Rathbone's DuneBuggy Build Thread!!

[Rathbone]

I bought this dune buggy in December and planned to get it running to drive this summer. I spent 4 months trying to get it to run but I could never get it to idle. I had a local 'expert' look at it and after 4 days he gave up.

So I decided to remove all of old the wiring. But there's no sense putting new wiring over old cracked fiberglass, so I decided to get it painted. The job was supposed to take 3 weeks but after 4 months and double the original estimated cost I picked it up. The paint looks like it was applied with a roller except there are more runs.

So I've decided to start putting it back together. I started the wiring over the Labor Day weekend. This evening I realized just how much trimming will be necessary to get the Beetle tail lights to fit!

I'm not very talented at anything requiring my hands. What's the best way to control how I trim off the base so I don't damage the chrome or cut away too much?
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[Rathbone]

Here's where I'm planning to locate the tail lights:

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(o\_i_/o) what you've just said ... is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul - Mr. Oblaski, Principal

[hcallaway]

I am not sure what is going on other than try moving the lights around for a flat base mount. I am not sure if you will have much success trying to trim to fit.

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[VOLKSWAGNUT]

First be sure you have the correct side...on the correct side. These are left right specific.

I don't have a Manx but have a similar body, Ive found if you spread them slightly they will contour to the body shape some.

It simply looks by your photo you may be mounting it on the wrong side, or still have the studs attached giving a bad angle. I found the housing studs are too short for the body thickness, and had to use small longer bolts. This also helps draw the lamps tight to the gasket.
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[surfnc]

[Rathbone]

I just went back out and tried again. In the photos above I'm holding it in at the bottom to push all of the gap to the top to demonstrate the size of the problem. If I swap them side for side the face of the lens will be turned outboard of the vehicle. Is that how it is on everyone else's? They don't look turned outboard in the photos.

Vince - how did you position the set that you made about an inch farther inboard and make them fit? I prefer the look of placing them slightly in like your last car.
_________________
(o\_i_/o) what you've just said ... is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul - Mr. Oblaski, Principal

[BL3Manx]

To get them to sit pretty much almost totally flush you need to do a couple things. Don't trim them!

Cut/grind off the stock studs (Dremel wheel works good) just leaving the hole and replace them with longer bolts of the same diameter. 3/4" longer is long enough. Be very careful not to cut/grind the bracket at all. Use a pliable new rubber gasket

Mount them as far outboard as they will go and still be on the "flat" area, not starting to hang over the edge at the top and bottom.

With the lense, reflector and new bolts removed, place them where you think they're gonna go and push them against the body/rubber gasket as hard as you can. Push like hell, you're not going to hurt anything. The base should flare out and almost conform to the body. You can remove them and carefully pull the sides wider by hand as needed and then refit. Once you're pretty close, use a marking pen to mark where the bolt and wire holes need to go. Then drill the holes

Now put the bases back in place with the gasket and bolts. As you push down like hell on the base, tighten the bolts. They will be pulled down like they were made for it. The longer bolts will go through the thick fiberglass body with plenty of length and you can also now use them to mount nylon loops to suspend the wiring, etc.

After they're in place, install the reflector and lense

[wythac]

I had to put mine out as far as they would go before they would line up....Just be patient, you'll find the sweet spot. I was thinking that I would have to trim mine and then the clouds parted, etc.

[Rathbone]

I had taken the studs out.

Flaring the base might be the answer. I don't think swapping side for side looks right. I'm posting the photos below so you can see how the face of the lens is turned out board if I swap them. This is the same light and how it sits on the left and the right sides. The lower photo keeps the face of the light pointing back squarely. This is the way I had it in the first post above.

In these photos you can't see the gap because of the flash / reflection, or something. Also, I'm not holding them down at the bottom - there is equal gap on top and bottom.

_________________
(o\_i_/o) what you've just said ... is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul - Mr. Oblaski, Principal

[BL3Manx]

Those look like they should be perfect after you honk down on the bolts

The gasket is good as a template to ensure it goes up to the edge but doesn't hang over. I try to get them to a point where the distance to the top edge, the bottom edge and the edge of the scallop on the side are equal

[surfnc]

Rathbone
I did what Nelson suggested and "flared" them as much as I could and pushed down on them as I tightened the bolts.

As for positioning them, I had to cover some holes on an original gel coat body and just put them as far out as I could and still cover the holes.

I have found that if you use blue tape to position them with the lenses on then take the lenses off to mark where you want the holes it works better than using the gaskets to mark the holes. (put the gaskets on to position them so you do not get too close to the edge, gasket takes up about 1/4" top and bottom)

After you drill holes put the bolts in and check them for "square". Worst thing that can happen is that you have to drill another hole to align them properly. The extra hole will be covered by the housing. (ask me how I know)

Vince

PS: Is that paint or clear gel coat on your Manx?
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[Lo Cash John]

Not sure who the local expert was that looked at your motor but I can promise you this: Without the intake manifold heat tubes installed and working correctly, you will never get that Weber progressive carb to run perfectly. I highly recommend getting that taken care of then make sure its jetted correctly.

Also, be very suspect of that 009 type distributor you have there. The Chinese and Taiwanese copies are know to have faulty advance mechanisms on a pretty regular basis. If you static time the motor, then chances are it doesn't fully advance as needed. If you rev the motor up to set total advance, then the timing at and just off idle is too advanced. Make sense?
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[LeeVW]

I had to flare out the bases quite a bit when I did mine. I took the fixture out of the housing, grabbed the housing by the top and bottom, put the center over a piece of stout pipe, and pressed down hard. The base spread out, and I kept repeating until they were a fairly close fit. I used longer bolts, also as stated above, and when I tightened them down the gaps closed up.

Lee

[167luckycharm]

Just keep in mind that all that pulling on the sides of the housings will finally make them fit to the body. But importantly, the two screws that hold the lenses in place will become cross-eyed if you were to thread them into the housing without the lens. I had to do the same treatment to my chromed housings, no trimming was required, but the corrective action to straighten those two threaded portions of the housing goes like this; Use a folded up piece of a leather glove as protective padding in the jaws of a channel-lock pliers. Grab a hold of the "ear" where the brass threaded insert is lodged in, and gently twist it outward. Repeat for the other side and test fit the screws for a parallel alignment. I did it to both sets of my tail-lights before I had them chromed. The original VW housings were much harder to distort than the aftermarket versions.
Good luck!
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[Iguana]

Sort of off topic question, BUT where are you guys all getting your Chrome Tail Lights assemblies from ?

I have looked all over the place but can't find any from anyone.

[manxdavid]

Here are mine, spread and twisted, not trimmed.

No one (in the US at least) seems to do them 'off the shelf' these days, I sourced a good rust free pair and had them chrome plated locally.

[Rathbone]

[Rathbone]

[manxdavid]

[vincent9993]

I concur, no cutting either. It is on a Kick-Out but I believe the contour is very close to a traditional Manx.