My name is Ken and I am a dunebugaholic, got back into buggys a little over a year ago, my aunt and uncle gave me a spatz, well really just a body, it was from carolina beach and the chassis was rotten, then I drove 940 miles in one day to buy a allison daytona short buggy to restore, its what I wanted since my dad and myself built buggys in the 70s. Then I bought a allison daytona truck from ashboro NC and sold it, Then I bought a gold sand flea ( manx clone ) and sold it. Then I bought a blue Kellison super T clone from michigan ( driving it and may sell it this spring ), Then I bought a yellow fiber fab clod hopper drag buggy and sold it, Then I bought a buggy from atlanta with a bob marley viynyl body wrap on it to get the 1835 cc motor for my allison, I sold the bob marley mobile today, Now I am going in the morning to look at a bush buggy with a blown motor, so much for keeping the miles low on my 2000 f-150 harley edition truck, so if I get the bush buggy tomorrow that will be 8 in one year. Maby some of you are addicted also and we can start a support group or something, lets hear from all you dune buggy addicted members. here are pictures minus the spatz the one that started it all over, and I havent taken a picture of it yet, I can tell you it has HEE HAW lettered on the rear of it, and all this after a 70 mile a hour motorcycle crash and then a heart attack 1 year later   " DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST EVERYDAY "         Ken..........@x%&!$ I SEE DUNE BUGGYS !!!!!!

Great looking buggys !

Quit sellin' 'em and keep one for every day of the week . I used to be the same way with Beetles and vans. At one time I had a 2 - '66 bugs, a 57 bug, a 67 Westphalia, a '56 double door panel van (cargo doors on both sides) a '70 bug and a Calloway turboed widebody '84 GTI, plus all the parts from 5 other cars I bought for parts. Wish I still had the vans...it would make the start of a very nice retirement fund. Now I'm down to my buggy a '67 T3 squareback and my original '66 still languishing in primer from 20 years ago.

It's OK Ken, admitting you have a problem is the first step of recovery LOL. I would probably be the same way if there was more buggies to be had, but up here they are few and far between.

I like your philosophy. It's one of the reasons I plan on going to Bonnevile this year. We lost my mother in law to cancer in August, 2 of my parents friends passed away suddenly in September and I lost another friend to cancer as well 3 weeks ago, making it 4 friends in the last 3 years and I'm only 43. LIFE IS SHORT...ENJOY.

brad

I too am an addict (is that the first step? Admitting it?). It started as a Buggy thing but evolved slowly along the way into anything made of fiberglass. Two more fiberglass kits (an Avenger & an Aztec 7) and then its back to buggies exclusively.

I am a little tired of fitting doors and hatches, making windows work, door strikers, etc etc.

This was my first $250 buggy:


Then a little better build:


Then the one I was most proud of:


And my next one (sorry for the tiny pictures):


Of course along the way I was distracted by a Bradley GTII, a Sterling, a Manta Mirage, a kelmark, a Porsche Speedster, a Bradley GT, an Avenger GT (current project), and lastly an Aztec 7 (I couldn't pass up the deal).

Whew...I feel better now.

Cool I thought this might bring out some duebugaholicks and some great pictures, Yea Brad remember when we could buy used 63-67 corvettes all day long for 1800 to 2500, wouldnt you love to have a warehouse full now !!! Sharp buggys Jeffery. I didnt buy that bush buggy today to many isues but I did forget the third one I bought a sears rascal II project. and no Brad I didnt sell that one, I traded it for a car trailer lol but keep the chassis, so my count is 8 as of now believe me if I could afford it I would keep them all but the flip profit is helping with the allison. My mom gave me a tiny picture that was in dads wallet of the one we got from a shriner back in 73 or 74, I only have a very few of the pictures of our old ones but if I can figure out the scanner I will post them here later, Keep the stories and pictures coming I dont think anyone would care if you post kit car pictures , GOT TO GO ,have to pull that 1835 out so I can meet the guy a couple hours away to get his new bob marley buggy.                 Ken............ dunebugaholic

Ya Ken if only we knew.

