Texas Manx Club

by **Bill K** » 29 Tue May, 2007 11:26 am

I just learned that one of our members passed away unexpectedly. I only knew him as Ed, and he posted as "Frontloader". I never got to meet him, but we visited often on the phone about his buggy rebuild.
He had a room booked at the Stagecoach Inn for the Blast, and we were finally going to get to meet.
His wife would like to finish his buggy project, but doesn't know much about it, and will need help.
She came to the Blast, and was totally impressed with how she was received. She couldn't say enought good things about our group.
Kudos to you all. Makes me proud to be a member of the Texas Manx Club.
Her name is Margaret, and her email is: mwkana@earthlink.net
I'm sure she would love to hear from the members.

by **Texasbuggys** » 29 Tue May, 2007 11:48 am

Hey Bill, it is sad to hear this news and our prayers are with the family and his wife. Where are they located? This may help the club members that are closer to be able to help out on completing her husbands dream.

by **Bill K** » 29 Tue May, 2007 12:29 pm

She is located in Lake Jackson, Texas. There are at least a couple of us nearby, in addition to the Forum Board which I urged her to use.
She indicated that becasue of how well she was treated, she hopes to become a part of our Club. I think that is a great testament to the quality of folks we have in the Club.
I told her the goal would be to have her cruisin' in her buggy with us in the future.

by **GregR** » 29 Tue May, 2007 1:17 pm

Margaret gave me permission to post her email to me. She also included a picture of Ed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so glad that I kept the reservation at the Stagecoach Inn and found
the Buggy Blast. It was great seeing all the buggies and meeting you and
the others. I can now see why Ed was so excited to find other buggy
enthusiasts. Finishing his buggy was top priority and it was going to be
one of those "together" things for us. He liked the idea of having a
group to do things with that centered around dune buggy activities. What a dream!

After having met several of the guys and their wives, I know this would
have been something that the both of us would have done and enjoyed. Maybe my two sons and I can still do some of the activities. . . after we get the buggy finished. Ed has a friend that is going to help us, but does not live in Lake Jackson. It will be slow work for him unless he takes it back to his workshop, which he just might have to do.

I am going to send an attachment of his obituary just for your information.
I'm not sure how much he told you about himself. He was certainly not a
braggart, but he was an accomplished craftsman, with many, many interests. He was an avid bow hunter, a gunsmith of black powder muzzleloaders, custom knife maker, leather crafts, and a great educator of all the above interests. He could make or do anything with his hands. He was an Industrial Arts teacher back in '69, when he got permission from his principal to cut down a VW and to build a dune buggy with his students. Some of those students came to his funeral and said that that one project was the very fondest memory they had of school. He was a smart man, he got free labor and he got to keep the finished product, as well as teaching lessons that students would always remember. We have many fond memories that center around the dune buggy. We had many offers to sell it and we could never come to the decision to sell it even though it was no longer in running condition. The only thing left to do was refurbish it and take it to Colorado one more time. Wow! What a dream!

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this . . . for me it is a
small step in the healing process of this great loss.

Thanks for your kind words and for keeping us in your prayers. Our faith is carrying us through this difficult time.

Frontloader's wife
Margaret

by **Texasbuggys** » 29 Tue May, 2007 8:33 pm

Bill, do we have an idea of what it needs to get'r going?

by **Aquabuggy** » 29 Tue May, 2007 9:27 pm

Im so sorry to hear the news of Ed's passing, I also had never meet Ed in person but did have a few e-mail/PM conversations with him.
Wish I lived closer Id love to help finish the buggy.

by **MURZ** » 29 Tue May, 2007 10:13 pm

Sorry to hear the news. I too had many "email conversations" with him. I think it would be an awesome thing to finish the buggy. maybe some of his old students could help.

by **Bill K** » 29 Tue May, 2007 11:02 pm

That's a great idea, Murzi. They may well want to be included.
I'll offer that idea to Margaret.

by **richard king** » 31 Thu May, 2007 9:34 am

I am sorry to hear of ED's passing, I there is any thing I can do to help get his car going let me know. Mybe we can find out what need to be done and get together one weekend and work on it and get it going just a thought. I will keep the family in my prayers

by **blackthree4me** » 31 Thu May, 2007 12:29 pm

I agree on the weekend rebuild Idea
bill do you think you could be the contact on that
please let margret Know this is something I think we could all be a part of and would love to do in his honer

by **Russhebert** » 31 Thu May, 2007 5:39 pm

I agree with the weekend help. Let me know when and I will be there.

by **ckolek** » 31 Thu May, 2007 5:39 pm

i would certainly love to be a part of this project...

by **Duner** » 04 Mon Jun, 2007 3:04 pm

Do we have any updates yet as to what the buggy needs?
I would be glad to drop by and photograph the project so that everyone can get a good look before getting down there as to what is needed to complete this project.
I think were all ready and happy to lend a hand.

