Richard.G grew up during the depression and learned
the value of fixing things for himself. At a young age he learned the skills of
Carpentry, Car-Repair, Welding, and Masonry. Throughout his life, he has acquired
and taught himself plumbing, electrical, hydraulics, painting, engine repair and numerous other skills.

Started: April 1994
Finished: July 2001
7 years to complete
$5,999.45 invested
Age of builder: 74

CUSTOM HAND-MADE PARTS
By Richard.G

STEERING WHEEL
is fabricated in 1/4” aluminum and covered in hand-carved birds-eye maple
then connected to a modified 1982 Chevy tilt-steering column.

KNOBS
for the directional, wiper, shifter, dash knobs and handles
are all hand-carved from birds-eye maple.

DASHBOARD & CONSOLE
are hand-carved from birds-eye maple then adhered to the OEM dashboard.
The gauges are: tachometer, speedometer, amp-meter, oil pressure, oil temperature,
and gas gauge. The center dash console was hand-made from birds-eye maple and houses
the AM/FM cassette radio, pop-out cup holders, fuse box, clock, and power-window switches.

CHASSIS
The “tunnel” was lengthened by 20” with a section from the 1960 chassis, which he added
to the 1969 chassis. The 20” stretch was a perfect match to the original “X” pattern on
the bottom of the chassis. Inside the tunnel are custom fabricated control cables and tubes,
which control the clutch, throttle, and rear-brakes as well as all the wiring
for the engine and taillights.

PICKUP CAB
was built with custom braces, brackets and sheet metal to enclose the cab.
Special care was taken to keep the OEM sunroof intact and fully retractable.

WINDOWS
for the extended cab are a pop-out design with hand-made stainless hinges,
while the power rear-window uses parts from a Toyota door window mechanism
that was modified by extending the cables using bicycle hand brake cable kits.
The “glass” for the windows is made from high-impact, clear lexan.

HEADLINER & CARPET
was cut and form fitted by hand. The door and wall panels were made from
Masonite and covered in a light-tan, marine grade carpet that was also used
on the floor, trunk, inside hood, and the hidden storage box under the truck bed.

SEATS
are adjustable bucket seats from a Toyota 4-runner.

PICKUP BOX & BED
is constructed of a framework of 1” box tubing and was designed
to enclose the engine, while still allowing for a fully functional pickup bed above.
It is covered in 18-gauge sheet metal that was bent and welded by hand.
The inside floor of the truck bed is made from 1/2” oak plywood with 3/4” aluminum
insert divider-strips. The bed is able to open on modified record-player cabinet hinges
and is assisted by 4 gas-charged shocks. The “Volkswagen” logo on the tailgate was
hand-drawn on Masonite and cut out with a band saw. The edges of each letter were filed down
so that the finished product would look like pressed metal. The logo was painted with
Ford fire engine red then glued on to the tailgate with GE sealer.

FENDERS
were made of the parts from 4 rear beetle fenders, welded together and
notched with a pocket to accommodate the spare tire.

RUNNING BOARDS
were made from 18-gauge steel and have inset oak strips.

HOOD
was fabricated by cutting away 3/4 of the Beetle’s original hood except
the vent-louvers and hinge mounting areas. Then 20 gauge steel sections,
that were bent by hand, were added and welded together to achieve the proper shape.
Even the 1940-style truck grill was replicated by using 3/8” x 3/16” steel bars
which were then covered in polished aluminum for a finished “chrome” look.
The decorative hood-nose piece was made of 3/4” aluminum plate that was sawed,
hollowed out and hand filed to shape and polished to look like chrome.
The hood opens on hinges made from 1/4” aluminum plate, shaped and drilled to create a unique look.

HEADLIGHTS and TAILIGHTS
were designed after the 1940 Ford style. For the headlights, modifying the original
Beetle headlight ring and adding on 20-gauge sheet metal to make the correct shape achieved this look.
The top of the headlight ring has an inset parking-light lens that was carved out of 3/8” plexi-glass.
For the taillights, early style taillights were purchased and inserted in the rear taillight brackets,
which were fabricated from aluminum plate and shaped by hand.

SUSPENSION
modifications include the use of adjustable coil-over shocks to handle the additional weight
of the truck bed while the front uses the OEM suspension set-up. The “frame horns” that hold
the transmission were bent down 3/4” to allow the motor to clear the truck bed.

RIMS
are the OEM stock rims and were detailed by cutting a diamond shape in the steel rim.
The valve stems were moved to the inside of the rim. The rims are painted in Ford fire engine Red.

STAINLESS STEEL
was used to fabricate the bumper brackets, tailgate hinges, and license plate frames.

ENGINE SPECS:
Engine - Type 3 1600cc
Displacement - 1679cc
Builder - Richard.G, Rochester New York
Crank - Scat 69mm welded and balanced
Rods - VW Stroker
Pistons & Cylinders - CIMA, 88mm slip-in
Rings - CIMA
Cam - Engle 110, 284° Duration 430 inch lift @ valve
Oil Pump - Melling
Oil - Castrol 10w-40
Heads - Stock VW, Dual-Port
Valves - Stock VW
Compression Ratio - 8.5:1
Rocker Arms - Stock VW
Rocker Shafts - Bugpack heavy duty
Push Rods - Stock VW
Ignition - Modified Stock (short shaft) distributor, Chrome Bosch Blue Coil
Spark Plugs - Bosch W8AC
Carburetion - Duel Solex 32s
Intake Manifolds - Custom (homemade) low profile
Exhaust System - Bug Pack Dual Header Zoom Mufflers
Flywheel - Stock VW
Clutch - Bugpack 1500lb, Cush-Loc Disc
Transaxle - 1977 IRS Stock VW
Ring & Pinion - 4.12:1

Richard would like to thank Miguel.M for painting the final coat,
his son Peter and his friend Miguel for supplying the donor beetles,
his son Paul for building this great web-site
and his wife for her unlimited patience.

;-)