# Dune Buggy Build



## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

My brother has been working on his buggy for a while now and is starting to see the light at the end of tunnel. He isn't a forum / build thread type of guy and since I sit at a desk and have a few extra minutes I figured I would share. 

Quick backstory – for years he drove by a junk yard and saw the buggy sitting on top of one of the piles of cars. Randomly he decided to stop and ask how much. - $300 bucks took the shell and the pan. 

He is building this by himself and learning a lot along the way. He has limited experience with welding, but doesn’t mind taking the time and doing it himself. Here is the shell once he got it home and started to take apart. 










There weren't a lot of pictures taken during the mock up but he wanted to get the whole thing assembled first, and then break it down to upgrade / fix / weld / replace the parts. He built the roll cage himself










He had a new house built last year, so the buggy took the backseat for a little while. But here it is getting loaded into the new garage. 



He built a rolling stand to hold up the shell and conserve space while he worked on the chassis. 




He picked up some pods, but hasn’t decided if he is going to run them or not.



Motor is a 1680 w/88mm pistons, dual 40 Kadrons and 110 engle cam




Then he started tackling the pan. He realized that when the original owner shortened the pan he basically just took the section out that he needed and butted the ends back together and welded. They had put some structural reinforcement in the tunnel, but he wanted to add some strength to the pan, and clean up any of the rust. 









Once the bracing was done he used some self etching primer





Then he applied a few layers of bed liner paint




He also built a lift kit that will raise the body off the pan a few inches to allow him to sit lower in the car. 







He picked up some chrome bits for the rear end. 




I’m not sure on the specs but these are the wheels. I think they are 12’s in the rear, but might be 10’s.


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## Leung (Jun 20, 2004)

can't wait to see more of this.. are you going to any local NE shows?


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

Leung said:


> can't wait to see more of this.. are you going to any local NE shows?



yeah, im one of the organizer of the New England Dustoff in April and he will have the buggy there. I'll also have my bug I am really trying to grow the air cooled attendance so i figure if i bring a bunch of my families aircooleds it will help. between my brother, father, and i we have 6. 

this is my dads corvair powered buggy i drive


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

he got the wheels painted and cleared. The body, rollcage, and wheels will all be painted Jeep Rescue Green. 

the spares are 4"


the fronts are 8"


the rears are 12"


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## Leung (Jun 20, 2004)

looks good man ^^


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)




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## boratuner (Nov 24, 2005)

[/QUOTE]

That is a wide wheel. Did your brother have them made or did he just find them already widened?


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

boratuner said:


> That is a wide wheel. Did your brother have them made or did he just find them already widened?


my father used to hillclimbs and compete in mudbog races in a sandrail so had a ton of different width wheels made all with the same vw centers. we have multiple sets of 4's, 6's, 8's, and 12's.


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## phill0046 (Oct 14, 2005)

germanblake said:


> my father used to hillclimbs and compete in mudbog races in a sandrail so had a ton of different width wheels made all with the same vw centers. we have multiple sets of 4's, 6's, 8's, and 12's.


That is really cool


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

phill0046 said:


> That is really cool


Yeah, it was a hobby for him for a long time. he never really cared about winning per-se, it was just a fun thing for him to do. He gave up competing after his crash
http://youtu.be/SAUeNNzWW8o

He did rebuild a new sandrail and used to bring it around to shows but hasn't in a while. i'm trying to get him to have the whole car mounted on the wall in the new garage he is building.


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## vwturbofox (Jul 31, 2010)

love the build your body style is a lot different than mine


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

vwturbofox said:


> love the build your body style is a lot different than mine


You're buggy looks awesome. My mini t (orange one) is different but the one my brother is building is pretty close. Is your hood / windsheild one piece? We haven't been able to figure out what his body is. Do you know who manufactured yours?


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

vwturbofox said:


> love the build your body style is a lot different than mine





germanblake said:


> You're buggy looks awesome. My mini t (orange one) is different but the one my brother is building is pretty close. Is your hood / windsheild one piece? We haven't been able to figure out what his body is. Do you know who manufactured yours?


Hi guys  ,
Please take a look through here http://www.bing.com/search?q=dunebuggyarchives.com&FORM=HDRSC1 & look for ID tags grafted into the body usually around the driver's knee either on the front 1/4 panel or up under the dash panel .

