ynot Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 In my opinion(biased) you can't go wrong with an alumicraft car. That being said I would look at how old the car is and how hard it's been run. Seems like from the post that it was driven and was a well known car at Glamis. I would hunt around for some feedback to how hard the car has been abused. I would also call John Cooley at Alumicraft and ask him for any info on the car. He is a nice guy and was very helpful when I called him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EY3BA11 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Dont get me wrong but i love alumicrafts... but with this car it was drove hard and drove fast... The driver was AMAZINGLY talented at driving in the dunes... That being said I would not hesitate to purchase this car... The handling the speed and the fact that the guy who owned this car originally was ANAL about his car and had to have everything be perfect... Just my 2 cents.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) I just got back from looking at it. It is a year 2000 car. I did speak with John at Alumacraft and he was very familiar with the car. It was just in to have the rear CV's serviced. Had only good things to say about it but I am not so sure.. The car started right up but a few things that I noticed were: The front wheels are trashed... Very bent. The front tires are cracking from age. So right out of the gate, it would need new front wheels and tires. The bead locks for the rear are not on the rims.. They are on a set of trashed rims. It does have new rear rims though and the rear paddles looked fine. The frame looked great with one exception. I noticed some cracks on the weld of the upper horizantal support that goes between the right and left front shock. There was a slight crack in the powder coat on one side at the weld and the other side looked as though the weld itself was cracked. I don't know how much of an issue this is???? That was a bit of a red flag though. Nothing however looked bent so it may have been just a stress crack but either way, it concerned me. The interior was very nicely done. It had turn brakes as well. The drivers seat was movable but the slide mechanism would not work. I am short and had trouble pushing the clutch all the way. We messed with the seat but could not get it free and it looked like if we could, the steering wheel may not have been in a good place with the seat further foward. I am not sure about this one.. The guy said he would take $35K but I think he would even go lower. The stupid thing is that he knows absolutely nothing about the car other than what he was told from the original owner. Thanks for the help and suggestions.. I think it is back to the drawing board for now.. What do you think? Edited May 9, 2006 by scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 Dont get me wrong but i love alumicrafts... but with this car it was drove hard and drove fast... The driver was AMAZINGLY talented at driving in the dunes... That being said I would not hesitate to purchase this car... The handling the speed and the fact that the guy who owned this car originally was ANAL about his car and had to have everything be perfect... Just my 2 cents.. Nick, Do you know the original owner or have you just seen it out in the dunes? I was thinking about trying to track him down to get more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) What about this one? I can get it with the trailer for $30K delivered from AZ to so cal.. .. 2005 Sand Limo Excel. Condition,Great Paint Of Dragon ,Tires Padla trak II,Shocks King Off Road,Engine Subaru 4 cam 16 Valve Turbo Engine Very Fast and Reliable,CNC Controls,Geneburg Shifter,Brekes 4 Way Disc, Gear One,Crow Enterprizes Belt,Wheel Bead Locks,Transmission 091 Bus With All Chromemoley Gears and Super Diff. This Sand Rail Buggy Has The Best Of Every Thing Very Nice Paint Sand Dragon ,Complet With Trailer. It is on ebay right now.. The auction id is: 4637415711 There are many more pics on ebay. Edited May 9, 2006 by scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvnalolife Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) What about this one? I can get it with the trailer for $30K delivered from AZ to so cal.. .. 2005 Sand Limo Excel. Condition,Great Paint Of Dragon ,Tires Padla trak II,Shocks King Off Road,Engine Subaru 4 cam 16 Valve Turbo Engine Very Fast and Reliable,CNC Controls,Geneburg Shifter,Brekes 4 Way Disc, Gear One,Crow Enterprizes Belt,Wheel Bead Locks,Transmission 091 Bus With All Chromemoley Gears and Super Diff. This Sand Rail Buggy Has The Best Of Every Thing Very Nice Paint Sand Dragon ,Complet With Trailer. It is on ebay right now.. The auction id is: 4637415711 There are many more pics on ebay. Looks good! I have the SOHC 2.5 Turboed Subie motor in mine. My father in law has the DOHC 2.0 Turboed Subie in his. Both of them are quick enough. They are lightweight and nimble. Don't expect to try and wheelie unless you have at least 400 horsepower and a Mendi tranny. My car is plenty fast to go on the fast rides and nimble enough to have fun in the dunes. Very reliable motors and only about 800-900 to replace the short block if you do happen to have issues ever. My father in law lost an air filter and sucked sand into the motor on his. He just replaced it for $900 from Outback for the block and it runs better than ever. Edited May 9, 2006 by lvnalolife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeDuner Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 What about this one? I can get it with the trailer for $30K delivered from AZ to so cal.. .. 2005 Sand Limo Excel. Condition,Great Paint Of Dragon ,Tires Padla trak II,Shocks King Off Road,Engine Subaru 4 cam 16 Valve Turbo Engine Very Fast and Reliable,CNC Controls,Geneburg Shifter,Brekes 4 Way Disc, Gear One,Crow Enterprizes Belt,Wheel Bead Locks,Transmission 091 Bus With All Chromemoley Gears and Super Diff. This Sand Rail Buggy Has The Best Of Every Thing Very Nice Paint Sand Dragon ,Complet With Trailer. It is on ebay right now.. The auction id is: 4637415711 There are many more pics on ebay. The way you want to drive it, I would stay away from a bus trans. It sounds like you want to drive it hard and the bus box probably fail........Did I mention mines for sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 (edited) The way you want to drive it, I would stay away from a bus trans. It sounds like you want to drive it hard and the bus box probably fail........Did I mention mines for sale I just spoke with Sand Limo and he said almost the same thing.. The motor in the purple car is only 280HP as it sits with max boost and I think 220 with minimum boost. If I wanted to upgrade it, the tranny, suspension and more would have do be redone. He mentioned bypass shocks which this car does not have.. I don't think I will be happy with this car. I definately want to jump and I definately want to wheelie.. Back to square 1.... How much power does your have? Tell me more about it because I am becoming more interested as it looks like I will end up spending more than I planned and I really like your car. I really do like the V8's though since I know what makes them tick and feel comfortable wrenching on them. Why dont people run carburated motors anymore? I spoke with one of my buddies who is the manager at one of the PAW's and he wanted to build me a blown donovan small block with a blower shop 200 roots Blower, Dart or Edlebrock heads with a holly 950 off road carb and a ton of other stuff for around 12K which led to to wonder if there was a good reason besides the off the shelf reliability of an LT1 or other Fuel Injected V8.. Edited May 10, 2006 by scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunefreak Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Why dont people run carburated motors anymore? I spoke with one of my buddies who is the manager at one of the PAW's and he wanted to build me a blown donovan small block with a blower shop 200 roots Blower, Dart or Edlebrock heads with a holly 950 off road carb and a ton of other stuff for around 12K which led to to wonder if there was a good reason besides the off the shelf reliability of an LT1 or other Fuel Injected V8.. no way! The biggest reason peple don't run carbs anymore is because the flooding effect you get when wheeling, climbing steep hills, and in the rough they tend to load up. Not to mention FI is way more reliable and can make better smoother power than a carb. I'd stay FI for sure, Scott. Just my .02 Also...shop around and drive some cars in the dunes before you take the pludge as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don29palms Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Also remember the more ponies you have the better transmission you have to have. Big horse/torque means 934 CVs, Mendeola S4 trans or better and bypass shocks. I would also recommend power steering and front brakes. If you want a bada$$ used car e-mail Glam-mom and ask her what she wants for hers. It sounds like she might be getting rid of "The Warden". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EY3BA11 Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Scott.. he is very infamous over on GlamisDunes.com All you have to do is go to the sandrail tech section and ask a question... Wasabi is a bad a$$ car and hauls the mail w/ no problems at all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Scott.. he is very infamous over on GlamisDunes.com All you have to do is go to the sandrail tech section and ask a question... Wasabi is a bad a$$ car and hauls the mail w/ no problems at all!! Your killing me!! You really think it is worth the $$? He said he would take $35K but it definately needs a new set of front wheels and tires and the beedlocks put on the rear. My only real concern was the stress cracks on the cross bar that goes between the left and right front shock towers. One of the cracks looked like it was the weld and judging from the front rims, it looks like it may have been caused by hard landings. The crack was not huge but I did notice it upon close inspection. It may not even be a big deal but it worried me. Other than that, the car was very nice. The only other thing I could see being an issue is the seat position. If I move the seat forward more so I can reach the peddles, the steering column may need to be shortened. I am going to post on Glamis dunes and try to find this guy to get more info.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Scott.. he is very infamous over on GlamisDunes.com All you have to do is go to the sandrail tech section and ask a question... Wasabi is a bad a$$ car and hauls the mail w/ no problems at all!! I think I tracked him down and Glamisdunes.com... He goes by the name Mikey. From my search, it looks like he sold it to his friend who is now selling it. I also read that he was not able to keep the tranny together for more than a season in the car... I would assume that may be his driving style, but from what I read in a post by him, he seemed discouraged. I PM'd him and asked to get in touch so hopefully I can and hopefully I can get an unbiased opinion from him since his buddy does not seem to know a thing about the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 I think I tracked him down and Glamisdunes.com... He goes by the name Mikey. From my search, it looks like he sold it to his friend who is now selling it. I also read that he was not able to keep the tranny together for more than a season in the car... I would assume that may be his driving style, but from what I read in a post by him, he seemed discouraged. I PM'd him and asked to get in touch so hopefully I can and hopefully I can get an unbiased opinion from him since his buddy does not seem to know a thing about the car. Personally cracks and un-fixed parts would scare me away! If he is not taking care of tires and wheels which are not all that expensive then what is he not fixing? Think