Ian Roussel RE-CHOPS the Custom VW Beetle! | Fixing the Le Mans Windshield
Full Custom Ian
191,522 views
Ian Roussel RE-CHOPS the Custom VW Beetle! | Fixing the Le Mans Windshield
Getting back into the garage today to finally tackle the most controversial part of the build. If you’ve been following the Le Mans-inspired VW Beetle project, you know the stance is low, the body is wide, but that front glass... let’s just say it’s been a "love-hate" relationship (mostly hate) for the purists.
Today, we’re taking notes from the master of metal shaping and one-off fabrication, Ian Roussel from Full Custom Garage. He’s finally addressing the elephant in the room: replacing that awkward custom windshield with something that actually flows with the radical chop and aerodynamic lines of a Le Mans tribute car.
To fix the "out of place" look, Ian is going back to the roots. He’s sourced a donor VW Bug windshield and cowl to bring back those iconic curves, but it’s not a simple bolt-on. This is about traditional custom car building meeting extreme body modification.
Support the Build:
👕 Get the Merch: https://roussels-custom-fabrication.m...
📸 Follow Ian & Jamie on IG: @Full_Custom_Ian & @Mrs_Roussel_
🛠️ Join the Private FB Group: Facebook: 1120180179697223
🛸 About This Build
This project is all about mixing German engineering with 1960s Le Mans racing DNA—blending inspiration from icons like the Ford GT40, Porsche 917, and Lola endurance racers into a completely custom, VW-based supercar tribute.
No sketches.
No rules.
Just imagination, experience, and fabrication.
Every panel is hand-built, every line is evolving, and you’re watching the process as it happens.
“Car building is fun… let’s keep it that way.” – Ian Roussel
🔥 About This Build
This once-forgotten Beetle is being transformed into a completely one-of-a-kind kustom using nothing but imagination, experience, and hands-on metal fabrication—no templates, no CAD, no shortcuts.
👍 If You Love Real Custom Car Builds
Like, comment, and subscribe to follow the entire journey from raw metal to finished custom.
🔔 Stay Tuned
We’ve got some big announcements coming very soon… make sure your notifications are on so you don’t miss it.
Follow Ian and Jamie on Instagram👽
@Full_Custom_Ian
@Mrs_Roussel_
#CustomCar #VWBeetle #TopChop #FullCustomGarage #IanRoussel #MetalFabrication #LeMansVW #CustomWindshield #AircooledCustoms #BodyWork #garagebuilt
Chapters:
Project Introduction and Design Critique: (0:00 - 1:48)
Ian addresses the controversial vertical windshield design of the custom VW Bug build and sets the goal for a more aerodynamic Le Mans aesthetic.
Donor Vehicle Sourcing and Structural Preparation: (1:49 - 5:46)
Procuring a donor VW Beetle windshield and cowl; initial metal cutting and chassis modification to support a factory-raked windshield profile.
Interior and Dashboard Structural Modification: (5:47 - 9:02)
Fabrication techniques for stripping the old dashboard and inner pillars to accommodate the new radical chop top structure.
Mocking up the New Windshield Angle: (9:03 - 13:35)
Precision metalwork and mock-up process to achieve the correct rearward-sloping Le Mans windshield angle.
Roof Chop and Structural Integration: (13:36 - 19:13)
Advanced metal shaping, pillar trimming, and roof-to-body panel alignment for the VW Beetle chop top.
Geometric Template Creation and Fitment: (19:14 - 23:40)
Using cardboard templates to map complex curves for precise metal-to-metal contact during the windshield frame fabrication.
Final Welding and Body Line Refinement: (23:41 - 27:27)
Final tacking and welding of the custom windshield frame; overview of the improved body lines and future build plans.
20 Comments
“Midnight at the Oasis (MATO) is Yuma, Arizona's largest annual classic car show and music festival, held on the first full weekend in March, featuring hundreds of vintage cars, live rock and roll concerts, food vendors, and family fun. Organized by the Caballeros de Yuma, the multi-day event transforms the Ray Kroc Complex and Desert Sun Stadium into a celebration of 1950s-70s nostalgia, with proceeds supporting local scholarships and community programs.”
Greek and Roman architecture have enduring lines that have lasted for thousands of years. The Greek Parthenon is an example. It is marveled to this day with its graceful lines! If an item is too radical, it will be noticed but will fade away as a oddity with no liking.
