dune buggies and hotVWs October 2018

The VW Classic. I believe it is a very special event, a sentiment likely shared by many. No matter if you have or haven’t been there, you probably know it: this major air-cooled Volkswagen event held in Southern California has attracted many VW enthusiasts for a long time. Since the first show held in Irvine, back in 1985, the show has been widely known from all over the world as the largest assembly of classic and custom Volkswagens in the United States. “The VW Classic week” has provided an amazing VW atmosphere for more than three decades. However, since the VW Classic lost its long-used venue, Irvine Meadows, four years ago, this Volkswagen extravaganza hasn’t look like it used to be; it never experienced over 1000 VWs again… This year,…

Custom Rims for 1970 Beetle Where the rubber meets the road Mr. Jon Chabot: As a long-time reader, I’m learning something new in every issue. My question is simple: What tire sizes would fit the custom rims on my 1970 Beetle? I had stock 4-bolt rims widened to 10-inches in the rear and widened to 8 in the front. I also have 6-inch wider fenders in the rear and 3-inch wider fenders in the front. I would like your educated opinion on a set of tires, front and rear, that would fit the rims and fit within the fender wells without issue. Low profile tires would be a plus. Right now, I have stock rims and tires. I would like a slightly lower stance in the front. I am not…

One Bus, two guys, 50 states, a million dreams. That pretty much sums up the Oola Movement sweeping the country by storm this year – and they’re doing it in a vintage 1970 Volkswagen Microbus! So what is Oola? It’s a lifestyle based on the best-selling book, “Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World”. It’s a state of awesomeness, when one’s life is balanced and growing in seven key areas of life: fitness, finance, family, field (career), faith, friends, and fun. And it all started with the Oola Guys who co-authored the self-help book, Troy Amdahl (the Oola Guru) and Dave Braun (the Oola Seeker), two chiropractors who are now experts in the field of work-life balance. It was Dave who coined the word, short for “oh la la”. And…

In this article, let’s continue talking about what it takes to convert your car from the old 6-volt system to 12 volts. In last month’s issue, we talked about what parts we need and the battery. Next: the flywheel. Which is tricky. When changing a flywheel, there is way more to it than just taking the old one off and putting a new one on. First, there are two types of mating surfaces. What we call a stepped flywheel (most 6v) and an O-ring flywheel. The O-ring flywheel will not fit right on a crank made for a stepped flywheel. You can take it to a machine shop and put a step in the flywheel or you can send your old flywheel to someone who has 12v ring gears and…

Almost every July, I pack up whatever Bus I am driving, and head up to the Cascade Kombi’s Vintage Meet in Seattle. It is a nice break from the hot summer in Idaho to go to the mildly hot Seattle. The weekend kicks off with a meet at Burgermaster where we take over the parking lot of a local burger joint and VWs from around the northwest slowly arrive there throughout the day. If we flashback to 2002, a mere 16 years ago, I had just bought a 1958 Westfalia camper, and the first show that I drove it to was the Vintage Meet. Three friends and myself took advantage of the furniture in my camper to eat dinner at the Westfalia table during the Burgermeet. I handed my camera…

Many years ago when I was much younger and still living at home with “mom”, I stumbled onto a 1966 Type 3 Fastback in the local paper. The price was super cheap and the guy said it did not run. I went over and looked at it and struck the deal with him. I asked him if it would be OK if I tried to get it running there in his driveway as I didn’t have a trailer and my Beetle tow bar would not fit. He reluctantly agreed, but after about 30 minutes of tinkering, it fired up and I drove it all the way home. I think he was a bit upset that I brought it back to life so quickly right there under his nose, but often…