I would pass, no run from that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EY3BA11 Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 I think I tracked him down and Glamisdunes.com... He goes by the name Mikey. From my search, it looks like he sold it to his friend who is now selling it. I also read that he was not able to keep the tranny together for more than a season in the car... I would assume that may be his driving style, but from what I read in a post by him, he seemed discouraged. I PM'd him and asked to get in touch so hopefully I can and hopefully I can get an unbiased opinion from him since his buddy does not seem to know a thing about the car. His driving style was what killed tranny's drove it like it was a 2 stroke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeDuner Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 (edited) How much power does your have? Tell me more about it because I am becoming more interested as it looks like I will end up spending more than I planned and I really like your car. I really do like the V8's though since I know what makes them tick and feel comfortable wrenching on them. Mine is about 400 with the 8 pound pulley and 425 with the 10 pounder. Mine whoops on the 400-500HP V-8's. Plus Sandcars Unlimited is a top 3 builder for sure. Oh, and it seems to fly pretty good, just ask around this site, some people have seem me launch it pretty good and it lands butter smooth. Edited May 10, 2006 by JoeDuner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBox_Kid Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 (edited) Mine is about 400 with the 8 pound pulley and 425 with the 10 pounder. Mine whoops on the 400-500HP V-8's. Plus Sandcars Unlimited is a top 3 builder for sure. Oh, and it seems to fly pretty good, just ask around this site, some people have seem me launch it pretty good and it lands butter smooth. I'll say so. I could have stood under the car when you flew that one time... ....and it was a smooooth landing. Too bad the cameras weren't out and ready...... Scott was there that weekend....he must have missed the jumping. Edited May 10, 2006 by cmyfirepole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don29palms Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 Personally cracks and un-fixed parts would scare me away! If he is not taking care of tires and wheels which are not all that expensive then what is he not fixing? Think I would pass, no run from that one. I would also agree with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 I found another one which I am waiting for some more info from the owner.. This one is a 2003, SANDWINDER LTX PRO 5 SEATER, Redline North star 385 hp, chrome pkg, Ron Davis radiator, mendeola 2d trans, gear 1 rack & penion steering, 4wheel bead locks, CNC pedals, cutting brakes, king 2.5 triple bypass shocks, $38,000.. The car looks clean but I have only seen this one picture.. Are Sandwider's any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvnalolife Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 (edited) I found another one which I am waiting for some more info from the owner.. This one is a 2003, SANDWINDER LTX PRO 5 SEATER, Redline North star 385 hp, chrome pkg, Ron Davis radiator, mendeola 2d trans, gear 1 rack & penion steering, 4wheel bead locks, CNC pedals, cutting brakes, king 2.5 triple bypass shocks, $38,000.. The car looks clean but I have only seen this one picture.. Are Sandwider's any good? Needs B-pillars. Especially if you are going to drive it hard. You WILL eventually end up on the roof at least once. I would definately recommend them. Unless you want to do this.... Before... After... Fixed...(Thanks to Sick Sand Travel and Ken's Colors) Edited May 10, 2006 by lvnalolife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunefreak Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 You WILL eventually end up on the roof at least once Not EVERYONE does that JJ!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Ouch... I was thinking about the lack of B pillers and was concerned about that.. Good point. On a side note, I did speak to the original owner of Wasabi who seemed like a really nice guy. He apparently is not very fond of the V8 cars due to that fact that most of them don't handle well.. I still like this car but I also have my concerns. I wish I knew more about these rails! The more I look, the more I realize that it may be very difficult to get somthing that I am going to be happy with for $35K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted May 10, 2006 Author Share Posted May 10, 2006 Needs B-pillars. Especially if you are going to drive it hard. You WILL eventually end up on the roof at least once. I would definately recommend them. Unless you want to do this.... Before... After... Fixed...(Thanks to Sick Sand Travel and Ken's Colors) How did you do that? Looking at the wing, it looks like you looped it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvnalolife Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 How did you do that? Looking at the wing, it looks like you looped it! Newbie mistake. Long story short, don't let off going downhill! The a$$ end slid around and the front tire caught and ended up going from the front left tire to the right rear catapult. The roof and wing were the only things damaged as well as my pride. Since then I have re-set the suspension to be about 6" lower which made it a whole lot stabler to dune. The previous owner had it cranked to the max. Lesson learned on my part. If it had hit harder, me and the kids probably would have got hurt! B pillars are definately a must, especially if you want to be jumping it. There is always a chance that it can end up on the roof like I did. Oh and Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeDuner Posted May 10, 2006 Share Posted May 10, 2006 JJ, is that frame chromoly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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