Who owns a Beach Buggy?
Discussion
Go for it dude, great fun.
Engine and box you can pretty much do what you want best to build or have built an engine to your spec plus you can get box ratios changed or fit something like a rancho box. Up to you regards swing axle or IRS, most people I think tend to go for IRS for the 'street buggy' look.
Theres plenty of aftermarket products out there to do whatever you want but get onto some forums and into some of the volksworld mags etc and gain some knowledge, be wary of VZi, its good for info but loads of rubbish on there as well so take everything with a pinch of salt untill you build up a reasonable knowledge of VW's, start a thread, 'thinking of building/buying a buggy' and see what happens.
Personally Im into splittys but do want to build a buggy or hot bug one day, remember too that you will have to go through the vosa stuff if you build one and a SWB could come under serious scrutiny and possible Q plate as you do alot of chassis mods, you may find one already done that still retains its beetle identity.
Any Q's feel free to ask
Engine and box you can pretty much do what you want best to build or have built an engine to your spec plus you can get box ratios changed or fit something like a rancho box. Up to you regards swing axle or IRS, most people I think tend to go for IRS for the 'street buggy' look.
Theres plenty of aftermarket products out there to do whatever you want but get onto some forums and into some of the volksworld mags etc and gain some knowledge, be wary of VZi, its good for info but loads of rubbish on there as well so take everything with a pinch of salt untill you build up a reasonable knowledge of VW's, start a thread, 'thinking of building/buying a buggy' and see what happens.
Personally Im into splittys but do want to build a buggy or hot bug one day, remember too that you will have to go through the vosa stuff if you build one and a SWB could come under serious scrutiny and possible Q plate as you do alot of chassis mods, you may find one already done that still retains its beetle identity.
Any Q's feel free to ask
Edited by midgeman on Friday 30th July 18:34
Davi said:
okay, shouldn't have read this thread, now I'm on the hunt... anyone know where there is a UVA fugitive lying around? It's time to relive my youth. This time, I want road going only, like this:
Fugitive forum for sale pageEdited by Davi on Thursday 29th July 11:49
Yep my buggy is the garage, been off the road for 8 years or so now as the body needs restoring, but every time I start it I have to stop for some reason, mine is a mk1 GP lwb Superbuggy with the enclosed rear end, one of the very few to retain the enclosed engine, I don't mind it, I would prefer it without the engine covered up but I think I have seen 2 others like it (well MK2s) so it's worth retaining the rear end.
Thanks again everyone, lots more good information.
El Capitano, your old buggy looks fantastic & is pretty much what I've got my mind set on.
Frosted, no plans to take it anywhere really, I just like the look of them & want something I can jump in on a nice day & go for a spin.
I've been really busy with work the last couple of days but have a couple of days off next week so I'm going to take that time to try & learn some more & make a decision, although I'm starting to lean to the buying one already made idea.
El Capitano, your old buggy looks fantastic & is pretty much what I've got my mind set on.
Frosted, no plans to take it anywhere really, I just like the look of them & want something I can jump in on a nice day & go for a spin.
I've been really busy with work the last couple of days but have a couple of days off next week so I'm going to take that time to try & learn some more & make a decision, although I'm starting to lean to the buying one already made idea.
jodypress said:
got me looking too. How about this mental buggy:
VW Predator Beach Buggy - 2776cc
Quick Stats
* 2276cc
* 215BHP
* 0-60 in 3.52 seconds
* 0-100 in 9.10 seconds
* 1/4 mile in 11.39 @ 122MPH on street tyres
.VW Predator Beach Buggy - 2776cc
Quick Stats
* 2276cc
* 215BHP
* 0-60 in 3.52 seconds
* 0-100 in 9.10 seconds
* 1/4 mile in 11.39 @ 122MPH on street tyres
Edited by jodypress on Friday 30th July 09:08
.
.
I had the GP SWB buggy years ago.
When I first got it it was old 6 volt.
with 1100cc engine.
I then got a complete VW 411
me and my mate, pulled the engine and the box out for transfer into the buggy.
There was some difference about the half shafts, cant remember, I think they were longer ?
Any way,
the 1600 '411' motor was a twin port, and really could that fly !
I had to 'reshape' the engine cover, because, for those who don't know, the 411 and the 412 were (Type 3) more flat type motors, where the Beetle (Type 1) was more upright
Too easy to lift the front wheels 24 inches at traffic lights for a 'party piece'
I think about 65 was maxed out though, with the very poor aerodynamics, it was scary !!
'vette
Edited by uk_vette on Tuesday 25th August 09:35
andy43 said:
Davi said:
okay, shouldn't have read this thread, now I'm on the hunt... anyone know where there is a UVA fugitive lying around? It's time to relive my youth. This time, I want road going only, like this:
Fugitive forum for sale pageEdited by Davi on Thursday 29th July 11:49
I have a 1972 Sidewinder beach buggy and it is just 100% smiles!
