V8 Super Beetle

[V8SuperBeetle]

Hey guys,

Here's my 1973 V8 Super Beetle. It has a 383 ci (stroked Chevy 350) V8 with about 410-425 and an automatic th350. I used a S10 long wheelbase pickup frame and shortened it to fit under the beetle body.

Some pictures.

What I started with.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/Bug_3.jpg


Where I'm going with it.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/photo2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/chassis_4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/s10-frame-v8-bug-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/IMG_0253.JPG

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body_4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/complete-s10-v8-bug-shackle-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/bug_wide_fenders_6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-355.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/gas-tank-v8-bug.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/diassembly-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-s10-frame-in-truck-bed-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-finish-front-suspension-s10-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-finish-front-suspension-s10-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-machined-block-s10-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-s10-engine-in-1.jpg

http://www.volksrods.com/21dd269d0.jpg

http://www.volksrods.com/21df26ea0.jpg

http://www.volksrods.com/21e0c2580.jpg

http://www.volksrods.com/21e2269d0.jpg


I have lots more pictures in my photo gallery. Let me know if you have any questions.


Thanks,

Matt

[V8SuperBeetle]

It's been a long week and a short three day weekend, but it was great nonetheless. Me and the wifey went to Galveston island for the four day weekend so I didn't get as much work done as I would've liked. It's also been getting up in the mid 90's so I limit how much work I do to early mornings and late evenings.

Some progress pics.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-1.jpg


This section has been taking up a lot of time trying to get it nice and straight. It's almost there. I need to do another skim coat of filler around the right side of the gas door and I need to fix the area above the door.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-2.jpg


The old fuel door location hasn't been too bad. It needs a skim coat to fill the dark low spot by the rain rail and it'll be ready.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-3.jpg


This fender needed a skim coat of filler and some blocking to make perfect. It's ready to go.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-4.jpg


This fender was good as is.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-5.jpg


This side of the car is ready other than the b-pillar posts that need filling from me cutting them out and welding them back in.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-6.jpg


I started filling and blocking the rear apron, but I got tired and hot so I called it a day.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-7.jpg


I'm hoping to have the car ready for it's first coat of primer by this weekend. I still have a lot to do but it's moving a long fairly quick.

[gixxer711]

nice job on widening the fenders

[V8SuperBeetle]

nice job on widening the fenders

Thanks. It was a PITA widening the late rear fenders. Can you believe I welded them up with a stick welder? Wasn't easy and very tedious. :hat:

[mikeridesbikes]

man, im serious, need any help, just let me know. lol.

[V8SuperBeetle]

If you want to come over and help assemble this thing after I paint it that would help. I would say come over and help block sand it, but the next few weekends I have gigs so I'm not sure I'll get much done or if I'll even feel like working on it after playing and having drinks until the crack of dawn. lol

[mikeridesbikes]

haha alright. well talk at the meetings. your going right? next monday night at logans

[V8SuperBeetle]

Yeah, I'll be there. I'm not sure I can come every Monday, but I'll show up this meeting. Between the :ballchain:, the :baby: on the way, the band :drum: and trying to finish this project, time is pretty tight.

I'll eventually be a regular in due time.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Still plugging away on the bodywork. The area around the relocated gas tank door, the front passenger side quarter panel where the gas tank door was, and the roof has taken up quite a bit of time. Basically where ever I had to cut out some metal and weld it back in. Next time I weld on the body sheet metal, which wont be anytime soon, I'll be sure to take more precautions to keep distortion to a minimum.

These areas needed the most attention to get straight. The rest is cakewalk. It seems like just when I thought it was straight, they needed another skim coat to fill in a low spot. These sections are pretty much shaped / flat, but need to be skimmed over with some glaze putty to fill in pin holes, feathered a little more, then sanded with 100 and 150-180 grit to get ready for its first coat of primer.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-10.jpg


This section here had the most distortion and it had a nice whisky dent next to it which required the bondo to be feather even further. PITA.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-14.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-12.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-8.jpg


I still need to sand down the little bit of untouched filler you see. Other than that, it'll finally be nice and flat.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-13.jpg


I can say this area has taken the most time. I still need to work on the area above the gas tank and around the door some more. It's almost there.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-11.jpg


The rear clip is ready to go. Now I just need to smooth out the transition of the sheet metal around the "radiator shroud".

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-9.jpg


This area just needs to be sanded with finer and finer paper, glazed and repeated.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-15.jpg


I have definitely missed my mark to get it in paint early this month. It's looking more like the middle to late next month it should be in paint. Body work is taking long then expected and I have to build one of these (the copper tubing which collects the moisture follow by an air filter / trap) to make sure I have no moisture in my lines when I go to put down any paint.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-16.jpg


More soon.

[V8SuperBeetle]

It doesn't look like I'll be at the meeting tonight. My preggo wife isn't feeling all that great today (usual cramping / discomfort stuff from the baby getting bigger) and I want to be at home with her just incase. Besides, some one has to spoon feed her. LOL, jk.

[gixxer711]

It doesn't look like I'll be at the meeting tonight. My preggo wife isn't feeling all that great today (usual cramping / discomfort stuff from the baby getting bigger) and I want to be at home with her just incase. Besides, some one has to spoon feed her. LOL, jk.

bring her with ya, we will cheer her up

[gixxer711]

Body work is taking long then expected and I have to build one of these (the copper tubing which collects the moisture follow by an air filter / trap) to make sure I have no moisture in my lines when I go to put down any paint.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/work-body-383-bug-16.jpg


More soon.

you can use the shade tree trick. wrap some coils of line in a 5 gallon bucket and dump ice in it. it will freeze any moisture.

[V8SuperBeetle]

bring her with ya, we will cheer her up

I wish it were that easy.

[V8SuperBeetle]

you can use the shade tree trick. wrap some coils of line in a 5 gallon bucket and dump ice in it. it will freeze any moisture.

I've heard and have thought about that method cause really I only plan to do just this one project. Have you tried this or know anyone that has successfully?

[gixxer711]

a buddy of mine told me about and used it.

[V8SuperBeetle]

a buddy of mine told me about and used it.

Cool, I'll give that a try when I go to spray epoxy and 2K high build to see how it does.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Yesterday I pulled the bug out of the garage to sweep up a little, knock some dust off the car and to drive her around a little cause she's been sitting for a few weeks. I decided to take some pics while the car was out cause I just mounted the new fenders and to take a look at overall progress.

The new fenders are pretty decent. They'll be perfect for when I upgrade my rear with a 8.8 explorer unit which is a direct bolt in upgrade for S10s (the rear is 3" wider). I think the car would look even better if I do about a 1.5-2" drop in the rear. So I'm going to look into some SOLID drop blocks from JTR.

The body and the fenders will need some work to make them fit right, but not too bad. There were some cracks in the center of the fenders and I'm guessing it's cause they flexed during shipping. They were just plastic wrapped / bagged and tagged. They seemed to do fine packaged that way for the most part.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-7.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-8.jpg


Here are the cracks I was talking about, which I have already filled and blocked sanded after I took these pictures. Below you'll see some gaps that'll need work on both fenders.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-10.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-11.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-12.jpg


Over all, they're decent fenders. I have nothing to really compare them too, but I would think they're a little on the thin side, but that's probably cause I have no paint on them yet.

Fitment was OK. I guess it could be worse. I drilled where they had dimples molded into the fenders for the bolt holes. They weren't exactly spot on, but close enough. I had to widen about half of the holes so the bolts would line up.

I'll have more after this weekend.

[gixxer711]

you went to the glass fenders because of the rear end swap? couldnt they just narrow the rear end? i would def rather have your metal fenders than the glass one. be sure to coat the underside of those fenders with undercoating, as i am sure you probably planned on.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I would much prefer the steel fenders too. I might just buy a late model pair and widen them to the width I need. The problem with the 3" fenders I widened myself is I widen them so they would work with my vette wheels. I have since changed direction on wheels and the fenders rub the tires.

