Should I shorten ?

[old Yellow]

Firstly ... Hello .. This is my first post.

I built a beach buggy in 1989 with a lolette kit and a VW recon twin port 1600.

Km run is small about 6000 but has been towed for about double that.

It has not run for about 4 years but is in very good condition other than the fiberglass.

Am now thinking of stripping, shortening the pan and doing a rebuild with a new swb lolette kit.

I guess the cost will be about R 16 000.

Firstly ... What is the forums general opinion on swb versus lwb ...... Should I do it ?

Secondly ... Assuming I could get R8 000 for it now ... Is refurbibg it by a further R 16k worth it ?

Ie could I sell it for excess R 24k ?

Your thoughts would be appreciated ...... Regards Martin

[Loopy]

What do you plan to use it for? I find that the SWB is short on leg space for rear passengers when having kids in the back. What do you want to do differently in the second build when compared to the first? Do you want to change a lot of things? If not, and the old buggy is in a decent mechanical shape, use it as a base for the new build.

[Pink Floyd]

I agree, unless you have specific reasons to shorten it keep it long wheel base. I have a short wheel base beach buggy and find the loss of extra space limiting.

[old Yellow]

Loopy and Pink,
Thanks for the advice.
Plan to use this as a general runabout at my holiday home in KZN.
Will need to have a bit of space but I wondered if it would be worth it to sacrifice this for a feeling of a more sporty vehicle ?
Will do some more thinking.
Thanks Martin

[Loopy]

Have never driven a std wheel base buggy, so cannot comment on the difference between that and a swb. Best would be to drive both types back to back for a comparative test. My buggy get towed and is mostly used as the holiday run around, but I would have like to have more space at the back, and my kids are still small.

[piesang]

If I go on looks I would go for SWB, that buggy for me. My buggy is mine so I don't mind the small backseat, I'm planing in takeing it out and closed it with a boot.

I wondered if it would be worth it to sacrifice this for a feeling of a more sporty vehicle ?
Thanks Martin

You can spend more on a holiday and only have pictures.

My buggy is my hobby so I do not keep book of what I spend on it, then I would not have start on it.

Ok that's me.

[Loopy]

"My buggy is my hobby so I do not keep book of what I spend on it, then I would not have start on it."

Ek stem!

[Bugger]

Hi a new glasfibre gelcoated swb buggy shell is already R12500 new then roll bars etc you are in for more than R16K

If you want to rather sell the other longwheel base buggy and start a new project from scratch

[John Alves]

swb chassis will be much stiffer and as you know, you need to be stiffer

[old Yellow]

Thanks all .... Will go to Volksspares and have a look at the space issue.

It seems that there is a shortage of good quality pans in GP ...spoke to a few names I got off the web ... No,luck.

At this stage it is about 60/40 in favour of the swb ....

[piesang]

Just to add. I bought a SWB buggy and all ways thought that a buggy are SWB. Only after I bought it and start surfing the net for ideas to make my buggy unique I found that there are LWB buggies.

So I'm glade that mine is a SWB, I like it a lot more than the LWB buggies.

[JamesD]

SWB is the way to go.

I feel that the LWB option was only invented for those not capable of getting the floor pan shortened.

[Pine]

I am all for an SWB buggy too - because of all the reasons already mentioned, but mostly because that was the way the original Manx was designed.

Another factor to take into consideration is safety - the driver and passenger are protected by the roll cage and (hopefully) 3-point safety belts, but the passengers in the back are extremely vulnerable....and given the assumption that those passengers are most probably going to be your kids, don't take the chance. Buggies aren't really made to be passenger vehicles.

The off-road abilities of an SWB buggy is simply astonishing, you'll have to see and experience it yourself to believe it!



Nice instructional article on shortening a VW chassis here: http://www.meyersmanx.com/garage/garage_shorten_p1.htm

Nice video featuring Bruce Meyers himself and the history of the buggy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsgKNU2wCGs

[retrovan]

Pine, nice article, but I think a bit outdated due to better ways to cut the pan, If I was cutting a pan, I would not make a strait line cut, as this is the weakest form of joining a pan.

Please search the forum, there are a number of posts of how you can cut a pan for the easy fit together as well as strength.

Do a lot of research, as its your safety and that of your family.

OMO

Herman

[Pine]

Joining a chassis with the two halves cut at an angle makes a lot more sense - although there were thousands of buggies built as suggested by Uncle Bruce. Come to think of it, I haven't heard of any buggies breaking in two before? This was the suggestion of VWAG in a service bulletin dated September '69, I scanned and posted it on TheSamba a couple of years ago, the entire bulletin can be found here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/man ... ebuggy.php - the last two pages are from a similar article that was published in the Gute Fahrt magazine: