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("Rotkäppchen" is "Little Red Riding Hood" in German) The project title comes from the car's bright red
hood
and
flowing
upper
body
'cape' |
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EXTERIOR PLANS |
This humble volksrod began as a 1969
VW
standard bug sedan with reasonably straight,
reasonably rust-free exterior body panels and most structural rust
repaired (right).
The front
fenders,
windows, door
tops, running boards, and trim have been removed,
and the rear fenders will be
seriously trimmed as they were on this
beautiful
Hebmüller-style roadster, left, built by Airspeedparts in Canada). [Note: Cars forty
years old or older can legally "run fenderless" in Washington
state, but only on dry pavement.]
The one-piece
hood
(called a "bonnet" in the UK, right) came from a
1956 MG Magnette ZA sedan and will be hinged at the front so it can tilt
forward for engine access. A
custom replacement grille will be
fabricated, probably from a sheet of
expanded metal or vertical runs
of conduit.
The roof will
be
restyled
as a chopped business coupe. I'll be swapping in the
early (pre-1965) VW sedan
windshield
frame (left) to support the front, and a small,
integral sun visor will shade the top of the
windshield.
Slightly rusty Diest headlight
nacelles were purchased at a local swap meet - they will be painted flat black to
match
the
lower
body
color.
Front
turn signals and stop/taillights haven't been chosen yet.
And
here is its 1969 license plate (left) -
I registered Rotkäppchen
as a Collector Vehicle
(no annual license tab fees, smog checks,
or front license plate required).
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INTERIOR PLANS |
Vintage-style gauges (right) will be fit into
a
custom flat dash panel, all electrical
controls will be
replaced with new aftermarket switches,
and
the
entire
wiring
system
will
be
simplified.
Either
the
40" wide folding rear bench seat from a 2000 Jeep TJ or a
pair of bucket seats from a 1973
VW SportsBug (both left) will be used in the front (there
will be no back seat).
A "banjo" steering
wheel and steering shaft from a 1970 Triumph Spitfire (right)
will be used.
A small cargo
binnacle (big enough for jackets and a picnic basket) will be
fashioned behind the front seat(s), and a
fully-enclosed, carpeted trunk
will take the
place of the VW 's rear seat area, luggage shelf, and engine compartment.
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CHASSIS-DRIVETRAIN PLANS |
A
primitive but substantial rectangular
tubing frame
(built by Fiberfab/CMC for a Gazelle kitcar, left) will support the bug body.
This will increase the wheelbase
from
94.5" to 99.0" and move the rear wheels about
12"
forward of their normal location (relative to the VW 's
door
openings) for an up-in-the-air "Altered/Gasser" stance I definitely
like.
A
1976
Ford
Mustang
II contributed its torquey 2.8 liter V6 engine,
automatic transmission, fuel tank, steering, and suspension (right). The battery will
be in
the
engine
compartment
(above
the transmission bellhousing).
A set of custom Motorsport Technology billet
aluminum adapters allows fitment of steel
Empi spoked steel wheels (5" wide in the
front, 7" wide in the rear) that have a 4-on-130mm bolt circle.
The wheels have been painted medium gray
with a texture
to resemble
cast magnesium wheels and they will be cosmetically
enhanced
with
chrome trim
rings,
chrome
lug
bolts, and
chrome
center
caps
(only
the
trim rings are shown, left).
Standard
sized 165R15 tires in the front will
be complemented by meaty 225/70R15 tires in the rear. |
BUILD STATUS |
My progress is documented at my
volksrods.com project page -
don't expect much, and you won't
be disappointed . . . .|
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For more information about volksrods, click on the medallions below.
