82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 they even have DOT street legal tires for UTVs heres some 14 and 15" rims http://www.sidebysidesports.com/efxmotoclaw.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86hatchback Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 I hadn't seen those. That would make something like that float across the sand and snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 This is happening! I have a 98 legacy in the shop and am making jigs off it today, I picked up some steel today and will start on number one prototype this coming week ! After number one which I will keep for myself I'll make a few improvements to the design and go into building and selling complete kits, I'm personally excited about this project it's something that's been on my mind for 7+ years , my car will have 29" TSLs , a 88 3.9 dual range and a EJ22 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 todays progress , a little video https://www.facebook.com/scott.raper.946/videos/1836137423278484/?l=6712192552255522955 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Making progress, started on the bottom frame rails, here's the plan build 2 buggies first one will have the dual range second one will have the stock automatic, then take them both out and test drive them together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) todays pic https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1837054713186755&l=ac60990bad https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/22803_1837054713186755_108027565927853539_n.jpg?oh=eb207a916834638d7449d356b5635d34&oe=560DB76B Edited June 2, 2015 by Scott in Bellingham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoss5723 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Genuine curiosity here since I have no experience with this kind of work: Any reason not to relocated the radiator to somewhere safer? I Imagine this thing will be going pretty slowly most of the time offroad and will be cooling the rad with the fans far more than with air moving through there while travelling at speed. Seems like you could keep it from getting plugged with mud or smashed/punctured by putting it somewhere else, without any real sacrifice to cooling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 In the plans have a few options, one of the next ones will get a rad in the back behind the seat, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apintonut Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 (edited) I like it. Wish I would have started with square tube base and dropped the rails as urs is. Wish I would have known about the rino buggy before I started too. I jumped the gun and went into it blind on my build with less help from the form than I hoped for. Other than being told to just buy a sxs. I'm sure this is going to be a very killer build Edited June 23, 2015 by apintonut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 been 3 weeks, bottom rails all in now working on the mid rails, steering mount, brake mount, seat position Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 added some pictures here https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1850670758491817&l=f8ee8a3296 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utcoyotehunter Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Scott that thing is cute. Your power to weight should be wicked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoss5723 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Dang. What is the wheelbase on that thing? It looks much smaller than I imagined, and that is definitely a good thing. I am certainly going to be interested in a kit for one of these in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Dang. What is the wheelbase on that thing? It looks much smaller than I imagined, and that is definitely a good thing. I am certainly going to be interested in a kit for one of these in the future.stock-25" on the wheelbase, with a Auto trans you remove the front section of driveline which is 25" , so 103.5-25 , will be around 78 1/2 , Im running 77" WB on this https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1694996424059252&l=d01767ee24 buggy and it works great, I mostly am driving around in the woods up hills and in the mud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmoss5723 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 I'm betting the answer to this question will be that it is too early to say for sure, but I'll ask anyway. What is the projected cost for a kit assuming that the customer already has a donor car? Even ballpark pricing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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