1968 VW Buggy: Our shed

By: Cristian Brunelli, Photography by: Cristian Brunelli

Date: 24.03.2015

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Keen to get his Vee-Dub Country Buggy sounding a bit more purposeful, Cristian Brunelli pondered a few options before the Bug helped him out by doing the mods itself...

Cristian's VW Country Buggy

Cristian Brunelli's VW Buggy

The Country Buggy has been dusted down, wheeled out, given a quick sprucing and been out scrapping with Mokes and Series 1 Land Rovers over the summer months. I love this time of year on the Mornington Peninsula as it brings out all the cool and quirky beach cars.

The Buggy has finally got a proper exhaust sound happening, and best of all it cost nothing to achieve. I was always disappointed with the sound of my Volkswagen. It was nowhere near loud enough and didn’t deliver enough attitude on the overrun. When one of the foot-long tips cracked and fell off, all of that changed. It suddenly sounded great! Suitably spurred into action, I took an angle grinder to the other tip and the Buggy now backfires off throttle and also spits flames. Perfection.

My local mechanic, Garrett automotive, made the rather rough chop job look good by welding in the old tips so that they still stick out above the bumper. The Bug now has a cheater exhaust!

An extra light has also sprouted up on the front bumper. My mate Trent (a fellow Volksy nut) donated a vintage Kent spot light. This light has three times the power of the headlights and had made the rare times that I drive in the dark more bearable. Beforehand it was like trying to illuminate the road ahead with the screen of an iPhone.

I had always wanted to put some fat tyres on the back of the buggy so, after researching what would fit and what would look cool, I decided to get a set of widened steelies made up. They came in at 7x15 and had lots of dish on them. After that, they needed to be dressed with just the right tyres. That decision took a bit of time but after a quick consultation with Antique Tyres, I was set up with some M & H 215/65 15 Racemaster rubber.

No, you’re not wrong. That is a street legal drag tyre on a Country Buggy! These tyres really look great on the car and I don’t think I’ll ever want for more traction as they stick like crazy, thanks to the soft compound. After the tyres were sorted, I got round to sorting the ride height. After dropping the front six months ago, I was left with a Cal style rake that I didn’t love.

Dubwerks in Geelong took the car in for a few days. They reset the rear suspension height and did some minor body mods so that it all cleared nicely. The front beam was also narrowed so that I could get full lock again. It now sits more level and the big rear tyres are tucked up nicely into the guard.

Next on the to-do list is tucking the mufflers further up out of the way and tending to some oil leaks. You know, the fun stuff.

On a sad note, Bill Moore passed away recently. Country Buggy Bill, as he was known to many, was the go-to man for all things Country Buggy.  He was always quick to help with any questions and his knowledge on the Country Buggy was second to none. He will be greatly missed.

Unique Cars magazine Value Guides

Sell your car for free right here