Hackin' on Herbie

[crazydave]

Well I finally got bored with looking at Herbie, and so got the balls to actually mod him. I'll tell ya, he fought me every step of the way.

Lowering this body is nearly impossible. It's molded of extra thick plastic, that seems to comform to the inside of the chassis. Compounded by the inherant shape of the VW, there is no room in the back.

In order to make room, I devised a plan to raise the deck lid. That's a common mod you see here in AZ, with all the heat an all. But just raising it wan't enough. I had to shave the inside of the deck paper thin. I actually started to go through in the license plate area. then I dremeled the motor screw down at an angle. (yes, it is still removable)

Here's a glimpse with the deck off, so you get an idea of what went on there.



And here the deck lid is glued on, but the body id just resting on the chassis.


After I test fitted, and knew it was gonna fit, I glued some new tabs on the chassis. Then my next nightmare began. I shaved and shaved at the wheel wells, to allow the wheels room to turn. The shape of the fender made it really tricky, and extra thick.

Then I had problems painting. It would have gone smoothly, if I had stuck to a single color, like I originally planned, but then I saw this as a 2-tone. I should have spent more time trying to sand the numbers off the door, but I was afraid I'd deform the shape of the door. Anyways, I had to lay 6 coats of the white to cover the numbers. So all my masking had a thin white line around it. After hours of touching up, and then retouching up where I messed up when I was touching up, I gave up, and said, "Close enough", and really after seeing the photos, its is probably good enough. I still dig the over all look.

So here it is...


The sun was setting, the lighting looks a bit too harsh, I think I really need to reshoot these.

[sat4life27]

Even with herbie being stubborn it still turnned out pretty good dave, You shoud just remove the deck lid all together and make a small exhaust pipe come up out of it. Slap you some sand tires on it and make a dunebuggy. With all the desert out there you could have a blast with that lil mofo.

Or make one look like the Herbie nascar in the new movie. That would be the shiznit...

[JDM-R34]

WOW, still very straight pimping!

[CaboWabo]

I love the scheme you chose, where ya put the white and all.
Perfect style for that buggy.

I feel ya on the touch-up shit, I've been there too many times.
She looks local now with your raised deck, and old school with the paint scheme. Nice work man.

Oh yea, and I got to get a sneak peek at the first 2 pics before y'all

[steelwoolghandi]

Great looking color I like the 2 tone! looks like it was a pain to mod but you brought it off vary well! that was a heck of an idea lifting the deck lid they do that a lot here in Texas too!

A1 work!!!

[crazydave]

She looks local now with your raised deck, and old school with the paint scheme. Nice work man.

That's pretty much exactly what I was aiming for. Kind of a classic look, with some modern touches.

Don't worry, sat4life27, I have at least one more Herbie in my plans for the future. I still praying for a Beetle body set. Come on Radio Shack, you know we want it.


Thanks for the compliments guys, makes the extra frustration worth while.

[betty.k]

the lowering certainly helped! maybe you could find a faux engine to replace that rear cover? either way it turned out well

[DarkTari]

I gave up, and said, "Close enough"

HaHaHaHa !! Sometimes Pimp you just gotta do that

Turned out pretty good Man. Great job on the drop. I've had that same problem with bodies that have painted on decals and learned to get as much of that shit off as possible, then primer. I found automotive paints also cover that up better than say the Testor's and such.

[crazydave]

I've had that same problem with bodies that have painted on decals and learned to get as much of that shit off as possible, then primer. I found automotive paints also cover that up better than say the Testor's and such.

Yeah, in this case the paint was laying baby butt smooth and was glossy as hell. (It better be after 6 coats ). The issues came from the fact the the base was white with black numbers, and the bright shade of white was semi transparent.

Ironically, I almost grabbed a can of primer by accident, because it was in a small touch up can too (I never seen that before). Then in retrospect, I thought, "Duh, should've used the primer, it'd be glossy anyways after the clear coat." But I like to avoid primer, because I feel that it fills the detail lines a little too much on a bit, but guess that also depends on the primer you use.



You guys ever notice that whenever you do some body work you're proud of, the paint job suddenly becomes extra difficult.

[DarkTari]

I

feel that it fills the detail lines a little too much on a bit, but guess that also depends on the primer you use.

Tru Dat

You guys ever notice that whenever you do some body work you're proud of, the paint job suddenly becomes extra difficult.

UH HUH

[hue35]

You guys ever notice that whenever you do some body work you're proud of, the paint job suddenly becomes extra difficult.

Every time.

That looks great man, I really dig the colors. I had a buddy in high school that drove that car.. ragtop, raised deck, lowered, stock steel wheels painted off-white... but, it was the off-white and mint green color combo. I loved that car. Ragtops are the shit.

[steelwoolghandi]

You guys ever notice that whenever you do some body work you're proud of, the paint job suddenly becomes extra difficult.

almost every time or you get a great paint job and you decide to do a little extra detail and bang you screw up the paint job!!!

[crazydave]

That looks great man, I really dig the colors. I had a buddy in high school that drove that car.. ragtop, raised deck, lowered, stock steel wheels painted off-white... but, it was the off-white and mint green color combo. I loved that car. Ragtops are the shit.

I also knew someone with a '63 almost just like this, but his was a really sick shade of Sea Foam Green.

I think if I ever owned a bug, it would have looked something like this.

[hue35]

...but his was a really sick shade of Sea Foam Green.

That's a better way to describe it... I think we're talkin' about the same color.