What have you learned from building your buggy???

[MURZ]

Here is a few, please add yours too!!!

A new body saves time and money

A new body doesn't shine like a painted body

Always "fit" parts before you paint them

Sort your parts in totes or boxes or you will probably buy them again, two or three times...HEHEHE

When estimating costs take your estimate and multiply it by 1.5

You will probably change your mind about things like seats, turn signals, shifters, etc at least three times

You will probably change your mind about color and wheels at least three times.

Deals on used parts are someone else's junk....usually

A good MIG welder is needed...

Simple stuff like new bolts and nuts can cost a fortune

Good friends are invaluable......

A good wife is a necessity

Oh yea, always take your assembly time estimates and mulitply it by 1.5 to get an accurate figure

And the best one......The next one will be ten times easier to do and probably twice as nice.
MURZ

[Keith Wenzel]

Another tip, the next one will cost much more than the first one. Also, the part concerning the wife, thats probably the most important (unless you have a stash somewhere).

[carlos del carpio]

I have learned that:

It's never over. Upgrades, redo's , changes, always evolving.

There is a pride in doing it yourself.

Safety is important in the whole process.

if you are dis-assembling a donor, a box of zip-locks and sharpie is priceless.

A source of sound (radio or tv) in the workspace helps.

Saving money now will cost you more in the future...

Kids think your buggy is AWESOME.

Ladies think your buggy is cute.

Dudes think you buggy is cool.

[Buggy1]

Its never finished

You get new ideas at every show

You find new stuff to upgrade every week

The seats change faster than your pants

exhaust pipes rust faster if you drive it

Your never really sure you got the right color

You know you don't have enough engine

There is never enough beer for the saterday tune up or oil change

The later it gets on saterday the better your work looks

You pray for forgivness for what you spent last week on it on Sunday morning

[GregR]

You're never ever done with it

You'll do everything at least twice..becuase you eother don't like the way you did it or someone else did the same thing and it's "tricker"

[carlos del carpio]

I almost forgot! The most purchased item I have, for the buggy project is.....

painter's tape. Tape protects painted surfaces during first assembly, and with final mock-up

[MURZ]

painters tape!!! Oh yea, can't have enough of that. I use it for everything.

A good piece of old carpet in the garage can be helpful too.

[carlos del carpio]

Yeah, in the old chat room, I remember Neil from Hawkeye Buggies say it best... "well...tape's cheaper than paint...." Yup!

[Buggy1]

Neil has always had words of wisdom....... I use paiters tape for just about everything including the marking of the mounts on the tops. I have been known to use duct tape to hold my paints on though, to much pressure for painters tape.

[blackthree4me]

cut once measure 5 times
use a level (eye ball comes out crooked in the end)
build what you like not what the fad is at the time
do your research before you start any job
what ever you budget multiply by 5 (1.5 aint gonna cut it)
rebuild what ever you can. buy only what you cant build.
do it your self.
you can screw it up just as good as the guy you pay to screw it up
(trust me on that one)
have fun if it becomes a pain let it sit then go at it after you do something else for a while.
never give up it will come with time
if you dont know ASK
blackthree4me

[David Head]

I've learned:

That you always end up with more parts than you need because the parts that you ordered from the catalog were not the parts that you really needed.

If you let your wife drive the Buggy she will want you to builder her her own buggy. (If you play your cards right)

It always ends up costing twice as much as budgeted.

It always takes twice as long as expected.

It's three times as fun as you thought it would be.

You make a lot of new friends.

You have to depend on some of these friends for helpful information.

It's very addicting.

David Head

[Buggy1]

I also have learned to put all the parts I need on the Christmas list and visit every relative, to be sure and leave a list complete with all the phone numbers and emails of the vendors to make sure they know where to shop!

[Patrick]

I've not had that pleasure yet but I guess I will won't I. Course this will be a Manxter so will have to see how it all works out. Then I can say everything that you all are saying.

[bobaganoosh]

didn't set a budget, because I figured it would take alot more than I thought

interest fades with time and work load

definately have a good wife inside telling you it's time to come in (2 am)

(can't wait to join you guys on the road)

mike

[the 'Maniac]

I've been building cars, HotRods, 4X4s, Jeeps, street rods, street machines, trucks etc. all my life! I've owned 3 repair/build shops, so I had a good idea what it would take to build our buggy & how long!

My wife wanted to know how long it would take & I told her 3-4 months & it would be on the road! WRONG!!!
It took 19 months!
However, I don't think you are ever done building your buggy! There is always something to change or upgrade!

