TheSamba.com :: View topic - My 63 body on a 59 pan Herbie project car

Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:24 am

Man this is coming together nicely! Can't wait to see it finished

Sun Mar 30, 2025 5:42 pm

Well I had a setback the other day
I took ok herb out for a quick spin with my wife .
Just a lil 1/2 mile up the road and back
I hit 70mph and BAM! The hood flies up .
My own fault because I didn’t have a hood latch installed yet for fear of it getting stuck before I could adjust it all the way .
It didn’t break the windshield (fortunately)
But it did "spring" the hood

I took the hood off started working on it with a 2 1/2 pound sledge and a 2x4 and got it back to this

More than happy with it
It also revealed a crack in the front of the hood

Like many Bugs, rust had settled in the bottom of the nose and rusted it away
It’s supposed to be 2 layers there and one of mine was gone
So I got some donor metal and welded a piece back in

The metal is super thin so I had many blow outs
But eventually I piled enough metal on it to make it work

I added some body filler and glazing putty to some problem areas I already had

Once that is dried and sanded , I’ll start over with the primer, sealer, and paint
Again

Sun Mar 30, 2025 8:07 pm

Mon Mar 31, 2025 7:27 pm

Got behind schedule
I did spray the sealer this evening

And then a few coats of L87

That used up all of my L87
I still have to paint the wheels
So, I’ll get some more mixed up when the time comes

Mon Mar 31, 2025 9:08 pm

Bummer about the hood flying open. So, were you unable to see i front of you for a few seconds? That could be pretty scary!

Thu Apr 03, 2025 9:32 pm

Been a very busy couple of days
I installed the painted parts

I buffed the paint out and started adding parts

That went so well that I kept going

You’ll notice I pulled the Herbie plate off and installed the plate that belongs on the car

Because Ol’ Herb is now street legal and took his first trip

Right to the gas station for some premium fuel .
I brought him back home since the sun was getting low

I didn’t have the clips for the running board chrome or the trim on the sides
I ordered those items
Still much to do, but the list is getting shorter

Fri Apr 04, 2025 3:17 am

Congratulations on reaching your first drive! You've been working on Herb for over 10 years. You have reached a huge milestone.

Wed Apr 09, 2025 1:54 pm

Sorted out my lights front and rear

My parts came in but my knees are acting up.

As soon as I’m able, I’ll get back on it

Sat Apr 12, 2025 1:19 pm

I installed the chrome trim on the running boards and body today
Getting closer to the finish line

I also put the tire on the spare rim

Mostly interior stuff left to do
Oh, and a million small things that show up as you go

Sat Apr 12, 2025 1:26 pm

Looks good! When will you paint the rims? and are you planning on white outline lettered tires?

Sat Apr 12, 2025 2:15 pm

I have To buy more paint for the rims so I’m enjoying it as is for a bit
The raised white letters are sweet, but I’m going OG Love Bug from the first film

Sun Apr 13, 2025 6:57 am

You did good work on the running boards, positioning them so that their bottom edge lines up with the bottom curves of the fender ends.

Many people have the boards higher which unfortunately breaks the visual line continuation.

In this photo of the rear, you are standing perfectly centered. You can see a sliver of the left tire beyond the fender edge, but not on the right tire. Do you think that the rear fenders have slightly different widths (left fender narrower)? I'm sure that your rims and tires are identical...

Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:49 am

LOOKS SO GOOD! Nice job!

I had to reread a number of pages, to catch back up. Did you know that several photos are no longer showing up? There is just a grayish box with Photoboucket written within it.

Sun Apr 13, 2025 12:06 pm

Rome wrote: You did good work on the running boards, positioning them so that their bottom edge lines up with the bottom curves of the fender ends.
continuation.

Totally unintentional, but thanks for the compliment lol

Rome wrote:
Do you think that the rear fenders have slightly different widths (left fender narrower)? I'm sure that your rims and tires are identical...

I'm pretty sure that the rear fenders are re-pops
They are super light and look very narrow.
I may replace them in the future

Sun Apr 13, 2025 12:08 pm

VW_Jimbo wrote: Did you know that several photos are no longer showing up? There is just a grayish box with Photoboucket written within it.

Yes.
I accidentally deleted the Photobucket several years ago. Lost over 400 pics of the teardown and progress of the build

alot can happen over ten years

Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:30 pm

I glued the carpet in finally
Previously it was just laid in place
Moved around a lot so I glued it to the padding, glued the padding to the tarboard, glued the tarboard to the Killmat
Then I was able to concentrate on finally getting the door panels on

Don’t forget the little rubber pieces that keep the handles from rattling

Those go inside these wee holes

That’s all good so I moved on to the antenna
Needed to drill holes in my quarter panel

So, I looked for reference in the Love Bug Screencaps and chose this pic

Having absolutely no fear this late in the game , I marked and drilled my holes and mounted the antenna

Not sure what I’ll do next
Stay tuned

Mon Apr 14, 2025 8:33 am

Awesome job! Looks great!!

Sun Apr 20, 2025 12:46 pm

Weekend project :
Paint the rims
I rook the tires off and cleaned the rims up

Then I put them in the booth and sprayed epoxy primer

I went back today and sprayed the sealer and then the color

You’ll notice my decklid in the back of that last pic
I put a few scratches on it and decided to fix those and repaint it while I’m already spraying color

Sun Apr 27, 2025 2:35 pm

I installed A camber compensator on the back to help with wheel tuck
I let the rims cure for a week
Then mounted the tires myself (I have access to equipment)

Then I put them back on the car

It looks so much better (to me anyway)

I also ordered the livery

I have to let the decklid cure fully and do some good touch ups before I put them on
Getting close now to having an actual Herbie

Sun Apr 27, 2025 2:44 pm

This is what I've been waiting for.

Been following this thread for years! :wink: