VW Type 2 Split-window Double cab

[frizzen]

My 1/14 scale VW Bay-window bus Dickie conversion looked a little lonely, so after much deliberation a Split-window truck was tracked down. Uh, because reasons...

We'll start off with a nice new (already rc) Maisto "Type 2 VW Double-cab pickup" truck in "1/16 scale" that sure looks to be the same size, or slightly bigger, than my 1/14 Dickie VW van that i've found specs and done the math on which is exactly 1/14 of real one.

So first off, there's room for improvement. A lot...

https://i.imgur.com/eBiLs55h.jpg

But what '50 year old' car made it through time exactly how you wanted?

https://i.imgur.com/0fgFiEwh.jpg

Let's see that smile.

https://i.imgur.com/yjvSepch.jpg

Not a bad starting point.

I was originally thinking something custom like all yellow, or blue over silver, white over green, or white over purple. The deeper into the stock options i looked, the more I like pearl white over mouse gray. Maus Grau ist schon!

First let's start to fix that suspension!
Front starts with a knuckle flip, and some clearancing, but needs the lower mounts milled lower. Rear gets some milling at the chassis to bumper interface. That gets me rear is static here, with that much possible lift at front so far.

https://i.imgur.com/ldJXLUbh.jpg

Pulling several screws and wiggling the chassis free doesn't seem right for a hobby up-conversion to me. A set of strange head screws are put in at the back body mounts, then the chassis screw posts are modified to take magnets and become pads. The front still will use an original tab and slot.

https://i.imgur.com/WqONlPlh.jpg

[skeeter]

I LOVE it!

[frizzen]

Thanks skeeter!

Right now i'm still trying to get the servo in, and really hope an esc shows before the Lebanon meet Sept 14-15 so this can play. Otherwise it has to wait until january to cruise the little streets.

Since there's not a suicide rear door, it's not the earlier Binz coach-built version, so it looks like this custom 'Doka' is somewhere between 1958-61. 
The factory Doppelkabine Pritschewagen (double cab pickup truck) didn't come out until 1958, and the small Bullet front turnsignals went to the bigger Fisheye signals in 1961. 

The taillights are odd, since for those years they should have been small round, and they didn't go oval until 1962 and later. Maybe it's custom, and owner got tired of people trying to ram it at stops from 'not seeing' tiny lights...
That's a better story than shave them and redo it. 

Although a shave and redo could probably just use 3mm or 5mm leds. Probably could make front bullets into 3mm leds, but the headlights would probably need new lenses made since the white blocks a lot. Not sure if it's really worth it, but i like lights. Thoughts?

I dunno about wheels, i'm open to suggestions. I've always really liked these on stock Steelies with babymoons, Fuchs, Porsche 'gas burners', Empi wide 5 spoke, or empi 8 spoke... Something that looks 'right' classic custom stuff. If anybody has a set of pulloff wheels from a Dickie VW, let me know.

Plan to cut and change windows to clear, then probably make some interior. The rear window seems to need the current trim shaved, filled, then recut to be shrunk back toward stock, the bed floor needs better/flatter detail probably installing wood floor. Since i can't easily get up to stock ride height, maybe underbody lights, blue or purple might look good with grey/white.

And then some time much later, i'm gonna finish research on 1960s tilt deck or ramp loading car-hauler trailers. I'm really liking the single-axle racecar haulers that could pull with a sedan, station wagon, or truck. Because i think with a trailer this would be a cool outfit rolling down the strip.
https://i.imgur.com/pTUpj8Eh.jpg
Tin Bandai from 1960s

[Wombii]

Yes, we do like lights. Would the clear part of a pair of googly eyes work as lenses?
I think the low ride height will look much more natural with some smaller classic wheels on there. This is going to look very nice when done :)

[frizzen]

Thank you, that's brilliant! I'm hoping that i can find some which will work as lenses for these headlights and the Ambulances 'ditch lights'. If it works, the tails are getting shaved and we're going to the correct and functional lights.

I need more speed...

https://i.imgur.com/6EJp8Ijh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qAz7amWh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/U1gnU6Th.jpg

Truescale-rc hooked me up with some traffic cones, a toolbox, and a set of wheel ramps.

The chrome dual-port VW engine in the bed is actually an old Avon aftershave "dunebuggy" bottles cap cover.

[kaptain Jack]

This is so nice!

[frizzen]

In the city it's a pity, cause we just can't hide,
Tinted windows don't mean nothin' , they know who's inside.

https://i.imgur.com/EGzuS6Oh.jpg

If it doesn't let ya hide, strip that limo tint off! (With a dremel...)

https://i.imgur.com/3wUoUbHh.jpg

So i made another concession to Kustom and kept the 1966-up big back window. It will show off an interior better, it already had the trim step-down. I'm not going to get all the Lowrider back out of the truck anyway, so why not leave a little show-car there. Small window is cuter, but i'd rather drive something with more rear visibility.

