Making a VW Beetle

Secrets, tips, tools, design considerations, materials, the "science" behind it all, and other topics related to building the cars and semi-trucks.
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SPEEDBUGGY
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by SPEEDBUGGY »

YOU CAN BUILD THE CAR IN TWO PICES. GRIND OUT THE INSIDES WITH A DREMEL AND GLUE THEM TOGETHER.IT IS ALOT OF DUST BUT IT IS ANOTHER WAY TO GO WITH IT.
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TurtlePowered
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by TurtlePowered »

TurtlePowered wrote:
darin_mcgrew wrote: When I've built designs like this, I've cut a thin frame from the bottom of the original block, I've built a hollow car body with two solid struts running side-to-side at the bottom (one in the front and one in the back), and I've attached the body to the frame with two screws running from the bottom of the car, through the frame, and into the struts.
Do the solid struts get glued to the box? I was planning on doing a mock up using the idea you are talking about and one taking 1/4" basswood and cutting 5 or 6 profiles of a VW and glueing them together. I was wondering if I built something like that if I would need any struts at all as long as I kept around 1/2" of solid wood to screw the bottom of the pinecar on.
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by Darin McGrew »

darin_mcgrew wrote:When I've built designs like this, I've cut a thin frame from the bottom of the original block, I've built a hollow car body with two solid struts running side-to-side at the bottom (one in the front and one in the back), and I've attached the body to the frame with two screws running from the bottom of the car, through the frame, and into the struts.
TurtlePowered wrote:Do the solid struts get glued to the box?
Yep. The solid struts have been glued to the hollow car body. Actually, the hollow car body has been built with the struts as integral structural elements, rather than having them glued in at the end as an afterthought.
TurtlePowered wrote:I was planning on doing a mock up using the idea you are talking about and one taking 1/4" basswood and cutting 5 or 6 profiles of a VW and glueing them together. I was wondering if I built something like that if I would need any struts at all as long as I kept around 1/2" of solid wood to screw the bottom of the pinecar on.
The laminated body sounds like a good idea, especially with a very rounded design like a VW bug. My designs have tended to be more rectangular, so a box made of flat panels has made more sense.

And the key isn't to have struts, but to have something solid enough that you can drive a small screw into it to hold the hollow body to the frame. So it sounds like you've got that covered too.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by gpraceman »

It may already be too late, but there's a template on the Pinewood Derby Supersite at http://www.inetworld.net/bosworth/template.htm for a VW bug (Template 13).
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by TurtlePowered »

gpraceman wrote:It may already be too late, but there's a template on the Pinewood Derby Supersite at http://www.inetworld.net/bosworth/template.htm for a VW bug (Template 13).
Thanks for the suggestion but that was already brought up earlier (in the thread I believe). Speedbuggy sent me a much cleaner version also.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

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TurtlePowered wrote:Thanks for the suggestion but that was already brought up earlier (in the thread I believe). Speedbuggy sent me a much cleaner version also.
Oops. I guessed I missed it. :oops:

I do love the templates on that site. I put them in a binder and use them as my idea book for those racers not sure about what they want to do for design. If they like one particular design, I copy it off so they can cut it out and then trace around it to transfer the design onto the block. It is not so original to do it that way, but for some kids this helps get them started.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by TurtlePowered »

gpraceman wrote:
TurtlePowered wrote:Thanks for the suggestion but that was already brought up earlier (in the thread I believe). Speedbuggy sent me a much cleaner version also.
Oops. I guessed I missed it. :oops:

I do love the templates on that site. I put them in a binder and use them as my idea book for those racers not sure about what they want to do for design. If they like one particular design, I copy it off so they can cut it out and then trace around it to transfer the design onto the block. It is not so original to do it that way, but for some kids this helps get them started.
I know I would not attempt to do this design without a good template. I need to come up with a good template on the bumpers yet.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by 3604Speed »

Have you made your VW yet???
I have patterns of the most popular makes of cars....
How about a 68 Mustange Fastback or a Viper GTS.......
The selection is unlimited..........what is your favorite car????

e-mail gbush@hbainc.com
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

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I built one a few weeks ago for our adult division. It's a first attempt and could be done much better next time. I didn't even know about the existence of this forum until a couple of days ago. It won first place last week.

