Customer Reviews

How to Build a Dune Buggy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is perfect for someone that wants to build a buggy and spend the least amount of cash possible. It covers most all the basics.

If you are planning on building a full on sand/race machine, you may just want this as a hand reference. The case buggy they build is designed for street use and some mild offroading, not exactly what serious offroaders are looking for. The book is based more around building a buggy for price rather than performance.

If you are wanting to upgrade you machine to a true racer, this is not the book. While the section on engines is good, there not a section covering increasing suspension travel or upgrading a transmission. He mentions the different types of frames, but doesn't cover the + and - of each. If anyone knows of a book that covers these topics, please email me: realparadigm@hotmail.com

As the title says "build an dune buggy" are lacking the words "without build the chassis". This book describes the
process on building an dune buggy only conecting the parts.
There are lacking details about build the chassis.
Overall this is a good book. The chapter about the engine
is very good and teaches you how to overhaul the VW air-cooled
engine. There is a good section about brakes. As a reference
book I recommend but this book isn't it for build an dune
buggy from scratch.

Overall, it is a good book. It reads easily, ample pictures to illustrate points to those who may not be too familiar with this hobby. It's focus is more towards building a buggy from a kit, or at least, buying a commercial frame and customizing the rest to your needs. Those who are looking for principles behind the design of custom built buggies will not find a whole lot of help. General information and suggestions might be pulled from its pages, but a reference for custom builds it isn't.

A few minor layout and editing goofs were the only thing that mars an otherwise good book. A few paragraphs had lost their ends and there was one major skip that i feel should have definately been caught by the proofers.

This books starts with laying out the steps needed to build a buggy from parts, including a list of tools and some idea of the time it will take to complete each step. Not all the choices he made will be the same as my project, but it did break it down in terms of what order things need to be assembled, and what sort of work would go into that. It helped convince my wife that the project was reasonable with the skills and tools I had.

I did not like the fact that many of his solutions were to find things at swap meets and "the local buggy shop" - not every beginner has easy access to these places. This does not detail how to build a frame, or shorten the floor of an existing Beetle to mount a fiberglass tub (Manx style tubs are not even covered, but all the other sections still apply). The book is focused more on people who can't/won't weld (a plus to many people).

This is not a stand alone text for building you buggy, but it is an excellent place to start.

This book points out the basics and is very easy to understand.I built a dune buggy and customized it with this book.I give props to Earl Duty for his great enthusiastic book.The best of it's kind.I'd wish he'd send me his next book if he makes one.

Baja Bugs and buggies is the bible of building a dune buggy.
This book is less use than the haynes manual.
There is no detail or any usefull tips unless you count pictures showing which way round the gearbox is installed.
It does however show that it is possible to build a dune buggy with all stock VW parts and no welding ability, although it is the ugliest dune buggy I have ever seen.

This book covers the buildup of a dunebuggy from frame selection to final assembly in considerable detail. For the novice, it is a great help. For people more experienced, the information is probably a repeat of past experiences.

There are a few details which I do not agree with in the author's choice of assembly but this is a personal opinion and does not necessarily mean that either of us are wrong.

As a companion to the Idiot's Guide to VWs and Hibbards' Baja Bug book, this volume would be very useful to many a buggy builder.

This book does not do a very good job at explaining the details of building a dune buggy. It is basically a guy who goes thru him building the buggy in the picture. It is things like (the gear shifter goes between the 2 front seats). He does not go into much detail than that. Nothing about weld it in and make sure you have room for this or that and make sure you do not weld it in so low that it blocks the rod coming out the back. Very basic stuff I thought I already knew when I bought the book. There are other books out there that are a lot better.

Item is full of useful information. I am glad I bought it and tell anyone that is trying to built a buggy that they should get this book.

i though taht this book would tell you how to build not to buy parts. the title i9s very misleading. the information in the book i already have in regular vw books. i hope other people can reed this so they will not waste thier money.