Prowler 3.0 Build - Class 19 Build

[Darryl89]

Well, it's finally coming together. I had to scrap what someone else had built on it and start over.
It has 216ft of 1.75X.095 4130 Chromemoly and some DOM. Stands 65 inches tall when at 13 inches ground clearance. Wheelbase will be stretched 5 inches rear and 1 inch front when the new J-Arms are installed (+5 each side). The fuel cell is just sitting on the old chassie bed mount right now, but will be 10 inches lower when installed. I have to finish the rear suspension shock mounts before I can cut out the rear shock towers and install the cell.
The driver's compartment is stretched a little to accomodate the lowered seating arangement. Width of the actual chassis is very close to OEM, in fact, I will be able to use the OEM Floor and dash. The frame was cut down to just the 2 main tubes and A-Arm mount tubes. Everything from there up is Chromemoly except for a few non-critical tubes. The door bars will go in once we get the chassis welded up further.
The new air cleaner system is going to be under the hood with a functional hood scoop. The Optima battery will be under the hood also. An alternator is being installed on the driveshaft. The front floor wall panels are interchangeable with lexan panels for rock crawling and KOH so that you can look through the front floor wall and see the tires. But for desert, sheetmetal will be in place.
Not to mention the engine and clutching work going on, it'll have a top speed upwards of 95mph. Suspension travel is over 15inches front and rear.
I want to give a HUGE PROPS and THANK YOU to Johnny and Eric from UTV INC. Their help was awesome. Eric took my design and converted it to computer layout, then the UTV Inc crew cut and bent the tubes quickly and with perfect accuracy.
You guys ROCK!!!
We are going to try and have the car ready for the Whiplash Snowflake race, then run the Fall AZ ShortCourse Series. Then next year will be a full BITD run as well as a run at the King Of The Hammers Race.
I'll keep everyone posted as it goes..here are some photos showing the mockup of the seats and body panels. Door bars and lots of bracing still to be added, as is the custom built +5 J-Arm suspension.

[Darryl89]

Okay, finally got some progress going on the build...
Bionic Customs is a new sponsor for the car and they are designing a complete +5 J arm suspension which will lengthen the wheelbase by 6 inches total.
Nick from Bionic is doing much of the welding and fabbing up stuff. He came up to Farmington for several days to get most of it built.






More pics later after we get the seats mounted and the rear cabin bracing installed.
Then it's off to Phoenix to get the suspension built as well as the rest of the frame/chassis bracing and structure. Bionic Customs will also be handling the fabrication of the sheetmetal.

[Darryl89]

More pics...
Nick checking out the fit while I take a break...he works hard, kept me going...


Front superstructure in. Ready to have the suspension cut out and rebuilt...


Ed checking fenderside fit while Nick welds


Boxed frame sections


Tomorrow the car is headed to Phoenix to get the entire suspension rebuilt.... Should be ready to pick it up Labor Day weekend, may make it to Snowflake to show it off late Saturday...but not race ready yet...

[4Nines]

Wow awesome build bro! Looks like some top-notch building there

[Darryl89]

Wow awesome build bro! Looks like some top-notch building there

Thanks, I'm pretty impressed with Bionic Customs out of the Phoenix area and Nick Hatcher. He has worked for Walker Evans among others and really knows his stuff.

[Darryl89]

Okay, not the best photo, from a cell phone.
The A-Arm with the star was the first build to test, the bottom with the round holes is what the finished ones will look like. Axle is spliced to make sure we have a proper length. Once we are sure it's right, then the dimensions are off to the axle shop.

A-Arms.jpg

[4Nines]

Damn those are beefy! I like all the attention to detail

[Darryl89]

Just talked with the suspension guy this morning, with the new upper A-arm redesign, we are up to 20.25inches wheel travel on the fronts and the rears will be able to have even more. The shocks are one thing that can limit the travel, so we are in discussion with King Shocks to have them build a coilpass shock for the car, that will allow the full 20inches of travel....
Yeah, beefy, for those big hits. Nick has a background with Walker Evans Racing, so alot of what he does is built for heavy duty off-road racing apps.
Thanks for the comments..


A Arm 20inch travel.jpg

Axle is spliced together for determining contact points and total length needed. Once we know the a-arms are right, we will order axles from Summers Bros.

[4Nines]

20'' of travel?! Wow that's killer. I thought I was doing good with 16 inches

[Darryl89]

20'' of travel?! Wow that's killer. I thought I was doing good with 16 inches

It's amazing what a chassis design program can do. A little movement of the diff here and there, a little adjustment of the A-arm design here and there, and voila. Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with Nick at Bionic Customs in Phoenix.