:beer::beer:


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## vwturbofox (Jul 31, 2010)

germanblake said:


> You're buggy looks awesome. My mini t (orange one) is different but the one my brother is building is pretty close. Is your hood / windsheild one piece? We haven't been able to figure out what his body is. Do you know who manufactured yours?


the body style is called ranger. as far as I know there were only 200 of mine built 
my windshield unbolts but the hood is one piece to the car


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

vwturbofox said:


> the body style is called ranger. as far as I know there were only 200 of mine built
> my windshield unbolts but the hood is one piece to the car


thanks. his hood and windshield come off as one unit. Ill keep looking.


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## glifahrenheitcameron (Sep 14, 2011)

I don't care for dune buggies, but i'm in for the build opcorn:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

Tires came in over the last couple of days and now its a roller. Got the diamond plate floors cut and fitted. Once the car is registered and has inspection sticker he will use the "off-road use only" tires  on the back and toss the 8's up front.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

my brother called in the boss (3.5 year old son) to help get the motor in.


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## vwturbofox (Jul 31, 2010)

nice engine my dunebuggy has a 2332 with dual 44 idf carbs with a monster cam. I had the motor built by north west connecting rods cost me like 5000$ how much did his motor cost


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

This is very much a budget build so it was Probably about 600 bucks. He got the block from my father. Picked up the dual port heads at a swap meet. Ordered the pistons and cam new with all the seals etc. We had the carbs in the garage and my father assembled it all.

Your motor must scream. I've been thinking about putting together something a little bigger for my single cab bit probably closer to a 1776.


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## vwturbofox (Jul 31, 2010)

Your motor must scream. I've been thinking about putting together something a little bigger for my single cab bit probably closer to a 1776.[/QUOTE]


trust me it can be scary to if you launch hard the front comes up and then you have no steering now. plus it's loud as hell :laugh: scares most people when I rev it 

a 1776 would be more a daily driver and reliable to


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

startup video coming later today :thumbup:


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

germanblake said:


> startup video coming later today :thumbup:


blake  ,
The Tri-mil logo & therefor the tilt in the collector go toward the back 









:laugh::beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

buggyman said:


> blake  ,
> The Tri-mil logo & therefor the tilt in the collector go toward the back
> :laugh::beer:


Buggyman, Thank you :beer: i think he just threw it together and snapped a pic and hasn't set or tightened the pipes yet. I will just mention it to him to make sure its correct when finished. :thumbup:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

re: the exhaust - he has it facing the wrong way so it doesn't get in his way in the garage. thanks buggyman for the tip :beer:

the last couple of months have been spent cleaning up some of the fiberglass and fitting the generic side pods. 





















then he took advantage of some nice weather last week (40's in december in new england) and got the 5ish layers of paint stripped down


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

germanblake said:


> re: the exhaust - he has it facing the wrong way so it doesn't get in his way in the garage. thanks buggyman for the tip :beer:


:thumbup: blake  ,
My garage was early 1950's built(not deep to start with:banghead::laugh: ), add in a workbench & some parts bins








& things started gettin' tight:laugh: .
Back to this pic








I know that there's a lot of:banghead::laugh: discussion about coil orientation http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/archive/index.php/o-t--t-417528--.html 
from
https://www.google.com/#q=bosch+blue+ignition+coil+orientation 
Just gonna throw this out there as a precaution http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=8473.msg54966#msg54966 , also, the shorter he can make the coil wire the better https://www.google.com/#q=length+of+ignition+coil+wire .

:beer:


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## batool100 (Jan 11, 2014)

Hey i want to build a dune buggy similar to the edge piranha but a 2 seater and wanted to get some advice from some of you guys who are more experienced at working with metal on what diameter and wall thickness tube steel would be light enough and strong enough for the chassis. or any other advice yo might have for me. Thanks for helping me out!!


