My 64 Manx Build

[parmaynu]

Last year my wife bought me a chassis, as a 40th birthday present. I’ve had a few projects before but not managed to finish any of them. I’ve wanted a Manx for so long now so will hopefully have the drive to get this one over the line.

After an early life as a beetle, the chassis started a new life in the ‘70’s as a GP beach buggy. A UK designed buggy based on the Manx. The shell had been moved on at some point and was completely bare by the time I go it. It is correctly registered on the logbook which is the most important thing when building a buggy in the UK. It’s also a 1964 chassis which attracted my attention as it was the year the Meyers Manx first went on sale. As my buggy will be very much an old skool build, I thought it would fit well being a ‘64.

I don’t have the skills to weld the chassis myself but I do know how to use a tape measure and angle grinder so will be marking out and doing the chop myself. I will then pass it on to a professional to complete the welding for me. I am basing the chop on the ‘Official’ VW method set out in their manual. Here is a link if you haven’t seen it.

http://www.ffbuggies.co.uk/floorpan-shortening.html

I’m a stay at home dad with 4 kids who take up the majority of my time so progress will be very slow and bitty!

The plan for the buggy is a very simple Manx using as many stock original parts from around the 1964era as possible. Something along the lines of Old Red and the other really early cars.

I managed to grab a couple of hours on the pan yesterday. Most of the time was spent thinking and waving the tape measure around! I finally dived in and removed a section of the bottom plate of the tunnel. This involves drilling out some spot welds and using a hammer and chisel to break it away from it’s the chassis.

Starting point

Marking out the spot welds

Drilling them out

Making the cross cuts

Plate removed. Very greasy in there! Has helped keep it in such good condition.

I then started to remove the seat runners.

[57BLITZ]

Here's when you should deviate from the VW instructions . . . carefully grind the welds that attach the guide tubes (clutch, parking brake, and throttle) at their rearmost points.
After you remove the upper tunnel section, you will be able to push the tubes out the rear of the tunnel. Then, trim the ends of the tubes with a tubing cutter the exact amount you removed from the chassis.

Another tip . . .
Create a marking ruler with an arbitrary length, say 500mm, and mark the top and bottom of the tunnel as well as the right and left edges of the floor pan . . . center-punch those marked points.
After you remove the material from the chassis, you will have an accurate reference . . . the marked points should all be equal after the front and rear have been re-joined.
500mm minus 362mm . . . or whatever the amount you removed . . . and the marks should ALL be 138mm apart.
Check after "tacking" and BEFORE completing the welding!
_________________
Jesucristo es mi Señor y Salvador!

[oprn]

Nice clean pan! I love the idea of making authentic, that was what I wanted to do until I found out my Manx copy body was too far from the original to even pass for one at midnight!

Now it's just another project Buggy.

[Dale M.]

Do you have bodY?.... I would not cut till you have a body the variation can be as much as 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50mm)....

This is the way I cut pans, also careful where you cut the e-brake tubes, you want to leave about 6 inches (150mm) from rear most cut so when you slide half's together the e-brake tubes will go back into bracket...

Dale
_________________
“Fear The Government That Wants To Take Your Guns" - Thomas Jefferson.

"Kellison Sand Piper Roadster" For Street & Show.
"Joe Pody Sandrover" Buggy with 2180 for Autocross (Sold)
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All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ...

[parmaynu]

Thank you for those tips. I appreciate any help along the way.

The body will be brand new and have taken advice on the perfect length for the chop. 14.75” or 375mm.

I think I will be moving the hand brake and the shifter back around 4-5” while doing the chop. That should help make it more comfortable to use. I am 6’5” so will need the seat all the way back too.

[manxdavid]

Did you see the Manx type shell on eBay?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beach-Buggy-Meyers-Manx...0033.m2042

[keithmanx]

What body have you decided on dude, Flatlands or ECM?

[parmaynu]

Thanks David, yes I saw that. Just don’t have the funds at the moment. Lovely colour though!

Still undecided on where to get the shell Keith. Depends how rich I am in a year or so’s time!


I removed the other seat runner. Didn’t drill out one of the spot welds very well and ended up damaging the floor slightly. Will repair this when it all gets welded together.

Using 57BLITZ’s alignment idea I centre punched the chassis in 5 places and again at 500mm spacing.

I then started marking out where I wanted to cut. As said before, I am basing the chop on the German method. I will be making a few alterations to hopefully neaten things up a little.

I was only planning to just mark it up to get a feel of it but I can be a little hot-headed. So this happened!

[manxdavid]

You can have my body when I win one of the ManxClub prize giveaway ones!

[parmaynu]

Still talking buggies right?

[manxdavid]

[parmaynu]

Got another 2.5 hours on it this morning with the aim to finish the chop. There are two reasons for doing the chop myself. First it should be cheaper and I am on a tight budget and second is that it will fit in my car if I cut it in two!

I started removing the panel that forms the access hole for the gear shift linkage.

This allowed me to break the welds attaching the conduits to the rear of the tunnel.

I then proceeded to chop the chassis spine. Measure, measure, measure! The stepped parts were a little fiddly but weren’t too bad.

I did nick a couple of conduits which will need to be carefully repaired.

Finally got some distance between the front and rear.

Had a few bits to trim then I slotted it together.

I used some ratchet straps to pull it together. It went together pretty well. Once it’s in the workshop we’ll get a real idea how good my cuts were.

If it’s too far out it is because I wore the tape measure down from measuring so much!

[manxdavid]

You did wear the tape out, it's missing six inches, half a foot, it's bottom right in the last photo!

Looking good mate! I've done half a dozen or so chops but never the VW way, always the old GP chevron method.

[parmaynu]

That’s my old size 14!

Thanks David. Is my first chop I’ve done myself.

Hopefully going to drop it to the welders next Monday. They will put it all back together, fill a bunch of holes, move the hand brake and gear shaft back, shorten the shift rod, fit a new shift rod mount as this chassis has the early style that doesn’t have a nylon bush, run a new fuel line, delete the heater knob and choke conduits and fix the conduits I damaged.

Sounds a lot but hopefully won’t take too long.

[BIGMIKEY]

Looks good from my house...

How did you splice the parking brake cable tubes together?

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

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

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[manxdavid]

[parmaynu]

They are just pushed through at the moment.

[keithmanx]

looking good! I've never been brave enough to chop one myself, maybe next time!

[BIGMIKEY]

[parmaynu]

I was going to trim them to length and fit them back in the hanger under the hand brake.