Hi everybody. My name's Paul & I've always wanted a fiber glass "Manx" buggy. Over Memorial day at Bugorama in Sacramento, I tried to stay cool when I spotted a potential project, but Mrs. slayer is a complete pain in the rear, insisting that we should buy it.
We struck a deal with the seller & attached it to the neighbor's truck to drag home.
Where it took up residence in the garage for a complete rehab & overhaul
slayer's buggy build
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slayer61
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slayer's buggy build
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
The "car" had a violent "shimmy" or 12 on the way home. It was pretty apparent that any form of steering damping was non existent. No worries. I knew going into this that the purchase price of the car was going to be the cheap part. 
First things first, get the body off & hang it up out of the way. (Thanks again Christopher)
Since the steering was only a concept or vague idea, it made sense to address it first.
Drop spindles with drilled & slotted discs, ball joints, tie rods, ends, spring packs, beam adjusters and lowered sway bar were all sourced from our suppliers and installed. A second front end was included with the car, so it was built while the pan stayed intact in the garage.
First things first, get the body off & hang it up out of the way. (Thanks again Christopher)
Since the steering was only a concept or vague idea, it made sense to address it first.
Drop spindles with drilled & slotted discs, ball joints, tie rods, ends, spring packs, beam adjusters and lowered sway bar were all sourced from our suppliers and installed. A second front end was included with the car, so it was built while the pan stayed intact in the garage.
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
The transaxle was of "unknown" quality, so it was sent to a local trans shop suggested by the local VW shop, (thanks Jim's VW and Elk Grove Gear) for inspection, overhaul & re-gear from 4.37 to 4.12. Once the trans was back, the rear got the same brake upgrades.
And brake lines were added front & rear to the larger, 2 circuit master cylinder
And brake lines were added front & rear to the larger, 2 circuit master cylinder
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Last edited by slayer61 on Mon Jul 18, 2022 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Soon wheels & tires and shocks arrived. Mrs slayer wanted
And just like that... the buggy was back on the ground!
"solid" wheels... nothing that looked like a flower
And just like that... the buggy was back on the ground!
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Recently, seats were ordered based on Mrs' slayer's color requirements from PRP. My requirement was lo backs and we agreed on some seats.
I thought it would be a good idea to have the body on the chassis for seat placement and my boy Christopher to the rescue again...
I thought it would be a good idea to have the body on the chassis for seat placement and my boy Christopher to the rescue again...
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
As of today, the driver's seat is mounted. With a driver in the seat, a windshield height was determined and ordered from one of our suppliers of custom sized windshields, and an Ididit steering column, a steering wheel with a quick disconnect I mean... no quick disconnect, as that would violate local DMV requirements... 
and some steering column brackets were ordered.
More pics as progress is made. Be safe everybody.
Paul
and some steering column brackets were ordered. More pics as progress is made. Be safe everybody.
Paul
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Hi slayer61, I am a dune buggy guy myself but mine are not for the street. There is a lot of good information on this site especially for glass dune buggies so present what you are doing and ask as there should be a several people who will answer/
A curious question:
What is the cross piece for?
Lee
A curious question:
What is the cross piece for?
Lee
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Lee it was welded onto the pan, shock towers etc when I bought it. It form fits to the bottom of the FG shell providing support to the "package shelf".
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Mrs. slayer tells me that the buggy
I can't argue with her choices... after all I picked the colors on the bikes...
will be painted the same color as the race bikes, but maybe blue & grey rather than blue & silver
I can't argue with her choices... after all I picked the colors on the bikes...
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: slayer's buggy build
The color is good and should look very good on the street.
The cross piece is what I guessed it was for.
Some additional basic stuff:
This is a poor picture of the front beam supports that are commercially available (you can buy the lower supports separate from the upper ones). You can barely see it but under the top beam support there is a lower support that bolts into the 4 slotted holes in the front of the main pan (part of the body to pan connection). Add lower front beam connections to the pan at least to protect the beam from getting bent on hard bumps like curbs.
The upper connections usually used on Baja's connect to the bug body firewall but with a glass body the strength to support it in a front end hard back will not be there. I fought the design of it with my black buggy and it just doesn't work on mine as it should with the front fenders shaped as they are. The support (if you do a cage which I recommend) would have to go to the front hoop of the cage.