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

After helping me get my project up and running for this year, my brother finally got some paint on his buggy yesterday. He has spent 100's of hours fiber glassing and sanding and filling, but the hard work has paid off. The chassis is pretty much complete and wired. 

this is what took up most of our year -











here are a ton of pics from his progress over the year - he started with spools of wire and created his own harness and wired in a plug so that if /when he pulls the motor he just unplugs it and comes right out. 



























































































he laid down a base coat of silver and the color is Jeep Rescue Green. this is just a first coat and he will be doing another couple today / tomorrow before clear coating everything.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

here are a couple more after 3 coats of paint and clear coat


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)




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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

Hi Blake  ,
I was lookin' @ this








& kept sayin' to myself




:facepalm:
did you paint the lower side pods black?
Then I took a look back @








& realized how deep & diverse this must look in person in different lighting situations:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: .

:beer:


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## Tripicana (Dec 17, 2004)

It looks like an old bandit.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

buggyman said:


> Hi Blake  ,
> I was lookin' @ this
> & kept sayin' to myself
> did you paint the lower side pods black?
> ...


I know what you mean buggyman. The color has multiple pearls in it and looks pretty different depending on the light. :thumbup:

I stopped by on Saturday night and helped him get the body on the pan. Pretty exciting but unfortunately I couldn't really get decent shots


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

its close, but it fits.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

test fit with the 12's out back and the 8's up front










the dash is wired and complete


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

body secured, roll cage, bumpers, and gas tank painted with a matte finish and installed this weekend


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

my brother spent a bunch of time hand forming the aluminium console. lots of heat, patience, and careful bending got him this. Welding was done by Legend Metal Co. 



















got the steering column fitted and fuse box mounted up. 



















and in. One of the holes will be for a radio and the other will be a cubby for misc. stuff


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

My brother spent the the holiday break getting all the wiring done and tested. He was able to get the hood fitted and finally relax a bit. He only has a few more things to button up but the hard work is pretty much done.


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## mattttam_25 (Mar 3, 2004)

Thats one mean green machine:thumbup::thumbup:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

Big day for my brother. he was able to start the motor in the buggy for the first time. The motor had been run after the rebuild to check it out, but it was pretty exciting to see him get it started with the button. 

http://youtu.be/fMigUxl5WcU


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

germanblake said:


> Big day for my brother. he was able to start the motor in the buggy for the first time. The motor had been run after the rebuild to check it out, but it was pretty exciting to see him get it started with the button.
> 
> http://youtu.be/fMigUxl5WcU


Blake ,
Bro needs either or all of:
A new battery
A new starter bushing(if not self-supported)
A new self-supported starter
A more stout starter button
I heard a "click" there @ ~9 seconds in(watched it ~20+ times), this is an uber tight engine, what changed on the "click"?

:beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks buggyman. You are always very helpful with advice. :thumbup:

The battery was just one that was in the shop and we had battery charger on it. It was used to test everything in the system so it was pretty weak by the time we got to cranking it over. It does start pretty well with a fully charged battery. :beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

My brother got most of the car sorted and was able to take it for the first drive on the road. It was about 18 degrees with no windshield but worth every minute. I am really happy for him. He definitely has some fine tuning to do but he has a few more months of the cold to get everything buttoned up. 

http://youtu.be/WbzW8yxF1LI

in car footage - http://youtu.be/oJUox5IFIaA


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

germanblake said:


> My brother got most of the car sorted and was able to take it for the first drive on the road. It was about 18 degrees with no windshield but worth every minute. I am really happy for him. He definitely has some fine tuning to do but he has a few more months of the cold to get everything buttoned up.
> 
> http://youtu.be/WbzW8yxF1LI
> 
> in car footage - http://youtu.be/oJUox5IFIaA


Hi blake  ,




 :thumbup:




 :thumbup:
Have you considered "hatting" the carb filters for cold weather use?:
http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=3815.0
from
https://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=5495.0
there's also https://www.google.com/#q=vw+lean+best+idle
& https://www.google.com/#q=vw+cold+weather+lean+best+idle
& https://www.google.com/#q=vw+high+elevation+lean+best+idle
I used to have sets of jets bagged for summer & winter testing @ home in Anaheim(a little above sea level) & summer & winter running in Landers(3000+ft ASL, all the way up to Big Bear Lake https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=ww&ei=ko20VPjcKZSVoQSql4HgAw&ved=0CAoQ1S4#q=Big+Bear+Lake+elevation anywhere from ~120*F summer to ~10*F winter).
Am I hearing straight cut cam gears there? http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=7338.0 or just tight because of the temp?
Thermostatic flaps?








