Mantaray II Kyote

**crack monkey** · September 12th, 2009, 07:02 PM

this is my Mantaray II Kyote build. Need to have her on the road by spring.

plan is to smooth the body completely. no lights will be mounted on the body... everything will be slightly hidden so they dont overpower the body lines. was thinking some calssic bits mixed with the modern stuff... we will see. here are a few Pics the and some more will be in my photobucket that will show more detail of what i am starting with

http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/c.../dune%20buggy/

here it is in the back yard.

these are the wheels i am planning on running. they are 17 inch GMC Yukon alluminum wheels

I have been wrestling with what tires to run. go monster with some 265/70's or low profile 205/50's. (pics of both set ups are on my photobucket.) decided that it needs to be in between. the big ones seemed too big and the small too small. I am going to run the size that are on my Ranier.... forget what that size is right now though. they look good and should be proportionate.

A huge thank you to everyone that was involved with obtaining the body.. I really appreciate it.

**crack monkey** · September 13th, 2009, 06:02 PM

i did a little work to the body today.

got rid of the 'repairs' someone else did to it. headlights are opened back up. and the fuel filler too. the filler had a 6x6 inch piece of plywood behind it with a 2 inch hole drilled in the middle... then filled with bondo and resin..... awesome

this pic shows what the windshield mount looked like before

and after i scraped it away... yes that is a chunk of resin you see. as part of it.

i also cut out the pooly done reinforcements and the plywood that was under the jump seat... i will need to smooth out and make better reinforcements and plug the hole on the jump seat. you should have seen the dirt and acorns that were under there..

**crack monkey** · September 14th, 2009, 04:14 PM

no pictures today. was out cleaning up my pile of vw shit in the back yard today. stripped the disk brakes of of the t3 beam. and got the trans off of a piece of frame it was attached too. was able to move my pan out of its hiding spot and put the body on it to see how stuff was going to line up. took off shocks and some other bits so i can take them to the basement and clean/ paint them as time allows.

need to order some masterseries soon.

oh... rear part of the pans have some pin holes and crap so if i end up using this pan i may have to replace the rear sections

**crack monkey** · September 16th, 2009, 06:53 PM

got Tires tonight!!!!.... gotta love going behind dealerships at night and grabbing their scraps. 145/65R17 the EXACT size i wanted!!!

**crack monkey** · September 21st, 2009, 06:29 PM

got to do a little work today.

separated the t3 trans from the motor it was attached too.

drug out my spare pan and set it up on top of some tires and then put the body on top to check the clearances.... also took my new tires and tossed them in the arches to see what it will look like. i am totally happy with this size tire. i am pretty sure i am going to need to lift the body though... probably 3 inches.

also decided to use my t4 motor. separated that from the trans and went to town tearing stuff off of it to lighten it up. finally got it in the basement. i am going to make some kadron manifolds for it. (i know you can get them for this motor but that is not in the budget)

also stripped and painted some front shocks and steering shaft

i have pics to post but the battery died in the camera

**crack monkey** · September 24th, 2009, 08:29 PM

went to rodderdan's place and picked up a ghia partial body with a title. whoooo hhoooo left work at 715pm got to his place a little after 830 and got home around 1130.

**crack monkey** · September 26th, 2009, 06:55 PM

here are the pictures from the earlier post.

as you can see here, these tires are big but not too big like the first group was. this is about where i think the buggy will sit with the tires mounted.

here is the motor. t4 1700 from a 412. turns freely... had to take everything off that i could to be able to manuver it into the basement. going to have to build my own manifolds to run the kadrons unless someone has a set they want to sell cheap.

more pics when i get the ghia over to cut up on monday

**crack monkey** · September 27th, 2009, 08:21 PM

ok i lied... more pics today.

it was raining out this morning.... so i worked on my carb manifolds. well one of them anyways.

going to run kadrons on the t4. t4/kadron manifolds cost 100 new... i dont have money for them... so i started making my own.

started with this: t4 fuel injection intake and a steel intake kadron

cut up the parts i needed.

then some more cutting and welding and cutting ... and smashing with a hammer. i got this

it is all just tacked together right now, but it is pretty good i think. also have toplug the FI holes in the bottom. i will do the other side soon.... but tomorrow is cut up the ghia day

