TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:58 am

Has anyone seen the new book called, "Building A Dune Buggy - The Essential Manual"? It is written by Paul Shakespeare, and is fairly new, as Amazon hasn't even started shipping it yet. However, I have seen it for sale on Ebay. There seems to be two different cover versions. Just wanted to check and see if anyone's had an opportunity to look it over and determine whether it has any good reference material as the title would claim.

Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:25 am

I don't think there are two covers to the same book, I think there are two different books one is written by Earl Duty called "How to Build a Dune Buggy". According to a Amazon review "... does not detail how to build a frame, or shorten the floor of an existing Beetle to mount a fiberglass tub (Manx style tubs are not even covered ..."

"Building A Dune Buggy - The Essential Manual"? written by Paul Shakespeare appears to be available in England already.

This sounds interesting: "BUGGYSHOW 2000 Edition - Picture CD"
Quote: This CD-ROM will show you the wide variety of a fun car based on the Beetle chassis - the DUNE BUGGY. The Dune Buggy was born in 1964 when the California based Bruce Meyers decided to develop his own buggy - the 'MEYER'S MANX' was created and this was the kick off for many others still to come. - On this CD-ROM we show you this variety of DUNE BUGGIES, a small typology, the original VW factory manual on how to shorten a VW pan professionally as a reprint (German Text), several video clips on the EMPI Imp and European Buggy events plus an overview of currently existing buggy books. All software available on the CD to view these slide presentations.
I would especially like to see this: original VW factory manual on how to shorten a VW pan professionally as a reprint (German Text)

Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:10 am

I have a copy of the book in question and i would say that its very good and worth every penny. It covers chassis shortening etc and is very well written with a hint of humour.

Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:50 am

Thanks for your feedback. The book by Earl Duty pertains mainly to building sandrails, although some of his information could be adapted to FG buggies. The one written by Paul Shakespeare has two different cover versions - one with a red FG buggy (appears to be an English model), and one with a blue Manx clone sporting white racing stripes. I appreciate the feedback devildriver. I really want to check it out and see what kind of ideas it has for new builders like myself. It always helps to have a little inspiration! (And there's certainly no shortage with this group, either!). :D

Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:02 pm

No worries. Glad to be of help.

Fri Aug 18, 2006 3:00 pm

You are right. The cover for the UK market features a UK manx (officially licensed) with blue stripes running Torq Thrust rims.
The US version features Bruce Meyers red demo Manxster on the cover.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:49 am

Thanks for the kind remarks about the book, especially the part about the humour. It was hard work but seems worth it when someone appreciates it.

The blue buggy was the original concept but I wanted something more retro, so I designed my own cover and that is the red buggy version that was eventualy used.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:09 am

Thanks a lot, Paul for the book. Amazon shipped it to me a couple of weeks ago and I just finished reading it. The little insights are especially helpful when dealing with some of the more detailed items you can't really find in any other books.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:15 am

Sorry but I wasn't too impressed by this book. I've been building 'glass Buggies since '70 but if I'd read this book in '69 I'd never have gotten started. The author seems to have taken what is the simplest of kit-cars to build and over complicated every aspect of it. He spends 20-odd pages covering three different styles of chassis shortening, a job most people farm out these days, yet skims over some of the aspects than can cause an amateur builder the most headaches, like steering column bracing and fitting, seat mounting etc.

The author openly admits he's been building his own Buggy for years and still hasn't gotten it finished, plus he can't even pay Bruce Meyers the respect of spelling 'Manxter' correctly.

Just my 2 cent's worth though of course.

Joe.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:56 am

I’m sorry that you didn’t like the book. Obviously, you have the advantage of thirty odd years experience in buggy building. I must correct you on one point though. I haven’t been building the buggy for years and am not sure where you got this impression. I started the book and the buggy at the same time. The book however had a deadline and won through. I wrote it illustrated it, photographed it, designed it and did all of the page layout. As you may imagine, that all took time. It was over ambitious of me to try to do the two jobs at once. Indeed one of the points that I was trying to make with the book is that ibuilding a buggy might take longer than anticipated. I also have a full time job and a family etc. etc. etc.
On your second point, I would rather have too much information than too little. As I said at the beginning of the book. It is impossible to tailor each book for each reader, the idea being that you should take what you want from it and skip the rest: Some people like to shorten floorpans, others don’t.

