Background Project - VeeDub ReDub Platform

[Adam]

I know it hasn't been the best kept secret but we've been tinkering with the idea of using a Mk7 VW GTI for future Goblins. This newer Goblin is still a year out at least but we've been working on an intermediate project that will help form the basis of the future Goblin.

The project is called the VeeDub ReDub platform. Basically it's recreating the old VW Beetle pan and chassis with modern suspension, disc brakes and mounts designed to fit a mid-mounted turbocharged Mk7 GTI powertrain with the dual clutch DSG transmission. The idea with this platform is that a person could combine it with a GTI donor and a classic Beetle body to make a sporty, reliable sleeper Beetle.

The chassis and welded components will be manufactured by DF Kit Car and the platform will be sold as an assembled roller minus powertrain from the newly established Doyle Motor Works. You can see a little more info about the project and our progress at the website: DoyleMW.com

There are a lot of details to cover but for now I'll just leave the renderings below so you guys can see what it'll look like.

Also, just to give you a little more info about the direction for the Goblin:

• The Cobalt powered version isn't going anywhere anytime soon and will likely continue to be sold alongside the VW version when it comes out in the future.
• The future Goblin will have some similarities to the VeeDub ReDub platform but it won't have VW pans or body and will instead be like the current Goblin with custom pans, a full tube chassis, fiberglass body work and the open wheel design.

 

[Ark :D]

Looks interesting. Nice work.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Wow! I'm thinking daily driver bug - cheap to license and insure, no emissions, parts are plentiful. Just not certain I could convince the home boss this is my next project when the current one is still mostly in boxes...

 

[Dale E]

There is a VW parts shop about 5 miles form me that has VW bodies setting around all the time. Another shop 2 hours away has a bunch. A salvage yard 3 miles away is stacked with VW bodies (mostly intact).

Just info for the future!

 

[Brett]

I swear I have seen these renderings before. I like where this is headed. I see a lot of potential and flexibility for the industry based on this.

I wonder how many holes DS would put in it.....

 

[escapepilot]

I like it. Definite potential. Could something like this be in my future...

 

[Brett]

Be sure to read the blog post on DoyleMW.com

They are quick reads but definitely worth reading if this project interest's you.

Blog | Doyle Motor Works

Keep up to date on the developments at Doyle Motor Works and browse helpful articles for completing a project car.

www.doylemw.com

 

[Adam]

There is a VW parts shop about 5 miles form me that has VW bodies setting around all the time. Another shop 2 hours away has a bunch. A salvage yard 3 miles away is stacked with VW bodies (mostly intact).

Just info for the future!

You'd be surprised by some of the feedback we are getting about there not being any bodies available anymore while at the same time hearing guys talking about all of the bodies that are actually available. When we were looking for a Beetle to measure off of, we ended up in a guy's backyard that had at least a dozen usable bodies.

 

[Adam]

I'm going to try to get you guys caught up on our prototyping process over the next few days.

We don't have a laser cutter at the shop but we do have a CNC plasma table. It definitely doesn't produce parts that we'd send out the door but for prototyping, it sure beats when we were breaking endmills trying to cut sheet metal on the CNC mill for the Goblin prototypes. Ever try to cut a long piece of 14 gauge on a mill? Not fun.

We cut 14 gauge, 11 gauge, 3/16, 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick steel on our plasma table to make the prototype part and tools for the VeeDub ReDub project. There is definitely more finishing work on plasma cut parts than the laser cut parts but sending handfuls of parts out to be laser cut was out of the question. Too pricey to do just a single cars worth of parts and when (not if) a part doesn't work out, we can just burn out another one after tweaking it on the computer.

Here's a shot of the paths on the control computer.

And this is a photo of the machine cutting 1/4 inch steel.

Here's a look at the tunnel on the plasma table. We don't have a way to bend something this long so we had the machine "score" the bend lines by cutting slots.

The slotted piece to the right is the "floor" of the tunnel. Those slots are where the tunnel's slots will line up. I'll show that in the next post.

 

[Rauq]

You'd be surprised by some of the feedback we are getting about there not being any bodies available anymore while at the same time hearing guys talking about all of the bodies that are actually available.

Sounds like folks talking about there being no Cobalt donors available... they made over a million of them lol

I'm at one of the biggest VW shows in the nation in Helen, GA every spring. If you want to do something together, let me know!

 

[Davidljones88]

After the VW, how about an awd platform. Though, I can't think of a cheap enough platform.

 

[Robinjo]

Sounds like folks talking about there being no Cobalt donors available... they made over a million of them lol

I see them all over the place in North Alabama. SS versions are more 'rare' but still see at least 2 of those as well daily.
Now, they just not be for sale....

 

[Jareth]

I assume we will need a Volkswagen Golf GTI donor for the engine, transmission, wiring, miscellaneous parts and a VW donor for the body?

.

 

[TheDon]

My daily

 

[Mayor West]

me gusta

 

[Adam]

My daily

My old daily driver, the day I traded it in. It had the EQTuning Vortex XL pushing out 36 PSI for approximately 475 to 500 whp on 93 octane. I made sure to pull that off before trading it in. Guess where we are going to use that turbo now...

 

[Adam]

So we had the plasma cut parts and it was time to start making things. First up was the tunnel.

We don't have a sheet metal brake to bend up something like the tunnel so we added the "score" marks I talked about in the previous update. The idea was that the score marks would keep the bend in the right place and make it possible for us to hand bend the tunnel.

You can see the bend lines in the top part (the actual tunnel). The slots cut in the two lower pieces are for the tunnel to lock into after it is bent up.

We were right about it making it easier to bend but we overestimated our own strength. There was no way we were going to be able to do it by hand with the tabs the plasma cutter had left. So we got a cut off wheel on a grinder and cut every other tab to make it much easier.

At that point we were able to muscle it into shape and use an angle finder to set the two sides. It was very satisfying seeing the tunnel fit into the slots of the floor pieces.

We tack welded each of the tabs and suddenly had a prototype tunnel in front of us.

 

[TheDon]

My old daily driver, the day I traded it in. It had the EQTuning Vortex XL pushing out 36 PSI for approximately 475 to 500 whp on 93 octane. I made sure to pull that off before trading it in. Guess where we are going to use that turbo now...

View attachment 37276

Mine was bought in the middle of building goblin so all stock but is an R

 

[Adam]

Mine was bought in the middle of building goblin so all stock but is an R

The turbo upgrade might not have been the smartest thing for a daily driver (extra fuel usage and the voice in the back of my head wondering when, not if, it was going to blow from daily use in a 3400 pound car). I was doing 100 miles a day with that setup.

However, the stage 1 tune from EQTuning makes a big difference without having to add any parts or making too many compromises.

 

[Ghostknife]

Its a great platform with lots of tuning potential, APR can get you some goodies. Glad to see you guys evolving!