Basket Case Manx II

[neohic]

Nice! Very cool once again.
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-Ben

I like to build stuff...

[bugdaddy]

Wow we like this one! Any more info on this blue buggy?

[SiggyManx#33]

[joescoolcustoms]

[BIGMIKEY]

I'm glad this thread got bumped because there is a question I wanted to ask about the quick release steering wheel modification you did.

How did you get the horn to work?

Mike T
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BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[joescoolcustoms]

[BIGMIKEY]

Thanks Joe. I saw that button. I bet something could be done with a turn signal lever that has the HI/LO beam switch on it and a relay. Mebbe. I am weak in electrical.

Mike T
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BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[joescoolcustoms]

Wow! It has been 49,158 miles on the Puzzle Manx so far. Has been a lot of fun. Driven it to CA to the Manx Club's Big Bear bash 2 times, driven it to Alaska through 2 Territories and 4 Provinces of Canada. Driven through 43 US states. Coast to Coast 3 times. Daily Driver.

So, other than 7 more states, (still trying to figure out how to drive it to HI), and 4 more Provinces of Canada, what is next?

Drive it through the Baja of Mexico!

I am doing a re-build of the buggy to take on the NORRA '18 race. All the team will be from the East US and Canada, and it will get driven across the US again to SoCal, then drop down to Ensenada MX to start the race. Not so sure how a first timer will do in the Baja, but I am sure we will have a blast.

I have a few goals:
Day one goal is to take the Green Flag on day 2.
Day two goal is to take the Green Flag on day 3.
Day three goal is to take the Green Flag on day 4.
Day four goal is to take the Green Flag on day 5.
Day five goal is to make it to the Checkered Flag.

If we can finish in last place, we beat all those who did not finish, which is a large group.

To support Bruce Meyers and Meyers Manx, Inc. it is being entered in the Meyers Manx class, which is in the Evolution class, which is unlimited. Since my budget is not unlimited, I do not have any expectation of winning my class. I will be building it to the Legend class spec, which is a warmed up IRS chassis. The second class in the race right behind the Pioneer class, which is limited to Swing Axle.

On Thursday, I drove it the last time in it's current form, except I already installed a set of 33 X 10.50 Yokohama Super Digger III's on some custom Ultra Beadlock wheels. (I wanted to see how they would handle at speed on a trip across West Virginia to my work).

Had to pick up some "honey do" list items

I bought Spot Tracker which is both a tracking and anti-theft device that sends a email notice if the buggy moves 5 feet, and every minutes there after. Mounted on top of fuel tank. Will be super handy in the race when NORRA's tracking system goes down.

I am starting on an aggressive re-build schedule. Has to be done by October 1, 2017. That will allow me 1 week to iron out any bugs before Manx On The Banx 17 that starts on 10-9-17. So, I will post up the progress as it goes along in the next two months.

Cheers!
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

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

[Rockbound]

great build, tons of thought and great ideas. Turned out fantastic.

[joescoolcustoms]

Since the buggy still lives on, I thought I would do a little update to this thread.

I did pull the body off of the original chassis I built, and added more lift for more tire clearance and shock clearance. Added additional bracing for the new shock mounts. Built a new roll cage that would meet the tech spec for NORRA. Installed the 091 I never put in on the original build. Installed 2 X 3 rear trailing arms with 930 cv joints. New side panels for sponsor logos. Upgraded from stock torsion bars to 29 mm units.

Got it back together and took it to MOTB '17 to test it out. Bought the ORV permit so I could go on the deserted beaches and "test" it. Went out with Jeff, who I built his Manxter for, and it failed miserably. It was a pig. Would not turn, felt squishy, would hardly pull itself out of it's own tracks. Was super disappointed. I did get some good photos that year, and had 5 of the buggies I have built there at one time.

When I got back home in October from MOTB '17, I get it weighed. WOW!!!!! IT WAS a pig. 2555 pounds race ready.

That i a loser just waiting for a place to happen. So apart it came again. This time, a totally new chassis. Went from 1 5/8 X 0.120 wall tubing to 1 1/2 X 0.090 wall tubing. Lost a lot of the tubes I put in the original chassis. Even the side boxed rails went to 0.090 wall tubing.

Built my own custom torsion housing to lose more weight. New lighter weight bumpers. But I did keep the 1 5/8 X 0.120 wall roll cage. It was a trade off on weight-vs-safety. Safety won. Put it back together, and in race ready, it now weighed 1835 pounds. Now I was ready to go to Baja.

Outfitted an enclosed trailer for all our luggage, food, race gear, spare parts, tools and supplies. Remember, I live in the East, so 5 days across the US and 5 days back. The extra room was handy.

Drove the buggy from Anderson NC to CA, jumped the boarder and went racing.

Rolled the buggy on day one. Broke every system on day two and worked until 4 AM to be ready to start day three.

From there, day three, four and five went very well. Day 4 received damage from a Ford Bronco that showered us with rocks busting the windshield and every light on the front of the buggy, and then Don Prudhomme hit us in the rear almost totally crushing the bumper into the engine, but just stopped short of the exhaust.

We ended up 120th overall out of 271 starts. 3rd place in class. First time ever seeing Baja or racing off road, we felt very proud.

While in San Jose del Cabo, we changed back to street tires, and drove it back to Anderson NC. Then I trailered it home to WV. On the way, we stopped by Bruce and Winnie Meyers and said Hey.

The rest of 2018, the buggy was driven to every Manx Club event from Saint Louis, Watkins Glen NY, to the OBX in NC. Added a couple new states to it's list it has been in. Racked up over 66,000 miles with it from June '14 to October '18.

After MOTB in October '18, once home, I stripped the buggy and parted out a lot of it. Racing is expensive, and bills have to get paid somehow.

But, the Puzzle Manx story is not over yet..................
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

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

[neohic]

Can’t wait to see what’s next!
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-Ben

I like to build stuff...

[y2kbaja]

I just finished reading all 17 pages of this thread. It was a great read until the end where it was parted out?!? Oh well. Lot's of great stuff on the build in the first few pages. Oil cooler...I didn't see yours but did the same on my build, just a little different mounting. The cage and safety structure.. steel was much cheaper then than it is now.

[Tom_Kathleen]

This car is back together and will race in NORRA 2022. Tom
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Manxter #16, 1968 Meyers Manx & Kick-Out SS #16 (WIP)
Manx Club & CVA

[finefettle]

What a great thread. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic wave of life.
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1979 Bug project

[1madmanx]

[Buggy Brian]

Awesome!! What a great adventure!
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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