Herbsflat4 - Spatz Dune Buggy Build

[66 Shorty]

I made the exact same things for mine. The ones I made were .750 O.D. with a 3/8-16 thread all the way through it. I made them the correct length so they bottomed out inside the tube and were flush with the top. Only problem I see me having is that I'm going to have to repair my mounting flange, so I won't be able to mark the holes through the pan once I get the body lined up correctly...

Also, with the same body as yours, I have to repair my battery box as well. Mine was all busted up when I got the body, so, I knew I'd have to do something about that. I want to build a smaller box like someone else made and get rid of the opening in front of the rear seat. I posted the link to his battery box in my build thread.
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~X-Man~

'60's Spatz Buggy body on '74 Chassis (Budget Build)
'69 Bug (Baja-to-be partial daily)
'10 Silverado (My daily)

[herbsflat4]

Well nothing to report on the buggy pan. But here are some engine pictures.

Box of upside down parts....

Case

Checking for clearance issues..

Then lets skip forward a few weeks....
I bought a set of Weber 40 IDF's. They needed a serious cleaning. Here is a before picture of one of them.

Mock up to check the fit of the air shroud

Check out those polished rocker shaft spacers! haha
And the carbs look worlds better than before....

Now to buy more parts and dig up that buried pile of gold bullion in my back yard to fund this thing!

[pallen]

Make sure you check your lifters to cam clearence, My engle lifters were way thicker then the stockers.

Looking good!
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Buggy Build > http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=499786

Ecotec Street Rail Build > http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8146270#8146270

[herbsflat4]

No progress on the chassis but I am slowly making headway on the engine. I am not doing this work myself. But I am learning as I go.

Staring with bags of VERY clean parts!

The powdercoating is a black textured type. I forgot the code on it but I am really liking it.

[Bob Elgin]

[coor=darkgreen]hey Herb glad to see the progress, i also learned on the go. Engines looking good. Is that a stock 1640? Like the texture finish you used looks nice[/color]
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OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER AND STILL TO YOUNG TO CARE!!!!!
My Build http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5987690#5987690
My Youtube page
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqd2r1Af7uZgqlnxAtMap4A

[herbsflat4]

It is actually a 1904. But I wanted to keep everything pretty mild. Thanks for the comment.

Okay the Tri-Mil Bobtail 1-1/2" (raw finish) is now installed. Hope to hear some noise and complete the break in this weekend.

The reason I bought a raw finish was because I wanted to add a weld-in bung. I think it will be fun to eventually play with a Oxygen sensor for better understanding of how the engine is running.

[herbsflat4]

Well after moving to a new state and all that is involved with that I finally returned to work on the Spatz.

For months I have been debating how to correct the mis-alignment with the frame. I decided that I needed to cut out the pans and start over. Making ANOTHER cut in the tunnel to fix the twists that I created.

So.....

Lots of measuring and thinking and remeasuring.

As it sits with the pans removed

The incision. In front of the e-brake. I picked this location because it was "symmetric" and the brace will be easy to fit. The cut does not go all the way around the tunnel like you would with a shortening process. Instead I cut about 70 percent of the circumference (including the bottom) and repositioned the front to the back. Sure it may not be the most refined technique but I'm past all that. It is straight and I will go from there.

Here the brace is tacked in.

[Bob Elgin]

Glad to see u back working on it again, keep us updated. Cant wait to see the finished product.
_________________
OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER AND STILL TO YOUNG TO CARE!!!!!
My Build http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5987690#5987690
My Youtube page
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqd2r1Af7uZgqlnxAtMap4A

[herbsflat4]

Thanks Bob. Still chugging away. Slowly.

Made a template

Cut some angles (not all the way through, left one side so the rail would bend in nicely.

Just showing the desired effect....

I love this tool. It is a portaband saw mounted in a SWAG Off Road stand. Most of my cuts I do free hand and they work out great. But for when you have smaller items the miter comes in handy.

[herbsflat4]

Finally, even side to side rails. No crazy braces will be needed now. Everything is much more symmetric now that I have redone the rails. I am happier with the outcome.

Rear joint fit up. Yes I will trim the long part.

Showing the two cuts

Front joint into the Napolean Hat bit.

Both rails fitted up.

[herbsflat4]

Here is the video from my engine startup. It is several months old. Enjoy because I sure did!


Link

[herbsflat4]

Weapon of choice. Borrowed from neighbor. Need to get one!

Both rails. Top side.

Close up of rail.

Rear angle support has one bung.

Bung and fastener.

Inside the rail.

So what do you all think?
I am open for any and all advice!

The bungs will be welded around the circumference on the top side and ground flush.

The bottom of rails have smaller holes so the bung doesn't fall through. I will do something similar to a plug/spot weld on the bottom for extra strength. I didn't take any pictures of that yet though.

-Herb

[gr8cobbler]

That is some first rate work you are doing. Those button head allen bolts are going to look nice inside your buggy. Nice documentation on the frame work too.
_________________
Gary

Being a cheap old fart is just a front for my actual lack of money.

[mxracer]

Hey... nice to see the pics and the progress.

Get that TIG machine and weld those bungs in, they will look SWEET.

Seriously though.. nice work.

[GS guy]

Great work on the frame! Yea, sometimes you have to go back when something doesn't work out right. Your conscious will thank you for getting it right!
Going to take a careful hand with a mig getting those bungs in - but will be nice in the end. Nice work so far!
Jeff
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70's vintage Deserter GS buggy - undergoing transformation to Super GS!

[herbsflat4]

Thanks guys. I hope that the extra headaches and time spent redoing the floor is worth it. I think it will be.

A TIG machine would be killer! It is on my "to-buy wish list".

Hopefully, some more time to spend on it this weekend.

[herbsflat4]

Got some 1x1 braces tacked in place.
Got the pans fitted.
Added some other odds and ends.

Lots of grinding and welding!

Now to finish welding and get everything in place for good.

[herbsflat4]

Bottoms braces are tacked in place.

I couldn't help myself any longer. I decided that I will build up the chassis and see if all the pieces play together nicely or what.

Took the front beam apart to weld in adjusters because I liked the idea of being able to adjust the front end height.

I don't think I have the right e-brake handle so I split the middle part, widened it, then I made a plate for both of the cable ends to pass through. I will have to fit and weld a small piece between the gap eventually.

Cut and tacked two seat bases (not shown in this picture). I am using some Porsche 914 seats.
I think some Iggee seat covers may be in my future like vwbowtieman did.

Done!

Well I am making some progress and it feels good. Next will be to tackle the front end suspension and brakes.

[lostinbaja]

Having had a fiberglass buggy on the road and off the road for quite some time, I've never seen a need to build the floor pan into some sort of bridge. Don't get me wrong, the workmanship is great, I just don't see the need for all the bracing.
Am I missing something here?
_________________
Jerry...
If it's being towed, it must be a trailer!
"Vee Grow Too Soon Oldt Und Too Late Schmardt"
RIP Morgan

My photos
http://www.manxgallery.org/gallery/album92

[herbsflat4]

Well this is my first build of buggy. So I am not sure about the best or right way to do things. To your point I would agree that there does seem to be plenty of properly functioning buggies that have simply had the tunnel split and re-welded without adding a full cage or extra bracing. Even the VW shortening procedure found in the manual section here doesn't seem to specify extra frame bracing.

However, there are also some benefits in my opinion on running the extra bracing such as providing floor support (since I am using flat sheet floors which don't have any stiffeners rolled into them) and possibly providing places to catch some seat track bolts. But mostly, peace of mind. My tunnel has been split up and re-welded in multiple places instead of just tunnel cut by the PO and by me. So the extra bracing satisfies me, personally.

I guess you also have to decide about the intended use of the buggy. For me, I don't plan to run around in the woods doing jumps but I will drive it around on the roads and hopefully the beach someday. So I may not need the extra bracing but it cant hurt.

I don't think you are missing anything and your question is quite good. I often wonder what is considered overkill when building. Every buggy on here is different and that is what I have had to learn over time.