Manx Club

please don't get offended other brand owners, I own a y2k signature series Manx. Now with 20 years of time and 44762 miles. The buggy windshield needed replacing. Not cracked but sandblasted and hard to look through. People often ask me what's the difference of a MANX brand buggy. I tell them it is number one in quality. The windshield frame came off the hood without any thing breaking. I forget it is 20 yrs old, as it is well kept and well driven beach and road. I have 25 yrs of auto-glass experience and used my full bag of tricks to remove it. The heads that fit the windshield frame slot were only mild surface rusted. A few minutes on the wire wheel and they looked new. No replacement, or modification needed. I will send a good cardboard pattern to a local glass shop for the new windshield. The original Manx windshield was a quality cut piece of glass. (safety glass needs to be cut on 2 sides identical to be able to cut the plastic safety sheet sandwiched between them) the curved top corners were perfectly matched. I bought new gaskets and will be able to put it all back together for another 20 yrs. I am a very satisfied Manx buggy customer, 20 yrs and counting. I remember the production delays back in 1999-2000, Bruce said due to quality issues. The body had a 4 month delay. Today I know it was worth waiting for quality. I'm just saying if your deciding on a body: get real go Manx.

I built my authorized Manx 2 (UK version) in 1999/2000 and had to change the screen that came with it (supplied to Meyers by Dino) as they'd bent the corners wrongly, they wouldn't fit the profile of the hardtops. Quality was fine, just the wrong shape!

That's exactly the kind of things that brought me to the Manx "world", I've already had a couple dune buggies that were nothing short of disappointing in terms of quality, I hope I won't be let down by my new purchase...

manxdavid, sorry to hear of the issue. My windshield and frame were personally delivered by Bruce and Winnie Meyer. A fiberglass dune buggy built long ago could have been sold without a windshield frame as an option. A local frame and glass could have been added later. At any rate; if anybody has a buggy windshield frame a qualified glass shop can provide a new glass . If you have the old glass (even cracked) a pattern can be traced to cardboard for the new glass. Some glass shops can make the pattern for you from the old glass. If you don't have the old glass; a good glass shop can even make a pattern using the frame and the old gaskets. If a glass shop says they can't, find one that says they can. Generally a glass shop that specializes in table tops, storefronts, and construction equipment can do it. I used to do it when I worked in the glass business. Not all buggy shields use the extruded aluminum frame. Locally in my state of Massachusetts, USA: a steel chromed or raw square angle iron frame was popular. It used rubber construction equipment gaskets. As a side note shipping glass any distance with any carrier without any breakage is rare. I admit my 25 years in the glass industry gives me an advantage, and confidence most won't have. I hope this info helps everyone. It may not be cheap, but if a glass professional can do it for you, it may be worth it to you, as glass does only one of 2 things; it either breaks or doesn't.

Oliver, you did not say what brand of buggy you are purchasing. If it is a brand new Manx buggy you will have purchased quality. You must understand you may still be challenged in the build process. For example; only 4 holes were predrilled for my kit. They were on the hood for the windshield frame. But to get the hood to fit the body required filing the fiberglass for proper fit. I still had to drill all other holes ,headlights, tail lights dash board speedo, gages, radio, antenna. I can suggest you use good quality masking tape (from a body shop suppler) on the body to draw, map-out where to drill for accuracy. Take your time, once drilled its too late to change your mind. The saying goes "fiberglass is forever, but it is not perfect". Be prepared to file a little for your best fit. It is expected. Whatever kit you have bought; buy all you can that they provide. Such as body, hood, windshield frame with glass, and instructions. In that way you will have the main components that should fit. Instructions for my signature series Manx were not provided until well after it was built (back in Y2K). It was assumed any body building the signature series knew how to build a buggy. I did know, and was amused when the instructions arrived. If you are unsure on any aspect of the buggy build, start researching, learning today. Much can be found in the archive section here, and in others buggy builds. The www internet has more also. You can do it! Stop thinking it will be easy, as it may be challenging: that way your disappointment will be minimal. Just enjoy the build, and complete your new buggy. Have Fun!

lastmanx wrote:manxdavid, sorry to hear of the issue. My windshield and frame were personally delivered by Bruce and Winnie Meyer. A fiberglass dune buggy built long ago could have been sold without a windshield frame as an option. A local frame and glass could have been added later.

I'm sorry you may have misunderstood me. My authorized Manx kit was bought brand new in late 1999, the body was molded in the UK, Bruce and Winnie stopped off in London on their way to one of their trips to France to approve the quality of the mold etc. Bruce shipped the screens, roll bars, body mount brackets, badges, id plates etc over from the US to be supplied with the kits. The quality of everything was fine except that that run of screens, made for Bruce by Dino's, did not fit the hardtops that Bruce started selling a year or two later. Dino fixed the problem on later screens, I bought one of these and sold mine on to someone who didn't want to fit a hardtop.

Bruce designed the aluminum extrusion for the screen frames but they have been made for Bruce (and 95% of all other buggy and VW shops) by Dino's for the last 25+ years.

manxdavid, you are correct I misunderstood sorry. I am glad everything worked out.

I finished the install. It was very frustrating and difficult. I would rather change an engine and transaxle than do it again.