The Cal-look Lounge

Ok so I've let another one follow me home..
I've had a few changes & sold my bus & the '67..
This oval came up for sale on volkszone just after I'd been to the volksworld show... I'd sort of been looking for an early car & this was too good to miss
An unfinished project that had been imported from california & which was incomplete. Body & pan were really good, probably too good to modify to be honest...
A 26hr drive saw the 67 end up in clacton on sea & the 56 collected on the way back, the 67's gone to a very good home though
Only had a couple of days after collecting it before heading away again but managed to strip some odds & sods from the shell & split the body from the pan.
I've not got a final plan for colour yet but have a couple shortlisted..
Actually got most of the bits already as Id been collecting for the 67, so far its going onto a brand new mexican balljoint chassis converted to IRS, 2" narrowed beam, drop spindles, HD anti roll bar, discs all round in porsche pattern, early 944 trailing arms & old speed shifter.
Engine is likely to be a 1955cc with twin 45 dellortos.
Its going to be a traditional cal looker but built to drive
Not going to make any wild guesses about when it'll be done but theres only a couple of days bodywork needed before starting to prep it for paint ;D
Some Pics

This is the extent of the rot..
Probably not going to burn the mig out on this one.. ;)

Right, stop that now! You've already got an oval to play with! I can see it in the pictures and everything! :D

I got scared I'd run out of things to do & have to start doing the washing up. ;)

Stop collecting Kev, finish that race car NOW. ;D

That's just greedy ;D

I'm trying... ;D

greedy Pas? :o you 've met russell.. ;)

Nice car Kev, hope you have many great times in it, it looks like a keeper

You gonna make it to ebi or will you be back at work ?

Best wishes Ron

This is pretty much what I'm after..

this is what hes trying to show us.....

Russell more like this:

If I ever start looking at accessories & shiney shite lock the garage & hide the key :D

Kev, if you are using windows, in the future use the snipping tool,and save as jpeg

Cheers bud!
See you at EBI 8)

Hi Kev,

It was nice to see you, shake your hand and speak to you "live" @ EBI. I hope we can keep our promise to race eachother @EBI#6  ;D

Hi Paul,
It was good to put a face to the name / car ;D, thought I'd catch up with you again but the weekend just disappeared!
EBI 6 match race between you, me & Pas!

Your on, I'm sure we will be able to run 3 wide down there ;D

Better crack on and get them finished  ;)

That's you committed now!
 ;)

 ;D

Now it's getting serious, we better move are ass to the garage  ;D

I had a little bit of garage time when I was home last month so got a little done ;D
No pics though because I forgot to download them... ::)
The IRS conversion's done along with some other odds & ends on the pan, hopefully if everything goes to plan it'll be waiting for me all powder coated along with the suspension when I next get home.. ;D
Picked up a scruffy 924 seat from the local breakers so I can use that as a pattern for the new mounts / bases but I fancy a set of cayman hard backed seats colour coded to the car.
Any leads on a cheap set much appreciated..

pan ready powder coated......

Thx for the reminder, that slipped my mind !  ;D  been too busy creating a rival business  ;D

Sounds like its going to be a hell of a driver Kev

Cheers!
That's the whole plan with this one, build it & drive the wheels off it :D

Nice to know you've got some progress on this one

Hurry up and get it built !!

I'll try my best mate ;D

Made it back home again & managed a couple of hours working off the turkey ;D

Thanks to a bit of Gasser Garage teamwork I came back to a powdercoated 'pan, beam & trailing arms (cheers Russ 8))

Spent a while going through all the boxes of bits I've been collecting trying to remember what I did & didn't have, theres still a few small bits I'm going to get powdercoated and wherever I can I'll use stainless fasteners so a trip to the hardware shop needs to happen soon.
I fitted new inner bushes & hung the trailing arms, also fitted the gear selector rod & bush plus a couple of odds n ends. I'll order whats missing & hopefully have a rolling pan before going away again 8)[attachment=2]

Looking good Kev, perfect garage weather at the moment as well  ;D

Too true ;D
Cheers

Cool Kev.

