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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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 Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:18 pm Post subject: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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I narrowed my tunnel, well one half so far, to get my seats back, but I have no room to get in, or it is very difficult. Maybe my seats are long, or it's just the way the buggy is, but if I stick with these seats I'll need a removable steering wheel.
drivers seat now goes back further.
but still no room to get in, are my seats too long, or is this normal in a manx clone?
My narrowed tunnel for those interested. My pan was pretty butchard so I didn't go to 90. Still need to add more the horns.
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jspbtown
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2004
Posts: 5157
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 8:58 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| Style of seats is way too big. Steering wheel too big. You can always install a tilt column |
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slalombuggy
Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2010
Posts: 9147
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 9:38 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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I have similar seats in my buggy, but The "tunnel' in my tube chassis is only a 1x3 tube. Get a 12 inch steering wheel, it will help greatly
brad |
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veeweeman
Samba Member
Joined: December 20, 2009
Posts: 940
Location: New Port Richey, FL
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:47 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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Most buggies use 12-13" steering wheel and most of the time they are remove able to aid entry and exit. ..those seats look very nice but on the large side. ..if you are looking for style and adjustable then try out some 914 Porsche seats, I think you would be happy with them.
What color you gonna paint the buggy?
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Never be a follower...Do your own thing, make it your own! |
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62kellison
Samba Member
Joined: March 28, 2018
Posts: 513
Location: mass
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:20 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| Is that an 80 inch wheel base?.your seating area looks small.i have almost 15 inches between the back of my e-brake and the start of the rear seat/cargo area.I have about 40 inches from the start of my dashboard to the beginning of the rear seating area.thats measuring at an angle from dash down to top of rear seating area.and the front edge of my front driver seat starts about 4 inches down the ebrake handle.the front edge of your seat is level with your shifter.Thats what makes me think u have a small buggy(smaller) body?.OR Your seats are just GIANT.Maybe these measurements will help u.just to give u a rough estimate.i have mazda miata seats in my "clone"".i am 6 foot 260lbs and am fine getting in and out.12inch wheel also.Hope this helps. Sean... |
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Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:46 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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Seats to big, if more than 19 inches wide they will never work.... Steering wheel to big.... I have PRP Roadster seats and 13 inch wheel and getting in/out is not a problem (other than old age)...
Dale
_________________
“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)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:04 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| 62kellison wrote: |
| Is that an 80 inch wheel base?.your seating area looks small.i have almost 15 inches between the back of my e-brake and the start of the rear seat/cargo area.I have about 40 inches from the start of my dashboard to the beginning of the rear seating area.thats measuring at an angle from dash down to top of rear seating area.and the front edge of my front driver seat starts about 4 inches down the ebrake handle.the front edge of your seat is level with your shifter.Thats what makes me think u have a small buggy(smaller) body?.OR Your seats are just GIANT.Maybe these measurements will help u.just to give u a rough estimate.i have mazda miata seats in my "clone"".i am 6 foot 260lbs and am fine getting in and out.12inch wheel also.Hope this helps. Sean... |
That's had crossed my mind if my pan/body was short, maybe a little more narrow. I'll check some measurements today. Or if my seats were just long front to back. But it could also be the way my tunnel was cut, they cut it and the end of the straight part and slipped it inside the flared yoke. see pic
Definitely going to go with a smaller steering wheel. The seats were dirt cheap, cheaper than the poly buckets with cover and slider. So I was hoping to make them work. I'm 5'10 225 with pretty big legs, and I would not wan't to be any taller in my buggy.
Last edited by winddude on Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:59 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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Uhhohh, it's a 72" Wheel base,  I might be in for a twitchy ride on the highway. I didn't feel like my seats were that big.
Also I think I'll be even more tail heavy with the shorter wheelbase.... hmmm.
 Next time I'm building it from the ground up, rather than something that's been messed with by who knows how many people.  |
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tgodber
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 410
Location: Okanagan Falls B.C. Canada
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:50 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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I was going to say it was really short. With my seats all the way back I still have room for a 4" wide socket set. i am 6' 4" tall and get in easily.
What does your body look like? A friend has a Hillbilly body that is on a pan shortened twenty inches approx.
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My wife said I never listen to her.
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Dale M.
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 20380
Location: Just a tiny bit west of Yosemite Valley
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:51 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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Curious to see body... Typical Manx style body usually only cuts about 14.5 inches out.... For 80 inch wheelbase...
Dale
_________________
“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)
============================================================
All suggestions and advice are purely my own opinion. You are free to ignore them if you wish ... |
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62kellison
Samba Member
Joined: March 28, 2018
Posts: 513
Location: mass
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:04 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| winddude , I had a feeling it was smaller.well at least now u know now.good thing u are not over 6 foot!!..I would like to see a body pic too..Can u tell if the body came that way or someone cut the fiberglass body shorter?....Sean |
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Tom_Kathleen
Samba Member
Joined: August 26, 2004
Posts: 919
Location: Vernon, CT
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:29 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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Our state of Connecticut has a 80" minimum wheelbase requirement. Do you have something similar there? If you do, you may not be able to get it registered. Tom
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tgodber
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 410
Location: Okanagan Falls B.C. Canada
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:39 am Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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This is my friends Hillbilly buggy. Really short.