Heres a couple pics of my buggies and T3 wagen and my first foray into fiberglass, "THE FRIDGE" my 84 GTI The top picture is the buggy I built and sold a couple of years ago, next is me at speed in the first tube chassis version of the car, the wagon I did a pan off build of when I worked at a restoration shop, My current pride and joy, then the first incarnation of my buggy, with swing axle floor pan, single hoop roll bar, 1641 with 36mm Dellorto, Corbeau race seats (that I would give my eye teeth for to get back) and 13 inch wheels and finally The Fridge

Brad

Cool pictures Brad, the new guy Geoff probably gets the distance award 36 hours WHEW, Oh well I missed my d b a a ( dune buggy aholicks anonomous ) meeting and bought # 9, he called me back and I felt like it was worth it so I delivered one to a guy from apomattox  VA. we meet in greensboro nc, then I went to lake waterrie sc and bought the bush buggy, here are some pictures, got to find out where the girlfriend hid my old buggy pictures from the 70s she didnt like the old girlfriend being in the picture Oh Well, then I will try to scan them and put them on, come on guys and or gals show us those pictures and fleets of buggys and kit cars.        Ken..........

Ken,
I would get that roll bar out of the buggy before the thing opens up your head. The location of the bar will hurt you more than it will protect you.

Yes Jerry I agree 100% and it looks like maby a mini step side truck roll bar anyway, I had one bent and brought to one of the bug shows last summer, I may put it in it with padding ?  It depends, it is for sale and I have a stock 1600 dp to put in it, I may just get it running and sell it like it is ? How bout posting some pictures here of your buggys and any you had in the past I know everone would like to see them, thanks for the advice Jerry,                      Ken.............

We're not addicts - We are the dunebuggyarchives !!!!
Bart

Yea Right Bart whats the difference lol I just thought it might bring out some of the members new and old pictures, and be a fun topic about how many buggys some people have or have had, I know all the members here love looking at pictures and talking about there buggys, you know the ones they have, or had before, or wish they had back,  where are your pictures Bart ?         Ken............... " power to the buggys "

Number 1



Number 2



Number 3



Lost count.

cool buggys surf nc, are you around the outer banks ? We did out first bike week there this past april and had a great time. I still have to get the few old pictures I have left from the 70s and try to scan and copy them here, anybody else have some cool old or new pictures ?       Ken.........

here are a couple, still have to find the others I know there is a better picture of the lavender flake buggy and a candy apple dark red metal flake buggy that I painted and was fixed up for dad to give to my younger brother, pictures of the others we had in the 70s got missing some how ? The lavender flake one is the one that had the pancake engine built by holmond and moody of charlotte NC IT HAD 19 INCH AIRPLANE TIRES ON THE REAR WITH CUSTOM BUILT WHEELS, I know why it had airplane tires I was 14 - 18 years old when we owned that one and IT WOULD FLY !!!  Im still here so it all worked out, but man the stories I have with that one !!! Cousin will kill me if she sees her picture and thats my second girlfriend by the gold one on the beach.       Ken..........

Allright I found one more, this is the one I built for dad to give to my younger brother, I was 16 when he was born, I call him the OPPS BABY, I didnt even remember it being a empi emp I was about 30 when I built this one ( dad put up the money and I gave the labor ) I painted it candy apple gold with the big chunk gold metal flake, then dad said little bro wanted it red so I just loaded it down with candy apple red , that threw the flake under the candy so it didnt glitter at a distance like having the flake on top, but the closer you got to it the more the flake glittered through the candy apple,  I will be darned if I was sanding all that flake and clear again to get it slick, that plus it was a freeby, its dusty in the picture and little brother wasnt a car guy like me so dad ended up selling it, MAN HE COULD HAVE GAVE IT TO ME, oh well I guess you cant have them all, If I find anymore of the old pictures I will post them, so from me to all of you at DBA have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, I hope you all get a buggy in your stockings.       Ken.....................

Is that a photo of the Skipper and Mary-Ann or Hawk-Eye and Hot Lips ? Nice line of buggies but, very very nice girlfriend! I assume over the years you made improvements in both areas ???

Yea I think Ginger took skipper away from Mary-Ann, and girl friend was # 2 of 210 lol, 201 damn near killed me I was married to her for 20 years, Oh well I got full custody of my 2 daughters, I knew a few hot lips but never married one of them, my best friends were a collie and a escimo spitz, heck its all just a faded memorie now at 50, so I guess I should stop telling my life story and be like Shultz on hogans heros, " I KNOW NOTHING " but it would be hard to beat that lavender buggy even in todays times, off the line nothing but sky, roll it off to 30 mph dump the clutch and it would burn those airplane tires for a quarter mile, see what you did, now I have to go pull dads old 74 ranchero gt out of the shop and do a burn out, its got the orginal 351c, a ford mechanic bought it the day dad traded it in and its been built twice and is pushing 450 hp, I bought it back from the mechanic right before dad passed away, I think he shakes his head at me from heaven everytime I put the key in the switch. I guess I could say thangs have gotten better but sometimes I miss those good old days !!! wonder if Hawk Eye ever owned a dune buggy ???

