Thread: 1964 VW Beetle - WIP

Originally Posted by Hermit

Thanks Pete. I considered a weak tea wash, but I think I'll leave well enough alone. Hopefully the finish will mask it a bit. Luckily the wheel covers a lot of it.

I've been keeping an eye on the fire in your area - got the map open in another window. That's pretty close.
Take it easy.

Thank you Steve,
We are 3-4kms west of the Chapman Pde fire emergency of today and with the westerly winds we are okay..
The water bombers, choppers, sirens and smoke have been quite intense since lunch time to the east of us..
Been difficult to relax with all the activity and media coverage..
Cheers, Peter [aka crowie]

Looks Damn Good Steve. I wouldn't worry about the timber difference. After you get a finish on it may not be as noticeable. You most likely are going to be your worst critic about it. As we are all of our creations. People observing the finished model won't even take notice unless you point it out. (which we all do LOL).

Looking forward to seeing you finish it and start on the Holden. Do you have any idea how you are going to tackle the body? I am still laying awake at night trying to plan out how I'm going to make something that looks remotely like a 32' Ford body. I have a few ideas not sure if any of them are going to work.

In the meantime the weather here in Texas has been low 70's during the day and I just can't resist working on the 64'. I have half of the inside of the cab stripped down to the metal. Also restoring the gauge cluster. So needless to say I am a little distracted from the 32' at the moment.

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Looks Damn Good Steve. I wouldn't worry about the timber difference. After you get a finish on it may not be as noticeable. You most likely are going to be your worst critic about it. As we are all of our creations. People observing the finished model won't even take notice unless you point it out. (which we all do LOL).

Looking forward to seeing you finish it and start on the Holden. Do you have any idea how you are going to tackle the body? I am still laying awake at night trying to plan out how I'm going to make something that looks remotely like a 32' Ford body. I have a few ideas not sure if any of them are going to work.

In the meantime the weather here in Texas has been low 70's during the day and I just can't resist working on the 64'. I have half of the inside of the cab stripped down to the metal. Also restoring the gauge cluster. So needless to say I am a little distracted from the 32' at the moment.

Bret

I think I can live with that variation in shade. Since those panels are on an angle from the sides, it looks a bit like the light is just catching it differently.

Like you Bret, I've been laying awake at night trying to figure out how to do the FC body and the roof and pillars. I do my best thinking in bed at night.
To make things worse, I want it to be two-tone like the paint job on an original '58. Pretty tricky. I need to pre-assemble the sides from two timbers and I'd like to make both roof and pillars from one piece if possible.
This is the colour scheme. See what I mean? (The unseen boot/trunk lid is also white.)
It's gonna be fun. Great looking, though. Similar to a '56 Chev:

1958 FC.jpg


I think you have your priorities right - your 'real' '64 should get preference over the model.
I hate working on the interior of cars. Too hard to move around.
Is there much rust in the floor?
You'll have to email me an occasional progress pic.


On the VW, I made a dummy balsa front indicator this morning, to get the dimensions right. Pretty fiddly. They're only 12mm x 7mm x 5mm tall.

Balsa dummy indicator.JPG


I want to try to add the lens as well on the proper ones, but I'll see how I go. I have a plan but I'm not sure if it'll work.
$(KGrHqRHJE0FGWmoq,mPBRtwpcp6bg~~60_37.jpg


Edit: Bret, my turn for the plumber - sprung a leak under the bathroom basin. It pours out every time I turn the tap on.
Lucky for me, I don't have to pay since I'm renting.

I got the front indicators finished tonight. They came out OK. Just need to chop off the balsa handles and profile the bottoms slightly to fit flush on the guards.
Camphor Laurel, with Australian Red Cedar for the lenses. The CL will match the hub caps, bumpers, door handles etc. Probably the exhaust pipes too.

I'm glad that not everything is this small. I messed up once, chipped one, and had to remake it but otherwise it was a bit easier than I expected.

a. Parts - CL & ARC.JPG b. Blanks glued up.JPG

c. First attempt marked out.JPG d. Shaping finished.JPG


I can start gluing things up tomorrow.

You can see stuff that small. LOL. Lenses look good Steve. Contrast came out great.

I will keep you updated on the truck build. I am getting really jazzed about at it as progress is being made. Having it on the road is a long way off but the journey to get there is just as much fun. Here is the link to my build thread if you want to follow. Most of the pictures are not working right now but my most recent work is on there where I stripped the cab..

64 C10 Stepside "Jaybird" - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Your Holden build will be very interesting with that two tone treatment you want to accomplish.

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

You can see stuff that small. LOL. Lenses look good Steve. Contrast came out great.

