Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i dune buggies and hotVWs

I am already feeling overwhelmed after learning about all the events that are coming to Southern California this June. It is going to be even bigger than last year; it will once again be the largest VW event week in the world. If you wish to cover as much as you can, you need to be well prepared… I will describe all the events in an effort to make it easier for you to choose. First of all, I should mention that it will be very challenging to cover all the events. But, I will tell you EVERYTHING that will happen during this wonderful VW week, which we now call “hotVWs So-Cal VW Week”! If you are crazy enough to drive and run around Orange/ L.A. Counties, you can probably…

Was there ever a more iconic vehicle than the Volkswagen Microbus Camper? Of course, most everybody just assumes they’re all “Westies”, referring of course to Westfalia, who started converting Buses in 1951. Westies are easy to spot, with their angled pop-tops, but even those weren’t consistent over the years. Split Window models from 1956-67 had small tops designed to only accommodate someone standing up inside. Then in 1968, with the introduction of the Bay Window body, Westfalia had tops that were hinged in the front with a child’s cot inside. That was improved in 1974 by hinging them in the rear with a full-size bed inside. Westfalia continued camper conversions with the newer Vanagon body through 1992. But while the most familiar conversions were done by Westfalia, there were a…

In this article, I want to talk about fuel lines again. I touched on this in a previous article and told you that I was experimenting with a new German line. For those of you that missed that article or have a memory like me, I’ll give you a little refresher. OK, we all have heard from our buddies how they have seen VWs on fire alongside of the road. Well, this could be from a lot of things but I find the main reason is wrong fuel lines or rotten fuel lines. Let’s touch on the wrong size… 5mm is not the same as 1/4”, 7mm is not 5/16”. So, don’t use it. Now let’s look at the construction of the line. The line we want has a woven…

Each year in January, throngs of classic car fans descend on Scottsdale, AZ in numbers that exceed the population of the city itself, for nine days of frenzied bidding in this motoring mecca. Barrett-Jackson, Gooding and Company, Russo and Steele, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, and Leake all host their auctions during Arizona Auto Auction Week, each designed to tempt and thrill the classic car enthusiast in all of us. But the leader of the pack is clearly Barrett-Jackson. Now in its incredible 49th year, Barrett-Jackson is one of the largest in the world, and the gold standard by which all the other auctions are measured. It’s their Scottsdale auction for which they are most known, and where we spent our week ogling the eye candy. This year encompassed nine days of…

After the removal of the transmission and rear axle the caster bracket can be bolted to the end of the frame fork. This enables the VW passenger car and Transporter to be moved around the workshop in spite of the rear axle having been removed.…

It’s really amazing. The Beetle turns 82 years old this year and new parts are still being developed. And I mean really new; no reproductions of sheet metal, seals or mechanical parts – though it is important that we have these reproduction components available to keep our air-cooled sweethearts on the road. Gerhard Oettinger with his company Okrasa was one of the first, if not the first, to modify the Beetle. The first performance accessories for the small Volkswagen were invented by him. And Joe Vittone from EMPI became aware of this. In turn, Theo Decker, founder of TDE in Germany, visited EMPI to sell his two-carburetor kits. You see, the old speed shops all had connections to each other – without the internet and emails. Today there are still…

I have people frequently ask me about buying Buses. Many of them just want, well, “a Bus”; but some of them long for the full barn-find experience of their dreams. Now, it is indeed a wonderful dream to find a Transporter in a barn where it has been resting for the last few decades since the original owners got too old to drive it. So, there it sits with a thick layer of dust and 22,000 miles on the now flat original tires. That is a nice thought, but ultimately a pipe dream. Other folks would be happy with just a nice straight Bus with no rust, that has been sitting out getting sunbaked. Of course, it is super cheap because it only needs the mechanical work that the lucky…

It was 1974, and Fleming & Aron-son High Performance was into its fourth year of business – it was amazing! We were in our twenties and building hot street Cal Look engines and VW drag motors. What could be better? We were busy and having fun! We had survived the first three years and we were making it! So, sometime in early summer the phone rang, and it was my friend Darrell Vittone, whom had just been on the phone with Poncho Mendosa Powell, a Mexican VW drag racer. Poncho ran the Pink Panther VW drag car. The reason for Poncho’s call was they were putting together a match race in Mexico City between him [Pink Panther] and possibly Darrell [Inch Pincher]. Well, as it turned out, Darrell couldn’t go.…

KEEPING WITH TRADITION, the night before the big show, local dealership Volkswagen SouthTowne hosted an Open House for everyone to meet and mingle before the event itself. It’s a chance to register for the show and pickup an event T-shirt early as well. The front lot and street were lined with vintage rides; quite a sight for passers-by. The turnout for the get-together was much larger than ever before, which would be an omen for the coming day. Saturday morning’s sunrise was greeted by the familiar rumble of air-and water-cooled engines making their way through the streets of Riverton, converging on City Park. After being held in the parking area for the past two shows, this year’s event is on the lush green grass; always a welcome upgrade. A constant…

The weekend’s weather was perfect, and cruising the back roads to the Friday night campout was pure driving bliss. I had a back seat full of camping gear, and my trusty 1953 JC Higgins Color-flow bike in the truck’s bed. The Bay’s 1915cc engine felt as determined as me to get to the show and let the fun start. Upon arriving at the event, I was instantly greeted by old friends who were already carrying treasures they had scored at the swap meet that didn’t officially open until Saturday morning. I quickly joined the scavenger hunt as early picking is one of the many benefits of attending the pre-show campout. The evening was filled with stories of car builds and open road adventures, the type of evening you never want…

THE VAN RETAINS MOST OF ITS 1960 SEALING WAX RED PAINT WHILE MOST VW DRAG RACERS CHOOSE BEETLES AS CANVAS FOR their project cars, a handful of enthusiasts like to veer away from the beaten path. Some prefer the swoopy lines of the Karmann Ghia; others – such as hotVWs’ Publisher Shin Mukai – the uniqueness of the Type 3. Yet, few elect to use Volkswagen Buses, due to their heavy weight and poor aerodynamics. If truth be told, making them run fast isn’t an easy feat. But when they do, you can be certain they will entertain the crowd, especially if they beat a Bug or – even better – a V8-powered automobile. Bob Cook will attest to the fact, as he happens to enjoy hitting the tracks with…

While Sunday’s VW & Porsche Reunion was the main reason for our trip, we lucked out… Saturday also offered its share of air-cooled activities, starting with RM Sotheby’s auction in Dayton, Ohio, about an hour away from Cincinnati. It exclusively featured the Volkswagen and Porsche collection of John Dixon, a dearly missed enthusiasts who passed away in 2014. Everything was up for grabs without reserve, from cars and automotive decoration, to parts and nostalgia/collectible items. Hundreds of visitors met at John’s shrine, nicknamed The Taj Ma Garaj, in hopes of getting a piece or two of the offerings. Intense biding revolved around 30 VWs and Porsches, many of them having covered only a few thousand miles since new. Among them: a 16,500-mile ’73 Super Beetle ($21,280 before RM Sotheby’s’ commission),…

One of the most fun experiences that I have ever had in the world of VWs was in 2005 as a part of the TV show Monster Garage. I’ve told many people the story, but I don’t think I have ever written about it in Grinding Gears. With the recent announcement of the return of Monster Garage to Discovery Channel, this seems like a perfect time to tell the tale . Let’s turn the calendar pages way back to the’80s and the days of the SOTO Bus meets and other local So-Cal VW events. There were many faces on the grassy show fields those days and like myself, there were a lot of young enthusiasts pouring in and out of the scene. One of these young faces was Jesse James,…

JayCee Billet Valve Cover JayCee’s new billet valve cover kit features an innovative new mount design that eliminates the factory bail or rocker stud mounts. Made from 6061 aluminum and precision machined for maximum clearance of ratio rockers. This kit includes: (2) Billet Valve Covers, (2) Oil Resistant Buna 70 O-Rings, (4) Heim Joints, (4) Stainless Steel Washers, (4) Billet Collared Shaft Nuts and Drill Bit. Made in the USA. For more information contact local EMPI dealers. Or shop at JayCee retail showroom at EMPI headquarters in Anaheim, CA. Karmann Ghia Rubber Mats Lowlight Werks reproduces Karmann Ghia Low Light Mats. It took years from concept to realization. Lowlight Werks offers the complete 8-piece set in four colors: Gray, Brown, Green and Black. They also reproduce the 5-piece set for…

From humble beginnings, Dave built Kindig-It Designs into a brand that is now known around the world. A passion for cars, hard work in mastering his trade, the right combination of like-minded craftsmen and friends, and a pinch of luck have all played a role in getting the shop to where it is today. The 27,000 sq/ft. restoration facility is state of the art, and also hosts a gorgeous showroom. Fans of the shop’s incredibly successful TV show “Bitchin’ Rides” can stop by and see some of the builds firsthand, and pick up some great merchandise.…

Looking back over the last half century, a number of obsolete carburetors have been replaced with something new: The Weber IDF series. Introduced to the market in around 1965, the carbs were used on the Fiat 124 twin cam engines. Today, many carburetors are made that are the same physical size as the IDF, and these can serve as interesting replacements for the original Weber series. IDFs have been available in 36, 38, 40, 44, and 48mm sizes. Today, just the 40, 44, and 48mm sizes remain. They are generally used in pairs on a VW upright engine, allowing each barrel to be individually tuned to supply the specific needs of a given cylinder. With the variety of sizes and installation kits available, there is pretty much a carburetor for…