Thanks jack! I'm glad everybody is digging it so far.

[skeeter]

Some cool pics you have with this lil machine!

[frizzen]

I'm pretty sure you don't mean against the usual 'living room planter background', or 'on my freezer in the garage background'.
I can't take credit for the awesome Speed Shop background, Russ (truescale rc) provided the building. i just asked nicely, posed it, framed it pretty, and dropped the shutter.

I really liked the one showing a Porsche window logo, and back end of a Baja bug he has hidden inside.

Now that this meet is over, they finally delivered my speed control.

[skeeter]

I can't take credit for the awesome Speed Shop background, Russ (truescale rc) provided the building. i just asked nicely, posed it, framed it pretty, and dropped the shutter.
A great eye for detail when shooting subjects. I sometimes shoot up to 20 pics of the same subjects at meets. The boys get a lil anxious to roll out & go to work, but when they see the outcome, they LOVE em, & are glad they waited so long to begin the meets.

Now that this meet is over, they finally delivered my speed control.[/QUOTE]
That always the way it works! I just had the same problem. I ordered some more battery connections Deans plugs this time.
They were supposed to arrive 3 days BEFORE PNWSTE had the September meet. They JUST arrived me yesterday.

[frizzen]

Ok ok... Thank you!
My dad used to do some professional photography, and taught me most of what i know. Then a couple classes and some books helped polish my technique a little more. Plus i learned on SLRs while burning silver, so ya made sure you liked it before dropping the shutter. You had 32 frames a roll, make it count, and you're paying to develop them, so no double checking to see if you liked it!

The biggest thing when shooting models is getting the perspective right. I found until you get the feel for that scale, it helps to have a scale figure available. You want your cameras 'eye' to be the same height as theirs. Scale 4 to 7 feet tall is good, too far outside that and it gets 'artsy' like some car magazines, or like you're working off a boom/uphill/drone.

Shooting cars side or 3/4 shots, frame more space 'moving forward' so they have somewhere to go. It looks wrong cropping a car closer to the front. Kinda like portraits are slight offset with more room the way they're looking.

Trying to crop things out of backgrounds and maintain law of thirds is usually my sticking point unless i can pose absolutely everything. I'm still trying to learn the rules about making construction stuff look awesome.

Googlie Eyes for the win!
So we're getting lights now! Bullet turnsignals are 3mm leds. Headlights will get a filler plate and take 5mm leds. Taillights are getting shaved, redone as 61-earlier round with 5mm leds.

https://i.imgur.com/oLo061Qh.jpg

Headlight lens is front of a googlie eyeball, then i made a couple more bigger ones into Baby Moons to make my wheels look a little better.

[Wombii]

Yes! That looks great! Looks so much better with clear lights and the wheel mods.

[frizzen]

Thank you!


The split 1956 I restored for a mate has small round lights
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/d760c6d5ddd64798aef20cfe2450e50d.jpg

Ok, using a dial caliper i scaled that pic on my phone to actual size on the truck, then figured out light center and step drilled to a snug fit on 5mm leds.

https://i.imgur.com/TO7osURh.jpg

I think this looks a little better

[frizzen]

She's not gonna make it back to stock, so we might as well roll with it...
https://i.imgur.com/LvAyShVh.jpg

Looks like i need to either rough up the LEDs on my Underglow, or take a file and knock the 'lenses' off to help even out the pattern a little more. Looks much better in person, as my phone is certainly not a DSLR.

[frizzen]

Anybody else like chrome?

https://i.imgur.com/aS4SF2Th.jpg

Several guys i work with kept telling me how great Molotow liquid chrome is... i'm impressed.

---

Cruising Lebanon meet Jan 2019

My driver wanted to play too, so loaded up the VW truck with some scale RCs. Got a LaFrance pumper, T1 VW, Cat wheelloader, Cat excavator, 2 stick radios, 2 pistol radios

https://i.imgur.com/v856mbMh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZVsuYr8h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LuT1lpGh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VHx6yRPh.jpg

Yo i heard ya like VWs, so i got ya a VW to put in your VW...

[frizzen]

Some brass came out and turned into some odd parts.

https://i.imgur.com/d81x1T4h.jpg

Hitch added to the back of the pan, going to need a riser for the trailer

https://i.imgur.com/8Ruw09lh.jpg

Strange hinged parallel lever setup above my steering knuckles. Any guesses what that might do?

Also Amy decided WE needed to play with her squeaky bunny while i was taking pics

[frizzen]

Man, tough crowd...

Lowrider at full lift
https://i.imgur.com/KNrj8fDh.jpg

Safety rails, ramp rails, and the start of a plank deck on the trailer
https://i.imgur.com/IeGTkqCh.jpg

[Wombii]

Nice! Is the lifting servo operated?