IMO... though the basics of building a vehicle are essentially the same, for some reason building a buggy is more FUN FUN FUN & much more satisfying!

Our buggy Xena has been extremely dependable & other than a broken throttle cable & a couple very minor things, she has been pretty much trouble free for 8 years & 65,000 miles of FUN FUN FUN driving adventures.

We've driven her in the sand dunes at Pismo Beach/Oceano, CA & out in the Mojave Desert & the Anza Borrego Desert! We've run her on freeways at 70-80 mph & in heavy "stop & go" city traffic in downtown Los Angeles! We've cruised out through the countryside & had many off-road adventures & some were quite technical, but we still made it thru faster & smoother than a Jeep or 4X4!

I've owned all kinds of vehicles, but none of them, though some of them were really nice & trick, attracted as much attention as Xena & though some of them had gobs of horsepower, they still weren't as much FUN FUN FUN to drive as the buggy!

So... I guess what I learned... was that I should have built a F/G buggy many many years ago!!!

[Jack Duncan]

After building six street rods, I can tell you that when you're finished you should just back it out into the driveway, gather up a bunch of pebbles and throw them as hard as you can at your pride and joy. It's going to happen anyway and then you won't be so afraid to drive it.

[DannyT]

I had seen this somewhere else so I cant take credit.

"Finaly assembly is NOT final assembly!"

[matter396]

I think the most important is ........NEVER GET IN A HURRY, or you will be unhappy in the end!!!!

[Bill K]

AMEN to the hurry thing.

[Jack Duncan]

Not everyone works at the same pace. Also, work as fast as your money will let you.

[KIM-P]

Going cheap will cost you more then buying top quality products.
This is esspecily true with chrome and brake parts.
Always test fit every part before finale assembly.
(my disc brake rotors where so out of balance they would swing like a pendalem if the heavy side was left on top).
There will always be someone who wants to buy your ride and then get offended when you tell them they can have it for what you have in it.
Every buggy that I looked at including the one I bought needed the front end completely rebuilt.
Some people are more amazed that i'm driving my buggy on the street then they are of people driving motorcycles on the street.
And having a understanding wife is an absolute must.

[txdunebuggy101]

Behind every great hobby,project,or ride,stand a loving and understanding wife. ...who has no clue how much you have REALLY spending. .. You are always over budget.... There is never enough time in the day and weekends are just too short.... LOL

[Bill K]

Never leave a paper trail of expenses

[txdunebuggy101]

it will never get done.....

[MURZ]

To build a quality buggy, budget for 350-500 hours of build time. If you can't devote that....buy one.

[Texasbuggys]

Never leave a paper trail of expenses

I love this one Bill!

[Faron]

After this whole Buggy process taking not one but 3 buggies (and the third is not done) & around 10 years. The biggest thing it has taught me is patience, and that my friends is something that I was not blessed with by he man upstairs. LOL

[Das Li'l Beast]

Nice job on this write up: "What have you learned from building your VW buggy?" I would add, consider taking a paint body course (multiple times) at your local Jr. College! Where else can you rent a paint booth ($300-$350/semester) & get instruction, along with a strong network of other VW guys. (The wife knows where you are too).

Consider employing professional chrome shops, powder coaters, hydro dippers. Most of the import parts are "flash chrome", which yellows or flakes in the Texas humid climate. It's not just for looks, a good finish protests your investment.

[Heathwerner]

Now that I have finished the Baja Buggy project I have learned that it is an addiction. I am like "what do I do now"

I have to agree with Faron, building the Dune Buggy and Baja it hat taught me patience which is something that I never had before. Dont get me wrong it was not easy learning patience. I had to pay the price of getting in a hurry and trying to cut corners. Once I learned that having to go back and redo what I did took me twice as long, then patience started to kick in and the results where much greater.

When I am in the garage working on these builds it has also taught me how to be creative. There are no right or wrong ways to build these creations. It literally becomes a representation of you and your ideas. It also becomes part of you because you leave your DNA all over it ( Blood ,Sweat and Tears).

When I work on these projects I do it for myself and get totally excited about it and cant wait to get home from work ( Yes Ken some of us still have a job and have to go to work) to continue working on it after thinking about what to do on it all day. Once the project is finished you step back and look at it it feels good to know what you are actually capable of doing. Then when other people see it that compliment you on a job well done and a pat on the back, something you never get from your job or your boss, it is nice.

I am ready for another project! Not sure what it will be at this point but thinking about it.

It has taught me self satisfaction.