The BMW 507 Ultimate Build Thread!!!

[A12pilot]

Whoops! Here's the fender pic!

And one may be thinking, "How in the heck is this guy going to mount all these panels together?" The plan is to build a small buck for the front end which will allow me to form the fender edges by the door, then I'll be able to weld up the front as one piece like the factory did. That of course can't really happen until I build the buck and get the inner structure fabricated up. Yes, none of this makes sense, but fear not! It doesn't to me either!

Cheers
Dave

[Billohio]

That is impressive!

[TimG]

It's looking good Dave. I was replacing the fuel line on my aluminum 1958 Scarab replica yesterday and when you look underneath an aluminum car, you see it looks like a jigsaw puzzle. The top looks beautiful, but the bottom shows all the work that goes into putting the pieces together.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Guys! It’s true, Tim. Many parts in some areas are just welded up cheese slices that are smoothed over on top. The 507 was no different. But since I have so much time on my hands and nothing else to do, I’m going to try and smooth out most everything on the underside just to be aesthetically pleasing where it might be seen somehow.

Cheers
Dave

[dykstra]

Super cool! Looks great Dave!

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

What would happen if I dropped off a 1973 Super Beetle at your place?


I am definitely going to visit you one day and learn the Jedi methods of absolute motivation!!!!!


Ryan W31

[A12pilot]

You have nothing to learn other than what you already know, Ryan! Motivation comes from this site, our group, and personal pride in showing one’s accomplishments for others to enjoy and help enhance learning for all.

Man…..that’s some deep thoughts right there. I might write a motivational book for us car restoration people.

Come on down! I’ll learn ya!

Cheers
Dave

[cook_dw]

[A12pilot]

Ha! I set myself up for that one, and I realized that after I typed it!

So moving onto the back end with fresh measurements from my visit. I was only about a half inch off on my initial tail panel layout with regards to taillight placement. I'd say that's pretty good seeing how all my measurements are based off a 1/18th scale model and a ruler. The thing is, these were all built by hand so no two are identical, but the placement of the tail lights is based off a buck so that distance is relatively similar among all the cars. Still, I wanted to make sure things up. The lights are tilted a little and follow a body relief line and also follow the contour of the panel. So lots of measurements before I start hammering panels.



After an exhaustive 2yr casual search, I finally found the wheels I've been looking for! The factory wheels are 16x4.5 and the tires are 16x6.0. I found the correct Michelin X R185 tires, but the wheels always escaped me. There were there styles of wheels that I've seen on 507s other than the show car which had full caps but never offered: 10 hole steel, 4 slot steel, and Rudge knock off. I wanted the 10 hole style and these are just about as identical as I could get. They're Jeep wheels (M151 Mutt), 16x4.5, and 10 hole with a convex style center section. Woohoo! I'll modify the holes a tad too mimic the gumdrop shape of the 507s a little better, but (enter Survivor's song) the search is over! Man, Google must think I'm nuts with my searches..."10 hole Steelie....Steel wheel 16".... Factory 16x4.5 steel... Big Boobed Brunette... Oh, wait, how did that get in there?!




Anywho....BMW butt to follow!

Cheers
Dave

[Crush]

I’m trying to figure out when you have time to go to the gym or go golfing? Ha!
Great work and very impressive… again!
Bary