Have you found a way to protect the mirror finish of the liquid chrome? As soon as I touch it with a finger it looks like normal silver paint.

[frizzen]

Planning on mounting a servo where the RX currently sits, with a pull cable tied to the notch in the lift arm running to the servo horn. Once i order more electronics.

They have some suggestions, but i haven't tested anything yet
http://cs.scaleautomag.com/sca/tips_techniques/f/8/t/127050.aspx

I've noticed it needs a couple days to dry/cure/flash before you think of touching it, but it can handle some use without going silver. My ambulance cot is still looking good, but i handled the headlights on my dads truck too soon and they look aluminum.


Unpimp the auto didn't work out how i was thinking when i started...
https://youtu.be/e1MNEqCr748

[frizzen]

Originally I couldn't find anything about movable suspension on a 'junk toy grade car'. If i had a pan car or something 4 wheel ifs, there's TONS of ideas...

Started with a brass L shape that mounts to chassis, added a tube onto that. Slid a brass rod through tube for pivot, mounted brass rod arms on pivot rod. One arm rod extended to where servo arm sits, necked down an area fo hold string. Added side plates to pivot to keep arms centered over knuckles. Made some brass pins with smooth bottoms that push on top of knuckles down to lift chassis.

Brass hingey thing ties to chassis at front steering gearbox mounts. Equipped with knuckle pushrods, and side plates to keep it over knuckles. Some mechanical advantage, string, metal gear servo.

Blue vertical servo does steering.
Black laydown servo does attitude adjustment

Also pinned the draglink onto the knuckles so if can't pop free with the vertical travel

https://i.imgur.com/aVhCQfQh.jpg

Pfffftsss
https://i.imgur.com/GqFwQzCh.jpg

Wrrrrrssssssss
https://i.imgur.com/CRSsWVsh.jpg

All my friends know the lowrider
Low-ri-der ride a little lower
Low-ri-der rise a little slower

[frizzen]

https://i.imgur.com/Jbuezlvh.jpg

Doka gets 8-spoke hubcaps.

Chop M-wheel at the inner-bead wall of outside, chop the stiffener ribs, chop the wheel hex, trim the inner bead off, sand to thickness. Then some adjustment to the maisto wheels to make it work around the spinners and diifferent offsets.

[frizzen]

Get low.

https://i.imgur.com/BmgAjJWh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VbRcqDvh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/q0kjaIjh.jpg
Cruising after work one day.

I took this truck to a meet, and seriously my departure angle sucks! I need rear lift.

At this meet several people who saw me playing with the suspension mentioned (with some disappointment) that i "should have made the lowrider hop."
Yes it's possible, it would take a different game plan and a Motor and Esc instead of a Servo.

First off VWs go bagged, everything else can get either bagged or juiced. I don't make the rules.

If i were doing a car as a hydraulic Hopper, i'd be setting it up like some of Jevries ''way of the knot'' type of model cars.*
He's an old school badass i've been following since back when the 'Mad Modeler forum' was around.
http://www.jevries.com
https://www.layitlow.com/threads/jevries-builds.143702/
Somewhere there *might* be others who pimp harder, but he is absolutely the best documented at pimping.

Suspension travel is because the axle is mounted semi freely in a channel or something that gravity can pull back 'Low', maybe light spring if really needed. String pulls straight down on suspension for 'High', pulleys / eyelets / bushings to redirect line back to motor. String wraps around lift motor armature or geared shaft near it, and wads string up on it. Motor pulls string down fast, so car comes up fast. Balance car right and you can lift the rear and make it hop big, like sitting bumper.

I'd probably run seperate servos Right and Left rear with Front as hopper described above. With a rear weight bias, that should at least give front, back, gas hop, possibly side/side. If there's room, a speaker setup to annoy everyone with my music. I might even want to try to stuff some short firm springs under it, so the body wants to do the 'horribly bouncy while driving on smooth road' thing. (An actual use for a tamiya truck shaker motor?)

Maybe if i find something used and *REALLY* cheap along the lines of these:
early 2000s Radioshack lowriders, like 58, 64, 67 Impala, 69 El Camino
Newbright SnoopDeville, 74 caddy coupe deville
Newbright Jessie james 54 Chevy car
possibly some other kind of Truck, like the wpl pickup if it were bought as a donor and i just had the body sitting around

[frizzen]

Sup homes?

I didn't get the LowLow out of the truck fast enough. The lowrider bug got me. If it's not scraping you're too high.

https://i.imgur.com/ykESibuh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/OaEjV4Ch.jpg

So i've a titanium grind block, with a little mild steel grind. Might need to go 1 more 'titanium' , or maybe add a hotter yellow flickering.

