So WELDNGOD was kind enough to sell me his First Aluminum buggy pictured here. Great ride and built like a tank. Now it's time for me to add my personal touches to it. My priorities are economical and practical.


First thing, Wheels: It came with single standard barrows and the "knobby" pictured on the front. Axles are all 5/8" so "kite buggy" options might not be the easiest choices or I might even consider new axles. I'd be hard pressed to find anything that would "bolt right on" so exploring options here. 3Shot gifted me his ABS rims when he got his bling ones for the VTT Black Widow (Awesome work by the way. That is a good looking ride.) Found the Kenda Multirib 18x8.50-8 tires at Northern Tool for closeout cheap. Picked up a set of three. I have the 16x6.5-8 in case the fork is too small for the bigger tire. He did redo the front fork after the picture above was taken so there's more clearance and options. I still need to work out the axle and would prefer to be able to move wheels back and forth from my PL buggy. Maybe the 20mm to 15mm PL adapters and have them drilled out to 15.8125mm. Suggestions welcomed on this front.

Next, Seat: The web seat WELDNGOD made on the buggy was practical, functional and strong. I also want stylish and being a custom built ride, the standard PL Seat doesn't seem to be an option. I don't want to remove the webbing before I have a replacement because it looks to be a one way process. WELDNGOD suggested a race car window web but I want some padding and back support. I know a few folks here could produce something spectacular and I might just go that route eventually.

I have a lumbar cushion from an office chair that just might be the ticket for some added back support but I still need to address the main seat. I also need to decide on the theme for my ride so I can tailor the seat colors appropriately..

I like the original green but I'm starting to lean a few different directions.

-The Green Machine would be an option and still a frontrunner.
-Air Force theme with the an Air Force Blue and Grey color scheme and decals would be good for me.
-Yellow would also be an option for me since I am a clown and those primary colors just,,,,,fit
-Neon shock (Green, Yellow Orange... could be interesting and would stand out..way out)
-Yellow/Black Bumblebee just sounds coool
-Green/Black Venom or Green Hornet also come to mind. Could capitalize on the current Green. (could be an easy route here)
-All Black. Seems to be a trend these days but it really doesn't fit my style.
would entertain suggestions/ideas .

I would like to pay homage to the builder in some fashion on the buggy.

Not a serious pro sports fan so those color schemes have zero attraction to me. Any similarity would be merely coincidental.

And so it begins....

I'm a big fan of the green on it. I hadn't seen it until now, but I like the green/black idea IMO. Susan comes to mind on the seat. Did you see the picture of the last seat she posted? It was cool. Oh, by the way you could never go wrong with an Air Force theme.

The 5/8" axle holes in the fork could be enlarged to 3/4" or 20mm depending on which size bearings you get.

What is the method of attachment for the rear axle?

For the seat options; Van and Susan can make a seat. Also this is an expensive option: http://www.buggybags.co.uk/

Or consider the various size PL seats or the Flexifoil seat.

http://www.awindofchange.com/product/plbuggyseats.html

Solid black= :evil:
Green+black wheels+black seat=

20mm sounds good on the green buggy.

York Bolt just down the street has 20mm bolts in stock too.

Excited to see what you do with the little green monster

Van does great seats BTW

A black VTT seat with matching green stripes would be great too!

Green Yellow and Black Attack..

Quote: Originally posted by rtz

The 5/8" axle holes in the fork could be enlarged to 3/4" or 20mm depending on which size bearings you get. What is the method of attachment for the rear axle? For the seat options; Van and Susan can make a seat. Also this is an expensive option: http://www.buggybags.co.uk/ Or consider the various size PL seats or the Flexifoil seat. http://www.awindofchange.com/product/plbuggyseats.html

The Rear Axle(s) are basically spindles bolted through a reinforced flange on each side.

I'm currently very heavily considering the PL Axle Adapters for 20mm down to 15mm and just having them milled out to 15.875. Wouldn't need to change the axles, and everything would easily go back and forth.. May be a very practical path of least resistance..

SO I had canvas type material from an old beanbag chair and a coat liner that was a reasonable template to mock up a seat idea. Nothing is stitched yet. It's just pinned and taped. It's using the original web seat for support. This is by no means final but I wanted to explore at least one option..



The padded rest is an old lumbar support from an office chair. It has about 1 1/2" of vertical adjustment..It's way too low to be a neck rest but it does add a level of comfort in my opinion.

Looks good. You can stop by any sewing or sewing repair place and they will sew that right up for you for a low price.

I should be able to sew it once I finalize the plan. I've had a machine for years. Not sure about the yellow though.. May have to see which other materials I have handy..

Still planning on doing everything I can myself.

Still trying to find the axle solution though..

Riff, that's a stout buggy. Twice as heavy as the PL. I would recommend 20mm bolts over the 15mm for beach/field chuckholes. All you would need to do is keep the adaptors with you when you want to swap the rims around.

20mm bolts for the green machine
15mm bolts on the PL
Adaptors between the two

In the future you could also upgrade the rear axle of the PL to the 20mm size. Or, if you wanted a wider axle on the PL, that would be the time to do it.

Like the seat idea too
A black and desert tan buggy would be pretty sweet too. The buggy already has the "rugged tank" style lines to it.

