Manx II #1493 Build

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:17 am

The welding on the fins is to strengthen the fin area so they don't crack. I asked him about it and he said that it does not hurt cooling. I am not 100% positive but I think the welding around the spark plug holes is due to the heavy fly cutting to get the compression down. I want to run a .060 deck and have a compression of around 8.5 so he had to fly cut the heads .120. Here is a shot of the heads he did from my 200 hp street engine going in my '66. You can see the same welding on the fins:

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:21 pm

Put a coat of Rust Bullet silver on the top of the pan. I decided to go ahead and get a coat on due to the high humidity, as the pan was already developing a nice coating of surface rust. Unfortunately, I miscalculated how much I needed and only had enough for one side. Next time I will know to order at least a quart.

I am almost tempted to leave it silver but I plan to put a coating of the black top coat they make after I have welded on the skid plate.

Thanks,

--louis

10ovr · Post by **10ovr** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 1:04 am

Looks good Louis,,You could just leave the back end silver and the pan black,,That would look good,,,,

MyBlueBuggy · Post by **MyBlueBuggy** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 3:38 am

I see you have a hole in the right front side of the tunnel. Are you running a hydraulic clutch?

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:23 am

It is just an access hole. Makes it easier to do things like put in the shift bushing, run the fuel line, attach the clutch cable. I have reinforced it with 1/8" plate and I have a cover that will bolt in place to cover it.

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:33 pm

Well I decided what exhaust to run last night. I ended up ordering the ceramic coated Bobtail w/ quiet pack from SoCal Imports:

I needed to get it ordered so I can mock up the engine and exhaust to check clearances for the cage.

A long time back I ordered one of those tube rear bumpers that connect to the shock towers and frame horns. I think I am going to go ahead and use it and attach the skid plate I ordered to that. The other reason I decided to go with that rear bumper is so I can rig up a trailer hitch for towing a small utility trailer or tear drop like this one:

Now I just need to figure out how best to tie that into the cage for the rest of the car.

This is one of those times I hate working on a car. Not being able to make any progress because you are waiting on the big brown van to drop off the next pieces of the puzzle.

--louis

jsturtlebuggy · Post by **jsturtlebuggy** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 4:37 pm

Louis,

The exhaust system you have is a good one. Has been used for years on buggies and baja's.

Any exhaust system for a buggy is a compromise as for looking good and working well.

Even the Manx Sidewinder and the TriMill Sidewinder have flaws. Niether one of them route the individual pipes in the correct firing order.

I am not really fond of the BobCat style with the way it sticks up high behind the engine. It detracts from the flow of the Manx body.

As for a rear bumper I did have one person tell me the bumper I made for my Kick Out ruin the flowing lines of the Manx body. His suggestion was to go to the Bumper that Bruce had design for the Manxter and used on the Kick Out as it compliment the flow instead of detracting from it. He had built own bumper that was very simular to the Manx one.

I really like the front bumper that is on the Kick Out SS in the pictures. I may have make one for my own buggy.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 4:58 pm

Yeah I looked at all the currently available exhausts, including the Meyer's sidewinder and even considered making my own. The sidewinder looks the cleanest to me but I didn't really want a glass pack and I don't like the one piece design. The rear bumper/engine cage looks like this one:

For the front I will probably end up with the Meyer's tube style front. What I really want is the one seen here:

The single tube nerf bar. Probably would not survive a collision with a big wheel but I like the clean lines.

--louis

MyBlueBuggy · Post by **MyBlueBuggy** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:53 am

Bumpers and Exhaust. Two of the most debatable design subjects you can have with a buggy.

IMO the best front bumper you can have is the Manx bumper. It just holds a classic look and frames the nose just right. Bruce did a great job with the rear bumper for the Manxter. I wish I could afford that one. Currently I have the one you pictured but had to widen the lower tubes about an inch for each side so it will attach better to my solid engine mount.

I don't even want to talk about exhaust systems. I do not like any of the options out there and had to make my own and I'm still not happy with it.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 12:24 am

Put a coat of Rust Bullet on the bottom of the pan and painted the pan head and rear forks with Black Shell. The silver area will get coated in bed liner.

I wanted to treat the inside of the tunnel for rust and came up with this solution. A bottle of Mar Hyde and a $10 garden sprayer. I sprayed it in the tunnel and then rotated the pan around a few times to get everything coated. Seems to have worked pretty well:

First coat of Black Shell:

My "new" beam for the buggy. It came off my barn find '66 from Arizona so it's rust free. The original ball joints are even in factory new specs for wear. Stripped it down and started wire brushing it off:

--louis

Ed-Chenal · Post by **Ed-Chenal** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 1:17 am

Looking good Louis.

Keep up the good work.

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:22 pm

I seam sealed the pan yesterday and put a coat of Duplicolor bed liner on the bottom tonight.

This update brought to you by George Killian's finest Irish Red.

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 11:51 pm

Finished painting the pan tonight. For some reason I ended up with a lot of texture in the Rust Bullet Black Shell. I am not sure if it is from the high humidity or if it was just some old product. If I were doing a show car I would probably spray it, but for a buggy that will get driven a lot, I am okay with it.

I used a regular brush to apply both the rust bullet and the Dupli Color Undercoating since I did not want a lot of texture in the top. I am still deciding on if I want to go without any floor covering or if I will use a black rubber mat on the floor.

I am also debating if I want to make a 1" to 1.5" lift for the body. More for some added head room when the top is on than anything. I am 6'4" and windshield is just at the top of my head.

Now it is time to start prepping and bolting up the suspension.

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:12 pm

I started working on my lift today. It took about 5 hours to get everything cut out. I bought 20 feet of 1.5" x 1.5" x .125 wall tubing for the sides and back. The front bulkhead will be 14 gauge sheet metal that I will weld into a box shape (or modern art depending on my welding skills

). Materials cost was not bad at under $100 and I still have a 4x4 section of the sheet metal and 8 feet of tubing left.

--louis

louisb · Post by **louisb** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:33 pm

Been working on the lift for the buggy but not many pics. Here is the 1.5" x 1.5" lift tack welded for mock up. The sheet metal sections in the picture will form the section over the napoleons hat.

Since deciding on the lift I am thinking about running side pods to camouflage the lift. I was also thinking I might be able to hide some storage compartments in the side pods as well. Any one ever do that? I know Meyers offered some pods with built in storage.

--louis