My Manxter 2+2 Build Thread

[sbussard]

Thanks David. I'd say welcome to the to the forum, but it looks like you've been around, just not posting. Get a build thread going! Post some pictures! I want to see what #127 looks like. The people here are the best. I couldn't have built my buggy without them. Everyone was so helpful along the way.

It has been fun to drive and to get a chance to drive on the beach was great! I'm still amazed that I stuck it out the whole way, since I am a self-diagnosed "discouraged perfectionist." I have had tendencies on other projects to start and never finish 100%. This is my first undertaking of a project of this size and I don't know that it will ever be 100%, there's always something else I will want to add/change. Every time I drive it, I still can't get over that I built it with my own 2 hands. I'm sure that feeling will pass with time, but for now it's a great feeling. And scary at the same time. As I see that dump truck heading at me on a 2 lane road, I think "Did I torque that to spec, did I use lock tite where I should have, is my wheel going to come off as I pass the dump truck?" The buggy seems so small next to larger vehicles...

I don't work on cars daily and my experience up to this point was basic maintenance on the daily drivers, plus a little more. I have had an off road buggy since my early 20's, but we worked on that over 20 years ago. If I can figure it out, most people with any experience can.

I did the best I could, with the skills and tools I had at the time. The experience was great. I'm itching to build another, but a kitchen will come first. I truly understand life getting in the way. I tried to do at least 1 thing on the buggy every day, even it it was minor. I counted time spent at the laptop researching as something done each day also. I'd bet I spent at least 3 times as much time thinking about and researching how to do the next step, as I did actually using tools on the build.

To answer your questions:

How is the power in the 1600? It does ok, but would probably benefit from a larger motor, different tranny, and/or smaller rear tires. My wife says the 20's on the rear are kind of like high heels on a woman. The look nice but aren't very functional. I have yet to try to drop the clutch and see what it would do. 1st and 2nd gear wind out fairly quick. I find I do most of the cruising around town in 3rd gear, which seems to work from 20 to 50 mph. The fastest I've had it on the highway was 80mph and it was wound out.

Trans stock? Yes, origin unknown. It came with the 1970 chassis I used, but never did look up the code to figure out what year it really was or what gears were in it. I plan on digging into to next summer.

Did the conduits for the electrical work good? Yes, I would do that again in a heartbeat. It concealed all front to back wiring. I knew I didn't want an exposed wiring harness front to back, so this worked. I used non-metallic 3/4 inch conduit and they filled up fairly quick. I always pulled a pull-string in each time pulling wires in. 1 inch would probably be better, but I don't know if it would interfere with the side roll bars, the ones that go front to back under the fenders. I ended up cutting 2 additional holes in each length of conduit for wires to enter/exit. The first hole was a little bit to the rear of where the side pods cover. This allowed me to drop wires there, route them through a hole in the side of the buggy into the passenger compartment, and then through another hole into the dash tub. The 2nd hole was cut about 2/3's of the way back to allow a place to run the speaker and seat heater wires down the side of the buggy (under the side pods) and into the passenger compartment. I also had to cut !2 inches off of the rear end side of the conduit because it interfered with bracket on the H frame. In hindsight. cutting these holes before mounting the body and roll cage would have been much easier.

Are the rear seats comfortable for an adult in the back? I don't know, I've never ridden back there. My father rode in the back while at MOTB. He said it was not bad, but not comfortable either. I don't have seat pads yet, so I'm sure that played into it. He rode in the passenger side rear, I don't think it would work very well with him behind me due to space. My 13 year old rides behind me. He's still fairly small but wears size 10 shoes. When I had the seat slid back, he has his feet locked in. He can't get out until I slide the seat forward. It became a running joke at MOTB every time we stopped. He'd say, "I'll just wait here with the buggy." until I'd remember I had to slide the seat forward.

how many spacers did you use? I ended up ordering more from Winnie, but I can't remember where I ended up using them. Going from fuzzy memory, I think I used 2 at each spot in the driver's side front. And only 1 on the passenger side. Tom and Kathleen (Manxter #16?) made custom spacers for theirs.