Thanks for the heads up. I have some MasterSeries undercoating I plan to spray.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Forgot to answer your first question. I was just saying that the 4.5" wide fenders would work well with a ford explorer 8.8" swap. I currently have the stock S10 7.625" rear under the car. The 8.8" is 3" wider than the S10 rear and just as strong as a Ford 9". Basically the 8.8 is a direct bolt in, with a conversion u-joint, and they come in posi with either 3.55, 3.73, or 4.10 gears. There's plenty of explorers at the junkyard and are only $220 at pick-a-part with a core.

The only reason I brought that up is later on I plan to upgrade my car from it's currently form. The plan is to fabricate some homemade Cal-Tracs, get some slicks and a transbrake. I would have a separate pair of wheels for the track. As of now the car is pegleggin. Which is fine for now.

[gixxer711]

sounds like fun!

[V8SuperBeetle]

It would be fun to pop off some wheelies and get in the high 10's / low 11's down the quarter mile strip. One day...

[gixxer711]

you coulda done that with a vw motor ;)

[V8SuperBeetle]

Yeah, but how am I going to hook up and pull my 15' bass boat uphill with that aircooled motor? :fish2:

Them aircooled engine's don't like the Houston heat. Ask me how I know? :thumb:

[gixxer711]

gonna put a hitch on it huh?

[V8SuperBeetle]

gonna put a hitch on it huh?

I was just teasing. Although, the thought had crossed my mind. :D

[V8SuperBeetle]

Still doing body work. It's been tough lately cause of the heat. It's been 95-100º. So I try and do as much work in the morning and the evening as possible.

I have the hood just about ready to rock. There's one small low spot that needs taken care of.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-13.jpg


The b-pillars are pretty much ready. Just need to glaze and sand up to 150-180 grit.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-14.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-15.jpg


The doors had so holes drilled in them I'm sure for some accessory. Don't quite know what. So i had to weld the holes up, grid, and tap them down.

There was also a rusted corner on the driver's side door that needed fixing. So I cut out the rust, welded in new metal, ground the welds, and filled the low spot with bondo.

The doors are ready other than some glazing and to be sanded with finer paper.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-16.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-17.jpg


Almost there. Thing left to do are:

1. Radiator area.
2. Engine bay.
3. Front clip.
4. Finish detail work around the gas tank filler door.
5. Finsh driver's side front quarter panel.


The whole, where body work has been done, still needs a paper thin layer of glaze to fill in pin holes. Then I need to sand the entire car with the DA working my way to 150-180 grit.

Then we can paint. That's not too much more to do, right? LOL

[mikeridesbikes]

i just realized this is in the aircooled section.. does it really belong here? lol

[V8SuperBeetle]

i just realized this is in the aircooled section.. does it really belong here? lol

LOL. I did ask the moderator where to stick it. The thread that is. :spit: The reasoning behind posting my build here is that it was originally an air cooled car.

[gixxer711]

glad to see you are still working on it even with the wonderful houston heat.

[V8SuperBeetle]

glad to see you are still working on it even with the wonderful houston heat.

Tell me about it. It's been too hot for body work much less any kind of outside work.

Almost there! I know this stage has seemed to drag on, but I'm trying to make sure it's as perfect as possible so I'm not using filler during the primer stage. The heat doesn't help any either. It seems just when I have a section done, I run my hand over it and I can feel just the slightest wave or imperfection.

This gas door has been the biggest PITA because of the body line just above the door. Once I get the shape right it'll be on like Donkey Kong.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-19.jpg


I have the radiator area nice and flat. Just a couple more spots that need work and it'll be good.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-21.jpg


The front clip needed some help. Some high spots and lows.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-18.jpg


Just about finished with the other front quarter panel. Just a little more blocking. And another skim coat to make sure it's flat.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/more-v8-383-bug-body-work-20.jpg


I'm hoping to have the remaining body work done by this weekend and to have some primer down. I have a 3 day weekend and the wife is working late tonight so I should be able to get it done. We'll see.

[ConcreteAce]

Danny (Gixxer) and I saw you driving around Saturday at his new house so you must live close. That thing looked bad ass!

[V8SuperBeetle]

LOL, seriously? Thanks! There's a new section of the neighborhood they just opened, all the streets are empty, and I take on those roads every now and then just to cruise and to have a little fun. Danny must be REALLY close for you guys to have seen me cruising around.

[gixxer711]

LOL, seriously? Thanks! There's a new section of the neighborhood they just opened, all the streets are empty, and I take on those roads every now and then just to cruise and to have a little fun. Danny must be REALLY close for you guys to have seen me cruising around.

my house faces that new section you were driving on. it is the three car garage brown house on the corner lot. we were working on coating the floor of the garage when we saw you. i tried whistlin but ethan reminded me you had a rumblin v8 in there. :lol:

[mikeridesbikes]

i hate you guys... two of my dream cars... within a mile or so of eachother...


haha, im so jealous!!!

[V8SuperBeetle]

my house faces that new section you were driving on. it is the three car garage brown house on the corner lot. we were working on coating the floor of the garage when we saw you. i tried whistlin but ethan reminded me you had a rumblin v8 in there. :lol:

Awesome! I believe I know which one it is. Next time I'm cruising around I'll keep an eye out for it and to see if you there's anyone there.

:lol: Yeah, I can hardly even hear my own thoughts. I have 40 series FlowMaster mufflers that are dumped so it's pretty loud inside. It sounds great inside and out, but I'm going to have to extend the pipes all the way out the back. It's a little too much after a while.

[V8SuperBeetle]

i hate you guys... two of my dream cars... within a mile or so of eachother...


haha, im so jealous!!!


:lol: I knew he was close, but not that close.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Hey Danny, BTW, when will the house be ready for you guys to move in?

There's a few guys with Beetles, two of which I know, in the neighborhood and I'm pretty sure they're not part of the club. There's a 72 super, 74 std., and a early 70's beetle (don't know what it is cause I just saw it in the guy's garage). I'll chat with them to see if they're interested in joining. It would be cool to have a little entourage of vws to head out to meets and shows from the neighborhood.

[gixxer711]

Hey Danny, BTW, when will the house be ready for you guys to move in?

There's a few guys with Beetles, two of which I know, in the neighborhood and I'm pretty sure they're not part of the club. There's a 72 super, 74 std., and a early 70's beetle (don't know what it is cause I just saw it in the guy's garage). I'll chat with them to see if they're interested in joining. It would be cool to have a little entourage of vws to head out to meets and shows from the neighborhood.

we moved in today! i actually found your house lastnite when i was leaving after putting down the final coat on the garage floor. i heard something fire up and it sounded close. so when i was leaving i drove over there and you were closing your garage door as i was coming around the corner. in a round the block way you are one street over from us, across the empty field.

would love to have some more dubs to cruise with. i think i have seen the same early 70s sitting in the garage that you are talking about.

see ya soon.

[V8SuperBeetle]

we moved in today! i actually found your house lastnite when i was leaving after putting down the final coat on the garage floor. i heard something fire up and it sounded close. so when i was leaving i drove over there and you were closing your garage door as i was coming around the corner. in a round the block way you are one street over from us, across the empty field.

would love to have some more dubs to cruise with. i think i have seen the same early 70s sitting in the garage that you are talking about.

see ya soon.

Too cool! I was block sanding on the car last night and I was just finishing up for the night.

I didn't fire it up last night so you might have heard the guy's truck a couple houses down from me. He has a late model white chevy pickup with a little work done to it. Sounds like a bigger cam and exhaust work. Very nice sounding.

You might also notice there's a guy few more houses down that has a black / murdered out late model Mustang, which he keeps in the garage, with a nasty cam and exhaust. Sounds REALLY good. He must be in a Mustang club cause I see different stangs at his house frequently and they all have work done to them. That also might be what you heard, this orange Mustang with a pro-charger. That thing whistles like crazy. Very cool.

