OldNYJim Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Not that I don’t have three (seven) projects on my bench already, but I got to thinking the other day…what would a typical Cal-Look Beetle look like if that whole trend originated in NYC rather than So-Cal? What would that whole trend have looked like if the whole custom-Beetle thing originated on the East coast rather than the west? What would VW customizers do to prep their cars for city streets and driving around the city (with an occasional trip to Coney Island or the Rockaways) rather than miles of coast and nice weather? That idea stuck in my head, and I picked up a Bug kit at Hobby Lobby yesterday to kinda mess with the idea. Starting point… A few starting concepts of what a NY-look Beetle might have been. Firstly, the bumpers would stay. People park by feel in the city, so if I’d spent a bunch of money on a nice paintjob I wouldn’t want to risk that. Perhaps powder coated or a simple-to-touch-up color instead of chrome on the bumpers to keep them looking fresh? Maybe the bodies would retain a lot of their chrome and doodads rather than having a lot of bodywork done to smooth them out. New Yorkers are good adapters and improvisers, and a Bug being the ‘wrong year’ wouldn’t stop them from picking it as a starting point for a project car, and it probably wouldn’t be backdated to pretend to be a cooler earlier model. It might have different influences on the parts used too - maybe less of a drag/performance influence and more focus on some visually-interesting styling tweaks instead. Anyhoo, onto the build…first thing I wanted to do was open up the roof - a seller on Cults3D makes a conversion kit that includes open and closed cloth roofs, and this handy template to make cutting the top open quick and easy: A little careful scribing later… Next job - lowering the SUV-like ride height somewhat…here’s the kit chassis assembled: I‘ve got some 3D printed wheels and tires that I want to use on this build, but even with them being a scale-inch smaller than the kit ones this thing sits way high compared to how I’d like. A little relocation of the wheel backs by moving them up on the trailing arms and replacing the driveshafts helped a lot in the back: I did a similar trick on the front - got it sitting roughly like this: The rears will camber in slightly once I get them glued in place, and with the interior and glass in the front sits a little higher, but that’s much more like what I imagined… Now, I know what you’re saying - “Jim, why do you want that low ride height for rough city streets with raised manhole covers and potholes big enough to eat a small child?” Well…for looks. A simple air-ride system would help though, for sure, or at least adjustable shocks where you could easily drop it down in the dirt at a parking lot car meet but crank it back up a couple of notches for everyday use. And a test fit of the kit bumpers…I think I’d like to tuck the rear one in a little more than it is now, but I like the look so far: By the way, those wheels are Rotiform Porsche 356-inspired Speedster wheels…something a little different from the usual choices for a Beetle but still ‘in the family’ - I’m excited to see them cleaned up and chromed! Or maybe in brushed aluminum? And that’s about the extend of my progress this weekend aside from cleaning some parts up and looking at 60s VW paint-schemes…thanks for looking - more soon, soon as I’ve done more! 3
stitchdup Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Cool project, the 356 rotiforms suit the look. Fyi though, a 68 bug wont have the rear camber thats on earlier bugs as it has the irs rear end 1
OldNYJim Posted July 5, 2022 Author Posted July 5, 2022 9 minutes ago, stitchdup said: Cool project, the 356 rotiforms suit the look. Fyi though, a 68 bug wont have the rear camber thats on earlier bugs as it has the irs rear end Good to know, thank you - the kit rear end in the pics above isn’t the IRS version tho, right? It’s the swing arm kind? (I’m new at VW stuff…)
beeRS Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 This is going to be a cool Beetle. That open roof kit is really nice, especially the helpful template. 1
