Herbsflat4 - Spatz Dune Buggy Build

[herbsflat4]

Okay. New member looking to become involved with the dune buggy crowd. I have recently picked up this buggy and intend to post progress pictures and seek help as the build evolves.

So here it is....

I believe it is a Spatz body. I haven't been able to find any tagging yet indicating this for sure.

The floor pans are shot. I like the idea of fabricating a floor rather than buying new pans and cutting them.

My goal for this buggy is to make it safe and roadworthy by summertime-ish.

[66 Shorty]

Looks like a Spatz to me as well.

When I got mine it was in way worse shape. I thought I'd have it on the road with-in the year... Life got in the way & ME changing/wanting different things in it, made it a 3 year project... & STILL going! I bet when I'm "done", it still won't be completely done to me... I'll want to change/add things all the time. Just by coming here & seeing everyone elses projects going on, gives me different ideas everyday!

Good luck & Keep with the up-dates!

(I know I can use some more motivation!)
_________________
~X-Man~

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

[Gary0302]

Hi Herb,

Welcome to the madness. When your build is finished and the coast of NC starts calling out for you, let us know if you decide to head this way (that also goes for anyone else that may decide to drive or tow their dune buggies to coastal North Carolina). I would imagine that we could scrape a few guys together to hang out with you for awhile.

Also, if you do not already know about it, mark your calendar for October 8 - 14, 2012, the Manx Club will be holding it's second annual "Manx on the Banx" to be held on the OBX (manxonthebanx.com). I missed the 2011 inaugural event last year myself, but I do not plan to make the same mistake twice (you do have to be a Manx Club member; details can be found at www.manxclub.com).

Best of luck with your build. Just remember what Dr. Dealgood said the the begining of the fight sequence in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome; "I know you won't break the rules, because there aren't any." (Yes, there are some recommended guidelines, but it's up to you to sort out what works and what doesn't).
_________________
Gary David Holbrook
Facebook and YouTube
Coastal North Carolina

Check out my videos on Youtube

"It's a buggy not a space shuttle...." - Dale M.
"When in doubt, blame it on the previous owner" - Gary0302

[herbsflat4]

Thanks Shorty and Gary. This project is going to be fun for me. The OBX trip I imagine would be awesome. I'll keep it in mind.

I am a little puzzled here at the beginning though. The seller included a title for the buggy as a 1962 beetle. The ID number on the title is correct for a 1962 Type 1. So I ASSUMED I would find that number somewhere on the chassis or a tag on the body indicating that title was appropriate for this buggy.

My assumption seems wrong. I think I made an error by not digging into this before buying.

The chassis and engine codes translate to a 1973 beetle. So basically, I was sold a car without a title. Off to the DMV on Monday to try and start sorting this out. I am not sure if I can title it based on the 1973 chassis VIN or if I will have to get a builder's title for this thing once it is done and have an inspection completed by an official.

Teardown continues though.

[herbsflat4]

On third thought, I might be able to apply for a lost title on the 73' chassis and see how that goes.....

[GTBRADLEY]

Just take the paperwork up to the DMV and put it in your name.
You have to be the owner of record to file for a lost title.
_________________
Thunderbug by Bugformance 1969

[TC/TeamEvil]

Shorty and I are getting together a run of acid etched body tags for the SPATZ buggy owners, here's the design being used:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/SPATZIDPlate.jpg

Once you've sorted out your VIN problem, can I put you down for one?

[herbsflat4]

Looks like that would be great. But before I commit can you link me to some information about the tags. Will I be responsible for stamping the tags with my personal VIN number? Cost? Is it legal for me to tag the body without SPATZ's consent? Etc. Thanks!

[surfnc]

Herb
As Gary said "welcome to the madness"!!

I had a Spatz a few years back.

Here is what I started with.

How it ended up.

Spatz made a high quality thick body.