BTW, they all piss me off cause they can drive their rides daily AND they have nice shiny paint jobs. :lol:

That would be cool.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I ordered a windshield the end of last week and it came in yesterday. Shipping charges were about the same cost as the window. Here's why.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-windshield-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-windshield-2.jpg


Needless to say, the glass arrived safely.

[gixxer711]

Too cool! I was block sanding on the car last night and I was just finishing up for the night.

I didn't fire it up last night so you might have heard the guy's truck a couple houses down from me. He has a late model white chevy pickup with a little work done to it. Sounds like a bigger cam and exhaust work. Very nice sounding.

You might also notice there's a guy few more houses down that has a black / murdered out late model Mustang, which he keeps in the garage, with a nasty cam and exhaust. Sounds REALLY good. He must be in a Mustang club cause I see different stangs at his house frequently and they all have work done to them. That also might be what you heard, this orange Mustang with a pro-charger. That thing whistles like crazy. Very cool.

BTW, they all piss me off cause they can drive their rides daily AND they have nice shiny paint jobs. :lol:

That would be cool.

it wasnt lastnight that i drove by, it was the night before. i did see the mustangs on the corner down from you. also a nice looking orange early 70 monte carlo around the corner from you.

[gixxer711]

nice packaging on the glass. you couldnt find the glass local?

[V8SuperBeetle]

it wasnt lastnight that i drove by, it was the night before. i did see the mustangs on the corner down from you. also a nice looking orange early 70 monte carlo around the corner from you.

Oh, OK. I was block sanding that night too. :) That 70's monte looks decent from far away, but has some really bad rust issues. I think they've been trying to sell it for a while now, but no takers.

[V8SuperBeetle]

nice packaging on the glass. you couldnt find the glass local?

I actually got some quotes around town. They were about $190 on average. I bought it online cause it appeared cheaper at the time. $120 plus $35 for shipping. Well, when I finally went to check out shipping was right at $100. I didn't mind paying the extra $20 - $30 cause it was delivered to my doorstep instead of having to drive to get it.

[insyderzG60]

that is one cool way to ship a window. lol

[V8SuperBeetle]

that is one cool way to ship a window. lol

LOL, yeah. I was surprised to find UPS didn't kill it even in that packaging. ;)

[V8SuperBeetle]

Sorry I didn't make it, Danny. I got an unexpected phone call from my sister-in-law. Long story short, she had to move back home with her mom and I became the designated mover cause I have a truck. Oh well. See you around.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I did manage to get a little bit of work done, but nothing really exciting picture wise. I'll post some picture updates once I get some primer down.

[G.K.]

I have watched your progress and after seeing many V-8 conversions before,I think your are doing a great job.If VW was to build a V-8 Bug they need to get the plans from you.Very nice job you are doing there.Next time my family comes to Houston and I get to see Tammy and Danny's new house(if they let me in),I would love to come by and see the car.

[gixxer711]

Sorry I didn't make it, Danny. I got an unexpected phone call from my sister-in-law. Long story short, she had to move back home with her mom and I became the designated mover cause I have a truck. Oh well. See you around.

no prob, only downside to having a truck. was cool to meet ya the other nite. hope everyone had a blast rollin round in your go cart.

[V8SuperBeetle]

no prob, only downside to having a truck. was cool to meet ya the other nite. hope everyone had a blast rollin round in your go cart.

It was nice meeting you too. :lol: They did. Now that everyone has had a ride, hopefully without pissing all the neighbors off, no more until it's finished. :D

[V8SuperBeetle]

I have watched your progress and after seeing many V-8 conversions before,I think your are doing a great job.If VW was to build a V-8 Bug they need to get the plans from you.Very nice job you are doing there.Next time my family comes to Houston and I get to see Tammy and Danny's new house(if they let me in),I would love to come by and see the car.

Thanks! Give me a holler next time you're in town. I'm right down the street from Danny. I think I could hit his house with a rock from mine if I had a strong enough throwing arm. :lol: J/K. It is really close though.

[gixxer711]

Thanks! Give me a holler next time you're in town. I'm right down the street from Danny. I think I could hit his house with a rock from mine if I had a strong enough throwing arm. :lol: J/K. It is really close though.

hmmm rock wars huh? havent been in one of those in a long time. :madgrin:

[V8SuperBeetle]

hmmm rock wars huh? havent been in one of those in a long time. :madgrin:

:lol: or a pine cone war.

[gixxer711]

you gots pine trees over there? we wouldnt even buy a house if they were putting in pine trees. those damn needles get everywhere!

[V8SuperBeetle]

you gots pine trees over there? we wouldnt even buy a house if they were putting in pine trees. those damn needles get everywhere!

Not a single one. I was thinking about that forest behind / to the side a few hundred yards away. How are you guys liking the new house?

[vwracing65]

you gots pine trees over there? we wouldnt even buy a house if they were putting in pine trees. those damn needles get everywhere!

Oh you want to talk about pine needles let me take you to Lufkin home of the rednecks and pine cones... :confused: Middle of the night they would fall an hit the roof of the house and you would have thought someone was shooting at the house. LOL!!

[vwracing65]

Man I need to come over an check out the car one day after work since we're all so close

[KobayashiMaru]

you gots pine trees over there? we wouldnt even buy a house if they were putting in pine trees. those damn needles get everywhere!

Ah... Evergreens, how I miss thee and thy clean, crisp scent. I really do...

[V8SuperBeetle]

Man I need to come over an check out the car one day after work since we're all so close

Sounds like a plan. We'll have to all introduce ourselves.

[gixxer711]

Sounds like a plan. We'll have to all introduce ourselves.

come on over meredith

[V8SuperBeetle]

come on over meredith

When's a good time to drop by?

[V8SuperBeetle]

Well, I didn't get the body work finished. I kind of needed a break from it so I tackled some other things and cooling issues that needed to be worked out.

I made brackets for my locking hood pins. Everything was lining up great. The passenger side was slightly off after welding up everything. I tried to bend it a little and the pin broke. >:( I figured, no problem, I can weld it on. Little did I know it's made out of aluminum. Figures why it broke so easily. So I have to buy a whole new kit just so I can redo the passenger side. Oh well.

The locking units mocked up.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-1.jpg


The good pin.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-2.jpg


And the jacked up one that'll need redoing.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-3.jpg



My new replacement radiator. I had to replace it cause when the guys welded up my exhaust / plumbing, some slag put pin holes in it.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-4.jpg


Here you can see where the water was leaking out. See the rust from the leak. :) If you look at the inlet, you'll see it was leaking there too cause I had the wrong size hose. So I replaced it with the correct size.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-5.jpg


You can see just how much the hose was pinched and it still didn't seal. No more leaks here.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-6.jpg


I also moved the overflow outlet to the radiator in the rear and I capped off the inline water neck. Now hot rusty water doesn't spew on my engine. I also installed a 20 psi can on the inline neck. The radiator has 18 psi cap. I might go a little lower, just incase.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-7.jpg


Having replaced the radiator, fixed the hose leak, all the water gets back to the radiator, and not on my engine. I also installed a high flow 160º thermostat and I finally put in a 50/50 mix of coolant / water. The engine runs a constant 160-190º. I'll never have overheating issues again, I hope.


Onto body work. I just need to finished sanding down a few skim coats I put down the make her as flat as I can possibly get at this stage. These are the problem areas I'm still working on.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-383-bug-s10-body-9.jpg



If I'm not too tired from our Saturday night gig I'll get a temporary booth setup and I'll spray some high build primer.

More updates soon.

[gixxer711]

When's a good time to drop by?

whenever my titan is there, i probably am. i dont get home til 7 during the week. off (if you wanna call it that) on the weekends.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Cool. I'll stop by one of these days this weekend.

[gixxer711]

you are doing some fantastic work by the way. i just dont have the patience for bodywork

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks, Danny! It's been the least fun part of the project, but it'll be rewarding knowing I did it myself. Whether it comes out great or looks like ass, at least I gave it a try.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Quick little update. I'm closing in on the body work. I put down a guide coat of black primer and sanded it all down and it's looking good. There were a couple low spots I missed but I have found them. My main problem area as of now is still the roof. I'm working on putting a skim coat of body filler and sanding away.

