Our Smyth Performance Ute Kit Is Here
Here’s a look at what you get with the Smyth Performance Ute kit.
I have taken delivery of my Smyth Performance Ute kit. Now I can begin the process of turning my own VW Jetta into a Ute. But before I pull the car in the garage and begin dismantling the back half of it, let's take a look at what you actually get in the kit. Not only do you receive many custom parts created by Smyth Performance, you also get a collection of standard parts that you might find at any auto parts store. But the contents of the box are the specific parts you need to build your own Smyth Ute.
The largest pieces of the kit are the fiberglass bed sides. These will run all the way from the back of what are now the front doors all the way to the rear of the car, covering the openings for the back doors. Conveniently, this particular piece will also cover up the dents in the car's right rear wheelwell. Some additional trimming will be necessary. I'll have to cut the hole for the fuel filler door, as well as make some cuts to attach the tail lights, which were originally intended for a Ford Explorer SporTrac. These are also included with the kit.
This piece will go on top of the front of the bed and attach to what's left of the roof after I cut it, creating the back of the Ute's passenger compartment. I'll also have to install the sliding glass window into it.
These fiberglass pieces are essentially a body kit that covers the rocker panels between the front wheelwells and the back doors. These will help blend the front of the car into the lines of the bed side pieces after they are installed.
Most of the aluminum pieces are bundled together here. This includes the front and sides of the bed, as well as various braces and bodywork that hold the Ute together but will not be visible from the outside. There's also a roll of black carpeting that will line the interior rather than bare metal. I'll likely add a layer of sound deadening material between the front of the bed and the interior carpet as well.
This box contains all kinds of little parts - brackets, fasteners, tailgate hardware, and so on. The tailgate itself, which is an off the shelf part for a Ford Ranger step side, is drop shipped to you directly from the supplier, and never sees the Smyth factory.
But before any of these parts go on, I have to remove quite a bit from the car. This includes the back seats, trunk interior, trunk lid, tail lights, back doors, and the back bumper. Plus there's also that minor detail of cutting the top rear quarter of the car away. I was a bit busy this past weekend and will be attending Red Bull GRC in Connecticut next weekend, but I hope to back the Jetta into the garage and begin its transformation from an ordinary sedan into a rather unusual kit car.
