dune buggies and hotVWs March 2018

Chris Cocks took off to another wonderful VW world this past December 20th. You might not know his name, but Chris was the owner of one of the biggest VW wrecking yards, “Small Car Connection Inc.”, and the CEO of “U.S. Autobarn Inc.”, which was also one of the largest genuine air-cooled Volkswagen parts importers from VW Brazil and Mexico. Many brand-new VW Brazil and Mexico engine cases came to the United States through Chris Cocks. Chris was one of the greatest, meritorious persons in the wonderful air-cooled VW industry, and still is. What Chris has done for our Volkswagen community/industry will never be forgotten. His passion for VWs started when he was just a 10-year old kid. His dad was working for a credit union when he got a…

Master Cylinder Do I need a different master cylinder if I put disc brakes on the front of my '67 Beetle? Can I convert to front discs using stock parts or do I have to use aftermarket components? I've read that some people have had problems with the fit and quality of aftermarket kits. Is upgrading the rear drums to large Type 3s a good combo with the front discs? Should I stay with the wide 5 bolt pattern or convert to the later style? Brook Paul Park Stephan , MN If you really want something close to an original equipment style kit, I would recommend converting to the 4-lug system. Remember that you’re not stuck with 4-lug rims on this system, as they can be easily converted to Porsche…

When we bought “Woodstock”, our ’71 VW Sportsmobile camper, little did we know we were entering into a very unique fraternity. Most Volkswagen camper conversions were done by Westfalia, with a scattering of other companies trying to get their share of the pie, most notably, ASI Rivera, Dormobile and Sundial. Sportsmobiles was founded in 1961 by Charles Borskey and is still in business today, converting full-size Sprinter, Metris, Transit, and ProMaster vans. I interviewed Mr. Borskey a while back, still at the helm after 56 years in the business. How did the Sportsmobile Start? “I saw a good market with Volkswagen. So, I started the company down in El Paso, Texas. We then merged with Travel Equipment in Elkhart, Indiana and have been going ever since. When the oil embargo…

Something is wrong in the booming air-cooled Volkswagen scene. Buses easily reach the 50K mark, Beetles before 1968 fetch prices between 10 and 15 grand - at least. And we don’t even talk about Fridolins, Razoredges or Lowlight Ghias. But what about the average Type 14 Ghia? I remember the '80s and early '90s when everybody wanted to have a sporty Volkswagen. And the sportiest of them all was the little coupe from Osnabrück. No Beetle, no Type 3, let alone a Bus had the same attitude. Of them all, the most favored cars were the 1960 to 1969 Ghias with their cat-eye-shaped taillights and the round, classic-looking bumpers. I remember when we were searching for a Ghia for my buddy Christoph in 1992. One of the cars we checked…

There is something about treasure hunting that certainly taps into a primal urge deep within us. We all can relate to the experience, and we have all played the part of hunter. There are the daily hunting expeditions for things like 10mm sockets, car keys and paperwork, the hunting through the darkness for the bathroom door, and through the perilous toe-stubbing maze of bedposts and sleeping dogs. Those little hunts are more common in our existence and often provide more frustration than fun. But for those times when the hunt leads us to the unexpected, the passion and excitement wells up deep within us. It really doesn’t matter what it is you are hunting for, and in most cases what you find is not what was in your mind when…

If you’ve been following along with this article series on building the best daily driver engine, you know that we have already covered the general direction you’re going in, such as the importance of the right bore and stroke. This article should clarify the correct case to start out with, including your cam and oil pump. What case should you start with? By all means, start with a dual-relief case. Here’s how I get a case ready. If we are going to run a deep sump, which I highly recommend, one trick is to take out the studs and use long 6mm bolts from the inside out. Since the head of the bolt is on the inside, there is no way to pull the stud out from the case. If…