GasketCase's SEARS Swamper LT [2018 Build-Off Entry]

Just wanted to post real quick fellas . I should have done progress done tomorrow. We're still having torrential rain practically everyday.

@Crazy_Carl  I wish it was but its a light switch.  Funny that the original light switch was same design with the cardboard cover half that has the metal contacts adhered to it.  I have a stock push pull choke on my MTD LAWN MACHINE that I'm borrowing the twin opposed from.  I would like to incorporate pull push choke on to the Sears dash but I would have the empty slot from the original choke and throttle still on the control panel / dash .  Maybe install the lever but not hook anything up like no cable. And just leave it like a dummy lever for looks i guess. Or possibly find a use for it.  What y'all think?  Should I put push pull or just play it safe and use the stock one.  

@MightyRaze And @Crazy_Carl   I highly appreciate your constant interest and input/advice hope to hear more . Thanks guys.  

Also I have been thinking about gauge cluster placement. There's a few figurations I've somewhat tried to be neat and place them but y'all should get the point.

Gauges in the trans tunnel?  Pretty cool idea.  If the frame sits belong the tunnel you shouldn't get too much debris and mud on the backside of the gauges but you might get some.  I'd stick with the factory choke.  Exactly what gauges are you going to use(voltmeter, oil pressure, etc)?

@Crazy_Carl  I'll agree and leave it stock lever choke . And I have big heat shrink to make cluster boots. If I can remember my twin opposed ID to be a 422707 and I think isnt a pressure lube plus, it does lack an oil filter.  I have a 15 HP single OHV KOHLER that's pressure lubed w/ filter.  I've seen a pressure lube internals into a non pressure lube thread  or maybe a conversation on here about it. but I don't know if there was any updates.    

Also look at these , I realized the homemade jacked up steering knuckles I salvaged from the go kart. When I had the go kart still together with tires . The front had super crazy negative camber now that I remember. I searched through my scrap metal and found these 2 pieces just over a 1/4 inch thick.  Think I could cut those steering  points off and weld these on.  

Oh yeah, having gauges in the tunnel of the frame there is a super neat idea. Should look pretty slick.

I have SUNPRO voltage and oil pressure and a water temp gauges(For the water temp. possibly make a engine block temp or engine head temp.) and then a bunch of mower style amp gauges. And then I have a amps and oil pressure that are pro source gauges. It's sucks cause I'm going to have to mix and match. But I'm still deciding. Here's a photo

Once I put the voltmeter in my tractors I don't even pay attention to the ammeter anymore.  I'd just roll with that, an oil pressure gauage if you're using a pressure lube, and a temp gauge but tee it into the oil drain like @AllisKidD21 did to read oil temp.  Use the ammeter too if you have room for four gauges.  Maybe that will look better in the tunnel.

I know what you are saying about negative chamber but I couldn't make sense of the photos.

Cool Idea on the gauges... one thing to consider with them facing up is water collecting and getting inside. Not sure it those gauges are water proof or not.

@AllisKidD21 I agree,  I thought it would be a change up instead of always put them in the control panel/dash. Just gotta settle with a configuration.  Ill know when I put the body and seat on and see what would be the best options of ease.


@Crazy_Carl So I can potentially use the water temp gauge for oil temp?  May sound dumb but say the engine keeps dumping excessive fuel into the crankcase . Wouldn't the temperature of the liquid (in this case oil) rise ddue to the oil becoming super 0 weight lol?

Also Im going to use a seperate vacuum fuel pump for the twins 18HP . I've seen a few threads floating around saying the diapraghm to internal fuel pump on the carburetor starts to go bad I'm guessing? And causing it to dump excessive fuel into the oil without you realizing. Maybe that's why some people says the twin oppys got a bit of  drinking problem haha

So I ran out of the rusty rustoleum and I was forced to paint the frame black for now.

Also @Crazy_Carl here's maybe a better visual on the steering components. I cut the front axle out of the go kart a d put aside In case I went along with the hubs. I used a mic on the homemade spindle and it's 3/4. Im thinking of trying to slip the trailer hubs on the existing spindles on the Sears.

So what happened was.... I was my smaller pulley onto the transaxle and found it not to line up properly. So I flipped it. Easy right? You're exactly right. $h*! decided to hit the fan after I flipped it and proceeded to give it a few love taps with a 4 pound deadblow. Now now, I wasn't going nuts. Just a couple to seat it the rest of the way. Well now the transaxle in neutral will go about 3 ft forward and lock up. Then pushing it in backwards still in neutral does 3 ft then stops. I welded the differential and they are still intact. Seems like something is getting caught in a gear. Also I can pick any gear 1-3 as well as reverse. Same issue. I see another lovely transaxle teardown

While I'm tearing my hair out, I mean tearing a transaxle down. Here's some pics with body on frame

It's nice to see the rolling painted chasis.  I like the idea of a seperate fuel pump.  I like the black frame and the cut turfs on the front.

