Cylinder Heads

Over the last few months I've done a few things to my cylinder heads that I have not documented, the intakes have been unshrouded,  the combustion chambers have been cc'd to within 0.1 cc and the valve spring install height has been set to 1.600 - 1.605". I also blasted the fins to break the gloss for better cooling.  Today I polished the combustion chambers.

Center Console

The top mounting holes for the center console have been drilled and the console fits exactly the way I wanted.  I will have to take it back out, but before I do, I will build the rails that hold the bottom of the sides against the tunnel.  I will also figure out how to rig a lever or stepper motor in order to flip the fuel reserve valve because I will not be able to use my foot any more.

Center Console

I got the gauge panel welded to the bottom of the radio panel.  You can't see it in this picture but there is a gusset between the 2 holes to add a little support.  The mounting tabs are also built and welded on.  I still need to weld tabs to the edges of the front faces, but this part is almost done.  Next up is the cell phone compartment below the gauge panel.

Center Console

Last night I got the new gauge panel made.  Because I switched from a single DIN to a double DIN radio, I had to make the top portion of the console a little wider to accommodate the the extra height.  That meant the gauge panel also needed to be made wider.  Right now the radio panel is tack welded in just for fitment and the gauge panel is just sitting there.  Next up is to weld the gauge panel to the bottom of the radio panel.  Then I can start to work on the mounting system to hold it all in the console.  The side panel will be bolted in first then the radio/gauge panel will slide in from the front.  Finally there will be a compartment below the gauges to store a phone, wallet or whatever.  The radio/gauge panels will be painted red and the rest will be covered with tan and ivory vinyl.

Center Console

My original design for the center console only included a single DIN radio.  I actually cut the sides as well as the radio and gauge faces last year.  Over the weekend I found a double DIN radio that I wanted to use.  So I modified the sides and cut a new radio face last night.  I also got the mounting tabs welded onto the sides.

Headliner

The headline in the bug is finished.  It turned out great but the last couple pieces sure put up a good fight.  The center section that covers the inside of the slider was over an inch to wide.  I had to rip all the seams for the bows and the tucks on the sides and redo them all.

The cardboard strip that clips into the back edge of the slider was not sewn on correctly.  The last several inches of fabric on one side were actually not attached to the cardboard strip at all.  But I was able to fix both problems and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Headliner

I got a really good start on the headliner last night.  Both door posts are done as well as around the back window and the driver side quarter up to the windshield.  I could not be happier with how it is going.  I have to give a huge thanks to Chris Valone for his video series on installing a headliner.  Make sure to check it out before you install one of these.

Headliner Padding

Tonight I got all the padding cut and glued into place around the back window, up the B pillars and over the top of the rear quarters all the way to to the windshield.  I also filled in the section of the rear quarter between the window and the firewall with Quick Roof.  All the "grippers" on the sides of the back window and on the B pillars are prepped as well.

Seat Belts

After going all summer without driving the bug, it's time to get working on it again.  I finally got the last seat belt installed.  All 4 passengers will now have a 3-point belt.  All 4 belts came from a '95 Acura Integra, the same one that donated the front seats.  Each mounting point has a very large, very thick flat washer welded in behind the body metal, so they will not simply pull out.

Now that the seat belts are all done, I can get going on the headliner.  I have an oatmeal colored tweed headliner that I plan to start installing this week.  I think I have everything I need, so it's just a matter of getting time in the shop.

New Case

My new case arrived today.  I am building a 2276 for the beetle and this Autolinea case will the the starting point.  I already have nearly all the parts and I will start posting pics of the build process as soon as I get some of the customer project finished and out of the shop.  But for now, this little teaser will have to do.

Type 1 Case Cutaway

I was out in the shop the other night and I didn't want to work on my customer projects.  So I decided to make a cutaway of a Type 1 case to show the oil galleys.  Yeah, you can find lots of diagrams around the web to show this same thing.  There is nothing like an actual case with the galleys milled down so you can see them.