I didn't get too much time to work on it this weekend cause I had a gig so that pretty much takes up my Saturday and Sunday since I'm recovering the next day. I'll get some photos this week. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but I'm finally pretty happy with the body work, for the most part. I'm 85% sure I'll get primer down this weekend.

[V8SuperBeetle]

If this doesn't get the roof straight I don't know what will. I made a flexible sanding block out of some scrap plexiglass and wood. I glued the pieces onto the plastic and voila. :hat:

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-body-work-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-body-work-1.jpg


I tried to mimic this flexible block. Close enough.

http://www.jefflilly.com/Fabrication/Fabrication-F/block-sanding/8.JPG

http://www.jefflilly.com/Fabrication/Fabrication-F/block-sanding/9.JPG


As you can see I put down a skim coat on the entire hood. Im noticing where I was having my problems the filler was sanded flat. It didn't have that nice curve the vw roof has.

The rest of the body is pretty much ready except for sanding down a couple spots the needed a little filler, which you can see as the darker shade of bondo. Pin holes and grooves.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-body-work-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-body-work-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-body-work-5.jpg


Crossing my fingers and hoping to get the roof ready in time for the weekend.

[gixxer711]

Crossing my fingers and hoping to get the roof ready in time for the weekend.

what will be happenin this weekend if it is done?

[V8SuperBeetle]

what will be happenin this weekend if it is done?

I'll spray some epoxy primer and high build primer.

[V8SuperBeetle]

What a weekend. I completely forgot I had a gig. I was sitting with the wife about the have dinner at Red Lobster and I got called from my band mate @ 8:30. I then realized I had a gig that at night and we had to leave, pronto. Completely slipped my mind.

That set me back so I didn't have as much time to work on the bug. Between that and the honey do list. Hung two ceiling fans.

Any who, I have the body work 95% finished. There's just a couple spots that need a light sanding to be ready. I glazed some of the problem areas to fill in slight imperfections. After what little sanding is left, I'll fix the jacked up hood pin, clean up the garage, mask off the car, wipe her down with some surface wash, setup the temporary booth and go to town.

I'm pretty happy with how the relocated door is turning out.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-1.jpg


Ah yes, the roof. What a pain it has been. Mainly just because of its size and the fact is a big bubble. Can't forget the face I warp it pretty good from welding on it. :P I'm much happier with how it came out. The skim coat over the entire roof and the flexible block really did it wonders. You can see the highs and lows where I was having problems.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-4.jpg


Front clip is ready to rock.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-5.jpg


So are the door posts.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-8.jpg


So is the wavy door. Can you tell it was banged into at one point? ;D

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-9.jpg


The hood just needs some of the glaze inside the scoop opening sanded and it'll be good to go.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-finished-10.jpg


Getting there. I'm pretty stoked to get it in primer soon.

[gixxer711]

moving along nicely!

[nomercyambulance]

This has been said and thought a couple of thousand times by now so
here goes again........Man, I can't wait to see this car!

[V8SuperBeetle]

This has been said and thought a couple of thousand times by now so
here goes again........Man, I can't wait to see this car!

Thanks! I hope to have it rolling around town by the end of the year.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Hey Everyone. I hope your projects are going well.

My wife had our daughter, Madison Taylor, Thursday, July 29th. So I've been keeping busy taking care of Madison and my wife, which I really enjoy.

I'll still be working on the bug here and there, but at the moment I'm just spending time with Madison and my wife.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs132.ash2/39954_425018378005_768413005_4795470_8331257_n.jpg

[gixxer711]

congrats! wish yall well

[ConcreteAce]

Congrats

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks guys!

[V8SuperBeetle]

It's FINALLY in PRIMER! I swayed away from my original booth design. No explosions, no fumes in the house, minimal overspray and fumes AND I'm alive. ;D

I still need to do the hood and deck lid. I stayed up til 2 am Friday putting paper down on the floor, hanging plastic on the walls and prepping the car. I stayed up until 5 am this morning painting. I was exhausted and too TIRED to finish the hood.

So far it's looking really good. Doesn't look like it'll need too much sanding, but we'll see. I still need to put down a contrasting guide coat.

When I went to paint I just left the garage door wide open. I made a bug guard which also helped catch some over spray. The duct tap didn't stick to the screen material too well. So when I go to do final paint I'll need to figure a better way to hang the "screen door".

The 33 gallon compressor I'm using kept up pretty well with the gun set at 40 psi. ;D When I go to do final paint I'll do smaller sessions. Fenders, then hoods, and then the car body. All in all it would've sufficed spraying the whole car.


http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-5.jpg


The engine compartment is coming out pretty slick.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-7.jpg


I used some aluminum foil to mask off the radiator. That way I can start it up, move it out of the garage to sand without having to worry about plastic melting to the radiator.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-10.jpg


As you can see, I hung plastic on all the walls, laid some paper on the floor, and hung a screen door.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-11.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-12.jpg


Worked like a champ and there was plenty of ventilation. The garage NEVER filled up with over spray. The was just a light mist, but it never got to the point towards I couldn't see. I wonder how well my other plan would've worked?

I still need to do something about more lighting when it comes time to do final paint. More soon.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-high-build-2k-primer-v8-bug-13.jpg

[ConcreteAce]

Awesome Idea! looks great so far. maybe you could attach the screen material to some 1/4 X 2" moulding

[V8SuperBeetle]

Awesome Idea! looks great so far. maybe you could attach the screen material to some 1/4 X 2" moulding

Thanks! That what I was thinking. Maybe get some 1"x2" lumber and just staple the screen to it. I would make the lumber stripes now longer than a year so it'll be easy to store.

[gixxer711]

looks great! i have some lights you can use.

[V8SuperBeetle]

looks great! i have some lights you can use.

Thanks! That would be awesome! I have some lighting, but I don't thing it'll be enough. I only used the overhead light, one bulb, when I did the high build stuff cause it really didn't matter. I want to see what I'm doing when it comes time for final paint. :D

[V8SuperBeetle]

Not as much progress as I would've like to got done this past weekend. Here's a couple pics of the hood and deck lid primed. Next I need to dust coat it with black and I'll start block sanding with 180-220 wet.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-cont-v8-s10-383-bug-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-cont-v8-s10-383-bug-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/body-work-cont-v8-s10-383-bug-3.jpg


Here's a quick video of me spraying the primer. My camera ran out of memory before I finished the hood. I normally wear latex gloves, but ran out. I figured I was okay only doing a couple panels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN6kBSLw4kA

[gixxer711]

i like your space suit. you steal that from nasa or are they having a closeout sale? ;)

[ConcreteAce]

Great Video!! had to watch a couple of others.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I stole it from NASA. I couldn't find the moon boots in time though.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks, Ace. I'm going to make sure I have plenty of memory when I go to shoot color.

[ConcreteAce]

I wouldnt mind coming to watch when you shoot the color.

[gixxer711]

Thanks, Ace. I'm going to make sure I have plenty of memory when I go to shoot color.

i have a couple cars you can practice on

[Marko]

Dont use cheep paint like shop line

[V8SuperBeetle]

I wouldnt mind coming to watch when you shoot the color.

