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phyregod Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2017 Posts: 20 Location: TX
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 12:32 pm Post subject: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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This Beetle more or less fell in my lap. A dry, solid ‘66 with a couple dents and a million little dings. I’d never considered building a beetle other than my wife’s ‘64. But it’s here.. and i’m Building it. I pulled the fender to fix the dents and figured i’d Do some shaving while I was at it. That kind of creatively spread like wild fire and I suddenly found myself mid-chop with a diced up beetle. I want to build something different. That’s pretty hard being that these cars have been modified for decades. But.. stay tuned. I have some fresh ideas to throw out there! This car has become a platform to practice metalwork and fab. This lady is going to be poked and prodded a hundred different ways. Hence the name, Harlot.
The beginning:
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phyregod Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2017 Posts: 20 Location: TX
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 2:16 pm Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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I’d bounced around ideas for how to Chop her, and how much. After googling a while and looking at different styles I kind of came up with my own. 13cm from the windshield posts which comes out to 11.025cm vertical. I’ve decided to go metric to make things easier all around.
I removed paint from the areas around most planned cut/weld lines. Easier to do it now than when it’s in 100 pieces and all edges.
Windows and doors pulled.
Bracing added so the body doesn’t move/collapse when I chop the roof off.
After much staring and dreaming and measuring.. Its time to start cutting.
Little snack!
Windshield frame split in two and dropped
B pillars measured and cut.
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phyregod Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2017 Posts: 20 Location: TX
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 4:24 pm Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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So.. Chopping the A and B pillars were child's play compared to figuring out this rear end.. I measured and stared for at least a week before cutting. I suppose this will be a modified Capella chop? Something like that. Hell, If it's original, lets call it a Harlot chop! 11cm vertical from the windshield and B pillars, back laid down to match.
Finally made a rear cut. This was measured a thousand different ways.
Cut all the way across the back. Only took half an inch here. Yup. Inch. Old habits die hard I suppose.
Inner and outer sides are cut. I plan on re-shaping that rear window.
The entire rear end is now cut loose save for these little bits by the decklid. They will act as a pivot while keeping the rear end in line.
B pillar removed, rear end initially Laid down.
Stretched the roof wider. I acutally ended up splitting the rear roof in two as well, as the stretch flattened the top a little too much. The framework here is what I had laying around, and honestly, it got a bit silly.
Used plywood to line up the window channels and clamped in place.
This is my finely calibrated laser cut marking device.
With... umm.. fine tuning tape. Screwed to the roof above Harlot.
High tech beetle choppin!
This poor baby.
Just had to do a little mock up. She's coming along! Pillars chopped, rear laid down! Now all I have to do is make it all fit and weld it up! Easy, right?!
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rmh60bug Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2015 Posts: 124 Location: Northwest PA
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 7:34 pm Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Love it ! _________________ 1960 Volksrod in progress
Engine… depends on the day !
6"chop, 5" drop, 10" ext
Slow & Steady is the key |
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eyetzr Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2013 Posts: 1425 Location: Toronto, Ontario. Canada
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 3:28 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Love it. Mint, rust free, complete car fell into your lap & you felt the need to cut it up. Very nice. I can here the purists crying foul already. Looks great. _________________ I think he meant "rare", as in "not well-done" |
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heywebonya Samba Member
Joined: July 08, 2010 Posts: 823 Location: Portage, MI
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 6:45 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Wow, great progress and documentation. Bodywork amazes me! _________________ If I knew what I was doing; I wouldn't be building a buggy! |
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phyregod Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2017 Posts: 20 Location: TX
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 7:03 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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rmh60bug wrote: |
Love it ! |
Thanks!
eyetzr wrote: |
Love it. Mint, rust free, complete car fell into your lap & you felt the need to cut it up. Very nice. I can here the purists crying foul already. Looks great. |
Yeah.. If this car were wearing its original paint I'd have shined her up like a pretty penny and flipped her. But the second paint job was awful and there was a few pounds of bondo in the roof. I think a tree fell on the car at some point. The driver door pillar was bent to the point that the door wouldn't shut all the way, etc. Its mostly rust free, has some little spots here and there I'm going to cut out and fix. I'd still felt bad for cutting her up. But.. No way was I going to sell this solid, weldable steel one and hunt down a mess of a rust bucket beetle to cut up. That would be pure insanity. And add months of work.
We do have a well cared for '64 as well. So maybe the purists can give me a little break.
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vaughn bros. Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 2395 Location: Hickory, NC
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:11 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Looks f'n great!😀 |
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phyregod Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2017 Posts: 20 Location: TX
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:36 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Update! More work done. Lots of cutting, fitting, and modifying.
This is the driver door gap filled in from a piece of my donor roof. Looks like it isn’t straight, but it is. Some fitting of the roof skin is needed before final bends and cuts are made.
I cut an 8” wide section from the front windshield. This will allow me to fit a donor piece with the full rear view mirror section centered up.
The windshield pillars need a tiny bit of fitting. A simple slice and some hammer work.
Donor roof skin. I cut off as much of the skin as I could. Placed the skin on the car and slid it around until I found the shape I wanted. The high point of the roof is in the factory location instead of shifting to the rear as you see with many chops. I didn’t want that high back stanced hot rod look. Trying to make her smooth.
I cut the donor skin straight and square. (Chopped it off free-hand). Laid it on the roof, set the curves where I wanted them, clamped it up, and marked my final cut lines on the beetle. Then cut it. I was in the groove and forgot to snap pics of all of that.
Started tacking. This chop is 100% butt-welded. No lap welds. If i’m Going to practice metal work, i’d might as well do it right. This will eliminate a ton of filler later.
It’s amazing how much the shape of the car has changed. Comparing the stock beetle (Alice) roof in the background to Harlot’s.
This is where I left off. It was pushing midnight. Tacks were done from the outside corners in, as I can adjust the gap in the rear window frame. Otherwise i’d Have started in the middle and worked my way out.
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vaughn bros. Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 2395 Location: Hickory, NC
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:40 pm Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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The sign of pro. This top is going to flow great. |
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MR71TRANSAM Samba Member
Joined: October 25, 2018 Posts: 75 Location: Waterford, CT
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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2018 6:37 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Would Really like to see how your project looked Finished!
Rick H |
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ALB Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2008 Posts: 3483 Location: beautiful suburban Wet Coast of Canada
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:37 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Very cool! Have always loved chopped bugs. Any updates? _________________ On a lifelong mission to prove (much to my wife's dismay) that Immaturity is Forever!! |
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finster Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2012 Posts: 7929 Location: north o' the border
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Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:05 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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cover up the blue beetle when grinding! |
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vaughn bros. Samba Member
Joined: October 13, 2003 Posts: 2395 Location: Hickory, NC
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Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 6:00 am Post subject: Re: JBCustoms Presents: Harlot. A ‘66 Beetle Chop. |
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Update us!😀 |
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