Another back-of-the-garage find was a set of Ansen mags, which Letherman had bought years ago just in case he'd find a Volks-Rod project. Walt also scratch-built many of the other parts on his ride, from the stainless-steel battery box to the throttle pedal, and even fabricated a new 9-gallon tank from stainless steel to replace the original 5-gallon unit
Perry Sparkman and Jeff Moehlenbrock (Sebastopol, CA) did the paintwork (Nissan Solar Yellow) on both the body and chassis and, after Walt got his parts back from the chromer, he was on his way to screwing the car back together. The VDO gauges were wired up, and Walt continued making more parts, such as his own headlight bar from 1-inch stainless, then polishing the pieces himself.
Walt also made the folding top bows for the top from 7/8-inch aluminum tubing, then had a black canvas material added by Jack's Upholstery (Healdsburg, CA) to shade him when the sun is a little too bright. For a real '60s feel, Jack's also stitched up the black diamond-tuck interior. Covering the VW engine (out back, remember?) is a twin-door bed cover that Walt first fab'd, then polished. Plans call for a blown 2,180cc engine sometime, but for now, Letherman seems to be happy with the rod he built (though he says, "They're never quite done, right?").
The final addition to his car was a little Rat Fink sticker in the engine bay-a testament not only to the spirit of the car and the build, but as a reminder to Walt as to the condition he found his Volks-Rod!