With the forms in place and templates for the fender curves, door handle and side light I can verify the basic layout of the strip fields. The fields will be quarter sawn cherry with ash trim.
First I select the width of the trim. I start with the width of my green tape.
At an inch and a half it seems a bit wide. I trim the tape down to 1 ¼” and try that out.
I’m happy with that, but I think I need the trim to be a bit lower. I drop it down ¼” and lay out more of the perimeter.
I’ve got the trim up 2” from the bottom of the door and set back from the fender curves ½”. The final layout element is a divider strip.
That strip is a bit narrower at 1”.
Next I cover the edges of the forms with tape. I’ll be using hot melt glue to hold the strips next to the forms and the tape will allow the glue to peel off without damaging the forms.
I then mark the location for the ash trim at the bottom of the form.
The divider trim:
And the top trim:
Now I can start making the strips.
I set my table saw up with a new 7 ¼” thin kerf blade. The thin kerf allows me to get more strips out of my board and is significantly easier on my saw (and me).
I cut all the cherry strips for my panel layout on both sides of the car and enough ash for the first panel layer. The ash trim will later get a few more layers over the layer of cherry.
Next I use my thickness sander to get everything to a uniform thickness. The result is between 0.16” and 0.17”.
I put marks on the end of the cherry board so I can keep the strips in the same order as they were cut.
I numbered them on both ends since that is easier to read than these marks.
Now it’s time to get the side templates laid out.
I use this layout to plan which strip goes where. I take the plank color, grain direction, and sap wood content into account. The strips then get another set of numbers.
The final preparation is to cut a set of hold down blocks. They will be used to hold the strips down against the forms while the hot melt glue sets up.
Strips go on the forms in the next part. Total hours are now about 77.
So you're overlaying it on the existing panels, not replacing them best I can tell? Definitely a little safer that way. .17" thick wood probably wouldn't too many dings from adjacent car doors!
Ron - the weight should be around 20 lbs for the entire vehicle. But hat's just a guess Ken - I'm not going to want dings on the wood either. A layer of 6 oz fiberglass cloth should help with that. Splinter - I doubt this will ever enter a dealer's property
At last! Someone asked the question! Now I have to answer it.
The car will be modified using a ute conversion kit from Smyth Kit Cars . The kit will result in the beetle having this kind of look:
There will be a few personal touches, but the most significant by far will be the wood panels.
Now - to answer your question duckmilk. There will be wood panels over the fender on the sides of the bed. These will be 2 separate panels since the panels get a bit too narrow at the top of the fender. The templates for these two panels are shown at the end of Part #3. Eventually the tailgate will have a wood panel on it as well.
The kit will be installed by Michael at Irregular Transformations. He joined here to follow this blog, but he may do a few comments or posts here eventually.
Oh yes I know the model it has a conventional inline four in the front Word has it its the same motor from the Ford escort models ... less the Cosworth! so def no dak dak!
