VW Rail Buggy for sale

I did some horse trading last week & ended up with a nice rail buggy. It was assembled 2 years ago & the owner told me he had over 7K invested not included labor. The frame is powdercoated red & the wheels are steel/chrome. It has a 1600cc dual port VW engine with a 2 bbl single carb,bus transaxle, chrome header, individual rear steering brake system, all road legal lighting, racing seats with simpson restraints(operator & passenger), & is titled as a 1978 self assembled vehicle. The engine sounds far from stock (almost like a 2 stroke really) & has plenty of zip. I'm asking $ 5650.00 for it or some $$ and an interesting trade. If you travel to see it, you won't be dissappointed !! The previous owner took it off road once & said never again as it was too nice & he didn't want to mess it up. PM me if you have any interest............Thanks.....Tom

Tom (and anyone interested in this). . . the engine is a VW flat 4 boxer configuration engine, very likely from a VW Beetle. From the photo I can tell you it has a non-stock air filter and carb combo that probably allows it to breathe a whole lot better than a stock engine. It appears to have an extended oil filler as well. The chrome fan shroud is for show, it serves no real function other than to look good. I can't see the coil in the photos but based on the rest of the stuff I can see, I'd suspect the coil is a high output unit as the wires seem to be much thicker than stock. I can see the alternator, I suspect it produces the stock output as there is no reason (on a sand rail with minimal electrical draw) to put a high output unit on there since it would serve no real purpose. From the photos, and obviously without much detail available, it looks like a good engine build that increased stock HP at least a modest amount. The next logical steps would be to increase the C.I. above the stock 1600cc size, but as you said the engine is 1600cc, I suspect the real performance boosts come from the opened up airflow of the exhaust system and the new air filter/carb combo on the intake end. Nice looking unit.

Wish I had that engine in my Snow Trac!

I can't see the transmission housing to be able to tell if it is a Type 1, Type 2, or a Type 181 IRS transaxle. Do you know which it is? Generally Type 1 was only used in transporters pre '67. They Type 2 were mostly what was used from '68 all the way through '01. Although there were Type 3 and Type 4 transaxles made, they usually were not used in tube frame buggys. Parts for the 181 and type 1 are getting harder to get and they are getting fairly old. It looks as if the front axle is one of the "newer" versions and not the kingpin version. Is that correct?

I built several tube frame buggies in the late '70s and early '80s. I only built frames from Chenowith or Berrin. It's been so long, I don't know who the top frame manufacturers are now. Do you know who made the kit you have? I still have a set of Webber Bug Sprayer 4 barrel carbs and intake for a dual port 1600. Those little air cooled 4 cylinder VW engines will rock fairly well with 2 four barrel carbs on them with the right tuning and header. For serious off roading or racing, the rear cutting brake is really nice. Is the one on your buggy mounted on the left side of the driver's seat with "back" braking the left rear and "front" braking the right rear?

Maybe my wife wouldn't notice a buggy hidden in the back of my barn for a while...

Brent.......it has the IRS type rear suspension on it . The front is a new aftermarket front end, but is the kingpin style. the brake unit actually sits in the middle & you pull up for one direction & push it down for the other. I've been out of bugs since my last fiberglass Myers Manx I lost in my divorce in 1989. I'll have the local VW guru down the street from me who builds & races them come over & he can tell me whose frame it is as well as any other particulars on the drive train so I can answer you without guessing.........Tom

TOMLESCOEQUIP said:

Brent.......it has the IRS type rear suspension on it . The front is a new aftermarket front end, but is the kingpin style. the brake unit actually sits in the middle & you pull up for one direction & push it down for the other. I've been out of bugs since my last fiberglass Myers Manx I lost in my divorce in 1989. I'll have the local VW guru down the street from me who builds & races them come over & he can tell me whose frame it is as well as any other particulars on the drive train so I can answer you without guessing.........Tom

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Update: local VW guru stopped in & gave me some more info:
..........transaxle is a 3 rib bus Disc brake IRS, chassis is made by "champion", He said the motor is at least 1650cc, 2bbl carb is holley,It has a ceramic header, dual oil systems(remote filter & remote cooler) and hydraulic pedals by CNC,bosch 009 dist. still on points. Now you know as much as I do..................

TOMLESCOEQUIP said:

Now you know as much as I do.............

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And I don't have a friggin clue as to what 1/2 of this stuff is that you, Dargo and Bob are talking about.
I know about suspensions, coils, carbs, distributors, frames and VW engines but all the types, models... got me lost.
Heck, all I noticed is that the headlights are off a plow setup for a pickup truck.

bczoom said:

And I don't have a friggin clue as to what 1/2 of this stuff is that you, Dargo and Bob are talking about.
I know about suspensions, coils, carbs, distributors, frames and VW engines but all the types, models... got me lost.
Heck, all I noticed is that the headlights are off a plow setup for a pickup truck.

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A lot of rails I see put on the street around here use those style lights 'cause the turn signals are built in........one less thing sticking out to break off I guess ? If I put a dump bed over the motor, maybe I can convince Doc it's a VW-RTV-Gator-Toolcat-Mule-Rhino-Trekker clone for his "ride side by side" thread ??

We have a lot of them around here as well.
On a nice summer day, you'll catch 15-20 (plus a bunch of ATV's) going down the road together to get to the next riding place.
None are as nice as what you have...

It's finally getting warmer outside...........Somebody needs this !!! (I NEED MY SHOP SPACE BACK ! ) I'm sure Mith could add a mower deck and make it a one of a kind zero turn mowbuggy !

I'm interested , but my wife won't let me. I've always wanted a rail buggy. Never really had a place to keep one when I was single and could afford it, now I have a place to keep one but now I'm not single and can't afford one.