[frizzen]

Stops tailgating cars even faster than using a rear window wiper

https://i.imgur.com/UEP78l6h.jpg

I've built in about 0.400" of useable rear suspension travel, it can go from about the ride height of the Dickie bus to laid out, and could tuck wheels up even higher. Still need to make some bracing, servo mount, servo. Plus close up the gearbox from earlier raising attempts.

[frizzen]

I know ya don't care, but i'm going to keep posting. I don't take hints!

I did some math and my tamiya wheels at 1.650" (42mm) hubcaps are scale 23" rims. I got more than "dubs" (20" wheels) on my V-dub.

I think i've got my rear suspension travel figured out. With my front end full up, I get the rear touching hitch on ground, then up to 0.550" (14mm) below hitch.

Here are the extremes
https://i.imgur.com/zG4Mkp2h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/m9IozjKh.jpg

I found an empty area in the lower leading edge of the transaxle that i could mount a transverse rod. Figured out the wheelbase and drilled the chassis so the rod became a hinge pin.
Then cut out the structure below the transaxle, shaved the trans, i resculpted some gaps i'd made (using some epoxy putty.)
I took some brass square stock to make a frame around the new chassis cutout, the brass then ties into the trailer hitch and its drawbar plate, and the frame is glued to chassis. None of that actually robs me of any ground clearance from stock.

After i pick up another metal gear servo and make mounts, it'll be hitting Front and Back. It's not ever going to be full-motion, and not gangster enough to ever hit a standing 3. It's not about that life.

[frizzen]

I bought a bunch of 3mm led Lens bezels from Truescale RC back in Sept, probably should start putting them in stuff...

https://i.imgur.com/bl8ziYrh.jpg

Also got the rear end set up pretty well squared away

https://youtu.be/UG3-Tk_xkVs

Got that crunk, for yo' trunk, goin' gangsta crazy
We some real life hustlers, playin' games in the street
We got that low-ri-der, scrapin', dippin' on three
So pop your collar, give a holla, throw yo' dubs in the air
We tear the roof, off the mother, lady let down yo' hair

[Wombii]

That video looks amazing! You nailed those movements.

[frizzen]

Thanks, i'm glad it's finally starting to be able to act more like a normal car. i still need some practice "hittin switches" while driving though.

It just wouldn't be Christmas without some lights!

https://i.imgur.com/oFg72Wdh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/miHfRvlh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/mdFHeaAh.jpg

[frizzen]

Had quite a bit of fun out lowriding around the town at a meet.

The great news is i finally have enough lift on the truck to clear all of the bridge approaches and departures. I also didn't have any problems with crossing the taped down cords that were powering conveyers.

https://i.imgur.com/YsTak2Nh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GEXbFBoh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yT1f4Tqh.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/A4wLSl4h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rdM6aDAh.jpg

I didn't have the dragging sparks installed at any time for this one since i didn't think we'd be doing any Night Drive. We were sharing the building with Lebanon rock crawlers, Russels rc demolition derby barn, and Micro mini pullers.

[skeeter]

https://i.imgur.com/mdFHeaAh.jpg

Those look familiar! I stopped by the local arts & crafts store after Christmas & picked up a few of them for RCland! I wish I could have found ones that didn't have snow! The snowy ones were all that were left when I went in the store the second week of January.

[skeeter]

I loved that video of the VW flexing so much, I had to share it into a couple FaceBook sites!

[frizzen]

I'd picked up the camper right after christmas. I'd wanted to check scale, then they were gone when i went back for others. Looked like it's some good potential there.
Thinking i'll build a brass trailer frame with axle, few exterior mods, probably make up some interior that'll probably spiral into 'dollhouse-truck' level. Heatgun should pop the hot-glue holding the tree on. Not sure if i'll paint to match this maisto truck, or the red dickie vw.

Glad you liked the hydro/air ride video! It's tough to film while running a vehicle. Cool, i haven't messed with facebook in years.

[skeeter]

I've seen a few of the trailer conversions you speak of. They are great candidates for refurbishing to tow behind the rock crawlers rigs!

[frizzen]

Hadn't been much of a year for cruising or car shows, so let's go do something.

https://imgur.com/fFc4LCOh.jpg


-----

Somehow a guy puts a Dickie bus on some Italeri 1/18 porsche 18" Fuchs wheels, with the Italeri 1/24 semi tractor trailer tires like my Bay already has. The scale change brings it back to like 14" rim, (1" wheel makes math easy!). Not sure if it took anything special to connect to axles. I like Fuchs...

https://www.modelltruckforum.de/index.php?thread/56821-tamiya-vw-t2-bus-umbau/&520a6aab

[frizzen]

Uh, something, something, 911 in a bad neiighborhood, something, allegedly, something...

https://imgur.com/khfvSbih.jpg

Fuchs rims with Wolfsburg crests, tires are pretty rough though. (NewBright Porsche 911 Targa from the 80s)