Fastest Buggy Build ..... Meyers Manx Kick-Out Tradional Bui

[Iguana]

Well when it comes to building fast buggies you may think I am talking about building a buggy that will go quickly ... now although I don't mind a bit of speed in this case I am talking about building a buggy quickly.

With Bruce's Birthday not to far away we have just started building the last of our Bruce's Birthday Specials and fittingly it is a Meyers Manx Kick-Out Traditional in Dragon Red, kind of cool really being the same colour as Bruce's own Kick-Out Traditional.

This Kick Out is number 71 and is the 1st Buggy of 2016 which is kind of cool being Bruce's 90th year.

Like all the Buggy Builds at Turn Key Manx we are well aware that building the actually buggy is not really that hard once you have your parts list down pat and have a few under your belt. In this case it is not the 1st Kick-Out we have built and am sure it will not be the last.

With this build we have teamed up with The Manx Shop ( http://www.themanxshop.com) to provide all the parts we need so anything you see in the build can be purchased from The Manx Shop and I will provide links as we go. There is also a new Category on The Manx Shop ( Buggy Kits -> Buggy Builds ) which list the Buggies and shows all the parts used. ( http://www.themanxshop.com/index.php/buggy-kits/buggy-builds.html) I will do my best to keep this up to date but it may run a few days behind the actual build as there are only so many hours in the day and priority goes to building.

So what are we building ?

We are Building what I refer to as a Back in the Day Manx. By this I mean that we are not trying to set the world on fire with new technology or waste a heap of money of expensive parts. We are using the last 20 plus years of experience to put together a slid package which should give the owner many years and miles of smiles.

Body - Meyers Manx Kick-Out Traditional - Dragon Red
Chassis - Turn Key Manx Ball Joint / IRS Roller
Brakes - 4 wheel disc brakes 5 / 4.75 ( Chevy ) PCD with Hand Brake
Transmission - Fully Rebuilt Type 1 IRS
Wheel and Tires - Turn Key Manx Buggy Wheel Pack - 15 x 6 and 15 x 8 with 31" and 205 Tires.
Engine - 2nd Hand 1600 TP with a full service and dress kit
Seats - PRP Buggy Seats - Custom Trim
Electrics - VW Gauge - New Turn Key Manx Buggy Loom

That is about it, built from the ground up using parts we are happy with and like all our Builds backed by a full warranty so the customer gets what they expect and we get to build to the standard we love.

Anyway sit back and enjoy, if you have any questions please feel free to contact us ( sales AT TurnKeyManx.com )

[Iguana]

The Build begins like most with finding a suitable Donor Bug. As we prefer to use Twin Port 1600 Engines and IRS Transmissions we started with a 71 Super Bug. Although this means we can't easily use the floor pan that was ok as we have a good stock of Ball Joint / IRS Pans with clear title.

The Car we go was a solid runner, we were able to test drive it and make sure the engine was healthy before purchase and got a good transmission as well. Since we get all our transmissions rebuilt to ensure there are no issues we pulled it and sent it off to The Wright Gearbox ( http://www.wrightgearbox.com/) for a full rebuild.

While that was happening we headed over to Meyers Manx HQ ( http://meyersmanx.com/) where Winnie was ready for us to pickup the Kick-Out Kit we ordered back in early January.

Like all Meyers Manx Kits the Kick-Out is a very complete kit which makes building it a pleasure. When you goto get your kit Winnie runs you through every item you get and makes sure you are happy and understand what is what. She then ticks it off the Sheet to make sure nothing is missed. Winnie does this on every kit, even after more than a few she still goes through each and every item with me which is a nice change from some shops who just want you out the door.

The Kit comes with all the mounting hardware and fitting instructions. These are each packaged and labeled in accordance with the instructions making it easy to find what you need.

Even after all these years this little tag is still what most Buggy Builders want, the name that started it all and is still going strong with a quality others have often failed to achieve.

[Iguana]

The owner of this Build asked for the dash to be signed, luckily for him Bruce didn't mind a bit and happily obliged.

So with the sign off done ..

Winnie was happy for me to load it up and head back to the Shop to start the Build ..

[Tom_Kathleen]

Go ahead Brad, rub it in. I have had KickOut SS #16 for @ 5 years now and it is nowhere near done. Does keeping the wife's Manxter running & looking good (payback for all the cars I have had in the past) and rebuilding a '68 Manx count? Anyway, looking forward to seeing it at the party. Tom
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Manxter #16, 1968 Meyers Manx & Kick-Out SS #16 (WIP)
Manx Club & CVA

[Iguana]

[Iguana]

When it comes to buggy building it is very important that you have solid bones. Every Turn Key Manx Build is done on one of our fully rebuilt VW based Floor Pan or Custom Tube Chassis. In this case we will be using a Type 1 Based Floor pan which is IRS in the back and Ball Joint up front. The pan is removed from the donor and then we strip it bare before cutting it and using our custom alignment jig to ensure correct fit. Once we are happy we weld it in place and send it out for Sand Blast.

