scott,
When I was looking for a battery to fit the space, I stumbled on Black Panher batteries which are now known as ODYSSEY brand. They are made by Hawker Energy now.
They are kind of pricey but the 925 fits right in the space. They are lower than the original 6V batteries as well so they fit nicely. I am running one in the Towd, my westy and soon in the manxter. although they are heavier than a standard battery, the can sit in any orientation and will not leak. Standard life is 10 years. I got 13 out of the one in the moncoque but I have had one go bad in 5 years. Do a search on amazon and you can typically find them cheaper than a FLAP or battery plus store can offer.
The seat frame (and inner backrest adjuster are VERY close to the tunnel. I think that that is whay they lowered just the front of the seat. Additionally, it is pretty hard to get your legs out from under the steering wheel. My seats are uncut original height and they make it a difficult maneuver to get in and out.
Keep the pics coming!
Chris
FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Scott,
I pulled my seats out with the intention of lowering them 1 inch. I measured them and they measure exactly the same as yours. Yours have not been cut down or lowered.
I asked Bruce about the seats in old red and they are stock height as well. He had said that the car was supposed to use pretty much all stock components and the seats were no exception.
So, to lower or not to lower is the question for me. Either have a roll bar 6 inches taller than a stock manx roll bar or 5 inches taller than a stock manx roll bar.
These are the things that keep me up at night.
I pulled my seats out with the intention of lowering them 1 inch. I measured them and they measure exactly the same as yours. Yours have not been cut down or lowered.
I asked Bruce about the seats in old red and they are stock height as well. He had said that the car was supposed to use pretty much all stock components and the seats were no exception.
So, to lower or not to lower is the question for me. Either have a roll bar 6 inches taller than a stock manx roll bar or 5 inches taller than a stock manx roll bar.
These are the things that keep me up at night.
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Scott-Drolet
- Posts: 400
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Yeah, me too Chris! I'm sorry I motivated you to remove your seats only to find this out.
I did have a shop lower a pair of stock seat tracks once, but I mounted a piece of plywood on top of the lowered frame, then bolted fiberglass seats on top of that. If I remember right they simply took out a 1 or 2 inch piece at the front and back, then welded them back together. It worked fine, but I wasn't worried about the angle of the seat. The floor of the monos must be lower, or the sides higher, because I've seen floorpan Manxes with stock seats and it looks like the occupants are sitting much higher than when I'm in these. I wonder if we could lower the seat springs and have a custom seat cover made? Of course, the seat back arms would have to be modified, too. It would be like chopping and channeling seats! Might be more work than its worth.
I did have a shop lower a pair of stock seat tracks once, but I mounted a piece of plywood on top of the lowered frame, then bolted fiberglass seats on top of that. If I remember right they simply took out a 1 or 2 inch piece at the front and back, then welded them back together. It worked fine, but I wasn't worried about the angle of the seat. The floor of the monos must be lower, or the sides higher, because I've seen floorpan Manxes with stock seats and it looks like the occupants are sitting much higher than when I'm in these. I wonder if we could lower the seat springs and have a custom seat cover made? Of course, the seat back arms would have to be modified, too. It would be like chopping and channeling seats! Might be more work than its worth.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Thanks for the great insight. It is so much help for my own project which is creating a monocoque buggy based on a Manx 1 copy.
I had a pair of Ghia seats before and they didn't have the lower tubing. The seat tracks are on the bottom of the sprung section. Don't know if all Ghia seats are like this but it would lower the seats quite a bit. You might even need to raise them!
I had a pair of Ghia seats before and they didn't have the lower tubing. The seat tracks are on the bottom of the sprung section. Don't know if all Ghia seats are like this but it would lower the seats quite a bit. You might even need to raise them!
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Scott-Drolet
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
The ghia seat frame with Type I seat springs might be perfect! Of course. you'd need to modify the back, but it's worth looking into.
I had MLK Jr. Day off, so I messed around with the monocoque a bit. First, I found a 12V battery that fits the battery well under the front tire in the trunk.
(You can also see I still have a lot of cleaning to do, mice were living in one of the seats)
Next, I checked to see it the wiring worked. I got the right signals working, and it cranks over and there's spark. So, I probably just need
to clean up the wiring a bit before Big Bear, throw in the 40-horse I hope to have built by then, and drive it around. Once Big Bear is over,
I'll disassemble everything, re-attach the torsion housing, repair the body and either paint or re-gelcoat it.
Then I removed the rear cage and pressure washed it
Then I pulled the engine and powerwashed the rear structural support (also 'glassed in and in this case, very solid) and engine mount hoop
I also began buffing out the body a bit to see what's really scratched and gouged, and what's just ground-in dirt
Even the rarest of the rare one year only monocoque floor mats cleaned up rather well (Yeah, ok, probably not original)
I had MLK Jr. Day off, so I messed around with the monocoque a bit. First, I found a 12V battery that fits the battery well under the front tire in the trunk.
