Bounty Hunter dune buggy build thread

[Letterman7]

[dlyle]

[Letterman7]

Nice work so far. I have the same top for my Deserter. You might regret filling that hinge point. It's really difficult getting in and out with the top on!

[dlyle]

The tires on the Bounty Hunter were ancient so I replaced them. It's difficult find a set that matches front to back. There just aren't a lot of options. In this case I wanted a 31" tall tire in the back and a matching brand 14" for the front. I found these Vitour Galaxy tires which were higher recommended by the Cobra guys. The rear tires came from Germany so had to wait a while to get them. I haven't driven on them yet but hopefully will soon.

These are the old tires.

Here are the new tires.

I found a perfect match for the Cragar center cap blue. It's Dupli-Color Intense Blue Pearl BCC0422 (PB3) which replaces T359. I had to touch up a few of the caps and you can't tell where the new paint is vs the old paint. It's a spray can so I spayed some in a small container and brushed it in.

[dlyle]

Finally did some work on the hardtop.

This is how it started. It had an ugly hinge right in the middle.

Off to Miguel Diaz for final finishing. He did all the work...not me.

Now good as new and the same color as the interior. I don't have a picture yet but the underside looks just as nice with no visible seams or repairs.

[dlyle]

[MrGoodtunes]

[dlyle]

I fiddled with the clutch a bit and started to run out of reasons to not give it a try and drive it. I modified the clutch cable so it hooks directly to the clutch rod....no more pivot arm. It needs a clutch return spring but it works.

This is a video of the first drive. I need to adjust the carbs as it may be idling on just one carb. Runs ok when cold and the choke is on then seems like it looses some idle speed once it's warmed up. One side of the motor is about 75 degress hotter and that seems to usually point to it not idling on both carbs.


https://youtu.be/bBVaOWy1Upo

it's funny because those front tires are so low on air I can squeeze them and they squish in my hands. Hardly any weight on the front end so they never look flat. The car seems to drive ok. Once tuned it will be fast. With the 31" tires you can go pretty fast in second gear.

[dlyle]

[SteveM.]

[dlyle]

[joemama]

Congratulations. Sounds and looks great!

[dlyle]

After 3 years the motor is in the car and running. Just need to figure out the clutch so I can drive it.


https://youtube.com/shorts/ilmMZkIIb_8?feature=share

[dlyle]

Wow, I knew nothing about reserve taps but that sounds like a great stop gap solution. Will call WW on Monday.

[EVfun]

[dlyle]

The buggy is fighting me the whole way. Hooked the headlight switch up and no lights came on. Took the switch apart and everything had a coating or glaze on it. Cleaned it up and it now works. The toggle switches and warning lights were the same so I just replaced them.


I eliminated the speedo cable and went with a set of Classic Instruments gauges. The speedo is GPS driven with a little black receiver under the dash. Hooked it up and after about 4 minutes it had signal. It has constant 12v so once it has signal it will hold it (no need to wait again). The speedo also has a tach.

With the 3 wire turn signal switch a trailer 3 to 2 wire converter was needed so the brake and turn signals would work with the single bulb tail light set up that I have. Just behind that is the GPS box. If you look up past that at the fuel filler tube you can see I removed the filler. The filler hose wasn't adjusted right so I was getting fumes in the buggy. I think I'll be able to push the tube up a bit more so it seals against the filler on the top side and the tank side.

I'd like to take the hood off to replace my fuel tank and sender but when the buggy was painted the hood was left in place. The only way to get them apart would be by cutting in to the paint and making a mess. I may eventually do it because there isn't room to swap out the fuel sender and that bugs me. I did manage to get the tank clean. Filled it with Evapo-rust and let it soak for a week. Drained it and all the rust was gone.

[dlyle]

I've been working a lot of hours on the Bounty Hunter. Made some really good progress. For starters I yanked out the old wiring and put in a Rebel harness. So far everything works except the fuel gauge. Once I verify it all works then it will all get wrapped and straightened out a bit more.

This hole isn't where the wires exit but is the access point where the tube runs to the back of the car.

[dustymojave]

I like that!

It would be interesting to see a picture in the dark of that car next to something late model factory with the lights on for comparison of effectiveness.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.

[dlyle]

One of the things that wasn't on the to do list was a license plate light. There isn't a lot of room at the top. There is probably enough room at the bottom but I wanted a clean look. Another huge accomplishment....the car is now registered and road legal.


They make these cool bolt lights.

[dlyle]

I haven't been very good about logging progress. I've got a long to do list for the car. Seems like I spend a whole day working on it but whatever I'm working on wasn't on the to do list. Getting lots done but the more you do the more you realize what still needs to be done.

I needed something to hold the steering column in place so I made this little bracket. I copied one I had for another buggy.

I needed this to hold the column tight. Without it the spring from the horn pushes the column down. It still needs the hose clamp..