Who owns a Beach Buggy?
Discussion
109 Bob said:
Ok, maybe 80 is a bit optimistic but didn't know if there was an up to date gearbox available to fit.
A gearbox from a 1500cc Beetle or GT Beetle gives highest final drive if the car has got swing axles. If it's got semi trailing arms (sometimes called IRS by VW owners but goodness knows why) a 1302S or 1303S box has high ratios.BUT! Buggys look good with big wheels so that'll be the thing that will affect your gear ratios the most! A low ratio box might be your friend instead.
Be very careful with the little aircooled motor - the engine needs its fan to turn quickly enough or it can overheat. There's no point in gearing it for 60mph at 2500rpm, the fan won't spin fast enough for the engine load, the oil will get hot and you're off to conrod city...
Aim for 20mph/1000rpm (what the high ratio boxes I listed above will give with standard wheels) and you'll be about right. A standard Type 1, 3 or 1600cc Type 2 engine makes maximum power at 4000rpm. A Type 4 engine, also fitted to late Type 2s and Porsche 914s makes maximum power at 5000rpm.
Getting the engine balanced makes a huge difference, my last Bug would rev way past 6500 but more importantly it makes the engine feel smoother.
Me on the left, about to launch up the drag strip
Thanks everyone.
So GP it is then although I'm still not sure whether to build my own or not. I think I'll do some more research & then make a decision. I'd briefly read about the Subaro engined alternatives but I've always liked the old technology so will probably stick with the VW but who knows, I'm not really sure what I want at the moment
That's some good information garethj which I've kept, thank you. But that's another thing, I've read that it's best to avoid the later models with semi trailing arms because the frame head would need changing, but the semi trailing arms are far superior over the swing axles. With my limited knowledge of VWs it sounds as though going for semi trailing arms means I'm going to need two donor cars & more much more work involved. Are they that much better or would I get just as much pleasure with swing axles, bearing in mind that it's just going to be a purely fun car to use when the sun comes out?
I do enjoy learning about different stuff but at the the moment with this I'm at the level where I'm in the dark with my shades on.
So GP it is then although I'm still not sure whether to build my own or not. I think I'll do some more research & then make a decision. I'd briefly read about the Subaro engined alternatives but I've always liked the old technology so will probably stick with the VW but who knows, I'm not really sure what I want at the moment
That's some good information garethj which I've kept, thank you. But that's another thing, I've read that it's best to avoid the later models with semi trailing arms because the frame head would need changing, but the semi trailing arms are far superior over the swing axles. With my limited knowledge of VWs it sounds as though going for semi trailing arms means I'm going to need two donor cars & more much more work involved. Are they that much better or would I get just as much pleasure with swing axles, bearing in mind that it's just going to be a purely fun car to use when the sun comes out?
I do enjoy learning about different stuff but at the the moment with this I'm at the level where I'm in the dark with my shades on.
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
cptsideways said:
You have to get the GP short wheel base version everything else is just wrong
With a buggy the looks are crucial and this is a good way to go. Personally I wouldn't touch the ugly LWB in that advert with your money. A "looker" is worth at least 50% more any day of the week.If you decide to build your own remember the chassis, engine and running gear are just the beginning. You will spend a small fortune on nuts, bolts, wiring, lamps, seats, wheels etc etc. Lots to be said for benefitting from someone else's hard work if you can afford it. You also get to drive the car before the London Olympics....
Ozzie Osmond said:
If you decide to build your own remember the chassis, engine and running gear are just the beginning. You COULDwill spend a small fortune on nuts, bolts, wiring, lamps, seats, wheels etc etc. Lots to be said for benefitting from someone else's hard work if you can afford it. You also get to drive the car before the London Olympics....
EFASeriously, a kit, or custom, car, can cost as little or as much as you want it to. I could have a high standard of finish on beach buggy for a few £00 more than the cost of the kit.
You could build new - or strip and rebuild a ropey old - Beach Buggy in a matter of a days or weeks, they are so simple it is beyond belief. hell I've had the body off a beetle and the chassis stripped for repair in a couple of hours!!! Of course if you want to go super slick and start building your own semi spaceframe chassis and the like, then you need to budget time and money for that too, but even with that in mind...
