dune buggies and hotVWs November 2020

Esther Hollister February 5, 1967 - August 15, 2020 It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of another dear VW friend in August. Widely known as “E-girl” in our Volkswagen community, especially in Southern California, we lost Esther Hollister. She was found dead at a construction site near Ryan Bonaminio Park in Riverside, California, after disappearing Saturday during a hiking excursion. She was only 53. It is regrettable that construction workers didn’t think Esther was dehydrated and suffered heatstroke. If you see someone who looks like he or she is struggling in extreme heat, ask them if they need help, just in case. Don’t be optimistic. Heatstroke and dehydration can take your life. On a hot day, keep hydrated and be cautious with your body. A little…

Custom VWs “The Golden Years” Celebrates the ‘80s and ‘90s scene Well the year is slowly crawling by and I must say it has been an experience that I hope it not repeated in the years to come with the cancellations of most all our normal gatherings of the VW faithful. Our local area VW club has started to have some small casual gatherings that have been a breath of fresh air (through a mask of course). The online VW community is of course massive and entertaining for those times when we don’t want to venture out of the house. One of the topics that I have seen online in recent months that has caught my attention is the increase in interest in the 1980s-era customs. As someone who entered…

Flat,Curved and in a Doghouse My brain on end play Hey Guys! Been wracking my brain on end play. I have a short block that has 0.011” end play even after I’ve put in 0.036” worth of (3) shims. Guys have been telling me that I can put another 0.007” worth of shims in to set end play with no consequences. VW doesn’t sell shim packs with over 0.040” total thickness; so, I’m not sure if I should “keep stacking shims” until I get what I need. Any insight would be great! Thanks! Sean Steele London Ontario Canada Sean, my first comment is… Are you absolutely positive that the flywheel is bottomed out on the crankshaft? If it’s not, you’re going to get that extra space that you are seeing.…

The Story of Otto Meet Otto Meyer As we all well know, in this hobby, the cars almost take second place to the people who own them, and the stories they tell! Meet Otto Meyer. This wonderful gentleman, 91 years young, walked into fellow Herbie enthusiast Justin Dueck’s barbershop a few months ago, and his amazing story just tumbled out. Otto immigrated from Germany to Vancouver, Canada in 1957, and worked as an auto mechanic. When Clarkdale Volkswagen opened in 1960, he joined their team, working his way up the mechanic’s ladder to Service Manager. He ended up spending over 28 years at Clark-dale, working on both air- and water-cooled Volkswagens. But there was only one very special Volkswagen in his heart, his red 1957 Beetle. In 1961, Otto entered…

On the Trail of the Past Corona has a firm grip This season was rubbish. Corona has a firm grip on us, no matter where you are located on this planet. Authorities here in Germany did not allow large events; popular meets such as the DFL May Cruise Madness or the 1st-of-May-Show in Hanover were canceled. Even smaller events were not allowed to take place. And yes, there are worse things in life than not having meetings. But somehow you miss socializing with your VW friends, don’t you? So, what do you do about it? You organize something yourself. In this case, not me, but my DFL [Der Fieser Lufkühlers – Ed.] club brother Karsten. He lives on the edge of the Black Forest, a mountain range southwest of Stuttgart.…

NOS Parts The problem is one’s description of NOS I recently had a fellow ask me about an NOS bulb holder that he had bought. He was wondering if it was year-correct for his Bus. The answer was maybe, kind of, not really. The problem is one’s description of NOS. Generally, the broadness of the definition depends on whether it is coming from the person selling the part or from the discriminating enthusiast. Technically, NOS is short for New Old Stock. (It does not stand for Nasty Old Stuff, etc.) The problems come from people’s definitions of the words New, Old, and Stock. This month, we will take a deep dive into some of the various possibilities and meanings of NOS. First off, let’s talk about the word NEW. It…