Dune Buggy Archives: Dune Runner Registry

Dune Runner Registry

Dune Runner Enterprises made a number of buggy bodies from their Westminster, CA shop.

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Dune Runner Mini-Mercedes Registry

The Mini-Mercedes has a Mercedes like front grill on the hood.

1946 Dune Runner Mini Mercedes

Body	Dune Runner Mini Mercedes
Frame	1946 Pan with a later model IRS suspension welded at the normal pan shortening split
Engine	1835 Duel carb
Status	Currently on shop floor getting it ready for the annual Run in the Sun on the Big Island of Hawaii
Owner	Charlie Noyes
Front Tires/Wheels	Polished US Dish Mags with P265 50R15 and slammed
Rear Tires/Wheels	Polished US Dish Mags with P295 50R15 and slammed
Transaxle	Standared IRS
Location	Honokaa, Big Island, Hawaii
Contact	Charlie Noyes PO Box 1794 Honokaa, Hawaii 96727
Story	Built it from scratch in 1970 - 1971. Built as an off-road buggy until 1985. Then converted to a street buggy and lowered. Gone thru many disassemblies for re-wiring, structural repair, painting, and the latest, cutting off the original 1946 swing axel rear suspension at the shorting joint and welding on a later model IRS suspension. Looks much better slammed.
Previous Owner	None

One Ugly Buggy

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Frame	1960 Shortened..
Engine	Rebuilt 40hp.
Status	Work in Progress.....
Owner	Josh Christen
Front Tires/Wheels	Ugly
Rear Tires/Wheels	Uglier
Transaxle	Stock I guess....I duno...
Location	Woodland, Ca
Contact	jcwdldc@yahoo.com
Story	Just picked this thing up the other day(8/27/2008) for $450 including the rebuilt 40hp....Can't wait to get her out on the street...
Clubs	Hair club for men....

73 dunerunner

Body	mini mercedes redone in purple metalflake
Frame	64 pan shortend but still stock
Engine	1600 stock
Status	all redone
Owner	james smith
Front Tires/Wheels	keystone classics with e 70 14 tires
Rear Tires/Wheels	keystone classics with l 60 14 tires
Transaxle	stock swing arms
Location	breezewood pa
Contact	james smith breezewood pa 15537
Story	bought in 2008 tore apart and redone, runs great and looks great
Clubs	none

Dune Runner Pickup Registry

The Dune Runner Pickup has a pick-up style bed in the back. It could be mixed with any of the Dune Runner hood styles to make the buggy more unique.

Dune Runner Truck

Body	Dune runner pickup mini mercedes
Frame	1964 Vw
Engine	1968 VW 1600
Status	Running but still needs work
Owner	James Keithley Jr.
Front Tires/Wheels	Superior
Rear Tires/Wheels	Superior
Transaxle	Stock
Location	Maryland
Story	I purchased this truck about nine years ago because i've always wanted one . It's been sitting in my garage collecting dust until recently when my daughters boyfriend said " hey lets get it going " So here we are.

Dune Runner Shelbiette Registry

The Shelbiete GT hood had a "mouth" grill with a single ridge up the center.

Dune Runner TBird Registry

The TBird was originally named the "Road Runner" until Warner Brothers sued them. The buggy was then renamed the TBird.

Dune Runner TBird

Body	TBird
Frame	1965 VW
Engine	1680 with some kind of cam
Status	A good runner, but still has some work to do. Would like to add role cage, improve paint, that kind of stuff
Owner	Mike and Rita - Galt, Ca
Front Tires/Wheels	BF Goodrich T/A Radials with chrome reversed wheels and baby moon hub caps - SHARP!
Rear Tires/Wheels	same - just larger
Transaxle	stock
Contact	Bigmike@softcom.net
Story	We were tired to RVing with our friends and never having a toy and we wanted something street legal. This is the perfect answer for us. Everyone who sees dune buggy's loves them. They are happy cars to have!
Clubs	Just starting to get involved with clubs and rides. Looking forward to doing it again.

Shakey's T-bird Fred

Body	Hideous and full of holes
Frame	Will be a 75 bug mostly new metal because there is none left of the original
Engine	Stock for now but the pan leaves me open for fuel injection and turbocharging
Status	In parts boxes in a shed
Owner	Me
Front Tires/Wheels	Maybe the eight spokes off my Squareback, maybe 4 lug slots a friend has, or some Chevy pattern wheels we have laying around
Rear Tires/Wheels	Ditto see front wheels
Transaxle	stock for now
Location	In a shed west of Omaha
Contact	Shakey
Story	Picked it up for $50 got the doner car for $100 dollars. Parted out the windows doors etc off the doner made $250. Have the intention of making a car enough to beat my kids 07 Charger. He ran a 14.19 @ 99.34 against my Squareback's 20.80 @ 63.02. Told him I would have a aircooled VW to beat him. Waiting for our house to be built so I can start building it with stock parts and in a few years build the Hot rod. The wife named it Fred!.
Clubs	Omaha VW Club
Previous Owner	Some guy in Idaho

dune runner t-bird

Body	1967 t-bird AKA: road runner
Frame	68 vw based. i think its a full frame?
Engine	1970 1600cc duel port
Status	2 yrs in the making, running good.Just doing some little things, rewiring taillights,front lights, dash gauges ect:
Owner	michael manfrates.
Front Tires/Wheels	stock vw tires/ american racing rims
Rear Tires/Wheels	uniroyal 60s-15/ american racing rims
Transaxle	stock vw
Location	danville, new hampshire
Contact	poochdog23@yahoo.com
Story	I always wanted a dune buggy, growing up in southern cal.I found this one sitting behind a body shop.The owner was asking way to much $ for the shape of the buggy. I kept a eye on the bug for a year or so and went back,I got the bug for $800 & a small 4- wheeler. it needed a ton of work, but the body was in great cond,ive been working on it for 2 yrs now.Shes about a week or 2 away from hitting the pavement again!!!
Clubs	not yet!! but there is a good one right here in southern nh
Previous Owner	the body shop owner. p.s. good things come to the one who waits!!

