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juse
Finland
43 Posts |
 Posted - June 25 2002 : 12:22:15 PM
My wife has had this daydream of driving a convertible in a summerafternoon, wind blowing her hair and warmth of the setting sun in her face...That thought started to grow in my mind too, but the high prices of convertibles here in Finland put me back on the ground again.
Then the idea of a replica came to me and I started to ask around of replicas in Finland. And once again I found out that the prices of imported replicas were too high for our household. Also the range in different replicas here is very poor, mostly because of the prices we pay for our cars overall( nearly 60% of the car prices are taxes). But the strict vehiclelaws of Finland are the worst and the last barriers on the road to carbuilders happiness.
After studying the many laws setting the limits for building or modifying cars I came to conclusion that the VW Beetle would be the easiest way to build a convertible we could afford, and to be roadlegal.
So now I wouldnt be writing to this discussiongroup if wasnt interested in a Porsche 356 Speedsterproject...
The plan is here; as the baseplate of a beetle forms only part of the rigidity of the chassis, I need to maintain some parts of the body plus manufacture extra strengthenings. Using the original doors(modified of course) would satisfy MOT-officer, as they represent today sidecrash-protection. Most of the cabin has to stay anyway.
Strengthtening the winscreenframe with 20mm steelbar is enough for MOT I have heard. And not to forget the sills that also need some more steel.
The biggest part of building a "homemade Speedster" would be fabricating the nosepart and the rearend with the shape of Speedster.
I havent got a clue yet how to make the moulds, but laminating isnt unfamiliar to me as I have worked in a glassfibre company(and also as a mechanic in a garage).
So if you have any thoughts or tips to give me, or even if someone has done this before, I would be grateful of any help to get.Justin, Finland
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Homemade Speedster
