TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Aug 18, 2024 3:24 pm

I had a 63 beetle sitting around that really deserved to be used. Decided to use the pan for a pan buggy build. Some old school elements, some new school stuff, looking forward to getting it done and seeing how it turns out! Still need to come up with a steering column holder, turning brake, switch/gauge box, maybe some vintage style LED lights, among other things and then it’ll be ready to roll! The plan is to take it to Little Sahara Oklahoma in November. Keep old school cool!

Sun Aug 18, 2024 8:07 pm

Looks like it's getting there!

This is the one my dad built in '72:

Sorry don't have too many pics of it but hopefully it'll give you some ideas.

Mon Aug 19, 2024 3:37 am

I'd love to start a tunnel buggy, but I don't have any donors sitting around unfortunately. I feel like it would be a real challenge for me to hold back my urges to over fabricate and make something very very simple and sleek. I'd make it look really clean and have a nice paint job with some vintage color.

Just seems like driving something with the seat hovering in mid-air and not much surrounding you through the dunes would be very exciting. Put all the glitz into the engine and you have something very cool.

If only I was born in the 50s or 60s instead of the 70s.

Mon Aug 19, 2024 5:13 am

Were they usually shortened? Or was the seat just moved back? Seems like you'd need to shorten it or there'd be way too much space ahead of your feet.

Mon Aug 19, 2024 6:29 pm

I've posted this prior, but seems like a good spot to show it again.

I built this in '70. 1600 SP with transporter gear reduction boxes. I shortened the tunnel about 14" and the shifter got moved back 26" as I remember. Had seat belts, but no additional restraints. It's about as minimal as you can go I believe.

YDBD, I like your approach so far. The added triangulated bracing and the seat side tubes add just a bit more safety while still keeping the "old school" look.

I didn't have any front brakes and not steering brakes. I had some issues keeping the nose down on steeper hills. Steering brakes would have been a big help. But back then, I didn't have to nickels to rub together. After I got rid of this, the new owner was riding up in Roscommon area here in MI and did a nose up and rolled it backwards a couple times. It still held together, and he wasn't hurt.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Dan

Mon Aug 19, 2024 6:57 pm

Ah! 1970 Tunnel Buggy's. I first drove a Tunnel buggy in 1970 at the ripe age 0f 10yo.
It was my first time driving anything, let alone a clutch driven vehicle.
I struggled a bit to get the hang of it, and perfected my clutch engagement and shifting in a Manx dune buggy.

The family Tunnel Buggy was bought second hand, The seat supports and framing around the floor screens was.... electrical conduit, 3/4" at that. Flimsy as can be. But it worked with the little 40horse engine that powered the buggy.
It had dual rear tires that had zero tread on them. It climbed dunes and ran trails well enough for what it was.

Fun times from the past!

It's nice to see the op's build of an old school Tunnel Buggy. It brings back memories of good times, long gone, but not forgotten. :thumbsup:

Thu Aug 22, 2024 5:33 am

Dan_Lockwood wrote:

Dan

This. That is definitely a great way to support the steering wheel, gauges and keep it looking clean and simple yet strong enough to accomplish what it needs to do.

Your account of the front end getting light makes a lot of sense. I imagine trying to get as much of the little weight there is forward is quite hard when you got nothing there. Making the tunnel shorter would probably make that even worse wouldn't it. Gosh, I don't know why I get so excited about these dorky things. I think I just like to try to visualize ways to building things. Like yesterday, I was driving my baja home from a neighboring city through a really nice twisty country road I often take with my bikes and I was suddenly dreaming about building a turbo powered auto-cross style street car. It will likely never happen, but it's fun to build cars in my day dreams. Sometimes I find those ideas fleshing themselves out later in other projects.

I'm definitely jealous, isn't it time for an update pic yet? :lol:

Thu Aug 22, 2024 6:47 am

The front getting light on sand is a really good thing because it removes some the the resistance to forward motion, as for steering, that is where steering brakes come it, you really don't a lot of front steering on soft sand.... The only places you need steering is in the parking lot....

Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:45 am

Got some more work done on the tunnel buggy. Got the shifter mount moved back and tack welded in, shift tube shortened, pedals mounted, seat mounted, one side of floor cut but not yet welded in. Waiting on my turning brake to show up and then going to mount the master cylinder and decide where to put the turning brake. The shift coupler was safety wired when I took it apart, something factory? I thought that was neat to see. Will post more updates when I have them, need to decide on a color to paint it to go with the seats.