No, but Radar mailed a jeep home... one part at a time.

Life story? We got a lot in common. But I think you live your life with a lot more H.P. than me. I'm almost 50 and I raised my two daughters too. One out of college now, the other almost done. Their mom left 20+ years ago for another guy, then another one, then another one, etc. I think she is on #5 or 7 now. Got two female dogs too ( did not mean to say that after wife... ). Two older sisters, a mom and an ex-mother in-law ( she still loves me ). Not a lot of male bonding going on around here.

We have three Jeep Cherokees ( never tried to mail one ). Fun to drive!!! But I could have built a wild buggy and a nice house to park it in for what it cost me to put the young ones through university. I hope they find decent husbands ( to help me with my buggy ).

Why do I need a buggy??? All of the above...

Yep screw the stress and love the rest, I mean the kids and family and buggy, cant say that for the X, well maby the second word in the first sentence. Oh well they say what doesnt kill us makes us stronger, Mine left for a want to be biker, drug dealer, 2 time felon, and dead beat dad, then a second , then a third, X mother in law said I should pay child support when her daughter left, funny she never said that about her daughter when I got full custody of our girls and the house, probably didnt like it that I proved her daughter a unfit mother, Well to the brighter side I replaced her with a good girl friend, hot rods and buggys, oldest daughter wanted to do hair so I put her through beauty school, shes like her dad and loves to work with her hands, youngest is attending tech colledge to be a dental hygentist. Yongest still lives at home with me oldest has a apartment now, I have one brother and a lot of guy friends we like bon fires, beer, and target shooting picures of our Xs, lol just kidding about the pictures. Uh huh thats my story and im stickin to it !! My girls both have boy friends, my daughters can change a tire and they cant so I pretty much ignore their boy friends, Post a picture of your buggy Kirt, its not James T Kirt is it ?           Ken...............

Nope... No Spock riding shotgun. But I do wish Scotty would get the replicator fixed. I need more buggy parts.

"GOT WARP DRIVE?"

OK I had a relapse, sold the blue T and bought a Tarantula # 10, Thanks to Bart for letting me know what buggy I bought, Is it for sale, DUH HUH does Larry the cable guy GET ER DONE,       

Ken, you've bought and sold more buggies since you've been on this forum than I know exist in my home province. LOL

Whats the hotrod tucked away in the back of the second last picture? top left side. I'd take a picture of my buggy right now but can't get to the garage since the blizzard we had on the weekend 12 inches of blowing snow and now it's -30C

brad

I cant help myself, I guess we are dune buggy blessed in my area, these things are as addicting as scotch and canadian beer, thats my old 1940 hudson street rod, since you are a Ford guy, lol , it has a 351 cleaveland, C-6 auto trans, and 9" ford rear end, power windows and tilt wheel but no a/c yet, want to buy it you dont need air do you , OH I forgot it doesnt have heat either, guess you would freeze something off, lol  heres a picture of it .       Ken...........

SWEET RIDE even with the Ford parts LOL. Just bustin your hump. I appreciate all vehicles and I especially appriciate good work like your Hudson. If I had some coin, I'd love a ride like that, I'd just wear a snowmobile suit in winter HAHA. Seriously though, nice car.

brad

whats the wheelbase on that thing?

Thanks Brad, another one I have to finish, it has a really good body and the battle ship gray was just sort of a preserve it thing, the frame is all boxed, mustang II front end, and drive train is tight, interior is tweed with over head console, I bought leather lincoln buckets and back seat, so I may make some changes to the inside before paint, I have it tagged and insured and drive it, but its still a long way from being like I want it. I think the wheel base is foot ball field lol.       Ken.....

Shorter than I thought! LOL. If I REALLY wanted them I could have either a Studebaker truck or a 40 Chevy sedan for cheap. But I don't think either of them would be comfortable to sleep in and I'm to old to go chasing after another girl... The Stude would make an awesome buggy hauler though. It was a 1 ton grain truck with factory grain box, the tranny, the same they used in the 1/2 tons, let go after 2 years and it's sat in a shed ever since, take off the bolt on fender extensions for the wider front end, drop it on a modern chassis and build a flat bed...buggy hauler.

brad

I understand that, if you dont keep the lady happy you DONT GET TO HAVE ANY FUN, back when I was married my friends would pull up in the yard on there 4 wheelers and shout, CAN KEN COME OUT AND PLAY, made me feel like I was 7 years old again LOL, If the girl friend runs me out of my own house that will be OK I think the hudson will sleep like 6 or 8 people, Sounds like that buggy hauler would be the ticket,          Ken.......