(You can also see I still have a lot of cleaning to do, mice were living in one of the seats)
Next, I checked to see it the wiring worked. I got the right signals working, and it cranks over and there's spark. So, I probably just need
to clean up the wiring a bit before Big Bear, throw in the 40-horse I hope to have built by then, and drive it around. Once Big Bear is over,
I'll disassemble everything, re-attach the torsion housing, repair the body and either paint or re-gelcoat it.
Then I removed the rear cage and pressure washed it
Then I pulled the engine and powerwashed the rear structural support (also 'glassed in and in this case, very solid) and engine mount hoop
I also began buffing out the body a bit to see what's really scratched and gouged, and what's just ground-in dirt
Even the rarest of the rare one year only monocoque floor mats cleaned up rather well (Yeah, ok, probably not original)
Last edited by Scott-Drolet on Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
The two bolts that hold that engine/trans hoop in place are carrying a substantial load.
Thank you for taking us along on your historical experience.
Thank you for taking us along on your historical experience.
Last edited by Ed-Chenal on Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ed
FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
The hoop that holds the engine in is called a Porsche Hoop. It was used on 356s. If you note, the monocoques did not have the complete rear torsion and transmission supports that VW used. All of that stuff was lopped off and only the Torsion and the spring plates were used. For all that your car has been through, it is amazing that it has held up. I am also using the Odyssey battery..PC 925. They are great and have plenty of cranking power.
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Scott-Drolet
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Today I messed around with some new (to me) tires and rims. These are the Gates Commando XTs advertised on the Samba out in Lancaster, CA. that I bought yesterday. The ad called out the rim width at 10", but these are monster 12" wide rims. I can't wait to put them on some 8" rims and pull the sidewalls in a bit. I spent some time at Grand American tire today because I was singularly focused on installing valve stems and getting rid of the inner tubes in all four wheels. (Grand American here in Simi is great, by the way. They've grown used to me bringing them rims and tires to swap around and just charge me really reasonable labor rates). Anyway, after we got the first tire off, I noticed just how old these rims are. They're hand-formed from sheet metal that's been rolled and welded. I have the 8" wide rims that came on the rear of the mono and they're in good shape. I also have some 5" wide ones as well. I'm just going to sandblast and powder coat them back to white. Anyway, here's what the tires look like look like:
Fronts are 7.75-15 and rears are G78-15. Tread on all four are hardly used. Sidewalls on the rear tires have a minor amount of cracking. The front ones have moderate sidewall cracks:
Here you can see the quality (or lack thereof) of the welds. I had to leave the tubes in because these rims leak like a sieve
Tires are period correct, but the rears don't look right, at least not yet. The combination of the engine being out, the torsion bars jacked up
too high, and the monster 12" wide rims make them look too small. Once I move them over to 8" rims, rotate back the torsions a couple of
clicks, and get some engine weight over them, they should be perfect.
Fronts are 7.75-15 and rears are G78-15. Tread on all four are hardly used. Sidewalls on the rear tires have a minor amount of cracking. The front ones have moderate sidewall cracks:
Here you can see the quality (or lack thereof) of the welds. I had to leave the tubes in because these rims leak like a sieve
Tires are period correct, but the rears don't look right, at least not yet. The combination of the engine being out, the torsion bars jacked up
too high, and the monster 12" wide rims make them look too small. Once I move them over to 8" rims, rotate back the torsions a couple of
clicks, and get some engine weight over them, they should be perfect.
Last edited by Scott-Drolet on Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Top job Scott. I'm glad you picked them up from thesamba. Absolutely perfect. I bet you can't believe your luck at the moment!
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Scott-Drolet
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
No, you're right, very fortunate to get to the Gates tires first as I know a lot of people had an interest in them. While I remember seeing them in the magazines of the day, I saw the rear ones on a VERY original green Manx at the Lone Pine run a few years ago, and have been searching for them ever since. These tires have excellent tread, but some sidewall issues. They'll sure work, however!
Here's the Manx I was referring to, I know it had been a father and son project, and still owned by the son, but I'm so sorry I don't remember the family name. They're from northern California. Maybe they'll see this and give us some history. Their tires are like brand new, no sidewall cracking, size G70-15. These photos are from the 2010 Lone Pine fun run:
Slow Drags event:
Show and Shine:
Here's the Manx I was referring to, I know it had been a father and son project, and still owned by the son, but I'm so sorry I don't remember the family name. They're from northern California. Maybe they'll see this and give us some history. Their tires are like brand new, no sidewall cracking, size G70-15. These photos are from the 2010 Lone Pine fun run:
Slow Drags event:
Show and Shine:
Last edited by Scott-Drolet on Sun Jan 26, 2014 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
MC 47, DSB, RBC, Long Haul League, '64 Monocoque, '67 Manx, '73 Manxter, '64 Stainless Burro, '64 Corvair Burro, '65 Corvair Burro
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MC Vice President
MC 47, DSB, RBC, Long Haul League, '64 Monocoque, '67 Manx, '73 Manxter, '64 Stainless Burro, '64 Corvair Burro, '65 Corvair Burro
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jsturtlebuggy
- Posts: 652
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Scott,
That is Tom & Donna Baker original 1968 Manx. Tom build it in 1968 and still has it along with his orange Kick Out.