Managed to make a decent bit of progress & almost at the rolling chassis stage, still missing a few little odds n ends though ::)
I bought a new pedal assy & throttle pedal kit but the actuating lever for the throttle cable isn't included & not listed to buy so I'm on the lookout for one of those.
Also found a problem with the new front beam, the top RH torsion arm has play on the inner end & it looks like the bush is either missing or fitted too far in >:( that'll need investigating!

At the back I've trial fitted the gearbox & tacked in the CSP torque bar kit, also fitted brackets for the brake hoses as I'd forgotten about those when I converted it to IRS.. ::)
All plumbed in now though ;D

I've got the rear brakes left to do, hopefully that'll be straight forward but I bought the arms without any brakes at all so no doubt theres going to be some fiddly bits to find..

One thing I did get was a LED tail light conversion from chip.birks@gmail.com, he does various conversions for most years, I got orange flashers included in my set & they look really well made :)
He's well priced & a nice guy to deal with, well worth a look at his advert on the samba 8)

nice shifter. i had a look at them as well at EBI and i am intrigued by them.

Good work Kev.

Looking good Kev, take it you're back at the moment, If you're down Dundee way, let me know, Project '67 should be back in my garage next week if you want a peek.

I'll take you up on that 8)
I should be about for 2 weeks or so, when suits you?
Cheers!

Hi Nicolas, how's things?
I got it the volksworld show, it's pricey but a really nice piece of kit 8)

Just waiting on truck availability will drop you a pm, when it's sorted

Thats the pan pretty much done now, couple of odds & sods to do but pretty much there :)
Also get the correct rear calipers, anyone need a pair of good '88 calipers... ::)

I'll get onto the body next, very little rust repairs needed but I'd really like to drop in a ragtop clip if anyone has one spare... ;D

Almost there dude ;)

Time to start on the body & its turned out to be every bit as good I I thought 8)

I stripped off what little was left on it including the doors etc, starting on the RH rear 1/4 there were some holes to weld up from when a previous owner removed the rear apron.
There was a hole in the closing panel at the end of the heating channel & a couple of small holes where the wing bolts up, these were cut out & some new steel let in.
While the MIG was fired up I thought it would be rude not welding up the trim holes, its going to be a 'looker after all... ;)

Moving to the front 1/4 things were much the same, a couple of small repairs to the bolt flange & weld up the aerial & trim holes.
There's some minor damage to the front apron & spare wheel well, the apron came out fine but I'm going to fit a new wheel well as its stretched & a bit thin in spots.

The LH side is almost exactly the same story, the only difference being some minor damage to the rear bumper mount. I've removed it so I can repair the inner wing properly & after a bit of attention with the hammer & dolly it'll go back on :)
I've also removed the mountings from the inner rear wings to the shock tower as they need moving slightly to fit on the later pan.

Next stage is to sort out the removable rear apron & fit the wings then get it off for blasting 8)

More :)

nice to see you getting rid of that nasty trim  ;D

More :)

More :)

I'm not into resto cal's mate... ;)

Mmmmm not sure I agree with you, check the CAPainter thread

I think it's the way forward.....

make sure you check this area of the panel for fit and clearance around the truss bar, i had to enlarge the hole on mine but im using a different bar.

Nothing worse than having to cut bits out of a freshly painted car.

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/t3ben/P2130028_zpsa9ff8edb.jpg)

Look out Kev, I think Russell's turning chromeosexual   lol

Lol! ;D

Thanks for the heads up!