I'm learning to upload photos and will post one soon.

What happened to the guy who wanted to build one?

A block of balsa was glued to the top and wood putty made the fenders. The whole thing was way overweight until I drilled holes in the bottom & then put it in the oven (I was desparate).

The next Herbie will have plastic fenders, a lot less heavy wood putty and will be hollow. This car was tough to build!

Cheers!
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by RaceFan »

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21836020@N00/show/

I'm hoping you folks can see some of the photos I just uploaded. Our pack liked the car. It was made to generate enthusiasm about our derby.

Putting the thing in the oven with the wood putty on caused a lot of damage but I had to get rid of the weight. Oh well, it was a 1st attempt.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by TurtlePowered »

3604Speed wrote:Have you made your VW yet???
I have patterns of the most popular makes of cars....
How about a 68 Mustange Fastback or a Viper GTS.......
The selection is unlimited..........what is your favorite car????

e-mail gbush@hbainc.com
We did some work on the patterns needed for the body before my son decided he really did not want to compete. He got upset at the way some scouts reacted after losing at the Raingutter Regata so he didn't really want to be a part of the pinewood derby. That year was going to be his last year of cub scouts anyway so we never went any farther than that. We made cuts on 1/4" and 1/2" basswood but never glued them together to do any shaping. It should have worked though.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

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RaceFan wrote:I built one a few weeks ago for our adult division. It's a first attempt and could be done much better next time. I didn't even know about the existence of this forum until a couple of days ago. It won first place last week.

I'm learning to upload photos and will post one soon.

What happened to the guy who wanted to build one?

A block of balsa was glued to the top and wood putty made the fenders. The whole thing was way overweight until I drilled holes in the bottom & then put it in the oven (I was desparate).

The next Herbie will have plastic fenders, a lot less heavy wood putty and will be hollow. This car was tough to build!

Cheers!
We were going to be making a a hollow shell with slices and glue them together.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by RaceFan »

I'm going to make a better one just for the fun of it, maybe during this summer with the kids. The 1st one was rushed and quite a bit was done the night before. We weren't even sure if the thing could be built!

The baking in the oven caused the wood putty to bubble and crack which pretty much ruined the finish on the sides.

I'm going to go with a thin pinewood body and glued on balsa which will then be shaped with sandpaper. I wasn't aware the scout shop had $2.00 plastic fenders or I definitely would've used those! Weight was a real problem.

Sorry to hear about the conduct of some of the Cub Scouts. You guys might want to make one just for the heck of it. Good luck.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by TurtlePowered »

RaceFan wrote:I'm going to make a better one just for the fun of it, maybe during this summer with the kids. The 1st one was rushed and quite a bit was done the night before. We weren't even sure if the thing could be built!

The baking in the oven caused the wood putty to bubble and crack which pretty much ruined the finish on the sides.

I'm going to go with a thin pinewood body and glued on balsa which will then be shaped with sandpaper. I wasn't aware the scout shop had $2.00 plastic fenders or I definitely would've used those! Weight was a real problem.

Sorry to hear about the conduct of some of the Cub Scouts. You guys might want to make one just for the heck of it. Good luck.
Kids didn't behave badly, some were crying when their boat didn't win. After that my son didn't really want to compete. He was pack champion the previous year and and I guess he just wanted somebody else to have a chance. Polar lights makes a snap together Love Bug #6816, you can get a lot of trim pieces that way.
We might somebody decide to finish it up. I think my son felt a little fustruated after cutting out the pieces not realising how much the basswood was going to be shaped and smoothed when we put them together.
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Re: Making a VW Beetle

Post by RaceFan »

Yeah, I sacrificed the decals from the Polar Lights model kit. I guess if one got really carried away, the interior, roof, and fenders could all be sawed off the model's body and glued onto the pinewood body...

I'm going to make the next VW Herbie with as much wood left as possible, (keeping the spirit of a "pinewood" car). That wood putty was way too heavy!
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