What are the odds of this?????

[Bikerndiver]

I towed my buggy from NC back to southern Georgia where it spends the winter us running around doing errands and taking us to hotdog stands.

So, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, my wife and I decided to take the buggy for a 25 mile each way ride to Lowes for some small items.

All went well for the first 24.9 miles and then..... I was at a stop light across from Lowes and when the light went green, I let the clutch up accelerated into the intersection, shifted into second and then PING! The clutch went to the floor.

I coasted into the Lowes and parked in the first available space. I immediately suspected a snapped clutch cable and got out of the buggy to look. The cable at the rear was slack. I got on my stomach and looked under the buggy and as I was doing this a gentleman standing above me asked if everything was all right and could he be of help.

I told him what happened and he said I probably was right in my diagnosis and he could call his father-in-law and I could confirm with him what I suspected.

OK....get ready for this..... He goes on to tell me that his father-in-law builds dune buggies for a living as did his father. People come from all over the south to have him build their engines and put their dune buggies together.... Really???? In the boonies of south Georgia???? I looked around for the camera....

Anyway, I spoke with his father in law, he came to get my wife and I with his trailer and took us to his shop. After looking around at his in progress buggy builds and his VW bug restorations he replaced our clutch cable and we were back on the road....
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1966 Manx clone (possibly a Joe Poty Enterprises) named SANDY. '70 to '73 1300 cc w/1600 DP heads, twin carbs and headers

[NJ John]

I know Rebel Buggies is or was in Macon, Georgia.
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1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage

[oprn]

Awesome story! Don't you love it when things come together like that?

By the way, it makes me happy to hear that you are actually driving that Buggy. So many of them just sit and collect dust and rust after the initial honeymoon period. Or they are relegated be trailered to show and shine events a couple times a year which is a crying shame because they are so fun to drive.

I got lucky when my clutch cable broke. I was doing some brake testing on the highway 1 1/2 miles from home so I just drove home and ordered a new one.
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[NJ John]

If it ever happens again. You could start it in gear to get moving and rev match to shift. It works in an emergency.
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1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage

[oprn]

Yes, I have done that many times in the past and it takes some finesse but it works! In fact just for kicks I do it on occasion in every standard shift vehicle I own. Completely baffles the younger generation!

"How do you do that???"
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[Bikerndiver]

[oprn]

I take it then you are still not happy with the drivability of the present setup. Bare in mind that with the single carb you will need to make some changes to how that exhaust system feeds the heat riser or you will be no better off.
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Our cars get old, we get old but driving an old VW never gets old!

[zerotofifty]

[Bikerndiver]