I'd love to have one of these, my dad had bugs when I was little and I remember us coming home from my uncles in south Carolina after about a foot of snow and the roads hadn't been plowed yet. My dad stopped driving and it turned out we had gotten off the road and were in the middle of a cotton field. My dad simply backed up until we found the road again and we were back on our way home
@@ilikeitinmybutt4119 they're hard to find now, but they will go anywhere. Around 2000 I worked out of the country alot and one of the places I worked was in Mexico for my company, and they had Volkswagen dealerships with brand new beetles down there. At the time they still produced them there
My Dad took a 59 Beetle and cut it in half, removing 17 inches and then welded it back together. Big tires on the rear and trimmed the fenders. Got rid of the doors. We drove it as a dune buggy for 25 years. An amazing, go anywhere vehicle. Miss ya Herb.
I remember when you could buy an old bug for under $500 put air shocks in cut away the fenders and put on a gnarly set of snow tires on the back of it and you were good to go anywhere!
@@wiggitywhitefox hell yesterday I saw an 88f150 with 280k, no bed. Clapped out isn't even a word and they wanted $5000, and weren't kidding. The used car market right now is atrocious. Can't find a single Toyota 4x4 for under 4k even with 300k+ and a blown trans
@@swampypolitics9574 back in the 70s you could buy a brand new Toyota Land cruiser for around $3,000... Base price was $2,800 and fully loaded was around $4,400..the engine was from the blue prints of the discontinued 1961 and earlier Chevrolet inline overhead valve 6 cylinder..Toyota had modified the blueprints so the Chevy engine would pick up the oil on steeper hills and also use their own carburetor that would basically run upside down... My cousin bought one telling me that what sold him was when he saw the Toyota had hung itself from a tree limb using the front winch that was a 8,000 lb winch geared from the transmission.... The land cruiser resembles one of the earlier Jeeps of the time like the Willy's overlander but the fenders on this thing was like 1/8 of an inch thick steel.... The front bumper would have been illegal in demolition derby and it had a full bottom pan guarding the drive shaft and the transfer case all it needed was a Dylan minigun and it been ready for war.. I was just now reading the specs on it and later Toyota used several different engines improving on horsepower and torque but that old Chevy 6 in there ran like a champ... And sometimes that they had problems with that trick carburetor that was very expensive to replace so like my cousin did you could take the intake manifold from an old Chevy 6 and it would bolt up to the head and use the stock Chevy carburetor that came on the old 1960 pickup trucks with a manual choke for about $35 and the way you go downside was it wouldn't run upside down anymore... But they always told us to keep the shiny side up anyways it'd be better
I just traded an 08 trx450r for a 69 baja with a rebuild motor just needs to be put in, upgraded disc breaks all around, and a clean intirior I'd say it was a decent deal
Many times I drove my 71 Superbug around parked up 4wds to scared to take on a long patch of loose sand. I used to hit it at 40mph full noise and cruise it. Momentum is the key for 2wds. Such an easy and cheap vehicle to modify with a virtual endless number of add on parts and DIY build bits. Holley carb, extractors , HD shocks and a set of winter treds allround and you are having fun ! Fondest memories of my youth involve my bug. Love em !😎👍
Thanks guys from Australia for sharing your love of bugs. We grieve for your loss. Admire your strength in induring the loss of spencer. He was an inspiration for all of us. As you are for coming back from your injuries. Spencer would be proud of you. I lost my partner recently and know what you going through. Keep that passion going on your clips. Spencer was a lucky guy.
If you want to see the original clips, they are all in this playlist! (Along with a few extra goodies 😉) ru-vid.com/group/PL0nHPnd2oG8tytReoMoFLouJCnjsW1GrN
Have you seen this one? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZJnRJooJ3k8.html To get perspective of what he took it down, look up “waterfall Disney, OK”
Nice! Collected them like 40yrs. ago for thrashing shale pits. If they blew up, it would take about an hour to have another motor in them. if memory serves me correct, you only needed a 13 +17 millimeter wrench to swap the motors. the no interference bottom pans seemed to be one of their greatest assets.
