Frankenwagon

Making door panels for a VW Type 3 Squareback.

It's never really finished, right? But it's close enough! Here's some glamour shots of it around Portland OR.

After dropping the suspension, I had a problem with the tires rubbing the inside of the rear fenders. Here's how I fixed it!

This is how I repaired my old miata seats, reversed the "foamectomy" that a previous owner did, and also raised the seats over an inch to get some extra seating height in the car.

Everything you need to know to install a curved-glass windshield into an air-cooled VW! Step-by-step instructions, lots of pictures, and even a video!

It's a big job and it took me a few weeks! But it's totally a do-able job for the average car restorer like myself. Here's how I did it.

My wife gave me until the end of April to wrap this thing up. Did I get to drive-able in time? Click to find out!

I get the doors mounted, new wheels mounted, repair the front apron, test fit the fenders, do some rust repair, and make brackets for the front bumper. Almost done with stage 2!

It's been a few months since my last post on this project and a lot has happened since then! Including building custom rocker panels that connect the VW door sills to the Miata pinch seams.

This was a big milestone for this project.

With the Miata's wheelbase stretched to match the VW's I started prepping the rest of it for the body/chassis swap. And I got the Type 3 Squareback ready as well. 

At the last second, I decided not to use the Super Beetle body for my Miata chassis swap after all, and instead use this beautiful gem: a '67 VW Type 3 Squareback.

After cutting it in half and pulling it apart 6" to get the wheelbase I needed, it was time to put it back together. This meant new driveshaft, a bolt-on extention for the aluminum PPF, extended fuel and brake lines, etc.

Before I can put the Miata that I cut in half back together, I needed to build and install frame rails. Here's how I did it.

Ever wanted to know what it takes to cut a car in half, and then put it back together again? 

These two cars will become one.

I go further down the rabbit hole, and I've acquired my victim: a '73 Super Beetle.

I've done lost my mind this time.