Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i dune buggies and hotVWs

I’ve asked this same question several times before in this column. I also pose this question to many friends at VW shows, as well as when doing a photoshoot: “Why are you fascinated with and addicted to Volkswagens?” The shape of the car, the sound of the flat-four air-cooled engine, the uniqueness of air-cooled VWs, the simplicity, ease of work, the availability of parts and accessories, fun to drive, they’re very economical, as well as the incredible history behind this amazing vehicle… I can list more than a hundred reasons. I am pretty sure many readers would concur. Something that always fascinates me when I have this conversation is that everyone has a different story regarding this fantastic vehicle from Germany. And I always find something new to learn. This…

As time has marched on, and our VWs have become more pursued and prized by collectors around the world, the values of them has risen. We have all seen it and I have written about it many times in the past. Like any commodity that is traded among the business folks, there is a rise and fall and changing trends that affect the prices. Supply and demand has its effect, the current fads and fashions have their effect, and the generational timeline always fuels the curve as well. Since I am in the business and watch the market trends daily, this is all of great interest to me and I probably spend way too much time analyzing it all… But it fascinates me. I’m sure it is the same for…

In over 50 years of working on and hot rodding VWs, it’s a rare occurrence when a part – that is a bolt-on part – is both easy to install and makes a major difference in performance! The one that comes to mind is the power pulley. Envisioned by Gene Berg and first manufactured by the Santana company, it delivered easy installation and an instant power difference! Its only drawback was a slight reduction in cooling. The other one would be the extractor exhaust sold by EMPI over 50 years ago. So, fast forward to today and another Berg has developed another amazing bolt-on part that really delivers! The Berg who developed this part is Doug, the second of the three Berg sons. I sat down with Doug to find…

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THE ORIGINAL “The Love Bug” movie was released in theaters nationwide in March of 1969, the first in a series of movies made by Walt Disney Productions . The film was based on the story “Car, Boy, Girl” written by Gordon Buford in 1961 . Its star, a Pearlweiss (Pearl White) 1963 sunroof Beetle, was outfitted with a red, white and blue striped decal set and the racing number 53, thanks to Bill Walsh, the Disney producer who was a fan of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale . Herbie’s co-stars were Dean Jones, Buddy Hackett, Michele Lee, and David Tomlinson . He was named Herbie by Buddy Hackett, who used the name in his comedy routine . The license plate, OFP 857, was a…

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME HERBIE CELEBRATION IN 2018, THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS EVENT, GAIL AND CHAR- lotte Love, wondered about attending any upcoming meet celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Love Bug, wherever it might occur in the US in 2019. However, it clearly appeared that nobody was serious enough to organize such an event. Gail and Charlotte couldn’t pass up such a special milestone for Herbie. So, they took it upon themselves to put together an event held around Walt Disney World’s Love Bug Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL, i.e., Walt Disney World. “JUNKIE HERBIE”: A REAL MOVIE CAR Gail Love is one of the most hardcore Herbie the Love Bug fanatics in the world. He is a retired aerospace engineer from Lockheed Martin. He grew up…

It has been more than 50 years since the last split Bus was delivered to the USA. Today, they are more popular and valuable than any of the contemporary American vans (which cost more and outsold Buses back in the day.) In fact, Buses are one of the hottest cars on the vintage car market. For many people, owning one is a dream which must be fulfilled. The market for them today has plenty of expensive, and/or junk models for sale. So, to get a Bus, one of three things needs to happen: Either you get lucky, you spend a lot of money, or you get a junk Bus. I am here today to tell you that the third option is not an option at all. Just don’t do it,…

This article is for all of you early Bus owners. I want to talk about how to get the steering box out and how to put another one in. First and foremost, make sure your steering box is bad. I know it’s bad, it has 4 inches of free play. Well it might be an issue with your steering box and/or your drag link, center pin, tie rod ends, link pins or kingpins. I’m not going to get into all that stuff as I have already written an article on the subject. Please check that stuff out before assuming it’s your steering box. Oh, and I don’t care if all those parts are new. I have seen new drag links fail in a short period of time not to mention…

SPECIAL THANKS TO HERBIE COLLECTORS ERIK ELMAUER AND RICH KIMBALL FOR THESE RARE Herbie collectibles. Erik has been collecting Herbie goodies since the mid-1980s. He was born in 1979 and became infatuated with the car during his childhood. Erik and his family have always been into VWs; his father took him to a VW dealership, where he shook a Bug (!) from one side, telling him: “It’s saying hello!” And of course, Rich Kimball is a longtime hotVWs contributor, Bug-In promoter and owner of Ovals Only. He is also widely known as a huge VW toy collector and those Herbie-related collectibles are just a small part of his collection.…

