|
 |
The first step in looking after your buggy is
keeping it clean. We’ve all seen buggies turning up to race days covered
in dirt and in the same condition as they left the track on the previous
occasion.
As the former Scrutineer for TORC, I can tell you
now, if a buggy and the driver’s race gear was presented to me at
scrutineering, all covered in dirt, I’d tell the driver to put it all
back on the trailer!
Apart from the fact it’s just plain unprofessional to present a machine
in that condition, it also makes the scrutineer’s job virtually
impossible to visually inspect the buggy and ascertain any faults or
damage.
Even in the dryer months, the buggies will collect
a lot of muck, as the tracks will still have puddles from regular
watering. The trip home on the back of an open trailer can dry the mud
to a concrete-like state, which necessitates prolonged soaking before it
will soften enough to be easily removable.
A quick pre-wash before leaving the track is a must if you want to avoid
hours of soaking and scraping with a stick once you reach home.
Unfortunately, not many tracks have piped water or water storage
facilities for the purpose of hosing down buggies. Therefore, a water
storage container should be a feature on your trailer.
I decided to bring my own water supply, hose and
pistol grip nozzle to race meetings. I built a simple cradle that sat
across the “V” of the trailer’s draw bar, with a chain and padlock with
which I could secure the washer.
I “borrowed” a nice shiny new stainless steel beer keg from around the
back of a local bar, and I really do mean borrowed, honest….they can ask
for it back anytime.
Here’s how to convert the beer keg into a powerful
“Beer Washer”.
Push down on the central ball valve in the top of
the keg (hold your head to one side out of harms way), to relieve any
residual pressure and beer dregs. Attack the valve bung with a cutting disc mounted in
an angle grinder.
Once the bung has been cut off and carefully tidied up, hose out the
interior of the keg several times to remove any traces of beer and
grinding dross.
Next,
turn a new bung from some Ø75mm stainless bar stock. The bung requires
a 2mm spigot to protrude into the hole in the top of the keg, and should
be about 50mm long overall. Drill a Ø19mm hole through the centre of the
bung, and tap it 1/2" BSP. Machine a 15mm bevel around its top edge, and
drill two holes through the bevel into the centre bore, one
being 8.8mm, and the other 11.8mm. These
opposing holes need to be tapped 1/8" BSP and 1/4" BSP respectively.
Measure the height of the inside of the keg, and
cut a suitable piece of 12mm copper or stainless tube, and braze it
into the hole in
the bottom of the bung. Insert the tube and
bung into the hole in the
keg, and see if the spigot on the bung will seat properly. If the tube
is too long, cut enough off the end to allow the bung to seat. The tube
should be just above the bottom of the keg. When it fits OK, remove the
tube and bung, and cut the end of the tube at an angle to provide a
large mouth on the tube’s end.
TIG weld the new bung into the hole in the keg and
allow it to cool down.
Screw
a 1/8" BSP tank valve into one of the small holes, and a 1/4" BSP 120 PSI safety valve into the second hole.
CAUTION!
A pressurised metal container can be a very
dangerous weapon. Check the stamping on your keg, as the
proof
rating may differ from country to country. Do not operate a “beer
washer” without a suitable safety valve fitted.
Screw a ½” BSP hex nipple into the main hole in the
bung, and fit a ½”
BSP full-bore ball valve onto the nipple.
Finally, attach a male garden hose snap connector
to the outlet of the ball valve.
The last components required for the washer are a length of good
non-kinking garden
hose, a trigger type gun, and a female snap connector for both ends of
the hose.
In practice, pull into the nearest service station
to the racetrack, and two thirds fill the keg with water using the hose
and snap connectors, attached to the station’s tap. Then close the ball
valve and attach the station's airline to the tank valve, and pressurise the keg
to around 8 bar (120 lb/in). If the safety valve
starts hissing, that's a good sign it works, and you've reached the
correct pressure!
To use the beer washer, hook one end of the hose up
to the snap connector on the ball valve and snap the trigger gun into
the connector on the other end of the hose. Throw the lever on the ball
valve to open, and then use the trigger gun as you would with a normal
garden hose.
There should be enough water and pressure to give the buggy a reasonable
wash. The final wash can be done at home with some truckwash.
Truckwash.
As you’ll have a certain amount of aluminium
components on your buggy, such as wheel rims, steering wheel, fuel tank,
etc, be careful not to purchase truck wash that contains corrosive or
caustic ingredients. Seriously, some do!
Truck wash can be bought in 5 litre and 25 litre
containers. It’s not expensive, and the 25 litre square plastic drums
are useful when empty.
It’s usually recommended to dilute the detergent in the region of 30
parts water to one part truckwash. I have a 16 litre garden herbicide
sprayer with a built-in pump, which I almost fill
to the line with water, and then
add 500ml of truckwash. The bottle requires a bit of a shake to fully
disperse and dilute the truckwash.
Before properly washing the buggy, the engine
breather and tank breather will need to be removed and their openings
corked. One of the dirt bike exhaust plugs is a good idea for the
...erm…exhaust.
