Hi guys, I've been lurking here a couple of weeks and decided it was time to introduce myself. I'm Michael, and I just made a deal for my 1st buggy. Hopefully the picture is showing below...its the red chassis in the foreground. The buggy seller is my cousin and he doesn't know much about it other than its got a type 1 bug IRS transaxle in it.....as you can see it does not have a motor, but otherwise it seems to be a complete roller in need of some TLC. Wheel to wheel it measures out 100" and was the only rail frame he had that had a long cage that would help protect the motor....I'm 6ft tall and figured I needed the longest frame I could get. So far the photo I shared is about all I've seen of the buggy myself, since my cousin lives 5hrs away and we made this deal by phone last week....Another buddy of mine is also interested in a buggy so he's trying to swing a deal for his own chassis....Once that happens we'll make a trip to pick them both up. In the mean time I'm doing all the research into buggies and motor options that I can, which brings me to this forum.

A bit of background is in order....I turn 55 next week, and have been married to the same mean, grumpy old woman for almost 30 years now and we don't seem to be able to run each other off yet...lol. I grew up around an old time "Full service" gas station/garage.....I'm a true gearhead and know my way around most any pre 1990's engine, with exception of VW engines....I've only messed with those a couple of times for minor stuff....most of our customers took their bugs to the local "Bug shop" so I know little about the all mighty veedub motor. I've raced in various motorsports over the years, but that ended with my suffering a massive heart attack during our off season from running 600cc Outlaw microsprint cars.....I was racing shifter karts when I had my heart attack.

Anyway, by the grace of God I'm still here, and now 17 years later my health has improved enough that I've decided its time once again for some sort of playtoy and I'd been looking around for a project when by chance I was talking with a cousin who mentioned he had some sandrails for sale that just needed motors and sent me a couple of pics....That peaked my interest enough to do some online research on them. Searching sand rails led me to find street legal sand rails....Ok, thats cool.....then I ran across these "Woods buggies" and thought, Ok, those suit my needs more then a sand rail even though I'm not really looking to do the hill climbing thing that ya'll do competitively...which looks way fun by the way...lol.

We live in the Ouachita moutain region of sw Arkansas, and are surrounded by the Ouachita national forest.....If you've ever heard of the Talimena drive scenic byway that runs 54 miles across the top of Rich mountain, Arkansas 2nd highest peak.....Well, I live about 4 blocks from where that stretch of road starts...or ends....depending on how you look at it....lol.....Every direction we travel is winding mountain roads thru the forest, and the forest itself is loaded with logging roads and all sorts of ATV trails. So my reason for building this buggy is to be able to have a street legal buggy that can run up and down these backwoods roads and trails. I do not plan on hitting really knarley offroad terrain since its just a standard vw suspension and I don't really want to tear stuff up when I go out since that would mean being stranded somewhere deep in the woods, and that wouldn't be good.

Anyway, I'm hoping you guys can give me help and advice as I venture into the world of backwoods buggy riding.....Once I get this buggy home I'll be tearing it down and doing some frame mods and then taking my time going thru everything on the buggy....I'm just a poor boy and will be doing this build a little at a time as funds are available.

My 1st question to you folks is this.....What motor options will fit the type 1 tranny that this buggy has and what do you guys suggest for me now that you know what I plan on doing with it....VW motors don't seem to be as easy to come by as they use to be, but I'll keep looking for that hidden deal...lol...Oh, by the way.....You folks have a great website and some awesome buggies.....I've been loving the videos, but would really like to see some onboard footage of just cruising thru the backwoods trails if ya'll have some that you'd share...I could watch that knda stuff for hours, but I'd also like to show the wife what we could be doing once the buggy is done....right now she just sees a wore out, broke down sand rail thats gonna be takin up space in the garage...lol

Heres what my buggy looks like that I'll be starting with....thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

welcome michael, to the site!first off what are you payin for something 5 hours away? thats alot of gas by the way ,good introduction!

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ANTI- antifreeze!!!!!!

Livin in the boonies means its always several hours to go anywhere...hahaha, but thats the way I like it. The original asking price was $500, which eventually turned into a barter deal, so I now have to airbrush a beach scene wall mural on his bathroom wall in exchange for the buggy......Sounded cheap enough to me.....Fuel to go get it, and a little time and some paint for the mural, is all I'll have in it.

sounds good then,if your not climbing nothin ferocious you'll be able to work with a car tranny and a 1600 or so motor wise and have long life out of it! just dont ask me how to adjust the carbs up there!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ANTI- antifreeze!!!!!!

my first buggy had a 1600 vw dual port motor and sedan trans...it went a lot of places but not everywhere i wanted...best first upgrade is a 3 rib bus tranny...you will think you added 50 horsepower and tons of torque....used dual port complete youre lookin at about 500...used 3 rib about 300. there are adapters to run ford pinto 4 cylinder and now a commomn swap is ecotec 4 cylinder and suburu 4 cylinders.....from mild to wild buggies are a blast so i dont think you will be dissapointed with your choice....your wallet on the other hand may wither up and die from lack of use but .....its all good,LETS FUCKIN RIDE!!!!! E

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Hey,can you hand me those zip ties and that roll of duct tape?!