Love what you did to the trim holes Kev!  ;D

The cash saved on new trim & chrome polish is going towards a motor.. ;D

Well with all the boring rust repairs complete & the removable rear apron pretty much done I've been welding up some holes in the dash & bulkhead thats not needed.
 Because I'm using an aftermarket hot rod type wiring loom none of the switch holes will be used, I'm not smoothing off the radio blank or speaker grill etc, just the switches.
I've dropped the body onto a rolling late 'pan I have so its mobile because I'm hoping to get it blasted fairly soon then start prepping for paint.
Also want to get the steering column sorted out as I'm using a mix of early & late parts to get the wheel exactly where I want it.
I've got a set of late bug seats I'll chop up so the bases fit the stock 'pan runners but at the moment I've got a set of mk1 gti seats or porsche to choose from.
A few other little odds n sods done but thats the main stuff ;)

2 jobs to be done while the body's on the 'roller' chassis was the front seats & steering column.
I'm using a fairly deep dish woodrim I got as an anniversary gift a couple of years ago, the boss was for a later car but that was going to put it too far out for my liking anyway.
What I've ended up doing was use a late type 3 inner column & the oval outer column with about 150mm cut off the bottom to clear the crumple section.
The t3 shaft is about 70mm shorter than the original and put the wheel where I wanted it but needs a bearing to support it at the top. I took the bearing out of the t3 housing & the O.D. is only a fraction smaller than the flared top part of the oval column, I crimped housing slightly & fitted the bearing with loc-tite & the original circlip grips the inside a treat ;D

Next was the seat mounts.
I had 1 old 924 seat & a pair of mk1 gti seats to choose from but went with the porsche, always wanted porsche seats in a bug 8)
Whatever seat was being used was going to have to fit onto the stock late mountings so I started off cutting a late bug seat cut down to just its base & tried fitting the new seat on top... no chance! far too high.
Next try I made a frame from 1" x 2.5mm box tubing that bolts to the porsche runners & blocked it into position on the 'pan.
What I've ended up with uses a section from the bug seat 'slide' to fit the front mounting on the 'pan & the 'claws' from the original seat runners on new rear legs.
Tried it all in & it feels fine ;D
Now I just need a matching pair ::)
[attachment=2]

Fair cracking into that Kev  ;D

Got to do as much as I can when I've got the chance ;D
Got side tracked with work the other week, take it you're away again?
Cheers

yes mate back at it. Wiring loom is waiting for me, on the hunt for a head light switch and hopefully I'll have it fired up next time I'm home .

Another job knocked off the list this morning ;D
I wasn't sure what my options were for for the wiper motor with converting it to 12V so dug out the original assembly & the unit from the late bug I broke last year.
They both worked ok on the bench so I tried the 12V motor in the 56's frame & marked the holes for the motor. The drive is thicker on the late motor so I needed to open up the frame where it comes through & bored out the linkage where it fits onto the crank.
Connected up some power & it works fine ;D
Just need to strip, clean, paint & grease & it'll be good to go :)

Decided to get the back seat sorted out now the fronts are done ;D
It didnt come with seats but I had a late one knocking about I decided to use.
First I narrowed the mounting bar 50mm, then I stripped the seat base & took the same anount out of the centre.
All good so far :)

The backrest is ok width wise but I raised it up sightly & moved it back about 50mm to give a bit more legroom. I modified the hinges to pick up on the factory mountings & made sure it tilted forward ok. With that done I just need to make a latch to hold it & its finished :)

Between shortening the column & modifying the back seat I reckon I've made the most of the room available, with the front seat set where I want it for driving I can still sit in the back with enough room for my legs 8)

And it might be blasted monday.. ;D

I have sat in the back of a stock beetle, no leg room problems, you must be all legs and no torso!

How many have you seen with non standard front seats that almost touch the back seat though... :)

Its all glamour this car building... :D

Dragged the 56 back home yesterday ;D
Got a bit more bodywork to do after blasting it as it showed up a couple of areas that were thinner than expected, nothing serious but not going to cut corners at this stage!

I'm replacing both rear bumper mounts with hookeys panels & also both heater channel bottom plates so I can blast & treat any rust inside the channels.

