Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i dune buggies and hotVWs

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…

THE VEHICLE RETAINS ITS BULLET TURN SIGNALS AND TOWEL-RAIL BUMPERS, AS FOUND ON U.S. OVALS IN 1955. SOME INDIVIDUALS REMINISCE ABOUT L.A.’S BIG AND VIBRANT VOLK- swagen scene from the 1980s. Yet, we tend to forget that not everything was rosy in the city of Angels at the time, with high crime levels and VWs being coveted by thieves. Ask Tony Chavez of Hacienda Heights, California, who was stabbed in the chest when a thug tried to steal his ’60 Bug. Luckily, he lived to tell the tale, after being rushed to the hospital; but the experience deterred him from owning another Vee Dub. Fast forward two decades, when he unexpectedly bumped into an old friend, GFK-member Carlos “CRG” Guzman… This encounter made him think about owning a VW once…

ENGINE BUILDER/ Giese Racing Engines CASE/ Type 1 AS41 DISPLACEMENT/ 2221cc CRANK/ Bugpack 80mm forged RODS/ Scat H-beam CYLINDERS & PISTONS/ Mahle 94mm CAM/ Engle W-125 HEADS/ CB Street Eliminators VALVE SIZES/ 42mm x 36mm ROCKER ARMS/ 1.25:1 COMPRESSION RATIO/ 10.0:1 IGNITION/ Pertronix Flame-Thrower distributor CARBURATION/ dual Weber 44IDFs, blacked out by JayCee OIL SYSTEM / Full-flow, cooler with fan EXHAUST SYSTEM/ A-1 Sidewinder OTHER MODIFICATIONS/ Kennedy Stage 1 clutch, stainless fuel lines, Gene Berg linkage…

The 1980s and early ’90s often bring forth memories of bright and cheery Vee Dubs, occasionally enhanced by graphics. Yet, a different breed of air-cooled Volkswagens began to appear at Southern Californian VW shows at the time. Their looks veered from the trend of the era, with the owners putting emphasis on factory colors, slammed suspensions and a heavy dose of vintage accessories. Most belonged to the German Folks Klub (GFK for short), which origins can be traced back to 1982. Such rides brought life to the Resto Custom trend, often referred to as Resto Cal in the rest of the world. The German Folks Klub is very much active today, with their cars reaching new levels in recent times. Perfectly detailed, they feature some extra horsepower and an increasing…

ENGINE BUILDER/ Koch’s CASE/ Type 1 AS21 DISPLACEMENT/ 1915cc CRANK/ Scat 69mm RODS/ Stock VW CYLINDERS & PISTONS/ Cima 94mm CAM/ Engle W-125 HEADS/ Empi GTV2 Stage 2, CNC wedge-ported, 64cc chambers VALVE SIZES/ 42mm x 37mm ROCKER ARMS/ 1.25:1 COMPRESSION RATIO/ 9.0:1 IGNITION/ CB MagnaSpark CARBURATION/ dual Italian Weber 48IDAs, rebuilt by Gary Berg, polished OIL SYSTEM / Full-flow, cooler with fan EXHAUST SYSTEM/ A-1 header and muffler OTHER MODIFICATIONS/ Kennedy Stage 1 clutch, straight-cut cam gears, Holley Red fuel pump, MST serpentine system and generator stand, Gene Berg linkage…

THE AIR-COOLED VW SCENE ENCOMPASSES A WIDE RANGE OF STYLES. Baja Bugs, California Look, Volksrods… Imagination shows no boundaries. Another popular trend revolves around heavily accessorized Beetles, also featuring a unique stance: slammed suspension, narrowed beam, shiny vintage-style rims, skinny front tires etc. The genre has come to be known as Resto Custom in the U.S., though the rest of the world often uses the term “Resto Cal”. Its development is tightly interwoven with the legendary German Folks Klub, or GFK for short – you can see three of the group’s Ovals elsewhere in this issue. This is the story of the club. Friends Ruben Navarro and Bobby Gonzales formed GFK in 1982, after leaving a club called “Bug’s Buddies” as they didn’t like its direction. At first, the “Folks”…

EXTERIOR COLOR/ Lime Green BODYWORK/ Original CHASSIS BUILDER/ Coolrydes Custom, San Diego, CA FRONT SUSPENSION/ Mendeola true performance T-1 front end, Zero Scrub spindles by Coolryde Customs, Fox racing coil over shocks REAR SUSPENSION/ IRS converted with Mendeola true track rear suspension kit, 4140 Chromoly A-arms, Fox racing coil over shocks STEERING/ German rack and pinion WHEELS & TIRES/ Douglas aluminum 15x8 (F&R); 205/50-15 (F), 235/50-15 (R) Toyo Proxes BRAKES/ VW disc brakes OTHER MODIFICATIONS/ Camber and toe adjusters, Käfer bar, Type 2 race prep CVs, aluminum torsion-style axles ENGINE CASE/ White Rhino aluminum Super Case DISPLACEMENT/ 2387cc BUILDER/ RABABAK Performance, Apple Valley, CA CRANK/ CB Performance 86mm, 4340 Chevy journal, forged RODS/ CB Performance 5.5” H-beam Super Race CYLINDERS & PISTONS/ Mahle 94mm CAM/ Engle 2288 K-8 Drag Race…

