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Ok, for a little while now I've been planning to build a quad-bike for use around our property, helping with fences, dragging stuff around and generally having some fun. Why build one? Without money, can hardly buy one...

I wanted to make use of mainly Subaru pars, especially since we have a few laying around, and in the shed I had a Sherpa motor/box that wasn't doing much. So, coupling the Sherpa output shafts to a pair of rear MY diffs (one in front, one at the back), and using 13" wheels, the ratios should work out so I've got a "low range" settup with a top speed of maybe 40kph.

Fuel tank is a stripped out household pressure pump tank, seats will be vinyl wrapped padded steel, lights will be L series and other bits... The rear diff in the pics is not the one I'll be using (that's a Nissan Z-car diff). Once things are in place, there'll be a steel cover over the motor, and fenders on all wheels. The suspension and hubs are out of a Brumby with 300mm removed from the middle of the rear beam and a fabricated front member (300mm less than standard). Drives shafts will simply be cut and welded back together so they'll each be 150mm shorter.

Paint will be two tone black. Satin black over most of it, with gloss black flames and Subie logos.

haha, look forward to it!
Where exactly do you sit and facing which way..

Hey, how did you shorten the torsion bars?

lol that is simply awesome! just the kindof thing I love
So that Sherpa gearbox is a front wheel drive one, but sideways with it's outputs going to two subaru diffs, that's brilliant! I guess you are sure everything is going to turn the right direction?

Main seating position will be above the gearbox, facing towards the blue tank (being the front end). I've got a folding 2 person bench seat that'll go above the rear diff, giving a load bed when nobody's sitting there.

Not utilising the rear tortion bars Stuart, so I simply cut them back and left them in place, with nothing holding them in the middle. A pair of L series coil overs will hold the rear up (but with modified angle to compensate for lower weight). With the front end, I'm thinking of knocking up a couple of upper control arms and using more L series rear coil overs on that end.

Rotation? Umm, yeah, I did consider all that, and it all works out... Only issue I had was clearing the sump with the front diff, as the pinion shaft lined up with the front of the motor instead of going down the side to the gearbox output. I ended up deciding to just mount the front diff at an angle, skewed to one side to get around the sump, with the front DOJs dealing with the little bit of angle easily. With the half shafts being so short, sitting the diff to one side and having 1 long and 1 short shaft wasn't practical.

A W E S O M E ! ! !

Thats such a great idea. I always dreamt of doing something like that with my MY parts wagon, but figured i didnt have the facilities (or the skill) to build something like that.

Using the FWD diff as the centre diff is genius.

Be sure to keep us updated

good idea to use up left over parts.. I've always dreamt about making one, would have EA engine with automatic awd box, it would've worked out well.. But no need for me to make one..
Looking forward to finished project.
Cheers
AP

You've watched this youtube video too many times, haven't you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_mS_ucYCM


Awesome idea!

Hey just wondering, did you guys make any more progress on the Suby-Quad?

AndrewT wrote:Hey just wondering, did you guys make any more progress on the Suby-Quad?

yeah only read this thread yesterday to find its been bumped today lol. yeah i wanna see some more of it. is the steering with normal wheel?? or planning to use handle bars like a real quad??

I LOVE ATVSUBIS. Will build one in time. EA81,5speed. race?

Any progress on this ?

Good stuff.

Only issue will be using the sherpa diff as the centre diff, one wheel spinning will stop the whole show. If both the other diffs were lsd, you would get one end spinning and you would be stuck.


Id recommend stripping down the sherpa box and welding the diff up.

That project was canned some time ago. You are right about the sherpa diff though, and i was thinking what would be the best thing to do, but for me it doesn't matter anymore...

Hopefully someone else will build some ingenious contraptions with Subaru parts and amaze everyone...