Things I'd do differently if I had the experience I needed at that time. Experience is what you have after you need it:

**Take the time to fit the pan to the body better. I painted on the DIY truck bed liner before fitting the corners better. They don't meet up as close as I should have got them. I ended up using rubber roof cement and rubber roofing to seal the gaps, but if I fit the corners of the pan better, this would not have been necessary and would look better. Not that anyone notices, but I know it's there.

**Drilled the conduit for entry/exit holes before mounting the body and roll bars. What a PIA it was after everything else was mounted.

**Mount the side mirrors higher on the A pillars. They look better IMHO low like they are, but they now only function for lane changes. I can't see anything but the rear fenders when trying to use them to look behind me.

**Mount the rear view mirror to the roll bar instead of the front window. I have an auto-dimming mirror with compass, thermometer, and map lights. I love it but it is fairly large. Eventually it will be relocated to the roll bars where it will be higher and out of my line of vision out the front. Mounted on the front window like it is now, I have to look around it to see to the right at traffic lights.

**Mount the side curtain holders prior to running wires through the conduit. They mount on the same edge of the body on the inside with the electrical conduit directly behind them. You're supposed to use pop rivets to mount them. I haven't mounted them yet, for fear I will drill into the conduit. Another next summer project.

**I don't think I would add the LED under dash and engine compartment lights. They were a PIA to wire as all had to be done in parallel. I don't think the time spent was worth the look. But my kids like them.....they show them off to their friends.

Things I would do again:

**Watson Streetworks Wiring Harness. Well worth the extra money. The fuse block side it not pre-terminated so you can run wires in either direction and cut them to size to land on the terminal strip. Other people have different opinions, but this kit was easy for a newbie like me to use.

**Seat heaters during the initial build. Might not be necessary in SoCal, but an Must-have in PA. If I waited to add these at a later time, I would have never done it.

**Miata seats with speakers in head rest. Nice & comfortable.

**Speedhut GPS Speedometer. I like it and no need to regear speedo for different size front tires.

**Momo steering wheel (or any other nice quality) You hands touch it every time you drive. Same for the shifter & knob.

Whew.....I didn't think I'd type that much. So much for easy answers...

I hope to see a build thread start on yours soon. Looking forward to seeing it come together.

Hope this helps,
Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[dbsmith]

Scott
Thanks for the awesome response. Here are a couple of pics. When I brought home. And the other as it's sitting today. Have brake lines and pedals to put on still. Will pick up the rebuilt tranny the end of the week. Your right about the roll cage, looks like it'll be a PIA. Maybe I'll start another thread.

David
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dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[sbussard]

Looks good David. You're well on your way. Keep at it and you'll be driving it soon enough!

Start a build thread and post any questions you have and everyone here will help you along the way. I can't say enough about how great the guys and girls are here. They certainly helped me figure out the parts when I was looking for suggestions/help/motivation. And your build thread will help the next person searching for the "how-to" on a particular task.

Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[dbsmith]

Scott

Started my own.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6982224#6982224
See if the link works

David
_________________
dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[dbsmith]

Scott,
It's time I started thinking about a steering column. On your Flaming River, what model did you use and what was the length?
_________________
dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[dbsmith]

Scott
I just found the thread on the run from the east coast to Big Bear 2014.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5...mp;start=0

I was able to attend this year and hitched a ride in the 'Peppertree 49' car. Oh what fun. Here are a few pics from the event.

Hope you can come.

I don't know how far I can get on mine, needs a lot more $ between now and then.

_________________
dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[sbussard]

That looks like so much fun!! I'm leaning to not going at this point. I don't think I could save enough money by that time to make such a long trip. Plus burning 3 weeks of vacation....

Here's what I bought from Flaming River, priced at the time I bought the items.