Have a look at www.beachbuggy.org.uk - a buggy forum
Or www.manxmaniac.co.uk for some great pictures of buggies (my one is on there too)
Have a look at www.beachbuggy.org.uk - a buggy forum
Or www.manxmaniac.co.uk for some great pictures of buggies (my one is on there too)
chaps...some of you are clearly living in the past as far as buggies are concerned, yes most of the buggies on ebay are not to good, but the whole scene has changed from what it used to be, buggies are being built now to standards that were never built in the past. with as high spec as you can get in the kitcar market on some.
it all depends on what look you want to go for, classic look then a manx, since thats what everything was copied from more or less...classic british then GP, again based on the Manx, if you want to go for a street look then the Predator or sidewinder shells like the pics below.
as far as the point as why have a buggy when you cant go on the beach, so much money is being put into some builds that you wouldn't want to, and also how many 4x4's do you see off road......or a flashy box on the motorway breaking the speed limit ?
I'd rather be driving a buggy anyday than a box...apart from an Atom
http://www.81x.com/doogydawg/haveblue/
Bob as Krug pointed out, pay a visit to the buggy forum, we are a friendly lot..no matter what you drive...and we arnt part of the jeremy clarkson brigade.
http://www.partsemporium.co.uk/BUGGYCLUBUKFORUM/ph...
it all depends on what look you want to go for, classic look then a manx, since thats what everything was copied from more or less...classic british then GP, again based on the Manx, if you want to go for a street look then the Predator or sidewinder shells like the pics below.
as far as the point as why have a buggy when you cant go on the beach, so much money is being put into some builds that you wouldn't want to, and also how many 4x4's do you see off road......or a flashy box on the motorway breaking the speed limit ?
I'd rather be driving a buggy anyday than a box...apart from an Atom
http://www.81x.com/doogydawg/haveblue/
Bob as Krug pointed out, pay a visit to the buggy forum, we are a friendly lot..no matter what you drive...and we arnt part of the jeremy clarkson brigade.
http://www.partsemporium.co.uk/BUGGYCLUBUKFORUM/ph...
Edited by doogydawg on Thursday 23 June 17:43
jodypress said:
got me looking too. How about this mental buggy:
Waaaay back in the 1970s I had a Volkswagen pickup truck with a 1600cc engine, with a couple of bags of sand over the rear wheels I could get the front wheels about 2ft up in the air, great fun, tho top speed was 55mph and the gearchange was very hit and miss there was so much slop in it.jodypress said:
got me looking too. How about this mental buggy:
VW Predator Beach Buggy - 2776cc
Quick Stats
* 2276cc
* 215BHP
* 0-60 in 3.52 seconds
* 0-100 in 9.10 seconds
* 1/4 mile in 11.39 @ 122MPH on street tyres
VW Predator Beach Buggy - 2776cc
Quick Stats
* 2276cc
* 215BHP
* 0-60 in 3.52 seconds
* 0-100 in 9.10 seconds
* 1/4 mile in 11.39 @ 122MPH on street tyres
Edited by jodypress on Friday 30th July 09:08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrmrHgTgrVg
cptsideways said:
I like that!!!! (except for rear wheel offset failure) nice & modern looking
The ultimate beach buggy is the Nelson Racing Engines one. Unfortunately my employer doesn't allow Youtube so no link...have a look though, awesome is all I can say
So 2 years on from the first post, did the OP buy one?
I've got one;
A Long wheelbase Doon (SWBs look better but they have to go through an IVA test and my kids fit better in the back of this).
Engine spec:
2180cc
CB CNC 044 heads with 42x37 valves, ported and polished
Scat C45 cam
Scat I beam rods
MSD Billet Distributor
MSD Digital 6 control box
MSD Blaster 2 Coil
Serpentine Belt kit
Welded Fan
Straight Cut Cam Gears
Deep Sump
Full Flow Oil with Speedshop Breather
CB Chromoly 78.4mm crank,
Weber 48IDA's.
built by Daz Chandler at Aircooled Performance.
It doesn't struggle to go over 80mph, a 90mph cruising speed is no problem and I have seen 120mph (on a private test track, of course). It doesn't run hot, either (the open engine helps considerably with the cooling). On the handling side I have extra negative camber and castor on the front, with Porsche 944 arms on the rear, Gaz dampers, a fully triangulated 42mm CDS cage and a bit of toe-in on the rear. It isn't a Caterham by any means - but it can be hustled through the twisties faster than the average family hatchback. Disc brakes all round (Porsche 944 on the rear) take care of the stopping)
A Long wheelbase Doon (SWBs look better but they have to go through an IVA test and my kids fit better in the back of this).
Engine spec:
2180cc
CB CNC 044 heads with 42x37 valves, ported and polished
Scat C45 cam
Scat I beam rods
MSD Billet Distributor
MSD Digital 6 control box
MSD Blaster 2 Coil
Serpentine Belt kit
Welded Fan
Straight Cut Cam Gears
Deep Sump
Full Flow Oil with Speedshop Breather
CB Chromoly 78.4mm crank,
Weber 48IDA's.
built by Daz Chandler at Aircooled Performance.
