Coutesy of Dean Jeffries and James Hale, Author of The Dunebuggy Handbook
Over the last few years a lot of exotic machinery has rolled out of
the doors of Dean Jeffries' automotive styling shop in Hollywood, California.
Over the past year a good part of Jeffries' creative energies have been
channeled into the development of a dune buggy. Jeffries introduced
his Kyote fiberglass body in August of 1968 and since that time has been
involved in developing a Kyote racer. Since the Kyote racer first
rolled off the trailer at the Mexican 1000 it has been continually
and redesigned in an attempt to come up with the best combination.
That first effort ended before the race started when the rear broke after
an encounter with a 30 foot embankment in its first trial runs before the
race. The result of the encounter was a redesigning of the
rear suspension and a little more experience added to Jeffries' stockpile.
Coutesy of Dean Jeffries and James
Hale, Author of The Dunebuggy Handbook
Since the beginning, the Kyote racer has undergone continual
change. One of the first things to be altered was the buggy's foundation.
It started off as a 1966 VW station wagen floor pan that was shortened
to an 80 inch wheel base. The standard floor pan was cut away and
replaced with chrome moly outer rails and an aluminum floor pan.
A complete roll cage, constructed of 1 1/2 inch outside diameter 1/8 inch
wall chrome moly tubing, was designed to be a complete unit with the chassis.
The suspension of the Kyote racer is basically VW. The
front end suspension is based on a 1964 unit. New shock towers were
built for the modified Monroe shock absorbers. The standard rubber
mounts, on the shocks, were replaced with stainless
steel heim joints, top and bottom. Front end travel was also increased
to handle the demands of off road racing. In addition, many of the
steering components were built or reinforced with chrome molly tubing.
At the heart of every race car is an engine. In the case
of the Jeffries Kyote the engine is a 1969 1600 cc Volkswagen that was
built by Dennis Wiliams of Hollywood. The engine has all of the usual
internal goodies that you would expect to find in a racing engine.
The intake and exhaust systems were both built by Joe Miller of Los Angeles.
Big valves are opened by a Crower high lift cam, and closed by heavy duty
valve springs. Elaborate filtration systems are provided for both
the engine oil and air. As is the case with most off road engines,
a good deal of effort had to be expended on features that would insure
the greatest dependability under race conditions. The Kyote's transaxle
is from a 1966 VW station wagen. The station wagen unit was selected
for its added strength and wider track.
The electrical system is quite elaborate and includes, in most
cases, both a primary and a back-up system. Two heavy duty high capacity
batteries are mounted in rubber in the Kyote. With plug-in connections,
the batteries can be switched very quickly should one fail. In addition
to the batteries, dual voltage regulators are provided. Dependable
knife switches are used throughout the car to turn things on and off.
Special pains were taken with the wiring. Every connection is soldered
then covered with a rubber insulator.
Fuel for the Kyote's engine is carried in a 15 gallon
tank made of a special Teflon by Solar Plastics. The tank has foam
baffling to keep the fuel in one place during off-road competition.
The fuel cap has a special check valve to insure ventilation and prevent
dirt from entering the tank. It is also designed to prevent fuel
from spilling out if the Kyote should find itself on its head in the course
of competition.
The action gets to the ground on 8-ply Poly-Glass Goodyear tires.
The tires are mounted on Cragar 15 inch wheels. The front wheels
are 4 1/2 inches wide and the rear wheels measure 8 inches across.
The wheels are built with safety beads to prevent the tires for parting
company with the wheel. The Kyote runs 8 pounds of pressure in the
tires. Safety inner liners are used on all four wheels. The inner
liners are normally inflated to between 40 and 50 pounds of pressure.
Good lighting is essential on a long distance off-road machine.
The Kyote has two pairs of lights. The lower headlights are Marshall
high power twin beam road lights. They flood the roadside with light
as well as the path ahead. The upper lights are Raydyot Quartz-Iodine
units. These are extremely high powered units that are almost essential
for high speed off road night driving.
The windshield of the Kyote is an interesting departure.
It is built of a cellulose acetate material. This material is strong,
yet will bend and twist without breaking. The windshield is designed
so that it can be raised and lowered while the car is running. The
windshield is spring loaded to stay down and can be raised and lowered
with a lever if it is needed during a race.
Long distance off road racing requires not only that the car
is designed to withstand punishment to last the distance but that the driver
be made as comfortable as possible so that he can last the distance.
Part of the program aimed in this direction are the special bucket seats
made for the Kyote by Foyega of Burbank, California. These seats
are designed for comfort, with 10 inches of foam padding built in.
As long as we're still looking in on the interior we might note the turning
brakes that allow better maneuvering in the back country. The foot
pedals for the clutch and brakes have also been shortened for quicker action,
and reinforced to prevent them from bending or breaking when they are needed
the most.
The body, on the Kyote, is built of a special resin and fiberglass
and designed for strength and lightness. The total weight of the
competition body is 40 pounds. As you might expect of an automobile
from Jeffries, the Kyote racer is built with eye appeal in mind as well
as performance. The many hours invested in the project to say nothing
of the money have produced a car that Jeffries can be proud of. The
story doesn't end here, however. Many of the lessons learned in the
process of building the first Kyote racer are already being applied in
the construction of a second race car for the Jeffries stable, the Kyote
II. The Kyote II will be a super light racer to compete in the shorter,
faster off road races that are starting to become such a popular part of
the off road racing scene. And so the story goes, the development
process starts anew, but then that's what the story is all about.
Maybe that's what makes off road racing where it's at.
submitted by Kyoteboy