Going to make a hole in the roof too.. 8)

Decided do dive into the ragtop graft... Seemed more interesting than the other jobs I could've been doing ;)
Got the hole cut & new section sitting in place, next stage is the finish cut on the roof & start welding 8)

Big balling it there Kev, I'd have been bricking it cutting a hole that big  ;D

It's only metal mate, cut off too much & it'll weld back on!
Funnily enough my woodworking is pretty crap... ;)

Job done!
Took my time welding it in & ended up with very little distortion, found that tacking in the front corner braces 1st worked better but they did need modifying as the donor roof was a 60's car.
Going to lead load the join just because I want to learn how to do it ;D

Next step are the rear bumper mounts & removable valance.
Cheers

Cool. nice job Kev.

Cheers!

First time back onto the 56 in months so starting out with easy stuff! ;D
This is going to get lots of miles on it with the kids so one job was always going to be seat belts.
For the front I've used the upper B post mounts salvaged from a 74 I broke.
The lower B posts will need a small 'box' made with the correct captive nut & tied into the heating channel.

At the back I'm using modern late hatchback inertia reel belts hidden under a parcel shelf.
Pics to follow :)

Body wise I've got the rear bumper mounts & valance tacked into place but really need a good w deck lid before final welding. It's had a small shunt at the back that's bent the deck lid & I don't want to weld anything till I've got all the panels that'll be staying with it!
Cheers
Kev

Had a bit of garage time lately so managed to get a bit more metalwork done ;D

The rear bumper mounts are finished, this is the first time I've used Hookeys panels but these fitted perfectly, the heater channel closing plates are just as good too 8)
I've removed the bottom plates so I could treat & rust proof the heater channels, very happy with what I found too, just some slight 'browning' & no rot!
Well worth doing even if it was a bit of a hassle. I'll finish the lower B post seat belt mountings before fitting the new closing panels so I can get everything properly painted first.

Also got the wheel well lower panel removed & repaired some minor damage to the front valance.
Its coming together now.. 8)

Looking good Kev, how colds the garage at the moment?  :o

Not too bad, the big heater helps though! ;D

Replaced the wheel well while it was still on its side, much easier!
Next job is to make the front lower seat belt mounts then paint the inside of the channels before fitting the new closing panels.
Ideally I'd like a N.O.S rear apron to finish of the rear but will probably end up using one of the quality repro parts that's available.

Update time ;D
I've made the lower B post seat belt mounts then treated & epoxy primed the inside of the heating channels, boring job but glad I did it anyway!
After that I cleaned the underside back to bare steel & gave everything 2 coats of epoxy primer, I'll leave it to cure then seam seal all the joins before stonechipping everything. It'll all be painted body colour, not an original or 'show' finish but I'm building it to be used & last.
While it was still on its side I did the inside of the roof too.

Next stage is get stuck into the bodywork & get it ready for primer.. 8)

Are they the new bits seen inside the heater channels?

Lookin' good Kev . . . keep up the nice work!  8)

Some sensible mods there Kev.  8)

Looks great man!

PS: I bet the wife's a bit upset at sleeping on the couch until the mattress isn't needed by the Beetle any more............ ;D

 :D she's a trooper, knows it's all in a good cause!

Yep, basically a piece of 2.5mm wall box section with a mounting face & captive nut. It's welded to the inside of the channel & plug welded through the new bottom plates.
Cheers Ron 8), how's tricks?

Good stuff there Kev.
 8)

Cheers!

What about the drag car is it going to drag day? :o ;)

'Fraid not :'(
I'll get it out eventually!

Looks good mate, are you going to the Drag day at all?

