Microbus1

10 May 2000: The first visual try. I used the rear lid at the front for a steeper front profile. I mounted the windscreen also at a steep angle and decided that I could go on.
Going on meant cutting the roof away, and so I did.
Since the dashboard would be up in the front as much as possible, I cut recesses to take wheelarches in, at the bottom. Notice that the clutch pedal is removed. This means that this vehicle will inevitably be with automatic transmission.
Now I cut the windshield frame from the roof and held everything together with tapes.
Taking the windshield to the front results in going outwards from the normal contour of the body side panel. So I cut a pattern from cardboard, and carried the profile on the fender and then made the contour of the hood with felt pen.
I cut styrene pieces and glued them to the sides of the hood.
21 May 2000: I separated the fender and body with a scriber.
Now the side panel is shifted on the drawn contour line.
Styrene parts were cut and glued in the gaps between the side panel and the hood extensions.
I poured resin in the cavities that were formed by the styrene hood extensions at the sides and carried the resin over up to the side window for added strength. To have good grip, the plastic was roughened with the scriber before pouring.
After the resin cured, I removed the styrene extensions. the hood is now extended to the sides. I filed the combination roughly at this stage.
Now I changed my design basis. I decided to make it a camper vehicle, rather than a monospace minivan. I decided to raise the roof so a man could stand up in the vehicle. This also required stretching the wheelbase. So I cut two styrene strips and glued them in place in the A-posts. This will require a scratchbuilt windscreen and other glazing. I can do that..
I had a second chassis left from the Nascar Beetle. I cut the two as shown at the right. This combination will result in an extension of 30 mm. (That means 72 cm in reality)
The two parts are shown. The joint is done in the zig-zag form to ensure a strong bond.
The two parts are joined together, by securing on metal blocks to ensure a level bonding.
22 May 2000: I reinforced the A-posts with a brass wire bent to proper shape and bonding the whole with superglue.