Vince
_________________
LOOKING FOR VINTAGE MEYERS MANX STUFF!!!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1105228

[herbsflat4]

First off, thanks to those who are posting and commenting. So far, I am blown away by the community and willingness to help within this forum. It is great.

Surfnc - That Spatz looks real nice. Did yours have any tags or identification plates on the body anywhere though? From what I can find online they didn't tag the bodies, or did they?

[TC/TeamEvil]

"But before I commit can you link me to some information about the tags."
"Will I be responsible for stamping the tags with my personal VIN number?"

As soon as we sort things out and burn a few prototype plates we'll have the info needed. Figure that the plates will be black on natural aluminum, acid etched, attachment holes drilled. The numbering area will be left blank for you to stamp your car's VIN into the spot. I'd imagine that they ought to be fastened to the inner driver's side bulkhead just below where the dash meets the inner body.

"Cost?"

Gonna be VERY cheap. We'll be doing this as a service, more of less, to help bring SPATZ owners together.

"Is it legal for me to tag the body without SPATZ's consent?"

Absolutely. The SPATZ wasn't originally sold with a numbering system or body tag of any sort. I doubt that they even thought that their bodies would still be in use or sought out this far into the future.

When we have something to show/post, we will for sure.

[herbsflat4]

TC - Thanks for the details. I wasn't sure if a thread existed on this or what. Sign me up for one!

Progress below.

Wiring, ugh.

Body is off!

There is always more than one way to solve a problem!

[surfnc]

Herb
There were no tags or ID on mine.

Spatz did make a neat side pod/panel that finished off the sides nicely.

I have not seen any for sale for a while. They will not work on Manxes since the rear fender on the Manx is not as wide and does not stick out as far as the Spatz. This allows you to use wider tires on the Spatz and still have fender coverage. The back (Spatz) hangs out more as well and allows you to use different carb setups without obstruction.

Vince
_________________
LOOKING FOR VINTAGE MEYERS MANX STUFF!!!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1105228

[herbsflat4]

Well.....I am still not sure how the title will shake out. But besides that, I just wanted to post a couple update pics.

I took off the carburetor and disassembled it. It needed a good cleaning with all the gunk and whatnot in it. Thanks to the VW-resource website. Great write-ups.

I also removed the driver side pan. It felt good to get rid of that hole ridden piece of metal.

I hope to make some more progress this weekend.

[bphudgins]

I just wanted to welcome you to the site. I put up my first posting a few weeks ago "building my 70 Manx" I have gotten alot of responce and help. I was surprised . Brian

[herbsflat4]

Well.....not much to show for right now. I am doing a bunch of reading and whatnot.

A couple of highlights....

TITLE HIGHLIGHTS
Thanks to Volkswagnut for talking to me extensively about his NC titling process. Also, he helped me realize that my buggy chassis has a King Pin front end merged with a IRS backend. That is why when the PO told me the title for the 1962 was correct but yet the VIN number was for a 1973 beetle. Her deceased husband did all the work on the buggy and I guess used the active and valid 1962 title to register the buggy but yet swapped out the rear for a 1973 beetle. So basically I have a title for a 1962 beetle. However, I think the only part of that beetle on my buggy is the front end which is not labeled with a VIN. I do however have the backend to a 1973 beetle that was cancelled in Florida.

Also thanks to Gary0302, bphudgins, and SurfNC for their words of wisdom.

So with all that hoo-ha I finally just set up an appointment for the DMV inspector to come out and take a look at everything. I believe this will become a "reconstructed" vehicle but it all depends on what the DMV inspector wants to do.

I will have to say that the inspectors I have all spoke too are very reasonable people here in Gastonia, NC. I will know more after March 30th.

ENGINE HIGHLIGHTS
I never tried to start the engine before I tore it down. I did however add some oil and do a compression test. My compression was approximately 60-80psi at best spinning the crank with a wrench.

Since the engine was so old I took it apart. This is my first engine teardown but that is half the fun.