My issue is, not too many places have Metric to English adapters. If I could find 5/8" bearings that would fit the PL wheels, I'd probably just switch the bearings and leave the 18x8.50-8 wheels on the big buggy. Otherwise, I'm still leaning towards the PL adapters and having a set milled to 15.785mm. As for weight, it's a lot lighter than you'd think.

I'd have to get a new fork for the 18's to go on the PL buggy anyway AND it would raise the CG on that quite a bit. I will end up getting a 20mm axle for the PL but it will probably be as part of one of Van's Rail Kits. It will end up with the 16x6.50-8's on it 99% of the time.

Scroll down here and browse over the bearing numbers if you're not familiar with them already: http://popeyethewelder.com/informational/buggy-wheels-and-be...

It turns out they do make a 6204 bearing with a 5/8" inner dimension.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6204-2RS-5-8-Double-Sealed-Bearing-5...

Be sure to check what size bearings are in your wheels first. Here is 6002 in a 5/8" ID if that is the size you have:

http://www.amazon.com/6002-5-8-2RS-Single-Ball-Bearing/dp/B0...

I'm sure they can be found cheaper; that was just the first search result.

Thanks for the info. I have resolved the axle issue. Found a top hat type flange that fits almost perfectly. They looks a lot like the PL ones and fits snugly on the axle and snugly in the bearing.

Wheels are switched out but now the back axle with the wheels will no longer fit under my truck cover.. Time for a receiver and hitch type carrier I guess.

Still outstanding is the color decision and seat.. Still no sewing done but I think I have my design like I want it once I decide on color..

After taking the rail pads off, it looks like I'll be disassembling everything, sanding, priming and painting everything. The old paint will not make a good basecoat.. OR I may just go with touchup and stay with green..

Once I finish a tacked mockup on the seat, I'll re-assemble and take a few pics..

So now for paint options: Since it's aluminum I have slightly different choices.. I'll probably farm out the work regardless of my choice.

Paint - Priming will be critical. Probably the easiest route. (and least expensive)
Powdercoat - Popular for Steel, Is it needed or even viable for Aluminum?
Anodize - Seems to be a front-runner on corrosion control as well as a good primer for->
Anodize & Paint - Find a friend good with an Airbrush, give them a palette, theme and freedom to enjoy..

Not sure of the expense or local availability of these options.. Anyone care to share some aluminum experiences?

Still trying to decide on color/theme..

Paint is okay; but it's delicate and not real durable. Powdercoat might run about $100-$150. Getting large items anodized isn't real common. I wouldn't bother with anodize + paint.

What about polished aluminum? Or look into Alodine: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/alodine1001.ph...

You can get alodine in clear and a couple other colors(gold and brown I think).

I'd vote just regular paint.

Van was telling me last time I talked to him that powder coat is actually more fragile than paint... It's mostly just for looking cool but isn't very durable at all... Probably not worth the expense.

I'm a fan of the rattle can... It's very inexpensive and can look very good if you take your time with it. There are a lot more options with spray paint these days too as far as finish goes. Easy to "repair" too.

I can't speak to anodizing or anything else as I'm not familiar with the process.

Quote: Originally posted by soliver

Van was telling me last time I talked to him that powder coat is actually more fragile than paint... It's mostly just for looking cool but isn't very durable at all... Probably not worth the expense. I'm a fan of the rattle can... It's very inexpensive and can look very good if you take your time with it. ...

My only concern for paint is properly priming and preparing the surface. It's said to be even more critical with aluminum.

So I have the seat portion of the buggy in the house while I'm working on a viable seat pattern/design. My Dog thinks it's comfortable enough to suffice for a nap. Couldn't resist taking a picture of it.. The red/black thing is his bed..

Hey riff. Just a quick thought. Have you considered one of those padded folding kayak seats? That would be another suggestion. BassPro has quite a few nice ones to choose from. You would need to fashion it to the buggy though. They come with attachment straps already to an extent. You might have to taylor it just a bit. Shouldn't be too difficult to mod a sling support for the seat to attach to.

As far as the paint goes, my VTT has a few dings in the paint already. Not much you can do with paint on a buggy other than touching it up here and there. It is going to get scuffed, bumped, and banged. I even have three coats clear satin on it. Only other option is a stainless buggy and that is $$$$$

So I think I've decided on a black seat. No matter what color scheme I go with for the buggy. Black won't clash..I also have the old beanbag chair canvas so the material is already on hand.. The padded interior or the seat is sized and sewn. I just need to do the cover for it and the support for the whole thing. I'll use the original seat as the support until i decide on the buggy color scheme.. Quick mockup. Center seam is stitched but nothing else yet.. Once I decide on a color. I may put a stripe of that color down the middle..

Looks good!

Updated pics. Still need to decide on the color.. Pic with PL shown for size comparison..

And some color mockups using the hue shift

Nice pics bro!!

I actually kinda like the Orange

It's kind of growing on me as well..

Hey Riff, where'd you get those tires and what are they?

Quote: Originally posted by soliver

Hey Riff, where'd you get those tires and what are they?

Quote: Originally posted by riffclown

.. Found the Kenda Multirib 18x8.50-8 tires at Northern Tool for closeout cheap. Picked up a set of three.

These are the one's I mentioned in the original post.
They are on Northern's site for more but a lot of stores are dropping the multirib so you might be able to find them locally