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Manx Style Dune Buggy Build (Litha Mark III)
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not much done this weekend. I did make a driverside seat adjuster out of some aluminum stock and bead blasted and painted the seat adjusters and intalled onto the Porsche 914 seats.

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Installed the seats with new covers onto the pan to try out the adjusters...works good.

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Prepped the outside of the buggy body for the spray on bedliner and applied the liner. Still messy as hell. Shocked

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karu
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like you are almost there!!!!

I like your paint booth.
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Gone Blue
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Loving the color, it is awesome.

G.B.
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Put down the bedliner inside the buggy body today. Taped off with 1/4" vinyl pinstriping tape and sanded with a 180 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Cleaned with a grease, silicone and wax remover. Covered outside of body with green auto paint paper/tape. I did not want a rough texture on the interior bedliner so I added approx: 20 oz of thinner to the black base and activator and mixed. No rubber added to the mix. Used a small tip (4MM) on my HF texture gun and 100psi at the tip. Bedliner had a hammered look when sprayed.....Perfect!! Cool

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I will try to get the roll cage, front bumper and side impact bars/wire conduits painted tomorrow. Maybe get the body set on the pan. Very Happy
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Put the Lithia Mark III body on the pan tonight. I think I am over the hump. The fun starts now I get to install all the goodies now. Oh wait...still have to paint the hood/dash...but that will not be that bad.


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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Been a few weeks since I have posted and thought I would let everyone know where I am on the Lithia Mark III.
I have painted the Roll cage with the Summit Single stage Urethane paint and it came out really shiny and no runs. Very Happy

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Also with the assistance of joescoolcustoms I put down sealer that is used on new glassed lined water tanks to seal between the pan and the 1" x 2" body lift.
This sealer sets up like a rubber gasket and very spongy when it sets up. Not at all like silicone.

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Installed the 4 bolts at the rear of the pan and 2 self drilling/tapping screws at the Napolians hat for the 1" x 2" body lift.

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Put a bead of sealer on top of the 1" x 2" body lift.

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Installed the body and hold down plates. Installed all of the Stainless Steel hardware except the ones to bolt in the Roll cage.

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1" ratchet straps used to pull the legs of the roll cage inward to avoid scratching paint or bed liner. Also used 2' wide masking tape for protection around the mounting tabs through the body to the side protection tubing/ wire looms. I will show these later.

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Mounting points for the roll cage.

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The weather here for the last week has been nasty HOT!! Last Friday we had a "Derecho" kind of like a hurricane that forms on land. 70-90 mph winds and rain. WV had 300,000 + electrical customers out of power. I was OK until July 3 and now I am now without power with 100+ degree temperatures. Generators keeping the house and refrigerator cool but no work on the buggy for about a week now. Will resume when it cools down and the power comes back on. Sad
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krusher
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Awesome quality work! Very Happy
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On most of the Meyers Manx buggy bodies there is a wire loom molded into the fiberglass body just under the tops of the fenders and sides out of sight when the buggy is sitting on the ground. My Lithia Mark III buggy was not molded with these wire looms. My solution to this was to bend some 1 5/8" DOM tubing that ran on the underside contour of the fiberglass body and weld on 3" x 3" square plates to the roll bars and to the 1 5/8" DOM wire loom/ crash protection bars. These bars are tied into the roll cage with 3/8 bolts to give a little extra protection to the passengers incase of a side impact. They say these buggies are just a little safer than a motorcycle so every little bit has to help. Besides my teenage daughter wants to drive this buggy and protection for her is all that matters.

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3/8 bolts go from the roll cage bracket through the FG body and to the bracket at the exterior side impact bars/wire looms.

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At the ends of the wire loom bars there was a cap welded to the ends and tapped to 5/8 NPT and PVC electrical fittings screwed into the ends. These ends have a o-ring seal to keep out water and dirt to keep my wiring clean and dry. I will use flex lite 1/2" conduit to run over and through the fire wall and to the motor and tail lights.

MY ELECTRIC HAS COME BACK ON AND I AM READY TO JUMP BACK ON THE BUGGY THIS WEEK!! Laughing
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DirtGhost
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would love to see a Wagonfolks emblem on this now !!!! Polish it out before you install it !!!
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DirtGhost wrote:
I would love to see a Wagonfolks emblem on this now !!!! Polish it out before you install it !!!


I do have plans to ad the Wagonfolks emblem to the buggy between the tail lights near completion.
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have not got as much done on my buggy the last couple of weeks as I wanted but I have done a lot of small things to get closer to completion.