Even with a swing axle and street only I would still add a Kaffer/truss bar to support the trans mount; the commercial ones are for the most part just bolt in units within the torsion housing. Also weld the transmission mount's seams for strength as spot weld can come apart at the most inopportune times.
Lee
The cross piece is what I guessed it was for.
Some additional basic stuff:
This is a poor picture of the front beam supports that are commercially available (you can buy the lower supports separate from the upper ones). You can barely see it but under the top beam support there is a lower support that bolts into the 4 slotted holes in the front of the main pan (part of the body to pan connection). Add lower front beam connections to the pan at least to protect the beam from getting bent on hard bumps like curbs.
The upper connections usually used on Baja's connect to the bug body firewall but with a glass body the strength to support it in a front end hard back will not be there. I fought the design of it with my black buggy and it just doesn't work on mine as it should with the front fenders shaped as they are. The support (if you do a cage which I recommend) would have to go to the front hoop of the cage.
Even with a swing axle and street only I would still add a Kaffer/truss bar to support the trans mount; the commercial ones are for the most part just bolt in units within the torsion housing. Also weld the transmission mount's seams for strength as spot weld can come apart at the most inopportune times.
Lee
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Last edited by Ol'fogasaurus on Thu Oct 14, 2021 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
So it came to my attention recently that my rear brake tubing install might be "less that optimal" due to the caliper being of a floating design rather than a solid mount. It was originally built like this...
So I had some -3 AN parts left over from a previous motorcycle project and mocked it up for a test fit & saw what I needed to do...
So my steel braided line was a little short and my banjo bolt was a little long... back to the interweb with these thoughts and concepts in mind
Longer line & shorter bolts sourced & dry fitted...
My brake system is still "dry" as I'm quite convinced there will be changes along the way. I will add fluid & bleed towards the end of the build so as not to waste any time redoing the process.
Thanks for checking in all & be safe
So I had some -3 AN parts left over from a previous motorcycle project and mocked it up for a test fit & saw what I needed to do...
So my steel braided line was a little short and my banjo bolt was a little long... back to the interweb with these thoughts and concepts in mind
Longer line & shorter bolts sourced & dry fitted...
My brake system is still "dry" as I'm quite convinced there will be changes along the way. I will add fluid & bleed towards the end of the build so as not to waste any time redoing the process.
Thanks for checking in all & be safe
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: slayer's buggy build
If you are going to sit people on the "shelf" of the pan the support is a good idea (my blue buggy used the shelf as a seat but they passengers sat very high in the saddle and the back support was limited
). Seating people in the shelf area, while not uncommon years ago, it is something I don't recommend doing as even on the street they can get thrown around on some roads and curves. If the support is not needed for the "shelf"/seats and only used to tie the shock mount's eyes together... it is still a good idea.
If you do use the rear seat then be sure you have a seat belt for each person, mine only had one seatbelt for the rear seat. The cage or hoop (I don't recommend a hoop even if it is somewhat supported) can also be a caution for the rear seating and their getting thrown around.
These are some examples of cages but you usually don't see the complicated ones in buggies. You will still want a side bar going between the front and rear hoops for side hits. A diagonal or an "X" in the rear hoop is also a good idea.
Lee
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
No intention of ever putting people on the "package shelf". It's just the Mrs. and I.
The windshield shop has been contacted regarding building mine. Once the windshield is in, the car is going to the fab shop for a cage. Nothing so elaborate as your drawings, but solid and secure for us. I have these pictures as a "model" for the fabricators to use as a guideline
Kudos to you guys for providing the inspiration for my build. Sorry if I stole your pic without permission
However lately I have considered swapping out the 2 parallel bars making up the "roof" for an "X" design.
The windshield shop has been contacted regarding building mine. Once the windshield is in, the car is going to the fab shop for a cage. Nothing so elaborate as your drawings, but solid and secure for us. I have these pictures as a "model" for the fabricators to use as a guideline
Kudos to you guys for providing the inspiration for my build. Sorry if I stole your pic without permission
However lately I have considered swapping out the 2 parallel bars making up the "roof" for an "X" design.
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Ol'fogasaurus
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Thoughts:
Not real fond of the blue one... the rear hoop is too close to one's head, remember the 4" rule for you and your (k)noggin but even for the street I would expand the distance (if possible) even though under normal driving conditions you will be less likely to hit it except in case of an accident. The location of the fore and aft bars towards the center are good for getting in and out but (me personally) I like them being more towards the bends of the cage (several reasons). When getting out you can grab onto the one of the center bars to lift yourself up for getting out and even they might be help for getting in.
