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Wed Jul 21, 2021 7:47 am

So it was probably 1972 when I thought that a dune buggy would make a fine car. As i aged (a little bit) in 1978 or '79 as a young high school kid, I got a job in a local independent VW garage in SoCal where I learned a little about our air cooled cars. A couple of bugs, a thing, a type III and a Westie and MANY years later, Mrs. slayer & I went to the Bug-O-Rama in Sac town and spotted a buggy that suited me fine. It had the required ball joint front and swing axle rear. A price was agreed upon, to include the tow bar, and I dragged my first dune buggy home!

First things first, let's remove all (4) body bolts & get that out of the way...
It's good to have friends! Thanks Christopher!

Next is start collecting parts for the pan reconstruction. This is going to be a lowered, go-kart/auto cross inspired buggy so drum brakes will never do.

EMPI to the rescue. I am a fan of GOOD brakes, so I opted for the drilled & slotted rotors front and back. Mrs slayer has determined that the buggy WILL have Centerlines and so, rotors drilled for Porsche and Chevy were spec'd out.

Much to my dismay, EMPI has become a distributor of chinese company parts since I last was a user of their stuff in the '70s. :(

Never mind, progress. Included in the kit was the drop spindles and beam adjusters, tie rods, ball joints, leaf springs, Pitman arm and sway bar & other sundry stuff.

The transaxle is currently at the trans shop getting overhauled, and I'm waiting on that to get back before the rear brakes go back on.

Being disappointed in EMPI's choice to source it's stuff from the communists, Ron Lummus will be providing me with a pedal kit & suitable master cylinder.

ETA: Sorry for the poor quality phone pics.

Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:43 am

Nice project!!!
Those brakes usually need a little tweaking to get right but once set up they work pretty well for the price.
I built my own brake line for the rear and have the parts list and how I did it posted on my build page if you find yourself unhappy with the kit's idea of a connection.

Here is the page if you want to use it for ideas and make your own connector.
You might need to sign in to see the pics though.
Actually the pics are also on my samba gallery if they don't show up on the build page.

https://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&a...n#p1228021

Thu Jul 22, 2021 2:39 pm

Update 7/22/2021...

The transmission guy says it might be ready this week... if the super-diff comes in soon!

Craigslist seller has complete 1600 DP motor I'm going to look at after work. Fingers crossed!

Fri Jul 23, 2021 3:17 am

Excessive end play in the crankshaft is the expensive deal breaker on a used engine!

Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:55 am

So I struck a deal with the seller of the engine. I will pick it up after work this afternoon. Considering that I have nothing in the form of a motor, I was happy to get this one, even not knowing all of it's history.

Kadrons, real 009 distributor, remote cooler & filter, 8 dowel crank. were all visible bonuses to me! :D

Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:50 am

So the motor is completely torn down. There is still very clear cross hatching on the cylinders, but a spun case bearing combined with a spun rod bearing were the demise of the motor. Once that happened, water got to the inside and it was a gonner. :cry:

The motor was built by a reputable shop with a lot of love and care. For example, all the serious nuts & bolts have "witness" marks on them indicating they had been torqued. It even has a seal of some kind indicating that the warranty would be voided if the seal was removed?!?

8 dowel non counter balanced crank?
Engle 110 cam
Billet rocker shafts and swivel foot adjusters on stock rockers
OEM VW cooler relocation plate? I have never seen one before?

Build plans to be formulated soon... stay tuned.

Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:47 am

Hoping you have enough good parts to make the purchase price worth while. Is the case and crank going to be repairable?

I have never heard of a VW OEM relocation plate. Pictures please.

Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:45 pm

oprn wrote: Hoping you have enough good parts to make the purchase price worth while. Is the case and crank going to be repairable?

I have never heard of a VW OEM relocation plate. Pictures please.

X2... :?: :?: :?: :?:

If the oil system routes oil to the cooler and/or the filter through the top of case stock oil cooler location, then only about 1/3 of the engine's oil flow will be cooled and/or filtered. I strongly recommend going with full flow. ESPECIALLY since the engine is apart right now. Because the oil filter will then be before the pressure regulator, full flow requires use of a heavy duty oil filter, such as a Wix 51515R (DON'T miss the 'R') which is what I've used since Fram cheaped out on their HP-1 filters and I started having blow-outs with them on cool engine startups.

Mon Jul 26, 2021 4:03 pm

I've had this question running through my head since your first post so I'm gonna ask... Why was ball joint front end "required"? I understand why some want an IRS pan, and why some insist on a swingaxle chassis (I'm in that camp.) I understand why some want the older king and link pin front end -- off-road reasons, vintage desires, and extreme lowering come to mind quickly. I don't quite understand why a ball joint front and would be "required" for someone wanting a swingaxle. Please share, I'm honestly curious, no judgement.