You have followed the flowing lines on many of your designs and they are some of your best creations. The windshield on this build is an example, flowing lines!.
Thanks for the great videos.
Ian Roussel RE-CHOPS the Custom VW Beetle! | Fixing the Le Mans Windshield
Full Custom Ian
191,522 views
Ian Roussel RE-CHOPS the Custom VW Beetle! | Fixing the Le Mans Windshield
Getting back into the garage today to finally tackle the most controversial part of the build. If you’ve been following the Le Mans-inspired VW Beetle project, you know the stance is low, the body is wide, but that front glass... let’s just say it’s been a "love-hate" relationship (mostly hate) for the purists.
Today, we’re taking notes from the master of metal shaping and one-off fabrication, Ian Roussel from Full Custom Garage. He’s finally addressing the elephant in the room: replacing that awkward custom windshield with something that actually flows with the radical chop and aerodynamic lines of a Le Mans tribute car.
To fix the "out of place" look, Ian is going back to the roots. He’s sourced a donor VW Bug windshield and cowl to bring back those iconic curves, but it’s not a simple bolt-on. This is about traditional custom car building meeting extreme body modification.
Support the Build:
👕 Get the Merch: https://roussels-custom-fabrication.m...
📸 Follow Ian & Jamie on IG: @Full_Custom_Ian & @Mrs_Roussel_
🛠️ Join the Private FB Group: Facebook: 1120180179697223
🛸 About This Build
This project is all about mixing German engineering with 1960s Le Mans racing DNA—blending inspiration from icons like the Ford GT40, Porsche 917, and Lola endurance racers into a completely custom, VW-based supercar tribute.
No sketches.
No rules.
Just imagination, experience, and fabrication.
Every panel is hand-built, every line is evolving, and you’re watching the process as it happens.
“Car building is fun… let’s keep it that way.” – Ian Roussel
🔥 About This Build
This once-forgotten Beetle is being transformed into a completely one-of-a-kind kustom using nothing but imagination, experience, and hands-on metal fabrication—no templates, no CAD, no shortcuts.
👍 If You Love Real Custom Car Builds
Like, comment, and subscribe to follow the entire journey from raw metal to finished custom.
🔔 Stay Tuned
We’ve got some big announcements coming very soon… make sure your notifications are on so you don’t miss it.
Follow Ian and Jamie on Instagram👽
@Full_Custom_Ian
@Mrs_Roussel_
#CustomCar #VWBeetle #TopChop #FullCustomGarage #IanRoussel #MetalFabrication #LeMansVW #CustomWindshield #AircooledCustoms #BodyWork #garagebuilt
Chapters:
Project Introduction and Design Critique: (0:00 - 1:48)
Ian addresses the controversial vertical windshield design of the custom VW Bug build and sets the goal for a more aerodynamic Le Mans aesthetic.
Donor Vehicle Sourcing and Structural Preparation: (1:49 - 5:46)
Procuring a donor VW Beetle windshield and cowl; initial metal cutting and chassis modification to support a factory-raked windshield profile.
Interior and Dashboard Structural Modification: (5:47 - 9:02)
Fabrication techniques for stripping the old dashboard and inner pillars to accommodate the new radical chop top structure.
Mocking up the New Windshield Angle: (9:03 - 13:35)
Precision metalwork and mock-up process to achieve the correct rearward-sloping Le Mans windshield angle.
Roof Chop and Structural Integration: (13:36 - 19:13)
Advanced metal shaping, pillar trimming, and roof-to-body panel alignment for the VW Beetle chop top.
Geometric Template Creation and Fitment: (19:14 - 23:40)
Using cardboard templates to map complex curves for precise metal-to-metal contact during the windshield frame fabrication.
Final Welding and Body Line Refinement: (23:41 - 27:27)
Final tacking and welding of the custom windshield frame; overview of the improved body lines and future build plans.
Ian wasn’t happy with how the VW Beetle front window turned out after the chop… so instead of living with it, he went ALL IN and re-did it. 😅
That meant tracking down a donor car and starting over—luckily, he scored one for just $150 🙌
That’s the reality of true custom work: no shortcuts, no settling… just doing it right, even if it means undoing a ton of work.
Would YOU go back and fix something on your build if it didn’t feel right—even after putting hours (or months) into it?
Or would you keep pushing forward and live with it? 👇