by **Bill K** » 04 Mon Jun, 2007 10:22 pm

Duner,
Margaret came by today for a get-acquainted visit. She is a very nice lady, and wants to be involved with our Club.
Here's how it appears to be shaking out. A friend of Ed's has offered to take the buggy and finish it. Apparently he has the mechanical aptitude to do so. I told her in that case the club could be very helpful by providing information and answering questions via the Forum or phone to the friend. Likewise, we could be helpful in locating any parts he may need. Additionally, I told her that if there ended up being some things left to do that could be done in a day or so, that we could get together and do that for her.
I asked her to take some pictures of the car, so as you said, we could get an idea of what's needed. I know you offered to go take some pictures, and if you wanted to contact her, it might be helpful for you to shoot the pictures. Since you well know what to look for, you could probably get some pretty good photos. Just a thought.

by **David O'** » 05 Tue Jun, 2007 7:19 am

My prayers are being sent to them, let me know what I can do to help!

by **Frontloader** » 07 Thu Jun, 2007 7:01 pm

Well, here goes with my first post.

Let me say, first of all, that these posts and words of encouragement are very heart warming. I have been moved to tears at times. Thank you everyone for even desiring to help finish our buggy and Ed's dream.

One of his postings said that he was finished with the wiring except for a couple of tests he wanted to do before he put the dash on. Which ones???

Another thing was that he was considering buying a rebuild motor from Aquabuggy, I think. I don't know what his decision was. But I think that may be the way to go for me.

Another one of his postings was about a new exhaust system and was going to look at the buggies at the Buggy Blast. So I figure he needed one. The old one is rather rusty - that is about all I know.

I can see why Ed could get so excited about finishing the buggy when he found the encouragement that he did. We had many many fun times in the old dune buggy and one of his dreams was to take it up to Colorado again. Maybe next summer . . . want to go too????

Margaret (Frontloader's Wife)

by **MURZ** » 07 Thu Jun, 2007 9:34 pm

Margaret,
We are all sad about your husband's passing. I can tell you that there would be nothing more that your husband you enjoy more smiling down from heaven to see you riding in that thing.

Most people cannot even comprehend the time, energy, and vision that goes into the building of a buggy. Truly they become not just a car but a life passion and expression of a man or woman. Unlike the many other car's I have built and restored, my buggy was totally different because I did everything myself and created something from nothing.

How does this relate to your situation? Well during almost the entire build of my car my father was bedridden and terminally ill. Every day we talked by phone about what I did on the car, what I was gonna do and how awesome it was going to be when it was finished. We kept each other going. Sadly, he never saw the end result.

My Dad passed about a year before I finished the car, and to tell you the truth I almost gave up on the build afterwards because it wasn't the same without his guidance and friendship, albeit just over the phone. I did finish the car and it was everything I and HE ever dreamed it would be.

My father was not a rich man but he taught me many principles along the way. He taught me to always chase your dreams and push yourself beyond what you think you can do. .....His buggy can be finished.

One of the things I got from my father after he passed was an old Hawaiian shirt, not a new one, but one he wore many times when we would barbeque at his house. Nothing more than a faded maroon shirt to others, it has become a way for me to "ride" with him in my car. I'll reach in the closet, pull it down off of the hangar on a nice Saturday, and say quietly to myself, "come on Daddy, lets go ride" . With the slip of it over my shoulders I am ready.

Your husband, from what I knew of him, would want nothing more than you to finish that little car, throw on one of his old favorite caps and say, "honey, lets go ride!!".

I am way over in New Orleans La, but if I can help in any way to get the buggy going just let me know.

God bless, Michael

by **Frontloader** » 08 Fri Jun, 2007 8:15 am

Thanks a lot for sharing your story. You hit the nail on the head! I feel very close to Ed when thinking about, talking about, or just looking at the dune buggy.

Finishing the buggy is what Ed wanted most and that is why I can get so excited about finishing it. I am no mechanic that is for sure! I can change the oil in my car, but I still ask one of my sons to do it.

Everyone that I have "talked" to from the Manx Club has just been super encouraging and their excitement is contagious. Hopefully, one day we will meet and go for a ride.

by **blackthree4me** » 08 Fri Jun, 2007 10:20 am

lets look at the questions
1) the wiring
A) as long as most of the wiring is done (every thing looks to be hooked up) plug that sucker in to the batery, check fuses to see what (if anything)
blew a fuse
next check to see that everything works
lights blinkers wipers ECT
as long as everythings a go install the dash
im sure he wanted to check everything before installing the dash as its a pain to redo things while the dash is installed.