Davi said:
You could build new - or strip and rebuild a ropey old - Beach Buggy in a matter of a days or weeks, they are so simple it is beyond belief. hell I've had the body off a beetle and the chassis stripped for repair in a couple of hours!!!
As you rightly imply, the Beetle chassis is often knackered. Once you've found a decent donor vehicle and got the body off there's then the matter of shortening the chassis which not everyone has the skills to do themself. And if you send it somewhere else to be done there's shipping there and back. Or you buy a shortened chassis and the costs begin...On the Wheeler Dealers programme there were a couple of episodes with Ed (and Mike) building a beach buggy. Well worth tracking down and having a look at.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Davi said:
You could build new - or strip and rebuild a ropey old - Beach Buggy in a matter of a days or weeks, they are so simple it is beyond belief. hell I've had the body off a beetle and the chassis stripped for repair in a couple of hours!!!
As you rightly imply, the Beetle chassis is often knackered.Built my own ten years ago. Think it cost me ca. £4k IIRC, using a Volksrod shell (wasn't the range back then, they have made a comeback recently!). No paint (gelcoat), but did have the chassis shortened and new floor panels done professionally.
Best mate still has one.
Some observations:
-They are 1940's technology. Stock engines are pretty poor, noisy and unrefined. Guess that's half the charm.
-Brakes are typically drums all round, no servo, with the wheel cylinders swaped front back to balance the brake bias (no weight on the front).
-There's no crash protection. Literally nothing.
-Not really a drivers car. Balance is all wrong and the swing arm rear suspension (can get IRS rear but it's a bit more chassis work) doesn't help.
-Forget weather gear, it won't work.
They are fun in the summer and very attention grabbing, just not good at long distances. Did a Lichfield to Devon run in mine, took five hours in the wind and rain and I got exposure so bad the face peeled and bleed!
Could be great if you build a modernised version. I always meant to do this but never got round to it... Sleaker design using cues from the new VW beetle and some of its donor parts like headlights, wheels, colours etc. Spaceframe chassis similar to a seven with revised beetle compenents hanging off it - ie disc brakes etc. Subaru Imprezza enginer (fairly common VW conversion). Would be good fun and get round most of the short comings.
Best mate still has one.
Some observations:
-They are 1940's technology. Stock engines are pretty poor, noisy and unrefined. Guess that's half the charm.
-Brakes are typically drums all round, no servo, with the wheel cylinders swaped front back to balance the brake bias (no weight on the front).
-There's no crash protection. Literally nothing.
-Not really a drivers car. Balance is all wrong and the swing arm rear suspension (can get IRS rear but it's a bit more chassis work) doesn't help.
-Forget weather gear, it won't work.
They are fun in the summer and very attention grabbing, just not good at long distances. Did a Lichfield to Devon run in mine, took five hours in the wind and rain and I got exposure so bad the face peeled and bleed!
Could be great if you build a modernised version. I always meant to do this but never got round to it... Sleaker design using cues from the new VW beetle and some of its donor parts like headlights, wheels, colours etc. Spaceframe chassis similar to a seven with revised beetle compenents hanging off it - ie disc brakes etc. Subaru Imprezza enginer (fairly common VW conversion). Would be good fun and get round most of the short comings.
109 Bob said:
I've read that it's best to avoid the later models with semi trailing arms because the frame head would need changing, but the semi trailing arms are far superior over the swing axles. With my limited knowledge of VWs it sounds as though going for semi trailing arms means I'm going to need two donor cars & more much more work involved. Are they that much better or would I get just as much pleasure with swing axles, bearing in mind that it's just going to be a purely fun car to use when the sun comes out?
Semi trailing arms are better, but you can bring swing axles under control by re-indexing the torsion bars (or you can buy bolt-on adjustable spring plates, that's the bit that links the torsion bar to the hub) which drops the suspension a little and gives the car slight negative camber when it's stationary. Have a look at the pic of my Bug above, that's probably lower than you need to go but it makes for much nicer handling. A camber compensator can be bolted on to swing axle suspension too.Semi trailing arms mean you can raise or lower the suspension without hideous camber changes, so if you want to go up a lot I'd avoid swing axles. The positive camber is not a good thing for road use. This usually means starting with a semi trailing arm car, which is a 1302, 1303 or any semi-automatic Beetle. The semi-autos from 1968 to 1970 have semi trailing arms at the back and torsion bars at the front which is ideal. However they are more difficult to find, and you'll need a manual gearbox from a 1302 or 1303 to fit.
