Tall drivers

[Calivette2003]

Hello Samba newbie here. Long -time Corvette Forum guy (20+ years) have wanted a Manix ever since I saw one as a kid 40+ years ago. Problem is I'm 6'4" at 223lbs. Know the Manxster 2+2 seems to solve this but I have seen several shorter buggies with pushed back/ relocated aftermarket seats at the car shows I go to that I know I could fit into. Parts diagram I reviewed several years ago showed a seat pan and metal crossbars I could drill into while relocating the seat bolts into some frame work versus fiberglass. For the life of me I cannot locate that so I do NOT know if it was a Manix or a clone.

Your advice is deeply appreciated.

R/
David

[Calivette2003]

No replies?

[BIGMIKEY]

There is a great search function on this Fiberglass Buggy forum. My advice is to read. I come here almost every day and just read the posts. After reading a few hundred pages you will know what to search for.

With the right seats you should fit fine. That is key though. Most buggies have steel floors. Either stock pans or the builder may have a perimeter of steel tubing with a flat steel floor. Berrien offers a flat frame with a fiberglass floor. Maybe you saw that before.

Also go to the gallery for this forum and scroll the pictures. When you see something you like there is a link you can click that will take you to the thread if there is one.

Yeah. A lot of my posts never get answered either. No biggie.

Oh, and it's Manx. No "i" in Manx.

Mike T
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BIGMIKEY

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

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[Sharp64]

You can pretty much mount the seats as far forward or back as you want. I’m 6’1”/230 and fit comfortably. One thing that is difficult is finding the right steering wheel position being taller. I wouldn’t mind sitting farther back but then it’s hard reaching the steering wheel and shifter. Both fixable which time and $$. As these are all mostly custom made, modify as you see fit.
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1960 Indigo Blue Ragtop (Blue Barry)
1967 Ghia
1985 Westy Money Pit
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” - Michael Caine

[bim55]

Common problem but fixable on hot rods and dune buggies. Stock seats and mounts will probably be too tall, but plenty have removed the stock mounts and used aftermarket low profile sliders and thinner seats.

Others just bolt the seats to the pans?

Used 914 seats are a popular choice but aftermarket choices are available. The short wheelbase cars can be tight on legroom but work fine when set up correctly.

Good luck.
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Boston Bob E.
www.bimelliott.com www.deserterownersgroup.org

[jspbtown]

Cut out the floors. Install new perimeter tube frame. Modify the rear lip on the tunnel to accept a flat floor. Those things will get you decent leg room.

Install a nice tilt column which will get you more comfort and a better steering feel.

Consider a body lift which will get you down in the windshield a little better. Use the low sliding seat adjusters. Be selective in your seats. Most factory seats are too thick. Consider some 914 seats or even some of the aftermarket ones before you go with a factory seat.

[BL3Manx]

The challenge of mounting seats low enough and far enough back in a shortened VW chassis buggy is that the center chassis "tunnel" gets wider at the rear just where you need the seat to go.

People have done different work arounds to make different seats fit, some are brilliant and some not(cutting up the tunnel).

If you want an off the shelf seat, the 19" wide PRP Roadster, mounted on their short floor mounts is probably the easiest solution.

https://www.prpseats.com/product-category/seats/roadster/

https://www.prpseats.com/product/manx-mount/