Tow'd Fabrication Questions

[joescoolcustoms]

I had a Tow'd find me and is begging to be re-built. My problem is, I have a twisted sense about myself and like to go a different path than most.

I was going to build a rail buggy, (woods buggy, mud buggy, pipe buggy) for strictly off roading. I sold my rail chassis yesterday evening and will make the Tow'd my off road vehicle.

I have looked at the pictures in the Gallery on this site for both "Towd" and "Toad" but cannot tell for certain if my fabrication direction will work or not. I want to install a 091 6-rib bus transaxle that I have had rebuilt in the chassis and use a 10* Mackenzie's soft mount. This mount sticks the hockey stick back into the tunnel, mounts it in a rubber cushion for smoothness and to be a little more quite. But, it does tilt the transaxle 10*, which in turn tilts the engine, (better for off road clearance).

I had my trans builder install a 002 3 rib bellhousing on the 6 rib.

My question is, will the tilt of the engine pull the front of the Dog House fan shroud into the back of the Towd body/chassis?

I have two options I am thinking about.
1. Install the torsion housing in the proper position as was intended, use the 10* mount and move forward if it does not hit.

2. If the engine hits the body/chassis, tilt the torsion housing back 10* so the engine will not hit, and lower the effective center line of the trans axle flanges and the tilt of the spring plates which will give a return of more lift.

Anyone install a 6 rib on a Tow'd with a 10* mount?

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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

[Dale M.]

Crap... Why do things like this not find me?

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 ...

[didget69]

Good Question... HOW does this stuff find Joe?

bnc
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door.

[joescoolcustoms]

Well, other than the NOS Lithia body that I sold to wvbowtieman, they as usually POS's.

The NOS Viper body is almost perfect, untouched except for the 9 inches cut out of the middle that will have to be "found".

The Puzzle Manx, was, well, 11 pieces.

My first '56 Oval was held together with 30+ Wonder Bread plastic bread wrappers and house roofing cement.

My second '56 Oval had been rolled, crashed twice in the front and doors "drilled" off.

The "perfectly running, drive anywhere" Desert Fox had only one brake working, short shocks holding the front down in a lowered position and held on by 6 total bolts with foam stuffed up under the rear to hold the body to the pan.

The "just built" Trantula had no brakes, cracked pan and leaking home made fuel tank that was welded to the pan head.

I have paid my dues and deserve a decent start to a project. All in good, no, great fun!!!!

Give me some ideas fellas.
_________________
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

[jsturtlebuggy]

Lori Ann's green Tow'd is using a 002 Bus box in solid mounted.
With the Bus trans being longer you may clear the with a standback cooler (doghouse). With a bug trans is very close and with the rear fenders you may have to notch them to clear.
On my own Tow'd before selling it when mocking up the 002 I was going to install with a modified Barrett (Not Dave Barrett) 10 degree mount (Modified to 5 degrees) I was going to have to raise the fuel tank some to clear top of trans. There was enough room do this as it was not much distance I had to raise tank.
Pictures show how I reinforced chassis. What I started with was a chassis that had been all bent out of shape from off road racing. Many hours with port a power straightening side tubing and front part. Had replace tube for tow bar as it had been broken in half and welded back together with 3/8in plate between the two parts. The reason for the lower frame rails and 1in angle tubing between them is, I have seen a few to many Tow'd chassis crack right in front of welded on bracket that carries the torsion housing. I ended up selling it to a friend in Australia before finishing it.

_________________
Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[joescoolcustoms]

Thanks Joseph!

You did a nice job on straightening out the tubular frame I cannot see any flaws. And yes, I too think the Tow'd frame is a little "dainty" for me, and I will be adding some addition strength.

I also like the smooth bottom on the tub section.

I am hoping the extra length of the 091 6 rib helps. As one more option, I may custom make my own tubular transaxle support forks and set them at what ever angle is needed to make it all work.

I got a lot of tips from Brads Tow'd at Big Bear. I found out about the Tow'd I have now two days before leaving on the ECVW trip to CA, so I looked at the Tow'ds with an imaginative eye while there.

Brad's Tow'd gave me a lot of great ideas. Mine will be of this type of build, but a little different, a little higher, a little more aggressive and a little less pretty. It will get built for mud, rock climbing and going through brush. The exact opposite of what I will do with my Manx.
_________________
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

[jsturtlebuggy]

The Tow'd I had was one of the original ABS tub sold in 1968 and replaced with a fiberglass tub after finding out the problems with ABS and brake fluid.
On the bottom of the tub there is a sheet of 3/8in plywood glassed in.
Bruce told me this was something that was done in the back room of Meyers Manx for the Tow'ds that were used in off road racing. Inside the tub you can see the holes drilled and filled in to bond the plywood to the bottom of the tub.
The cut outs on the sides of the tub were for brackets for the roll cage. I don't have pictures of it, but you can find in early pictures in magazine of what the cage looked like. It used large heim joints at where it attached to the top of stock roll bar and then came down just behind the hood where it was two more large heim joints were used. Reason at that time was you needed the chassis to flex some with the limit wheel travel available then.
If you can find the July 1969 issue of Road Test/ Dune Buggy there are pictures of early Tow'ds and the vacuum forming tooling use to make the ABS tubs.
I will have to scan the article and post it. Here are some early pictures of Bruce in Tow'ds.

_________________
Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[Iguana]