Re: An introduction/hello and my project.
If you're set on using the diff and tracks from a 1200, I'd be curious how closely a 1200 chassis might align with the van, and whether you couldn't simply modify a 1200 (or other) chassis to hold that van body a lot cheaper and easier than starting from scratch?
To get the entire rear drive section, including the diff., axles and sprockets plus tracks, it may be cheaper to buy a complete "parts" cat that includes all of those parts in decent shape rather than to buy them separately.
I'm thinking blown engine, abandoned project cat, etc. Install your drive train. Fab up some sliding body mounts, and finish the details.
Unless it's just to enjoy the creative engineering process (hey, each to their own), there might be no big benefit to reinventing the snowcat wheel. Plus it's always more expensive to buy a vehicle part by part and assemble it. Now, if you just like to build stuff, I say go for it!
If you're set on using the diff and tracks from a 1200, I'd be curious how closely a 1200 chassis might align with the van, and whether you couldn't simply modify a 1200 (or other) chassis to hold that van body a lot cheaper and easier than starting from scratch?
To get the entire rear drive section, including the diff., axles and sprockets plus tracks, it may be cheaper to buy a complete "parts" cat that includes all of those parts in decent shape rather than to buy them separately.
I'm thinking blown engine, abandoned project cat, etc. Install your drive train. Fab up some sliding body mounts, and finish the details.
Unless it's just to enjoy the creative engineering process (hey, each to their own), there might be no big benefit to reinventing the snowcat wheel. Plus it's always more expensive to buy a vehicle part by part and assemble it. Now, if you just like to build stuff, I say go for it!