We do it in this order so all real fab work is done on a clean pan and we can get the best quality possible.

Seems that everywhere I turn I have Buggy Pans being built, good thing I can fit lots in my truck each run to the Sand Blaster.

The Sand Blasting is done by a local guy who use Wet Media so we can get all the seam sealer and tar stuff off. It makes a heck of a mess good thing he has a booth

Once we get it back we have a nice looking pan and can begin to give it some fab love

[Iguana]

When it comes time to do the floor pan halves we use only Heavy Duty units from Wolfsburg West. It is important that all corners are cleaned of any old pan traces. We do this with a die grinder so we know it is smooth .

The pan halves are put in by punching holes along the edges so we can plug weld and then linish down. Factory are spot welded but we don't have a spot welder so this works. We use a pneumatic punch so there is no distortion to the seating face like you get when you drill .

As far as the tunnel goes once we have it welded out we add one of out custom tunnel gussets. These are designed to avoid any issues with cracking and relive any stress we may get around the join.

We put these in with a specific weld sequence to ensure each one fits just right.

With the join taken care of we put a tunnel access panel in place to allow easy access to the clutch tube and pedals. We seam weld this after clamping the double panels in the tunnel to the lip so we can seam it all together. This is very important and ensures years of faithful service. So confident are we in this method if any pan we have built ever cracks we will repair it free of charge. This is why we cut our logo in so there is no doubt of which pans are ours.

While we are doing this we do a number of small touches that makes a Turn Key Manx Pan all the better and avoid any known issues. For example the clutch tubes are often an issue and break free. To avoid this we clean them off and wedl them out.

When we do this we put a machined plug up the end to ensure no slag heads in and there are no issues with the tube when finished. If you don't do this you can blow through and have issues with clutch cables.... no fun especially when you have the body on and want to go driving...

Then we put in the floor halves, do some more cool stuff and it is onto the rotators and off to seal, paint and rust proof.

[ottvw]

Really digging your build! Does TKMANX still sell those tunnel gussets? I only seen the hand brake one.
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Save a tree eat a beaver

[Iguana]

[Iguana]

With the Buggy Pan taken care of it was time to turn our attention to the rest of the Buggy.

Now a lot of people may think the way we build a buggy a bit crazy as we spend more time preparing than actually building, well at least it seems it some times

So we have been ordering the parts we need as as they arrive they are unpacked, inventoried and stacked on one of our Buggy Build Shelves. These shalves were designed to hold one Buggies worth of Parts. Once the shelve fill up we know it is getting close to go time.

Over the last 20 plus years we have found that we achieve much better results if we have all the parts before we start the build. By doing this we are able to stay focused and avoid embarrassing over sights.

Now since most buggy people are visual it is always hard to be certain you have everything until you lay it all out and walk around doing a Brain Build. A Brain Build is a game we play where we talk through the build and try and identify parts that are missing to finish the job. Sounds silly when you say it out loud but it allows us to make sure we are right to go.

So we start with the Buggy Kit, in this case a Meyers Manx Traditional.

We sit in on the shop floor and begin our Brain Build using what is on the shelf and our imagination.

Wheel and Tires

Build Time is sort of cool

And then we just keep going

Till we have what starts to look like a Big Boys Model Kit !!!

[AMAC1680]

Just outstanding!
If I wasn't on the other end of the country I would have jumped on the birthday special.

Very nice indeed!

AMAC

[hillmotorsports]

Gee, AMAC, I don't knowfor sure but last I checked there were multiple daily flights from coast to coast. I am sure Brad would happily put your name on one of the Birthday Specaps and let you drive it home!

Truth be told I am just jealous, been snowbound here in eastern Ontario too long. That and my banker wouldn't likely go along with another buggy, and she is tough enough to sleep with some nights!
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Rosemarie and Paul Hill
Morrisburg, Ontario

(With way more projects than spare time!)

[hillmotorsports]

Brad... check your email plz.
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Rosemarie and Paul Hill
Morrisburg, Ontario

(With way more projects than spare time!)

[theredbarn]

What brand/model tires are you using there?

[Iguana]

[SoCal67Volks]

I sure hope you do a time lapse video of this build like your Manxter Baja edition.
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1967 Type 1 Sunroof
Meyers Manx Kickout
Meyers Manx SR2

"Making a car look complicated is easy, making it look simple is hard." John Buttera

[andygere]

Love the build method. Clean shop is a huge plus, but anybody can build a car when there's no surfboards, SUPs, fishing gear, bicycles, skateboards, snowboards, boating parts, woodworking tools and totes of household junk cluttering up the process.

[Iguana]

[tlcurtis]

Hi Brad,
What size and brand of wheels and what tire size? They look very nice can't wait to see the finished product.
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Check out my build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=528623

[andygere]