[vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. I've looked at dozens of beetle truck conversion and one thing most of them have in common is that the box is too darn short and hangs over the engine farther than it does in front. It puts too much weight behind the axle and is not aesthetically pleasing. So what I think would solve the problem would be to lengthen the pan about 12. When people do fiberglass buggy conversions, they chop out 16 to 18 if I recall properly. To get the strength back, I'd weld on rails like the convertibles have. Along with the lengthening, you'd have to lengthen the shift rod, brake line, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line tube, and clutch carrying tube. I don't know how you'd go about lengthening the tube other than welding a new one in or get a small version of a boiler roller and flare out the end of one tube so it would slip over the other tube as an extension. It's a lot of work but I've been doing a bit of welding in the shop lately and my welding skills are getting to the point where I feel more comfortable tackling something like thisto the point I can see it in my head. And yes, I own a crew cab but you don't just beat 'em up. I'm talking about a beater beetle you could haul a few sheets of plywood in, or another engine, or lumber, etc. Put in a low geared transmission and smaller tires and you would have some stump pulling torque - even from a small engine. If a person wanted to do something with a pancake style Type 4, that would get that box down nice and low too. I've seen a nice stepside conversion and full width conversions. They really look neat if done correctly. NQ ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
NQ, Forget the clutch tube part...much easier to go hydraulic...save yourself the time and energy of matching it and then making a cable as well. I too think they are a little to small to be usefullwould 12-18 really make that much difference? How about using two pans to make one that is longer...no pieces to match, just make sure you cut them in the right place so that they mate up. If you do itthat way, you might get more than 18 and would have everything matching You are probably going to want to use something stronger than stock for the shift rod since it would be better to have a single piece that wouldn't try to sag in the middle so much as two pieces welded together. Sure you don't want to just by a bay window? My 78 handles 4x8 plywood just fine with the spare tire out. BTW, congrats on getting married, you lucky guy! Cheers, dave On Tue, 1 Mar 2011, No Quarter wrote: I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. I've looked at dozens of beetle truck conversion and one thing most of them have in common is that the box is too darn short and hangs over the engine farther than it does in front. It puts too much weight behind the axle and is not aesthetically pleasing. So what I think would solve the problem would be to lengthen the pan about 12. When people do fiberglass buggy conversions, they chop out 16 to 18 if I recall properly. To get the strength back, I'd weld on rails like the convertibles have. Along with the lengthening, you'd have to lengthen the shift rod, brake line, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line tube, and clutch carrying tube. I don't know how you'd go about lengthening the tube other than welding a new one in or get a small version of a boiler roller and flare out the end of one tube so it would slip over the other tube as an extension. It's a lot of work but I've been doing a bit of welding in the shop lately and my welding skills are getting to the point where I feel more comfortable tackling something like thisto the point I can see it in my head. And yes, I own a crew cab but you don't just beat 'em up. I'm talking about a beater beetle you could haul a few sheets of plywood in, or another engine, or lumber, etc. Put in a low geared transmission and smaller tires and you would have some stump pulling torque - even from a small engine. If a person wanted to do something with a pancake style Type 4, that would get that box down nice and low too. I've seen a nice stepside conversion and full width conversions. They really look neat if done correctly. NQ ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
Or a Vanagon, like I have for hauling and camping... Mike B. -Original Message- From: Dave C. Bolen Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 2:40 PM To: Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List Subject: Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? NQ, Forget the clutch tube part...much easier to go hydraulic...save yourself the time and energy of matching it and then making a cable as well. I too think they are a little to small to be usefullwould 12-18 really make that much difference? How about using two pans to make one that is longer...no pieces to match, just make sure you cut them in the right place so that they mate up. If you do itthat way, you might get more than 18 and would have everything matching You are probably going to want to use something stronger than stock for the shift rod since it would be better to have a single piece that wouldn't try to sag in the middle so much as two pieces welded together. Sure you don't want to just by a bay window? My 78 handles 4x8 plywood just fine with the spare tire out. BTW, congrats on getting married, you lucky guy! Cheers, dave On Tue, 1 Mar 2011, No Quarter wrote: I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. I've looked at dozens of beetle truck conversion and one thing most of them have in common is that the box is too darn short and hangs over the engine farther than it does in front. It puts too much weight behind the axle