No sense finding out how cumfy the Hudson is though, eh! I think my favorite truck from a styling perspective is the Hudson Teraplane "Big Boy", I saw a rodded one in a truckin' mag some time back. The lines of the truck were awesome. Big tear drop fenders, just enough chrome and slammed to the ground, BEAUTIFUL.

brad

Sold the green bush buggy, so I had to buy another buggy for the stable, # 11 empi emp clone rolling chassis, bad points need restored, good points cheap, good chassis, good glass, roll bar, wide 5 to 4 lug vw new adapters, new wiring harness installed, speedometer works, has emergency brakes, transaxel supposed to be good, it has potential. here are pictures its ugly right now I named it porky. these are the pictures of it as it wasposted for sale I havent taken my own yet had a bad trip coming home with it and it is still hooked up to my truck.      Ken..........

I need feed back, tell me what you think, have I lost my mind, afraid to say what it cost, can tell what my diet is going to be for a while ( soup and pork and beans ) !!!!  I need your help guys, Jay, John, Paul, Brad, gasser, greenmanx, and any body else I left out, I made a offer and we meet in the middle now I have over 20 hours ride to go get it, shriners Allison Daytona dune buggys have allways been the weak spot for me since I was young, what do all of you think it is worth in "greenbacks" besides saying it is worth what I would pay for it, dollor worth and what you think it would cost to restore one like this ??? Engine is all new 1641 with 100 miles on it. Need to know may have to sell it later I dont think the seats lay back or sleep to well.        Ken......

If the underpinnings are as nice as the topside...a resto like this I guessing would be worth about 8-10K. Figure a couple G's for paint (I know you know what that is worth) $1000-1500 for q quality rebuilt motor. Don't know about where you live but here rechroming isn't cheap by any stretch. interior another $750 or so. I've seen equal cars on e-bay motors in the 12-15K range. But it all come down to what you think it's worth, Sorry.

Very nice vintage piece Ken. Glad you got it. Congratulations!!!

brad

No Brad its the original gel coat, I will post more about it when I bring it home.        Ken.......

Even better. Looking forward to hearing about it

brad

I havent been able to get the silver Allison, the guy is a prick and is not going through with the sale, no I dont care if he reads this !!! Going a different route will post pictures when I get it home. No im not going to steal the silver one I found another Allison Daytona.     Ken...

Oh man! sorry to hear that Ken. Glad you didn't resort to broken knee caps!

Jay

I will reframe myself Jay, bail money would be best used on my buggy, maby it is for the best, going sat. to pick up my new toy, Allison with rancho trans and scat 2027cc stroker money I mean motor, got to have something to give Brad a run for his money lol, I want jinx it I will not post pictures are stats untill I get it home !!!   Ken......

Ken's new find sounds like a real deal. I'd be happy to meet you somewhere 1/2 way between S.C. and Saskatchewan and go for a cruise We could have our own version of Pink LOL and maybe go for a barley pop. Good luck with this one Ken. But, Ya, too bad about the silver one. When a door closes a window opens......

brad

That would be cool Brad, I am going to insure and tag this one right away, change out the old gas from sitting and replace with Hi octane and some octane boost, we have farmington show and drags coming up so it will be a good 2 1/2 hour trip each way to shake it down and make sure it is road worthy. Maby when we meet we can hit a toll road and get our moneys worth lol,looking forward to it.         Ken........

You'll have to see if there is a build sheet with the motor. get some idea of what all is in  there, valve size, compression, cam etc. I was on a toll road outside of Bowling Green Kentucky, nice stretch of road, but we were in a minivan towing a trailer.......almost drove through the tire shredders, didn't give them enough time to drop after we threw in the money.

brad

Yea, all I have now is a price sheet from scat, the man I am buying it from says a lot of paper work comes with it, only been on toll roads once in my life when I picked up the blue T buggy in virgina, funny I was in VA. and W VA. and the toll operator was probably thinking " where did this red neck come from, asked them if they had porta pots on the side of the road, speed limit signs were taped over with black tape so I assumed there was no limit, sort of like the autobon, I was in my 2000 F-150 harley edition truck.     Ken....