I’m sure I gave Bruce the credit I believe that he deserves in the “acknowledgements” section at the beginning of the book, so may I be forgiven for misspelling the word “Manxter”. Winnie did mail me about this, but as one of 60,000 words, it slipped through the net. The other words seem to be just fine.

As for taking time to build a buggy project, for me the build is a huge part of the attraction. Why rush the job. There are so many buggies that look as though they need... finishing.

I just thought it was time that there was a book about building a buggy, rather than the other numerous buggy books on the market. Let’s face it, we all had the opportunity to write the book!

Thanks for the other suggestions about steering braces and seat runners, maybe next time!

Glad I found this forum guys :)

Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:04 pm

Welcome Shaky.

I built my first buggy in 1969 without a lot of help. Back then the main book I used was Building Your VW Based Dunebuggy by Peter Ezzell and John Quan.

I also bought any dune buggy book or VW book on the magazine stands. Mainly Peterson books I think.

I built the buggy in less then 6 months if I recall. I am now restoring it after it sitting unused for 20 years. It will take me longer to restor it then to build it because I am replacing so many things that were not touched back in '69.

Back then, books like yours would have been a great help.

Ed

Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:34 pm

thanks for the heads up on it - just picked one up at amazon. can't wait to get it.

Sun Oct 29, 2006 12:48 am

Hi Ed.

I think you have hit the nail on the head! Back then it was probably outrageous enough to take the original body off, shorten the floorpan and fix a fibreglass body in place. Not touching the rest would speed the whole process up no end. Today, with more opportunities to weld, machine, fabricate etc. and use great materials, we can be more creative. Just look at the tire (tyre) choice for a start.

I think I am the only bloke I know who still uses gas-welding equipment alongside MIG and TIG. In those days it was only gas for the hobbyist (I think. I was still delivering newspapers at the time).

The book that you mentioned: I looked everywhere to find a copy but failed. I did however managed to get a copy of Hot Rod magazine from August ‘66 with Bruce on the front, which he kindly signed when I visited him and Winnie. Great people. The mag is now my prized possession. I’ll continue to look out for the other book!

Regds

shaky

Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:37 am

shaky

The "Building Your VW Based Dunebuggy" was printed by Quazell Technical Publishers. Finding one may be very difficult. It had heavy bond paper front and back and two staples holding it together on the side. It really was a decent do it by the numbers manual.

The illustrations were pen drawings, pictures from VW manuals, and pictures taken by the authors. 98 pages in length, it gave enough info to do the job.

One of the best line drawings in the book was on making adapter plates for adding bus reducation gear axles to the beattle frame. The first year I took my buggy to the mountains in Colorado, we wound up pushing the buggy as much as riding in it. When I came back home, I replaced the 36 HP engine with a 1400 or 1500 and added the reducation gears. That made a tremendous difference in driving mining and forestry roads. And anyplace else that seemed flat enough to drive on.

30 plus years ago you were pretty much alone in building a buggy. At least I was because of where I was located. Today, the information on the internet is unreal as well as the experience of those posting to sites like this.

However, the emphasis today seems to be on street buggies with a lot of HP and glitter. Back when I built mine, it was for the mountains and beach. It was built to take abuse and rough wear and tear and it has.

It ran the mountains of Colorado for 15 years. The beaches for 10 and the Texas hill country for 10 years. Then it went into retirement for 20 years. I hope to take it back to the mountains next summer to run the mountains as it did so many times before.

Sorry for being long winded but there are a lot of stores in that buggy. Some things I would not do again with that bugggy as I think I am smarter since I am so much older.

Ed