The Brumbyrunner Project

Post by **Captain Obvious** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:01 pm

Awesome!!!!!!

dibs · Post by **dibs** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:58 pm

choice pic from all .love the all wheels in air pic.

what dash you got in there m8

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:18 pm

It's a bitsa dibs. I wouldn't know where to start.
The good news is it's all being replaced with a custom waterproof alloy one so I can hose out the interior.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:02 pm

there is a good shot of the ute here if you scroll across a bit.

http://www.finkedesertrace.com.au/page- ... hotos.html

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:26 pm

I've seen that too. Looks real good in that light.

Brumby Boy · Post by **Brumby Boy** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:10 pm

Just spotted the ute on head to the hills on one HD, only just through all the dust behind those buggies but it was definitely the brumby... pity there was no more footage

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:54 pm

Here's some pics of the damage and repairs we sustained at the Finke.

Clean break on a 25 spline shaft.

Side-swiped by a buggy

Engine crossmember. Tig welds show where the hole for the steering rack started cracking.

Underneath engine crossmember. We welded both sides of all the cracks where possible and some makeshift reinforcing.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:02 pm

The infamous radius rod. Was double thickness 20mm rod (std one is single 20mm). Shown here with an extra piece of 40mm Falcon swaybar that Nathen welded onto it after we heated it up in a campfire to get it straight.

One lower control arm thats seen better days.

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:24 pm

Did you get any pics of the fuel tank before you sent it off?

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:12 pm

Do you think the Goodyear muddies are to blame for the shaft breakage?

Maybe you need to find some less aggressive tyres for dry conditions. It's a real shame you can't get those rally tyres anymore

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:33 pm

Outback bloke wrote:Did you get any pics of the fuel tank before you sent it off?

No, but there wasn't much to see. It looked like someone had smacked it with the corner of a cold chisel.

vincentvega wrote:Do you think the Goodyear muddies are to blame for the shaft breakage?

Maybe you need to find some less aggressive tyres for dry conditions. It's a real shame you can't get those rally tyres anymore

Maybe Dane, hard to know. Could have just been a weak shaft. If it happens again I'll do something about it. I doubt I'd break an Albins axleshaft.
With the different format at Gundy I'm happier to run the old rally tyres knowing I can get more spares.

The bar has risen and the current std for rally-raid or cross-country rally is a 32" tyre of which there is a good selection. I don't think my running gear or drivetrain would stand up to that in it's current shape. I need to get the 6 speed and porshe CVs happening first.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:06 pm

Wow that's some hefty damage! Dispite the cost and inconvinience I guess it must be good to learn where the weak points are. Do you have any upgrades in mind for preventing these breakages in the future or are you happy with the weak points where they are rather than transferring them elsewhere (like to the body itself).

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:25 pm

The weak point seems to be the radius rod bending. I'm going to strengthen them some more but the design needs to be changed to a conventional lower control arm with two bushes on the same plane, similar to a Liberty but less inclined to fold up.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:36 pm

tube frame engine crossmember + tube frame lower control arm will sort it

The front end is way too 'MY' for the shit this thing has to put up with

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:44 pm

roger that

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:46 pm

I really think that shaft breakage is just some thing that will come with racing. Even the bigger budget race cars are breaking shafts. I would say using a better quality one is going to eliminate some of the breakage which is good for finishing races. What is bad though is the extra strain is obviously being put some where.

I feel that the shaft didn't break from a HP or traction thing but it was fatigued when the radius rod was pushed right back. With the travel you have and the wheel being further back the shaft would have been beyong it's workable limit.

Surely the BFG's, or a mud pattern tyre, is better than the closed rally tyres. Look at all the world class rally teams for example, when they are running first on the track they use a more aggressive tread. When the the track has been swept by front runners they will use less aggressive tyres.

Put this in to offroad racing and the front runners actually get the swept track. It is the poor bloke running down the back of the pack that is getting the chewed up track.

Maybe the compound of your tyres is not quite right but I feel the tread is.

Sure it is burnt to the ground but you don't get to be a front runner if you use the wrong tyres. They aren't even the drive wheels.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:02 pm

Speaking of extra strain on things, the drivers side ball joint has play in it again whereas the pass side one is still okay. This was a genuine new one we put in after Prologue so it's done 480km.

As far as tyres go, I reckon the MTR is a good compromise between a mud-terrain and an all-terrain. They are nice and soft and bag out well for a 10 ply tyre. The obsolete Bridestone rally tyres handle better though. I'm just worried about their age.

On another note, I spent some time under the car this evening, checking out the approach angle. What would be the chance of relocating the sump/oil pan with a dry sump? Then build a new exhaust crossover pipe that runs directly between the exhaust ports.It would be a shorter path, running right through where the sump is now. That should allow a new bash-guard to tuck up an inch or two higher and move the front fold point back about 4 or 5". Whatcha reckon?

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:11 am

It is a very vulnerable point there and I'm quite surprised it hasn't been damaged yet. I think it is a great idea. Remote resevoir in the back with a cooler and more volume. SOme custom stainles work again.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:46 am

I only commented on the tyres because i have been doing a lot of reading / youtubing lately (getting the bug again with WRC in a few weeks!) and a lot of the big boys talk about running less aggressive tyres in the dry to ease the shock loading on the drive train.

Hopefully the shaft did just break because the joint was overextended when the front end took that hit. It seems a big coincidence that the shaft on that side broke..

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:11 am

Yeah, the shaft, the ball joint and the cross member all on the same side that the impact was.

I agree with the using as least aggressive tyre as possible too. I just think that where BR is running in the field at the moment he has to use the tyres that he has.

I have already told him there is nothing to hit when you are in the air so he has to stay airborne longer.