Getting Started
The first thing to know when getting started on a dune buggy project is what you have. The most difficult part is making sure the parts you are ordering actually fit. Dune buggies specifically can be created using a huge assortment of parts and pieces. While VW Beetle parts can be ordered from us simply by starting years, the dunebuggy builder faces the challenges of possibly having many years of parts variation all wrapped up into 1 vehicle. While the task may seem difficult, our staff at Appletree is highly trained to determine what parts you will need by only having to ask you, the builder, a few very simple questions. Please understand that it doesn't help us much at all to be told a year your dune buggy was made but rather what it was made of.
of the car. There are basically 2 versions of the VW front suspension
that we deal with: King Pin and Ball Joint. At a quick glance these two
front beams may look very similar but underneath they are very different.
Fig. 1 shows a VW King Pin front end which is usually referred to as early
because it was the front suspension used from 58-66. It is easily identified by the shock
towers. On a King Pin front beam, the shock towers will rise straight
up from the beam and angle slightly back towards the driver. The shocks
on this beam will bolt horizontally into the beam. The other way to identify
this front end is to look at the attachment point for the spindle to
the control arms. In a King Pin setup, linkpins are used to attach the
spindle carrier to the control arms. Shims are used to set camber. A
king pin will attach the spindle to the carrier by being pressed through
brass bushings on both ends of the carrier and through the spindle. Most
King Pin front ends will use a 5 bolt brake drum. The tie rods on a King
Pin are always the small diameter ends. Fig. 2 shows a Ball Joint front
end. Unlike the King Pin beam, the ball joint shock towers will rise
straight up and curve outwards over the wheels. The shock will then bolt
vertically, up through the beam. The spindle assembly is held on with
upper and lower ball joints. Ball Joints will typically take a 4 bolt
pattern drum. While it may seem cut and dry, the ball joint beam adds
a variation in parts from 67-68. Ball Joint front ends will cover all
the way until 1976. The variation consists mostly at the brake. There
is a width difference on brake shoes with the years. 67-68 will use a
skinny brake shoe while the 68 and up will use a wider shoe measuring
1.5" across. The easiest way to determine the year of the Ball Joint
beam is to measure the spindle diameter. 67-68 will use the ball joint
tie rods with the smaller diameter stud and the 68 and up tie rods will
use a bigger stud. Also keep in mind that if you have any other beam
configuration other than stock VW, for example aluminum or warrior-style
front beams, then you will have a King Pin. These beams are unfortunately
not able to be easily interchanged. The distance between the horizontal
tubes on the front of the beams are different and therefore are impossible
to swap unless you are comfortable doing fabrication work.
Fig. 1
Fig.2