2) rebuilt engine
engines can be had from mild to wild, to build it your self, to just turn key.
when you are ready for a motor we can give you some options.
I believe he had a motor but was unsure of its condition
I would first see if your engine will run most likely it will and with a little clean up, update, and tuning, it will sufice for now untill you make the decision to rebuild if it needs it at all.
that is a question only a good mechanic can tell you.
his last post stated he was unsure at this time.
VWs are harty litle buggers and unless something major was wrong when it quit running it should be reviable with a little work.

last is the header
A) easy fix decide if you want it obnoxous loud like mine or realy quiet like Bryans
I would supose you want to keep it quit so its a matter of picking one and bolting it on.
or just getting you old ones cleaned up and recoated then bolt them on.
I would sugeest you go down to the local book store and
get you a HOT VW Magazine to help with looking at whats availble on the market. as well as our site sponcers web sites.
might even want to get John Mures Idiots guide to the VW.
(dont laugh I have one too.)

Hope this helps get you going in the right direction.
we are glad you are getting involved in something
( thats the right thing to do)
we are even glader you chose to get involved with the buggy
we love buggys

ask away there are no dumb questions. (at least not on this site)
only the ones you dont ask.
blackthree4me

by **Frontloader** » 08 Fri Jun, 2007 9:52 pm

[quote="blackthree4me"]lets look at the questions

A) as long as most of the wiring is done (every thing looks to be hooked up) plug that sucker in to the batery, check fuses to see what (if anything)
blew a fuse
next check to see that everything works
lights blinkers wipers ECT
as long as everythings a go install the dash

Thank you Blackthree4me for your suggestions. However, I am not a mechanic and have only a limited understanding of what you are saying.

I found his chart for the wiring (Greek to ME!!!!) along with his notebook for taking notes. This would be meaningful to someone who knows what he is talking about. I do not.

I understand what you are saying about "plug it into the battery". The battery is right there, but how do I plug all the wiring into the battery? Do I use jumper cables??? No, probably not. This is more than I think I can handle. I can ask my son (an electrician but not a mechanic) to come over and check it out. :lol:

How does the wiring connect to the battery??? Is there some kind of a connector??? I know you have never had any questions like this before

You could probably walk me through it, but for me to understand and do it so anyone would be confident in driving it, sounds like a great undertaking.
I'm sure Ed is just shaking his head - something he has probably been doing a lot of lately.

Okay, I just returned from the garage to check things out with greater details. I looked at the battery but could not find anything to connect any wires - only some very large clips and then some small clips on a wire. I'm not sure how to use them. I could not find an end to all the wires to connect to the battery. I may just need to look closer - but it was hot out there.

Then I also found the motor, which is cleaned and painted like new.
Found the exhaust pipes - no longer rusty, but cleaned and painted black.
I'm not sure about any mufflers - couldn't find one.
I could not find anything that looked like a dash board - except an unusual shaped board painted green (like the buggy) but it did not have any holes cut in it or anything attached, just a board. This board is very odd shaped. Maybe I need a new one???? Now I wish I had looked closer at the buggies at the Buggy Blast. At least I would know what to look for here.

My oh my, how inadequate I am. Bill K suggested I take pictures. I don't know exactly what to take a picture of. . . the panel of wiring??? . . . the motor??? The exhaust pipes??? Please excuse my ignorance. If anything needed to be done to the car, buggy, or truck I just said "ED. . . . . ." He knew what to do and could do it. My son Chris will not be able to come over until Sunday afternoon - but I will ask him about these things. Maybe he can show me some stuff.

Gotta go and get some beauty sleep - I have a Red Hat function tomorrow in Houston. Now that I know how to do!

Margaret

by **Tom Kathleen** » 11 Mon Jun, 2007 9:25 pm

Margaret, first let me express my sincere sympathy for your loss. I can't imagine loosing my husband and best friend.
You are so fortunate to have hooked up with the Texas Dune Buggy Club. Ed didn't realize what a gift he gave you when he made those reservations. You have no idea what great people you met in this group!! My husband and I met them last year. We decided to join the Buggy Blast and drove out from CT in my dune buggy. (My husband has one too... which is how I became involved in buggying.) We belong to several dune buggy forums and have met many people as a result of our buggy habit. The people on this forum are genuinely friendly and helpful. (must be the Texas hospitality!!!) There have been times on the other forums where people fight worse than a bunch of little girls. As you can see, the people here are quite the opposite. (All you Texas folks should pat yourselves on the back and feel good about your hospitality.)
I wish you great luck with the dune buggy and encourage you to stick with it and complete it. Building and riding in my buggy are the greatest thrills I have had!! What a great memorial to your husband, Ed!! What great fun for you when you ride in her!!
Kathleen

by **Patrick** » 12 Tue Jun, 2007 12:30 am

My wife when I got married didn't know anything about cars. Didn't know how to work on a VW. She runs circles around me now with it. She can wire anything and pretty much do everything on a VW. She taught herself from this book and also from the manuals that came with our other cars.

Hope this helps. I use to have the book, but sold it since I was trying to make room in our office. Click the link and you will go to Amazon.com to see the book that we use to have. Had step to step instruction on how to do things on your VW..

http://tinyurl.com/ywunws

Texas Manx Club

Passing of a Member

Passing of a Member

Prayers to the family

Finishing Our Buggy

Goin' Ridin'

More questions than answers

Buggy wiring, etc

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