dune buggies and hotVWs December 2022

On September 20, 2022, at 11:35 am, my buddy Sub (Pug, 15 years, 8 months) crossed the rainbow bridge. During his later years, he suffered from a collapsed trachea and chronic bronchitis. Slowly, he started having issues breathing properly. In September, my wife called me while I was on an overseas trip and told me that his symptoms were getting worse. I was praying for Sub while I was traveling, and it seemed that he was waiting for me to return home. Two days after I returned, Sub took off on the next journey very peacefully as he slept at home with us. He pulled the plug by himself. For my wife and I, Sub was like an irreplaceable child. Sub joined the Watanabe family on March 25, 2007. He…

I've had a pretty fruitful existence as a car hunter. From my youthful days forward, I have always been on the hunt for hidden vehicular treasure. With a long list of very neat finds behind me, I often get questions about how I manage to find the cars that I have found. I sually respond half-jokingly that I have worked very hard to get this lucky. Certainly, being known in the VW scene fairly Well also opens up a lot of doors that would probably be closed to most folks. The joys of the internet and running a website like Oldbug.com as well as my monthly column in hotVWs maybe gives me an unfair advantage. When someone out there in the world runs across an interesting old VW that they…

Everyone knows I'm a Cal Look guy, and therefore it's long overdue that I write about the DEEKs! Deeks stands for Der Kleiner Kampfwagens club; when translated into English, it means “The Little Battle Wagens”. These guys have the three things necessary to have a great car club. One: a bunch of great and committed guys. Two: a group of well-done cars along the theme of the club. Three: a great club spirit and participation in events and all club activities! I will address all three items from three through one. The third one is evidenced by their own events and how well they support them, additionally in the way they attend VW shows in force. They are great supporters of other clubs events. The Deeks always show up with…

Reaming Jets Hello Jon, regarding your article about rebuilding the 30/31 carburetors: I purchased a new Brosol 30/31. In the article, you talk about reaming the main jet and progression jet. I live at a 4000-ft elevation, and most of the surrounding area is mostly at the same elevation. I want to know if reaming the jets as described in the article will be of good effect at 4000-ft elevation, and where I can send the jets and have them reamed. I do not have the tools or experience to do this procedure. William Metcalf Silver Springs, NV Will, for you, I would say to leave the main jet alone at a #120. I would still increase the progression jet to a #70. Instead of sending out the jets for…

So far, in 2022's journey through the regular models of Buses, we have covered commercial versions (panel van, Kombi, Single Cab, Double Cab), passenger versions (Standard, Deluxe, Deluxe sunroof) and Westfalia campers. Now, for this year's last installment, we can dip our toes into some special models. Throughout the Split Bus era, sales literature in the States showed all the previously mentioned models. There were also passing reference to three other models in a few pieces of sales literature: the ambulance, the firetruck and the police Bus. These were all regular common versions in Germany and Europe, but not so much in the States. Let's discuss those models. There were ambulance conversions as early as 1951, and they got their own model number in 1952 or 1953, model 271. There…

Over the years in the VW scene, we all accumulate knowledge. Some of us learn how to weld or how to assemble an engine, and others are more into facts regarding changes in certain model years for instance. But we all learn something. Some stay “on the surface of the VW sea” so to speak, others dive deep down, finding out things no one else had before. And sometimes we are not aware of the fact that we know more than others in a certain field. Maybe you are one of them! So why don't you share your knowledge? Your creativity? Did you ever think about being an author? Writing your own book or having your photos published? This dream can come true. You just have to think about your…