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Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:36 am

Hi have any of you guys made a rear shelf support under the rear seat area out of metal? I am sure my Imp came with something when originally purchased as a kit..but I need to fab up something. I've seen a nice one that supported the perimeter of the area under the rear seat attaching to the chassis mounts where the bug originally attached to and the shock mounts. I just need some more ideas and feedback, thx.

Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:56 pm

This is the way Bruce Meyers did it on the Manx. It has worked for 38 years on my Manx. I don't know how thick the rear seat area of an IMP is but I would expect it to be close to a Manx in thickness.
Jerry...

Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:40 pm

That's all you need on each side huh? How long is that piece about 6 inches? And there is nothing going across to the other side underneath right? thx

Mon Jun 26, 2006 5:56 pm

do you have belts in the back? where do you mount them? this is what i have. it was done mainly as a support to anchor the rear seat belts to.

Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:02 am

No I am not going to use belts in the back, atleast not yet. I made brackets on both sides by the shock towers like Jerry suggested above, but I'd like even more support in rear of the seat shelf. What do you guys think about making a bracket on both sides of the rear engine cage going up to the rear shelf area? thanks.

Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:31 pm

I made mine out of a pc of angle metal from an old bed frame. And it is bolted to the top of the rear shocks. It just so happens I don't have a spare tire well or battery box molded in the fiberglass.

passenger side

driver side

Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:16 pm

Where are you located, EmpiImp69? I have a buggy rear support bracket hanging up in my rafters, you can have it if you need it. It bolts to shock towers, but runs underneath the seat area. Sort of like what Buggy-Bum has, but boxed at the ends.

Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:00 pm

90volts wrote: do you have belts in the back? where do you mount them? this is what i have. it was done mainly as a support to anchor the rear seat belts to.

<!-- begin thread-jack> Sorry :roll:, but this is just what I was looking for yesterday. Is the horizontal piece a 1-1/2" angle iron? Do you have any more pictures of the install? What belts are you using? I haven't bought belts yet, so my belt/mounting options are unlimited.

Thanks,
Jay

<!-- end thread-jack>

Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:37 pm

I ran a 1-3/4" tube between the shok towers. It supports the rear of the body and provides a place to tie in the roll bar supports.

Here is a picture of the installation

Here is a picture showing how the roll bar mounts to the frame.

And how the roll bar fits with the body in place.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:54 am

HI Uncle Bob, Im in NJ but I think a bar going across like you explain will interfere with my battery box. Mach4 that's some nice fabricatin' good pics, thx guys I'll figure out something.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:55 am

Sorry for double post.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:14 am

EMPIImp69 wrote: HI Uncle Bob, Im in NJ but I think a bar going across like you explain will interfere with my battery box. Mach4 that's some nice fabricatin' good pics, thx guys I'll figure out something.

For some reason, I thought you were local. I guess it depends on the body and battery box location. So many buggies have came and went from my garage, I can't remember exactly what I pulled it from. I think it was off a Sears Rascal, with integrated battery box.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:02 pm

We made a box that outlines the perimeter of the rear shelf area from 1" square tube. Another tube crosses between the shock towers and It is bolted in as most others are using the top shock bolts. This also supports a shallow battery box that suspends one of the small 3 cell size optima batterys above the passenger side torsion housing.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 2:21 pm

Hey Eric, It's me Jon. Here in Jax.

I may need the bracket you got, If no one else has claimed it.I am not sure yet.

Still got alot to do on my Buggy but I am getting there. Hope to be strating to pull the body off the old chassis and prepping for the new chassis this weekend.

I gotta ride out to Charlies sometime soon to get some headlights he siad he's got. Gonna bring him some seats too. Junk trading. :lol:

Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:12 am

I used the K.I.S.S. method. Cut a 2" piece of angled steel and welded the ends into a " [ " shape. Drilled a couple holes into the steel where the shock towers used to mount to the bug body and attached with the approptiate sized bolts. real EZ and worked great.

Mach4,

I'm still following your progress. The car looks sweet dude! You're getting so close I can almost smell the exaust fumes and burnt rubber.

Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:45 am

Mine is welded to the torsion tube, and the shock mounts

and the cage can then be bolted to flanges welded on to it