Manx Club

[font=Times New Roman]Seeking opinions to solve this issue right the 1st time (measure twice, cut once - - - hopefully). Moving up from a 1200 w/single carburetor to a 1776 w/dual Weber 40 IDFs, I?ve run into a spacing issue. There are (2) supports crafted out of 1? square tube steel that bridge between torsion bar (attached with U-bolts) and thru the rear fiberglass (epoxy) to stiffen fiberglass & provide attachment for rear bumper. Currently, clearance between these supports is 31 ? ?. To clear the carbs, I?ll need at least 34?. [font=Times New Roman]Questions:

• [font=Times New Roman]How much does an engine ?torque? when under load (2?, 3?, 4?)??? I?ve never paid attention, but need to allow for it when I re-build the supports for clearance.
• [font=Times New Roman]As long as I?m re-building the supports, I?m guessing I need to allow for new exhaust system as well. I?m considering dual exhaust, the [font=Verdana]"U" bend and a stainless SuperTrapp (saw this in one of Jerry?s replies), or Thunderbird Bobtail[font=Times New Roman]. Living in SC, I rarely get to see other buggies up close to get ideas on how other people put things together. If I could get some measurements from those who have the type exhaust I?m looking at, to gauge over-all width I might need, it would be appreciated (pictures help too). I don?t have a VW/Buggy parts store close by to walk in & get this kind of data.
• [font=Times New Roman]If anyone has a similar style buggy body, please share your wisdom on possibly a different approach to stiffening/providing bumper mount that may eliminate my problem altogether. I'm not sure the supports are even needed for stiffening. Or, recommendations for exhaust type to fit this style buggy.

[font=Times New Roman]Pictures below show original configuration, with (4) single pipe exhaust. On right side, you can see one of the 1? tube supports I?m dealing with changing.

Wow! Thats a very unique exhaust! I can see you are dealing with some unique problems with your body style. I like your bumper, and would think you"d like to keep it. You might build new supports from the large bolts that hiold the rear trans/engine mount to the frame horns, these would go underneath the engine and to the bumper, then maybe you could go thru the body with the existing bumper supports, and over to the shock towers? You might look at a baja bug exhaust, this type places a quiet pack muffler sort of centered side to side, and up and down on the engine. http://WWW.pacificcustoms.com has lots of images of available systems on their site, under engine, then exhaust systems. Hope this helps.