The body of the car is an original Meyers Manx (1967 vintage) that was
restored with the help of Bruce Meyers.  The body was in terrible shape
when I acquired it in early 1996.  Bruce filled in missing fiberglass
around the license plate and reinforced several other areas and filled
all the holes.  Bruce then prepared the surface for painting and sprayed
the primer coat on the car.  After several hours of sanding on the primer
coat, the body was taken to the paint shop where it received a base coat,
color coat (chrome yellow), and four clear coats of paint.

The chassis of the car was rusted-out so a 1961 Baja Bug was purchased
to get a new frame.   The frame was shortened  to match the wheelbase
of the Meyers body.  This involves removing a 14-1/4 inch section from
just behind the VW seat rails and then using a wire-feed welder to weld
the halves back together.  The shift rod, brake lines, handbrake cables,
clutch cable and accelerator cable all need to be shortened.  The frame
was then cleaned and painted with rust-proof primer and then black enamel.
The transmission is a swing axle type with stock ratios which is hard
mounted to the chassis (no rubber mounts) and then further restrained
with transmission hold-down straps at the mid-section and around the
bell housing.  The front suspension is stock king-pin type with new pins
and bushings installed in the trailing link-pins.  The body was then
bolted back on the chassis and given extra strength with a one-inch steel
pipe inserted into the channel under the outer edge of the frame sides.

The rear of the car has Mickey Thompson 15" 11.50 X 29 off-road tires
on 8" wide CMS spun aluminum rims.  The small diameter of these tires
gives excellent performance with the stock ratio transmission.  The small
diameter tires also give plenty of fender clearance.  Larger tires would
have required mods to the transmission and a body lift kit to obtain the
proper clearance, thus ruining the "restored original" look I was trying
to obtain.  The front tires are 15" P205 - 175 street tires. The front
tires I like to keep fairly big (not wide) to get ground clearance and
have plenty of pooch when I let out the air to get a comfortable ride
off-road. The front rims are also CMS spun aluminum and are very light
and can be repaired if damaged.  The aluminum rims are polished to look
like chrome.

The seats are from Beard and have a steel frame that supports a soft
upholstered bucket seat.  The seats have been lowered to the absolute
minimum that the original VW seat rails will allow.

The engine is a stock 1600 with dual port heads and a Solex PICT-1
carburetor.  The engine provides all the power necessary for the desert
cruising that I enjoy.  Keeping the engine in a stock configuration also
enhances its dependability (a very important feature when many miles
into the desert).  The exhaust is a Baja Bug style from Tri-Mil that
has been metal sprayed with aluminum for appearance and rust-proofing.

The bumpers are Baja Bug style that have been chromed and polished.
The roll bar in the car needed to be replaced so Bruce Meyers made a
template from an original Manx.  The template was used to produce a new roll
bar from 0.120-thick 2-inch tube steel.  The original mounting brackets
were copied and welded in place.  The roll bar was then chromed and
installed in the car.

The car has since won two first place prizes and one second place prize
in competition with 50 other cars at the Manx Dunebuggy Club outings.
The car is not a show car and has made several desert trips as well as
a 600 mile off-road adventure though Baja.  I have a vanity plate with
my last name (i.e. HELLAND) and a custom frame on the car that reads :

 "I'VE BEEN TO"
    HELLAND
     "BACK"

The car's name is "New Yeller" because my previous Manx type buggy
which I built in 1966 was already called "Old Yeller".  I seem to have
a pre-occupation with yellow cars as I also belong to the Y.B.D.B club
(Yellow Baja and Dune Buggies).  To be a member of the Y.B.D.B. club you
must have a yellow car or be willing to paint it yellow "real soon".
The activities of the Y.B.D.B club can be followed by looking at the
internet web site http://www.metaflow.com/ybdb.

Please check out the Manx Dunebuggy Club web page loacated at
http://www.metaflow.com/manxclub.