I am glad I did because somebody did not install/tighten the gland nut all the way and my flywheel was not secure. This caused my crankshaft dowel pin holes and my flywheel dowel pin holes to "wallow" out very badly. This is a unsafe and requires attention. I am just not sure how much attention just yet. I believe that inevitably I will have to split the case and replace the crankshaft.

Crankshaft End

Flywheel is below.

Also, my #1 piston seems to be pitted. Why does this happen? The other pistons are not as bad. Keep in mind this piston did seem to have a leak between the head and the piston cylinder based on some black marks between the two pieces.

Finally, my passenger side head seems to have the typical hairline crack between the intake and exhaust valves. Typical in the words of Tom Wilson that is. Also, my passenger side head seems to have a stripped sparkplug thread.

Now I have to decide if I just want to spend the money and get the 1600 back into action as cheaply as possible, or if I want to up the power and parts to something I really will enjoy driving. I think it will be the latter option.

In conclusion - This motor has seen better days. I still dont know exactly how to check the crank and crank bearings for acceptability.

BODY HIGHLIGHTS
My body is a bit odd. Any Spatz owner please chime in.
Does it look like the body was cut in two and then joined for the shorter buggy look?

My wheelbase is approximately 80 inches so that is in-line with normal as I understand it.

So anyways.....originally I wanted to tackle the fiberglass work but I had a local fiberglass shop come out and check out the body. Based on his estimate of time I am not sure I want to spend my time learning and performing fiberglass. I have plenty of work in the chassis and engine to do anyways.

So there is my update. I hope to post some progress pictures within the next month! However, this buggy keeps throwing my curveballs the more and more I dig into it. So who know. I just hope the transaxle is in decent shape and that the DMV inspector is nice.

[Bob Elgin]

On my buggie near the pan on the right side(passenger), on firewall i have a emblem that states SPATZBUGGIE, the pics u posted looks like the front of mine. The back of mine is flat all the way around to the begininging of the front fenders. As of this post i am still in the process of rebulidng my buggie after 20 years of driving in the mountains of colorado and also sitting in my cousins farm for 5 years(DONT LET THE SET UP ), We run stroker motors, mine is 2010 cc, and also gear boxes. We have no problem climbing the mountains

[Bob Elgin]

also if u dont know already JC Whitney has everything u need for your buggy, when they are finished they are a lot of fun and they turn heads.

[herbsflat4]

Thanks for the encouragement and Spatz Logo location. I will have to go look into that spot with more concern and see if anything exists there.

I have been tearing down the buggy to its core lately so no real "progress" except for understanding every single problem now. Which is good.

I do know of JC Whitney and plan to spend some time comparing prices between them and CIP1, Pacific, Aircooled, etc.

I will post some more teardown pics soon.

UPDATE ON TITLE - Going to go the bonded route. DMV gentlemen were very nice and helpful (just hard to get ahold of).

So once I get the whole thing built they assumed the title will eventually read "2012 Custom Volkswagen"

I will have to have a safety inspection per NC standards but will not have to pass emissions testing.

[Bob Elgin]

im painting mine tomorrow,and after that its just assembling it, i have everything for it, i supported jc whitney last year myself alone, lol. I have only one thing i need to do on mine(but not right now) is replace the drivers side floor. Until I can do that i have found out that the FLEX SEAL(as seen on tv ) works great.Its 12.99 a can but worth it. Ive been told that if you register your buggy as a antique you dont need inspection sticker(in Texas) but the only hang up on that is they (supposedly) say you can only driver it so many times per month. Kinda defeats the purpose Ill be checking back to see how your doing.
Mine has to be ready by August 3rd, thats when we leave for vacation for Creede Colorado. SanJuan national forest, mountain passes, elevation 13,600 ft is one of a ton of passes we take.
On the pan theres a plate behind the shifter up against where the fiber glass body meets the pan, its kinda oval looking, thats where the Vin numbers on vws were back in the day so its still considered a 72 beetle. Thats the way it works here in Waco