The initial fitting of the VW bug’s front frame member seems to be OK. I will now mark it’s position on the plywood platform in order to determine the lenght of each main frame rail.
The front nose piece of the VW bug’s frame is now complete. I will need to position this piece to be able to determine the length of the main frame members.
The VW’s 3x3x3/16″ front nose torsion mount has now been cut and drilled to match the foam template. I will need to bend it to make it fit on the front of the frame.
I can now remove the VW’s front frame foam template and trace it onto the x3x3x3/16″ steel piece. I will then cut and bend the steel to match the foam template.
I now have the VW bug’s front torsion support and frame member template in place and taped together. I also must determine the correct angle for the MR2’s front torsion bars. I created a small angle finder out of the foam board to insure that the correct angle is maintained.
I need to create the front framing piece to contain the anti-torsion mounts for the front suspension rods. I will be using a 3x3x3/16″ piece of angle steel for the member itself, but first I must again create a template. I am using the same foam board as before I just cut it to the sizes I want and tape it together.
Now that I have the VW bug body removed from the platform, I have removed the main frame rails to be able to line everything up on the front end. I will start the frame build with the front nose piece. This piece will contain the front suspension torque arm connections.
Now that I have fine tuned the locations of all the VW bug sheetmetal, I need to complete the custom frame. I removed all of the fenders, doors and decklids to be able to remove the body from the platform. I will start with the lower frame build, front to back.
I now have all the VW bug sheetmetal in place. This 2nd fitting has revealed that the front wheels are too far forward and must be moved back 3/4″. All 4 fenders appear that they will need to be flaired somewhat to accommodate the Toyota MR2’s drive-train. All in all, I am happy with the results.
I now have all the VW bug sheet-metal positioned for this second mock-up. I must have been having brain malfunctions on this day. I say on the video that the passenger side is 7/8″ lower than the driver side it is actually only 7/16″ lower. This is due to the concrete not being perfectly level. I also say that I am trying to create a less subtle transition on the running board, I meant more subtle…Duh. Anyway I am fairly happy with the way everything is fitting so far.