Description:
Full construction plans for the Piranha III buggy, including the S1 rear suspension.
Completely overhauled design
S1 rear driveline and suspension
Double A Arm front suspension
0-100kph in 5.5 seconds
These plans are in a digital (PDF) file available for immediate download.
Keep Your Plans Up To Date
The plans for sale above are the latest edition of the Piranha III plans. For customers who purchased earlier Piranha III plans the following amendments bring older plans up to date with extra building tips and revised details.
S1 Housing Masking for Powder Coating
[Download amendment] - 11th October 2016
Front Shock Mounts
[Download amendment] - 20th December 2016
Pedal Mounts
[Download amendment] - 5th January 2017
S1 Lower Arms
[Download amendment] - 12th January 2017
The Piranha III - New & Improved
A new standard...
The original Piranha set a new standard for easy to build high performance off road buggies. After nearly two decades of success the Piranha III raises the bar again with an all new chassis, overhauled front suspension and a high power capable rear drive unit.
Improved Performance...
Underneath the new looks and improved performance is the same ease of construction and solid reliability that has made the Piranha a standard in off road buggies.
Completely Redesigned...
The all-new chassis is styled off Edge’s successful Barracuda buggy while simplifying the build process. The original Piranha’s sturdy single A arm front suspension has been revamped with longer shock absorbers to improve damping response and handling over the roughest terrain.
Double A arm front suspension is offered as an upgrade for the cutting edge in handling.
S1 Rear Driveline...
The S1 rear driveline retains the high horsepower durability perfected in the Barracuda while simplifying the build process and reducing costs. The rugged design and 930 CV drive shafts harness the raw horsepower of large capacity motorcycle engines, delivering traction over any terrain.
Equally at home on sand dunes, rocky trails and forest tracks, the Piranha’s latest iteration continues to put exciting off-road performance within the reach of homebuilders and professionals alike.
Check out some of our customer Piranha III builds
(You can also see customer Piranha I and II projects)
Plans
The Piranha III plans include over 190 pages of detailed drawings and build instructions derived from our latest CAD models for ultimate accuracy and clarity. The plans include parts lists, material lists and fastener lists while the drawings feature 2D and 3D diagrams. To make the process easier for the home builder construction follows a step by step format as listed below:
1) Chassis Frame
2) Gear Shifter
3) Pedals
4) Front Suspension
5) Steering
6) Fuel Tank
7) Nerf Bars
8) Radiator
9) Body Panels
10) Wheels
11) S1 Rear Suspension
Many of the components are broken up into further sub assemblies for ease of manufacture.
The Piranha III plan set includes the full S1 Rear Suspension plans.
Specifications
Chassis
RHS section floor frame, tubular space frame roll cage structure
Steering
Quick-turn racing rack and pinion.
Motor
Road motorcycle engines, water cooled chain drive type, 600cc-1000cc
Transmission
Motorcycle gearbox and chain drive to 930 CV axles
Front Suspension
Single “A” Arm independent with coilover shocks, 350mm travel, (Optional Double A arm front suspension within plans).
Rear Suspension
S1 Double “A” Arm independent, rod end adjustable camber with coilover shocks, 260mm travel
Brakes Front
180mm disc on each wheel with twin piston hydraulic caliper
Brakes Rear
Single centre mounted 315mm disc with twin piston hydraulic caliper
Front Wheels
25x8x12” tyres on 12x5” rims
Rear Wheels
26x12x12” tyres on 12x10.5” rims
Overall Length
3050mm (outside of tyre to outside of tyre)
Overall Width
1790mm (outside of tyre to outside of tyre)
Overall Height
1585mm (ground to top of rollbar)
Track (rear)
1420mm (hub face to hub face)
Track (front)
1490mm (hub face to hub face)
Wheelbase
2380mm
Approx. Weight
400kg (880lb) depending on engine
Ground Clearance
Minimum 385mm, 600mm at nose
Top Speed
150 kph
Acceleration
0-100kph in 5.5 seconds
What does it cost to build?
Buying the raw materials, fabricating and welding the Piranha III parts yourself to the plans will cost approximately $5,500 to $7,000 Australian dollars minus motor depending on how much of the componentry you produce yourself.
Suitable Engine Types
The Piranha III is best suited to motors between 600cc and 1000cc depending on budget, desired performance and the intended driving terrain. All motors must have a chain drive from the gearbox to the rear wheel, and the chain must be on the left side of the motor.
A water cooled motor is strongly recommended as an air-cooled model can be starved of cooling airflow when mounted in a buggy.
Air-cooled engines will also usually produce less power than a water-cooled engine of a similar size.
Single and twin cylinder engines such as the Honda XR650, BMW F800GS, Yamaha TRX850 or Suzuki TL1000 offer lots of low RPM torque, providing a more driver friendly power delivery.
Keep Your Plans Up To Date
The plans for sale above are the latest edition of the Piranha III plans. For customers who purchased earlier Piranha III plans the following amendments bring older plans up to date with extra building tips and revised details.
S1 Housing Masking for Powder Coating
[Download amendment] - 11th October 2016
Front Shock Mounts
[Download amendment] - 20th December 2016
Pedal Mounts
[Download amendment] - 5th January 2017
S1 Lower Arms
[Download amendment] - 12th January 2017