Well no new pics worth posting but there's been some progress!
Most of the body work is done & its hopefully going to be in paint before long.. Just means I'm running out of time to settle on a colour :D

Kev,
I need to replace my rear bumper mounts as well, I went to the web site of the company you mentioned but it only lists those for a 60-67 model, is this what you used? You are doing a great job on the car!
Thanks for your help!
Larry

Hi Larry,
Without digging out the invoice I can't be sure tbh!
I e mailed him before ordering & the panels I got were 100% the same as the originals & were a lovely fit 8)
Can't recommend him highly enough!
Cheers
Kev

Thank you Kev, I have reached out to them. Your car is looking great, you are doing an amazing job. I should have a rolling chassis soon and will be tackling the body soon as well.
Larry

No probs!
Keeping an up to date build thread I hope? :D
Cheers
Kev

Kev, Yes I do have a thread under In Da Works named MY NEW 56 PROJECT, you have even posted to it. I have not updated for a long time but I am getting ready to. I have got a lot done recently, chassis should be rolling soon. I have done some body work but hope to really dig in soon. thanks for the info!

Larry

A full day prepping the body & the light at the end of the tunnel's getting bigger!
A boring job & it always takes longer than expected.. ::)
Pics to follow ;D
Cheers
Kev

Haha!

Ain't that the truth!
Looks fantastic though dude.

Lookin' good Kev!
Unless I missed your mention . . . how did ya do with the "lead loading"?

Didn't happen :-[
I ended up sticking with what I know instead, I'll have a go at it some other time!
Cheers
Kev

Kev, you should have had a go, it's not that hard! Good fun, and strangely satisfying too...
Anyway, this thread is useless without pics!  ;D

I'll have a crack at it sometime Neil!
Pics will happen though.. ;D

Got a little more done now I'm home for a bit :)
Final blocking on the last 1/4 panel now done, I've been giving everything a Matt black guide coat then blocking out with 180 grit.
Just leaves some smoothing out under the bonnet & engine bay & the shell's done! 8)
[attachment=1]

Messy job that sanding, but oh so cool when it's done!  8)
Nice progress Kev . . . I'm using you for my motivation, okay?

I'll be glad when it's done ;D
With the length of time it's taken to get to this stage I'm maybe not the best source of inspiration! ;)
Cheers
Kev

Progress! 8)
Finally finished off the repairs & prepped the shell so gave the inside a couple of coats of epoxy.
Amazing how much difference a coat of primer makes ;D

Looks good Kev! I am using your thread for my inspiration also....
Larry

Cheers Larry! 8)

Hi Kev,

Looking good dude. now keep going. ;)

Cheers bud👍
I'm getting the enthusiasm back for it again😎

👍👍👍👍

Progress!😎
I've been behind schedule for a bit & still have the panels to do but managed to get it into a local body shop so it can get baked & primed😎
Now I just need to get everything else ready too ;D
Suppose I'd better settle on a colour before too much longer..

ohh progress....i like!!

Cheers bud! 8)

thought you were doing it brown

Looking good though

Cheers

Wray

That's one of the colours on the shortlist...

Irish green ;)

Looking good dude.

Irish green also made the shortlist but this is the winner...
Defo a love it or hate it colour though ;D

Nice choice. Would look great with dark colour wheels

Cheers! I'm using gas burners so the green / black with odd shiney bits theme should fit ;D
This is actually the car that got me going down this road...

good choice. nice color.

So I've been working on the panels & getting them ready for primer ;D
Doors & rear apron are done, onto the deck lid..
Now it was slightly bent from having a tap in the rear a long time ago, didn't figure this out till I couldn't get the rear end lined up when fitting the bumper mounts ::)
Used a borrowed lid to finish the shell so now I could use the shell as a guide to straightening the lid, wasn't too far out but unless you've got a good pattern to work from you'll just go round in circles!
Stripped the paint inside & out, I'll pull the dent out at the bottom so it doesn't the 1/2" of filler any more.. ::)

Well finally got all the panels & bits n bobs in primer! ;D
The mission now is to get as much done at home as possible before going for paint.
Today's job was giving the underside & inner wings 2 coats of stonechip, not original looking I know but this is a driver not a show car 8)

Been quite a productive few weeks for a change!  8)
Today's effort..

looking good, and amazing colour!

