Hey whats up guys, I'm new to the site but i have been on FTE.com for awhile if anyone's familiar with that. i have been just looking at different stuff on this site for over a week and decided i liked it and finally joined haha. I'm 17 my name is Matt. my dad passed away when i was 5 so ever since then i was my uncles shadow and he has been a mechanic(working at my great uncles car shop which i also have access to since he was 12) and a truck driver his whole life and he has his fair share of toys haha. so being around him since i was young i know a fair share of stuff about working on cars because since Ive been older he's let me do the work(and Use all of his tools hahah) and he watches and waits for me to mess up but that process works i think haha. so anyways onto the point he has 2 railbuggys that he always used to run at our family farm before i was around but we still have the farm, so i have never gotten to ride in it haha. so i always get on him about stuff and that's the only way to get his old butt out of the house someday s and get stuff done but he told me when i asked about the newer rail buggy lately that he wants me to see if i can get it going myself and I'm up for the challenge! only issue is i know nothing about vw motors. the buggy i want to get going is the newer of the two probably built in mid 90's and has been sitting for at least 8 years(i actually think it has been since around 2000 but not sure. it was kept on his gravel lot and tarp over the engine and the engine does turn over i tried it the other day by wrench. im not really sure where to start with it so i took a bunch of pictures and figured id see what you guys think. i know it needs all new fluids and spark plugs,battery,new brake lines, but not really sure where to go from there or where to start . i was thinking get the engine running first but that's just my thought, i may need some tips but i have everyday to work on it until i go back to school for my senior year(high school has gone too fast) but anyways i appreciate your guys thoughts and enough with my rambling here are the pics thanks!

Welcome to the site man. Looks like it just needs some work here and there. Pretty nice though, if you have any questions, ask away. The guys on this site know ALOT.

Also you should change the picture size, we can only see half of the picture. The correct size is 640x480.

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

Rust never sleeps, so your buggy is still alive. You've got some work to do but don't be intiminated. Buy a BENTLY VW manual, and stay tuned here for the education you are about to receive !!! Good Luck, and welcome aboard.

_________________
Don't sweat the petty stuff, pet the sweaty stuff.

thanks for the welcome and im excited to get going on this and have some people to help me with this and that. by the way how do i change the picture size? i noticed that when i posted them it was cutting them off but wasnt sure how to change it thanks!

I'm excited to get it going and glad to hear there is hope for it haha. i looked up the manual you said to get and all i know about my engine is it is an air cooled out of a 68 bug, so a 68 air cooled manual should be good? im not familiar on if there were different models like cc wise?

welcome to the site and good luck. plan on spending twice as much as you think. id start by changing the oil and getting it to crank at which point you can run a compression test. if the test fails get some penetrant in the cylinders to get the rings loose and bust up some scale pull valve covers and check for stuck valves. if you can get some compression out of it your good to go. plan on replacing the carb i picked up a decent brand new chinese built 34 at a local vw shop for 150. take off the distributor and clean it out real well. new cap rotor plugs points and wires and it should run good. by the way where you from? people see where your at and they will be knocking on your door to help.

_________________
If it ain't broke ill fix that

just updated my profile for ya, I'm located in Cincinnati Ohio not too far from you up in Columbus. but thanks for the tips they will help me alot, only type of engine i have any knowledge about is the 460 in my truck. i am planning on starting work on it tomorrow so the project will begin haha

Knowledge of a big block ford will help but your about to run into some crazy things. I've never set timing with a regular test light till I came across a VW. You would be better off using the knowledge of your lawnmower in your back yard that's how simple it is. I got an old solex 34 I threw to the wayside before I realized my ignition and valve Clarence was to blame. You can have it if you trek up here to get it. Not sure how good it is but I tore it apart and cleaned it so its gotta be better than that crusty thing you got on there.

_________________
If it ain't broke ill fix that

i may have to come, i appreciate that man. i hope it is as simple as possible haha. as a question will 10w30 oil be okay for me to use when i change the oil tommorrow?

Welcome to the site..

The front end looks like a stock ball joint in decent condition. Seats are nice. suspension and trans are all there. Overall, a good lucking buggy. Just a few simple things to fix

Before we start giving you some suggestions on the engine, buggy, brakes, etc. etc.. what kind of budget are you working with?

Do you have any money set aside for the project or are you trying to get everything back together for free.

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

Thanks for the welcome. can you tell fro the pictures what model my engine is? i cant figure out if its a 68 or a 66. but budget wise is whatever it really take to get it back running. i was going to focus on the engine first then go through the brakes and braklines etc. budget is my uncles which he told me was whatever i needed to get it going, im not trying to break his bank haha but he doesnt have money issues either but if there is something i can attempt to rebuild id maybe want to try that before buying a new one of whatever it is unless its not worth it.