and is not aesthetically pleasing. So what I think would solve the problem would be to lengthen the pan about 12. When people do fiberglass buggy conversions, they chop out 16 to 18 if I recall properly. To get the strength back, I'd weld on rails like the convertibles have. Along with the lengthening, you'd have to lengthen the shift rod, brake line, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line tube, and clutch carrying tube. I don't know how you'd go about lengthening the tube other than welding a new one in or get a small version of a boiler roller and flare out the end of one tube so it would slip over the other tube as an extension. It's a lot of work but I've been doing a bit of welding in the shop lately and my welding skills are getting to the point where I feel more comfortable tackling something like thisto the point I can see it in my head. And yes, I own a crew cab but you don't just beat 'em up. I'm talking about a beater beetle you could haul a few sheets of plywood in, or another engine, or lumber, etc. Put in a low geared transmission and smaller tires and you would have some stump pulling torque - even from a small engine. If a person wanted to do something with a pancake style Type 4, that would get that box down nice and low too. I've seen a nice stepside conversion and full width conversions. They really look neat if done correctly. NQ ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
Thanks for the words of wisdom Dave and for the congrats on getting married. My wife is very tolerant of my VW habit and wants a restored Beetle for herself. :) My reasons for making a light duty hauler out of a bug is that I have ton of bug stuff and bugs laying around and it wouldn't be too hard to cut up a couple of pans just to use them and get them out of the way. I shy away from hydraulc clutches because it created another point of complexity that is prone to failure. I've only ever broken one clutch cable and that's it. If you keep the tubes lubricated, the cables last a real long time. I know a bug hauler won't haul a heck of a lot but it would still be neat for the occasional time I need to grab a few boards and plywood sheets. It would also be easily repairable and good on fuel. If you look at beetle pickups, their beds always look goofy - way too short. I think much in the way a dune buggy looks that much better shortened, it proportionately would look better lengthened the same amount. It's all in what you have up on top. An elongated beetle would look goofy but if you have a pickup box on it, suddenly it looks kinda cool. I'm gonna see if I can have some fun with photoshop or some CAD program to illustrate my point. I have no idea how to use those programs but I'll see what I can do. Even if it degrades into printing line art and piecing it together on pieces of paper and scanning it in...I'll give it a shot. A baywindow would actually do the job fine but I want to be able to lob stuff up and over the side of the box instead of always feeding it in the end. Thanks for writing back. Appreciate the thoughts! - Original Message - From: Dave C. Bolen dbo...@shockwaverider.com To: Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 1:40 PM Subject: Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? NQ, Forget the clutch tube part...much easier to go hydraulic...save yourself the time and energy of matching it and then making a cable as well. I too think they are a little to small to be usefullwould 12-18 really make that much difference? How about using two pans to make one that is longer...no pieces to match, just make sure you cut them in the right place so that they mate up. If you do itthat way, you might get more than 18 and would have everything matching You are probably going to want to use something stronger than stock for the shift rod since it would be better to have a single piece that wouldn't try to sag in the middle so much as two pieces welded together. Sure you don't want to just by a bay window? My 78 handles 4x8 plywood just fine with the spare tire out. BTW, congrats on getting married, you lucky guy! Cheers, dave On Tue, 1 Mar 2011, No Quarter wrote: I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. I've looked at dozens of beetle truck conversion and one thing most of them have in common is that the box is too darn short and hangs over the engine farther than it does in front. It puts too much weight behind the axle and is not aesthetically pleasing. So what I think would solve the problem would be to lengthen the pan about 12. When people do fiberglass buggy conversions, they chop out 16 to 18 if I recall properly. To get the strength back, I'd weld on rails like the convertibles have. Along with the lengthening, you'd have to lengthen the shift rod, brake line, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line tube, and clutch carrying tube. I don't know how you'd go about lengthening the tube other than welding a new one in or get a small version of a boiler roller and flare out the end of one tube so it would slip over the other tube as an extension. It's a lot of work but I've been doing a bit of welding in the shop lately and my welding skills are getting to the point where I feel more comfortable tackling something like thisto the point I can see it in my head. And yes, I own a crew cab but you don't just beat 'em up. I'm talking about a beater beetle you could haul a few sheets of plywood in, or another engine, or lumber, etc. Put in a low geared transmission and smaller tires and you would have some stump pulling torque - even from a small engine. If a person wanted to do something with a pancake style Type 4, that would get that box down nice and low too. I've seen a nice stepside conversion and full width conversions. They really look neat if done correctly. NQ
