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Atomic Aerospace Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2014 Posts: 48 Location: Phoenix
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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:26 pm Post subject: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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"A special thanks to all who share their knowledge in these forums. I have found people's posts, knowledge and pictures quite helpful. Reading through people's build posts has helped me prepare for my build. I am hoping to document my build on here and, in turn, perhaps be of help to future builders too. This community is a wealth of talent and information."
Holidays have slowed the progress but thankfully a new year brings new hope to get this build done!
The buggy is getting disc brakes all around, which includes new brake lines and hardware. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like it's one step forward, two steps back. One of the rear brake rotors is slightly warped, so the vendor is sending a replacement. Because the vehicle is getting a disc brake conversion, the stock brake line kit that I ordered won't fit. The brake lines on the rear arms are not long enough to reach from the fittings to the brake calipers. In addition, while bending the long brake line, I accidentally nicked the line , so I decided to get another line (better safe than sorry!) I actually thought bending the brake lines would be the easiest part, but I guess I was wrong
The rear arms had the old bushings removed, the arms were powder coated, and new bushings pressed in. The spring plates and spring plate covers were also powder coated, got new hardware and bushings, and were installed with some difficulty. I decided to try something strange: I switched the passenger and driver side torsion bars. I had read somewhere that torsion bars will often start to "droop" or lose their spring on the driver side quicker than the passenger side, because often times it will be a single person in the car, and the driver side takes more of that wear and tear. To offset this, I swapped them around. Don't think it will do much good, but what the heck, right? I went into the project guessing the torsion bars would have to be adjusted once the chassis is rolling, but hopefully it won't need too much adjusting.
Painted the brake calipers with G2 USA Caliper paint from Amazon. $55 for a small can, but a little goes a long way. I should have taken before pictures, but I forgot The calipers were those bright gold EMPI calipers. Paint job is far from perfect, but from 20 feet away in a moving vehicle, I doubt anyone would notice the difference. Beveled the edges of the pads and anti caliper grease will be applied prior to install. I decided to go with the slotted on the front and standard on the back.
_________________ Gecko Green Manxter 2+2 (#188) "The Last Manxter"
"Meyers Manx embodies the spirit of freedom, creativity and fun. No other car gets more smiles per mile than the Meyers Manx!"
From homeless to homeowner.
From uneducated to an MBA scholar.
From a nobody to a corporate aerospace manager.
From a boy to a self made man.
From a dream to reality. |
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12740 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 4:49 am Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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Looking fine! _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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Atomic Aerospace Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2014 Posts: 48 Location: Phoenix
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2021 4:38 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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It’s been a busy couple months! I was finally able to pick up my Manxter body, that’s in another post. With regards to my wheels and brakes, it’s been a very slow process. As I mentioned before, one of the original brake rotors I received was warped, so after some time the vendor sent me a new one. My luck, the new rotor is warped too I verified it was, in fact, the rotor that was warped and not a bent axle stub. Now I am waiting for another rotor, which the vendor has assured me he’s going to verify is not warped. With time and money I hope to upgrade to better brakes than these cheap Chinese EMPI ones.
The brake line kit’s rear brake lines were meant for stock drum lines, and were not long enough to accommodate the new disc brakes. So I had to special order the right size rear tubing. I am debating on whether or not I should install a flexible hose from the caliper to the metal brake line, or if I should just go from the tee fitting directly to the brake caliper with a hard line. I am also not sure whether or not to install the rear brake calipers with the emergency brake cable upright, or upside down. I have seen it done both ways (I think for clearance purposes).
The wheels are Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dogs. 18 on the rear, and 17 on the front. Not sure if I will need wheel spacers or not. Purchased wheel stubs as well, but they don’t have as snug a fit when tightening on the wheel as I would like. As you can probably tell, definitely some more research required in the wheels, brakes and suspension.
I have not purchased suspension yet as I am quite hesitant. I have purchased shocks for 2 other cars before, and they went bad pretty quickly. 8 shocks in total, and like 6 of them went bad. Name brands too! So shocks will wait until I get some more input from other Manxter owners.
Still waiting on the front beam from Airkewld to start the front assembly. Placed the order early January, it's now mid March. Hopefully not too much longer! I'll stick to Bug spindles for now, but i've been told I will likely have to upgrade to Thing spindles down the line.