Buggies can be expensive. Everything costs money and every part no matter how little build up quickly. I constantly am looking at websites thinking, that would be great, but in reality its not going to happen on my budget. You have a few choices here, you can just get it running or you can put a little money into it or you can dump ALOT of money into it. Depending upon that is you and your uncles decision. But like hpfreak said. What ever you expect to spend, double it. Best of luck to you.

Regarding the photos, i use Photobucket. When you go over the picture on the top of it a little bar will show up. Click resize and put it at what i said earlier. If you need help with it be sure to PM me. I can walk you threw it.

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

yupp i understand the price thing completely my uncle drag races and those are even worse of a money pit i would say haha. i looked and i see what you mean with the pics so i will be able to do it next time. thanks for the input!

welcome aboard, plenty of good info to be found here, pretty decent starter buggy and i really like the frame

heres a few of my opinions

as far as the motor regardless of the year it has dual port heads which is a plus, do you know the size?

i would make sure it would turn over by hand and has no water in it, plus pull the valve covers and check the valves before trying to start it

the carb is a weber idf and most likely a 40 or 44 in size

looks like a 009 distributor, if it doesnt already have one i would put a petronix electronic ignition in and ditch the points and condensor

if the generator happens to be good it will get you by but if you have to spend any money on the charging system go ahead put a alternator on it

tranny is a 68 model 3 rib, change the fluid in it and run it till it breaks then ditch it and get a newer model

does it have bus or car cv joints at the wheel?

good shifter

looks like cnc cutting brakes another plus, may need a rebuild but if you want to do much hillclimbing i would opt to put in a single handle

i would ditch the "stock pedals" and get a set of cnc hydraulic pedals

_________________
Just Stand On It!!!!

Chris

For some reason little rodents like to make homes inside fan housings when a buggy sits outside for a while. My first clue to this was when I saw the baby mice chunks hitting the ground. It won't cost you anything to lift the housing off and check to make sure your going to get enough wind blowing past your cylinders and cooler assuming it runs. Good luck and welcome to the obsession

got into the buggy today. dropped the skid plate, checked the plugs, took off the carb and cleaned it up, emptied the fuel tank and lines and went through them, lots of gel from the gas sitting forever. changed the oil put a new battery in, cleaned up the connections. so after a days full of work i got everything back together and went to start it and it wont crank. i can hear the starter trying but it wont do anything, it may be froze up not sure. i know the battery connections were good because my lights worked haha. anyways not really sure whats happening with it. will take some pics tomorrow of the little progress and will probably mess around with it if i get any ideas from the pro's on hear as to whats going on.

thanks for the info, it definitely needs new pedals all of those are froze up. it has the electronic ignition i beleive as of the other stuff im not too sure

i noticed that today while working on it but couldnt find any easy looking way to get the tins off. any tips??

have someone smack the starter with a hammer while you hold the key should help the solenoid make contact.

_________________
If it ain't broke ill fix that

thanks will try it!

LOL... this was the exact list I was putting together.. I agree

As for starting the buggy, I would pull the engine, pull the heads and see what you have before you cause more damage.

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

well worked on it all day today as well. got a new starter because i tried jumping it and all and it was garbage so my uncle had one lying in the shop. got it all hooked up and it was turning the motor over great but the enine wouldnt fire. i could hear it try a few times but it just wouldnt go and so i gave that a rest and decided to mess with the brakes a little and made some progress there. also the shifter is frozee up i cant even move it with a hammer lol but its out of gear also another thing is the when i pushed the clutch in the clutch stayed eengaged and the pedal didnt even come back, but i messed with that for awhile and can tell its out of gear but the clutch wont come back. so i know im going to have to pull the engine anyways to check that problem out but i at least anted to see if i could get the engine running before i pulled it to at least know if it will or not. so i dont know where im gonna go from here, any thoughs and comments are appreciated thanks guys!
And a side note i took pictures this morning only to realize when i got home that my memory card was sitting on the computer desk haha i was a little aggravated but i'll just take some tomorrow

PB Blaster!!! that stuff does wonders on old. stuck parts...when u was turning it over, could you smell gas?? if it pooted a few times, it is getting some fire. pull a plug and turn over the motor to see what kind of spark your getting..if its weak, it could be distributor, coil, plugs, etc..when u spin it over, see if it shoots raw gas outta the plug hole..a carb sitting in the weather will bust, but at the same time, something could be stuck too..hope that helps a little. welcome to the addiction, alot of knowledge on this site. When you get that buggy together, let er eat and ged some vids of it!!!

_________________
LEGALIZE BLUEGRASS!!!

Save a tree... eat a Beaver

dude send me your phone number! im in cincy i'll come help you! got some parts too!

_________________
ANTI- antifreeze!!!!!!

awesome just messaged ya