“I AM A HUGE FAN OF AIRKEWLD AND PETE SKIBA’S VISION ON THIS CAR” It all began as Kalani was planning a restoration of his 1957 Oval Beetle. “I thought I would build my own Bug, to use for the promotion and marketing of my restaurant business here in Utah, Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food. I had a specific vision in mind and found a shop that I wanted to work with, but their schedule was booked almost six years out on builds! Frustrated with the amount of time and effort it would need to restore, Kalani took to the internet to search for another project which was closer to completion, and perhaps a bit closer to what he had envisioned to be his promotional vehicle for Mo’ Bettahs. “I…

Well, the feature spotlight is on a vintage tinplate VW Bus manufactured by the Japanese toy company by the name of Bandai. Over the years, I have seen the rising prices of Japanese tin VW sedans and Buses of the 1950s and 1960s era. This particular Bandai tin VW Bus is not only desirable to VW toy collectors but also to collectors of Japanese tin cars in general. The age, size (1/20 scale, 200mm or 7.5 inches in length) and basic quality are the main items that allow it to command the high price tag, triple that if mint in the box condition. I would guess the original price back in the late 1950s was only 1 US dollar or so back then, and provided for many hours of play…

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.…

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…

Billet Aluminum IDF/ DRLA Velocity Stacks CB Performance’s one-piece billet 6061 aluminum velocity stacks fit the 44-48mm IDF Weber carburetors, Dellorto carburetors, and our throttle bodies. At 1-1/8” tall, they are a perfect fit on your Type 3 and have a clean machined finish to complement your engine. Bolt these on for increased CFM and dyno-proven instant performance! Size 36-40mm available soon. For more information, visit cbperformance.com EMPI/Wilwood Billet Caliper After months of research and development, Empi is proud to introduce a new addition to their disc brake line up. Partnered with Wilwood disc brakes to bring an industry exclusive bolt on Billet caliper. This caliper will replace any Karmann Ghia/311-style front VW caliper, and will require no special caliper brackets or brake line adapters. Features Billet aluminum construction, a…

PLENTYOFRAREACCESSORIES, WHICH ALLWORK AND AREIN NEAR-MINTCONDITION “MY BUDDIES FROM THE ‘FOLKS’ ALL PLAYED A PART ON THIS CAR”, says Jose Piña about his American-specs 1956 Oval. The Riverside, California resident’s previous foray in the VW world involved a ’64 Bug, later traded for a ’66 11-window walkthrough Bus. But like many of us, he longed for an earlier car; so, when club member Trayle Duncan based in Arizona told him about a ’56 he had for sale, Jose hit the road at 4:00 AM with friend Mario to pick it up – they “tow-barred” it all the way back to So-Cal. “It was rough, but solid and original”, Jose continues. He and his wife came up with a plan to bring it back to life, taking it apart and sending…

CONTEMPORARY GFK BUGS TYPICALLY FEATURE NARROWED FRONT BEAMS – VINCE’S HAS LOST A SLICE OF 6 INCHES! WHILE ALSO INTERESTED IN A VARIETY OF VINTAGE CARS AND BICY- cles, Vince Rodriguez has a soft spot for air-cooled Volkswagens, hence he always has a project or two on the back burner. One of them is a right-hand-drive 1955 Oval. So, when he found out that a body shop had another ’55 for sale, he quickly snagged it with the idea of flipping it and making some extra cash. Well, it turns out the sedan in question – the one featured in these pages – was in much better condition than his original RHD Oval, although it still required plenty of bodywork… “Long story short, I didn’t sell it”, adds the Bloomington,…

EXTERIOR COLOR/ Toyota Camry Ice Blue Pearl BODYWORK/ Airkewld, Goodyear, AZ CHASSIS SUSPENTION WORK BY/ Airkewld FRONT SUSPENSION/ Airkewld Stage 2 PRObuilt Air Ride 4” narrowed beam REAR SUSPENSION/ Airkewld rear air-ride kit STEERING/ WHEELS & TIRES/ 17x7 SLG-05s with 5.125” back space up front and 4.625” back space in the rear with 205-40s up front and 215/45s in the rear BRAKES/ Airkewld BAD Series front and rear brakes (Porsche 5x130mm bolt pattern) with Wilwood calipers up front ENGINE DISPLACEMENT/ 2110cc BUILDER/ Ken Skiba, Cantil, CA CRANK/ 82mm Full-circle stroker crank RODS/ Carrillo Rods CYLINDERS & PISTONS/HEADS/ dual-port 40x35.5mm heads CARBURATION/ Dual Weber 44mm EXHAUST SYSTEM/ A1, Stainless Steel FLYWHEEL/ 8-dowel lightened flywheel CLUTCH/ 4-puck disc, Kennedy pressure plate OTHER MODIFICATIONS/ CSP carbon-fiber fan shroud, FastFab breather box, Bosch 009…