I will keep you updated on the truck build. I am getting really jazzed about at it as progress is being made. Having it on the road is a long way off but the journey to get there is just as much fun. Here is the link to my build thread if you want to follow. Most of the pictures are not working right now but my most recent work is on there where I stripped the cab..

64 C10 Stepside "Jaybird" - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Your Holden build will be very interesting with that two tone treatment you want to accomplish.

Bret

Excellent. Thanks for the link Bret. (And the kind comments.)
I'm off to check out your build thread.

Edit: It's looking pretty good, Bret. I see you've enlisted the boys as labourers.

I couldn't sleep, got something in my eye that's bugging me, so thought I may as well get back up and keep working.

I got the main glue-up done. The body is all in one piece now and attached to the floor pan.
Just a bit of cleaning up later and then it's onto the running boards, followed by the bumpers.

Main glue-up done.JPG

Starting to look really great Steve. Looking forward to the next part of the build and also the car you are planning to make after this one.

I know I lay awake sometimes thinking about the next two or three stages in any build like to think ahead but to get up in the middle of the night is definitely a no no. I have even locked the shed and it is only 18:30 on the 23rd here.

Top work all round Steve!!! Wheels really look the goods!!
An FC sounds good to me.

Originally Posted by artme

Top work all round Steve!!! Wheels really look the goods!!
An FC sounds good to me.

Thanks Arthur and Derek. Just boring bits for a couple of days, then I can get into the bumpers.

The FC's slowly coming together in my head.

Whatever's in my eye is stubborn and still there today. I've tried to wipe it out a few times, but it's not budging. Hard to see if I'm even wiping in the right place, looking in the mirror through glasses. A doctor's trip might be in order on Monday, if I can't get it out by then. Bloody annoying.

I thought it was about time for an update. I finished blending and cleaning up around the front, then made the running boards, but I won't glue them on yet until after I sand the body. Since the running boards on a real bug have rubber tread, I also ebonised them, then gave them a couple of coats of Danish oil to seal the black.
After finish sanding the front panels, the body sides and roof are looking a bit shabby by comparison. I'll have to get stuck in and give them a good sand soon.

cu. Running boards finished.JPG


I made a pair of exhaust pipes for the rear, too. For now, they're slightly over-length. I'll trim them to length when I make the rear bumper.

cv. Exhaust pipes test fit.JPG


The front bumper is under construction at the moment. I've cut out the overriders and reinforcing tubes, to start shaping the tubes tonight. I decided to make them before the main bumper section so I could drill holes in the bumper to suit the final diameter of the tubes. Not sure if I want 2.5mm or 3mm yet. I'll see how they look as I go. The bumper main and overriders will be Camphor Laurel and the tubes are 2 layers of 2mm Basswood ply, laminated together for 4mm.

cw. Front bumper first parts.JPG


I got the first drawing of the FC done, too, a side profile at 80% of the model size, big enough to just fit on an A4 sheet. I have a long way to go, but at least it's a start. It's traced and drawn from a photo I found online.
I'll also do front, rear and top views in the same scale, then when I've got it all right I'll scale up to the final 1:12 and take the outlines for the parts patterns.
By then I hope to have worked out the best way to put it together.

ab. RHS Profile A4 - Draft 1.jpg

Originally Posted by Hermit

I thought it was about time for an update. I finished blending and cleaning up around the front, then made the running boards, but I won't glue them on yet until after I sand the body. Since the running boards on a real bug have rubber tread, I also ebonised them, then gave them a couple of coats of Danish oil to seal the black.
After finish sanding the front panels, the body sides and roof are looking a bit shabby by comparison. I'll have to get stuck in and give them a good sand soon.

cu. Running boards finished.JPG


I made a pair of exhaust pipes for the rear, too. For now, they're slightly over-length. I'll trim them to length when I make the rear bumper.

cv. Exhaust pipes test fit.JPG


The front bumper is under construction at the moment. I've cut out the overriders and reinforcing tubes, to start shaping the tubes tonight. I decided to make them before the main bumper section so I could drill holes in the bumper to suit the final diameter of the tubes. Not sure if I want 2.5mm or 3mm yet. I'll see how they look as I go. The bumper main and overriders will be Camphor Laurel and the tubes are 2 layers of 2mm Basswood ply, laminated together for 4mm.

cw. Front bumper first parts.JPG

Damn Steve, it just keeps getting better......Cheers

Originally Posted by crowie

Damn Steve, it just keeps getting better......Cheers

At least on paper. I have to make it yet. (The bumper, that is.)

Steve, I hope those indicators are just sitting there cos they look wonky.
Or is it the way I'm looking at them.