BuggyLinks: Books for the Buggy Crowd

How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive - How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot This book all the aspects of a VW in simple terms. While designed for the novice, even an old timer will find helpful advice between it's covers.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3401 )

Metal Fabricator's Handbook - Everyone who owns a buggy, bends something, breaks something, or has to make something for it. This book covers everything that has to do with working with metal. Ron Fournier is the ultimate metal craftsman. Another must-have if you are planning to fabricate anything. Highly Recommended!!!
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 10138 )

Aircooled VW Engine Interchange Manual - This book fills the hi-perfomance gap that the other bug engine books miss. The Books like "How to Rebuild a VW" will tell you specifically what bolts to undo and what to measure. The "How to Hotrod" book gets into the specifics about what the various mods do for your horsepower. This book takes all that and tells you what products are available and gives you a general idea about how to choose between them. If you want to win the races, it should be the third bug engine book you buy.
(Added: 15-Apr-2001 Hits: 6104 )

Build Your Own Off-Road Buggy for As Little As 100 Pounds (British Dollars) - The title says it's a buggy but this is really a book with plans to build an off-road go-kart.
(Added: 7-Oct-2002 Hits: 77731 )

Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as Ł250 and Race It! -
This book is Great! ...hardback...full color...written by a pro...and thorough!! If you build a stronger chassis and put a different body on it and you got yourself a buggy. It has a lot of information that can be related to a buggy and it left me wanting to build one. It includes plans for a Super7 type frame (aka the LoCost), it tells you how to bend a sheet metal body in your garage, fabricate the suspension, build a gas tank, and more. It is very thorough and Ron Champion presents the information in a common sense and understandable fashion. With a little patience and the right tools you can build a car from scratch with the info here. WARNING: If your wife doesn't want you to have any more projects, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. You must trust me on this ;-)
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3581 )

Dune Buggy Handbook The A-Z of VW-based Buggies since 1964 - I drive a rail, and I'm not into fiberglass buggies at this moment, but I have to tell you...I was impressed. The book has lots of full color pictures in it and a brief article on many of the different buggies that were built over the years. I thought it was pretty cool seeing the old buggy ads from the 60s and 70s...brought back a lot of memories. It's a hardback book of high enough quality to deserve a place on any buggiers coffee table.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 31655 )

Four Wheeler Magazine - As of 10-6-02, a one year subscription to this magazine only cost $10. Find other magazines at huge discounts at Blue Dolphin Magazines.
(Added: 7-Oct-2002 Hits: 3349 )

GMAW (MIG) Welding 1 Video - This is the video that should have come with your MIG welder but didn't. It covers the different welding processes with close up video of the actual weld puddle as well as animated graphics. Learn what to watch for in the weld puddle and how to make better welds by changing wire speed, voltage, feed angle and travel speed.
(Added: 19-Aug-2004 Hits: 1212 )

How to Hotrod Volkswagen Engines - If you have a VW engine in your off-road car, get this book. It covers everything that has to do with pushing a VW engine to it's limits. Advantages as well as disadvantages of certain performance modification are clearly explained. Highly Recommended!
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3875 )

How to Rebuild Your Volkswagen Air-Cooled Engine - Another must have. While the "How to Hotrod..." book has an indepth explanation of the high performance aspects of a VW engine, this book covers the small details of removing, rebuilding and reinstalling the VW engine. Highly Recommended.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3885 )

Racer's Guide to Fabricating Shop Equipment No. S145 - Do you have the space but don't want to spend the $$$ for the cool tools? This book has plans and instructions to build your own engine stand, rotating chassis fabrication stand, hoist, sheet metal brake, hydraulic press, and motorized flame cutter. (All cool tools)Includes a material list and step-by-step directions for everything. They say you can do it all for less than $400. I believe it! Recommended!
(Added: 9-Feb-2001 Hits: 7842 )

Welder's Handbook: A Complete Guide to Mig, Tig, Arc & Oxyacetylene Welding - This book has much more than what the name implies. It covers stress, warpage, brazing, soldering, jigs, tig, arc, mig, you name it...it has it! If I had this book way back when, I wouldn't have had to learn about stress and warpage the hard way. It explains everything necessary to weld metal and brings to light some of the things that beginners may never consider. If you own this book and Ron Fourier's Metal Fabrication Handbook you will be one step ahead in the world of metal fabrication. Another Dune-Buggy.com Winner! Highly Recommended!!!
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3670 )

Baja Bugs & Buggies - This is the most complete source of information on off-road VW vehicles. It covers everything from suspension modifications to light switches. I could go on and on, but let me just put it this way...If you own an off-road buggy or if you want to purchase one, do not pass go...buy this book now!

Considered a must-have if your an off-road buggier.
(Added: 1-Oct-2000 Hits: 53615 )

Maximum Boost Designing, Testing, and Installing Turbocharger Systems - This is the only turbo book that has been recently updated. Because it is relatively new it is also geared more toward fuel injection. It is also not very technical and seems to be aimed more toward the guy who owns a turbo car and wants to explain how they work to the guy at the office water-cooler. I would consider it a good first book. There are more technical details in the book: Turbochargers by Hugh MacInnes. Both are worth having if you're going turbo.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 2658 )

Turbochargers - This is an older book and some of the turbo information is outdated. However because it is older it has more carburetor related information in it. It will also give you a better understanding of Turbo maps and is more technical in nature than "Maximum Boost."
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 2628 )

Custom Auto Electronics and Auto Electrical Reference Manual - I haven't bought this book yet. It *IS* on my Amazon wish list for the next time I feel like seeing the UPS man though. It covers the new electronic cars and will probably be the best information you will find if you want to put an existing computer controlled engine on a buggy. One viewer here used it to wire a T-bird engine on his buggy and I'd bet that the book is a keeper...even if the author's nickname is "Choco".
(Added: 23-Mar-2001 Hits: 1022 )

How to Build a Custom Fiberglass Body and Chassis - Written for the beginner by a professional. If you have ever dreamed of building your own custom body, this book will show you how. The layout is confusing and it is one of those "homemade" books so consider yourself warned. However if you are building a custom made body, it's the best game in town. It focuses on foam block mold construction which is probably the same method that they used to build the latest Batmobile...the coolest looking car I have seen!
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 15743 )

Race Car Engineering & Mechanics - Ever want to design your own chassis? This book will take you through designing the suspension, chassis, brake system and just about everything else related to the vehicles handling.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 3592 )

Automotive Electrical Handbook - When you get ready to wire your buggy and you're at the head scratching stage...get this book...from the library...you probably won't need to keep it on the bookshelf. It covers everything about properly making your own wiring harness. Also includes circuit diagrams for key electrical systems such as brake lights, ignition, generator, and more. It does NOT cover the fuel injection computers. Buy "Custom Auto Electronics..." if your going down that road.
(Added: 14-Dec-2000 Hits: 2889 )