It’s time for a visual treat. Each round trip to see Michael takes 3 ½ to 4 hours driving. That plus 2 to 3 hours at his shop makes it a full day’s effort. In Part #20 we checked out the passenger side door panel.
That panel was cut based on measurements I took at the start of the project. The cuts were along the center of the door seams and needed to be trimmed again. This time I’m taking the driver’s side panel in one piece and marking the cuts for actual size.
I’m using Michael’s pull saw to cut the door panel there. Now I can verify my cut and make notes for adjustment. The side marker light prevents making any marks to cut the hood section apart. I’ll take care of that on my next trip in a few weeks.
When I get back a couple weeks later, Michael has removed the side marker lights. Now I can mark the cuts for the hood section on both sides. I’ll get to the extra pencil marks in a bit. Now I can tell the story of that extra pair of pencil marks in the picture above. Back in Part #10 I adjusted the panel to extend further on to the hood. I did not have the body shape mapped out that far on to the hood. I made my best guess and built the panel.
My guess wasn’t that good.
The two panel sections in front of the door do not have near enough curvature. I’m going to have to shape the back side and remove nearly 1/8 of an inch at the deepest point. That deepest point is what is marked on the panel above. I have traced the panel curvature in a couple different ways. I’ll do a first pass on the shaping and return to verify.
You will notice that there is a different rear view mirror. Michael had the idea to use a mirror from a newer model as a way to relocate the side marker light. It’s going to work out great!
I also am able to check the bed side panels.
It’s pretty exciting to finally get a peek as to what the final look will be. It’s just the boost I need to keep working on this monster of a project!
Well you certainly are dedicated to this project, driving to and from the shop is double the work time. Looks like it'll be worth it though, this truck is shaping up very nice, very nice indeed, looking great. Have you looked into state registration yet?, will this be a car, or a VW Truck? You're going to have the state boys scratching their heads.
The common path forward is to call it a VW Beetle. It has a body kit added on. These kitsw have been registered for over 10 years now. There are a few states that can be difficult but not many.
Insurance is a different matter. Haggerty is the best bet there.
That's looking sweet Steve. What a bonus to have a guy that knows enough vehicles to be able to recommend parts off another car to solve a problem. Keep up the good work, it's very impressive.