Thanks! 8)
Colour has changed a bit since drying, it's exactly the colour I had in my head from the start😄
[attachment=1]

You've been a busy boy of late Kev

Good luck at the weekend if you make it

Regards Ron

Great colour Kev , im sure Peter had thought about a similar colour for his a couple years , then went for the grey,
always fancied it , need to think of some thing different now for the next project , race cars looking great aswell,
good luck if your heading out this weekend , stay safe :)

Cheers lads ;D
Yep it's been a busy time but the race car is down to Richie going through it for me, looks like it's going to be at the pod Saturday at least 8) 8)

The colours Deffo love it or hate it... It's came out exactly like I had it in my head ;D

nice colour
i love it  ;D

what are the holes for?
[attachment=1]

Thanks!
Those holes are for getting the channels completely waxoyled when the paintings finished, there's matching holes at the other end.
Well spotted!😉

Nice progress Kev! Lookin' GOOD!!!  8)

ok thank you.
i was thinking of something like that  ;)
maybe it is better to locate these holes inside the car because of rain..?

They'll be blanked off with sealed rubber grommets to keep the elements out!
Cheers
Kev

Thanks buddy! 8)

It's been a full on few weeks of progress for a change! ;D
Painted the inside today, next step will be the under bonnet area.

Nice :)  Good to see you doing it all yourself at home, that's cool 8) 


cheers Richie

Cheers bud  8)
It's a very satisfying job too, you see the results straight away ;D

Nice! Are you painting the outside also by yourself?

Really digging the porsche colours on Cal-lookers!

-Mikko-

Hi Mikko,

Yes I'm going to do it all myself now!
Wasn't going to but why not, I've done everything else up to now!
Cheers
Kev

Another long day yesterday saw both sides in paint ;D
Really happy with how it came out, quick flatten & polish then paint the roof / under the bonnet.
I got tyres fitted to the wheels last week along with new studs as the original Porsche ones at the rear were too long & had a shank that didn't let the nut screw on far enough.
Should be fitted to the 'pan & rolling soon 8)
[attachment=1]
[attachment=2]

Looking good Kev

Cheers😎👍

looking Good, pictures probably don't do it justice though can't wait to see it in natural light outside.

so I'd better get my act in gear so we can do a callook run next spring to get an ice cream at the beach ;D

Yep!
The colour looks more olive in natural light, if it hadn't been raining so hard when I moved it onto the short stands this afternoon I was going to gat a pic of it outside ::)

That's the roof done now ;D
Just the under bonnet area to go then it'll be on the pan & rolling!
[attachment=2]

Sweeet

Cheers!
Be even better tomorrow when I'm finished painting it ;D

Kev that's awesome mate, you must be feeling on top
of world...and with out the aid of thinners ;D

Yep :D
Looking forward to getting it outside for a proper look at the colour 8)
Away on a job Friday for 2 - 2 1/2 weeks so I'll get it on the pan once I'm home.

And it's done ;D
So now the shells painted it's time to get the chassis ready to do under it...
It's been wrapped up for a while now so I gave it a quick clean, fitted the wheels & pushed it outside 8)
Ive started fitting the body gasket but I'll need to go through it checking all the nuts & bolts as I can't remember if it was actually finished or not!

It's on!
Not the quick job I'd expected as the brackets for the rear brake pipes fouled the rear boot floor so I had to cut them off, move them back & make new brake pipes... ::)
It's on though & saw it outside for the 1st time, totally different colour in daylight, doesn't photograph well though & it's a bit darker than it looks, probably the flash but it's just a phone camera pic ;D
Just need to keep bolting bits too it now...

Looks Great against the black wheels.

Top job mate !

Cheers Ron!

