A new beginning

[vincent9993]

After the very depressing news that my Manx Clone could not be painted due to the poor state of the fiber glass and would need $3,000-$5,000 to repair the gel coat, I have decided to order myself a Berrien Nostalgia Body. It will not be here until mid Aug, I'm contemplating self spraying my Manx Clone to use my ride until the Berrien shows up. It has truly beens a depressing couple of weeks... Hopefully the new body will get me excited again... Nostalgia Body Bubble Side Pod Windshield Fuel filler kit Aluminm dash Wiper support Lucky for me, I guess, the Canadian dealer has a show in Aug about 1 hour from my place and will be bringing in the body. A few more months and I should drop that groggy feeling. That's all.

[mel hubbard]

[QUOTE="vincent9993"]After the very depressing news that my Manx Clone could not be painted due to the poor state of the fiber glass and would need $3,000-$5,000 to repair the gel coat,[/QUOTE] Hell, that must be bad,, any pics?

[CairoManx]

I understand Bruce Meyers is developing a new short wheel base Manx kit with some updates. Why don't you check and see how long before they will be accepting orders.

[vincent9993]

[QUOTE="CairoManx"]I understand Bruce Meyers is developing a new short wheel base Manx kit with some updates. Why don't you check and see how long before they will be accepting orders.[/QUOTE] In all honesty, I think it's too late. The dealer already has my deposit and I'm not prepare to wait that long... Thanks for the suggestion and tip though.

[vincent9993]

[QUOTE="mel hubbard"] Hell, that must be bad,, any pics?[/QUOTE] To be honest with you, it would probably be salvagable but labour for fiberglass repair up here in Quebec Canada is scarce. Perhaps there is someone up here that has the knowhow to repair my shell at a resonable price but I have not found him. In the end I would still need to get it painted and I would be left with a 40 year old Manx Clone. Might as well bite the bulet now.

[manxdavid]

It doesn't look too bad, nothing a bit of bondo and a couple of coats of 2 pack primer surfacer wouldn't sort out... It sounds like Quebec's the kind of 'can't do' society that Britain's turning into. What do you recon Mel???

[fubar]

They make this stuff for boats called "easypox" self leveling , non catalyzed paint you put on with a good quality brush. With the sealer, etc. You could get a decent look for about $100 USD. Does not come in metallic though. I was going to try it on my unknown origan body whenever I get back to working on it.

[mel hubbard]

[QUOTE="fubar"] "easypox" [/QUOTE] I think you can pick that up in Soho, London Dave, if there was a road that joined Canada to UK, buggy Pete would be on his way to make Vincent an offer as we speak. Don't look too bad to me,,, but then again it can cost more to restore & paint one than buying a new kit. I guess if you want to cut on the prep work and DIY, you could allways paint it like the military Chenowth fast attack / light strike buggies,,,, cant beat a bit of Nato / Camo paint to hide the lumps,bumps & cracks.

[manxdavid]

[QUOTE="mel hubbard"] Don't look too bad to me,,, but then again it can cost more to restore & paint one than buying a new kit.[/QUOTE] That's one of my mantras, usually followed by me posting your web address... Don't supose you ship to Canada tho...

[mel hubbard]

[QUOTE="Manxdavid"]That's one of my mantras, usually followed by me posting your web address... [/QUOTE] Thanks Dave, well it is true in UK. Guys,, Im not that well informed about the old siggy molds, but they must still be around,,,,,,, could still be a good market for them maybe. OK, I know it was just a 100 production run on the siggys, buts what to stop Meyers doing them again but badge them up as a classic??.

[manxdavid]

Instead of serious bodywork and prep. for paint I've been looking into vinyl wrapping lately, like they do on vans, trucks and taxis. You could work out your own design on computer; wouldn't have to be an advert, and get it applied covering up all the old stress cracks. Could look really cool too and should be really cheap to do. You could even get paid for it as long as you didn't mind driving a mobile Coke or Bud advert...

[vincent9993]

In an effort to salvage the few days left of summer, I've painted my body the way it is. As expexted the cracks are showing through but this is a temporary shell anyway. The paint, Massey Ferguson Red, turned out well and if it were'nt for the cracks in the gel coat, it would have been acceptable. The shell is back on the body and re-assembly should happen in two weeks. I've promised the wife that one day will be sufficient... Wish me luck! Pictures to follow in a week or so after our Florida vacation...

[90volts]

other than pissing off the siggy owners? anyway, mine looked A LOT worse than that when i had mine done. still wasn't crazy to have done, but i could have bought a new body for less than half the price. but i wanted the original body , not a new one. plus i had a flake paint job so that upped it a bit in price.

[Gigantalope]

I admit it's a pretty jackassy idea,but if it were mine I would get some friends and a few flagons of Fin duMonde and just paint it a crockodile pattern. I mean, if you are otherwise unable to deal with the cracks, embrace them and make them part of the pattern.

[vincent9993]

Funny thing is my brother and I were contemplating building another buggy with all the spare parts I've accumulated. I really like the vinyl idea and all we're really missing for a 2nd buggy now is a frame and engine. Small detail This post was not intended to be to piss off fellow members. I mean, I just don't have the 5K the glass shop was asking to straighten my Manx clone. I still have not given up on the idea of eventually using this shell in the future. Gigantalope, where are you from to know Fin du Monde? Thanks guys.