TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:17 am

Are there are buggy bodies that utilize the full length of the bug pan?

I want a bit of a longer buggy that I would still have the two rows of seats like the normal bug had. It would also save me the time of cutting my pan.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:27 am

Do a google search. "Vegas buggies, MGM plastics, manxter 2+2, Texas buggies".

Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:33 am

I believe that Berrien Buggy - Acme Car Co is going to release a 4 seater body for a full length pan in the near future. I don't have any details or photos, but I do know that they have been running a contest to name the body. Here is the link:

http://www.berrienbuggy.com/

Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:37 am

These were the ones I was already aware of. Were there any made in the past that I might be able to find used? Unfortunately I don't have 5 grand to spend on just the body.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:14 am

Here is the alternative....400 bucks and 26 Saturdays.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:37 am

MURZI wrote: Here is the alternative....400 bucks and 26 Saturdays.

I've been thinking about doing that, and have plenty of free time, but how do I fill in the gap?

Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:47 am

Try fiberglass cloth and resin.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:54 am

Wolfgangdieter wrote: Try fiberglass cloth and resin.

Figured there might be a different way.

I guess I'll just have to try and blend in the new paint or maybe just repainting it all considering I might not be able to find that color.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 8:56 am

Lots of folks use a board covered with Aluminum foil and lay up on that in place on the buggy. I scabbed pieces of fiberglass in on my stretch. Not a bad idea to bolt the body to your pan when you do it to help keep the whole thing aligned. Been there, done that, no joke about the 26 saturdays in my case.... :)

I took lots of pictures with the idea that I would someday post up my efforts. Have since realized that I may not always be a good example for others. :lol: I am very happy with my results, just maybe not best practices. Learned a bunch, enjoyed the process.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:03 am

gr8cobbler wrote: Lots of folks use a board covered with Aluminum foil and lay up on that in place on the buggy. I scabbed pieces of fiberglass in on my stretch. Not a bad idea to bolt the body to your pan when you do it to help keep the whole thing aligned. Been there, done that, no joke about the 26 saturdays in my case.... :)

I took lots of pictures with the idea that I would someday post up my efforts. Have since realized that I may not always be a good example for others. :lol: I am very happy with my results, just maybe not best practices. Learned a bunch, enjoyed the process.

Is there any chance you would be willing to post those pictures up and sending me the link? I'm interested to see how others do things before I do. At the very least I could learn from any mistakes you made.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:05 am

To fill gap... get a piece of plywood and wrap it in "plastic wrap" (Saran or Glad wrap) and use some screws to mount it to INSIDE of body then you do a glass and mat/cloth lay up from the outside of body spanning "stretch" area..... Once you have several layers of resin/cloth and "structure" of body is stable, remove screws and plywood panel and do finish work on inside of body..... Yes you probable need original body parts mounted to pan or at least some sort of solid framework to mount body to so everything stay straight and inline till all the resin/mat/cloth has a few days or weeks to mature and become "rigid"...

Only issue is to get body contour lines to look natural... Most cut and stretch jobs I have seem always have some awkward lines where person doing the work did not get the lines and curves to follow what should be natural "flow" of body....

Dale

Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:06 am

Was fetching the photo for the previous post, I am probably of best service to the community as an example of what not to do. :lol: Hope the photo helps a bit.

Dales explanation is more helpful than mine, he is one of the resources I have learned to respect here.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:29 am

That doesn't look bad at all. I see no problem with how you did it. My main concern about doing it that way is just the fact that I'd have to repaint it, which in the case of buying a used one I probably would anyway.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:44 am

The old "Tuff Tub" utilizied a full sized floorpan.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:46 am

gr8cobbler wrote: Lots of folks use a board covered with Aluminum foil and lay up on that in place on the buggy. I scabbed pieces of fiberglass in on my stretch. Not a bad idea to bolt the body to your pan when you do it to help keep the whole thing aligned. Been there, done that, no joke about the 26 saturdays in my case.... :)

I took lots of pictures with the idea that I would someday post up my efforts. Have since realized that I may not always be a good example for others. :lol: I am very happy with my results, just maybe not best practices. Learned a bunch, enjoyed the process.

Very good!....This seems to be one of the mods that got the lines and angles right.... Many do not....

Dale

Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:50 am

dleberfinger wrote: That doesn't look bad at all. I see no problem with how you did it. My main concern about doing it that way is just the fact that I'd have to repaint it, which in the case of buying a used one I probably would anyway.

Paint is a fact of life.... There is no way of doing any serious body mods with out new coat of color as final step..... You could use polished aluminum diamond plate but it will always look like a ugly patch....

Dale

Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:06 pm

gr8cobbler wrote: Lots of folks use a board covered with Aluminum foil and lay up on that in place on the buggy. I scabbed pieces of fiberglass in on my stretch. Not a bad idea to bolt the body to your pan when you do it to help keep the whole thing aligned. Been there, done that, no joke about the 26 saturdays in my case.... :)

I took lots of pictures with the idea that I would someday post up my efforts. Have since realized that I may not always be a good example for others. :lol: I am very happy with my results, just maybe not best practices. Learned a bunch, enjoyed the process.

I would be interested in seeing the process used for stretching the sidepods. Or are there full length sidepods available?

Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:26 pm

I don't know of anyone selling new ones on the east coast. Other than the ones mentioned, There was a company in the denver area selling a long body. I was able to find a long body used, but it took a while. I had bought a couple short bodies with the intention of stretching. One had even already been cut in half but was cut wrong for how I would have stretched it. Some body lines are more easily stretched than others. I actually planned out a stratch that was much more complex than what gr8cobbler did but I was looking for something more like the manxter.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 2:33 pm

Quote: I would be interested in seeing the process used for stretching the sidepods. Or are there full length sidepods available?

I actually fabricated those from scratch using the sides of a derelict boat. The boat had a nice body line that I incorporated into my sidepods and then carried that line into the bump out for the front and rear wheel wells. I think I saved a bundle in resin and mat and got a nice gelcoat finish to work with on large sections of the pods. The guy at the boat yard thought I was nuts cutting the sides out of a scrap boat. He was probably right... I get that a lot. :)

They look ok, not perfect by a long shot but I learned a lot on that project too, not as many pictures.

Sat Dec 29, 2012 4:18 pm

I am inspired Sir... =D> =D>