_________________ Gecko Green Manxter 2+2 (#188) "The Last Manxter"
"Meyers Manx embodies the spirit of freedom, creativity and fun. No other car gets more smiles per mile than the Meyers Manx!"
From homeless to homeowner.
From uneducated to an MBA scholar.
From a nobody to a corporate aerospace manager.
From a boy to a self made man.
From a dream to reality. |
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clonebug Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2005 Posts: 4027 Location: NW Washington
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Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:28 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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You can make your own brake lines using a Banjo bolt on the caliper and some parts and hose from your local Hose and Fitting Store.
I used a new brake line for a swingarm and cut one end off and then had a compression fitting to tie to the new hose and used a banjo connection to the caliper.
It took a little engineering and thought but wasn't that difficult. It was much better than the POS hose the kit came with.
It cost me about 20 bucks each to build my own hoses... The hose and Fitting store let me fit everything and once sized to what I needed they crimped the fittings on.
Obviously this is for a swingaxle so you would have to modify for your IRS but it gives you an idea of what you could do. _________________
vwracerdave wrote: |
Take a good long look in the mirror and report back on what you see. |
Paul.H wrote: |
That one line on that chart is probably better info than you can get from this place in a month |
My Megasquirt Fuel Injection Turbo Buggy Build
Water/Alcohol Injection
Audi TT intercooler
Upgraded to MS3Pro-Evo
EcuMaster PMU16
ECUMaster ADU5 Digital Dash
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=127936 |
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andygere Samba Member
Joined: January 31, 2014 Posts: 600 Location: Central Coast, CA
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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Great progress on the chassis, the caliper paint job looks good. I wish I did mine, the gold Empi look is terrible. I did get silver caliper paint and I painted the non contact portion of my rotors. This will keep the visible parts of the rotors from getting rusty and ruining the look behind the wheels. You might consider the same, those wheels really pop.
The other thing I did was throw the EMPI brake hose contraption in the trash, and ordered a set of one piece braided lines with banjo fittings from Airkewled. These are super nice, and work very well. They also look so much nicer than the kluged EMPI solution with the little soft hoses.
https://www.airkewld.com/Stainless-Rear-Brake-Hoses-Disc-Application-4891-p/4891.htm. Clonebug’s self-engineered a similar solution is also much better than what comes in the box, but I took the easy way and engineered it with my credit card. Either way, ditch the Empi tiny hose.
My final gripe with the Empi system is that the rear cable housings for the emergency brake cable seem to be about an inch too short. It makes it very difficult to route them in a way that doesn’t have them rubbing on the outer CV joints. If you find a solution to this let me know. |
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mr_bill Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2006 Posts: 1008 Location: City of Orange, CA
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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NEVER.....EVER...use a compression fitting on a brake line...NOT made for that type of pressure _________________ see ya' on the trail........
"Mr Bill"
Dos Perros Motorsports
Orange, CA
1972 Class 11x/Stock Bug
'60's era "vintage" Tunnell-Buggy
"...no one here....get's out ALIVE...."
Motor = electric
Engine = internal combustion
www.facebook.com/groups/DosPerrosMotorsports
www.alrchapter132.org
www.DAV.org |
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clonebug Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2005 Posts: 4027 Location: NW Washington
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:05 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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mr_bill wrote: |
NEVER.....EVER...use a compression fitting on a brake line...NOT made for that type of pressure |
It's a DOT approved compression fitting.....Sold by a DOT certified brake line hose reseller store.
They make brake lines every day along with every other kind of hose and fitting.
That fitting has been on the buggy since 2016 and has worked flawlessly. _________________
vwracerdave wrote: |
Take a good long look in the mirror and report back on what you see. |
Paul.H wrote: |
That one line on that chart is probably better info than you can get from this place in a month |
My Megasquirt Fuel Injection Turbo Buggy Build
Water/Alcohol Injection
Audi TT intercooler
Upgraded to MS3Pro-Evo
EcuMaster PMU16
ECUMaster ADU5 Digital Dash
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=127936 |
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mr_bill Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2006 Posts: 1008 Location: City of Orange, CA
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Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:36 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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clonebug wrote: |
mr_bill wrote: |
NEVER.....EVER...use a compression fitting on a brake line...NOT made for that type of pressure |
It's a DOT approved compression fitting.....Sold by a DOT certified brake line hose reseller store.
They make brake lines every day along with every other kind of hose and fitting.