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My wife said I never listen to her.
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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I'm surprised there is a difference in bodies I thought they would have all been a similar length, to a inch or two. Any one who owns one have any advice on how they drive handle? Or slalom buggy, how long is the wheelbase on our custom chassis?
| Tom_Kathleen wrote: |
| Our state of Connecticut has a 80" minimum wheelbase requirement. Do you have something similar there? If you do, you may not be able to get it registered. Tom |
I just looked, at "MOTOR VEHICLE ACT REGULATIONS" for where I live (BC, Canada) no mention about minimum wheelbase. Smart car I believe is somewhere around 72" as well.
| 62kellison wrote: |
| winddude , I had a feeling it was smaller.well at least now u know now.good thing u are not over 6 foot!!..I would like to see a body pic too..Can u tell if the body came that way or someone cut the fiberglass body shorter?....Sean |
Hard to say if it had been modified, the sides of the body had lots of patch work, someone had added wood lifts which I removed, but the arm rest area looks pretty original, or someone did a good job on that part and failed on the rest of the fiberglass work, lol. I'm guessing it's original.
| Dale M. wrote: |
Curious to see body... Typical Manx style body usually only cuts about 14.5 inches out.... For 80 inch wheelbase...
Dale |
Pics of the body coming shortly.
Last edited by winddude on Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:24 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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This lift on the hood for the windshield is unique, I have never seen one before in pic
The car was apparently originally from Alberta, Canada if that helps anyone. Has what appears to be a copper gold flake gel coat. |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| tgodber wrote: |
This is my friends Hillbilly buggy. Really short.
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That's interesting my buggy also had a cut out the rear decklid, I assume for an air intake, like your buddies.
And are those trailer wheels? |
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MrGoodtunes
Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2012
Posts: 852
Location: South Florida
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| winddude wrote: |
| Uhhohh, it's a 72" Wheel base ... |
My wheelbase is only 70". That's what KAR Mfg's shorter Mini-Camaro body was for.
| winddude wrote: |
| ... might be in for a twitchy ride ... |
Yes, it's true that any little steering move results in a quick response. But I really like it, sort of squirrely. Reminiscent of my go-cart.
| winddude wrote: |
| ... more tail heavy with the shorter wheelbase ... |
That is not what I've found. Before my 70" Mini-Camaro, I had an 80" Manx clone, which seem'd way more front light, especially when driving over bumpy roads. The way I now see it is: A shorter wheelbase has front wheels a few inches rearward, bringing them in closer to the car's center of gravity. And, if you mount your pedals forward as I have done, then the front wheels are closer to where your seat is too. My pedals are ~5" forward of stock location, using a box like this:
https://www.amazon.com/PEDAL-PLATE-ASSEMBLY-VOLKSWAGEN-BUGGY/dp/B00BD9RE3I |
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tgodber
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 410
Location: Okanagan Falls B.C. Canada
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:06 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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More pics of Hillbilly body. Front and sides seem to be similar to yours. Rear fenders are different though.
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My wife said I never listen to her.
Or something like that! |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:38 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| tgodber wrote: |
More pics of Hillbilly body. Front and sides seem to be similar to yours. Rear fenders are different though.
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My hood is absolutely identical! The rear fender are a lot different. Any more information on who made the hillbilly or number, always curious? my google foo couldn't find anything. |
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winddude
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2013
Posts: 160
Location: South Vancouver Island
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:49 pm Post subject: Re: Narrowed tunnel, still no room to get in |
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| MrGoodtunes wrote: |
| winddude wrote: |
| Uhhohh, it's a 72" Wheel base ... |
My wheelbase is only 70". That's what KAR Mfg's shorter Mini-Camaro body was for.
| winddude wrote: |
| ... might be in for a twitchy ride ... |
Yes, it's true that any little steering move results in a quick response. But I really like it, sort of squirrely. Reminiscent of my go-cart.
| winddude wrote: |
| ... more tail heavy with the shorter wheelbase ... |
That is not what I've found. Before my 70" Mini-Camaro, I had an 80" Manx clone, which seem'd way more front light, especially when driving over bumpy roads. The way I now see it is: A shorter wheelbase has front wheels a few inches rearward, bringing them in closer to the car's center of gravity. And, if you mount your pedals forward as I have done, then the front wheels are closer to where your seat is too. My pedals are ~5" forward of stock location, using a box like this:
https://www.amazon.com/PEDAL-PLATE-ASSEMBLY-VOLKSWAGEN-BUGGY/dp/B00BD9RE3I |
I was wondering about that after I said it, but I think it would make the weight distribution more reward, by moving more of the effort back and shortening the lever that's reducing the load of the engine. But that's true it might be short enough that it also put more body weight on the front axle. But probably easier to upset the balance.
Thanks for the pedal box link. It crossed my mind how I could move the pedals forward when I was trying to figure out seating position, thinking a couple more inches would be nice.  |
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