Unknown Manx Clone, # 1 for 2021

[joescoolcustoms]

Because it took me until way deep into 2020 to finish my 2019 builds, I am just going to jump ahead and call this on for 2021.

Just like the title, the body is a unknown Manx Clone. Meaning the Manufacture of the body is not known, but the basic body is clone of the Manx with a few changes to make it unique. I have had it in the back yard in a stack of bodies since 2015, and now it is getting its turn.

Just simple, but lowered. Light weight with a single port engine. Bruce Meyers once told me that it is easy to build something complex, but hard to build something simple. This is my attempt at building a simple buggy.

Here is the body drug out of the back yard from under the trees.

I have hung onto this body because it does not require a lot of glass work, well, compared to what I have done before. This is my 19th buggy build in 14 years, and 18th in 9 years.

The Chassis for it I took in on trade for a IRS chassis, and this one is a 1967 model. As a side note, my 5th '67 chassis. Why I do not know, but several of the unique '67 Beetles have come my way. It is already shortened, but I did not like some of the shortening work done on the tunnel section, so I will correct that and make it stronger, but still retain the pans for the light weight attribute they provide.

10 years or more ago, I got on a wheel buying kick, and bought a lot of original Centerline wheels. I have about 15 pairs of Centerline rims and have never used them on anything up to now. This buggy will get a set specifically chosen to compliment this body being lowered. The chassis got a 2 inch narrowed beam and dropped spindles, then bubble front rims to help tuck the tires up under the fenders. If you notice on the body, the vertical fender edges are a little longer than normal, which is why I chose to go low on this one because of that look the fenders provide.

I think I will install an adjuster on one beam to help trim in the height later on.

Unfortunately, I am getting ready to start 4 to 5 weeks of work in Saint Louis MO, so my time to build is going to be very sporadic in the next couple months.
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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

[AMAC1680]

Looking forward to the build.
BTW having a “stack of bodies” behind the house led to my friends landing in jail....😉

AMAC
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www.SEGS4VETS.org

[Dale M.]

Like your frame jig....

Dale
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“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 ...

[joescoolcustoms]

[joescoolcustoms]

[joescoolcustoms]

Long Axle Long Spline, Short Axle Short Spline, Long Axle Short Spline? What does all that mean to me? Does it matter? Why do my drums not fit? Why is there splines hanging out?

Frequent Questions.

In addition to upgrading this chassis, I am mocking up this chassis to make sure all the intended parts work like I want come time to put it together after making it "pretty". One task I want to do is to fit the wheels I want to use and get them Just Right for me, and the look I am after.

The Swing axle allows us to make some changes and change the mounting face of the drums we can use. Here are the way we can do it:

Above pictured are three axles for the VW Swingaxle. Notice two have shorter splines than the one on the left. The left unit is called a "Long Axle, Long Spline". It was a one year only, 1968. That was when VW introduced the 4 lug drums/wheels. Because of the increased horsepower, the rear drums where stripping out the splines on the inside of the drums. To solve the issue, VW added more spline length to the axle and drum, which worked until the end of production.

Early drums with shorter spline will work on a longer spline axle if a spacer is used on the outside of the drum to cover the splines that will stick out. Some Disc Brake kits are made for short spline axles and just provide the spacer in the kit. Sounds good? Well, you loose the added strength the longer splines provided, but in a lot of circumstances, that is OK if you are running stockish engines. I prefer to use what VW granted me, and run long splined drums when I can.

The photo above shows all three axles in their entirety. Top axle is the Short Axle, Short Spline. Used up until 1966. Middle axle is a one year only, Long Axle, Short Spline used in 1967 only. And the bottom Axle, (even through it is a race axle) is the one year only Long Axle Long Spline used in 1968.

VW changed the short axle to the long axle to help handling of the swing axle style rear suspension. After Ralph Nader's book, "Unsafe at any speed" came out in the mid '60's, VW needed to advance safety in their cars, and one way was to increase rear wheel track. The long axle helped until VW could get the up coming IRS into production and distribution.

In this photo above, you can see the differences in the swingaxle axle tubes. The top axle tube is for a 1967 and 1968 long axle. The bottom axle tube is for the earlier 1966 and down short axles. It should be noted that the bearing retaining cups are different and should stay with the corresponding axle tubes. If you buy a set off line, make sure you get the axle retaining cups with the tubes, the short axle tube cups will not work on a long axle tube.

Why am I showing this? This is my way of "Cheating" and making changes to offsets of rear wheels. So I am installing one long axle and tube on this trans so I can have the short combo on one side and the long axle and tube on the other side to test wheels for the exact fit.

_________________
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

[GS guy]

As always, looking forward to another of your builds Joe. Sounds like you're working towards something similar in look to the "Rollason" buggy, circa late 70's. Always loved the look of this buggy!

