What did I just buy?

[Haggerty]

I'm sure you guys probably get this question alot, and I'm sorry if I missed a sticky or other section of the forum for this type of question, but I bought a buggy and don't know if it has a brand I can look up for more information.

The seller didnt know anything about it, and I don't know anything about buggies as well. In the past I was interested in getting into Formula Vee, which led me to looking at Beetles on craigslist for awhile. This popped up for $500 and I snagged it. My end goal is to build some kind of custom car from it, not really interested in off-roading, more commuting in something different.

I'm hoping there are some plans out there that I can build an engine cradle from. Though im not sure if I'll try to revive the included VW engine, or go with an electric motor.

Thanks for any information or suggestions.

[Dale M.]

Welcome to the Samba...

You bought a basic "sand rail" or if you use it in forrest, its a
"woods buggy", by tires on it I would say woods.......

Frame could be one of 50 designs out there, has ball joint front suspension (67 and later), swing axle rear suspension (68 and earlier)... Aftermarket clutch and brake pedals.. Fiberglass shell seats (needs lots of padding) .. Steering shaft is missing flex joint (rag joint)...

As for engine cradle??... IF you mean on back of buggy, not required but easily enough to do once you see some examples, engine in stock form is self supported on transaxle... IF for engine build/test run, look in performance section for "test" or "build stand" threads...

First thing or two I would do is strip frame sand blast and see what you have to work with, also check out engine real close if it runs a coat of paint on frame some wiring and flip it if you decide you don't want it...

BUT electric would be cool... But expensive...

http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40

Biggest stumbling block about "street legal"....

http://www.semasan.com/semaga/TagTitleToolbox_NH.pdf

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[Haggerty]

Thanks for the information.
I'm not too concerned with the street legal issues with New Hampshire, they seem pretty lax, my commute to work tops out at 50mph roads that can be avoided easily with no time added using 35mph roads. It appears anything 40 and below is open to just about anything with wheels.
My biggest concern is the rear suspension, there is a ton of negative camber as it sits, is that just because there is no weight from the engine? While i'm typing from work, I seem to remember the trailing arms being slightly twisted and the springs/struts not looking so hot. I have alot of reading to do on the subject of suspension, but i'm open to any improvement suggestions here, or if its fine the way it is and just replace springs/struts.

[Dale M.]

Lots of negative camber on rear with no engine and light frame is perfectly normal... Concern will start once you have engine in and whatever.... Most times if torsion bars are set correctly you will not need overload coils on shocks for street use...

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[jsturtlebuggy]

Chassis looks like it could be a Chenowth long back.
Frame bracing in the front looks like the kit that sold to reinforce the chassis to keep from cracking at from beam.
Chenowth did have metal tags on them. I seen the tags on the left side lower bar by torsion housing and also on tube across the front holding up steering column.
There were also complete fiberglass body parts including hood available for them.
_________________
Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[TDCTDI]

Thoroughly inspect those lower tubes for rust before sinking a bunch of time & $ into this beast.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Haggerty]

[earthquake]

I would hazard to guess it was a frame kit, most of the welds look a little "stick-weld-ish" it would make a good starter buggy for some body wanting to play in the woos, desert or dunes, it has a lot of decent parts and a modicum of work ahead, Dump those rear shocks because they are junk and they are mounted upside down, put a 1/4" spacer under the spring plate where the straps are and that will help with the Neg camber.

Casey
_________________
74 CLASS 11 LOOK-A-LIKE
69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
https://time-zonelabs.blogspot.com/p/about-kelly.html
DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]

[Haggerty]

Its going to take me awhile to research and navigate all that is available from vendors and used parts in the VW world.

Do you have any recommendations for new swing arms and shocks? I'd like to convert to IRS, but that seems pretty pricey from the vendors I've checked so far.

[Dale M.]

[Haggerty]

I think im going to focus on getting the stock suspension replaced and atleast making a good roller out of it, then will take a peek at the motor and see if I can get that running. Is there a vendor that stands above the rest for stock parts?

I think my electric car dreams will be better suited for a custom frame built around the platform I want to use, rather than modifying this to suit it.

[dustymojave]

I don't see any need to replace those "trailing arms".

They are properly called "Spring Plates". They are made of spring steel and flex as the suspension travels up and down past center. Only at center are they pretty much straight and flat. That twisting of the spring steel plates is part of the swing axle suspension system and IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY. I would just sand and paint those spring plates. They look fine and are NOT bent.

YES you should weld a piece of 1/4" x 1/2" square key stock to the torsion housing end under the spring plate and above the bottom rear spring plate cover bolt hole, and laid flat so the spring plate contacts the top of that new stop. You would need to jack the plates away from the bottom stops to do that. There is a tool for doing that or for installing and removing those spring plates. Leaving the suspension so it can droop that far makes the car tend to flip over, tires up in cornering.

The rear shocks are junk. Even when brand new. They are NOT "struts". That is a term used for McPherson Strut front suspension. Where the shock shaft is also the upper support for the front suspension.

I recommend KYB number 5529 shocks for the back of that buggy.

I also recommend driving it for a while with the swing axle suspension before you go throwing the baby out with the bath water. Converting the rear suspension is something not for the noob. It's not real complex. But you need to know a lot more about it than you do now. Doing it wrong is NOT good. And I don't know of a whole lot of VW swing axle to IRS conversion shops in the New Hampster area. (I met a bunch of rally racer guys at an SCCA Pro rally here in my area who were from New Hampshire and kept referring to the state as "New Hampster".)

I can share pics of my buggy that you see in my avatar if you need them to understand modifications and how to set the car up. Or you can buy the Baja Bugs & Dune Buggies book by my old Baja race partner Jeff Hibbard to tell you how with pictures.
_________________
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.

[Haggerty]

Thanks, I'll take all the guidance I can get. I went ahead and ordered the book. I'll be TDY for a week, so it should be waiting for me when I get home. The reading I did today did make me feel better about the swing axle setup, so a future IRS conversion is likely off the table. I think I just have the itch to throw money at it, but it would be nice if all it really needed was some new kyb shocks.