The colour is awesome

Looks awesome Kev! can you explain the stonechip you used? I have seen it but didn't know what is was. I like the idea of that since mine will be a driver also. I am ordering some panels from the same guy you used.
Thanks,

Larry

 :)

Thanks :)

Hi Larry,

The stuff I used was called gravitex, it's good quality, available in black, white or gray, will go over pretty much anything & is paintable.
Only has a few important points:
It doesn't have any real rust inhibiting qualities so don't use it on bare steel, existing paint or a good quality primer base.
Apply in 2 coats for a thicker covering where you need it, go on too heavy & it'll just run & sag, also take ages to dry.
Make sure it's properly cured before painting, if it's still soft when it's painted it'll always stay soft.
Before spraying it make sure the surfaces are key'd & cleaned with panel wipe / mild de-greaser.
Before painting over it use a scotchbrite pad to key it then wipe off again.

VERY NICE job Kev!!! 8)
Kev . . . are you are referring to the brackets that attach the brake line to the top of the diagonal arm pivots.

Thanks :)
Yep that's them, when I converted to IRS I didn't take into account the depth of the rear X members... ::)
Moved them closer to where VW intended & funnily enough they don't hit anything.. ;D
Cheers
Kev

Absolutely lovely Kev!!

Cheers bud 8)

Managed to get a bit of garage time this last week & started screwing it together :)

Started with the gearbox, it's from a late square back so the selector shaft has the dimple for the shift rod on the underside & as it turns out is also 10mm shorter than a bug..
After about 1 1/2 hrs messing about trying to get the shifter to select all the gears I took out the box & swapped in a bug selector, should've done that to begin with.. ::)

Then I bolted down the body & finished the front beam off, Pretty much all the hardware is stainless & came from mark at flatlands engineering. If you've never looked at his website it's worth a look, everything is quality & not expensive 8)
Looks good too ;D

The rear brakes have been an issue..
They're early 944 & weren't 100% complete when I got them, no handbrake fittings at all or calipers, how hard or expensive are those bits when you need them :o
After 3 attempt I eventually got the CORRECT calipers!
Also hopefully found all the handbrake bits & should get them next week.

So I moved onto the wiring, now when I bought the car it had been picked pretty much bare & didnt have any loom left. Because I'd always planned to modernise the running gear as much as I could I bought an aftermarket harness from langys hot rods. It's made by Rebel & comes with a pre wired fuse box, every wire is marked with what it does every 6" or so & supplied wound into 4 main coils - front section, rear section & 2 dash sections.
Started off making an alloy bracket for the fuse box & mounted it under the rear seat then ran the wires up the tunnel for the front end.
Rear section runs up the boot floor then through to the inner wings each side for the lights, the engine wires will come out behind the fan shroud.
I'm not planning any switches on the dash so everything is likely to be on a small panel between the handbrake & gear lever.
Hopefully get a bit more done this week 8)

Pics!

More

Bit more done today ;D
I built up & fitted the steering column, it's a late t3 inner with the original outer sleeve cut down at the bottom so as to clear the crumple zone.
Top end has a late column bearing fitted with a drop of loctight.
Finally the steering wheel I got for an anniversary present @3 years ago!

Ran the wires out for the headlights too, used a bit of stainless braided hose to keep them safe & tidy.
Will need to decide on switch positions soon so I can order what I need. The plan of having them between the front seats on the tunnel won't work as there's just not enough room :(
Ordered an indicator stalk today so that's hopefully going to take care of that one!

More

Looking great Kev, nice touches there

Cheers Rob 8)
I've got a little more done to it now, bit more wiring & some other odds n sods, the steering box turned out to be fubar'd  after everything was connected so I've swapped that out. ::)
Away tomorrow on a job for 4 weeks so hopefully I'll have some bits waiting to be fitted when I'm back! ;D
Cheers
Kev

