Aluminators - A Pair Of High Flyin' Buggies From Alumni Craft

As seen iun Sand Sports Magazine July 2004
By Doug Dixon
Photos by Doug Dixon and Michael Sommer

Have You ever heard someone joke about a buggy having the "wrong" engine placement? Well, we have, and usually this light-hearted ribbing comes from a person who prefers a rear-engine buggy over a mid-engine buggy, or vice- versa. So, is there it right and wrong engine placement? Nope, either way is correct for its intended use, and what really matters is the owner's preference. That's why we chose to show you both sides of the coin, so to speak, and feature these two awesome long-travel buggies, a four-seater with rear- engine placement, and the other, a two-seat mid-engine car.

Alumni Craft Metal Works, of El Cajon, CA, is the company responsible for the creation of these two cars. Alumni Craft knows that not everyone wants the same exact buggy, so that's why they offer different styles to Suit each customer's needs. Alumi Craft's owner, John Cooley, has taken his many years of off-road racing experience and transferred it to building high-quality, sand cars. The two buggies we chose to feature here make a good comparison, because they both have identical long-travel suspension systems, yet there are many differences which make them unique.

Former Team Honda ATV racer, Steve Wright, of El Cajon, is the proud owner of the four-seater, which he chose for it's ability to handle aggressive dune driving, yet still haul four People in comfort. Poway, California's Chet Daniecki, is the other Proud owner, but he chose Alumni Craft's mid-engine two-seater for its' sporty look and feel, as well as for its offroad prowess. Another major difference between these two cars is the engine choice. While Steve opted for naturally aspirated Type 1 VW power, Chet went with Turbocharged Mazda rotary power. Both power plants are proven ways of providing reliable horsepower but, like the chassis layouts, owner preference was also the deciding factor in engine choice. As you can see from the action photos, both buggies are extremely capable dune machines. This brings us to Our main point - regardless of Your preference, be it two or four-seats, rear or mid-engine, you can have your cake and eat it too. Both cars make excellent all-around sand toys.

The chassis' of both cars are constructed from 1-in., and 1.5-in. chrome moly tubing, Due to the fact that a mid-mounted engine takes LIP nearly as much space its it back seat, the wheel bases are nearly identical- 120 inches for the four-seater, and 119 inches for the mid-engine chassis. As mentioned, both have identical suspension systerns, featuring 16 inches of progessive rate wheel travel on all four corners. Up front are chrome moly A-arm suspension systems, designed by John Cooley to be just as rugged as an off-road race Car's suspension. The A-arms use 5/8-in. chrome moly rod ends at the inner pivots, while the chrome moly spindles are connected to cup-mounted spherical bearings on the bottom, and rod ends on the top. Fox 2.0 coil-over shocks with a 10-in. Stroke, special valving, and dual-rate springs, are in charge of handling all the bumps and jumps. Steering duties are accomplished with SACO rack and pinion units, 6061 T-6 aluminum tie-rods, and chrome moly rod ends. The front end similarities stop there however. Differences include the lack of front brakes on Steve's car, while Chet's buggy features front CNC disc brakes for added stopping power during high-speed duning. Also, Steve's A-arms, shock springs, and hubs were painted purple by Rob Sherman Graphics, also of El Cajon, while Chet's A-arms received chrome plating by Quality Polishing in Escondido, California. The front wheels and tires also differ slightly. Steve's buggy uses 15x3.5-in. polished aluminum Bogart wheels with 7.00xl5-in. implement tires, while Chet's car has 15x3-in. polished aluminum CMS wheels with 7.6Ox15-in. implement tires.

