Manx II #1493 Build

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Mon May 30, 2011 12:01 am

Took a week's vacation in Arizona with the wife and while I was there a friend took me around to some of the Phoenix area VW shops. I think my favorite was Competition Engineering, they had some serious cars going together there. That got the juices flowing again so I was eager to get back home and do some work on the buggy. I decided to go ahead and start the engine assembly but first I had to build an engine stand using an cheap EMPI bench mount stand and a HF floor stand. It took about an hour of cutting and welding to get a useable roll around engine stand for a VW. Next a friend and I stripped down an old 1600 dual port donor motor for small parts. (crank gears, dizzy gear, etc) Then it was time to mount up the new aluminum case to trial fit the bottom end for clearance. The 74 CB crank and I-beams dropped right in and it doesn't look like I will need to do any additional grinding. Tomorrow I will finish mocking up the bottom end and check my deck height, then send everything out for final machine work. I should be able to get to final assembly in a few weeks.

Engine Stand:

Checking crank & cam clearance

ooo, shiney

Final specs on the engine:

Size: 1967

Aluminum Case bored for 94s & full flowed

74mm CB 4140 forged crank

5.4 CB I-beam rods

92mm thick wall AA cylinders

Webcam 163 Grind (falls between a 110 & 120)

40x35 small oval port heads

40 IDFs w/ 32 vents

This coming weekend I will be at the Outer Banks of NC to scout out the area for the October Manx Club event. Vince SurfNC is going to show me and a friend around and with any luck I can talk him into taking me for a ride on the beach in his blue Manx. It should be a lot of fun.

--louis

FulsGld · Post by **FulsGld** » Mon May 30, 2011 2:32 pm

Nice build. Really liked how you added the wiring tubes.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:10 pm

Decided to stay home today and recover from my recent trip to the OBX. And of course by recovering I mean spending some time in the garage working on my engine.

Whipped up a quick crank holder by welding an old gland nut to a piece of 1.5" tubing. Then hung the rods and checked the clearances. Everything was spot on.

Then buttoned up the case to check deck height. I came out with a positive deck height of .050 which was to be expected with the 5.4 rods, 74 crank and 92mm "A" pistons. My heads are set up to give 8.5 comp @ .060 deck height so I need to order some custom .110 shims. With the big bolts torqued to stock specs the crank turned nice and smooth.

I still need to check the crank end play but I don't have a socket big enough for the Scat gland nut. I need to order the shims and a few other small parts and then it will be time for final assembly.

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 11:49 pm

I am waiting on some small parts to arrive for the motor so I decided to bend some tube this weekend. After a couple of false starts I managed to bend a rear hoop that fit. Fortunately I ordered 20" of extra tubing so I could screw up a few times. Tubing is 1.5" x .095".

Always remember, measure once, cut twice

As you can see I am wearing proper eye and ear protection. A lot of good it did me when I dropped one of the dies on my foot while wearing sandals.

Drawing everything up on the floor. I used an original Manx roll bar as a guide. Mine goes all the way to the floor though.

It is sitting about 2" too high but that is better than 2" too short. I will shorten it when I make the base for the cage.

We mounted the windshield to the new hood so we could get the proper angle for measurements. Almost starting to look like a real buggy.

Hopefully next weekend I will get the front hoop and cross bars done.

--louis

PS: It's 105 deg F here today.

Ed-Chenal · Post by **Ed-Chenal** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 11:57 pm

Looks like a good work in progress...

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:41 pm

Finally got a chance to get back out in the garage and get some more done on the roll cage.

A couple of shots with the main and front hoop mocked up with the hard top in place. I really like the look of the hard top but after climbing in and out a few times I don't think I am going to be able to use it. Folding my 6'4" frame up to get through that little opening is a pain and that's without the steering wheel. I think I will have to go with a soft top of some sort instead.

Front and rear hoop mocked up into place. I found packing tape works real well to hold every thing up.

A few shots showing how the front hoop will pass behind the dash:

Top and rear bars mocked up. I am still trying to decide if I like the kick up in the top bars. I bent them up so they would follow the hard top contour.

Final shot shows the bottom mounting plates for the cage being measured. When finished they will bolt on top of the body.

Thanks,

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:15 pm

Got some more cage work done. Finished up the mounting plates this weekend and cut some straight top bars to length after deciding I didn't like the bent top bars. Squared it all up and tacked everything in place tonight. I will pull it out this weekend and do the finish welding.

Shot of the 3/16 x 2" mounting plate. You can also see where the crappy Duplicolor roll on bed liner has started to peal up. The rust bullet is working great so I may just live with it.

New straight top bars. I still have to tack in the rear bars.

Nice tight fit. I am using a Woodward Fab tubing notcher and other than notching the tubing an RCH to one side it works pretty well.