I grew up hearing stories about different Baha bug's my uncle had built and thrashed through the woods and through some epic Blizzard's where the only other things on the road were 4 wheel drives.. The bottom pans would make them float on the deep powder snow with only the rear wheels and chains touching the pavement at times.. Oh how I wanted a Myer's Manx as a kid, well, how I'd love to have one now I should say!!
@Glenn Moore Yeah and we were quite young like I was 14' doing it with a 16 tear old friend that turned into a life long mechanic. We would blow one up and go swap a motor in an hour. We collected them.
Man this brings back memories. My first car was a 10 year old 1965 Volkswagen Beetle. My mom had kept all my old jeans and sewed blue jean seat covers for it. Had it baked enameled cherry red, installed an 8track with a couple of 6x8” speakers and I put mud tires on the rear. Had lots of practice on ice blacktop and muddy backroads. Could take her pretty much anywhere and if we did get stuck, 2 or 3 passengers was enough to get us back on the road. A friend of a friend was the town bully but I guess because I was so skinny I was not a perceived threat. One night he invited me out to climb this logging road with a huge hill. He was in his massive 4x4 dually pickup, pulled it over at the bottom of the hill and said I’d better park my bug ‘cause there’s no way it’d make it. I asked if his truck had been up and he said it had but it’s a bit sketchy. I said I’ll follow you up, he looked at me like I was crazy, laughed and said well OK! I won’t lie, the hill was really steep in spots, it was raining and there were huge ruts dug out by high clearance trucks like his but I’d been down equally bad roads before and knew if I straddled a rut I could make it. Once we got to the top he jumped out yelling Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You did not just do that in a bug! He said he’d other friends with 4x4 get totally stuck when the road wasn’t half as bad as tonight. I said that was a piece of cake then asked if the big hill was coming up soon. We both laughed so hard we fell down in the rainy wet mud.
@@mostmurican9412 It's nice and reliable, I got it as scrap and restored it with my dad. Here's a fun video I made of it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2FD_NX3G_HE.html
I used to drive a 1982 Ford bronco built for 4 wheeling. Lockers, lift, granny low, a built 351 Windsor... etc. My buddy had a girlfriend with a completely stock vw bug. It literally went everywhere I was able to go....... even on and around the rubicon trail. Blew my mind!
They can float they can run with a hole through side of case..easy to work on points plugs battery and valves by side of road..and get thirty to the gallon
The Rarest and Koolest Bug I've seen is the German WW2 specail build, it had 4 doors and 4 wheel drive. Wayyyyy more rare than a simple old split window. Haven't seen any available from collectors though....
I'm 47 years old back when I was about 18 years old my buddy had a Baja with an 1835 and he could go over hills and keep the front end level parallel the sky he was that good
The guy in the blue but knew what to do! You have to hit those holes at a pretty good clip! VW bugs will plain and any little thing they can catch or grab will take them on through! Love VW bugs!😱😁😇🇺🇸🙌
I had a rat Baja 30 years ago and now I have my 73 Baja with tilt front full cage and extended rears triple shocks in back 31 inch bfg's on centerline wheels.... love the car
People have known VWs are good for these activities for a long time. Years ago, the famous Karl's Kustom of Phoenix, AZ had a location in Yuma because of the large number of Vdubs taken to the sand dunes out there. So glad another person found the love for these wonderful cars!
Bugs are like mountain goats when climbing. And in the mud they have surprised many people, and made the doubters eat their words. VW's used to be the weapon of choice to make buggies out of when I was a kid. Their only weakness was water, the old points don't like water. Until Pertronics ignition modules become available.