That fitting has been on the buggy since 2016 and has worked flawlessly. |
YOUR LIFE, not MINE !! NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA _________________ see ya' on the trail........
"Mr Bill"
Dos Perros Motorsports
Orange, CA
1972 Class 11x/Stock Bug
'60's era "vintage" Tunnell-Buggy
"...no one here....get's out ALIVE...."
Motor = electric
Engine = internal combustion
www.facebook.com/groups/DosPerrosMotorsports
www.alrchapter132.org
www.DAV.org |
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jbsx127 Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2015 Posts: 83 Location: FWB, FL
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 6:33 am Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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you do know, or maybe not, that compression fittings are used on aircraft hydraulic lines. Some up to 3000psi. |
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clonebug Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2005 Posts: 4027 Location: NW Washington
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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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mr_bill wrote: |
clonebug wrote: |
mr_bill wrote: |
NEVER.....EVER...use a compression fitting on a brake line...NOT made for that type of pressure |
It's a DOT approved compression fitting.....Sold by a DOT certified brake line hose reseller store.
They make brake lines every day along with every other kind of hose and fitting.
That fitting has been on the buggy since 2016 and has worked flawlessly. |
YOUR LIFE, not MINE !! NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA |
I'm not concerned.......I only visit California......I don't live there. _________________
vwracerdave wrote: |
Take a good long look in the mirror and report back on what you see. |
Paul.H wrote: |
That one line on that chart is probably better info than you can get from this place in a month |
My Megasquirt Fuel Injection Turbo Buggy Build
Water/Alcohol Injection
Audi TT intercooler
Upgraded to MS3Pro-Evo
EcuMaster PMU16
ECUMaster ADU5 Digital Dash
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=127936 |
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Back to top |
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Atomic Aerospace Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2014 Posts: 48 Location: Phoenix
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Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2021 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Gecko Green Manxter #188 - Brakes, Suspension and Wheels |
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Dang it has been a while since I last posted! The 120 degree Arizona summers definitely slowed down progress. Then my daily driver crapped out, so all buggy funds were diverted to purchasing a new vehicle. It's been a long year dammit!
Luckily I was able to get some tires for the wheels. I went with BF Goodrich G-Force series tires, which look amazing! They're not too sporty, and not too generic. To me they are the perfect blend of street and sport! Upon installing the front tires it was apparent that the tires were wide and would rub against the body when turning. In addition, I goofed up and ordered different lug style tires and brakes, so they would not marry up! I decided to kill two birds with one stone and purchase some spacers for the front tires. EzAccessory had some 1.5" Wheel Adapter 5 Lug 4.75 To 5 Lug 4.5 (12x1.5 thread). This spaced the tires enough to steer clear of the body, and allowed the wheels to marry up to the brakes. A great buy!
I have installed the front brakes and tires, but unfortunately the rear brakes are still giving me grief. As I mentioned in my original post, I went through several brake rotors, all of which were warped. Eventually I got 2 which I thought were not warped, but upon assembly I suspect they are warped too. In addition, the pads do not seem to fit onto the caliper, and onto the rotor assembly. These rear brakes have given me so much grief, i'm ready to just throw away the $400 and purchase new ones
My rear brake problems don't stop there. In my opinion, the emergency brakes provided with the rear brake kit seem very clunky. I do not know if they will function better than they look. I purchased some rear brake lines from Airkweld. They are a bit longer than necessary, but I think they will do the job just fine.
The front beam and control arms are brand new from Airkewld, and it is absolutely worth every penny they fit perfectly the first time, no adjustments or issues with them. I purchased basic oil shocks for the front. The front shocks have been installed along with the ball joint arms. When I take it to the shop for a complete inspection I will have them fine tune the camber nuts (much rather let the pros handle that!)
Went with oil shocks for the rear with coilovers. I like the slightly more aggressive look it gives the rear. I used these same kind of shocks on my previous buggy and I found they worked quite well. If any adjustments of the torsion bars are necessary i'll let the pros at the shop handle that as well. I know my limits!
_________________ Gecko Green Manxter 2+2 (#188) "The Last Manxter"
"Meyers Manx embodies the spirit of freedom, creativity and fun. No other car gets more smiles per mile than the Meyers Manx!"
From homeless to homeowner.
From uneducated to an MBA scholar.
From a nobody to a corporate aerospace manager.
From a boy to a self made man.
From a dream to reality. |
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Back to top |
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