It doesn't struggle to go over 80mph, a 90mph cruising speed is no problem and I have seen 120mph (on a private test track, of course). It doesn't run hot, either (the open engine helps considerably with the cooling). On the handling side I have extra negative camber and castor on the front, with Porsche 944 arms on the rear, Gaz dampers, a fully triangulated 42mm CDS cage and a bit of toe-in on the rear. It isn't a Caterham by any means - but it can be hustled through the twisties faster than the average family hatchback. Disc brakes all round (Porsche 944 on the rear) take care of the stopping)
So love buggies.. Always been mad for one since I saw Chuck Connors drive on in the opening credits in 'Cowboy in Africa' back in 1968 when I was 14. Still got lots of magazines featuring them from back then. Check it out on Youtube..
But, ..it'd have to be swb and either a Mk1 GP (Pierre du Plessis, Grantura Plastics) or a Manx with stock VW seats, steering wheel and banded steel wheels with hub cabs and for some reason I think they look better with the roof up! Check a Ron Howard film called 'The Computer wore Tennis Shoes' (original version). The Bugle above looks nice with the hotrod roofline, but these days buggies don't take too well to modern modifications I feel, with inset alloys etc..
They are really nice and at 61, if the Corvette gets too much for me I could well be visiting Flatlands!
http://www.flatlandsengineering.co.uk/fle/fle_home...
But, ..it'd have to be swb and either a Mk1 GP (Pierre du Plessis, Grantura Plastics) or a Manx with stock VW seats, steering wheel and banded steel wheels with hub cabs and for some reason I think they look better with the roof up! Check a Ron Howard film called 'The Computer wore Tennis Shoes' (original version). The Bugle above looks nice with the hotrod roofline, but these days buggies don't take too well to modern modifications I feel, with inset alloys etc..
They are really nice and at 61, if the Corvette gets too much for me I could well be visiting Flatlands!
http://www.flatlandsengineering.co.uk/fle/fle_home...
NinjaPower said:
My dad had one in the 70's when he was a long haired 'yoof', it was an absolute machine by all accounts...
He built it himself, and I think the kit was a GP one. He got a local bodyshop to paint the body, and he found a set of cool wide polished 1970's steel wheels for it, but decided that the rears weren't wide enough so he took them to a local engineering place and got then to cut the wheels in half and add another couple of inches of width! He assures me it was a precision job.
He then got the same local welder guy to make him an exhaust system for it which was a work of polished steel art, with very little silencing and twin 'trumpet' outlets as he had just been watching the cool beach buggy scene on 'The Thomas Crown affair'...
The original beetle engine blew up after a few months and my dad insists this was because of the fact that the air flow needed to cool the motor was not sufficient as the beetle shell was properly designed to maximise cooling but not so with the buggy.
He then replaced the engine with an 1800cc one from a 1970 'Transporter' van/camper, which combined with some fettling kicked out about 85bhp, and in something almost entirely made from glass fibre, made it really really quick. My mum testifies that it would actually wheelie briefly if you revved it and dumped the clutch in 1st...
The rear tyres had to be sourced from a place that sold tyres to grand prix type track cars as they were so wide (he just bought a set of racing 'wets').
All in all from the extensive photos he has of it, and the 'cine' film, it looked a very nicely finished car and reeked of 70's surfer cool... My dad reckons it wasn't even that hard to put together, and he isn't a mechanic!
Do it!
Red with silver eagle on bonnet, black roll over bar by any chance?He built it himself, and I think the kit was a GP one. He got a local bodyshop to paint the body, and he found a set of cool wide polished 1970's steel wheels for it, but decided that the rears weren't wide enough so he took them to a local engineering place and got then to cut the wheels in half and add another couple of inches of width! He assures me it was a precision job.
He then got the same local welder guy to make him an exhaust system for it which was a work of polished steel art, with very little silencing and twin 'trumpet' outlets as he had just been watching the cool beach buggy scene on 'The Thomas Crown affair'...
The original beetle engine blew up after a few months and my dad insists this was because of the fact that the air flow needed to cool the motor was not sufficient as the beetle shell was properly designed to maximise cooling but not so with the buggy.
He then replaced the engine with an 1800cc one from a 1970 'Transporter' van/camper, which combined with some fettling kicked out about 85bhp, and in something almost entirely made from glass fibre, made it really really quick. My mum testifies that it would actually wheelie briefly if you revved it and dumped the clutch in 1st...
The rear tyres had to be sourced from a place that sold tyres to grand prix type track cars as they were so wide (he just bought a set of racing 'wets').
All in all from the extensive photos he has of it, and the 'cine' film, it looked a very nicely finished car and reeked of 70's surfer cool... My dad reckons it wasn't even that hard to put together, and he isn't a mechanic!
Do it!
vette
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