I'm a racer at heart, so I love more HP and torque....if swapping to a bus tranny will improve both then that sounds like what I'll want to do eventually....Finding a motor or tranny at the prices mentioned might be another problem altogether....But, I've just started looking so who knows what I'll find before its said and done, but for now I haven't found much near my area.

Which brings me to another question....mounting other engines besides a VW.....Other then having one custom fabricated, where would I find adaptor plates that will allow me to mount other engine combinations? There are alot of 4 banger motors out there that might be easier to come by, but is that really what I want, or do I need to stick with VW. Heck, what would happen if I hung a 4.3 V6 on the back?....Start snappin axles and gears?...lol.

I will say that I've seen videos of buggies pulling wheelies from take off, and that looks like something I'll want to do.....alot.....hahaha.....I know the front of these buggies are light weight which makes that easier, but will a standard type 1 tranny handle that type of abuse or will I be tearing it up in short order and be wishing I had a bus tranny?

Kennedy is probibly the best place to buy adapters for what your lookind for but as far as finding a motor and tranny it might be easier to buy an old vw bus that someone just has settin around might be the cheapest way to get a good bus tranny because if you get cheap enough you can scrap the rest and get some of your money back just a suggestion

Yeah, I've been looking for complete vehicles also....If I can find one thats affordable thats the way I'd rather go....It just boils down to locating something in my area and price range, but the hunt is just starting, and my buddy and I have just now started to put out some feelers thru our local network of buddies to see what we can stir up....Time will tell.

I looked up Kennedy engineering and bookmarked their website for later reference, but a quick glance at adaptor kit pricing tells me I probably need to concider staying with a VW motor unless I end find a motor for free that would offset the cost of the adaptor.

Another question:.....Do the guys running motorcycle engines require these type adaptor plate setups or are they using something completely different....while searching the internet I've seen sportbike engines and even a Harley motor mounted in a rail buggy, but I've yet to see any good photos that show me what they're doing in the gearbox area.

Thanks again for everyones input.

Well i need to throw in my 2 cents. Just remember vw motors are $$$. You will put more and more cash into them. Heck i was talking to a local guy about an engine, 1641 (basicly stock), for him to include the block im looking at like 1500. Watercooled CAN be cheaper, find an engine for under 500, but remember your going to pay $$$ for a wiring harness. I think if you wana have some fun i would drop in a 3rib. I highly doubt a car tranny would take that kind of abuse. Plus they are alot higher geared which isn't particularly good for trail riding. I'm sure there is a ton im missing and everyone may not agree but just throwing suggestions out there. I'm 16 and i have already learned if you wana go fast, you going to pay the big bucks $$$.

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WTFO
We ride together, We die together, Bad Boys for Life
Loud pipes save lives.

Welcome to the site.. You will not find another site with more knowledge about buggies anywhere on the web. Please ask all the questions you can think of, you will usually get a few different answers/opinions.

At the end of the day, you will need to find your balance of Cost - Performance - Reliability. All of your choices will effect those basic variables.

You have a great looking frame to start with. The IRS transmission and the Ball Joint front end is a good start. It looks like the shifter and pedal assembly is installed as well.

You are on the right track for the 1st major decision. What type of engine. You can go with a 1600 bug engine and keep your tranny or upgrade to a bigger engine and upgrade your tranny.

What kind of money are you looking to invest in the entire buggy? If you are hoping to keep it around $1000 - $1500.. Go with a 1600 and build a reliable fun car.

If you are comfortable spending $2500 - $3500 and you know engines, buy a 6 rib with a Kennedy adapter plate and complete car.

If you want something more traditional and want to spend $4500 - $6000, buy a 6 rib with a high performance VW engine.

Good Luck and have fun.. Building the buggy is half the fun..

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Woodsbuggy forum is now on the Tapatalk Mobile app... (iPhone, iPad and Android devices)

I was honestly hoping to be able to get this buggy into a driveable condition for somewhere around $2000-2500. I figure that'll give me an entry level buggy for the most part....One thats not realy up to any heavy abuse, but if it'll get me up and down the mountain backroads and a few mild trails, I'll be a happy camper, and I'll gladly continue with upgrades as time goes on.

