Thread: Please please, keep the booing to a dull roar,...

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Went out for a cruise today, have to tear into the engine tomorrow so may as well enjoy the weather while I have it.
No real changes between the last photo I had, I just didn't like the angles as it didn't properly capture the stance of the car.


Do get a better look at the dual head spot. Might have to dig around & get another for the pass. side just for giggles.

The dash for those that are interested


And the bread board I slapped together for shows. All bare metal with a light oil coating, rough like my car. Have the dash plaques from the 3 shows it's been in to date

I am liking that thing man. Too bad the rear of the body isn't smoother and more sloped but other than that its a really sweet looking ride!

The direction I'm heading is a 2 seat coupe. As it sits, it's about 1/3 completed as far as the metal work I need to do.

If you follow the body contour on the top side where if gently curves down to meet the top of the rear fender, thats the line I'm using. Think a deuce rear end, but using the VW curves vice the sloped box shape of the Ford.
VW actualy made a car like this, called the Hebmuller (My spelling may be WAY off, but close enuf!). Sweet lil car, but RARE!
I have a donor hood & frame that I will need to widen a few inches, but nearly matches that line perfectly. Just need to take some of the curve out of the hood at the bottom so it sits flat on the rear apron.

I tossed around the idea of makin a rumble seat as well, but with the reduced height in the engine bay I'm gonna have to go with the idea of moving the firewall forward & mounting a sand rail turbo kit over the transmission. The setup I have now would require me to make a hole in the top for the intake, & I dont want to compromise the shape of the rear.
I'm trying to design a clean way to make vents in the sides to feed the cooling fan & turbo w/o looking to ricerish. Might just go with vents on the deck lid reminiscent of the old Porsches.
I tend to think, draw, & tinker alot, so time will tell where that eventualy ends up going.

Like this one??

Damn I never thought a VW could look so good!!! Do people keep the VW engines in them or what? Looks awsome, I can't get over how sweet these things look.

EXACTLY like that one. lol

That guys did an excellent job on that conversion, I have a couple pics of it before the paint went on, he did some neat stuff there.
Altho last I saw he still needed to finish up the firewall, there was a huge gap at the top when those pics were taken. He hasn't posted any updates recently that I have seen tho.
He had an old mostly stock engine it it as well.

Most of the people keep the VW engines in them, either make em bigger or drop in a built type IV. It just makes it that much cooler that we're makin these nice rides out of 1930's technology. :P
They are outrageously fun & can be very VERY quick. (Saw another recent posting on VW board about the continued banishemnt of VW's from import drag racing because VW's routinely stomp the everlovin snot out of the jap imports, makes the sponsors look bad. lol)

Started cuttin on it for the rear end build. Looks pretty scary at the moment. Have discovered I'll have to basicly build the new decklid from scratch using the old one as a frame & re skinning it over a wood mold.

Time to get medival & make wooden framing to shape the steel! Sure hope I dont have to do this job twice!!
I'd use fiberglass, but I prefer steel, just gonna have to use all of my skill & imagination here. Luckily I'm crazy so the imagination factor is noooo Problem! lol

Pix this weekend when i have more time to work on it.

can't wait

Nice rides.
I'm new to this board too and own a '66 bus thats ratted out. Our hot rod brothers are kind enough to appreciate rodded out V-Dubs. That volksrod site is nice too.

OK, I know a couple people are wondering. No, I didn't get too far yet. I'm having to rethink alot of the work but looks like I'll figgure something out if I tinker with it enough.

Mostly, the hold up is that I ran into a major obsticle to my available time to work on the Bomber, & the funding as well,...



Yep, broke down & got another bike. been a couple years & it's been killin me. Decent deal on a sweet bike. have a couple things I need to buy for it, then I'm back on the car. In the meantime I will get back to cutting, trimming, welding, & forming. Once I get the current stage finished I'll submit photos of the horror.

Hey VW, would you have a link explaining the differences and interchangability of the different (type 2, type 4, et.) VW engine and transmissions???

Dave, if you look up www.shoptalkforums.com & poke around you'll find alot of those answers there. You'll find alot in the VW Speed & drag racing forum, as well as the conversion perversions & Euro-look forums.
Probably THE #1 place to get aircolled VW information on the web.

I know there are a couple Porsche 5 & 6 speed trannys that will mate directly to a Type IV, and of course there are the bus trannys that fit the type I's, & later ones for the Type IV.

One of the most popular deals is to use the beefier Bus tansaxle mated to a type I engine, Porsche tranny flanges, CV joints, & stub shafts with aftermarket drive shafts (you could also bolt on the swing arms & brake system off of a Porsche 944, it's almost a direct fit but requires wider fenders). Makes for a bullet proof drive train on a street car. Anything stronger would require an aftermarket tranny & those are WAY spendy.

You'll also have to keep in mind the difference between IRS & swing axle transaxles. Swing axle seems to be very popular for drag applications, but they have serious camber issues if you want to drop the car. IRS is much better option for something lowered or bagged. I cant think of anything that looks worse than the angles those wheels get on a dropped car, fuuuuuugly!

Thanks VW, appreciate the help. Going to go do some looking.

OK, So I slacked off for about 2 mos. I have about 30 days before the next local show, so I finaly got back into the groove & started gettin my stoargae unit ready so I can use it as a shop late at night when I'm awake. This is the main thing that prevents me from working on it as much as I like, not having a garage & being a night owl.

ANYway, I tore into it this weekend & got both rear qtrs cut down:


Then using a donor hood & hood fram from another car I did some cutting so I could make the metal take a new form w/o ruining the curves of the original part.


I took the skin out of the center of the hood so that I could change the countours of the sides w/o having to work the center. Once I get it all lined up & set I'll re-skin the center, probably using the metal from the old roof.

To smooth it out & make a more workable front edge I'm thinking about using the piece I chopped off the top of the windshield. Will have to blend it in, but it has a nice curve & actualy makes a similar line as the hood itself. The lip for the window seal will make it easier to attach the interior trim when I get to that point as well.

Still plenty of room for a roll bar & to lean the seats back a good amount.

Once I get both of the frame sections tacked on & the sides of the hood down I'll start on the wood form I'll need to hold everything in place to skin the hood & fill the cuts. THAT is gonna be fun,...

Looking good VW. Anxious to see some pics as the work progresses. Should be a good look when you're finished.