An advertisement many years ago concerning a fisherman who parked his bug on a beach without allowing for high tide. It washed up 11miles away and after basic mechanicals drove off the beach ! 😎👍
Those were the days. My dad raced baha bugs and sand rails for years in the Midwest. Still have a bunch of his old trophy's. He was a member of the north star dune buggy club.
My grandfather recovered downed vehicles through out WW2 from north africa to germany They often used captured German vw Kubelwagens for this job. He preffered them over Jeeps. Postwar he bought one of the first vw bugs imported into the usa. Used it to deer hunt and traverse his 500 acre dairy farm.
NOPE! Aint gonna buy one. Don't need to buy one, 'cuz I've had Baja Bugs for nearly 50 years now and VW based buggies too. My '58 Baja now has well over 900,000 miles on it, been a Baja since I converted it in 1975 when it had 375K miles on it. www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/632330.jpg My son with Ruben Garcia and the rest of our team won the 5/1600 class at the 2019 Baja 1000. But welcome to my club and my addiction.
So... this was literally the first video I saw about baja bugs, and I just bought one last month. So yes. This video made me buy a baja bug. Well done!
My first car at 9 years old was a blue split window bug back in 1979 I beat it through the state forest in nj learning how to drive my dad paid $75 for it.wish I had it today.dad bought me to more bugs including a Semi automatic one they were so much fun to Drive I love old VWs!
For WW2 VW built a specail bug that was all wheel drive and 4 doors, they are ultra rare but incredible. The newer safari bug is all wheel drive, but not 4 doors.
Ya they are very nice cars my dad had one in green and I remember being in a snow storm and it didn't have heat but it sure as he'll made the trip like a boss .And it didn't get stuck in the snow .
Dick Cepek's original tire store in South Gate was a modest corner lot tire shop, all kinds of buggies there for off road or sand tires, VW's or the fiber glass dune bug kit cars buzzing the local streets. Oh how it's grown
Same here. A mate had a worn out 63 Beetle that we had to lift one wheel to start it by hand as the battery was flat. It went anywhere and it was gutless but it always got us home. Started my lifetime love of old beetles. Built a Baja later and outran the cops once cos they werent game to follow me though the mud. It was a smart decision on their part.
They are pretty cool… they were really popular when I was younger back in the 70’… you didn’t hardly see anybody with a 4x4 back then… Jeep’s and 4x4 trucks were just coming on the scene back then… the cut down VW was the thing…
I remember my uncle pulling into my grandparents driveway with a 490lb black bear strapped to the front of his yellow bug. He had to remove front trunk lid & strapped it to the roof. He took it with a bow & used a pulley to drag onto car. My family is from WV thought you could relate. ..
@@H8er-Maker That's about double the size of most in Va and WVa. Afriend of mine killed one he claimed was 400 lbs. got to the check station and it was 225.
Mine was a '63 flat bed. Not the real kit mind you, but the straight up hardware store conversion. Plywood, angle brackets a little plexi and some screws. She probably went rubber up at some point prior to my ownership, just saying. But my favorite bug moment was the first time I got her stuck (uphill) I told the wife to get out and lift the car by the bumper she looked at me like we were in a crew cab F-250, I told her "just trust me" she came down the hill strutting like Wonder Woman while I was turning around, still cracks me up.
Awesome. I made an offroad VW vehicle. I used a 59 bus trans. With reduction gears. I have to replace the transmission mounts. Are solid mounts safe? I need to know
house those red neoprene mounys. Bushings etc.They are great when New. Or a show car. Or race car. But for what I put mine thru. Oil eats bnb them up. They crumbled.
I have one, railed but with body & baja-front... So cool, but wanted my (4th) van again so haven't got it going.. I'd better get going or get rid of it😒
I am rebuilding my vw trike as a on off road trike so that I can enjoy the trails and camping in far away spots, also fishing and hunting, maybe I might put a roof top tent on it
back in the day my brother used to roll around in one. looked funny with the wheels cambered in, but he could geet it up most anyplace a four wheeler could go. fun! scandalous!