Mon Jul 26, 2021 6:07 pm

slayer61 wrote: Update 7/22/2021...

The transmission guy says it might be ready this week... if the super-diff comes in soon!

Craigslist seller has complete 1600 DP motor I'm going to look at after work. Fingers crossed!

If you plan on driving on any long distance trips you might want to rethink the Super Diff.
They are not very good for long distance driving due to their lack of oiling even if you add more holes for that purpose.......Ask me how I know..... :roll: :( :(

Tue Jul 27, 2021 6:46 am

Thanks everybody for your thoughts & concerns. I will try to address them one at a time...

oprn said I have never heard of a VW OEM relocation plate. Pictures please.

after looking more closely at it last night, it is actually a dog house cooler adaptor based on the part number
https://vwparts.aircooled.net/Doghouse-Oil-Cooler-Adapter-EACH-113-117-303-p/113-117-303.htm

dustymojave regarding oiling system, it was weird & split up. From the oil pump cover, through the filter & back into the case, while the cooler, plumbed from the original location, was a separate circuit

EVfun, In my youth, the only way to get disc brakes on a bug, was a ghia conversion. I had no idea that disc brakes could be put on ANYTHING now!

clonebug, It's just a toy. It will never be used for commuting or road trips. We have the Ram & the Mazda or motorcycles for that.

Be safe everybody!

Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:21 am

That in my view is a good way to plumb the oiling system. It leaves the stock cooler bypass in the loop to do it's job as VW intended. The only downside is that if you run tar for oil you could blow your oil filter off on a cool day on start up with a big oil pump. I have never had this happen in the many years of running them this way right down to -40* but then I like to use the appropriate oils for the conditions.

Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:14 pm

oprn wrote: That in my view is a good way to plumb the oiling system. It leaves the stock cooler bypass in the loop to do it's job as VW intended. The only downside is that if you run tar for oil you could blow your oil filter off on a cool day on start up with a big oil pump. I have never had this happen in the many years of running them this way right down to -40* but then I like to use the appropriate oils for the conditions.

Yes...BUT!

Remember that the VW air cooled engine was designed many decades ago and the original specified oil was straight 30wt. I for decades used 20W-50 oil With stock oil system and full flow. I've driven my Bugs as race cars and as daily drivers. In weather from the 120s, down to -6°F. But I've watched others blow off oil filters with 10W-30 oil and ambient temps in the 70s. That's with stock oil pumps for flat cam 1600 (most desert offroaders use a stock size pump, not a big gear pump) and full flow.

My Baja Bug has a dog-house cooler on top of the case, AND is full flow with an external oil cooler.

Wed Jul 28, 2021 3:54 pm

Some kids can brake a crowbar in a sandbox too! :wink:

Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:55 am

Update 7/30/21

The transaxle will be delivered tonight! \:D/

After that goes back in, all the other rear end components can be hung back on it. I have brakes, brake lines, diff straps etc, etc, etc.

Happy Friday everybody!

Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:08 pm

So the trans is back in, and solidly strapped down. I am reminded, once again, of the low quality control coming out of china. Hand filing and cutting/drilling was required on every thing that was installed Saturday.

Also, some previous owners should be hung up to dry! :evil: The reason that one of the rear wheels was covered in oil, was the axle seal installed BACKWARDS! :roll:

Not a great picture, but it's starting to come together!

CB will be dropping off master cylinder, reservoir and brake lines this afternoon, too! Progress!

Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:44 am

Aaarrrgghhh! I have everything to build out the brakes except the master cylinder push rod!! ](*,)

Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:40 am

Weekend update:
My local VW repair shop (blatant plug for Jim's VW in Lodi) had the few bits & bobs I was looking for to continue progress on my buggy. Jim was able to put his hands right on a master cylinder push rod, Bowden tube support and M/C bolts & tubes. Thanks a bunch Jim!

Also, a package came from Claude's Buggy that contained the M/C, pedal kit, camber compensator, and brake lines and I got to work.

Be safe everubody!

Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:17 am

Looking good... Continue onward...

Fri Aug 13, 2021 7:55 am

So minor update...
I want Koni shocks for my buggy & placed an order with one of the air cooled VW specialty vendors who's website listed good prices for said shocks. Quote: Thanks Mr. slayer, we will order those for you. Maybe 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks I couldn't get them to answer an email :cry: Quote: Sorry Mr. slayer, your emails were going into the spam folder.

Never mind... I will find another source...

Yesterday afternoon I ordered them from Summit Racing. Today they are on the truck and out for delivery! \:D/ =D>

Summit doesn't come to mind when hunting for VW stuff, but Kudos to them for excellent service.