Jeff
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70's vintage Deserter GS buggy - undergoing transformation to Super GS!

[joescoolcustoms]

[joescoolcustoms]

Last thing on the Axles, here is a Long Axle, Long spline I installed on this trans, and I am using a '66 and earlier drum. Notice the splines sticking out?

So here is the solution, a spacer. Just make sure the spacer is a hardened unit or it will pound itself and become loose, then strip the splines out on your drum. I use a old axle spacer that is hardened steel.

Here it is tightened. No cotter pin because this is only for test fitting purposes.

_________________
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

[joescoolcustoms]

Here I go on my soap box again. Did it in my last thread about welding. And here it is again.

Several members on this site do not much care for the tunnel access hole because it weakens the tunnels integrity. Since I have installed a few of these on my builds, and the buggies that have them also have high horsepower engines, and they have lasted to some pretty good torture, I am of the opinion that they work just fine as designed.

IF, installed in a good workmanship way.

Here is where I get a little pissy, people who are welding on chassis who have no business touching a welder. This is a prime example of crappy workmanship that could have failed if the buggy were to have been driven hard. This unit was very poorly installed not only in the welding, but also in how the tunnel was cut to accept the layer piece. Notice in the photos that the original tunnel was cut larger than the opening of the layered piece, so the inside could not be fully welded.

What even upsets me further about this, is, this work was SOLD as a service.

I ground most of the crap off and bed liner so I could come back and layer on a much better penetrating weld. Because of the crap, I had to burn through it with a larger than normally needed weld, but was able to get good penetration. I also ground the inside opening a little larger to get to the tunnel opening and then re-welded that too.

A little grinding, and it is ready to go back into service after coatings.

The rear area where is was shortened received a little redoing. The chassis was welded crooked slightly, so I cut it apart on the top and two sides. Straightened it, clamped it in place on the jig, and welded it all back together. Also, layered on each side is metal strap over top the joining weld to add additional torsional and tensile strength. Note in the background, while it is apart, I installed new fuel line, just because.

While adding strength, I also trimmed the mechanical brake bracket of the heater controls, and welded in block plates over the slot VW cut in the tunnel for the heater levers. That is a very common place to crack.

_________________
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

[joescoolcustoms]

Scrubbed and washed the body and hood to get the mildew and moss off of it. Some of the old metal flake is showing through the primer, and looks silver-ish.

Set the body on the chassis after installing a engine. Fit is poor, like most buggy bodies that have not been bolted down to a chassis for some extended time. The sides have curled up a little, and the rear section has drawn in and the center up. This makes the battery trey that follows the torsion housing tube closely, pull the body too far back. But, since I will be out of town for a solid week starting Sunday, I will fix a jig inside to help the body move back into place while I am gone.

The front narrowed beam and bubble rims really pull the front profile in.

Next is to start testing rims to see if I can capture the look I have in my head. Various rims with various off sets hopefully will help get the fit.

_________________
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

[joescoolcustoms]

Last night I spent 3 hours trying different rims, researching tires for sizes in diameter and section width. Time well spent up front planning what the final look will be. And, will the first buggy out of 19 I have built to finally use CenterLine rims on it.

Went to bed near 4 AM satisfied.

Woke up early to take the dog to the VET for his shots, walked out the front door and to my Jeep. Under the carport my eye caught some wheels I had forgotten about. Last year I got bit by the Volksrod bug, (no pun intended) and now I have to build one. So I bought a bug in good shape rust wise, but hacked by a young kid that wanted the slammed look. He had a "buddy" narrow a beam for him 8 inches, and did the absolute worst job on the beam. It was soo bad, I just recycled the scrap metal. But these wheels came on it, and the fronts had new tires on them.

Now everything goes sideways.

Tried the fronts on, and liked the fit. Liked the tire choice. Liked that they are actually more simple than my original choice of Centerlines.

The beauty rims were an after thought, (had them new, and the hub caps new). Will have to install the cap retaining clips on the rims. About 10 years ago I traded for a pair of re-hooped original '65 and earlier rims with 6.5 wide hoops on them. Offset appeared close, so might as well try them.

They actually fit the Short Axle/Short Spline Axle very well, and have adequate clearance inside and outside of the tire profile.

I will blast the rims and paint them an original Ivory like the steering columns in early beetles were. The fronts will keep those 175/65/15, and they are right at 24" tall. The rears will get a 235/60/15 which are 26.22" tall.

The Centerlines will just have to wait longer to go on a buggy.
_________________
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

[Dan the workingstiff]

Think of the sleep you lost, man! The sleep! Lol, looks good. I'm a deep thinker/planner on my projects,also.
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'69 Beetle
'66 FG buggy
My other air-cooled's
'76 IH 1200
'75 IH 1200