another tow'd project

[spetey325]

i found this thing almost 7 years ago and i am finally getting around to trying to complete it (starting having kids 7 years ago too, so it's been on the back burner a bit). anyways, finally acquired the majority of most of the big items. it is getting an adjustable beam (just finished powder coat today), disk brakes all the way around, dropped spindles, new paint, powder on everything possible, and some fuchs...15x4.5 up front and 17x7s in the rear. powder is high gloss black and debating back in forth between an emerald green with silver metal flake or a brighter green with possibly gold metal flake. Suggestions are always welcome. I'll try to post pics as I progress.

[BrianDent]

Very Cool project. Haven't seen a street Tow'd before. Look forward to progress. Good luck.
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-Bri

[66 Shorty]

Cool! What are you using for a frame?
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~X-Man~

'60's Spatz Buggy body on '74 Chassis (Budget Build)
'69 Bug (Baja-to-be partial daily)
'10 Silverado (My daily)

[didget69]

...'space' frame?

Did you get the frame with it, or are you looking to build one?

bryan
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[spetey325]

fortunately, i've got the original frame. also have the original bf meyers id tag. i finished blasting the frame today. gonna try and dry fit everything this weekend and try to see what i can come up with for some clean bumpers. like briandent, i have never really seen a street tow'd and this one was set up with a huge front bumper and engine cage. my only other real concern is with as low as i would like to go with this thing, is building and mounting some sort of skid plate for under the body. with only fiberglass between me and the road, makes me a little nervous (any thoughts)?

[Vealmonkey]

Have you seen stock Tow'd bumpers? Not very beefy. Rear engine cage is not a bad idea, as far as your front bumper? I've seen some nice street Tow'ds and some not so nice street Tow'ds, but then my tastes might not be like yours. I'm building mine for the street, but it's been a slow process. I converted my rear to IRS, pretty easy actually. My Tow'd was never titled or registered for the street, off-road only, so I had to find an IRS based car with a title to get the IRS section from. That's done. I've had a friend build a beefy street trans for me and help me build a nice 2021 engine with dual weber 44s. I had to source a fiberglass nose from Bruce Meyers as my car was an original ABS plastic body and had no nose. Also had to source a fiberglass body as my ABS body was shot! LOL I rented part of a garage and had a really nice place to work on the Tow'd, but lost that, which is a really long story. LOL So now trying to get a shed built to move things into to get back my 1 car garage at my house to have room to work on the Tow'd in. If you have a prebuilt front bumper which fits the car nicely, you may want to rethink using it. A small tap in the front nose and it will destroy your hood. And with onlly 2 points holding the hood on, it could be disasterous. The original Tow'd bumpers were 2 lightweight hoops front and rear, which protected nothing. Remember, the Tow'd was not originally designed to be on the road. Protect your investment and your self.

[BL3Manx]

The original Tow'd front bumper was larger diameter than a Manx, fairly short, and bent in a fairly tight curve so it was actually fairly tough and definitely stronger than a typical buggy bumper. It was just meant to protect the tip of the hood in the parking lot and look good while doing it. Its totally up to its job

The original Towd rear bumper bolted to welded-on brackets on the rear of the main chassis tube, so it was also stronger than a typical buggy engine cage which is normally small diameter tube hung off the shock mounts and the frame horns and not very sturdy at all. Again, its not impact protection, its just meant to protect against someone or some thing bumping into your engine.

Lots of people who use the Tow'd off road seriously, add additional tubes below the single hoop. They run tubes from the front of the main loop, back to the rear suspension mount, then add braces to triangulate the new tube with the original. Some people add a body skid plate across under the body between the additional tubes. The bracing makes the frame stiffer/stronger. You should definitely think about it. This picture shows a shorter tube, most are straight and attach closer to the torsion tube and go farther forward on the frame.

Disc brakes on the front of a regular buggy will cause the front wheels to lock up and skid uselessly, on a Tow'd even more so. You will absolutely need a proportioning valve.

I see you have a ball joint front end. The Tow'd used the link pin type so the mount for the beam would need to be modified

The stock front suspension will be too stiff(like a rock) so you'll need to remove some leaves. If you have a swingaxle, you'll definitely want adjustable spring plates in back to set the camber easier. I'd go with IRS, the longer torsion bars are actually more flexible and might give a softer ride. Try to use OEM rubber suspension bushings, not hard polyurethane.

I see you have a dog house shroud. You'll need to trial assemble the whole thing with the engine to make sure you have clearance between it and the body. If its too close you can lengthen the rear shock mount tabs which will rotate the engine farther down and away from the body.

Have you checked whether your state(Arkansas?) requires fenders over the wheels? Those would be some big fenders to cover those Fuchs.

I wouldn't paint or powder coat anything until you know you're done fabricating. You still have a lot of work. The paint is always last.

[BCG Industries]

I just finished the BCG industries project towd. I used the "stock" beam with all the leaves and it is a fine ride not like a rock at all. I would consider adding some wheel base because it is a tiny car. I wish I would have added more than 6" I added 3 to the front and 3 to the rear. See my build in theis section if you have not already. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have along the way also gladly. Another thing to consider is using the long skinny torsion bar it makes the ride awesome and I did use poly bushings too. I used fox 12" stroke shocks and with the preload It is caddy like ride and on road I can go over speed bumps at 40+ and the car stays still and the suspension works. Hope this helps. Looks like you have a great start they are neat cars. Good luck and have fun. The kids will love it too they fit in them lol.
Darrin
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Dave and Darrin at BCG Industries. Thank you for your support. We build design and consult for all types of motorsports fabrication and design. if you have any questions please ask.

[BL3Manx]

[BCG Industries]

come take a ride in it I guess.
_________________
Dave and Darrin at BCG Industries. Thank you for your support. We build design and consult for all types of motorsports fabrication and design. if you have any questions please ask.

[BL3Manx]

[spetey325]

finally getting back around to working on this thing….maybe this summer i'll finish!

[Buggy Brian]

Glad to see you got back to working on it! Looks like it could be one heck of a build!
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-(Loretta) Manx # M2940D910E on customized 1970 chassis by Joescoolcustoms
-(Scarlett) Manx Resorter #12 (R0012B931S) on 1969 chassis.
-Original Home built buggy that started all. I learned to drive in it back in 1985.
Manx Club Member # 4436

Check out my Loretta here: http://www.manxclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=3365Manx

Scarlett is getting a Makeover! http://manxclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=3745&p=24983#p24983

[Deh Shark]

This is gonna be sweet!! Good thing you got back on it. I thought you may have sold it.
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AH TIYAD AH DAT DEH BAI!!!
Organize folks are just to lazy to look for stuff!!

55 3 fold Ragtop
Manx Dune buggy 2387cc

[spetey325]

Little more progress!

[HPjunkie]

any updates?
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74 westy
"75" Turbo FI Manx
62' Towd
68 Rat Rod

[didget69]

... last Samba visit was August 24, 2015.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=45172

bnc
_________________
I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[spetey325]

Hoping to finally finish this thing. I've been dragging her around for 11 years. Finished paint today and time to start putting her back together.

[didget69]

Nice to see it moving forward! Welcome back!

bnc
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[weasel_ugs]

Love the color.