frame fork

captron945 · Post by **captron945** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:21 pm

I have a swing axle Manx buggy. I just discovered the rear frame fork on the passenger side is bent and cracked. I am told that it can be repaired but I have to pull the engine. Does anyone have any experience with this repair. How it should be done. Welded with a jig??? Will it be "OK" after the repair if done correctly. ANY info/help is appreciated. ron,

manxdavid · Post by **manxdavid** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 3:16 pm

To make it easier to get the fork back in place and to strengthen any subsequent repair I'd fit one of these braces to link the fork to the shock towers. A bit expensive but well worth it in my opinion. http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 12-6518-11 The success of any repair would depend on how badly damaged it is and the skill of the welder doing the work of course...

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:22 pm

I cracked the frame horns on my rail buggy several times before someone told me to brace them. Take the engine and trans out and have a good shop weld and straighten the horns, and install the brace in Manx David's post. You should be fine after that.

ManxRob · Post by **ManxRob** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:48 am

I think the cross-brace that us being suggested will interfere with the early Manx spare tire well and battery well. Rob

manxdavid · Post by **manxdavid** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:56 am

[QUOTE="Lee;14323"]I cracked the frame horns on my rail buggy several times before someone told me to brace them. Take the engine and trans out and have a good shop weld and straighten the horns, and install the brace in Manx David's post. You should be fine after that.[/QUOTE] I'd install the brace first to help with re-alignment and to hold in place during repairs...

captron945 · Post by **captron945** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:44 pm

As noted by MANXROB above and observed by me yesterday, the brace suggested would interfer with the spare tire well. Any other thoughts. ron,

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:27 pm

About the only other way to brace the horns from above would be to make sure the engine cage is tied to the buggy's roll cage, then make braces that go between the engine cage and the ends of the trans horns. This is basically what I did with the rail buggy. I couldn't figure out an easy way to do this with the Manx, so I welded "keels" along the bottom of each horn. The keels are 1/4" thick and 1" wide. They run the entire length of each horn. Yes, they hang down a little, but I modified the skid plate to match. You would still need to get them straightened and repaired before doing this.

El-Lobo · Post by **El-Lobo** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:08 am

While the motor is leaning in a funky direction...Adjust it with jacks, hoists, chains and 2x4's. In other words...Fixx it with all of the underlying loads in place. The remedy is to make it stronger than which failed....So, support it from above or sister it from below...Both work well independently. But together they will not fail...

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 7:40 pm

Right on, Pedro! Everyone should also take notice of the tubing going from the body lift to the rear torsion housing at both ends in his photos. Super strong!

newmanx59 · Post by **newmanx59** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:54 am

This probably won't fit an original Manx body but it sure is strong.

ManxRob · Post by **ManxRob** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:09 pm

[quote="captron945;14321"]I have a swing axle Manx buggy. I just discovered the rear frame fork on the passenger side is bent and cracked. I am told that it can be repaired but I have to pull the engine. Does anyone have any experience with this repair. How it should be done. Welded with a jig??? Will it be "OK" after the repair if done correctly. ANY info/help is appreciated. ron,[/quote] Ron, A cracked/bent frame fork is very unfortunate. Do you have any idea what caused the damage? Did it occur while you were driving it, or was it by a previous owner? Is it getting worse? The reason I ask is to determine what type of driving/frame punishment you do and expect in the future. In my experience the stock VW frame is quite strong for normal street driving, and basic trail/beach cruising. But... if you start bolting on 150hp engines, drag racing, doing wheelies, jumping dunes and other fun stuff you probably should put in some additional bracing. That said, if it were my buggy I would replace the bent/cracked frame because like a pipe, once crimped the round/oval section of the frame horn will be really tough to align and effect permanent worry free repair. I would remove the body to provide full access for welding to the rear pan/torsion bar area for repair. Either cut off the existing frame horns complete with the torsion bar assembly and weld in a replacement, (if you need to keep the same VIN# stamped on the pan), or replace the frame with a freshly shortened one. I would also install an adjustable shift rod end at the same time to fix the gear shift alignment problems most older buggy builds seem to have. Having the body off would also give great access for any fiberglass (battery box) repairs! It sounds like a great winter project... Rob

captron945 · Post by **captron945** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 12:01 pm

Thanks Rob and everyone else for their input. I do not drive hard. My street racing days are long gone, I hope. The intended use is ocassional street drives on the weekend. Drive or tow it to a local show, etc. Nothing hard. Here is the latest. I got the MANX back from the welder yesterday. In my opinion he did a great job. I’m not a welder but it looks great. He used 1 ?” x 3/16” angle iron. He welded 2 15” pieces to each bottom side and overlapped them so that the total width of the “C” channel is 2” and the thickness is 3/8” on the bottom. Full welding all around. It looks like it will hold up. I had him look the whole frame over real good for other potential problems. The frame is not in prime shape BUT he says it should be OK for my use, light street driving. My intent is to do a complete restoration when I retire in a few years. I have access to a '73 frame that is in great shape. But for now, I want to increase the support in the rear area and get back on the road. I have been kicking around different ideas and then was looking at the new Kick-Out and other buggy rear end treatments. The KICK-OUT has a very nice rear “stainless bumper”. Is that a support piece for the fork area as well as a bumper? Is it tied in to the shock mount? Is it welded on? Pacific Customs has a BAJA rear bumper that is shock mounted. Does that piece offer the same support? Any and all help is greatly appreciated. ron,

Tom-Kathleen · Post by **Tom-Kathleen** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:18 pm

No, the Kick Out SS bumper (same as on a Manxter) offers no support to the frame horns. The Manxter does have a "H" shaped rear support that goes between the frame horns and the roof support structure. But the roof support structure is all tied together and would be hard to duplicate on a short buggy. Tom

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:46 am

The pan in stock form should be more than enough for light street use. I cracked the trans horns on my rail buggy by accidentally jumping it a few feet into the air. The tell-tale *CRACK!!!* sound when I landed let me know I broke something again. It sounds like you will be fine with what you have.

captron945 · Post by **captron945** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:26 pm

I came up with another idea based on some of the info provided here. It involves trimming the shock tower a bit. Specifically cutting off the bump stop at the top. There is not a rubber bumper on mine so the stop itself is useless. Can I cut off the bump stop and not hurt the strength of the shock tower where the top of the shock is mounted? ron,

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