Dune Buggy Build

Looking spiffy!

Dune buggy project update : The latest speedster project left today for the new owner, it's great to have some room in the garage. With no speedster projects available . The Berrien dune buggy chassis is now complete but required a good number of time consuming fabrications, it's now done and  ready for the body on Friday. Target completion date is 12/15 The next buggy build's chassis is already at Bug Stuff in PA getting floors and a Napoleon hat and the used body is at my body guy getting filled smoothed and primered.  I hope to have this one on the road for Spring.

I'd be tempted to slap a seat and steering wheel on and go for a test ride.

This makes me want to build a sand rail so I can brapp the gravel around here.

Dune buggy project update : Body and  windshield are on, wired, plumbed, chrome roll - show bar installed, all electrical is alive too.  new chrome alternator was a dead horse and had to get another, that goes in tomorrow. I still need to install the seats, bleed brakes, check every item over and dial in the engine, will probably will done by mid week.  The second Buggy project in que is back from the body and paint shop finished in Porsche Seal grey and we added some medium size silver and blue flake that looks great in the sunlight.  Tom my painter was gracious by hauling it two hours from PA meeting me half way. The IRS chassis has a front new hat, German floors, rebuilt rear torsion arms and new tunnel tubes. That will sit a bit before I start on assembly until mid January....photos in the coming days.  I tried but failed to buy a Street Beasts flared Speedster that has some assembly done to it.  The car is in NV... shipping would be at least $1,200 and the seller is sitting firm on the high asking price.

Way to go, Alan - another Dr. Clock creation takes shape.

I'm so glad to see that you've slowed down on the project builds
in your retirement.    

You had me worried that you might "overdo it".

Locked up new engine.... or so I thought. After installing the new engine in the dune buggy I found the alternator was bad, pulled that one out replacing it with another chrome one. Went to roll the engine over with a wrench to TDC it wouldn't budge not even with a breaker bar. Tried the starter and it barely moved ....^%(# !  .  I then had my wife Connie crank the starter while I watched the engine then saw aluminum filings flying.... Much to my relief it was just the back side of an aluminum degree pulley hitting the ( engine builder installed) Allen head bolts that secure the spin on oil filter. Replace the bolts with regular metric and all is good.

@Alan Merklin posted:

Locked up new engine.... or so I thought. After installing the new engine in the dune buggy I found the alternator was bad, pulled that one out replacing it with another chrome one. Went to roll the engine over with a wrench to TDC it wouldn't budge not even with a breaker bar. Tried the starter and it barely moved ....^%(# !  .  I then had my wife Connie crank the starter while I watched the engine then saw aluminum filings flying.... Much to my relief it was just the back side of an aluminum degree pulley hitting the ( engine builder installed) Allen head bolts that secure the spin on oil filter. Replace the bolts with regular metric and all is good.

Oh, man. Dodged a bullet. When I think about rebuilding my engine, I have nightmares about that happening.

I'm glad my local VW mechanic warned me about proper Shoud/Fan/Alternator alignment before I installed my Thing shroud. It turned about 3/4 of a revolution and stopped, cold. Luckily it just took lossening all the fasteners and tweaking it a bit to get it to spin freely.

I have had similar scares sometime real sometime easily fixed as with your deal. Never feels good at the moment trouble strikes. Nice looking buggy Alan. You are a true craftsman.

I look at what Alan does and marvel at my hubris thinking I could be anything like him. The speed and sheer quality of what he accomplishes is uncanny.

Dune buggy project update.....it's 98% done , all that needs to be done is fire up the fresh engine, dialed in and detailed. Then a cruise done the road before the owner comes to pick it up hopefully this weekend.  My wife and I switched things around in the garage today with a heavy snow storm headed our way tomorrow,  Moved the next buggy chassis I had shortened and the painted body off the car trailer and into the garage. I have an old office chair on wheels that makes for easy work - moving cart to support one end of a chassis to move it around .

Lovely buggy, Dr. Merklin!

Whose body is that?  I don't recognize it at all so it must be more local.  I love the pods on the sides.  Make it look much more "finished".  

Crager Mags, "Americans" or something else?  Finishes off the look nicely.

The photos bring back a lot of Buggy memories.   Thanks!

And you can go ripping up and down the street with a neighbor Cop?????

On my first buggy I had very similar parking/directional lights, but they were right on top of the headlights I pulled off of an old Autocar tractor and were parking lights only.  The directionals were marker lights tucked up under the fender lips at the corners.  

Thanks !  Body is a Berrien Nostalgia from Acme in PA . Pods are difficult to fit as  the right side of the body is a bit different than the left, patience while trimming a little off the top a few times works. Genuine and expensive Cragar's purchased by the guy I built it for.  I can get a away with a few trips around the block for test purposes (he's a good egg and looks the other way . The buggy buddy I just out in the garage is the father to the Berrien Nostalgia and is an original Bremen Berrien.

@Alan Merklin posted:

Thanks !  Body is a Berrien Nostalgia from Acme in PA . Pods are difficult to fit as  the right side of the body is a bit different than the left, patience while trimming a little off the top a few times works. Genuine and expensive Cragar's purchased by the guy I built it for.  I can get a away with a few trips around the block for test purposes (he's a good egg and looks the other way . The buggy buddy I just out in the garage is the father to the Berrien Nostalgia and is an original Bremen Berrien.

Funny thing, besides Berrian Buggies, Raymond Lowey-design Dorsette Boats were made in Bremen, too. Although my Catalina was made in CA.

Excellent jib job on the Buggy Alan.  I hope the owner has a blast with it.  

What a cool looking little cabin cruiser!

@edsnova posted:

What a cool looking little cabin cruiser!

Yep. Old Ray had it all going for him.

Looks great Alan!  Love the color (turquoise? teal? ???) and the metal flake.  Street buggies look really good with side pods.  Most off road buggy owners don't run them as they can get pretty beat up on the trail.

Pardon me- aqua metallic...

Sweet ride Alan. Congrats.

Really nice.  A little nippy today, eh? and snowy too.