--louis

jsturtlebuggy · Post by **jsturtlebuggy** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:09 am

It is looking good louis.

You are going to have it finished soon.

I use the same bedliner in my truck bed. Same as you it is peeling off.

One of the tubing notchers I used did the same thing of offsetting the notch. I was able to shim it so it would cut even.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:20 pm

Been a busy past couple of weekends getting the main cage and the engine cage tacked up.

A couple of the cage where I added the seat belt bar and the front cross bar:

Here are the bolt on side bars. They run outside the body:

And here is what I spent most of last and this weekend doing. I had it all tacked together last weekend. Stepped back to admire my handy work and realized one side was an inch lower than the other. #$)*&%&@#@

Tore it all apart this morning and refit everything. This time I triple checked my measurements to make sure it was all level.

The square lower tubing is 1.5" .125 and will be where I will mount a trailer hitch. That way if I decide to pull a Vincent and drive it to Cali next year I can pull a small trailer for extra storage.

I still want to add some protection for the heads to the engine cage and maybe a skid plate. Other than that it is ready for some finish welding.

Thanks,

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:10 pm

Kicking around the idea of selling the Manx buggy. I think I have completely burned out on the project and VWs in general. It is pretty close to being done but I cant get motivated to doing anything with it lately.

--louis

ManxManiac · Post by **ManxManiac** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:42 pm

Louis, what you are experiencing is actually quite common! There is a name for it, "xxxx-syndrome", can't remember the exact name. many folks that take on longterm projects suffer from it & sometimes even short-term ones too!
Usually, the best thing to do is, back away for awhile, then start watching the Huell Howser "Dune Buggies" DVD or the "Drivers of the Manx Club" & the "Drivers of the Manx Club - 10 Years Later"!!! I'm pretty sure all 3 of these are still available from the Manx Club Store! Go online to all of the different dune buggy sites & start reading the posts & such! Send all of us your phone number & we'll start calling you & get you pumped up & back in the "buggy mood"!

Just remember, it happens to most everyone & everyone deals with it in a different manner!

"If" you sell your buggy, you WILL BUY ANOTHER ONE sometime later, because once you've owned one "running or not", it is in your blood & your brain & your heart & there is nothing you can do to erase it!!!
Oh ya... keep reminding yourself how much FUN FUN FUN you had at the "Manx on the Banx"!!!!

If all this fails, then call me & GIVE me your buggy! I'll drive back there & take it off your hands & bring it out here to the Sunshine State, good ol' Californy!!!

Take Care & Have FUN FUN FUN... anxiously awaiting your call...

dcamomanx · Post by **dcamomanx** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:19 am

Louis,

I also agree. Take some time away.

After I bought the Tow'd, I took it to Pismo and after the trip started to take it apart to rebuild it. After the engine and trans was out, I had a few setbacks and it sat for a year. I would got out and look at it, but that was about it. Then I noticed that started drawing ideas at work.

Then one day, I went out and started to build the irs reduction gear box setup I had dreamt up. Once they were done the motivation was there to see if it would work. Before I new it, It was ready for a test drive. Very rewarding and fun. Its interesting to hear when fellow club members come by and remind me that there was a time I was thinking of selling it. I'm glad I didn't.

You have alot of neat ideas and custom touches in your buggy. Put a tarp on it and take a break and see what happens.

Doran

Ed-Chenal · Post by **Ed-Chenal** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:15 pm

Louis,
I really like the way you did the cage. Since it doesn't sound like money is the factor for your present dilemma, I too will encourage you to take a break and sweep up the garage but don't sell the buggy.
http://www.tjkustoms.com/__Buggy_Manual ... nuals.html

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:05 pm

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the encouragement. I decided not to sell and I plan to finish it but I may take a break for a bit. (Or I might not, who the 'ell knows.) Life has been a little crazy this year and I think it was bleeding into my frustration with the project. All that is really left to do is some small fab like the tank and steering mount, last of the fiberglass work (bleach!), paint, engine and final assembly. Right now I am thinking I may farm out the engine assembly if I can find someone to do it with my parts. (And for a reasonable price) I have also decided to run it in primer for a while so that fixes the paint issue. With the upcoming holidays I doubt I will have time to work on it much anyway.

Thanks,

--louis

5150bossman · Post by **5150bossman** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:26 pm

Just set yourself small goals, one system at a time. Think of it like riding a bike up a steep hill. If you concentrate on the top of the hill the whole time, you begin to tell yourself that the goal is too hard and too far away. If you look at the ground just in front of you and only occasionally glance at the top of the hill, you focus on each task at hand, and before you know it, you're at the top! One other thing you could do, try to get the basic buggy running, and put off any major upgrades until a later time.