Always give the buggy a wet-down with the hose first, to soften any
remaining hardened mud, and then walk around the buggy with the sprayer,
getting the foam spray into every nook and cranny. It doesn’t matter if
the truckwash dries before you complete spraying.
When everything has been liberally coated in
truckwash, the whole lot can be rinsed off with the hose. Very seldom
will you need to re-do an area.
With the strength of the sun here in Australia, the buggy usually dries
within about ten minutes, but if you live in the dank cold climes of
some Northern location, you might consider wiping the buggy down with a
couple of cloths.
Once the buggy’s dry, embark on a series of visual checks to ascertain
any damage or excessive wear.
Post Race
Inspection.
Item
|
Task
|
Procedure
|
|
Air filter |
Remove and inspect |
Wash and re-oil the foam/paper element as per
manufacturers instructions. |
|
Air supply |
Remove and inspect |
Replace filter element. Check hose condition and
connection(s) to helmet(s). |
|
Battery |
Remove from buggy |
Clean the terminals and inspect for damage. Place
on auto trickle charge. |
|
Brake and clutch fluid levels |
Visual inspection |
Top up if required. |
|
Brake and dust lights |
Operate and observe |
Replace light bulbs if blown. |
|
Brakes |
Inspect brake lines. Inspect brake pads |
Replace flexible lines if there’s any evidence of
crushing. Check whole system for leaks. Replace brake pads if worn or if
there’s any evidence of contamination. |
|
Breathers |
Remove and inspect |
Clean and re-oil the engine and fuel tank
breathers. |
|
Control cables |
Inspect for kinks and frayed ends |
Replace if there’s any sign of damage. Replace any
damaged or missing rubber bellows. |
|
Chassis |
Visual inspection |
Look for obvious damage and hairline cracks in the
paint, especially around welds. Any cracks found don’t necessarily mean
failure of a joint, but indicates some movement, perhaps from a shunt or
roll over. An eye should be kept on the area. |
|
Driveline |
Physical inspection |
Check tension and condition of chains and
sprockets. Lubricate chains with a wax product
or dry-film lube, never oil. Check CV
boots for damage and replace even if only cracked. Ensure CV boot clamps
are in place. |
|
Electrics |
Visual inspection |
Replace any damaged connectors, wiring, switches,
warning lights, and replace any broken or missing cable ties. |
|
Engine |
Service |
Service the engine as per the manufacturers
instructions, though oil and filter should be changed every 8-10 races. |
|
Engine/gearbox oil |
Check level |
Top up if necessary. |
|
Engine oil lines |
Visual inspection |
Check for any damage or leaks. |
|
Exhaust |
Physical inspection |
Ensure all joints are secure and sealed. |
|
Fasteners |
Physical inspection |
Replace any damaged fasteners. Check all fasteners’
torque values. Ensure all jam nuts are sufficiently tight. Don’t forget
the front hub nuts. |
|
Fuel system |
Visual inspection |
Check all hose clamps. Check for leaks.
Clean/replace fuel filter. |
|
Gear stick |
Physical inspection |
Check the pivot is lubricated, and there are no
tight spots. |
|
Harness(es) |
Visual inspection |
If any fraying or damage is detected, you must
replace the lot. |
|
Pedal box |
Visual inspection |
Ensure the pedal pivots are lubricated and not
over-tightened. |
|
Rack |
Inspect for wear and loose fasteners |
If the boots are damaged, they should be replaced.
Re-tighten any loose fasteners. |
|
Radiator |
Visual inspection |
Carefully poke out any small stones trapped in the
fins, and if necessary, use a hose
to gently flush through from the rear. |
|
Rod ends |
Visual inspection |
Replace any
that show signs of distortion or
looseness. |
|
Shocks |
Physical inspection |
Check for correct operation, oil seepage, shaft
damage and spherical bearing wear. Ensure the spring perches aren’t
seized and spray lightly with Inox or WD40. |
|
Shock limiting straps |
Physical inspection |
Check the straps for fraying and
ensure they are limiting the shocks’ full
extension by at least 10mm. |
|
Steering |
Physical inspection |
Check integrity of all joints. Check bearings run
smoothly. Replace foam steering wheel grips if torn. |
|
Throttle return springs |
Visual inspection |
If weak or stretched, you must replace them. |
|
Throttle stop |
Physical inspection |
Check the throttle stop is halting the pedal’s
travel, and not the cable itself. |
|
Tyres |
Visual inspection |
If any cracks or holes are found, consider fitting
inner tubes, or replacing the tyres. |
|
Wheel bearings |
Physical inspection |
Grab the top of the tyre and shake in and out. If
any movement is detected, the hub nut may need to be tightened slightly.
Spin the wheel by hand to check bearings aren’t binding. |
Once all the
maintenance procedures have been carried out, a quick spray with a
lubricant/water-dispersant such as Inox
(or
WD40) is a good way to prevent rust forming on exposed steel surfaces.
Again, Inox is available in large 20 or 25 litre
drums, which often come with a
complimentary 1 litre spray bottle.
Spray the entire
buggy with Inox (keep it away from Teflon-lined rod ends, harnesses, seat
covers and brake pads), and then wipe off the surplus. |
|
