Need chassis width advice

[xtremexj]

Hi all. New guy to the forum from Canada here - go easy on me. Anyways, I figure this is probably a better forum for this question so I don't get all the BS on Pirate for asking certain questions. I recently made my 2nd trip to Moab with my XJ and although it worked really well, I am seeing that it has just too much body for wheeling places like BFE. I had the pleasure of meeting drtsqrl and the rest of the gang from Moab Friends for Wheeling through a friend of mine who met them last year. After seeing how well their Sami buggys worked, it started me thinking about building my first buggy. Anyhow, I am looking for some feedback on what your guys thoughts are on chassis widths. I am looking to start a new project that will be mostly buggy but wearing Jeep skins (similar look to Walker's latest rig) but can't decide on full 59" width or going down to 54". Anyone care to chime in?

Hopefully Jeff sees this so I can say thanks again to him, Susan, Jim, Gary Lee, Melissa, and Rick for showing us a great time on Behind the Rocks and Pritchett Canyon.

Here's a couple of shots from Green Day:

 

[I Lean]

Depending on your space needs, I like a buggy in the 50"-52" width.

 

[Kiel]

I'm happy with mine at 55

 

[xtremexj]

Depending on your space needs, I like a buggy in the 50"-52" width.

I think that narrow is a bit too small for my body. I've been in the gym for 25 years so I've got a fairly thick chest for my 5'10 height (46") so I don't think the wife would like my shoulder in her chin all the time.:greg: Thanks for the input though.

 

[cheepin]

I wheel a CJ boatsided.So I would vote for maybe 55 or so.

 

[Panos]

are we talking width at shoulder hight? mine that I am building is 42" inside to inside. and its a tight squeeze but I like it my two PRP seats that are 22" wide fit side by side perfect.

it has to do with a lot of things. what axles are you going to run, motor ,drive train ect..
a good starting point is to get your seats and drive train all staged out on the floor or on jack stands and just move it around and play with it. The fun thing about building a chassis is you can do whatever you want. good luck and welcome

 

[xtremexj]

are we talking width at shoulder hight? mine that I am building is 42" inside to inside. and its a tight squeeze but I like it my two PRP seats that are 22" wide fit side by side perfect.

it has to do with a lot of things. what axles are you going to run, motor ,drive train ect..
a good starting point is to get your seats and drive train all staged out on the floor or on jack stands and just move it around and play with it. The fun thing about building a chassis is you can do whatever you want. good luck and welcome

Thanks for the input and the welcome. Width wise I am talking about overall outside width. It will taper the same amount as CJ windshield frame which is about 4" narrower at the top from the bottom For drivetrain, I am considering pulling the Mog9s out of the XJ and running a 5.3L/4L60E combo.

 

[RockMonkey]

It really depends on your size. It needs to be wide enough to comfortably accommodate you and any other passengers you want to fit beside you. The comp buggy I built was well under 50". For a trail buggy for myself, I would probably build in the ~50" range.

If you and your passenger are both wide, you'll need wider than that.

 

[Anchor_Mtn]

I have ridden in some 50" chassis and they just feel a little to close for comfort. I would think something in the 53-55 range for a 'hardcore' trail chassis. 55-60" for a jeep feel chassis(roomy with storage)

 

[Panos]

its true , it just all depends on what kind of rig you want. Se i am kind of small and I am the only person that rides in my buggy until my girlfriend comes down to visit and then she rides. but she is small too, so it works for me. Your drivetrain sounds like a good start though.

 

[xtremexj]

It really depends on your size. It needs to be wide enough to comfortably accommodate you and any other passengers you want to fit beside you. The comp buggy I built was well under 50". For a trail buggy for myself, I would probably build in the ~50" range.

If you and your passenger are both wide, you'll need wider than that.

Luckily for me, the wife is fairly slight of build but 5'11" tall. See above posts for my specs. The 59" would be a lot less work - no hood, windshield frame, and cowl to narrow up. Hmm, more thinking for me I guess.

 

[ATOYA4U]

I have a chassis almost complete for sale. if your interested in something like that pm me for details

Chad Schoons old buggy!
http://www.rockymountainextreme.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=41665&d=1232740877

 

[xtremexj]

Thanks for the link ATOYA4U, but I really want to build one myself from scratch. I've spent 11 years evolving the XJ so it's about time to take things to the next level.

Another question for you guys, what seems to be the best height from the belly pan to the rockers? I am thinking that somewhere between 10-12" should give plenty of room for the t-case to sit completely flat in the chassis.

 

[Herzog]

My recent build is 55 or 56" wide, for reference.

 

[xtremexj]

Thanks Herzog. I just had a quick read through your build and it looks really good. I'll have to pay attention to it and see how it turns out.

 

[xtremexj]

Anyone else want to chime in? Care to share some other dimensions such as subframe height and frame rail width? As I posted before, I figure around 12" for subframe height should give close to a flat floor pan and about 30" wide between the frame rails should be enough for nearly any drivetrain combo. Opinions?

 

[Herzog]

My subframe was 12" before I chopped 3" out of it because I felt like it hung way too low. I brought the engine & trans up and back a little futher and ended up with a 9" belly pan (from bottom of floor tube to bottom of lowest tubes). It looks nice and low profile and I have pretty decent room.

I can measure my widths tomorrow.

 

[xtremexj]

My subframe was 12" before I chopped 3" out of it because I felt like it hung way too low. I brought the engine & trans up and back a little futher and ended up with a 9" belly pan (from bottom of floor tube to bottom of lowest tubes). It looks nice and low profile and I have pretty decent room.

I can measure my widths tomorrow.

Thanks! I do appreciate any info you might want to share.

 

[xtremexj]

Herzog, as well as the frame width measurement, how much tubing do you think you have in the chassis? I'm figuring 240-260'. Let me know how far off I am. Thanks.

 

[Herzog]

Herzog, as well as the frame width measurement, how much tubing do you think you have in the chassis? I'm figuring 240-260'. Let me know how far off I am. Thanks.

I completely spaced doing the measurements.

But you are right on for the amount of tubing. I have almost 240' into it so far and probably another 10' or so to go to finish off the smaller stuff.