Sand rail?

[SiiCHo]

Ok so ive been doing some thinking, and i think my next project is going to be a sand rail. Ive been wanting a tubing bender and a project to learn on, and i think building a rail would be awesome. Im thinking of starting with an old vw bug chassis, stipping it, building the cage, and building the motor. Ive been doing a little bit of reading, and guys are saying that with a stroked and turbo'd vw 1600, you can lift the front wheels through 50mph(on blacktop of course) That just sounds awesome! So, do any of you guys have any experience with sand rails? Any tips, or what to look out for when buying the bug would be greatly appreciated. If this idea comes to life, there will be a thread for the build.

[bkm]

Buy a frame kit. I wouldn't mess with trying to bend your own frame. Get one set up for a king pin front end and IRS rear.

[RoscoW]

Ditto what BKM said. For a sand rail the only doner pcs from the bug are the front and rear suspension. All of those can be had thru aftermarket and depending how serious you get with suspension the bug stuff is very limiting anyway.
Where you are there should be plenty of built rails for sale for cheap, start with something used and then build it to what you want.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/
http://acmecarco.com
http://fisherbuggies.com

Mine was an old bugpac frame, really low windshield hoop and pretty short wheelbase.

[bkm]

I'm not trying to kill your project dreams, but buy a rolling chassis with the meat and potatoes on it and go from there. There is so many small parts that will nickle and dime you to death building one from scratch. As far as the turbo goes, I will be building a VW shortly in either street or Baja form and it will be turbo'd. I will probably go with a small T-25 turbo and a Weber side draft carb. Later I might upgrade to Megasquirt EFI, but it will be a fresh carb'd 1600 dual port to start. It should make 140 or so HP, spool at a very low rpm, and live a happy life.

[SiiCHo]

thanks for the input guys. rosco, thats a pretty cool rail! i know it is easier and cheaper to buy a kit, but thats not the point of this project. im not looking for something quick or easy to just bolt together and go ride. i want a project, mainly for the experience. if it takes a year and $10,000 to build, so be it. i have nothing but time and (some) disposable income... haha. the other reason i want to start with a vw chassis is so i can have it be street legal. i have been watching craigslist, and ive found a few, but most need quite a bit of work, and id rather not try to fix someone else's mess. this project would justify me buying the tubing bender, plasma cutter, and the welder ive been wanting for a while now, and i would get my moneys worth out of all of them. im a firm believer in the "built, not bought" catch line, and plan to build this rail as such. i know too many guys who go buy a cool motorcycle, or a lifted jeep, but did none of the work themselves. i would have a hard time taking pride in something like that.

[bkm]

Check your state laws. Here in Missouri you can't use a VW title to to title a rail. It has to be a special construction title and you have to show the title of the vehicle you used the parts from. Your state might be different but I would make sure that is the case before you start. Remember whatever Bug you start with is either going to be King Pin front and swing axle rear or IRS rear with Ball Joint front. They never made a King Pin front with IRS rear Bug. Whatever you do please don't cut up an older (67 and older) bug to make a rail. Use a 69 or later IRS rear bug. They are cheaper and the IRS is superior for off road.

[SiiCHo]

Thanks for the info bkm. I looked into registration laws here in new mexico, and while i cant find anything on registering a converted bug, i did find info on registering a homemade vehicle for the street. As long as it has headlights, tail lights, a brake light, parking brake, horn, rear reflectors, a mirror, speedometer with odometer, and a working windshield wiper, its good to go. Funny thing is, the windshield itself is open to interpretation.... Its not specifically called out, but a wiper is required, so yeah... Should be pretty easy to get it registered for the road. I will be calling the mvd to make sure this is all legit info.

[sledcrazyinCT]

good luck on the sand rail build We used a 73 rotted and snotted VW to build ours.

Buying a jig built frame is an option still to consider it is not like you are cheating there will be plenty of fabbing left to do and you will still have justification in buying a tube bender, plasma cutter and welder.

I would enjoy to do another one as what we built was functional but crude in some aspects (high school days). When we finished our first one there were a bunch of things we would have loved to make different and improve.