Cool, you can join me. You'll need at least a NIOSH respirator though. They're $25 at lowes or home depot. I'll be spraying color early in the morning. Between 2 am - 7 am time slot when it's coolest. I'm no pro, but maybe you'll learn something or I from you. :thumb:

[V8SuperBeetle]

i have a couple cars you can practice on

Sweet. When it comes time to paint your cars (primer, sealer, paint, etc.) I'd be more than happy to help out. You're also more than welcome to use my equipment if you wanna give painting a shot.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Dont use cheep paint like shop line

Nothing but the best for this ride. Summit Racing urethane paint. :lol: Actually, I've heard great things about it and it wasn't too expensive. For 1 gal. 2k high build primer, 1 gal. epoxy primer, 1 gal. of black and hugger orange, 1 gal. of high solids clear plus all the reducers and activators was right at $500. :thumb:

For my first paint job I didn't want to spend too much $$$ and I'm doing this on a budget. Once I get the hang of painting I'll invest in the top of the line stuff. Here are some finished pictures that convinced me to buy their line of paint.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=14155&pictureid=41960

http://image.popularhotrodding.com/f/tech/1003phr_1966_ford_mustang_project_street_fighter_p aint_job/26897606+pheader_460x1000/1003phr_01_o+1966_ford_mustang_project_street_figh ter_paint_job+front_right.jpg

http://image.truckinweb.com/f/18585378+w750+st0/0907tr_20_z+2009_suzuki_equator_custom_paint_job+r ight_side_angle.jpg

http://image.automotive.com/f/tech/body/17126962+soriginal/0905tr_34_z+1998_chevy_tahoe_buildup+left_front_an gle.jpg

[V8SuperBeetle]

I'm about finished sanding the first coat of high build primer. There's a hand full of scratches that I glazed that need sanding and I still need to finish sanding the rear fenders. About another 1 or 2 hours and it should be ready to go for it's second coat of high build primer.

It's coming along really well. The roof hardly needed any help. I guess it's all that time I spent doing it over and over.

I'll more than likely spray the second coat of primer this next weekend.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-body-work-summit-racing-paint-6.jpg

[gixxer711]

body work is sooo tedious

[V8SuperBeetle]

It sure is, Danny.

I made some good progress on the bug this weekend. I sprayed another coat of high build primer. I did a walk around video rather than MORE pics. You can hear my neighbors cammed 2000 or so reg cab short bed pickup firing up and passing by. Encouragement...the guy regularly shoe polish number on his windows from the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFCUdxyZ3L0


I wet sanded the fenders, deck lid, hood, and the driver's side of the car, inside and out, with 400 grit. The fenders and deck lid need just a touch more sanding (pin holes) and it'll be ready for sealer, color and clear!

Some pictures of the sand panels.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-7.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-8.jpg


The plan when it comes to paint is to do it in sessions so I don't where myself out. I'll do the fenders in one session: a coat of sealer, two coats of s/s hugger orange, and two coats of clear. Then I'll let the paint cure for a few days, wet sand with 400, and then spray an over reduced coat of clear.

Next would be the deck lid and hood, cause they'll be black, same process, and then I'll do the body.

So I hope to get the fenders in paint this coming weekend. Did I mention the weather has finally gotten cooler and is perfect for painting. ;D

[gixxer711]

you missed two shows this weekend!!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Dang, I know. Sucks. I had a gig this past Friday night and Saturday night a friends b-day party. Couldn't miss that Texans game, even though we lost.

Once the bug is complete I'll be at lots of shows to hang out.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Truckin' along. Wet sanded the roof and the passenger side of the car last night. I hit it with 220 then 400. All that is left is the rear and front clip, the cowl, rear cowl, engine bay and radiator area. I'm about 75% there.


The roof came out pretty flawless. I can't wait to get some gloss black on.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-10.jpg

[V8SuperBeetle]

Sanded the rear clip, radiator tin work, the front clip and engine bay. Now I just need to sand the cowl and it'll be ready other than glazing a couple little spot. I still need to give her a slight bath to completely get rid of all the sludge. I should be good to go for SOME paint this weekend.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-11.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-body-work-v8-383-bug-12.jpg

[ConcreteAce]

Man that is looking good!!

[gixxer711]

great work as usual!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks guys. I'll be spraying some color on the fenders this weekend and if I have time, on the hood and deck lid too.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Here are the results of my paint session. I did one coat of epoxy primer to seal everything and to give a uniform color to paint over. I then sprayed 2 coats of single stag hugger orange and two coats of high solids clear.

I'm pretty happy with the way everything came out, but I did get a little orange peel in some areas, some trash, some solvent pop going on, and a couple of mess ups.

I laid the paint on a little too thick and have some sags and solvent pop going on as mentioned. I do and have planed to sand the panels with 400-600 grit to take care of any orange peel and then spray a wet / over reduced coat so it'll be pretty glassy. Sanding the paint will remove the imperfections.

All in all, it came out decent.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-1.jpg


You can see a little bit of the solvent pop. I laid the paint on a little too thick. That's okay, nothing that can't be fixed with a little cutting.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-5.jpg


Gotta fix this. ::) It wasn't the best idea the way I hung the fenders with the plastic and all. No biggie. The fender beading will cover most of it, but I still plan to fix it right with a little rubbing and some touch up spraying.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-7.jpg


A little more solvent pop. Tis cool. Will be fixed.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-hugger-orange-8.jpg


I also did a little video so you could better see the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEPALNDafsI

[ConcreteAce]

Great Video and Pic's!!!! So are sags and runs the same thing? Also are the sags just in the clear. I have never painted anything just curious.

[gixxer711]

gotta love orange!! there aint gonna be anything subtle about this car. :thumb:

[vwracing65]

Looking good!!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Great Video and Pic's!!!! So are sags and runs the same thing? Also are the sags just in the clear. I have never painted anything just curious.

Thanks! Yeah, they're the same thing, I think. Maybe sags are over a larger area? The sags / runs are just in the clear. So I'm going to sand them out along with what orange peel is on the fender. Then I'll shoot one wet coat to restore the gloss.


gotta love orange!! there aint gonna be anything subtle about this car. :thumb:

I'm loving the orange too! My favorite color is blue, so I just wanted something different, which I got. The orange really pops in the sunlight and during the night it looks more reddish. Maybe the black will help town it down? :lol: Make it more stealth like.

Looking good!!

Thanks! I'll have more soon.

[prettinpink]

Very nice...Love the orange!

[gixxer711]

Maybe the black will help town it down? :lol:

i keep forgetting about the black. heck who wants to tame it down?!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Very nice...Love the orange!

Thanks, Tammy!

[V8SuperBeetle]

i keep forgetting about the black. heck who wants to tame it down?!

I was being facetious, the black should really make the orange pop out more so than it already does. :)

[V8SuperBeetle]

Got a few things done over the weekend.

I finished sanding the solvent pop out of the fenders. I broke through the clear in a few places on each fender. So I'm going to have to put another coat of orange and two more coats of clear. I also let them sit out in the sun for a full day so they could vent all the solvents out.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-racing-black-0.jpg


I also sanded on the hood and deck lid a little more and then painted them black. I laid down a coat of sealer and a couple coats of black giving plenty of time between each coat so there's no solvent pop issues. I did however manage to get a run at the nose of the hood and a couple small spots on the deck lid. So I didn't move onto clear. I tend to spray my coats on a little too heavy. I just need to dial back the material a little.

I'm going to sand out the runs and the little bit of orange peel and trash in the paint, then follow up with another coat of black and 2 coats of clear. Other than the runs, it was coming out pretty nice. I couldn't be happier with how the body work come out.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-racing-black-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-racing-black-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-racing-black-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-summit-racing-black-4.jpg


Here's a quick video of how the hood and deck lid look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ax4fGf0F9o

[gixxer711]

that black is smooooooth!

[ConcreteAce]

Holy crap that looks nice!!! I am so envious.

Hope you dont mind but I posted a link to your thread on our board. Great work man
http://www.dlkweb.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3575

[Boom]

looks great man great job on the car

[V8SuperBeetle]

that black is smooooooth!

It's fairly smooth. It has some urethane wave to it. I still need to sand and paint a flow coat to get it to lay out like glass.

Holy crap that looks nice!!! I am so envious.

