dune buggies and hotVWs May 2019

TWO major VW events and one big swap meet and vendors’ areas are big, This is going to be huge. In fact, it will be the biggest VW week in the world... Again. Last year, the amazing Blackstar & El Prado Show & Shine held in Southern California gathered 2,200 Volkswagens and 11,000 enthusiasts from all over the world. Unbelievably, promoters raised 20,000 dollars, which was twice the amount compared to the previous year – profits were donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Such a win-win situation! We love the fact that, in a way, “we play VW harder”, thereby affecting some people’s life in a positive way. Other major events were lined up prior to the show, too: Bug-In, OCTO Meet, the Rare Vintage Air show, as well as…

Fuel Injection I have seen a number of car restoration shows recently that promote converting older carburated engines to fuel injection for greater fuel economy and reliability. These shows are typically focusing on American Muscle Cars. Does any manufacturer make a conversion kit for the stock VW 1600 dual port engine? I have seen a product for performance VW engines, but nothing for stock engines. I would like to find a kit that replaces the 34 PICT-3 carb and has the correct diameter flange to mount the stock air cleaner. With over 20 million Bugs produced, someone should manufacture a turnkey kit, right? Don Sullivan Union, KY 41091 I would never argue that converting from fuel injection to a carburetor would give better economy and reliability. Having said that, it’s…

We just finished a particularly grueling winter in these parts. The Polar Vortex reared its bitter cold shoulder this year, and gave us record snowfalls and subzero temps, making it feel more like the Great White North than the Great Lakes. Whatever the reason, we’ve been more than a little anxious to get our babies back on the road. So it’s no wonder we look forward to May, the unofficial end of winter and the beginning of classic car season here in the Midwest. One of the first shows in the area is the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Festival, to be held on Sunday, May 19th in Ypsilanti’s beautiful Riverside Park, hosted by the Michigan Vintage Volkswagen Club (MVVC). Now in its 32nd fabulous year, the Festival has been very successful,…

Here in Southern California, we are blessed with VW weather year-round. The winters are often the best times for driving as the summers just get too hot and the comforts of air conditioning tend to guide my decision as to what car to take. I know that we are the outcasts here when it comes to that and the rest of the country is often held hostage by mother nature and our beloved air-cooled friends sit dormant in the garage until the sun breaks out again and the roads are clear. I’ve never lived through such an experience personally, but have countless friends that do, year after year. I’ve always just kind of giggled at it and have been thankful that it’s not me that has to give up driving…

And unfortunately most of them are lost to time. Many Buses have traveled far and wide but nobody bothered to take pictures or write of their adventures. I do have random people tell me snippets of their adventures about every time I pull into a gas station. Sometimes, it seems like everybody has a Bus story. Some special Transporters had their travels well documented and even if the vehicle is lost to time, we have the pictures to see what once was. One particular Bus which I have been following is a Westfalia camper – many people call it the “South Africa Today” Bus. We will start with the scant facts known about it and then move on to my theories and ideas about it. There was a book written…

I guess you have heard of Brexit, Britain leaving the European Union. This may seem far away for you guys over in the USA and it probably isn’t affecting you much, but it is totally different for air-cooled VW people in Germany and Europe. What I like about the air-cooled Volkswagen scene is its global reach. Through my hobby, I made friends in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, UK, Poland, France, Switzerland and Austria. And also in faraway places like Australia, Japan, Mexico, the USA and Canada. We all have the same passion for the old Vee Dubs, but we also talk about our families and lives. The little car from Wolfsburg brings people together, no matter what color, religion or nationality. A great thing in my…