Hey VW dune buggy guys...give me your opinion

[jetboat]

Im looking for a buggy to build into a semi race vehicle to race in a yearly 120 mile race....hows this deal look, Ive talked him down to $650

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/rvs/419786151.html

[shutupanddrive]

nothing in the link!

[smokinubyrc]

yeah i found it
on craigs list but the dude deleted it man!

Dune Buggy Sand Rail Project - $1100 (Mt. Prospect) is that it?

[jetboat]

link works perfect for me....thats the one...

[Shaun]

Link doesn't work for me!

[jetboat]

Not sure why I didnt think of this before....here is the whole add.....

For Sale is a Dune Buggy that is almost street legal (except for the title). The trans is mounted on the dune buggy. Attached to the Dune Buggy is a pull behind meaning all you need is a 1 and 7/8" ball to tow it. It also comes with the previous motor in pieces that was seized. The pieces on the motor that should still be good are juggs (sleeves), heads, custom exhaust manifold with ractive muffler (and turbo opening if you decide to put one on), Pistons, edelbrock double intake manifold, and holley double barrel carb. The carb and intake manifold cost about 800 and only have about 10 hours of use on them. You could try and get the motor rebuilt or just use it for parts. Contact Jack at 847.847.8808 $1100

[trickedoutTLT06]

HOLY CRAP BUY THAT THING!! RIGHT NOW!!
especially if you takled him down to like 650..

[microgoat]

650's a good deal. Just know that you're gonna rebuild it top to bottom to make it raceworthy. The part that's "good enough, I don't need to change that" is always the one that fails.

[Big Mike]

I have no idea why someone would go to the trouble of building a custom chassis like that and yet keep the crappy twin-torsion VW front suspension??

Not a bad deal for 650 though...

[thaclodking]

Originally Posted by Big Mike

I have no idea why someone would go to the trouble of building a custom chassis like that and yet keep the crappy twin-torsion VW front suspension??

Not a bad deal for 650 though...

1. It's a lot stronger than you think.
2. It's simple.
3. Cheap.
4. You can get quite a bit of travel, even more with longer arms, unless it's a ball-joint beam such as on a "class 9".
5. Parts availability, both stock and aftermarket.
6. If you do bend the housing, it can be changed in about 5-10 minutes if you have a complete spare setup.
7. The geometry of the suspension allows the tire to move up and back much like a pendulum, allowing these setups to take some pretty nasty hits.

That fuel tank (and its location) is definitely a no-no, get a new one and mount it low. Get a good seat, not one of those cheapo $80 plastic jobbies, your back will thank you. A good harness to keep your butt where it belongs when you DO roll it. Window nets.

You will definitely need to build a rear bumper/cage around the engine. The top of the chassis will need to be cut out and redone like Goat said. I would gusset the chassis after you strip and inspect it for cracks, since you don't know any real history on it. This chassis was designed as a play buggy not a racer, I would beef it accordingly.

If this is a racing organization, you will need to get a rule book and follow their guidelines.

[scrooloose]

chech this out

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm5o6Av4QWU

[jetboat]

Originally Posted by scrooloose

chech this out

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm5o6Av4QWU

WTF????


Clodking.... Totally agree with what you said.... Fuel tank will definatly be mounted lower and has to be a double wall with foam anyway. Rules book says all joints must be gusseted. And a nice suspension seat is definatly in order. What did you see in the top of the chassis that needs to be cut out???? Im not seeing it and it sounds like you are familiar with this (at least more than me) The race is the Harris Metals 200 in Casey Il (some of you may have seen it on Extreme 4x4 some time back) the rest of the year it will be a play toy that I will prolly actually make street legal.

[thaclodking]

Who is the governing body? MAORRA?

The two top bars need to be cut out, straight bars installed that sit about 4 inches further out than they are now. Most rulebooks state a minimum clearance between any part of the chassis and your helmet.

Also find out about engine regulations. You may be limited to what you can run. I have a 2-1600 car that is limited to a 1600cc single-port with a Solex carb. Granted it's pushed to the limits of the rules, but that is all the motor allowed.

Oh, if you keep the Type-1 tranny, put an aftermarket diff cover on the thrust side, and invest in some torsion axles. The gear stack is pretty stout for it's size and I have never had a problem out of one, but the case has a bad habit of flexing which takes out the R&P by allowing the gears to move away from each other. When taking jumps, don't let off the gas, but keep the RPM roughly the same so as not to "shock" the tranny when you land.

Get some Type-181 (thing) rear drums, the bug drums are not as beefy and I have destroyed a couple. For safety reasons get some press in 14 mm studs, at the very least it will make tire changes easier. Shift your brake bias to the rear by swapping the front wheel cylinders to the rear and rear to the front.

[jetboat]

Maora is the governing body.... I was thinking the top bars seemed tall enough but you might be right.... Going to have to think it through, all of your suggestions are right on with things I hadnt thought about but now that you mention it are things to consider... Starting to sound like a $650 buggy could turn expensive real fast.

[thaclodking]

The way the top bars are bent upwards in the middle severely compromises the strength. Add that to the lack of diagonal bracing in the upper cage area and that baby will crumple like a beer can on impact. If this is the race I am thinking of, you are going to be running balls out through the woods and the chances of you smacking a tree are actually pretty good. Get some 1.5" cold rolled tubing and go to town.

Also check the legality of the stock steer box. Many governing bodies specify the use of a rack such as a Wright or Saco.

Maora does have limits on the carbs you can run, see if you can find a single-port intake manifold from an auto-stick car. It will have a large diameter vacuum port located about 3" below the carb flange. I run a motorcycle "boost-bottle" off of this fitting which really does help. Get a 30 pict carb and completely remove the choke plate/shaft. Either run a piece of fuel tubing from the bowl vent about 3" long or plug the vent hole and run an external bowl vent. This will keep the fuel from traveling up the vent tube and flooding the motor when taking jumps or shooting up and down hills.

Yes this is an expensive hobby. But even when you yard-dart the car and damn near bite your tongue off, you will still come back for more.

[STANG KILLA SS]

twin turbo LS1 sandrail > LS1 sand rail > all others