**crack monkey** · September 29th, 2009, 05:12 PM

yesterday was 'cut up the ghia day.'

started with this sitting in front of the house.

a bunch of this

some of this

when i broke my sawsall and more of this

when i got back from getting a new one.... and i got this

like all the rust all over the road? it was bad!!! that poor ghia was just toast

then i took all the bits and pieces and did this

a second trip later and i was done. rolled the chassis into the back yard and now it waits until 'the shortening'

**crack monkey** · October 3rd, 2009, 05:40 PM

got my tires mounted to the wheels yesterday

they look great... the exact proportion on the wheels that i wanted.

next item for the wheels will be figuring out how thick of wheel adaptor i need.

**crack monkey** · October 4th, 2009, 06:09 PM

this is me doing a little dance because it looks like i dont need wheel adaptors.

sat the body on the new chassis today and checked clearances. i need to get the front disk hub centric ring machined thinner but other than than i will just need to have the disks and drums redrilled and studded to use the yukon wheels.

here is a pic mocked up

the front is a little high because the body was resting on the front shock towers. but you get the idea.

speaking of the front... i see a problem coming and that will be the size of the tires. i can not go full turn with them. i moved the body back a few inches and it was better but still was going to hit. samba people said just dont turn too far... not real happy about that but other option would be to notch the wheel well on the body. a body lift and or raised spindles will not help either. so not sure what i am going to do about it yet. other piece is that i will have to take out the stock headlight pods.... in the pics on my photobucket you can see that they are resting on the wheel.... and that is still an inch too high. so out they will come. i am thinking lights under the body.... we will have to see.

other work today was that i got the crap rust pieces away from the tunnel on one side. no pics of that though

**crack monkey** · October 6th, 2009, 05:12 PM

i began to shorten the pan today. didnt take any pics though.

that shit is a pain in the ass. next time i will just buy one from berrein buggy and be done with it.

i dont like how things were lining up but oh well. tunnel shape is a bitch. i wont be putting pans back into it anyways.

it is about 1/2 way welded right now. i am going to take some of the scrap tunnel and make straps to go over the joint just to make sure.

once this is welded back together i will bring it into the basement so i can start on all the other stuff

**crack monkey** · October 13th, 2009, 12:10 PM

here is the latest..
i am now out of.... welding wire, grinding/cutoff wheels, sawsall blades.. and my batteries died in the camera so no pics today

what i have gotten done...and learned
tacked together the other carb manifold. turns out on the t4 motor one side is higher than the other.. go figure. so since the carb manifolds are about the same size, one will sit higher than the other. i am opting not to make the one taller because i think it is better to have the same distance to the head from each carb... if i am wrong here someone please tell me that it wont make a difference and i will even it out when i get more wire.

if you plan on making a buggy from a ghia chassis... you should actually take about 9 inches from behind the e brake and 5 from in front of the shifter. when i cut mine i did it standard buggy style and the rear sections really dont match... today i was making a transition piece for where the pans meet the tunnel.. couldnt finish... ran out of wire.

found the pieces to convert my trans back into an irs.... but they were weathered and i dont know if i want to mess with it again.... concidering just going swing axel now until i would have the cash to pick up a new trans.

i am narrowing down my color for the body.... and think i am giving up on the 914 seats (by the time i get the seats and recover it will be really pricy) so i am starting to think just fiberglass low back buckets.... we will see.

**crack monkey** · November 3rd, 2009, 05:37 PM

not much to report from the last few weeks.

but today i got out there a little. bought some welding wire. didnt weld anything.

pulled the small leaves out of one beam so they could be sent to rob to be put in the beam he is building for dan. the leaves needed to come out anyway for the buggy.

was down in the basement for a little bit trying to pull more of the engine tin off of the t4. i see where other tin is going to be trimmed to clean up the look more.

other than that... i am looking around for a place that will redrill my drums. i am kindof bummed because i wanted to use disks on the front... but it looks like the bolt pattern may prevent that unless i can find the screw in studs for the gmc wheels. one way or another it will get done.