It is looking super nice.

Thanks fellas. @Crazy_Carl those cut turfs are howl riding on pavement. Every piece I cut I glued back on to make deeper grooves and more aggressive look . There were for my first build ever which Is my avatar.  That craftsman also where I got the 15 HP KOHLER press. Lube.   I've been using to move the sears around on those turfs and I swapped god junk stock Sears Front axle.  The one on there is from a craftsman 2 .   I've been contemplating if I should keep the cut turfs I like them.  But I used the wrong glue on. Don't get me wrong there on there but you ride on pavement with turns. And they will start popping off here and there.  

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UPDATE : I successfully  saved myself of what could of been Alot of wasted labor with the transaxle.  Somehow when I shifted the  transaxle must of selected 1 or 2 then somehow slipped out while still in gear and then selected 3 or reverse . Resulting the transaxle to be in 2 gears at one time.   So that could of been bad if I was going WOT on a trail or moving with enough inertia.  Transaxle would of definitely went boom.

Ok so I want to install my adjustable coilovers on the front end.  Yeah yeah,  I know what y'all are gonna say.  I remember my first beer. I remember day first but I always seem to have trouble remembering the last.  Anyways I got spindles and axle that work with eachother. I have 4 adjustable coil over. I would like to use 2 per front end sides basically dual shock tower setup   But wait Theres more! I want it to be IFS (independent front suspension) also by the weight and feel. The blue axle is made from pretty decent square tubing and can get a measure





So do I necessarily need to do a lower control setup ? I've seen other members and on Google but I see they salvaged the control arm assembly from atv's and I believe snow ski .

how should I go about building the shock tower itself?

Should it have many tower to frame contact points welded? Plus I want my hood accessible as well.

Ooo, IFS eh? Yeah I've also seen a few people use a double woshbine setup off an ATV, but with those struts and the knuckles you have, I would think a single wishbone setup (only the lower control arms) would be pretty good. Maybe you could fab up the control arms by hand? That'd be pretty neat, don't see it done very often.

@AllisKidD21 it's crazy that it's stumping on a build design and to be neat. I have a bunch of half inch tubing from the go kart to use for bones.

I have the rear coil overs too. They have 5x More threads on the adjuster barrel if needed. I don't want ride height to be bulldogged or $h!tt!n oops I'm sorry squatting is what I think they're calling hha. But I could use a good 2 inch in the rear so fenders dont hug the tires as close as they are. and then the front is my dilemma.

I just drew this up in a matter of minutes so it's not perfect. This is what I am coming up with lol
I don't know if be enough support strength for the upper portion. (the highlighter blue part)

Woops. Forgot pic. Lol .

GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY!

I have assembled the SEARS SWAMPER body, control panel and hood. What y'all think?

Looks great!

Looking good! Lovin the rear tires.

@MightyRaze @Crazy_Carl thanks . I have the same style tires for the front as well. I just have to wrestle the front ones that are on the tractor now to get the tubes out and into the others.

Today I am beginning to prep for the IFS . I'll try update as it goes if not I'll just post all of them at once at the end.

Looks pretty good on four wheels! I like those rounded rear tyres. You not keeping the cut turfs on the front?

@MatthewD I may or may not. Those were on my craftsman that is currently my profile pic. I used a multi tool from harbor freight and cut the blade narrower to get between hard spots. Then I glued the cut pieces onto the knes I didn't cut to get an even more aggressive look. But my funds were low and I used gorilla super glue and if you turn hard on pavement they pop off here .

But I do have the same exact tread style tires on the rear of the SEARS SWAMPER that are for the front. I just have to get the tubes out of the cut turfs . As of now, I can't decide which to use for front. Regardless, they would still have to be removed from mower rim and put on 4 lug rims that I have in garage to bolt on to the spindles .(I posted the spindles in using in previous post above) I'll figure it out after I'm done building the IFS front end. I'm in the middle of that right now.

Also ANYONE know if I should build the front axle to be wider than rear or make the front width match rear?

I'd make the front match the rear, but you may have to go wider to make the IFS work out right.

@Crazy_Carl haha you already knew why I was asking. Thanks for the input. I'm going try my best to keep it as close as I can to the rear width. Where can I find longer axle shafts or is there such thing?

I have a hydro from a craftsman and my peerless 900 6 speed (same 900 that I did the how to thread on here) I know the 900 is shorter but what about the hydro. If not what can I find longer axles in?

IDK about swapping longer axles into that 600.  I would put in some axle support bearings if you did that.  I doubt the axles would swap over from a different axle.  Guys usually do something like a Doc Locker and then they have a long solid axle to work with to get the rear track width right where they want it.