Installed my 1958 Chevrolet tail lights with LED lenses.
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Completed my wiring looms under the body and I am ready to pull wires from the front to the rear.
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Got my GPS speedometer/Fuel gauge from Speedhut.com. Drilled out and cut all the holes for my oil pressure, oil temperature, voltage gauges. Installed the light switch.
Installed the horn button.
Alternator/idiot light.
Oil pressure idiot light.
Turn signal toggle switch.
Ignition switch.
12 volt marine power supply socket.

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Now that I have everything cut out on the dash I can finish up the FG work on the Hood/Dash. Hopefully lay down some paint next weekend.
Yes... I know the steering wheel does not match the paint. I will look for a silver metal flake or maybe just a classic black steering wheel.
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I said earlier that the hood/dash was not going to be all that bad to fit to the body and paint. I was wrong. My dash has a hump in the top where the winshield and seal sit. Removed hump by grinding down the dash top until it was level. The windshield frame needed to be bent inward approximately 1-1/2" on both sides to fit the contour of the hood/dash. My new windshield (Bug Shields by Dino) just does not want to bend that way. I decided not to bend the frame and instead make a couple PVC wedges to take up the area between the windshield frame and the FG hood/dash.

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Now I just need to get the hood/dash body work done and paint. Rolling Eyes

Picked up my Sombrero top ( TJ Kustoms.com ) from Joescoolcustoms today and since I had the windshield temporarily installed I just couldn't resist putting the top on to see how it looks. Drool



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hcallaway
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very sharp. Not sure if everyone can appreciate how much time and thought has to go into building a DB from the ground up. Every little detail has be worked out in the mind before the first wrench or welding can take place. Just making sure the roll bar can come in and out. Do it without wrecking the paint. Making sure all tabs are welded and it all lines up. All the clearances are there for the windshield/seats/belts/dash. It is a labor of love and it is great to see it come together. I finally feel like if I am not using it this summer, this fall is a slam dunk! Keep posting the pictures.
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karu
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seems like you are almost there!!!! Really nice work.
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Dan_Lorenze
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great job!!
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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Progress report.....

Fiberglassed undersides of hood to give it more strength. Hood was extremely thin on the sides.

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Started installation of wiring under the hood. Once the hood is painted I will clean up the wiring. Shark motorcycle stereo w/ Ipod connections will be hidden with only the remote mounted to the dash. Speakers mounted under the dash and sounds really good. Ignition switch, light switch and turn signal switch installed with weather tite connectors.

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LED tail lights very bright.

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Installed stainless steel head light buckets and halogen lights with built in turn signals for a clean look.

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Installed the oil breather box.

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Motor and tail light wiring in 3/8" tubing.

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Tack welded the wheel studs on the adapters to keep studs from turning when removing the wheels. Already had one stud start to spin. pain in the a$$ to remove.

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And at last I finally got the hood looking good enough to put some paint down today. Very Happy

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wvbowtieman
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Installed the SpeedHut GPS Speedo/ Fuel gauge
Sun Oil pressure gauge
Sun Voltage gauge
Auto Gage Oil Temperature gauge
Light switch
Horn button
Ignition switch
Turn signal toggle switch
Oil idiot LED light
Alternator idiot LED light

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Installed the hood Baja hood seal from Werksberg Products.
1972 Chevrolet Truck fuel neck grommet.
GPS speedometer antenna.

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All wiring is done and I think I am ready to install the hood.
Hopefully I can start and break in the motor Sunday.
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hcallaway
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has been a lot of fun to follow your build. Looks great.:
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 7:34 am    Post subject: Exhaust Donuts & Clamps? Reply with quote

wvbowtieman wrote:
Been a few weeks since I have posted and thought I would let everyone know where I am on the Lithia Mark III.

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David - I'm REALLY enjoying following your thread - picking up tips and tricks that my son and I are incorporating into our own build (wish I had a metal lathe with a thread maker!) Just wondering about your Tri-Mil headers and lack of donuts and clamps - did you weld them, and if so, what did you use for head bolts vs the studs and nuts? Mine is below, but will take a super-zoom to see the joint. Best shot I have - pardon the cage laying across them. Boy they sound great - just not sure what to do about the donut and clamps... Appreciate any help and keep up your post! We're right behind you Wink Greg

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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greg, those are slip joints in the header tubing. If you look close, you can see the tube coming off the exhaust port is expanded slightly so the next tube slips inside of it. The tolerance of the tubing is made close enough that they just slip together. Some leak a little and some do not, but a little dab of the copper silicone when putting the system together stops the leaks.

A alternative is to to cut out your do-nothing donut clamps and weld in a flange set that uses a stock metal exhaust gasket. Here is a set for sale on this site, but many suppliers sell them, like CiP1, JBugs, Pacific Coast Customs, Berg and others. They are just a stock flange that you weld to your tubing to form a positive mechanical bolt together joint with a gasket sandwiched between. (4 flanges are needed, two per side).

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Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone
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