Picked up the buggy today, had a few more drama's than I thought I would. The guy built it in his garage over the last four years and had driven up and down his driveway a lot, also fone a few laps of his cul-de-sac street, so we thought all would be OK for me to drive it home with an unregistered vehicle permit.

I won't do that again so quickly!

As we were leaving I noticed I had to give the pedal a lot of stick to keep the engine from stalling. I stalled it a few times and each start the battery got worse, to the extent we had to clutch start it a few times. Anyway, got it running, off we went.

It drove like a hairy goat, pickup was disgusting (I drive a 1500 bug daily, and this 1600 buggy was a shocker). Every gear change found the car labouring to try and keep running for a while until it picked up some speed and seemed a bit better. But...change gears, was shocking again.

Then we pulled up at a set of lights, where the engine died. Would not restart, no cranking at all. So, we towed it home from there.

I think the following needs looking at:

- needs a damn good tune (it ran but was all over the place)
- suspect battery / charging system
- possibly suspect starter motor

Also have some wiring hassles...no oil light, dash illum, fuel gauge, etc....but I'll work through them.....

In short....I would have liked a better start to out life with this car, but it can only get better!

but i bet the smile on your face was big:thumb

Was a good smile, although it was a bit tarnished when I had to be towed home....sigh....

get use to it if you are going to use it off road
it tends to happen a lot:P

looks like a good unit

i think its a cool looking JnS im sure u will sort out your dramas.

Manx xtc it only happens to the cars that are not looked after or prepared properly as i can say i have NEVER been towed home yet in either my Manx or The Towdster.

Quote:

Originally posted by Mick H My car is always prepared and checked over FULLY before i go and play....I've been towed home twice..once because of front end desintegration and another time as there was water in the avgas....both times by a Jeep to add insult to injury

Anyway, all looking good, rolled it into its long-term home today (garage) and took a few pics while doing it. Now the hard work starts!

yeeha for the Jeep!

what plans you got phantom?

Hey ByronBus, I have to get the basics happening (ie car running) first so that I can work on the extras to gain the engineering certificate. Maybe now I can learn how to tune these beasties!

It needs a tune up (especially timing I reckon), plus solve the lack of electricity issue. Then, it gets front indicators, wipers, seatbelts, and a pulley cover. After this, fingers crossed, it can go for rego and be on the road.

Once this is rego'd, it'll be 'prettied up' - seatcovers, radio, family wants some purple flames on the front....hmmm....

Oh yeah, it wouldn't be complete without a big 'whip' antenna on the back!

Heres the update to tell you how the buggy is progressing.

After a week of fiddling and cursing, I now have fixed all of the dash lights except the oil light (think my sender is faulty). Have also replaced the busted headlight and found the starting problem. Here I pictured huge problems, bought another starter motor, etc...and its a loose connector on the starter...!

There will be a tidy up today behind the dash before I start to put it back together....then work on the wipers. Still tossing up the front indicator side, whether to bolt through the fibreglass or stuff around with a front bar.

After these jobs, I need to work on a pulley cover (basically worked out this one) and seatbelts.......a good tune, and she'll be ready for rego......

Man, I plan to get a buggy. But I am not gonna get some guy in a cul vi sak to build it. (From what it sounds, you didn't get the guy to build it for you, u perchased it 2nd right).

Well, new is always better, if you want a good buggy, best to build it yourself (you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself). or get a pro.

Anyways, in the end, it will work out, goodluck

From Chris,
Mynameischris88@hotmail.com

Phantom go to a motorcycle dealer and check out the harley indicators on offer- there is heaps of styles and all are well made.

Phantom, good luck with it mate,stick with it and it will be worth it!
Chris,hope you have a very decent budget building new is expensive, I reckon rebuilding is a heap easier, build em,rebuild em just get em out there!!!!:bounce

How much further have you got with it Phantom?

Hey y'all,

Work has pregressed on the buggy, had a lot of headaches but here's a rundown....

Took a week of latenights to get all of the lights working on the dash.....wires were all over the place but it all worked out OK. Pretty happy to find that my non-working oil light turned out to be a stuffed oil sensor, which looked exactly the same as my 76 Kombi sensor which I removed back in the 80's, and still had.....win there!

Wipers - what a nightmare. Had a lot of posts in the Tech forum asking for advice here, but after 4 nights and 23 fuses, I got the things working, 1215am Friday morning. Wiper arms are not correct but I am hoping engineer will still pass them.

Replaced the broken headlight no problem. Fitted the front indicators, a few hassles here but got there eventually. Pic below.....made a few ugly bolts very visible, but I hope to hide them a bit with paint. They are Harley indicators and look pretty good, I reckon.

Installed a pulley cover on the back, cheap as chips, pretty impressed! Also whacked on a number plate light and an extra brake light, work well.

Am waiting on a call late this week from a mobile welder, to put in some seatbelt mounts. First quote I got was a bit steep I thought ($300 for 2 belts, $400 to fit minimum), especially as I have a current rollbar already fitted. So I'm trying to get more quotes. Can already get the same belts for $220, so we'll see.

But...big downside, now have ignition problems, long story, the current idea (after 3 days of cursing), is that I might have disconnected the coil lead up the front at the fusebox. Going to look at this tonight and I really hope I solve it soon. Got so cheesed last night I had to just throw my arms up and walk away....

Pics coming.....front nose (with new indicators), and the pulley cover....

After seatbelt fitment, this is all the engineer wanted fitted, so once I find some $$ (shhh, don't tell the missus), I should have a certificate....

and the new pulley cover, with number plate light and brake light....

Good to see its comming along well mate, but dude.
please get a buggy exhaust.:P
cheap headers on ebay at the moment.

Lookin good! All the hard work will pay off soon....................

Nice, don't stop now! :thumb

Man looks like you guys in ACT can get away with a lot- no bar work front or rear, only one break light, exposed exhaust- I love it:thumb Only wish it was like that here- Keep up the good work mate... I've been at mine for three and a half years and it looks like you caught me up already:party

Well, we'll see when it actually passes rego!

It has the normal brake lights either side, I just added an extra in the middle, like the idea of the third brake lights, as per current cars. Mind you, this is far from 'eye-level', but I figure, with anyone driving behind this, where are they going to be looking? 'Is that the engine...check it out!'.

Engineer was happy with no bar work, unsure how this goes as the same guy wants bar work on another buggy I see at my mechanic. I am wondering if it is to do with LWB and SWB, unsure....

I said to him about the exhaust, he said as it was standard what could he say? Standard beetle engine, standard exhaust!

By the way, I got the damn thing started last night, had a couple of wires stuffed up front. Drives like a hairy goat though, all things going OK I hope to drive it to my mechanic today for a tune and brake check. Was going to try this myself but thought I'd get the first one done professionally.

Fingers crossed...that I can get a permit, and that I get there in one piece!

must be because the ACT is full of paperwork fearing public servants who train their kids not to touch stuff that might burn them.


Wish I could say the same for Sydney...up here what ever you do, it's always "thats someone elses fault" :repuke

Just keeps getting better! After being so happy last night that the car was running, I visited my mechanic this morning to see if he could fit it in for a tune...which he could. Off I went for an unreg veh permit...came back with only a small period of time to take the car in before another appt.....and it wouldn't start.

Know what it turned out being? No fuel! Gauge read half, none in the tank.

Got the car there this arvo, its staying overnight. Seems it has a lot of little problems......points crap, timing way out, and a cross threaded spark plug...happy! A few other things too.

Its due home tomorrow arvo, hopefully in much better condition.....