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69 VW Bug ... 66 to 69 Bug 8/24/17 Fotki update


Foxer

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Who makes that white 66 kit? I'm working on converting a 69 to a much older version and its proving to be a tremendous amount of work. If I can locate and get my hands on one of those 66 kits I might have an easier go of it. Plus that kit has some killer engine detailing compared to the 1985 Revell release of the 69.

The '66 kit is by Tamiya. I'm very curious about this backdating project of yours....I'm wondering how far back you're going, because the Gunze-Sangyo/Mr. Hobby '56 might be a better starting point, even though it's a curbside

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My real '68 came to me with early bumpers on it, so I've forgotten about the bumperguards that would have been there. :D

The only difference that is needed, aside from the upright headlights, would be the fuel filler door in the right front quarter panel. The early '68s had a finger notch for opening it, but the later ones didn't because a cable release setup was added(lever was in the glovebox).

Here's a '69 with the later gas door:

Thanks, Dave. I am planning to do the fuel door (closed!) but that's interesting about the release. I can't recollect how either worked ... I had both a '68 and '69, but, unfortunately, my mind is a '46. :lol:

That's a nice, big photo showing the fuel door .. I saved it and might be useful to trace for the scribing.

Edited by Foxer
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I've been planning and made a list of the modifications I need to do to convert from a '66 Beetle to a '69 ...

 

Body

Vertical headlights - Revell VW Street Machine

Larger Tailights - Revell VW Street Machine

Fuel Door - scribe

Rear Engine lid - Revell VW Street Machine

Front Trunk Lid - lower edge squared off slightly

Front and Rear bumpers - Revell VW Street Machine

 

Interior

Add Dash padding ... auto putty

Seats from Revell VW Street Machine

 

 

Suspension

IRS - scratch build diagonal arms

Wheels - resin castings

 

Engine

Air Cleaner - reverse inlet, add large tube

Vacuum Line to Distributor

Extractor Exhaust - scratch build

Edited by Foxer
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This is the Tamiya 1966 Volkswagen 1300 Beetle I'm using for this build. It's 1'24. The engine is much better than Revells and the '66 body is older. What year are you making?

.

I am going to try to bring it back 6 years to a 63. My original plan was to make it a split but there is WAY to much body work for my skills so ill just bring it back a few years. I came to that conclusion last night while laying in bed trying to figure out how to move the rear fender wells from the chassis to the body and the same with the front just like on a 1:1 body. I'm thread jacking here ill stop now. Sorry. Keep us updates with this build brother. I love old VW's no matter what year.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been awhile since my last update but I have been plugging along. The extractor exhaust pipes have been twisting in my brain but I think I have a plan, so they may be next.

I had asked a question here on the IRS suspension and got some suggestions and they are now done. I didn't get too exact and left the shocks mounted as they were. I made a diagonal from strips, rounds and pins and it came out with the look I was after ...

diag arm2 DSC 1177

diag arm DSC 1181

Also slowly coming along on the bench is the dash padding cutout, the plug wires, read fender seam beading I had sanded off (replaced with .03" triangular strip).

dash DSC 1213

Edited by Foxer
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Little by little ... I got the tail lights from the Revell kit mounted with a little putty to square off the bottoms. They aren't a perfect match but will do. I used some .03" triangular strips to replace the rear fender bead. It looks a bit big in it's first primer but a bit more fine sanding will get it closer so it doesn't stand out so much.

tail lightsDSC 1183

tail lightsDSC 1182

 

Edited by Foxer
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  • 4 weeks later...

I attacked the head lights over the downtime here. The Revell kit again came through with the correct headlight rings. They sit vertical and set into the body rather than flush with the fender. I shaped some tube to fit the fender and glued them inside. They got a bit of putty while they were open and then sealed with a cut out disk.

Headlights DSC 1191

Headlights DSC 1195

Headlights DSC 1201

Headlights DSC 1204

Edited by Foxer
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  • 3 weeks later...

A small update, but the weather had been spectacular here! Added some sheet and putty to top of dash simulating the crash padding ... some fine sanding to finish it off yet.

dash DSC 1213

I started on making the extractor exhaust. I spent a lot of time researching and still am not 100% on how the 4-pipe EMPI system mated at the single muffler pipe. I glued four beading wire pieces, that I'm using for the pipes. together to see if crimping a piece of the bead cone shown over them would look like a collector ... maybe it will work but the group of four pipes looks way to large. I think I'll have to file a taper in each so they come together smaller. This keeps getting more and more complicated. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

 

The muffler pipe came out looking good at least.

muffler DSC 1218

 

 

Edited by Foxer
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Been working this week ... The collector is done and time to start bending pipe! It's a bit oversized but should be ok behind the rear apron. I'm dreading trying to get four pipes running between 8 hard points but what ya gonna do? :D

collector DSC 1221

collector DSC 1220

 

All the pipes will be a textured black like the 1:1 so I don't have to worry about the different materials used to make this.

Edited by Foxer
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On a full size collector, the ends of the pipes have a pie cut, and the notched portions help taper the end of the collector. Replicating this may help get the end of your collector and the muffler flange to a more manageable size.

I did file the receiving pipes on the collector to group them closer but all the pipes are a bit oversize to start with and it just grew. All in all, though, it looks ok by eye ... as long as I can get all the pipes in the space under the body it'll be ok I believe. It looks large from the rear with just the muffler pipe on it but that will be tucked up under the body.

Thanks for the comment.

Edited by Foxer
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  • 4 weeks later...

This slowed a little here as I figure out how I'm going to handle the exhaust. The pipes I bent didn't look that great.

In the meantime, I acquired a Hasegawa 1967 Beetle kit and was surprised that the headlights (correctly for 1967) were the vertical ones I needed and also 1/24 scale so they look better than the 1/25 Revell lights! Since they gave a rounded back I had to drill out the flat surface I had to mount the Revell lights .. no biggie. They do look much better.

new HL DSC 1230

Edited by Foxer
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  • 5 weeks later...

Nice work, a lot of differences between those two years! If it's not too late, you might want to look at the front bumper bracket openings - from '68 onwards, they bolted to the outside of the body and ran through the fenders as opposed to the apron.

A couple other changes are that by '67 the voltage regulator had moved to a position under the back seat vice mounted to the generator, and the dashboard had lost the horizontal chrome strips.

Great looking upgrades.

Keep Buggin'!

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  • 2 years later...

I had a bit of inspiration on this build that has been holding everything up. When I saw how easy building a US '69 bug from the two new Revell kits would be, including more accurate and very well detailed right out of the box, I began thinking I should abandon this attempt and go with the Revell for building my 1:1. I was just so hesitant to throw all I did here away.

But last week I got the 1949 Volkswagen Split-Window Sunroof Sedan Resin Conversion kit  from Best Model Car Parts

This is an amazing casting and uses the Tamiya 66 Bug as the donor. That started me thinking again about using the new Revell kits to do my 1:1. I could then use the Tamiya kit I've been using here to supply the Split Window with a chassis! I thing this has been decided in my mind but still need to argue with my fixation about not abandoning anything I've done already.

... stay tuned   :lol::o:blink:

Edited by Foxer
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