espo Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 I'm interested in seeing your New York style. The soft top is really well done and a must have no matter what coast the build is centered on. You mentioned the issues with parking, and New York doesn't have a corner on that problem. The factory option for the Vdubs were some nice and dainty looking chrome bars mounted to the bumpers. You might consider something a little more substantial for body protection. Look at a Jeep accessory catalog for what is sometimes called a Bully Bar. The design is to prevent a Jeep from rolling end for end on a sharp decent down a hill. The design would cause the vehicle to land on its side since that would cause less damage. Such a bar would prevent anyone parking around your Vdub from overriding the bumpers. Just a thought. 1
slusher Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Really great start Jim, I really like the wheels ? and the soft top!! 1
cobraman Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 You have it sitting just right. I had a Cal Look bug once upon a time. 1
TransAmMike Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Cool project Jim and I'll be watching. What I never understood tho is the picture on the box art has older VW bumpers, not '68 VW bumpers. Just sayin'. 1
Snake45 Posted July 5, 2022 Posted July 5, 2022 Didn't VW go to a smaller, metal sunroof a few years before 1968? I'm thinking somewhere around 1964.... 1
OldNYJim Posted July 6, 2022 Author Posted July 6, 2022 12 hours ago, espo said: I'm interested in seeing your New York style. The soft top is really well done and a must have no matter what coast the build is centered on. You mentioned the issues with parking, and New York doesn't have a corner on that problem. The factory option for the Vdubs were some nice and dainty looking chrome bars mounted to the bumpers. You might consider something a little more substantial for body protection. Look at a Jeep accessory catalog for what is sometimes called a Bully Bar. The design is to prevent a Jeep from rolling end for end on a sharp decent down a hill. The design would cause the vehicle to land on its side since that would cause less damage. Such a bar would prevent anyone parking around your Vdub from overriding the bumpers. Just a thought. I’ll check those out, thanks! 12 hours ago, slusher said: Really great start Jim, I really like the wheels ? and the soft top!! Thanks Carl! 12 hours ago, cobraman said: You have it sitting just right. I had a Cal Look bug once upon a time. I wanna see! 7 hours ago, TransAmMike said: Cool project Jim and I'll be watching. What I never understood tho is the picture on the box art has older VW bumpers, not '68 VW bumpers. Just sayin'. As far as I can work out, those bumpers ARE right for a GERMAN ‘68, but not an American one. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong…but I did some research and I think that almost everything everyone usually says is incorrect on this kit is actually because Revell of Germany based it on a German VW and not the equivalent version that we got. All that said, I wasn’t there at the time, and I don’t even begin to claim to be knowledgable about all the variations, so who knows… 7 hours ago, Snake45 said: Didn't VW go to a smaller, metal sunroof a few years before 1968? I'm thinking somewhere around 1964.... Very possibly! I did check out some aftermarket sunroof kits for reference and they mostly look like some variation of this so if it’s the wrong…it’s one of those instead! ? Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! Small update, as I’m replying anyway…I‘m going to be practicing some airbrush skills on this one for a definitely-not-stock paintjob, and I wanted a kind of burnt orange color as a base. Did a bunch of spoon tests and got what I had in my head with a dark gray primer and this Testor’s orange metallic: Looks kinda ‘meh’ in the photobooth: But it really pops in some better light! The flake is way too large to be in proper scale, I think, but I’ve got a pretty complex paintjob in mind and almost all of this will have a LITTLE of something else over top by the time I’m done. Actually, including Pearl-Ex laden clear ALL of this will have at least one more thing over top of it by the time I’m done, so I’m happy with it as a starting point. Just a mini update - more soon, soon as I’ve done more!
