dune buggies and hotVWs April 2021

Dear Readers, Advertisers, and Fans of Dune Buggies and hotVWs Magazine from all over the World, Coronavirus Updates I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since the coronavirus pandemic impacted the World, and we still remain affected in many ways. Our staff hasn’t traveled outside California or the USA for VW events; we only visited a few local meets and cruises, as most of the major shows were canceled or postponed. But I am still thankful for my health. It allows us to keep Dune Buggies and hotVWs running strong, providing some fun content to our readers. We hope you and your family stay safe and well. We genuinely hope this situation will improve by the time you receive this April issue. Dune Buggies and HotVWs Magazine is still operating during regular…

The collector car market is a very interesting world the deeper you get into it. I used to follow my father around to all the car auctions, and whenever I hear the auctioneer ramble and smell the exhaust, it takes me right back to shadowing dad around while he went to battle at auction, either buying or selling. Since my childhood, the auctions have grown to be a much larger part of the car market. The sales get bigger, the TV coverage and showmanship has boosted it to places that I think everyone is still surprised by. As a player in the game or even as a spectator, it is extremely exciting stuff. The wins, the losses, the characters and of course the cars. It is a great way to…

The year was1966 and I had just purchased a 1956 Oval Window. It was to become my daily driver and the car I would become a Panzer with. I bought the car off an independent little car lot on Harbor Blvd in Anaheim, California. There were many of these lots around in the ’60s and this one had a few Bugs. Still in good condition, it was black with a red interior as most black ’50s Bugs were. This car was to be my economical ride to save money, but there was a problem, it was SLOW! Having been a hot rodder of sorts, I decided to work on that. One of the first things I wanted was a new interior and definitely not red! As many people did in the…

Type 4 Drain Plug I was changing the oil in my 2.0L Type 4 motor (actually a Porsche 914 engine) and a nightmare scenario occurred. I was backing the drain out, when I felt it binding and slipping. Once the plug was out and I inspected it, I found that not only was I holding the drain plug, but I also had the threads from the case on the plug. Do you know how to fix this? Do I need to drill a larger hole and tap it? John Becker Johnson City, TN John, I assume you mean the drain plug and not the oil strainer cover. The drain plugs thread is 12mm x 1.5 mm pitch. I think the best way to repair this would be a HeliCoil. These involve buying a…

This should be simple in theory, as Buses had “moon-style” hubcaps. Their fitment to the wide-five, 205mm bolt-pattern wheel started in the late ‘30s. Volkswagen still sells the caps to this day, over 80 years later. You can take a brand new 2021 replacement hubcap and clip it right onto any stock Type 1 through 1965 or Type 2 through 1970. It is nice that they continue to make the hubcaps, over 50 years after the last car that they fit rolled off of their German production lines. (The Brazilian Buses used moon caps later than their German cousins, in the ‘70s). In all, there were two decades of Bus production with moon caps, and like pretty much every other part, they evolved through the years. A 1950 cap will…

In 1967, when Dune Buggies & hotVWs was launched, it wasn’t uncommon for young Americans to hot rod their cars. These enthusiasts would replace the body of an old Beetle with a buggy shell for instance. The buggy hype was already in full swing by the end of the ’60s, and the air-cooled scene in general was also growing rapidly. The first Bug-In took place at Orange County International Raceway in California as early as 1968. The competitions included a slalom (autocross), a car show and drag racing. And what a success it was! No wonder Bugs, Ghias, Buses and Square-backs became so popular, especially with young adults. A second magazine called VW Trends soon appeared, and even hot rod publications occasionally devoted a few pages to the vehicles engineered…