If you start with a 1302 or 1303 they have McPherson struts at the front, so you buy a new frame head (this is the huge assembly which goes on the front of the backbone chassis) and weld it on. Then a new torsion bar axle and you're away.
VxDuncan said:
Some observations:
-They are 1940's technology. Stock engines are pretty poor, noisy and unrefined. Guess that's half the charm.
They're really late '60s technology, there's a huge difference between the way a 1940 Beetle drives and a 1970 one. Noisy and unrefined is very true, but that's a beach buggy for you.-They are 1940's technology. Stock engines are pretty poor, noisy and unrefined. Guess that's half the charm.
VxDuncan said:
-Brakes are typically drums all round, no servo, with the wheel cylinders swaped front back to balance the brake bias (no weight on the front).
Drum brakes can stop you perfectly well, let's not forget that a standard Beetle with 4 seats, a roof, doors etc weighs the same as a Lotus Elise. Take all the weight out and a buggy is very light indeed. Servo brakes aren't needed, drums give you self-servo action anyway, and even discs on the front don't need much of a shove. There's tricks you can play with brake cylinders but I'd be wary of swapping front to back - the weight comes off pretty equally so while the front is much lighter, so is the back. Weight transfer still goes forward under braking so you still need decent slave cylinders on the front.VxDuncan said:
There's no crash protection. Literally nothing.
There's the fuel tank As ever, it's best not to hit anything.VxDuncan said:
-Not really a drivers car. Balance is all wrong and the swing arm rear suspension (can get IRS rear but it's a bit more chassis work) doesn't help.
I've not had much experience of a buggy but it's very light and that's the overriding impression when it goes and corners from what I remember. Negative camber on the rear, decent tyres and shocks make a huge difference, and for zipping around at 50mph the handling is still a laugh.VxDuncan said:
-Forget weather gear, it won't work.
It's perfect for California VxDuncan said:
just not good at long distances. Did a Lichfield to Devon run in mine, took five hours in the wind and rain and I got exposure so bad the face peeled and bleed!
I did 200 miles in my MG Midget once, I think my ears were ringing for days afterwards. If I had to do a long trip in an old car with no roof again, I'd either stick to B roads and 50mph, or get togged up in my motorbike kit - lid, earplugs etcWithout putting a downer on the idea of a buggy , can I ask where your going to ride it ?
I bought a quad after lusting for one since I can remember and where I am the limited off roading places meant it's been sitting in the garage for 2 years now . So 7k of metal sitting there doing f
k all
I bought a quad after lusting for one since I can remember and where I am the limited off roading places meant it's been sitting in the garage for 2 years now . So 7k of metal sitting there doing f
k all 
frosted said:
Without putting a downer on the idea of a buggy , can I ask where your going to ride it ?
I guess that's where the term "street buggy" came from. No intention of taking / ruining the thing on a beach, and suspension and tyres set up to match. Had mine 6 years and never once taken on a beach. Fetchez la vache said:
frosted said:
Without putting a downer on the idea of a buggy , can I ask where your going to ride it ?
I guess that's where the term "street buggy" came from. No intention of taking / ruining the thing on a beach, and suspension and tyres set up to match. Had mine 6 years and never once taken on a beach. Or you might as well have an MX5?
Id love one as a project if i could use them off road regularly
Edited by Petrol Only on Friday 30th July 15:43
had a couple.. here is my last one.. shouldnt have sold it really, great fun... its a GP MK 1 swb.
loads of pics...
if you can build - rebuild one i would recommend it, great fun, and so basic to work on. i replaced just about everything.
wouldnt mind tracking it down, sold it a couple of years ago now.
loads of pics...
if you can build - rebuild one i would recommend it, great fun, and so basic to work on. i replaced just about everything.
wouldnt mind tracking it down, sold it a couple of years ago now.
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