You can always go up as you have more time/money. It only gets better!

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WTFO
We ride together, We die together, Bad Boys for Life
Loud pipes save lives.

welcome to the site, maybe you can get the woodsbuggy scene stirred up over in ark.

i would suggest a 3 rib for a tranny at the least and motor wise personally i would stick with vw and add as much performance parts to it as i i could afford but to each his own

on another note and not saying there is anything wrong with it but im not sure what kind of frame that is your looking at but the one over behind it with the roof lights looks to be a berrien from what i can tell from the pic with all the red bars running together so to speak but i would get some pics and maybe take a look see, it may be a better buggy to start with or maybe a good one for your buddy, just a thought

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Just Stand On It!!!!

Chris

welcome to the greatest web site on internet nice looking buggy frame you will find everyone on here is very helpful a 3 rib with a 1600 cc dualport is what i started with and it took me anywhere i wanted to go that would be a good start but you can go on the samba.com all they have is vw stuff maybe you can find what you need so good luck and let us know how its going with your project

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if you cant run with the big dogs than slow down and make fun of the little ones

I would agree. A VW solution sounds like the best option. You can always upgrade later.

Just to set some expectations... This is a general breakdown to get you running with minimal upgrades.

Seats, Seat Belts, Steering, Wheels & Tires, Gas Tank, Shocks, Electical... $800 - $1300

Transmission (3 Rib), Clutch, Starter, Mounting Brackets, Type 2 CV for inner CV joint... $500 - $700

Complete Engine (1600 - 1641) will cost you around... $800 - $2000

If you are excited about the build, have fun and build the buggy. However, most people on here will tell you that you can always buy a buggy for MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH less than you can build one. Here are some buggies for sale in your area.

This one is $2500 http://littlerock.craigslist.org/rvs/3059485410.html
This one is Super NICE for $4500 http://littlerock.craigslist.org/cto/3114268720.html
This one is $3000 http://memphis.craigslist.org/mcy/3111756942.html

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Thanks for the warm welcome guys, and I look forward to talking with you guys more to learn all I can about woodsbuggies. I already have a couple of my buddies interested in these buggies, so who knows what'll happen if a couple of us hit the road, and these ol'boys round here get'em a looksee at a woodsbuggy.......Ya might end up with a local Woodsbuggy chapter here in Arkansas afterall......hahaha. As for the hill climbing.....I dunno....Were under some pretty tight Gov regulations living in a national forest....In the past year or so, they've come thru and start shutting down ATV trails due to a small percentage of folks that were not "treading lightly enough" thru the forest....Not to mention you've always got some pencilneck in Washington that wants to save the brown back cricket from extinction so they pass a bill that protects the crickets natural habitat, but shuts down the forest to all of us......Dont' get me started!!!.....Our local ATV club has been fighting and working with the Forestry dept to keep the rest of our trail system open since a huge amount of our local economy comes from out of state folks coming here to ride ATV's. So needless to say we can't just take off ripping up the side of the mountain without reprocussions unless your on private land of course. We have tons of logging roads, and Forestry service roads in the area that I plan to spend my time on, but even then many of those have regulations about vehicle width....I think one wasn't suppose to have any vehicle wider then 48" or so, and the other roads couldn't have anything wider then 64" on them.....Speaking of....How wide are most of your buggies when you run the wider tractor style tires on the rear?

Once I got interested in these buggies and started doing some research, it quickly became apparent the cheapest and easiest route would be to buy a complete used buggy....I've seen several listed from $2500-$4000. But the truth is, I live on a fixed income so I don't have a large chunk of money to play with, and by bartering for the buggy, I have little more then gas money to go pick it up invested, and then once I get it home, I can buy items for the buggy as I get a few bucks here and there. Sux bein poor, but we do what we can to get what we want. Eventually I'll have a fun buggy that me and ol'lady can play in.....it'll just take me longer to get there.

The other red buggy with the lights in the photo, was the 1st buggy I showed interest in, but it was already spoken for....I liked the look of its frame better, but.....so I went with the other red frame since it was the longest wheelbase and that was important to me.....I think once I get done makin a few mods to me frame it'll look pretty sweet and be alot safer. You'll just have to wait and see what I've got in mind for it.

I've meaning to ask....What type of specialty tools can I expect to need and not have once I get to working on this buggy? As with any vehicle I've ever had, I'll need to buy a new tool just to be able to remove something simple....I expect nothing less with this buggy, so let me know now what I need to aquire.

A understanding wife .............
Welcome to the site !

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Theirs no replacement for displacement !