Manx Club

[FONT=Times New Roman]I don?t really know where to start so I guess here is as good a place as any.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]I have been into cars or bikes of some sort as long as I can remember so it was no real surprise when I came across a VW buggy that I became quit fanatical and proceeded to spending large amounts of time tweaking and modifying them. As I got older my ideas got crazier and crazier. After going though quite a few buggies of one sort or another I got my first Meyers Manx in Feb 2000 and I was hooked. I rapidly collected every bit of Manx info, I could find and began dreaming up the ultimate Manx. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Over the next few years I had over 15 of them and learnt a lot of lessons slowly moving my way up the buggy ladder to my last Manx which was a 2020 Type 1 Powered fun machine with everything I had ever wanted. As luck would have it not long after I had the opportunity to turn my hobby into a business venture and sold my Manx to help fund a Buggy Building Business in Australia. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Anyway one thing led to another, Bruce released the Manxter and I just had to have one, the new look and the 4 seater design greatly appealed to me. Since selling my Manx I had dreamed of building another BUT with my first kid on the way investing hundreds of hours and a heap of $$$$ into another SWB Manx did not seem like one of my smartest ideas. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]After finding out that the Manxter was not going to be available in a RHD version anytime soon a hatched another of my ever increasing crazy plans and decided to build my own Buggy. Now when I say own I mean get a heap of clay, foam and timber and make me a proto type. Then flop a mould and make millions selling my design to the world.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Like most of my crazy plans I soon got a few equally crazy mates motivated and we set off on what can be best described as a seriously steep learning curve. By this time it around November 2005. [/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Anyway that is history now and there has been a lot of water under the bridge. The end result is that I am building what at this stage with be the last Iguana Buggy I plan on making. If anyone had of ever told me how much blood sweat and tears you had to put into doing this I would have run the other way, hang on a minute who am I kidding I would not have listened to them. Either way it is done now and I just need another 1000 hrs and I will have my buggy on the road and all this will be a distant memory to tell my grand children about. The little dune buggy that dad made ? [/FONT] [CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman]Working the plug and starting to put the bits togeather.[/FONT][/CENTER] [CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Once we had the plug done, we put it on a VW pan and made a bonnet for it[/FONT][/CENTER] [CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman]More than a few hours later !![/FONT][/CENTER] [FONT=Times New Roman]I must add at this stage that I could never have gotten to where I did without the help of my mates and wife. I alos got a great deal of motivation from Bruce Meyers and the fact that even after getting rolled by the buggy world he came back with the Manxter.[/FONT] [CENTER][FONT=Times New Roman]The 1st Iguana done, time to sleep !![/FONT][/CENTER]

[font=Times New Roman]So I best get onto the buggy as this is what we are here for, my life buggy story is no where near as cool as what I hope my Iguana. [center][font=Times New Roman]So Specs are as follows:[/center] [font=Times New Roman]Floor Pan

• [font=Times New Roman]Custom Vee Dub ([url=http://www.customveedub.com,au/][font=Times New Roman]www.customveedub.com,au[/url][font=Times New Roman]) unit, 2? lifted tunnel with water pipes installed, checker floor halves, 3? lift kit, frame head 2/1/2? forward, custom shock towers, rear adjuster and a few custom touches.
• [font=Times New Roman]Ball Joint Front end using 181 spindles and stubs. Custom shock towers, adjusters and braces.
• [font=Times New Roman]Custom Vee Dub rear trailing arms, fully fabricated 3 x 2 with kombi stub axles and 930 CV?s.
• [font=Times New Roman]4 Wheel disc brakes, boosted master cylinder, stainless brake lines few custom touches.
• [font=Times New Roman]VW based, 181 front end, custom hubs, 3x2 rear trailing arms, 4 wheel disc brakes, 6 stud Toyota mags.
• [font=Times New Roman]Hydralic clutch

[font=Times New Roman]Running Gear

• [font=Times New Roman]2L (091 6 Rib) transmission with Albins gears, super diff, RJES Bell housing, Custom Vee Dub strap kit, custom shifter
• [font=Times New Roman]Porsche CV?s
• [font=Times New Roman]16 x 8 and 16 x 7 Alloy Mags
• [font=Times New Roman]285 x 75 x 16 rear tyres, 235 x 85 x 16 front tyres.
• [font=Times New Roman]Engine is a Subaru EJ 25T 2006 model with fly by wire, variable cam timing, custom exhaust running M800 Motec and an SDL Dash.

