40 Ford Kit

[madmike]

I just pick up a 4 piece kit for a 68 ratrod project it has a one piece top and split window section, a headliner, and a Hood,As Sargent Shults would say;I know "noSthing" about body work Anyone have instuctions on these??? looks to me the roof has to come off ??I thinking about Beefing up the pan to keep the doors from saging?? All Opinions welcome,Madmike[/img]
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'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[andk5591]

Assuming that you bought this used. Try contacting Ron at BGW and see if its one of his - if so, he may sell you installation instructions. Before you tackle this - take a good look at pics of some of these and be sure that you really want to do it and FULLY understand the scope of the work.

This can be a major project - and if you are removing the roof, you are removing a lot of structure. You should brace to compensate.
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D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[10ovr]

PIX

[andk5591]

As far as bracing goes - take a look at a vert. There are gussets all over the place that a sedan does not have to compensate for the lack of a roof.

At the least, I would fabricate or buy a set of the vert rails that run under the heater channels for additional support.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[madmike]

Sorry no pic's The wife tells me I'm computer Illiterate I know enought to get in trouble Yepper going to beef it under the channles,Thanks guys,Madmike
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[jakester]

Do yourself a favor. You want a 40' ford. Go buy a 40 Ford. Ron a BGW is a complete hack and sells crap products. Don't believe me, CALL HIM UP, or at the very least, request what HE calls a catalog. Then sit back and laugh. I spent 800.00 with the jerk and got thoroughly ripped off. he makes the items in his "shop" but hey guess what??? He was no idea HOW TO INSTALL THEM! This isn't some guy ranting either, TRUST ME. BGW Spectre sells GARBAGE. Have any questions?? send me a p.m.


Jake
Coviello Racing, inc.

[madmike]

Hey Jake, Thanks PM sent
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[andk5591]

Umm - I received my 40 Ford hood from Ron at BGW a couple months ago. Real nice product and very pleased with it. Was a couple weeks later than initial ship date, but he was upfront with that being a possibility. He may be a little unconventional, but I can think of more than a few in this hobby that are. Not sure what Jakester's prob was, but I would order again....
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[madmike]

I just needed some intell on this project "before" I cut up a good bug body Only to find out I'm screwed
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[jakester]

Andk5591

if you're pleased with your hood, good for you. Then again, your hood requires about 20 minutes worth of work to fit to your car. Unbolt the old and rebolt the new. My 32 Ford nose kit requires quite a bit of fabricating as most of the stock vw trunk area gets cut off. He offered no instructions. He admitted to me he had never installed one before and didn't know where to start. And..... if he shipped your 40 hood in the same condition as he shipped my 32 nose kit, TRUST ME, you'd be on the phone with him bitching about it. Ron is a F***in' hack. PERIOD.

This idiot charges me a 27.00 credit card handling fee? In 2008???(at the time of sale)??? Give me a break. Not to mention BGW spectre does not have the ability to process a credit card. When he needs to do a charge, he goes to the corner convenience store.

His fiberglass work is uneven and varies in thickness from one side to another. I had areas on my nose where light was shining through because he didn't use enough glass matting. I took the nose to two different shops, one of which has been in business for 45 years. They both looked at it, laughed and said "you paid HOW MUCH for this???"

His catalog is a joke. It's a pile of pages that have been photocopied about 500 times. The kit I wanted was offered in both standard and in deluxe form. Neither his catalog, his wife or Ron himself could tell me the difference. Yet, I paid 25.00 for this?? a pile of garbage even ron admitted was out of date?

So after trying to fit the nose onto a spare body shell i had laying around(I wanted to practice before cutting up my rust free '74) I called him and said I wanted to return it. He said no problem. He'll send me a receipt stating he received it back in resellable condition. he also stated there will be a restock fee(thats was fine with me......... to a point. he did sell three others that same year). BUT....I would have to wait at least three months for a refund........WHY you ask? QUOTE "I don't want to get myself into a negative cash situation. And yet Ron is going to say BGW Spectre is a serious legit business???? Thats total b.s.





Jake
Coviello Racing, inc

[joescoolcustoms]

If you cannot get directions, inch into it.

Beef up the pan/heater channel area first. Cut very conservative and inch outward with your cuts along with trial fitting often.

Way back in the day of the early 80's I set up a VW business and ordered any and all catalogs from anyone that was in the VW business so I could have potential parts suppliers. Some of the current renowed VW suppliers of today had cheesey catalogs just like BGW's. (I too have a current catalog from BGW). With todays latigious society and the nature of attaching FG parts to metal structures, I would decline knowledge of how to install the parts too.

I also know of many makers of FG parts that work out of a basic home garage. Last spring I bought a FG minature Jeep Wrangler body to put onto a EZGO golfcart for my wife to run around a campground where we have a 5th wheel camper located. It was a nice piece of work made by a older retired guy in his home garage in RI. (would hate to live in that house with the resin smell tho...)

As with any FG parts I have ever had including buggy bodies, Race parts for many drag cars including doors, fenders, deck lids, hoods, Harwood parts, FG beetle fenders, factory bed sides, they all take fabrication experience to install and modify to fit.

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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[andk5591]

Well, not much I can say Jakester, except expressing my recent experience. And I did look over the hood very well and am very satisfied with it. Of course I expect a bit of blocking to get it as straight as I want it, but its no worse than the aftermarket sheet metal that you get anymore.

I will repeat was was just posted above - this type of thing (glass VW parts) is not a high demand product or else it would be getting cranked out in China. Mom and Pop specialty car business are very common and I am just grateful that I was still able to get my hood. I have 2 other older 40 Ford hoods that are absolutley terrible that were manufactured by companies unknown, but they are nothing like the BGW hood.

So - it's a shame you had a bad experience. It really sucks when you want to do a project a certain way and it doesn't work out.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[madmike]

Well thanks for the help guys, I'm not going to do this now that Know what I'm getting into Maybe the Local Collage will help me out they need a challange Like this Madmike
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[madmike]

Shop teacher at to local Collage wants to look at it today,He also wanted to know about How BGW suggusted to install it, can one of you guys send me instructions?? I'll pay no problem,Madmike
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"