School Mini Baja Car

[90firstgen]

Whats up all? I'm in the mini baja club at my school and every year we build a car from scratch and take it to a national competition sponsored by SAE. I'm presently the Vice President and I felt like bragging Here's some pics of the car since I had it out today for a good washing! Let me know what you think! Thanks
Dan

[92 D/UNIT]

Looks nice and nice work, im sure your in a certain engine class but i would probably stick a 500cc engine in it just for gits and shiggles.

[PToombs]

That's a car? Looks more like a Yerf Dog! Looks like a really good build though. What's that a diff or a drop box?

[90firstgen]

Thanks guys! Its a gearbox/differential. Only one speed of course unless we get different gears cut for it. Can't remember the final drive ratio. This is actually last years car. We're going to modify it this year and not compete. Changes we're going to make include getting rid of that extremely heavy gearbox and going with a harley davidson 6-speed tranny instead. Going to lighten up the car a lot and give us rock crawling gears along with high speed.

The engine class i believe is called super low horsepower Briggs & Stratton donates a 10 horse motor to each school that's competing. So that and a 2 foot thick rule book limits a lot of things. For example.. can't touch the engine at all basically. You're allowed to relocate the air intake and relocate the exhaust outlet. Anyway.. Thanks for looking guys. I'll tell all of my mechanical engineering buddies that the first gen crowd approves!

[90firstgen]

PS... What the hell is a yerf dog? lol

[PToombs]

A Yerf Dog is a go kart you buy at Tractor Supply and BJ's Wholesale, about $7-800. Looks almost like that.

[RumbleFish]

Looks almost like that.

minus the quality

[PToombs]

Yeah, but they're still fun. http://www.yerf-dog.com/main_gokart.html

[unclemarc]

If you were to stick a honda cr500 2 stroke in there you'd set a new land speed record. marc

[90firstgen]

haha yeah that'd be fun to say the least. I wish we could have a higher horse engine. 10 horsepower is extremely limiting. Even 15 would be a HUGE upgrade. 25 would be nice though. Next year, the car will probably be my new toy since we don't use them after they're built and raced in the competition. Man I can imagine a honda 4cyl on one of these. Time for some paddles after that and off to the dunes! Woohoo!

[sdstriper]

If you were to stick a honda cr500 2 stroke in there you'd set a new land speed record. marc

In High School Shop class we built something like what Marc suggested, it was about 1/10 as safe as this little buggy in the photos, likely not even that safe. It would go over 100mph, the shop teacher did the right thing and made us chop it up...

[unclemarc]

I see honda 3 wheelers that people stuff 500 2 strokes in in the cycle traders here every now and then.Those things have to be scary fast,I owned at one time a 1985 cr 500,evidently from what I was told that was the highest hp year for the bike, the powerband was like a light switch. After every ride I'd need a few minutes for the nerves to settle down. marc

[sdstriper]

We had bikes from a very young age, anytime I meet someone who doesn't understand the power of a two stroke I'm rolling my eyes inside. I have owned a few over the years that someone else over-bought...

A 500cc two stroke should only be sold to a licensed pro IMHO. I have visited people in the hospital who were not, KX500 and YZ490 maybe 480 I forget... Hell I have visited people in the e-room straight off 125's and 250's! All race bikes with dummies who had no respect because they thought they were small displacement-wise...

[unclemarc]

I hear ya,I was just trying to hang on to my youth at the time,I also grew up riding and know what your saying I can handle the big bores because I know my limitations but alot of people don't.With my kids coming of age to ride it's time to drop down in cc's and enjoy teaching and riding with them. marc