While there are many aftermarket cranks and rods available, they may not have the same look, dimensions, or marking as the genuine VW ones. In this article, we’ll concentrate on stock, or slightly modified VW items that most builders use. Specifically, we’ll use a genuine VW crank that has been “counterweighted” for reliability, but still has the stock VW 69mm stroke. A machine shop has welded on counterweights to keep crank flex at high RPMs to a minimum, ground the journals, and balanced the unit for us. The rods we will use are stock VW B-style, which means that they have a bolt-on style cap. The bolts that hold the lower cap to the top side are pressed into the cap. They were used on all 1600cc engines. This differentiates…

By the time you read this, it’ll be early October, one of the prettiest times of the year here in the Midwest. The fall color is starting in earnest, pumpkins are lined up along the roads, and cider mills are going full tilt. For those of us who are classic car owners, we’re still trying to enjoy our rides and salvage what’s left of the busy auto show season before storing our babies for the winter. Thankfully, there are still several events to attend! We would be remiss if we didn’t mention one of the most fun events of the season, the annual Bus Boo Campout by Buses by the Beach. It is held on September 27-29th (in case this issue arrives in time!) at the Hungry Horse Campground in…

Anew trend is flooding the Fatherland: Stroker engines with stock looks and – most importantly – just one carburetor. For some of you guys this may sound strange; some may know engines like these from the Baja/ off-road competition. Well, as we don’t have desert racing over here there must be other reasons for this. Let me explain. As you all know, our cars here in Germany get checked every other year by associations for technical inspections like TÜV, DEKRA or GTÜ. These tests are pretty strict and the list of things which get examined is long. Getting modifications road legal and recorded on your papers isn’t easy, especially when you run an H-plate. These plates are accompanied by reduced road taxes, feature an “H” behind the regular combination of…

August 3rd, 2019, Anaheim, California Philip Kane, CEO of EMPI Inc. made an official announcement at the EMPI Open House event held at their headquarters in Anaheim, California: EMPI will start producing “Compound Built”, a brand designed by Dave Pipoly. If you are following the custom Volkswagen scene, especially from California, I imagine you have heard of Dave Pipoly, aka “Pip” or “The Compound.” Pip is one the top-of-the-top VW builders in the Volkswagen scene worldwide. Volkswagens created by Pip (that roll out from his workshop called “The Compound” in Bellflower, California) have often become cover cars of multiple Volkswagen magazines from all over the World, including hotVWs Magazine. Their mega-detailed finishes are always mind-blowing, raising the bar higher than ever. The Compound-built Volkswagens are highly innovative, using many one-off…

MOST TOUR GUIDES HIGHLIGHT HUNTINGTON BEACH, aka Surf City, as it gathers all the scenic features you might expect from a stereotypical Californian coastal community. Palm trees, surfers, volleyball players, cars of all shapes and forms cruising along the 10-mile stretch of beach… It’s all there. Let’s not forget the Huntington Beach Pier, one of the longest in California and incidentally the home of a restaurant inspired by the 1940s era, Ruby’s. And once a year, that same dock serves as an event venue to a most impressive selection of Transporters. Welcome to the Köwabunga Vintage Bus Show! We should all be thankful to Don Ramsey, the brain behind the meet. A genuine surf and Bus aficionado, the Huntington Beach resident organized his first local get-together in 2015 with his…

HAND-BUILT WIDENED BODY PANELS 5” REAR AND 2” FRONT Building the ultimate buggy takes time, careful planning and a talented team. Especially a ride bristling with more hot stuff than most folks would believe any buggy could ever hold. That didn’t deter Terence Bertin, though, who owns a facility maintenance business in Atlanta and is a longtime auto enthusiast. He was looking for an exciting addition to his garage, and it needed to be fast — really fast. A motorcycle was his first consideration, but as the father of five, he decided that a dune buggy might be a safer alternative. Finding someone to bring his buggy to life was the next task. Turns out that part was easy. Terence and Alvin Lawrence have been friends for 35 years, growing…

Exhaust Tail Pipe Removal Tool With this appliance the exhaust tail pipes can easily be removed from the muffler after having first slackened the tail pipe clamps. Construction Detail for VW 644 1. Cut all parts as detailed in parts list, have standard parts ready to hand. 2. Cut both door hinges (part no. 111 831 401 A) in half as shown in drawing. 3. Cut steel tube (1) lengthways down the centre and work according to drawing. 4. Bend and finish off steel tube (2) as shown in drawing. 5. Finish off part (7) as shown in drawing. 6. Carry out all welding work as shown in drawing. 7. Smooth down welded seams. 8. Stick in pieces of leather and cut. 9. Paint the appliance. 10. Assemble the appliance.…