The yellow buggy: The fore and aft bars are over one's head. Getting in and out might still be easier but the cage is low so you might need to do a "V bend" on getting in and especially during egress. I like the work in the rear over the package tray as it could be used to connect the truss/kaffer bars to to make a very secure support the trans and engine and would transfer any loading around.
I don't know if the yellow one has side bars but they are necessary for cage strength and... incase someone or something hits you from the side.
This is my cage on my blue buggy while it isn't perfect either; e.g., no side bars or a rear hoop diagonal bars in-case of a hard roll over but it's attachment to the 1 1/2" X 3" body lift takes care of some of the loss of the side bar. Take a look at the placement of the upper hoops join fore and aft bars: they are bent and placed to allow easier access and exiting out of the body. The center bar was the guy who built the cage's (he used to build rails too but I don't think so now days as he is older than me and I am pushing 79 hard) wife's idea for getting in and out and... it does work well for that and its a place to mount a video camera too. Not as cool looking as the other two but... in my opinion... more functional for it's job.
The placement of the rear hoop is something you have to live with which is one of the reasons the laying back. Dune buggies are not always designed for us'n people over 2' tall
. The process of getting in your usually OK but its the step-over then sliding in (the steering wheel?) is a lot of fun .
My wife and I at a roughly 80' high section of the roughly 120' high Saunders Lake dune (wind and rain plus aggressive riders changes height and shape of the dunes a lot).
Lee
Not real fond of the blue one... the rear hoop is too close to one's head, remember the 4" rule for you and your (k)noggin but even for the street I would expand the distance (if possible) even though under normal driving conditions you will be less likely to hit it except in case of an accident. The location of the fore and aft bars towards the center are good for getting in and out but (me personally) I like them being more towards the bends of the cage (several reasons). When getting out you can grab onto the one of the center bars to lift yourself up for getting out and even they might be help for getting in.
The yellow buggy: The fore and aft bars are over one's head. Getting in and out might still be easier but the cage is low so you might need to do a "V bend" on getting in and especially during egress. I like the work in the rear over the package tray as it could be used to connect the truss/kaffer bars to to make a very secure support the trans and engine and would transfer any loading around.
I don't know if the yellow one has side bars but they are necessary for cage strength and... incase someone or something hits you from the side.
This is my cage on my blue buggy while it isn't perfect either; e.g., no side bars or a rear hoop diagonal bars in-case of a hard roll over but it's attachment to the 1 1/2" X 3" body lift takes care of some of the loss of the side bar. Take a look at the placement of the upper hoops join fore and aft bars: they are bent and placed to allow easier access and exiting out of the body. The center bar was the guy who built the cage's (he used to build rails too but I don't think so now days as he is older than me and I am pushing 79 hard) wife's idea for getting in and out and... it does work well for that and its a place to mount a video camera too. Not as cool looking as the other two but... in my opinion... more functional for it's job.
The placement of the rear hoop is something you have to live with which is one of the reasons the laying back. Dune buggies are not always designed for us'n people over 2' tall
. The process of getting in your usually OK but its the step-over then sliding in (the steering wheel?) is a lot of fun .My wife and I at a roughly 80' high section of the roughly 120' high Saunders Lake dune (wind and rain plus aggressive riders changes height and shape of the dunes a lot).
Lee
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slayer61
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Re: slayer's buggy build
Man we got some rain up here! 5" in a 24 hour period! 
Back to the things at hand, namely dune buggies!
Steering components were received last week from Speedway motors. For the record, the 30" non-tilting unit and a single u-joint from 1"DD to VW rag joint connector worked just fine in my Manx copy. On top of the column I added a "quick disconnect" and 4 spoke wheel from Grant
Oh and it's gonna be a tight fit for this old guy
Carry on.
Back to the things at hand, namely dune buggies!
Steering components were received last week from Speedway motors. For the record, the 30" non-tilting unit and a single u-joint from 1"DD to VW rag joint connector worked just fine in my Manx copy. On top of the column I added a "quick disconnect" and 4 spoke wheel from Grant
Oh and it's gonna be a tight fit for this old guy
Carry on.
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