Old style pan buggy roll bar

[PapaG]

Working on plans for a old school pan buggy. No serious off roading. Just something to drive around the farm like a Kawasaki mule. I was wondering about a roll bar? No kidding this will be half pan buggy, half golf cart. House to the mail box, around checking fence, working out at the shooting range. I don't need a 4x4 truck.

Ok folks fire away with your ideas.

Richard
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous

[dustymojave]

Having been a race car safety and tech inspector since 1963, and having had the SCORE original rule book written on my dinner table while I was in high school, I tend to lean towards heavy on safety. And plenty of my responses on this forum bear that out.

But otoh, I know that not every "offroad" vehicle will be racing at 100mph+ all the time.

Then again, a stock VW will go fast enough to kill people. So will some golf carts.

And just because you don't expect yourself to drive your little buggy fast or hard, will your kids or grand kids or friends drive it the same as you intend to?

Many old school pan buggies had a simple roll bar made of 1.5" or 1.75" diameter tube with a single brace to the tunnel between the seats, or double braces to the rear upper shock mounts. Plus a hoop to support the steering shaft was common.

So tell us more about your build ideas and we can provide some intelligent answers.
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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.

[Mal evolent]

I would insist on a diagonal brace across the inverted U. make it two triangles, not one fragment of a circle
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73 Beetle Baja, Ghia front brakes, Type 3 rear brakes, 2220 ( 94 X 80 ), Weber Progressive, Bosch SVDA, '97 Mustang seats

Baja Bugs for Volkswagen Virgins: Index

[PapaG]

No high speed at all. More of a golf cart. Plans are to use a Type 3 pan that I already have with automatic transaxle. Why? My older brother has lymphedema. One leg swells badly and he could never get into a sand rail or dune buggy.

Cost factor? I should be able to make this for what a used golf cart would, plus no batteries to deal with $$$ fire it up and it's good to go.

Not that it matters, I have owned just about every kind of VW they made. Type 1, Type 3, Synchro Vanagon, VR6 Corrado, Scirocco, Rabbit, Golf Gti VR6 and Tdi,TDI Passat, Ghia, Baja Bug, 17 at one time counting parts cars. All maintained or built by me. And loved them all. My son and I could swap engines between a Ghia and a Type 1 in 1 hour.

More of a EMPI 1 style - pan buggy. Thinking about using a full length pan. Bed on back over the engine. Roll, bar in the front like a golf cart. Sheet metal roof. Off road lights and work lights. I may reinforce the pan with square tubing or something. I have centerline wheels in 14x6 and 14x7 that I bought for a Type 3 that I was going to autocross.

14 inch all terrain tires. Big focus is to keep it low. Like a Simi raised golf cart.
We also own a 4 wheeler, 4x4 Yamaha. but my brother can't get on it anymore. And he never rode it like I did my 350 Poloras with super swampers. Way too fast.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone.
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous

[PapaG]

Think I know what I am going to do. Remove the doors from my fastback. Cut behind the b-pillers. Cut the roof across the b-pillers. Cut along the body lines. B-pillers where the side windows are. Leave the rear fenders on. Remove truck lid. Make a bed from where the back seat is back to the end of the body.

That gives me head lights, tail lights, wipers blades. Windshield. Really could make it street legal, but that's not my plan. Mount off road lights on the roof. Work lights on the roof where it will be cut off at the b-pillers.

Easier, cheaper and gives me everything I am looking for
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous

[Axitech]

If you are planning on driving down your backstreet to the local gas station you probably don’t need to be concerned about going high speed and building for high speed.
How fast is the drunk driver that t-bones you going to be traveling? You need to design for that!
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He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36


The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.-Thomas Jefferson

[PapaG]

No. Just around the farm, much like a UTV . Down to the 500 yard shooting steal at the end of the range. To the mail box from the house. 400 yards. Hall a wild hog or such up to the barn.
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous

[PapaG]

25 acres.
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous

[Dale M.]

Yeah... And I have five acres and small tractor, several time recently I have had it in compromise position where it has come into a position where there has been center of gravity shift and it has raised a wheel off the ground and luckily my awareness corrected situation but on thinking back I may have been pretty close to rolling it over and scary part it has been at almost no speed... Just keep in mind gravity and centrifugal forces are always working against you.... And yes tractor has ROPS (Roll Over Protection) but I choose not to test it...

Dale
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“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)
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All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[PapaG]

Scirocco II Autocross DSP regional champion. Up on three wheels. lol On a road course, everything but a VR6 could not hang with me. Only on the long straight, they could pass me. My old Minneapolis-Moline rice farm tractor which was very high off the ground. You had to be careful, not stupid to use.
My John Deer tractor is better.

Not that any of this matters. Motor Cross man, old school. No Stadium cross.
Division winner Bracket Class 87 Camaro, 65 Chevelle Super stock car, 73 Mustang Mach II with a 351 Cleveland Stock Class. Over 30 years of doing all of this.


Just saying I know a little about safety, not going to be stupid.

Thanks ya'll for the help. Really.
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69 Fastback, 68 choptopped Squareback, 87 Syncro Vanagon and more VW in a yard to make any Red Neck Jealous