The rear suspension on these cars is of the trailing arm style, utilizing Alumni Craft-built chrome moly arms, with one rod end, and one polymethane bushing per-side. FOX 2.0 coil-over shocks are found out back, as well, also with special valving and dual rate springs. Like the front, Steve's rear suspension is detailed in purple, while Chet's features chrome plating. The drivelines consist of Porsche 930 style CV joints with Fortin cages, Sway-A-way axles, and precision Alloy stub axles, while CNC disc brakcs are used to Put a halt to rear wheel spin. And speaking of rear wheels, Steve chose polished aluminum Bogart wheels (15x12-in.) and 13.00x15-in. S.T.U. Padla Trak tires. Chet went with 15x12-in. polished aluminum CMS wheels, which hold S.T.U. 13.00 Plus Padla Traks.

With such capable suspension systems on both cars, it stands to reason that both would have equally stout engine and transaxle combinations. Steve chose a VW Type 1 engine, built by Johnson's Bug Machine, in Santee, CA, that now displaces 2276cc. It features a Demello 82mm crankshaft, balanced VW rods, and 94mm Cima piston/cylinders with Total Seal rings. The cylinder heads are ported and polished 040 castings with Manley 40x35.5mm stainless steel valves. A Schneider camshaft, Bosch ignition, Weber 44 IDF carburetor, and a Tri-Mil exhaust round out the the reliable 150 horsepower engine. A Kennedy 1700lb. pressure plate and Kennedy clutch disc transfer power to the highly modified VW Type 2 transaxle. Merideola Racing, of Chula Vista, CA, built the tranny with all heavy duty internals, and fitted it with a 5.37:1 ring and pinion, 3.80:1 first, 2.06:1 second, 1.56:1 third, and a 1.14:1 fourth gear.

Chet, on the other hand, wanted a little more power, which also required in even stronaer transaxle. His choice was a Mazda I3B Rotary engine, built by Mech Tech, in Escondido. The engine received a streetport Job, and uses the stock throttle body with Bosch injectors, and match ported intake manifolds. Feeding massive amounts of air to the fuel injection is a Garrett T04 turbocharger, which works with a Turbonetics Mark 11 wastegate, and a Greddy electronic boost controller. The ignition is handled with a reworked Mazda distributor, with dual MSD 6A ignition boxes and twin MSD Blaster coils. On top of that, the entire system is controlled by a Haltech F-9 on-board computer. Keeping the engine at normal operating temperature is a Griffen aluminum radiator. And, a five inch diameter Super Trapp exhaust quiets down the exhaust pulses. All of this adds up to an impressive chassis dyno reading of 260 horsepower at the rear wheels. Getting the power to the tranny is the responsibility of a 228mm Kennedy Stage 11 pressure plate, and six-puck metallic clutch disc. Converting power to motion is Mendeola's top-of-the-line MD4S transaxle. It houses a 5.42:1 ring and pinion, 2.58:1 first, 1.87:1 second, 1.56:1 third, and 1.25:1 fourth gear. Both buggies come to life with Hi-Torque starters.

As with any buggy, it's the finishing touches that give a unique look. Alumni Craft gets credit for the trick aluminum work on both cars. The wild paint Job on Steve's chassis and side panels is the handiwork of Rob Sherman Graphics. Chet's chassis received the black powder coat at R.W. Little, in San Diego, CA, while the, pinstriping on the flames was done by Alex Olivera, of La Mesa, California. Both bugies feature Beard Super Seats, Deist harnesses, CNC pedal assemblies, and Auto Meter guages. Steve's driver controls include a LeCarra steering wheel and a JaMar shifter, While Chet uses a Momo competition steering wheel and a custom Alumi Craft shift selector that connected to a Mendeola mid-engine shifter. For night runs, Steve relics on four Lazer Star liohts, and Chet brightens the dunes with two PIAA off-road lights.

There you have it, two similar yet different sand cars, both ready to unlimited hours of off-road fun. Both are extremely capable buggies that look great, handle good, and have the power and suspension to tackle the toughest dunes with ease. Ask 100 people which one is belter, and you'd probably get a split right down the middle. That's because they both work perfect for their intended purpose. And We bet just about anyone would love to own either one.

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