SandRazor.com, your source for Southern California desert history and the best collection of vintage dune buggies on the Internet. Sandrazor.com is the only web site on the Internet that has both genuine and historcal photogrpahs and videos of vintage water-pumper dune buggies from the 1960's.
SandRazor.com, your source for Southern California desert history and the best collection of vintage dune buggy photographs on the Internet.
If you are looking to see how sand duning used to be done over 40 years ago, then you came to the right place. SandRazor.com, one of the only webistes on the Internet to have photos and videos of vintage water-pumper dune buggies.

Long before dune closures and long travel cars, there were water-pumpers. Water-pumpers were home built buggies that ran water-cooled V8 engines, hand-grooved tires, and straight pipes. I guess you could say they were the hot-rods of the desert. Most buggies were built to cruise but with the large, smooth dunes of Glamis and Buttercup, it didn't take long before organized sand drag racing and hill climbing competitions were a common occurrence. Back then it wasn't so much about racing the hill. You earned respect if you could come to a dead stop halfway up Oldsmobile Hill and then lite off those hand-grooved tires and still make it to the top. Competition Hill, at both Buttercup and Glamis, was actually steep and some buggies couldn't even climb them. The dunes on the north side of Glamis were open to off-roading and I've heard that there was a bowl so large and so smooth that if you got down into the bottom of it, you had no choice but to circle around and around until you got back up to the top. In fact, I heard that the bowl was so smooth that once you got going and caught high gear, you'd be going so fast that you'd actually be sliding uphill as you went around.

That's just a little bit of history behind how sand duning was when the sport first started out. Browse the galleries below for a look back in time and see some of those old water-pumpers for yourself. When you're done with the photo galleries, make sure to go over and watch the videos. SandRazor.com is the only site that I know of on the Internet that has actual video footage of sand duning in the 1960's.
Buggies
Rob's VW - Tatum Long Travel
More Old Photos - The way it used to be
Eric's Subaru - 2001 AG Productions
Shawn's VW - Custom Long Travel
Toby's Baja - Custom VW Baja Bug
Harold's Chevy - 1967 Water Pumper
Earl's Buick - 1962 Buick Water Pumper
George's Buick - Big Block Buick Water Pumper
Nick's Corvair - Chenowth rail hand built in 1974
Todd's VW - Chenowth sandrail


Bikes
Todd's Banshee - 1992 Yamaha Banshee
Shelly's 250R - Custom 1986 Honda 250R
Nick's Raptor - Custom Raptor
Bobby's Banshee - Custom 1997 Banshee
Kellie's 400EX - 2003 Honda 400EX
Kevin's Banshee - 2003 Yamaha Banshee
Kyle's Blaster - Custom Blaster
ATC's - 3 wheeler action
Charlie's 250R - Custom 1988 Honda 250R
Alex's YFZ450 - 2004 YFZ450
Andy's 400EX - 2002 Honda 400EX
Bob's YZ400F - 2004 YZ400F
Ryan's Z400 - 2004 Suzuki Z400
Kevin's 400EX - 2003 Honda 400EX
Wheels
Trucks - Toy-hauling trucks
Jeeps - Desert crawling Jeeps


Extended
Extreme Performance - Submitted by Allan Nimmo
Motorhome Fire - Submitted by B. Wheelington
User Submitted - Buggies


Unplugged
The Sand Box - SandRazor's Dune Photos
Sunset Strip - SandRazor's Sunset Collection
Desert Rats - Team SandRazor
Sunrise Service - SandRazor's Sunrise Photos
Farmer's Market - Flowers and Critters


RoadTrips
2004 Sand Show - Buggies, Bikes, 4x4's, etc.
2003 Sand Show - Buggies, Bikes, 4x4's, etc.