Hope you dont mind but I posted a link to your thread on our board. Great work man
http://www.dlkweb.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3575


I don't mind at all. Thanks for sharing my build.

looks great man great job on the car


Thanks! Still lots to do.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I got some spraying done this weekend. I finished sanding the runs out of the black. I put down two more coats of black and followed up with two coats of clear. It came out pretty well, but I had a bug crash land in my paint, a run on the deck lid, and the usual dust. No problem though. As planned, once the paint cures I'll sand out the imperfections with 600 grit and lay a final wet coat of clear.

I recorded my spraying sessions, well I forgot to record the first one.

Second coat of black.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHilV2q-AjQ


First coat of clear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQTyLxWOZXg


Second coat of clear. My creeper tried to sabotage the paint on my deck lid. LOL. I laid the second coat of clear on wet so I will have some material to sand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc_E-Yhe6XY


Here are the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yJwi8sXkvY


I should have the hood and deck lid sanded before the end of the week. Maybe I'll get it done before the weekend so I'll have time to work on the fenders some more.

[ConcreteAce]

Looks great! Love the video's I have watched them all. So are you going to be painting the back side as well?

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks! I plan to mask and paint the back / undersides with an undercoating, Master Series.

[mikeridesbikes]

i've always wondered... does this really belong in the "aircooled" section? lol looking good man!

[V8SuperBeetle]

i've always wondered... does this really belong in the "aircooled" section? lol looking good man!

I asked Danny before posting, we both thought it belongs in the aircooled section cause it originally was. :thumb:

[V8SuperBeetle]

I finished the deck lid and the hood. I sprayed a final flow coat after sanding with some 600 grit. It came out almost as nice looking as a cut and buffed paint job. I'm very happy with the results. A couple dust nibs here and there, but what can you expect in a garage. ;D

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/black-v8-383-bug-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/black-v8-383-bug-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/black-v8-383-bug-2.jpg


I also resprayed the fenders. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong that I was getting solvent pop. I was just hosing too much paint on. They came out much better. Heck, I could leave them as is, but I'm going to wet sand out the texture and do a flow coat.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/hugger-orange-v8-383-bug-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/hugger-orange-v8-383-bug-2.jpg


I also recorded some video of me spraying and the results. They're currently uploading so I'll post those soon.

[gixxer711]

I asked Danny before posting, we both thought it belongs in the aircooled section cause it originally was. :thumb:

yep

[gixxer711]

keep up the great work!

[ConcreteAce]

Looks great!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks! I can't wait to spray the body. Almost there.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Here are those videos I was talking about.

Spraying the final flow coat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9mdqpQQCbs


The results of the flow coat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEU6vJaH10Y


First coat of clear on the fenders after color.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRO0agrxr14


Results of two coats of color and two coats of clear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_UdqwZNqmQ

[gixxer711]

i dont remember if you said, what did you end up doing for a water separator?

[V8SuperBeetle]

i dont remember if you said, what did you end up doing for a water separator?

I took your advice, but took it a little further. You might be able to see it in some of my pictures or videos.

I have a 50' hose coiled up in a foam cooler that I fill up with ice when I spray. I have a moisture trap after the coiled hose and another 50' hose afterwards. I also use a air filter right before the gun because I was still getting a drop or two of water for about every 1/2 gallon of material I've sprayed. I haven't had any problems since the addition of the gun filters.

[gixxer711]

glad its workin out pretty well.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Quick update.

I tore down part of my engine (headers, wires, carb, throttle linkage, dist, alt., etc), so I can paint the engine bay, and I repainted the engine. It had gotten a little nasty looking since having broke the engine in having head a little leak here and there. Looks like new again.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-1.jpg


I also repainted the headers. Last time i didn't follow the instructions so the paint flaked off. This time I followed them and baked the ceramic paint on @ 300º for 2 hours. Boy did that stuff stink up the house.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-2.jpg


I sprayed the "final" flow coat this weekend but ran into problems. My paint gun was acting up in middle of spraying the first fender so I had to quickly switch to my other paint gun. Well that through me off and it wasn't all that clean. So I managed to get a couple noticeable runs and I have a lot of dust in my paint as well. Needless to say, I'll have to sand them back down, fix the problem with my gun (which I figured out this morning) and repaint. Two steps forward, one step back.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/10-30-v8-s10-bug-6.jpg


Ughh...if it aint one thing, it's another. It'll get there though, just not quickly. I'm just being picky. My wife says they look good for being painted in a garage, I think I can make it better though.

[prettinpink]

I think I agree with your wife. It looks good in the pics.

[gixxer711]

this is why i hate painting!!

looks good to me though

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks. The finish looks good, but it looks like a bunch of dirt in the finish from the unclean paint gun. I'll see if I can't get a better picture of the problem. It's something that could easily be sanded and buffed out, but since I have to fix a couple runs, I'm just going to redo them. :)

[gixxer711]

maybe i should just walk across the field and see for myself :lol:

[V8SuperBeetle]

this is why i hate painting!!

looks good to me though

It's hard to photograph such small imperfections, like dust from an unclean hvlp gun. :doh: Overall, it looks good, but I wouldn't be 100% happy if I left them as is.

[V8SuperBeetle]

maybe i should just walk across the field and see for myself :lol:

:lol: This is true. :spider: I still have some type I parts you can take off my hands at this point I'm just willing to give away to free up some garage space (carb / intake, 009 dist., 1 cylinder head).

[gixxer711]

:lol: This is true. :spider: I still have some type I parts you can take off my hands at this point I'm just willing to give away to free up some garage space (carb / intake, 009 dist., 1 cylinder head).

guess i need to bring a wagon

[mikeridesbikes]

i need a carb! lol

[V8SuperBeetle]

Danny, if you want to come over Friday evening, that would work.

Mike, if Danny doesn't want it, or come get it first, you can have the carb if you'd like. I'm not sure what condition it's in, but it looks rebuildable.

[gixxer711]

mikey can have the carb even if i pick it up. i am just picking the stuff up so it doesnt get tossed.

[G.K.]

I have a few parts you can come pick up so they don't get trashed.A early gas tank with a small hole in the bottom.Front and rear late bumpers that are crap and more. :heh:

[gixxer711]

I have a few parts you can come pick up so they don't get trashed.A early gas tank with a small hole in the bottom.Front and rear late bumpers that are crap and more. :heh:

sounds like you need to give that stuff to the trash man

[V8SuperBeetle]

I put down the final coat of clear on the fenders. They look great, except for the dust in the paint. I've come to the conclusion that this is the best I'll be able to get them painting in my garage, which isn't bad at all. Don't get me wrong, they have a nice mirror finish, just has a little dust though. There's a dog hair and bug on one fender too. LOL

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and will cut and buff the paint job. I'm thinking I'll hit it with 1200 to level out the dust, bug and hair, then 1500 and finally 2000. Then compound with the wool bonnet and polish with the foam bonnet. I've never buffed out a car before so I don't really know what to expect, other than it should come out like a dust free mirror. LOL

Can't hurt to try / practice it on a fender. If something goes wrong, I still have plenty of clear.

Here are the results. If you look at the light in the reflection you'll see the dust.

Oh yeah, my purple paint gun crapped out on me. That's okay though cause I have my backup that does just as well. I was just really getting used to the purple one though. No biggie. It did it's $35 dollars worth of work. Now to get my $50 out of this one. ;D

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/final-v8-bug-hugger-orange-fenders-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/final-v8-bug-hugger-orange-fenders-2.jpg


Here are the products I'm THINKING about getting to do the cut and buff job.

Buffer with wool and foam bonnet.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MAK-9227CX3/

Buffing compound.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MEG-M-8532/

Polishing compound.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MEG-M-8232/


Any comments or advice would be much appreciated. I've never buffed before.

[V8SuperBeetle]

After about 24 hours of masking, painting and waiting between coats, I finally have her in color!

Once it cures I'm going to wet sand and shoot a final float coat for an even smooth finish.

Sealed her up inside and out with a coat of epoxy primer.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-1.jpg


Two coats of color.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-2.jpg


2 coats of black, 3 coats of clear.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-7.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/summit-paint-v8-383bug-10.jpg

[prettinpink]

lookin good!

