Manx Club

I am proving to not be able to shorten my chassis myself. I am a qualified, and experienced welder, and quite capable of doing it myself. I have years of vw rust restoration under my belt. That said, When I was doing most of my work, there were many others doing the same. I no longer have a welder and want to pay a person to do a nice job, and would like it to cost less than a berrien chassis does. I have it stripped and ready for the job. I have a trailer, and can transport the chassis. Fisher Buggies can do it, but it is 1800.00 dollars labor. I can't pay that much. Am I being reasonable? Should I be able to get it done for less than that. I will blast, and powder coat it myself. I just need accurate alignment, and strong welds. Maybe some beefing up. Tony

Tony, My previous buggy had a poorly shortened chassis. There is nothing worse. I was not aligned properly and I took it to several experts that just shook their heads and could not figure it out. It is one of the main reasons I sold it. My siggy came with a Berrien chassis. I didn't really see the benefit as I was going for the "classic" build. I hindsight...... I would do it no other way. Reasons: Super stiff. Everythings new. Front beam mounting points could not be beefier. Great handling with zero flex. Everyone has a beef with the fiberglass floors but I'll tell you, they a many times stronger than my last vw pan with aftermarket replacements. Built in lift compared to vw. If the price difference was even close to shortening your pan, I would save for the Berrien. You will not be disappointed and your nos body will thank you. Otherwise, I see shortened chassis on the samba with titles for around $500 bucks, If it were me, I would still shell out for the Berrien......I like it that much and truth be told, it is a great portion of your ride. I realize that this doesn't answer your question but just food for thought.

I always liked the Berrien. I was at fisher buggies this week looking at it again. They only stock kingpin, irs. I need swing axle for the manx 1. I was thinking about cutting off the irs brackets. I always bring the trailer when I go to fishers. Temped to take a chassis home. I also don't like the pics of shaved fiberglass required to fit the body. But I have a family, and need to be safe also. Maybe I will do like Yeller Manx (chuck), and have berrien bring a chassis down to bugjam next month. Thanks again. Your chassis looks great. Wish it were mine. Tony

The shaving of the body is painless and it only hurts once......... From what I understand, Berrien can also build in additionial lift if you want IRS to clear your Manx 1 body? I rarely try to hype a product and I have no ties to the manufacturer, but again, I couldn't be happier.

Tony: If you are serious about a Berrien Chassis - DONT buy it from Fisher - they will charge you $300 extra for the fiberglass floor that is standard from Berrien. I purchased mine in Orlando and just paid freight over the Berrien List price. Well worth the drive down I-4. Berrien is coming to the bug-in and will deliver for very little if you pick it up there.... Call them about it - they might be able to throw one on for you and save the hassle of freight...and get it with the rear and front that you really want! Look forward to meeting you at the Bug In!!

Tony, I did my chassis myself and it was some work. I opted to use sheet metal for the floors and 1x2 box tubing for the sides. I think it came out nice. I think that if you had the time you could rent a welder and do it yourself like YOU want it done for less than 100 bucks. Check out my album for pics. It wasn't that hard just time consuming. If it did it over again it would be a piece of cake. I do agree with the others though that the next time I probably will buy a berrien chassis to save time. MURZ http://photobucket.com/albums/b374/MURZI/

I am dying to start assembly. Chassis looks great. I just emailed Berrien. I may get a chassis at bugjam next month. Thank You Tony