Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i dune buggies and hotVWs

The year 2018 will be remembered for its 80th Anniversary of the Beetle’s birth. Another celebration is planned for 2019: the 70th Anniversary of the first Beetle arriving to the United States. In fact, the classic car industry will likely take notice of the VW hobby/community in 2019, boosted by a very special event: On March 7-9, 2019 we will discover Volkswagens at the 24th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance, thanks to a new class for custom coachwork VWs. The Amelia Island Concours d’Elégance is a premier automotive charitable event, held every year during the second weekend in March at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, in Florida. Businessman and car collector Bill Warner, a photographer and writer for Road & Track magazine over four decades ago, founded the affair in 1996.…

In this article we will be talking about how to remove and install swing axle tubes and axles. You IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) guys can skip this one or just read on for the knowledge. I’m going to assume you know how to get the transmission out. Once out, it’s really nice to have an engine stand to work with. You don’t have to, but I’m telling you: it’s worth it. You’ll see why later. Start by mounting your transmission in your stand so that the axles are left to right. Have at least two or three oil drain pans. Drain the oil out of the center section. You will need a 17mm Allen. An oak tree mechanic trick is if you don’t have one, use a 17mm headed bolt…

We are in the middle of the winter here in Germany and temperatures don’t make it easy to bring yourself to work in the garage. But there is a reason for some people to do so, because 2019 will bring on another Petermax Müller Gedächtnis Race. Never heard of it? Well, the Petermax Müller Gedächtnis Race takes place in honor of one of the (VW) racing pioneers in Germany. Soon after World War 2, Müller built six streamlined open aluminum sports cars based on shortened Beetle chassis. He was very successful with one of the cars, won the German championship in the 1100cc sports car class in 1948 and 1949, and overall 60 races by 1951. Petermax Müller would go on to compete in many more races including the Monte-Carlo…

The Volkswagen Beetle is more than an ordinary car; it’s an icon of the automobile industry. More than 21 million Beetles have been produced from the start of its production in 1939 until 2003. It has become the most produced car without any significant design changes in history. Twenty years ago, Czech vintage Volkswagen enthusiast Ondrej Brom obtained a wrecked old Beetle that had been sitting in somebody’s yard for a long time. When he purchased that sedan, he had no idea it was the oldest mass-produced Bug discovered in the world. “I saw this Beetle for the first time in 1988, when I was still a student. I noticed this car at the house of one of my brother’s friends. The poor thing was parked beneath a giant tree,…

In the early 1950s, Volkswagen executives proposed adding a halo-style model to its sister car, the Type 1 Beetle. At the 1953 Paris Auto Show, Carrozzeria Ghia, an automobile designer and coach-building firm, displayed a 2+2 coupe designed by Luigi Segre. Executives at Volkswagen contacted coachbuilder Karmann to manufacture the vehicle, later named Type 14. Karmann then contacted Italian firm Ghia to explore the design due to their adapted styling – the Type 14 Ghia was rumored to be based on the 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance. In 1955, Volkswagen approved the manufacture and Karmann started production of the Type 14, which was built in Osnabrück, Germany from 1955 until 1974. MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT ROB’S BEAUTIFUL CAL LOOK GHIA WITH ITS HIDDEN CUSTOM DETAILS AND TRIBUTE TO RANDEE RANDAR ON…

THIS YEAR MARKS the eighty-first such Bugorama held at Sacramento, when you add in the events run at the end of summer as well. Quite a remarkable milestone. I’ve been attending these race on Memorial Day weekend for so long, I can’t recall being home for this particular holiday. What made #81 that much better was the addition of the Pro Gas Nationals to the venue. PRO GASSERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT With the spotlight on the Pro Gas racers, let’s take a look at what happen. Looking at the roster, we see that nine cars showed up for this event, with Klink on top again, but wait, there’s more! This time it was Mike Klink – Tony’s brother from Hawaii that set the pace. Mike shipped his ’66 sedan from…

As the value of Buses has skyrocketed in recent years, enthusiasts now take drastic measures to insure the future of the most derelict survivors. Some vehicles require being dug up from rough terrains, where they have been frozen for decades; others are being rescued from deep Scandinavian forests thanks to the help of helicopters. Of course, rare pre-1956 models a.k.a. Barndoors remain on top of the “must find” list. Here is the story of one of these rescuers, Canadian enthusiast Ken King. When not running his well-established VW shop in Calgary, Alberta called Concept-1, you will likely find him cruising on a long-distance adventure, behind the wheel of one of his air-cooled rides. They might transport him to So-Cal’s VW Classic Week (a 3,000-plus-mile roundtrip!), or on a hunt for…