[font=Times New Roman]Body

• [font=Times New Roman]4 Seater Iguana Biggy Body (number 002)
• [font=Times New Roman]Custom 6 point roll cage
• [font=Times New Roman]Full leather interior
• [font=Times New Roman]Sat nav, TV, rear camera, Stereo unit, 7? LCD, water proof
• [font=Times New Roman]Custom paint job

[font=Times New Roman]There is a heap of other mods which are falling into place as they happen. Once complete I will add a heap of other info and pics. Needless to say I have been building this in my head since 2005 and have more than a few ideas bouncing around in there. [center][/center] [font=Times New Roman]Iguana Buggy Body no 2, ready to get a trim job and a floor pan. [font=Times New Roman]Well after recovering from the initial shock of building a buggy from scratch this is where my Iguana was at when I left to work over seas for a while. Hopefully I will get it finished by the end of 2008... [center][/center] [font=Times New Roman]This is sitting at ride height with the actual rear mags and tyres one, I have adjusted the rear end to allow for the lack on engine and transmission. Front wheels are correct size but not teh right mags and are just sitting there. [center][/center] The newest buggy head checking out his seat. [center][/center] [center]yep he gets his own leather bucket !![/center]

So that is where it is at. Like most who build buggies I must take a quick moment to thank a few people who have gotten it this far. The Aust Manx Club, Rob, Nick, Jarrad, Wes, Dave and Andrew to name a few. Add to that Custom Offroad / Custom Vee Dub and we are on the way to getting something done. Thanks heaps Guys. Buggy On !! Brad [center][/center] My current Buggy Ride until the Iguana is finished, EJ 22 Powered, Geko Ute !!

You have done an incredible job there on your buggy. Its guys like you who keep this buggy thing alive. Keep us posted on your progress Bob

[QUOTE="Buggybob"]You have done an incredible job there on your buggy. Its guys like you who keep this buggy thing alive. Keep us posted on your progress Bob[/QUOTE] Cheers Bob I will let you know how it all goes. I must admit I have gone close a few times to burning the thing. It have really shown me just how much effort Bruce must have put into his Buggies over the years. Trying to build something which could be sold as a kit took so much more effort than just building a 1 off.

Cleaning up some space on my HDD I found some more pics of Iguana 001. [center]The one piece flip forward bonnet made fitting a fuel tank filler cap and getting to the radiator much easier. Crappy weather but looked kind of cool. A nicer photo playing on the dunes [/center]

A few more

that is one sweet ride.

Now I just have to finish my Iguana, posting pictures of someone elses buggy is only so much fun ...

Nicely done!!! I like the tripple nerf bars. Nice design work.

[quote="fubar;12287"]Nicely done!!! I like the tripple nerf bars. Nice design work.[/quote] Thanks, my Iguana barwork will be a little different. After spending Sunday on teh Beach with Bruce and Winnie the only thing stopping it being the best day ever was the absence of my wife and kid. Damn two seater buggies. So the Geko is on its way out and the Iguana has pride of place in the middle of the build bay. Should be on wheel by next weekend if the billet front hubs ever get out of the spindle.. Then i will post some more pictures. It must be done before Nov 09 if I want any hope of making it to the Manx Club Fraser Trip 2010. With the new club rules it is Buggies and Baja's only so I can't get away with taking my Landcruiser again ... Buggy Time !!!!

Well it is on one wheel sort off, not really what I hoped for but I have done some more thinking so there is less of that to do then there was before.