MUSHROOM “GOAT”

The question of what to do body type: fiberglass or steel, almost did not stand. Of course, for durability the most appropriate would be fiberglass — it rust just, figuratively speaking, not the teeth. But such experience at me was not available, and the study was not time. But the craft and skills of a welder I’ve owned quite confident. So I chose the second option — to make the body metal.

 

The design of the car particularly philosophize did not — the car was not for ceremonial trips, and for trips around the valleys and hills, picking berries and mushrooms. I decided to stay in a form close if not for mass, then to the one that are made to order — replacing a canvas tent on a wooden cabin.

Base body was a frame made of rolled steel of various grades as I have had in stock and bought again. But I tried not too (assortment) to expand. So, all the posts and the upper lintel made of square 25 mm tube, lower cross — channel number 5, edging doors and openings — out of the corner of 25×25 mm, and the edging of the wings and wheel arches — from the corner of 35×35 mm. For covering the sides and doors, and roof construction used steel sheet 1.2 mm thick, but the floor lay all the way from 2 mm galvanized sheet. Of course, all this increased the weight of the car, but durability too.

 

 

The Author Is N. N. Gordeev with his car

 

Body — four-door. However, the location of doors as in modern cars (now they are called minivans): left — only the driver’s door, two passenger doors on the right (better for security). Another door — cargo — back. She also made double (Oise was hinged manhole cover).

 

Welding of the roll cage of some special difficulties were presented — only required careful alignment of the relative position of the parts of the frame, mostly perpendicularity and parallelism. Bending of pipes produced in a manual fixture. All bend radii were equal to 200 mm. With a shortage of tube lengths for individual parts welded them back to back, pre-stachiw 45-degree chamfer on their ends.

The sheets of the body liner was cut so that the joints must fall on a frame pipe (mid-thickness). Welding produced a point-like electrode with a diameter of 3 mm however, this turned out to be stout or too often placed point — in some places the metal sheets are all the same “led” (jarred) and had to align them further with putty.

 

The internal finish of the body carried out with sheets of laminated wood with one side of the hardboard (fibreboard). Bend the hardboard in places of transition of the boards in the roof proved to be difficult — material burst, but because these places were closed flat strip mounted at a 45° angle. Panels and strips fastened to the uprights and crosspieces of the roof with self-tapping screws.

 

 

The car “the Goat” with a body of Amateur-built, having a single driver’s left side door, two passenger — s right side and additional rear

 

 

Arm gear shift, handbrake and transfer case and locking center differential — the usual place like on the SUV UAZ-469

 

 

Front panel—self-made, but all the instruments on her staff, from UAZ-469. Steering wheel—from “Volga” GAZ-24

 

 

 

The equipment is mainly used from the old UAZ. Only the headlights replaced the reflectors — though they are not rusted, but became almost opaque. Glass, except windshield driver used from the passenger Windows of the bus and customized locally. They are capable of being opened, and therefore the roof ventilation hatch done. The floor covered with linoleum.

 

The Seating layout did not change, as the seats themselves. In the back (rear) of the body in the same way as in “UAZ”, mounted on the sides of the folding seats. Back seat, as we know, UAZ-469 — foldable.

I had to replace the steering wheel (just the regular cracked) — a set of “Volga” GAZ-24. The rest of the components and assemblies: engine, transmission, brake system and control system — just proivisional and fix what was necessary.

 

For anybody not a secret that the car UAZ-469 from the outset of its release, was nicknamed “the goat”* too “hard” suspension, even in the presence of two or three people in the cab the driver and passengers felt every bump in the road, not to mention the potholes on country roads. To somehow “soften” the suspension, the drivers carried in the trunk during winter bag with river sand (could come in handy on the ice), and in the summer a water bottle (and to wash, and the car will be washed).

 

 

The frame of the car body

 

 

 

 

It remains to weld a median longitudinal spacer, and the trunk is ready

 

 

The location of the seats in the cabin “Goat”

 

“Goat” — so nicknamed my car the owners of the garages in our cooperative gained weight hundred kilograms, compared to the production machine and the progress itself has become much softer. Subsequently, in a rear spring added on one sheet. The fact that the capacity of the machine — almost like a minivan to seven people and mushroom “hunting”, usually left in full kit and back and with “trophies”. The weight gain was forced to the rear axle, and then the additional sheet was not redundant.

 

Alteration of the machine began in 1995 and expected to complete it in a year (maximum, six). But this process lasted half, and the car was registered only in 1998. The documents in the special notes it says that the machine is manufactured in individual technical creativity.

 

Mushroom hunting often been successful, but had to stop because of the lack of space for the trophies inside the machine. And once in the garage cooperative in the container for scrap metal, he saw a discarded broken lid, universal trunk for a passenger car. Gathered all that was left of him, and a day off, welded the trunk for your “Goat”.

 

N. GORDEEV, Saransk