Top secret build - Wartburg 2.0

Kinda, but the narrow width throws off the frame of reference a bit.  Also, that’s the point.  It’s low enough in back that I have to radius the wheel openings 

Fender Dumps Rule...............ALWAYS!!!!

I'm sitting here smiling as I remember Patrick rolling his garage door up and letting me see his creation for the first time. 

Stampie said:

I'm sitting here smiling as I remember Patrick rolling his garage door up and letting me see his creation for the first time. 

You’re talking about a car, right?

In reply to eastpark :

Wouldn't you like to know?

Stampie said:

In reply to eastpark :

you Wouldn't like to know

Your words seemed to be incorrectly placed. 

I put them in an order that made more sense.  

A rear fender has been radiused for test fitting 

Box flares?

Andy Neuman said:

Box flares?

I think it's currently perfect

I saw this and my first thought was parachute?

Not going to need one with the engine that’s currently in it.  Honestly I don’t think I want to require a parachute in a gasser.  Something more aerodynamic yes, i intend to get there eventually.  

So all of this has inspired me to try a little harder to create daily windows of progress. 

Thank you Brother P.

The rear fenders bolt on with about a dozen pain in the behind bolts, and have a welting strip between body and fender much like american cars up until the late 40’s.

 I’m seriously considering welding them to the body and finishing the seam.  It would make for less risk of scratching stuff during assembly, and probably add some strength to the completely cut out rear trunk area.  

Similar goes for the front clip that is 4 pieces.  The valence is bent, the fenders are horrid.  If i weld the fenders, grill bar and valence together it’s got to come off in one piece, but the only downside there is having to have help.  I think it’ll be easier to put them all together as a unit now than to try and straighten everything so it bolts together nice and clean.

What say the peanut gallery?

Just throwing this out there, but if you are going to weld the rear fenders on, could you not also add a spacer between the fender and the body where they bolt / weld together and cover more of the wheel and tire combo.  Someone else mentioned box flares, someone else said it was good as is, but if you add more tire coverage it could help with air flow.  

Just my two cents.  I think this is a great build.  Can't wait to see how it comes out.

In person this is even cooler than in pictures. I kind of want to send Patrick a big huge package of flake to add to whatever paint he's planning on. 

In reply to Mike924 :

The poke will be cured.  I’ve been given the pair of fenders that hot rodders wish they could get to pirate the wheel arches from when doing a radius job.  The finished wheel will have 1” more backspace as well.  Driver’s side axle needs narrowed no matter what, so there is that.  The wheels it’s rolling on were the only 15x8 5x5 rims i had, and i’ll be redrilling to 4.75 bolt pattern to give me use of another pair of wheels i have.

I’m looking for about 1/2” of tire to show beyond the new fender lip in back, in my head this is perfect and what a gasser should have ideally.  The reason spacers from body to fender don’t work easily like say on a 41-48 chevy rear, is that the door flows right into the fender and the taillights bridges the body and fender.  I’m conveniently welding the passenger side right now so :

That’s how bent the back corner is and how warped the fenders are from welding when Jim moved the wheel wells to accommodate the vw suspension that previously occupied the area where my 9” is currently residing 

Getting better 

It’s been hit back here or it was bent when it had the rear engine and no support from the center of the wheels back, as inner structure has a wrinkle.

 I’m going to make body mounts just behind the taillights to keep it square back here, but waiting to have a hand with the trunklid before i finalize their position.  Frame brackets installed already 

One piece forward flipping front clip for the win. 

Do a diagonal from the wheel well up to the cowl, and keep the bottom part with the body.

The best example I could quickly find.

I’ve been giving that serious consideration, it may make everything harder or may not.  I’ll probably draw it on paper to see where everything falls, because i have visions of not being able to properly access the radiator.  I desire to leave the inner fenders in place because the serial tags mount to them and they’re really cool with lots of stamped mini panels for rigidity 

the other thing is these fenders are so bad that it might be impossible to make that diagonal cut then have them ever line up again

Binky did flip front right.  The whole fender moves and there is a fairly simple guide/peg system to locate the flappy bits.

Starting the other side’s radius

Cut

the biggest thing to remember when completely rebuilding/rebranding an iconic car is to give zero berkeleys about what anyone else thinks.  I think this is cool as hell, so i’m doing it.  

In reply to Patrick :

Berk anyone who doesn't dig this thing as a gasser, you don't want to be friends with them anyway.

In reply to Patrick :

the biggest thing to remember when completely rebuilding/rebranding an iconic car is to give zero berkeleys about what anyone else thinks.

Preach it brother!

Pete

Patrick said:

 

Cut

 

the biggest thing to remember when completely rebuilding/rebranding an iconic car is to give zero berkeleys about what anyone else thinks.  I think this is cool as hell, so i’m doing it.  

But that car was sooo nice to begin with.  They are only original once!  I guess if you want to cut up a totally original Wartburg that has in NO way ever been molested, that is your choice.  

I can't believe you are chopping up such a good condition all original rare car.