So I've managed to spend a bit more time on it, unfortunately it's mostly on jobs no-one will notice but me! :D
I've fitted the wipers & ran the wiring for it up the L/H A post, along the can't rail & down the B post. I'm trying to hide as much of the wiring as possible & keep things as simple looking as I can.
It's a late 2 speed motor fitted to the original oval mechanism, pretty easy swap & just needed a couple of trial fits to make sure the motor cleared the scuttle. Tested it on the bench, all went well so it got a coat of paint, new scuttle grommets & nuts then fitted.
Now I'd intended keeping the switches out of sight & came up with a plan to fit them between the front seats...
After a couple of other ideas I settled on a steel bracket bolted to the tunnel. The switches sit just below the level of the seat bolsters & fall to hand easily. once everything's tested the sides will be covered by trimmed panels.
I've also been cleaning & painting some other bits & pieces ready for when needed.
Hopefully I'll get the wings painted fairly soon & get cracking with it 8)

This is the switch panel, I had to shorten the handbrake 2 1/2" but everything fits ;D

Great work!

Thanks😎👍

Got in the garage today & this happened ;D
All 4 wings painted & loosely hung waiting for wing beading.
Just need all the other bits painted now!

Also managed to get the rear brakes built after finally getting all the correct handbrake fittings ::)
Calipers are rebuilt & painted ready to go on, another piece of the puzzle done ;D

looking good, love the colour, looks like its all coming together nicely.
what was involved in the later wiper swap? the motor on my 58 has just given up and i have a later assembly sat doing nothing

Kev

You mentioned stainless nuts and bolts, was talking about that the other day, did you use it on suspension items, as we were thing it would be a lot weaker than the steel ones ?

Sorry for the late reply!
Didn't get a notification for some reason...
It was an easy swap, I re drilled the oval linkage frame for the new motor, (possibly 1 original hole & 2 new ones, been a while now..)
Also used the late crank that bolts onto the drive on the motor.
Don't think I've got any more pics of this, it's been a while since I did it now!
Definitely wasn't a big deal anyway, didn't take long to do & was working fine on the bench connected to a battery.
Just need to fit it onto the car to check clearance from the scuttle panel as its a tighter fit than the original.
Cheers
Kev

[attachment=1]
Built up the headlights today.. Wasn't 100% about painting the rims but now it's done I'm very happy with them 8)
Got the rear calipers fitted & brake pipes finished too, just need to double check everything's tight & bleed them.
Next will be back to the wiring, maybe get the doors painted & fitted too :)
Cheers
Kev

Looks great Kev! keep it up.

I like the painted H/L rings . . . very much!
Yer car is lookin' great Kev!  8)

Thanks guys😎

Very nice, really dig that green colour!

Same here, digging the colour. Cool car.

Got it on the deck a few weeks back but it sat too high.. >:(
Both Spring plates were 1 outer spline out & the left also 1 inner.. Looks better now!
Also set the front beam, see how it looks when it's all built up but it's pretty near what I'm after right now 8)

looking good, keep it up! I bought some panels from Hookeys like you used, great quality and a good guy to deal with. thanks for giving me his info.
Larry

Glad to hear you're making progress Larry 8)

Looking great man......... headlight treatment looks ace.👍🏼

Thanks bud👍

Few more bits done now, doors hung etc.
Mostly small things nobody will see! ;)

It's been a long time since the last update but I'm finally back on it!
I've been collecting bits though & Ive got most bits to finish it off now.
I used dynamat throughout the inside panels, along with decent carpets & soundproofing it should be fairly quiet for those 1000 mile round trips :D
The doors are all built up & gapped along with the bonnet, a job I'm happy that's finished!
I need to paint & seal the fuel tank then it can go in too.
Hopefully I'll get it to the trimmer shortly so the roof cloth & sunroof can be done.

More

Awesome!  :)

The headlights turned out great, really like the black buckets with the painted rings.

I'm seriously considering IRS for my school project Beetle,  I'd forgotten that you'd done this one!

Cheers!
After how well the race car drove I doubt I’d have a quick swing axle car !
Cheers
Kev

is this where the story ends...  :o

I hope not  ???

it has progressed  ;D, i'll ask him to post some updates when i see him next  :o