The Gates tires worked well off road. On the road being that they are a soft rubber compound they will wear out sooner than other types of tires.
Even the Mickey Thompson Mini Mag tires that are available now wear more than others types of tires because of the soft rubber.
There has been a discussion on The Samba about trying to get Mickey Thompson Tires to remake the Gates Commando's. They sell a larger diameter tire then the Mini Mag, it just to narrow to be used on the rear. Looking at tire, it appears that if they added a center piece to the mold they could make it wide enough to be use on a buggy for the period correct tires.
I don't know if or how many people have approached Mickey Thompson Tires about getting the correct size rear tire made.
How many would you have to order for them to actually start making them?
Great find Scott, on the Monocoque buggy. I have always been impressed with them since first seeing "Old Red". All the aluminum casting parts Bruce had done for them is amazing.
You are going to need a bigger trailer to haul all the buggies to events.
That is Tom & Donna Baker original 1968 Manx. Tom build it in 1968 and still has it along with his orange Kick Out.
The Gates tires worked well off road. On the road being that they are a soft rubber compound they will wear out sooner than other types of tires.
Even the Mickey Thompson Mini Mag tires that are available now wear more than others types of tires because of the soft rubber.
There has been a discussion on The Samba about trying to get Mickey Thompson Tires to remake the Gates Commando's. They sell a larger diameter tire then the Mini Mag, it just to narrow to be used on the rear. Looking at tire, it appears that if they added a center piece to the mold they could make it wide enough to be use on a buggy for the period correct tires.
I don't know if or how many people have approached Mickey Thompson Tires about getting the correct size rear tire made.
How many would you have to order for them to actually start making them?
Great find Scott, on the Monocoque buggy. I have always been impressed with them since first seeing "Old Red". All the aluminum casting parts Bruce had done for them is amazing.
You are going to need a bigger trailer to haul all the buggies to events.
Joseph
Manx Club #1095
Having fun with Buggies since 1970
Worked in VWs in shops since 1970
Manx Club #1095
Having fun with Buggies since 1970
Worked in VWs in shops since 1970
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Scott-Drolet
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- Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:00 am
FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Thanks for identifying the owner Joseph. I'm guessing that the Mini-Mag E78-15 size is used on the front end of a lot of different off road cars so it probably has a high sales rate. I used the tires you're talking about, the Baja Pro 30/7.0-15 on a Tow'd I owned. You're right, they just need to be a bit wider. I'll email Mickey Thompson and see if I can get a response. I believe they could easily sell a hundred pretty quickly just in pent up demand. Of course, the Baja Pro isn't D.O.T. approved, so it would cost them a bit to get them certified. The Mini-Mags used to be like that, but they got DOT approval for them a couple years back.
Last edited by Scott-Drolet on Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
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MC Vice President
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
Scott,
Great fined on the tires. They sure look period correct.
Thanks again for posting all the detailed pic. I love seeing how special theses manxs are, and all the differences form a standard manx.
Doran
Great fined on the tires. They sure look period correct.
Thanks again for posting all the detailed pic. I love seeing how special theses manxs are, and all the differences form a standard manx.
Doran
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Scott-Drolet
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
You're Welcome Doran. I figure the more pics, the better! By the way, your 1600 motor is ready for you whenever you are . . just let me know when you can make the run down here.
Scott Drolet
MC Vice President
MC 47, DSB, RBC, Long Haul League, '64 Monocoque, '67 Manx, '73 Manxter, '64 Stainless Burro, '64 Corvair Burro, '65 Corvair Burro
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FOUND: Monocoque No. ?
All,
These are pictures of pictures.....still have not gotten around to scanning my shots from when I redid #7. These shots are of the underside of the monocoque. The car was wrecked in the front and the champaign glass underboard was broken close to the front...similar to what happened to Scott'. The owner got creative with 2 inch square tubing and ran these from rear torsion to front torsion and also added steel reinforcing bars and a steel plate to the underside.
These are pictures of pictures.....still have not gotten around to scanning my shots from when I redid #7. These shots are of the underside of the monocoque. The car was wrecked in the front and the champaign glass underboard was broken close to the front...similar to what happened to Scott'. The owner got creative with 2 inch square tubing and ran these from rear torsion to front torsion and also added steel reinforcing bars and a steel plate to the underside.
Last edited by vwmanx on Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.