[gixxer711]

sweet!

dang it, i forgot to go over friday.

[V8SuperBeetle]

lookin good!

Thanks!


sweet!

dang it, i forgot to go over friday.

It's cool. You probably would've caught me in the middle of spraying primer. :becky:

[V8SuperBeetle]

This picture may scare some of you, but have no fear. The car will come out with a mirror like finish. My mother in law didn't quite understand why I was sanding my nice shiny paint. LOL

I have finished wet sanding with 400 grit and got her nice and flat. I have about half of the car done with 600 grit. After sanding she'll get a good bath and a wipe down with surface wash.

I'm thinking I will have the final flow coat of clear done this coming Saturday morning, or Sunday.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-hugger-orange-summit-racing-paint-color-sand.jpg

[gixxer711]

you have sooo much patience

[ConcreteAce]

Man that looks freaking sweet!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks guys. I can't tell you how many times I ran out of patience and posted a for sale ad on Craigslist. :lol: It's a good thing every time I realize I wouldn't get back what I put into it.

Got her all sanded down with 600 grit and I gave her a thorough bath. All's left to do is a wipe down with surface wash and spray another coat of clear.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-hugger-orange-summit-racing-paint-color-sand2.jpg

[ConcreteAce]

bet you cant wait to get done to get your garage back in order.

[V8SuperBeetle]

I know, I'm ready to get things back in order.

Got some work done.

I sprayed the final coat of clear Saturday morning. It came out pretty nice. There are a couple runs, but nothing that wont sand and buff out.

Sunday my buddy came over to help me start putting this thing back together. We got the trim on, weather striping, got the door handles functional, and we managed to get a few windows in. We were having quite a hard time getting the front window in, so we called it a day.

Almost there!!! More to come soon.


http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-383-bug-s10-summit-paint-6.jpg

[ConcreteAce]

Wow

[gixxer711]

freakin sweet!!

i heard a buddy of mine dropped in on you saturday. lol

[V8SuperBeetle]

:lol: Yeah, I forgot his name, but he was quite curious about the project. Mentioned he has a couple bugs for sale. My buddy Jason that was helping might buy one of them.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Well, it was a very production weekend.

Friday night, my buddy David, who details cars, came over to look and the amount of work that was needed to be done to the bug. He was quite impressed and it wasn't going to take as much work as he originally thought. So we decide to start color sanding and buffing the car on Sunday.

Saturday morning, my buddy Jason came over and we got the front window and the last quarter window installed. We also did an alignment.

Sunday, Dave came over and went to town on the bug color sanding and buffing. While he was sanding and buffing, it gave me a chance to work on other areas of the car. So I got the engine put back together and buttoned back up.

Here is the car before he worked on it. Looks good / decent. I call it a 5 foot paint job. Shiny and smooth, but it had a couple runs, some dry spray and dust through out the paint job.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-1.jpg


Here you can see the dry spray that was in a few areas.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-3.jpg


Oh yeah, while I was changing some jets in my carb, my 3 month daughter decided to grab my tools. She normally doesn't really grab and hold onto many things like she did this wrench. It was a proud moment.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-4.jpg


Here's Dave, hard at work. He arrived at the house at about 10 am and worked all day, until about 10 pm perfecting the paint / detail job. Fantastic!

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-7.jpg


Madison and my wife came to check out the progress and get in on the picture taking. They were having all the fun. Dave was wiping the car down with a protectant that still allows the paint to fully cure.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-10.jpg




And the drum roll.............................................. ...


I'll let the pictures do the talking.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-11.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-12.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-13.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-14.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-15.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-16.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-17.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-18.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/color-sand-buff-v8-bug-summit-racing-paint-19.jpg



Dave did such a fantastic job!!! My paint went from a 5 foot to I wanna still my face in it. If any of you in the Houston area would like Dave to detail you car I can give you his contact information.

Thanks again, Dave!

[gixxer711]

yay, new vw wrencher in the works!

car looks fantastic!! your car is the nicest vw conversion i have seen done.

[V8SuperBeetle]

:lol: It'll be cool to have a little helper.

Thanks. I'm just blown away at the job Dave did. I never thought the project would actually turn out this well when I started it.

[ConcreteAce]

Beautiful job! I agree with Danny, yours has to be the nicest V8 I have ever seen great work!

[prettinpink]

The car turned out GREAT. You'll have to buy your little girl her own set of tools!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to have to get her one of the toy tool sets that's for boys so I can get her started early. I'll have Mom bedazzle them.

[prettinpink]

thanks everyone. I'm going to have to get her one of the toy tool sets that's for boys so i can get her started early. I'll have mom bedazzle them.

love it!!!!

[gixxer711]

love it!!!!

especially if painted pink

[V8SuperBeetle]

I haven't got a whole lot done lately cause of life. I did manage to get the wipers on, starting masking the floor for coating, and my bro bought me some carpet for Christmas, which will go in soon. Oh, had to repaint my front driver's side fender cause it got boogered up.

I also got some pictures and video of the bug outside, finally. :)


http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-7.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-9.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/383-v8-bug-outside-10.jpg



Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kASOEL-9g2o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuS_oqo7zg4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIljjUk-IZI

[G.K.]

Very nice job. Now it's time to go by Danny's house and do a big ole burnout:evil:

[V8SuperBeetle]

He's probably tired of hearing them already. :lol:

[G.K.]

I've known Danny long enough to know that he will never get tired of hearing a good burnout. He really likes the heavy black marks right in front of his driveway. Even at 2 in the morning. He'll never get tired of that.:car:

[Thingmon]

Wow. The real Slug bug: a bug with some punch.

[gixxer711]

those videos dont do the sound that car makes any justice. its wicked sounding and looks fantastic in person.

[prettinpink]

those videos dont do the sound that car makes any justice. its wicked sounding and looks fantastic in person.

I second that!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks! Yeah, the video hardly captures it's true rumble.

[mastersuper b]

How much did you wicen the rear fenders??

[nomercyambulance]

I just watched all three of the videos. One word, WICKED!!!!

[V8SuperBeetle]

How much did you wicen the rear fenders??


They're 4.5" wide fenders from Glass Action.


I just watched all three of the videos. One word, WICKED!!!!

Thanks! :heh:

[mastersuper b]

Hey, how much did you widen the rear fenders??

[gixxer711]

Hey, how much did you widen the rear fenders??

look back a page, he answered your question ;)

[V8SuperBeetle]

Time for an update.

I coated the interior flooring and the under chassis with some Master Series. I installed my locking hood pins, my 2" solid aluminum lowering blocks and I finished the install of the one piece windows on both doors.

All that's left, other than small item things, is to wire up the car (lights / signals only cause everything else is done) and install the carpet.

Also, I took the car for a test drive last night cause I was curious as to how it sounds inside without a bunch of parts laying around the car and with all the windows in. All I could hear was the sound of the engine and the rumble of the exhaust. It was pretty sweet.

Some pics of the undercoating. I forgot to take pics of the front and undercarriage.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-11.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-12.jpg


Here are the 2" blocks from JTR.com. Solid aluminum blocks. Not that extruded hollow crap that could break. It's amazing how much difference a 2" drop made in the rear. The rear is still about 3/4" higher which is perfect, to me.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-13.jpg


The hardware is heavy duty too. Notice how tall the nuts are.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-14.jpg


Some pics of the rear with the blocks. Made a big difference IMO.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-2.jpg


And the one piece windows installed. Doors fully done. The one piece windows are kinda a PITA. I like the look, but I'm not sure I like how they function all that much because they want to pull the rubber inside the door when I roll them down. I hit them with a little WD-40 temporarily, but I'll have to figure something else out so my windows aren't always greasy when I roll them down.

I had some trouble installing them. The guy that sold me my new regulators said I needed 65-67 regulators for the one piece kit. Nope! Well, they wouldn't work cause the glass would hit the regulator on it's way down keeping it from rolling down at all. So I had to reuse the old ones and I modified the window scraper for the one piece windows. Works pretty good now.

