anyone have any experience with VW Dune Buggies or Sand Rails?

[sweatmachine]

I have a few ideas turning around in ol' duder's head and I've been eyeballing some VW sand rails/dune buggies on craigslist.

I've been thinking about something like this:

Anyone ever played with, ridden in, owned, worked on, smelled, etc on of these? I've never had any experience with them.

What are they like? Fast? Slow? Stupid? Chick magnets?

I'm thinking about picking up another bike in a few months and for about the same money I could get one of these. Just curious. Thanks!

(I'd really like to get one and throw a late model Honda engine in the back of it, like from a Civic or Prelude etc...)

 

[KingBear]

I SO DIG the classic 60's-era dune buggies! I have no interest in the sand rail, but the buggy is the shit. They were all over the place when I was a kid growing up in So Cal. This last year I've been casually looking around for resources to build something like this from a kit...

 

[sweatmachine]

btw: I'd want this to drive around town and out in the Hill Country. 99% on road, not off road.

 

[drlapo]

no way would a sand rail be street legal in connecticut

 

[sweatmachine]

I've seen lots of them on the city streets and highways here.

 

[DandyDoug]

We see variations of sandrails/dune buggies/older Meyers Manx models around here in NC.
Many of them are street legal and most have some variation of VW bug power plant. There are a couple I have seen and heard that very obviously have some other type of power , loud and fast !!!

Looks like fun to me !!

 

[rodburner]

I've seen lots of them on the city streets and highways here.

But you still can't ride a minibike to the tavern.what bullshit!
No street legal dune buggy's of the tube frame style here either,but I've seen several of the Meyer's type. Want one too. Why not get a legal MR2 and " customize" it?

 

[geolpilot]

They can be street legal in Texas. If you ever want to use one on loose sand as in the 4WD part of the National Seashore, you want wide tires with minimal inflation and little or no tread. We used to put airplane tires on our 4WD research vehicles for sand. It is common to see heavy tread mud tires on the beach, but it is the last thing you want. You want a tire that will slip before it will dig. Have fun.

 

[Hamr Mark]

Sorry, but I had too:

The best Buggy of them all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjveJyqI6yM

 

[LS1*]

Alot of the serious sand rails adapt a ford 2.3 turbo to the VW transmission. Some stock 2.3 turbos are over 200hp, breathed on 300hp easy. Check out esslinger engineering.

 

[Kirkus51]

I'd go classic dune buggy with the classic VW engine. A buddy of mine has built show quality Baja Bugs and loves the hell outta them. He started out with dune buggys when we were kids. Had a ton of fun blasting around in them.

 

[TC_Dick]

they are still in business, meyers manx:

http://www.meyersmanx.com/

most of the cars you have to shorten the chassis:

http://www.meyersmanx.com/kick-out.shtml

I have always wanted one of those, ever since I was a kid.

 

[sweatmachine]

I'd rather have a sand rail than a car with a body on it. I'd want it like a damn go kart for the street basically.

 

[ivar]

now these drakarts looks like a blast! I doubt they're street legal though :lol:

 

[MOSES]

You'll want a IRS transaxle , a linkpin front end, and at least a 1600cc motor... Oh and turning brakes(split parking brake). Done. There are a lot of motor options to adapt to the VW transaxle from 4 bangers to V8's so theres lot of options. its all $$

I've owned a few rails, a few buggies, and a shit-ton of VW's. There definately fun but I'd by another bike ! LOL

 

[sweatmachine]

Moses, what's your typical 1600cc motor make for hp? Is a rail with a basic 1600cc motor fast at all? I can't imagine that motor doing anything in a hurry.

 

[MOSES]

Moses, what's your typical 1600cc motor make for hp? Is a rail with a basic 1600cc motor fast at all? I can't imagine that motor doing anything in a hurry.

60 to 80 hp :yawn: tops but the rails dont weigh that much. If you go bigger than a 1600... Go with a 2.0 or up Type 1 motor. Put a 2332 in it and you'll crap your pants !!!

 

[sweatmachine]

I found this site that sells adapter kits for a gazillion different engines:

http://www.kennedyeng.com/vw_por.htm

Seems like a stock junkyard 350 would be a good one to run in a rail.

 

[MOSES]

Seems like a stock junkyard 350 would be a good one to run in a rail.

A little big... Look in to 4 cyl. turbos. even a 1600 turbo is pretty fast

 

[sweatmachine]

How do the VW engines hold up to turbocharging? A turbo would look awesome on an open rail.

that, or slap a Hayabusa engine in. Ha!