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
But you won't have a one-piece original clutch cable. And the cobbled together one WILL fail. BTDT, Mike B. -Original Message- From: No Quarter Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 6:33 PM To: Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List Subject: Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? I shy away from hydraulc clutches because it created another point of complexity that is prone to failure. I've only ever broken one clutch cable and that's it. If you keep the tubes lubricated, the cables last a real long time. ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
A cobbled cable will fail but teleflex cables can be used and I also have the name of a company that had a nice article in Farm Show magazine and they will make you any custom cable of any length. So I already know where I could get the custom cables made...not a problem. Erin ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
NQ, My recommendation is to go even more simple and keep that awesome shape of the beetle, find the plans for the class III type hitch for a beetle or buy one off the Samba. Add some air adjustable shocks in the rear for the extra tongue weight and off you go. Then buy a $300 Harbor Freight trailer kit, buy 4 sheets of plywood, 3 2x4's and make your hauling vehicle. VW Beetle hitches http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1081086 $65 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=971769 $75 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=804033 $85 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=599398 $55 trailer http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/trailer-trailer-accessori es/1720-lb-capacity-super-duty-48-inch-x-96-inch-utility-trailer-with-12-inc h-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html Brien -Original Message- From: vintagvw-boun...@lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:vintagvw-boun...@lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of No Quarter Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 10:44 AM To: buskati...@buskatiers.org; Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List Subject: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. I've looked at dozens of beetle truck conversion and one thing most of them have in common is that the box is too darn short and hangs over the engine farther than it does in front. It puts too much weight behind the axle and is not aesthetically pleasing. So what I think would solve the problem would be to lengthen the pan about 12. When people do fiberglass buggy conversions, they chop out 16 to 18 if I recall properly. To get the strength back, I'd weld on rails like the convertibles have. Along with the lengthening, you'd have to lengthen the shift rod, brake line, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel line tube, and clutch carrying tube. I don't know how you'd go about lengthening the tube other than welding a new one in or get a small version of a boiler roller and flare out the end of one tube so it would slip over the other tube as an extension. It's a lot of work but I've been doing a bit of welding in the shop lately and my welding skills are getting to the point where I feel more comfortable tackling something like thisto the point I can see it in my head. And yes, I own a crew cab but you don't just beat 'em up. I'm talking about a beater beetle you could haul a few sheets of plywood in, or another engine, or lumber, etc. Put in a low geared transmission and smaller tires and you would have some stump pulling torque - even from a small engine. If a person wanted to do something with a pancake style Type 4, that would get that box down nice and low too. I've seen a nice stepside conversion and full width conversions. They really look neat if done correctly. NQ ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5918 (20110301) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5918 (20110301) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
Congratulations from Wisconsin on the marriage. May you have all the happiness my wife and I have had in the last 35 years. If you extend the chassis, how about making it such that Bus cables fit without cutting? I've used large size US brake line to install a clutch in an auto stick shift Ghia before - worked out real nice. You could use a chunk to extend the factory tube. A Bus shifter tube might save some fiddling, too. I tried to make a pickup out of a '67 Squareback back in the '70's, but ran out of cash, and had to sell it off. A type 3 or 4 motor would be the hot setup - an air cooled 2-liter out of an early Vanagon, and it's transmission would be really neat. You could find an automatic, and not have to worry about a shifter tube or clutch cable. Chuck Kuecker On 3/1/2011 5:33 PM, No Quarter wrote: Thanks for the words of wisdom Dave and for the congrats on getting married. My wife is very tolerant of my VW habit and wants a restored Beetle for herself. :) My reasons for making a light duty hauler out of a bug is that I have ton of bug stuff and bugs laying around and it wouldn't be too hard to cut up a couple of pans just to use them and get them out of the way. I shy away from hydraulc clutches because it created another point of complexity that is prone to failure. I've only ever broken one clutch cable and that's it. If you keep the tubes lubricated, the cables last a real long time. I know a bug hauler won't haul a heck of a lot but it would still be neat for the occasional time I need to grab a few boards and plywood sheets. It would also be easily repairable and good on fuel. If you look at beetle pickups, their beds always look goofy - way too short. I think much in the way a dune buggy looks that much better shortened, it proportionately would look better lengthened the same amount. It's all in what you have up on top. An elongated beetle would look goofy but if you have a pickup box on it, suddenly it looks kinda cool. I'm gonna see if I can have some fun with photoshop or some CAD program to illustrate my point. I have no idea how to use those programs but I'll see what I can do. Even if it degrades into printing line art and piecing it together on pieces of paper and scanning it in...I'll give it a shot. A baywindow would actually do the job fine but I want to be able to lob stuff up and over the side of the box instead of always feeding it in the end. Thanks for writing back. Appreciate the thoughts! - Original Message - From: Dave C. Bolendbo...