HI Turtle

Hey Pete...you need to check out the June 2008 Sand Addiction Magazine. Compared Drakart, King Sand Cars, Tom Pro, and TazCar. The TazCar was running an ecotec.

Waiting to see the Sinister buggy out in the dunes.

Ryan....Great to hear you got it tuned and running better. Spooner...good to see your posts. V-Rex is a beast. Hope to see you and Thomas out at Dumont again.

Wow...late night for you and Chris. Hope you made it back ok. Get that intake fixed and I'll see you out soon....can't wait.

Sounds like you had a great time. Tried looking for you. Maybe next time.

I'm planning to be there Saturday. Where you camping at? I'll go on some runs with you.

I'll be out the same weekend as you. Look for me and we can hook up for a ride. I also might be out for the weekend of the 10th. Anyone other buggies going out?

What kind of buggy are you looking at? That will determine what kind of auto trans you need to look at. With a traditional buggy, you'll be looking at a torque converter to replace the clutch on a transaxle like a Fortin or an Albins. The torque converter on a transaxle setup would be ideal for higher hp so you don't have to worry about the reliability of a clutch. The only problem is that the price is steep. Fortin wide 4sp w/ torque converter will run you around 21K. I don't think Albins has come out with their torque converter yet. The torque converter will "cushion" some of the shock loads and help with the longevity of the transaxle too. If you're looking at a transaxle setup, then something like this would work. If you're going the turbo 400 auto, then the buggy configuration will be more unique...front engine(V8rail, truggy type) or a midengine like barneycar's setup. Also the wheel base of the midengine setup will need to be taken into consideration....length of the trans and rearend going to be longer than transaxle. There's not too many builders that utilize a turbo 350/400 setup for sand buggies so finding one would be more of a challenge. No matter what, you need to run a HUGE trans cooler. Your auto trans will run hot. I'm running a V8rail..front engine buggy. I like running an auto....turbo 400 manual valve body with LSx engine. Can upshift and downshift maually. Really easy to drive. Running a low stall so has engine braking and good response. No issues with trans...very reliable.

That's looking great! Nothing else like it. :wedgie: Hope to meet up and go on runs again. Who built your engine? What rim/tire combo are you going to run? Congrats...looks like you're duning this season.

Looks like it's going to be a great season. I'm sure I'll see you out there....we can meet up for a ride.

Sweet. Let me know when you're going out. So what's the scoop on the new rearend?

I'm planning on it. I'll look for your camp. I usually camp buy the "telephone hill".

Next time average 30mph instead of 65mph!

I'll probably be out. Only have my quad to cruise around on. Where you guys normally camp? I'll be in a grey Santek toyhauler...usually to the right before the first finger by cell phone hill area.

Cool...so it's ribbed for your pleasure?...got it.

:headbang: That's not supposed to do that.

Was that you driving? Can you shed some light on what happened?

Nice video. :headbang:

IMHO, comp hill gets way too crowded to run the speeds people go. Then throw in a buggy that goes wheeling across it and you got nothing but an accident waiting to happen. :headbang:

What front tire are you running in the sand? Was wondering if going to a soft terrain front tire would make a noticable difference.

Sounds like a great time. Now get to fixing up your bike so you can do it again next weekend. :headbang:

Dunefreak...what made you go with Short Sand Car? Did you look at other mini-rails?

Dumont is nice after a little wind ...just watch the razors. :headbang:

Some guys are just idiots. :headbang: No respect for the dunes. Thanks for cleaning up someones elses mess.

Check out duneguide.com for all the buggy links.