The new dual roller regulator I wish would've worked. The window crank mechanism was too long.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-15.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-16.jpg


Here's the modified window holder / scraper. I basically had to roll the window all the way up, then install the glass. If you install it while the window is rolled down it wont go up cause the regulator pushes the glass up at an angle.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-17.jpg

Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrY2vVlCNjw



One piece windows.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-3.jpg


The finished doors. I couldn't install the are rests, well, cause the door bars are in the way. Hind sight is 20/20. I'm going to fabricate some pull straps so it'll be easier to close the doors instead of having to grab the window. Oh yeah, can't roll the windows down unless the doors are open either. LOL. They'll pretty much stay down while I'm rolling any ways.

It's not a garage build unless you got a lawnmower in the pics. :funny:

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-7.jpg



Locking hood pins installed.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-6.jpg



Here you can see the painted flooring.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-8.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-9.jpg



Almost there.

[G.K.]

Get some of the Empi Door Pulls that mount under the window. No need to fab. anything.

[V8SuperBeetle]

My thoughts were to do door pulls or buy some. I probably should've worded that better. :)

[gixxer711]

looks fantastic!

here are the door pulls: http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C16-111-642

http://www.oldbug.com/50905%20029.jpg

[V8SuperBeetle]

Awesome, thanks Danny! I like those.

[G.K.]

Hey it was my idea also.:Cry:

[V8SuperBeetle]

Hey it was my idea also.:Cry:

:lol: Thanks as well!

[gixxer711]

Hey it was my idea also.:Cry:

whiner! :moony:

[G.K.]

Hey I live in a house full of girls. Even the boy cat is a "it" cat now. I guess it has rubbed of on me,I was never this way before. Sometimes I cry at the smallest things.:cheer2::crazy:

[gixxer711]

Hey I live in a house full of girls. Even the boy cat is a "it" cat now. I guess it has rubbed of on me,I was never this way before. Sometimes I cry at the smallest things.:cheer2::crazy:

:lol: :lol:

[V8SuperBeetle]

Not too much to report over the holidays, sadly. I had to install a new clutch set in my truck over the holiday weekend. It took me three days to pull the tranny, install the clutch, and put everything back together. While the drive shaft was out, I put in new u-joints, changed the rear diff fluid as well as the tranny fluid. Fun, fun...

Also, since I've been getting closer to finishing the bug, I'm not in too much of a hurry to complete it cause then I wont have a project to work on any more. LOL.

Speaking of new projects, O/T, I've been expending my knowledge on the guitar since there's little to do on the bug. I would consider myself an advanced / semi pro guitar player, but there's always more to learn even after 15 years of playing.

I did get the bug out though and took a couple shots with the new stance. Also, I used the bug for parts hauling when I was working on the truck. I took it to Autozone down the street and also took it to get lunch for me and my wife another day. I must say, the first trip out of the neighborhood gave me a little bit of wood. LOL 8-)

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/finishing-v8-bug-s10-383-2011-1.jpg


Plans over the next month are to wiring the lighting, install the carpet, buy and install an aluminum racing dash, and extend the exhaust out the original exhaust holes. It'll pretty much be finished after that. All that's left to do is drive!

[gixxer711]

my neighbors loved the car!

[Thingmon]

Congrats! Looks amazing.

[Thingmon]

You may have some competition for the squirrelliest handling US V8 transplant import beast award (that would make an interesting trophy).

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/thingmon/1101%20Coffee%20and%20Cars/IMG_0340.jpg

[V8SuperBeetle]

Cool! I'm glad I was able to bring it for a little bit.

LOL, I like that trophy title.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Quick update. I'm taking a short break from the bug cause I have been working my butt off on it for quite some time. That and money is tight right now with the wife staying home with the baby, so it's all about necessities at the moment. I'll be back on it soon to finish up wiring the bug, installing carpet, and an aluminum dash. Other than that, it'll be finished.

In meantime, I've been working on a small O/T project. A Tweed Deluxe tube guitar amp. :)

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/fender-tweed-deluxe-5E3/fender-tweed-deluxe-5E3-11.jpg

[gixxer711]

looks cool

[Thingmon]

Just bring it to the Bug Bash in May. We'll come up with something... Squirrels beware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv5RICL4gIs&feature=related

[V8SuperBeetle]

LOL, nice! I plan to finish this thing up soon. Wiring, carpet and dash. Just been busy lately and it was a cold winter. :)

[V8SuperBeetle]

Hey guys and gals!

It's been a while since I've worked on the bug. Been spending time with the family and concentrating on music (band).

I worked on the wiring this past weekend. I routed all the wiring and have all the lights hooked up.

I'm using SPST, SPDT, etc. to wiring up the lighting. I have all the switches hooked up. I'm about 75% done with the wiring.

Here's a picture of the headlights I'm using and the harness installed. I'll get some more updated pictures up soon.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-s10-wiring-2.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-383-s10-wiring-1.jpg

[G.K.]

Looks really good. I still want to see the car in person. I will be coming down at the end of May-first of June. I am going to try my best to visit Danny and Tammy. If I could I would like to come see the car. Keep up the great work.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks. Sounds good to me. Just send me a PM or email me. matt@mikeydesigns.com

[gixxer711]

I will be coming down at the end of May-first of June. I am going to try my best to visit Danny and Tammy.

huh? wut? call me :cell:

[nomercyambulance]

i am going to try my best to visit danny and tammy.


........................and?

[G.K.]

I was planing on going to see Mike also.:yo:.He is going to have the 64 ready for me to bring back to Chattanooga,it's new home.

[nomercyambulance]

I was planing on going to see Mike also.:yo:.He is going to have the 64 ready for me to bring back to Chattanooga,it's new home.

Better not!:flame:

[G.K.]

Uhmmm,sorry. Ignore last part of last post:whistle::tape2:

[nomercyambulance]

Uhmmm,sorry. Ignore last part of last post:whistle::tape2:


YOU, my friend, are EVIL :evil: Don't ever change!

[G.K.]

I have NO clue what you are talking about. I have a wife and kids now.What kind of example would I be setting if I were that way.:heh::wave: Also we have highjacked this thread. We can start this back up when I post my NEW readers rides thread.

[vwracing65]

Gary, Congrat'z on getting Mikes car..... :)

[G.K.]

Thank. Gonna look good with 2 red 64s in the garage.:thumb:

[vwracing65]

Ah that would look good. :thumb:

[gixxer711]

finally mikes old, garys new car will be on the road again!!

[V8SuperBeetle]

Well, it's getting there. I've been putting in some time lately. I fixed my starter issue and pulled her out for a much needed wash. I also fixed my tranny leak, hopefully. It was leaking around the speedo and the shifter linkage. I still need to add fluid to find out.

I finished the carpet and I'm almost finished wiring the car. I need to wiring up the tach, gauge lights, and install my brakes switch into the brake lines.

Here are some overdue pictures.

A better shot of the head lights with turn signals. The turn signals light up pretty good with the lights on. I took it for a night testing to see how the lighting does.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-1.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-2.jpg


Carpet installed, dash, gauges, seats bolted in, belts bolted in, and roll cage padding.

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-3.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-4.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-5.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-6.jpg

http://www.mikeydesigns.com/bug/v8-bug-almost-finished-s10-383-7.jpg


Not a whole lot to do. Just minor things. I still need to put a good tune on it and extend the exhaust out the back. Then I'm going to drive the nuts out of it. Haha

[G.K.]

Hey Matt,
Thanks for letting me see this piece of art in person. You have done one heck of a job. I wish I could have stayed longer to see the Bug running,but had to come back to Chatt. Maybe to next time we are in Houston I can get a ride.Thanks again.

[V8SuperBeetle]

Thanks for stopping by. It was nice meeting you. Sorry I wasn't more prepared for company. :) Next time you stop by, I'll definitely have it ready to go for a spin.