I’m overdue for another update of the Beetle Ute build. My brother and I went down to test out the fit of the door panel on the passenger side. Michael had some powerful magnets that held the panel in place while we checked the fit.

 

The panel is cut a little oversized and will need some trimming along the front and back edges of the door. This was expected since I made my cuts along the middle of the door seams. The curvature of the panels matched quite well. Also the panel is flexible enough that it takes only a bit of force to get it completely matched. The panel looks good – so good that I now have to decide if I want to cut a hole for the door handle or go with electric door openers. 

 

When we left we took all the bed sheet metal to get it powder coated. This is a step that most builds do not do. It may be for a good reason – we’ll find out.

 

After a few weeks the parts were done and I took them back. Michael prepped them the best he could to protect the powder coated surfaces that will be visible once the build is done. He covered the surfaces with blue tape. Here is the tailgate panel.

 

The bed front is next.

 

Here are all the parts.

 

There is a red panel behind these parts. That is a bed cover off a Ford Ranger. Michael is going to resize that to fit on the Beetle’s bed. 

 

After the blue tape the panels get covered in ram board – a heavy paper put on floors during house construction. The blue tape protects the finish from fine scratches while the ram board protects against the heavier dings. It’s this kind of attention to detail that gives me so much confidence in Michael!

 

Now that the panels are protected Michael can finally install the sheet metal for good.

 

With the sheet metal installed the next step is waterproofing. What used to be the back seat is now part of the bed. Therefore what used to be part of the interior is now part of the exterior and new barriers are needed to keep water out. Here is a view of the passenger side.

 

The next view is of the driver’s side.

And this picture is of the bed front (taken from the inside).

 

While all this is going on Michael is also getting the fiberglass body panels prepped.

 

They are starting to look real good! 

 

I should point out that these pictures are courtesy of Michael. It is part of the service he provides when doing a build. 

 

That’s it for this update. It won’t be long until it will be time to attach the wood panels. That is going to be a new experience for both of us!