VW Pickup: Paint

Progress has been slow as I worked on getting the ride height OK and fitting disk brakes and aftermarket rims to the stub axles.

I also cut a hole in the front roll pan for the intercooler. The resin bits from Clearly Scale include a length of fat rod, which bends like solder, to make the intercooler piping. Not sure what it is but it is brilliant.

The engine compartment got a brace across the shock towers, as did the lower A-arm forward mounts which are really just dangling in the breeze otherwise. I once had the pleasure of maintaining a 1:1 Mark I GTI with a turbo, and it had also had these two mods in a futile attempt to keep it from hopping around like, well, a rabbit when you dropped the clutch at a light.

 

 

Both braces were made with brass tubing, crimped at the end and drilled for bolts. Bending the underhood one without kinking it required a spring tube slid over it, but even so there is a minor kink in it on the right hand side.

 

The chrome strip was spray painted on by taping up the rest of the cab. Scary... but the tape came off fine with one minor exception that was easily fixed. Bonus points if you can spot it...

But it is finally getting to the stage where I just need to clear coat and finish the interior before final assembly.

Paint was Tamiya TS-39 Mica Red over TS-15 Blue. The blue alone is pretty sad, to be honest; the last thing I used it for was a stock '66 Malibu wagon with a six, an application where the blue worked well especially with a coat of semi-gloss clear. Clear coat (gloss in this case) is on and will dry over the next couple of days while I finish up the interior and suspension. Stay tuned! Might even get it finished this year.