Pullstart 62,792 #1 Posted July 27, 2016 Over the 4th of July weekend my father in law brought a "BMS Sand Sniper 1000" 4 seater buggy out to our campground for some trail riding fun. The car is street legal and there are many seasonal roads that prohibit quads, dirt bikes, etc... Though this thing was burning oil and running rough (way under powered), we had a blast soaking up ruts and rocks cruising around the trails. It made me re-think the whole dune buggy idea. If I was to get a 4 seater and it was street legal, I could tote my girls (6 and 8) around town and have a blast around camp on the weekends.. not to mention the occasional trip to the dunes. I found a decent deal on a 1641 powered buggy nearby and am thinking about looking at it. Hey, I've already got a VW tow bar, why not? If the VW power becomes underpower, there's always the possibility of running a water cooled front wheel drive engine/transmission setup like a Honda civic or the like.. Any positives/negatives to this kind of thinking would be much appreciated! I've done the quads and trucks in the dunes, never before have I driven a VW buggy but they seem to always need high RPMs to be able to shift and keep momentum in the sand... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,605 #2 Posted July 27, 2016 4 hours ago, pullstart said: Over the 4th of July weekend my father in law brought a "BMS Sand Sniper 1000" 4 seater buggy out to our campground for some trail riding fun. The car is street legal and there are many seasonal roads that prohibit quads, dirt bikes, etc... Though this thing was burning oil and running rough (way under powered), we had a blast soaking up ruts and rocks cruising around the trails. It made me re-think the whole dune buggy idea. If I was to get a 4 seater and it was street legal, I could tote my girls (6 and 8) around town and have a blast around camp on the weekends.. not to mention the occasional trip to the dunes. I found a decent deal on a 1641 powered buggy nearby and am thinking about looking at it. Hey, I've already got a VW tow bar, why not? If the VW power becomes underpower, there's always the possibility of running a water cooled front wheel drive engine/transmission setup like a Honda civic or the like.. Any positives/negatives to this kind of thinking would be much appreciated! I've done the quads and trucks in the dunes, never before have I driven a VW buggy but they seem to always need high RPMs to be able to shift and keep momentum in the sand... if the vw engine isnt enough you can swap in a subaru engine no problem since its a very comon swap 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
russellmc301 600 #3 Posted July 27, 2016 i mow yard for somone and he used to have one and it loved it and then his neighbor still has ione and he loves it also. both vw engines Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #4 Posted July 30, 2016 I found one locally with a well done ecotec swap, probably 160-190 horse power, street legal and 4 seater to haul the family around on the weekends. If it's still for sale when some extra funds come my way, I might just have to go check it out! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #5 Posted August 9, 2016 Well the Eco-Buggy was sold July 31, but we found a nice one about an hour and a half away and Saturday went to check it out. It even came with a trailer.... paddles.... and a truck! Well we got the whole combo and I have plenty of trucks right now so that's already for sale at the road. We've run about 10 gallons of fuel through it so far and on the local trails it seems to have plenty of power. I've got to get the speedometer hooked up to get a reasonable MPG but I'm guessing about 15 mpg so far. I think the rear end has some toe-in that I am going to see if I can fix, but it's got most the goodies... billet front end, ah-ooga horn, good running 1641 engine and 3 rib bus trans, CNC clutch/brake cylinders, aluminum front wheels, IRS... etc. We'd like to upgrade the belts to 4 or 5 point harnesses over the lap belts, relocate the battery from the back seat floor to behind the back seat, and if I can figure out the rear toe issue that would be nice. I realized I don't have any pictures, so I'll have to take some tomorrow! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #6 Posted August 9, 2016 (edited) Momma had some pictures and a video of riding down the road with the little one taking a little cat nap The truck I'm hauling with is the one that came with the deal. It's not too pretty but it runs great! And here's a video of running the road... http://vid612.photobucket.com/albums/tt208/fjplatteservices/Video 2_zpsbouqxkxn.mp4 Edited August 9, 2016 by pullstart video link... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougC 2,641 #7 Posted August 9, 2016 Enjoy the new street legal fun machine! Looks like a blast!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #8 Posted August 10, 2016 16 hours ago, DougC said: Enjoy the new street legal fun machine! Looks like a blast!!! So far, I sure am! I calculated that on road we're getting about 22 miles per gallon with it, so I've proven it's cheaper to run this (with premium gas) than it is my Silverado (with regular gas). I went cruising around yesterday in the Yankee Springs state recreation area and found quite a few more seasonal roads than I knew about before, quite a few clear areas that I can run pretty quick without worry of an oncoming collision as they are non-directional single lane trails. The girls love it and we figured out neither likes the wind noise so they've moved to full face motorcycle helmets for a bit more protection too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougC 2,641 #9 Posted August 10, 2016 Glad to hear your all wearing your helmets! Have fun! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRanger 1,468 #10 Posted August 10, 2016 We had a street legal rail about 10 years ago that I built ground up. VW was way too underpowered and boring IMO. Ended up with a 3.8 fuel injected V6 Buick mated to a 5 rib trans. Long travel and custom extended arms. Silver Lake is a blast, but just watch for other drivers on the street. Mine was street legal too, but the other drivers were the scary part. Ended up moving on to other toys after a couple years. Have fun and be safe. Check out http://www.heckermachine.com/ if you get bored with that VW engine. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #11 Posted August 12, 2016 We've had a few 3800 GM engines in cars in the past, they seem to be pretty powerful to move a good sized car, let alone a rail! I can't imagine the hardships keeping the front end down... except those custom extended arms! Having a bike on the road for the last 10 years, I know all about the defensive driving it takes to stay in this world and enjoy a toy. So far, I think we'll stick with this 1641 set up for a while, maybe a little more ground clearance and suspension travel will come over the winter and there are thoughts of a small turbo too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #12 Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Well, after having this car about a year, almost the only thing semi-original is the chassis and that'll soon change too. I'll be attempting to stretch the wheelbase 11" and build a more rigid cage as well. It's now got a Subaru 2.5l non-turbo engine, longer travel front and rear and more upgrades on the way. here's a link to a VW forum with my build page: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662104&start=0 Edited November 5, 2017 by pullstart added picture 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,127 #13 Posted November 5, 2017 Really, why 11" longer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #14 Posted November 5, 2017 @AMC RULES there's no legroom for the rear seat.... maybe 5-6". Appletree's new frame is 11" longer wheelbase for that reason. I damaged the top of the rollcage bottoming out in the dunes (compression/stress fracture at some joints) so the top half needs some redesign and gusset work anyways, might as well make it fit 4 people like it should with decent seats to boot. I'm sure the added weight won't slow it much, I've nearly tripled the horsepower with the EJ25 swap and fuel injection. The wiring of the project was the most satisfying part... that it actually fires and runs well after all the hacking of the harness! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #15 Posted December 3, 2017 Picked up a couple more Subarus this last week, they are 2.2 single overhead cam cars with 5 speeds, got 2 spare complete transmissions and another empty case, so I can play around with adapting the Subaru trans to the buggy some day... or building another car! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #16 Posted September 5, 2019 Long time, no post updates on the buggy. Last fall, the EJ25 Subaru engine started knocking. It never was run low on oil, but it was also treated like a toy. A toy that likes a good flogging. For clearance, the oil pan was shortened a couple inches but even with a skid plate that pan has kissed the ground a few times. Not too long before that, a second cousin had fallen on hard times and needed a car. We purchased a Forrester that needed an engine and I used my best back up engine to get her some wheels on the road. Now she has acquired a van that is better suited for her needs and she decided to return the Subaru to us. Now, I’m in a conflicted bind... There’s nothing mechanically wrong with this car, but the buggy has been waiting patiently for new life. What to do.... what to do. I’ve often thought about adding a turbo, the donor engine is a lower compression EJ22 and apparently the stock ecu is known to respond well to 5-8 psi of boost without additional tuning. I would also plan to build a 10 degree mount on the trans for additional rear ground clearance. I also have a second Honda half-rad new in the box and would completely upgrade the cooling system. yes, I need one more project, as bad as I need another hole in my head. this car is a blast, but for some reason I don’t need to explain to y’all, these tractors are a blast too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 9,981 #17 Posted September 5, 2019 Some time back, like 50yrs, I worked for a small engineering company. One of the things we did, was widen VW wheels for an outfit that built beach buggies. Had a few runs out with them on Ainsdale beach. Great fun! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,605 #18 Posted September 9, 2019 kevin, if you do decide to take the engine out the forest im calling dibs on some forester parts 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #19 Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, C-101plowerpower said: kevin, if you do decide to take the engine out the forest im calling dibs on some forester parts What are you looking for Koen? I’ll be flying into Amsterdam in less than 2 weeks to visit Jil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,605 #20 Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, pullstart said: What are you looking for Koen? I’ll be flying into Amsterdam in less than 2 weeks to visit Jil front fog lights and roof crossbars is what caught my eye, maybe the ignition coil, the one on mine took a dump Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,792 #21 Posted September 9, 2019 21 minutes ago, C-101plowerpower said: front fog lights and roof crossbars is what caught my eye, maybe the ignition coil, the one on mine took a dump Is a dodge neon or Chrysler pt cruiser coil available to you? They supposedly fit fine and produce slightly stronger spark! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,605 #22 Posted September 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, pullstart said: Is a dodge neon or Chrysler pt cruiser coil available to you? They supposedly fit fine and produce slightly stronger spark! they are available, but, they're different than the coil i have unfortunately Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