dunerunner tbird

Frame	1969
Engine	dualport 1600 dule kadrons
Status	finished and sold in 2007
Owner	it was the wifes buggy
Front Tires/Wheels	15x5 chrome smoothies I forgot what size tires
Rear Tires/Wheels	15x8 chrome smoothies I forgot what size tires
Transaxle	1969 irs bug
Location	stockton ca
Contact	ih4x4 at yahoo dot com
Story	sold it

Lil' BUGGER"

Body	Road Runner
Frame	l958 Beetle Chassis, shortened
Engine	1600 stocker
Status	Daily driven, original owner builder
Owner	Bob Poiry, Oak Harbor, OH
Front Tires/Wheels	8" front Reverse Chrome Wagon wheels,
Rear Tires/Wheels	10" Rear Chrome reverse wagon wheels.
Transaxle	1964
Location	NW Ohio
Contact	Bob Poiry Oak Harbor, OH
Story	My wife & I took our 3 little boys to San Diego June 1968. We had never even heard of a Dune Buggy before, now they were everywhere. My heart jumped up into my throat so hard I almost choked. I told my young wife we just had to build one. We had to cash in some badly needed Traveler's Check just to get one.There were dealrs everywhere, bodies lined up on the sidewalks. I chose the Road Runner and T-Bird hood because I liked the Low Entry sides and the thickness of the "competition body". Got the Body, hood, sides, windshield frame, short glass top and A-Z instruction book for $538.00 as I recall. Rented a U-Haul enclosed for $53.00 to take it all the way back to Toledo, Ohio. I had to hang the body up on it's side, diagonally with a new clothesline rope just to get it in.Had to stop every 200 miles as the body would cut thru.
Clubs	none
Previous Owner	Myself.

Lil' BUGGER"

Cruzin' Buggy

Body	two piece fiberglass with formed hood scoop
Frame	shortened 1959 chassis
Engine	1600
Status	purchased 16 years ago. sat under a tarp for the last 3-4 years
Front Tires/Wheels	15" standard road tires on white spoke rims
Rear Tires/Wheels	15" extra deep off road tires on white spoke rims
Location	Santa Cruz, CA
Story	Purchased in 1999 from a gentleman in Pasadena area of CA. Began a rebuild that included new transmission, new wiring, new brake system, miata seats, new gauges, etc

70 Dune Runner TBird

Dale’s Dune Runner

Body	1971 DBE Dune Runner T-Bird
Frame	1969 Type 1 full length w adjustable front and rear torsion.
Engine	2176cc, 78.4mm DPR crank, Rimco Super Rods, Cima 94mm pistons, JC Elininator heads w/ Manly 42mm intake and 37.5 mm exhaust valves, porting by Jeff Denham, AutoCraft 1.4:1 rockers, dual 44 IDF Weber carbs w/port-matched Weber intakes manifolds, Al’s Exhaust 1 5/8” ceramic coated tube header w/ SuperTrap muffler, Bosch 009 distributor w/ Pertronix Igniter kit, Gene Berg oil pump with a 48-plate Mesa cooler and dual HP1 filters
Status	Awesome
Owner	Dale Garrett
Front Tires/Wheels	Centerline 15” x 5”
Rear Tires/Wheels	Centerline 15” x 8”
Transaxle	002 w/Weddle 4.57:1 R&P, Gene Berg intermediate housing with Type 1 nose cone and shifter, built by Harold Carter, Type 3 front disc bakes and rear drums,
Location	Norco, California
Contact	Dgmotorhead@netzero.net
Story	Found by a friend in Spring of 1996 sitting in a garage under a pile of junk and covered in cat urine and filth. Owner sold it to me about six months later. I removed the body, seats and windshield and trashed the rest, took a year and a half to put it on the road.
Clubs	Meyers Manx Club, member #828
Previous Owner	Don Poats

TBird?

Body	Appears to be TBird body
Frame	Shortened 1970 pan
Engine	Stock 1600 dual port with single carb
Status	Drivable but needs work
Owner	Jody Griffin
Front Tires/Wheels	Unusual "Bead Lock" look, slotted 5 lug wheels with center cap hole; newer center caps don't fit
Rear Tires/Wheels	Unusual "Bead Lock" look, slotted 5 lug wheels with center cap hole; newer center caps don't fit
Transaxle	Standard swingaxle
Location	Escondido, CA
Story	Found on Craigslist in Murrieta June 2017; part of estate sale; former owners' family said he had it for at least 15 years; had trouble ID-ing body until I stumbled onto Dunebuggy Archives website; fiberglass still in pretty good shape, matte blue paint covering older orange metal flake; 6 point roll cage ties to engine basket; driveable but planning to swap drivetrain and front suspension from current sandrail; hope to post pix eventually