stitchdup Posted July 6, 2022 Posted July 6, 2022 34 minutes ago, CabDriver said: As far as I can work out, those bumpers ARE right for a GERMAN ‘68, but not an American one. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong…but I did some research and I think that almost everything everyone usually says is incorrect on this kit is actually because Revell of Germany based it on a German VW and not the equivalent version that we got. All that said, I wasn’t there at the time, and I don’t even begin to claim to be knowledgable about all the variations, so who knows… I wouldn't worry too much on the bumpers, vw are notorious for using up what was left on crossover years like 67-69. They were still using 1940 kubelwagen parts in 1951 on the early buses and bugs. That colour is very nice in the sun 1
Maindrian Pace Posted July 6, 2022 Posted July 6, 2022 When you said "New York look" Beetle, I was picturing a Beetle street parked in The Bronx during most of the '70s. 1
TransAmMike Posted July 6, 2022 Posted July 6, 2022 15 hours ago, CabDriver said: I’ll check those out, thanks! Thanks Carl! I wanna see! As far as I can work out, those bumpers ARE right for a GERMAN ‘68, but not an American one. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong…but I did some research and I think that almost everything everyone usually says is incorrect on this kit is actually because Revell of Germany based it on a German VW and not the equivalent version that we got. All that said, I wasn’t there at the time, and I don’t even begin to claim to be knowledgable about all the variations, so who knows… Very possibly! I did check out some aftermarket sunroof kits for reference and they mostly look like some variation of this so if it’s the wrong…it’s one of those instead! ? Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! Small update, as I’m replying anyway…I‘m going to be practicing some airbrush skills on this one for a definitely-not-stock paintjob, and I wanted a kind of burnt orange color as a base. Did a bunch of spoon tests and got what I had in my head with a dark gray primer and this Testor’s orange metallic: Looks kinda ‘meh’ in the photobooth: But it really pops in some better light! The flake is way too large to be in proper scale, I think, but I’ve got a pretty complex paintjob in mind and almost all of this will have a LITTLE of something else over top by the time I’m done. Actually, including Pearl-Ex laden clear ALL of this will have at least one more thing over top of it by the time I’m done, so I’m happy with it as a starting point. Just a mini update - more soon, soon as I’ve done more! Oh yeah Jim, really nice in the sunlight picture. Concerning the bumpers, makes sense about being an actual German Beatle. The bumpers look better anywy than the hideous American ones. 1
dsummone Posted July 7, 2022 Posted July 7, 2022 That top is fantastic. I just finished my stock 66 and want to build another but custom. 1
Oldmopars Posted July 7, 2022 Posted July 7, 2022 To clear a few things up. That is a 1968 Beetle, IRS was only used on the Auto-Stick Beetles in 68, 1969 all Beetles (USA) got the IRS. So, some camber in the rear would be normal. The factory sunroof on these cars would have been a steel roof, however the sliding cloth roofs were very popular and were offered by the aftermarket well into the 90's and even can be had today. That and many would cut the top off an older Bug and weld it on a newer one. So, a 68 with that type sunroof is completely OK for anything other than a showroom stock build. Yes, the bumpers are correct for a German Bug, wrong for a US Bug, but, again you could swap them on a custom build. The fenders are also wrong, they are more correct for a 1967 Bug in the US. For 1968 the small grills in each fender were gone and the bumper brackets were larger. However, again these could be swapped out on a custom Bug. Having owned 36 Aircooled VW's and being a mechanic on them for many years I can tell you I have seen many things swapped around from year to year. With this kit as long as you are not going for a factory stock USA version, it is perfectly OK and just call it a custom. Old Bugs are like Legos, parts swap from year to year and for the most pat, just bolt right on. With all that cleared up, this build is looking great. I like what you are doing. Seeing as these cars were used in the Baja races, some NYC streets should not kill it. They were pretty tough little cars. 1
TNT Posted July 8, 2022 Posted July 8, 2022 Cool project. I like the extreme flake look with them paints. But when i use them they only come out right about 50% of the time and they are a pain to strip off. Will this bug come with a NY style cheese cake? 1
OldNYJim Posted July 10, 2022 Author Posted July 10, 2022 (edited) Thanks for all the comments fellas! Might not come with a cheesecake…maybe a decent dollar slice (now $2 at most of my favorite places…) Shot a couple of coats of orange and pink pearl over top the base color - not a bunch, just a little to give it a little extra shimmer once it’s all clear coated, and then shot intercoat over THAT so I could start some masking and airbrushing today. Laid down some tape around the panels so I can add a little fogging over the lines for some visual interest, and as a base for the other stuff I have planned… Nothing too difficult about the process, it’s just a little time consuming… Ready for the next layer of paint: I wanted a fairly subtle effect, so I mixed some translucent black up and misted it along the tape lines: And some careful unmasking later: Good starting point for some more airbrush-y fun! I wanted to add some vintage door lettering, but nothing too in-your-face so I cut some masks… Shot more black (a darker mix this time, so help it stand out slightly more than the fades I laid down already): And some more careful de-masking…tada! Got plenty more to do, but that that was today’s progress…thanks for looking - more soon! Edited July 10, 2022 by CabDriver 3
TNT Posted July 10, 2022 Posted July 10, 2022 Very cool. Did you cut the letters by hand or do you have a machine? 1
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