My latest dune buggy addict purchases, Here they are # 12 Allison Daytona, 1965 vw covertable chassis, 2027cc scat racing engine 150 + HP with rancho trans with 412 ratio, 700 miles on it since engine and trans installed, original gel coat, torque thrust wheels, auto meter tach, speed, oil, volts, and temp. NOT FOR SALE !!!! This is going to be my driver untill the red Allison is finished, I am posting a site on this awsome buggy !!! 8 hours to Alabama 8 hours home, great trip no problems, This baby will replace the one that got away ( shriners Allison ) you can see more about this one on this sitehttp://www.billandval.com/en/travel/projectcar.php

I purchased the Allison on sat. feb. 20, 2010, on sun. feb 21 I went to Ga. 4 1/2 hours there 4 1/2 hours back for # 13 ( is it memorex or is it live ) What may be a early MANX, I am posting a site on this one for quetions and help to  "MANX is it real or is it not"  the paint and chrome are rough but it is has a rock solid 53 pan, great motor and brakes and all the lights speedometer and trans are in perfect running order, it was used by a reality owner around her lake house, she purchased it about 5 years ago from a 80 some year old man. Her husband bought a rebuilt motor complete with alternator and installed it, rebuilt all the brakes and installed a new master cylinder, and manufactured a new gas tank for it, it was metal flake blue but she got less than what she paid for on the 350 dollor paint job a "pittyful job"            Ken dune buggy addict Lee,  I changed my middle name lol

WAY TO GO KEN. CONGRATS ON THE ALLISON AND MANX? Glad you had a good trip this time with no adventure. I'm confident you'll have the manx in tip top shape in no time. Might take a bit of work to resurect the tail end though EH?

brad

Ken,

That is a awesome buggy,  it's got patina and has been drivin.   Thanks for sharing and excuse the spelling.

Steve

Thanks Steve I assume you mean the Allison, both have been driven and even the manx ? is mechanicaly fit just in need of a lot of love cosmetically.        Ken.........

Taking a break from being a dune buggy buying addict, at least till I sell some of the ones I have now, I have someone coming to look at the yellow tarantula today, I may sell the manx clone as is or may brake down and throw on some ss cragars and paint it and save that sell for the spring which is coming up fast ( thank goodness ).One thing about being a dune buggy addict,you can pick and chose which one you want to keep and you never know along the way you may even find that buggy you dreamed of as a kid, actually I think anyone addicted to dune buggys are just big kids at heart anyway, at least I can admit I am, Heres a picture of the Allison I bought after changing to ss cragars and giving her a bath, ROCK ON BUGGY ADDICTS !!!     Ken.......

update : went with my buddy to look at the orange Allison, long story short and dont mean to talk negative about anybodys buggy but pictures dont allways tell the whole story. anyway it was a nice country ride and lunch, after coming home without it I sold him the yellow tarantula, worked on it sunday for him buffed the paint, added some scoops, killed tweety, and washed it all up, just in time for him to haul a$$ down the rock drive and get it all dirty again, thanks Vince T, well I gave it a good home seeing how he laid out of work to get his load of chrome from the UPS truck, Oh well he said I was contageous and gave him a dune buggy disease LOL, ONE LESS BUGGY FOR ME ONE MORE DUNE BUGGY ADDICT FOR THE DBA WORLD !!!    Ken......                                        

OK I fell off the wagon again, sold the blue manx clone so Here they are # 14 yellow boonie buggy, not a bad little fixer upper, the guy was a mechanic and spent spare time last couple of years on it, built and shortened the chassis, runs good, drives good just needs some finishing touches so I put on some old chevy ralley wheels and a little undercoating, I will be adding tail lamps, windshield speedometer, couple of gauges and find it a good home.                 Ken ( DUNE BUGGY ADDICT ) Lee......................

Here is # 15, Yep another Allison Daytona truck, seems like that is how my addiction started when I bought that other Allison truck, I have no complaints I dont wake up sick in the mornings, dont have to use much protection LOL, and actually making a few dollors instead of loosing money, As much as I would like to keep this one and have all the allison makes, except the long body that I havent gotten my hands on as of yet, I have actually located a brand new NOS Allison truck, not the color I would pick ( brown and tan ) and the price will put a damper on my buggy buying but its not often you will find a NOS Allison or any kit and no guarantee I will get it but it never hurts to dream, Oh Yea I did find that original manx but put my foot in my mouyh and told the guy that bought 3 different buggys from me and Yep you guessed it he went and bought it, That will teach me to keep my BIG MOUTH SHUT.          Ken....................

This is it I swear I am not getting anymore YEA RIGHT, well at least not till I sell one or two I ran out of money. SO HERE SHE IS # 16 Myers Manx, yep its the real deal, has the  tunnels, the bump, the serial numbered plate, Will need a dash from manx to complete it, a previous owner liked working with wood so made a wood dash, it is for sale but it is not cheap, someone please buy it before I get attached to it, or before I get the DTs from not being able to get buggys, buggys, buggys, buggys, buggys, sorry I got hung up on that word. Post is getting a little large so next posting will be page 2.       Ken....