Stock Code Product Quantity Total
FR20114-2 OEM Factory Style Dash Mount - 1-3/4" Dia. 1 $86.50
FR1735DD 1" DD X 5/8"-36 Universal Billet-Joint 1 $72.50
FR20118 Female Wiring Connector Kit - 4-1/4" 1 $18.03
FR20002BK 32" Floor Shift Tilt Column with 1-3/4" OD - Black Powdercoat Finish 1 $445.00
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[dbsmith]

On your dash mount, I presume it is a two piece to clamp around the column. I don't think the wiring is removable for installation..
_________________
dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[sbussard]

Yes, the clamp is 2 pieces. I bolted the clamp to the bracket on the original cross bar. Then had to cut the top of that bracket to create a gap for the wiring to slip through. The wiring did not look like it would have been easy to remove from the column.

You can kind of see it in these pics if you zoom them up. Those are the best pics I can find that I already had.

Hope this helps,
Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[dbsmith]

Scott,
Hope all is well.
Can you post a picture of your sidewinder exhaust with the Spark Arrester you just installed?

I'm finally ready to start drilling holes in the Manxter..

Headed to Big Bear in morning. yahoo

David
_________________
dbsmith
SoCal
#127 Manxter - 99.5% done....

[sbussard]

I'm sooo jealous that you're heading to BB. Wish I could have made the cross country trip, but it wasn't in the cards.

Here's a few pics of the Super Trapp on the sidewinder. It's not pretty, but it does quiet it down. I tried it with 6 discs and it robbed the top end and there was a noticable difference in power pulling hills. I now have 12 discs on it, but haven't challeneged it with really big hills yet. I cut most of the flange off of the super trapp and butt welded it in place.

Have fun at BB and take lots of pics. Particularly of my new Manxter that I'll be winning tomorrow!

Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[jrailer]

Did you lower the suspension at all or is it stock ? And what size wheels and tires are you running 20s on the rear what are front

[sbussard]

[jrailer]

Thanks for the reply Scott I just sold an old ford t bucket and am wanting to build one of these. I had an original manx back in the 90s had to sell it to get into my house and have always wanted to get another one. Thinking about dropped spindle or adjustable beam to raise it back up for some light duty off road but don't want to loose the ride with the beam. I work at a vw shop so I have tons of parts. A 70 bug that was left at my shop for 15 years. Who does that? A few transmissions and a new motor .your build has me all jacked up to get going I will see how things go and start a page hope you don't mind a few questions along the way

[sbussard]

Get moving! Sounds like the plan is already in your head, time to put it to action. I've had this buggy kicking around in my head for almost 20 years. It's been a blast to build, have fun with my kids, and you couldn't ask for a better group of people than on this site and in the Manx Club. Even if you decide on another make of buggy other than a Manx (or Manxter), it's all good. We're currently building a Spatz buggy for/with my 16 year old son. I've said it before, but I couldn't have built my buggy without the help of the group of people on this site. Buggy people are the best!

Ask all the questions you want. If I don't have the answer, someone here will.

Can't wait to see your build taking shape. And to have a donor beetle to start with you're already on your way.

Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[jrailer]

kit ordered sent the $$$$ here is a pic of my old one I got to work on it the other day he likes to rub it in that he has it and not me

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[herkster]

hi there

What are the small turn signals under the fenders you are using on the green manxster in the picture?

thanks,

herk

[jrailer]

I think those are the ones that come with the kits

[sbussard]

herkster - They are the ones that came with the kit. They were chrome and I had them powdercoated black. They are cheap and most likely won't last long. I can already feel the "chrome" separating from the metal beneath it. Not sure what I'll eventually replace them with.

jrailer - Very cool! Can't wait to see it come together. What color did you go with? If it turns out as nice as your old one, it will be a head-turner. Only for my own curiousity, but did Winnie tell you what number it will be?

Come to MOTB in the middle of October and you can get many ideas on what way to go with the build!

Scott
_________________
Manxter #122
First time, garage built, and living out the childhood dream of owning a life-size Hotwheel!

Check out my build thread-->My Manxter 2+2

[jrailer]

Didn't get the number yet I went with red and a white top didn't get the side pods yet under a little budget might get them later in the build I did get the body off the bug only took 20 min me and another guy tag teamed it after work