I don't see 'em http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=4119.0
http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=6498.0
https://www.google.com/#q=adding+in+vw+thermostat+flaps

Just throwin' anything out there which might help .

:beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

@buggyman - thanks for the links and Ill pass them along. I don't anticipate this car seeing much use outside of sunny warm days but i will let him know. Everything was super tight because of the weather. He really just wanted to make sure it all worked and now he has a few months to really get everything sorted.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

It's come a long way


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## WFox93 (Dec 22, 2012)

that thing is beyond cool

just out of curiosity though, Why two levers where the handbrake is?


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

WFox93 said:


> that thing is beyond cool
> 
> just out of curiosity though, Why two levers where the handbrake is?


@Wfox93 - The lower lever is standard e-brake that will apply the brakes to both rear wheels. The top lever is a two-way steering brake. If you push down on the lever it locks the right rear wheel, and if you pull up it will lock the left rear. It helps for control when driving in sand / soft surfaces.


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

WFox93 said:


> that thing is beyond cool
> just out of curiosity though, Why two levers where the handbrake is?


Hi Fox  ,
Just like blake  said:


germanblake said:


> @Wfox93 - The lower lever is standard e-brake that will apply the brakes to both rear wheels. The top lever is a two-way steering brake. If you push down on the lever it locks the right rear wheel, and if you pull up it will lock the left rear. It helps for control when driving in sand / soft surfaces.


There's several configurations, horizontal, angled, vertical, single or double handle http://chircoestore.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=turning+brake .
I went with a vertical single handle placed uber close to the short-shifter stalk so I could use both @ the same time with the same hand @ up to ~100+MPH .








http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php?topic=3829.0
from a general search of "turning brake" @ http://chircoestore.com/catalog/smf/index.php  .
Turns your rear wheels into a tail rudder




:laugh:
It intentionally, manually puts you into a "drift" so you have to pretty aggressively https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&q=counter+steer+drift&spell=1 @ the same time in order to keep control = it's stupid silly:laugh: fun to make your passengers sick:laugh:




:laugh:
once it's:vampire: mastered:laugh: .

:beer::beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

The buggy is mostly sorted and my brother took it to the show he helps organize -


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## cts (Sep 7, 2010)

Cant wait to see this thing and the bug up at Wolfsgart.


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks chris


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## VWbeyond (Jan 2, 2015)

*Bandit*

:wave:This IS a Bandit, made by Dune Buggy Inc. in Denver, CO between 1969 and 1982. (not to be confused with the stolen name Bandit currently being made in CA). This is the buggy sold in the Montgomery Wards catalogue, and since this particular car is so far from it's point of origin, it was likely bought through Montgomery Wards. And the original design used headlights with brackets which swiveled 90 degrees backwards mounted to the front lip of the fenders. They looked so much better.


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## buggyman (Aug 24, 2004)

VWbeyond said:


> :wave: This IS a Bandit, made by Dune Buggy Inc. in Denver, CO between 1969 and 1982. (not to be confused with the stolen name Bandit currently being made in CA). This is the buggy sold in the Montgomery Wards catalogue, and since this particular car is so far from it's point of origin, it was likely bought through Montgomery Wards. And the original design used headlights with brackets which swiveled 90 degrees backwards mounted to the front lip of the fenders. They looked so much better.


Thanks beyond  ,
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&q=Dune+Buggy+Inc.+bandit
https://www.google.com/search?q=Dun..._AUoAmoVChMI8LSLktiYxwIVhX2ICh1GrAj8&dpr=0.94

:thumbup::beer:


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

VWbeyond said:


> :wave:This IS a Bandit, made by Dune Buggy Inc. in Denver, CO between 1969 and 1982. (not to be confused with the stolen name Bandit currently being made in CA). This is the buggy sold in the Montgomery Wards catalogue, and since this particular car is so far from it's point of origin, it was likely bought through Montgomery Wards. And the original design used headlights with brackets which swiveled 90 degrees backwards mounted to the front lip of the fenders. They looked so much better.


Thanks so much for the info!!


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## germanblake (Sep 16, 2002)

heres a recent one from our trip up to the Wolfsgart show in Vermont











and a quick 10 second rolling video


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