A SHOW LITERALLY DOWN THE STREET IS NO FUN AS YOU REALLY don’t get to experience driving your VW, but too far away can be a spoiler, too. The Woodburn show is an ideal cruising distance, and I had just took delivery of a perfect new cruiser in the form of an original paint Turquoise 1963 Ragtop Beetle...and we had a date with some back roads. Adding heavily to the appeal of the Bug Run is the Friday night campout that my buddies and I look forward to every year. I stuffed as much camping and camera gear into the 63 as I dared, rolled down the windows, slid back the Ragtop, and hit the key. The Beetle’s 6-volt starter spun the 40 horse to life and the open road…

A few years ago, a customer brought us an engine to install into his car. The long-block had been rebuilt by a well-known builder. (We won’t get into names here!) Our job was to make the engine complete, and get it installed and running. After we did so, we noticed a pronounced and annoying valve clatter. The noise seemed to be coming from both valve covers. After re-adjusting the valves to an extra tight .002”, the noise didn’t go away. The side clearance on the rockers was good, and we were at a loss as to why the noise persisted. Our advice was to send the long-block back to the builder for checking. I told the customer that I suspected the cam tunnel to have an overbore, and it’s an…

As a kid, I always enjoyed poking the camp fire, and still do. So, when I got married in 1981 and built our house, I installed a freestanding wood stove in the den to supply our heat. In 1977, I bought my first VW right out of high school, a 1969 Beetle. I enjoyed off-roading, so I immediately chopped up the car and installed a fiberglass Baja kit. I have been hooked on VWs ever since. In the early ’80s, I sold the Baja Bug and purchased a rail buggy project – I also bought a ‘71 Bus for $150 just to put the transaxle in the buggy. I kept the Bus engine, but got rid of the rest of the vehicle. After seven years of splitting firewood, I decided…

This month, we continue our quest of visiting shows we’ve never been to before. When the weather around here started looking cold and rainy for the last weekend in September, we headed south to Cincinnati, for the annual VW Porsche Audi Reunion. Now in its 27th year, this show combines all the wonderful models of the Volkswagen family into one magnificent show. Sponsored by the Cincinnati Volkswagen Club, the show supports a variety of charities, including the Ronald McDonald House, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Caring Bridge. Club President Bob Enderle and Secretary/ Treasurer Lisa French work with dozens of volunteers to ensure all enthusiasts have a great show. Numerous clubs participate each year – besides the host club, we also saw cars from the Audi Clubs of Kentucky and…

I’m writing this month’s column after a truly epic adventure to the legendary SEMA Show in Las Vegas. For those of you that are new to the car world or have been living under a rock, the SEMA Show is quite simply an automotive-related trade show. All the major manufacturers of anything automotive related, from parts to tools to performance and dress up goodies, all set up their displays and court the buyers from shops around the world. Over the many years of its operation, each year it seems to get larger and wilder. Custom car builders and owners spend ungodly amounts of time and money building a vehicle that is worthy of display at SEMA. It is one of the biggest and wildest custom car shows in the world…

So, what is so unique about the “Pigalle” edition? First, the name “Pigalle” is quite amusing in itself and I still cannot believe VW actually picked the name of the very famous red-light district in Paris, and used it in its brochures. Heinrich Nordhoff, who led the Volkswagen company, actually approved the “Pigalle” name for this special red interior option. Pretty interesting, huh? The reason why VW chose it is still a mystery. But personally, I love it! The “Pigalle” edition was offered as an optional interior package for Type 1s (sedans and cabriolets), both Type 14 and 34 Karmann Ghia models, and Type 3s (Squarebacks and Fastbacks). But why not the Notchbacks? That is another mystery… The main feature of this option was the interior color: red – and…

Rich Craig, a resident of Concord, California has been a hardworking, successful contractor for 17 years. His involvement with Volkswagens started when he was a teenager. Influenced by his brother, he began cruising in a VW in 1980. Since then, he has always driven his Volkswagens to Sacramento to attend the Bugorama, never missing any events in the last 38 years. Several decades after his first VW, he turned into a responsible adult, got a beautiful wife; he then got two children and a grandson. But Rich’s lifestyle and hobby never “grew up” so to speak, I mean it never really changed. He has always been with one Volkswagen or another. Maybe that statement needs to be revised a little… After he became a successful contracting business owner, he also…

Construction Detail for VW 635 1. Cut tube, strip and wooden screen to dimensions given in list of parts. 2. Drill 6.5mm (1/4 in.) holes in tube (2) as per drawing. 3. Prepare tubes (2), (3) and (5) for welding and weld up as shown in drawing. 4. Weld feet (4) and discs (7) to ends of tubes (2) and (3). 5. Drill wooden screen and fix to tubes (2) by carriage bolts (6). 6. Paint frame of headlamp beam setting screen in prevailing color of equipment and machines in the shop. 7. Paint wooden panel of screen mat black. Mark on the dashed line and the two crosses in the positions as indicated, using white paint. VW 635…