@shockwaverider.com To: Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion Listvintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 1:40 PM Subject: Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? NQ, Forget the clutch tube part...much easier to go hydraulic...save yourself the time and energy of matching it and then making a cable as well. I too think they are a little to small to be usefullwould 12-18 really make that much difference? How about using two pans to make one that is longer...no pieces to match, just make sure you cut them in the right place so that they mate up. If you do itthat way, you might get more than 18 and would have everything matching You are probably going to want to use something stronger than stock for the shift rod since it would be better to have a single piece that wouldn't try to sag in the middle so much as two pieces welded together. Sure you don't want to just by a bay window? My 78 handles 4x8 plywood just fine with the spare tire out. BTW, congrats on getting married, you lucky guy! Cheers, dave ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
Erin, Google out Kaefer Pritsche Beutler for a beetle-based pickup made in Switzerland from 1962 to 1973. Lots of pictures in various sites that will pop up in your browser. Not as neat as your sketch, though ... Bert -Original Message- From: vintagvw-boun...@lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:vintagvw-boun...@lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of No Quarter Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 12:44 PM To: buskati...@buskatiers.org; Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List Subject: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck? I've been doing a lot of thinking about making a light duty truck that wouldn't cost as much as a good used single cab. Beetles are still relatively easy to find and cheap to get parts for so I'm thinking of making a light duty beetle pick up. I posted about this idea several months ago and Tim Osburn sent me a 2d drawing of what mating a double cab rear to a beetle would look like. It's doable but that might be a bit more than I can chew. ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
hi gang: vw tried to use a beetle frame and gave up. that is why they added the beams and stuff under the floor on the bus. 64-67 bus is a 1 ton (2200lbs.) payload. why not find a bus 64-67 panel or kombi and use that with only 2 front seats and an empty cargo area. it will do 65-70 with 1600 single port and get decent mileage. my 65 bus/camper panel gets 25 MPG with 1600 single port,redux big nut 1.26 ratio,4.12-1 ring and pinion with split bus .82 4th. a 4x8 sheet of plywood will fit in rear and no worry about rain or snow damage. gotta be one laying around abandoned. ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
That's the whole problem Bill - where do you find them anymore? Also, with VW, I'm sure they were trying to carry x amount of weight and the Beetle just couldn't handle that kind of weight. Admittedly, even the factory upgraded the reduction box nuts from 36mm to 42mm. I'm talking a light duty truck that would carry a few sheets of plywood, lumber, a VW engine, etc. We're talking hauling capacity that would more than likely be around the 500 pound mark as in having 2 big guys in the back seat. Of course, the weight of the conversion would detract. I love dreaming and I think it would be pretty darn neat to try... If I do, it'll only be with something that is already rusted out... Erin ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
I looked at the T3 pickups and they don't look too bad either. They already have the pancake engine back there which is a great space saver. I agree that doing a 2L T4 engine would be the truck conversion. Or since there is extra room, how about doing a Subaru conversion? :) I have a new pictures I uploaded that I doctored with mspaint. It's all free-hand and shows up my poor computer graphics skills. It does outline what I had in mind though. http://incolor.inebraska.com/elassley_bie//temp/VW%20Truck%20Idea0002.JPG Erin ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
Re: [vintagvw] Making a Beetle truck?
That's actually what I've done for many years Brian - used a trailer behind my bug. I've towed it to Chicago and back with my bug. I've hauled engines, parts, rubbish, etc. It's just that it gets old hooking up the trailer and taking it off all the time. It's worked well for me in the past though and it may indeed have to keep on working for me. I have a rusted out old Baja that has already but cut up. That is more than likley the platform I would use. It's got a baywindow trans it and talk about stump pulling. I idled it over the 9 concrete lip and it didn't phase it at all! :) NQ ___ vintagvw site list vintagvw@lists.sjsu.edu http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
