Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i VWT Lifestyle

I think I’m probably only one step away from being classified as a hoarder. Sure, I like the idea of travelling lightly through life, but I’d need an articulated lorry to haul all of my assorted junk away if / when my girlfriend decides to boot me out. It can’t be far off and I wouldn’t blame her to be honest… The latest addition to the ever growing stock of James Peenery as she calls it, is a set of Rocket Industries Empi 5-spoke alloys. I don’t have a VW for them to go on (both of my classics have Porsche pattern brakes and roll on Fuchs, but it’s rude to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or something like that. It all came about as result of visiting…

’64 Split Screen, Paul McNeil Paul McNeil bought his Split in March 2018. It had been restored around 12 years ago and is finished in the rather eye-catching colour scheme of Aqua Marine and Beetle [Marina?-Ed] Blue, with Deluxe trim. The Bus has changed a little since it was first restored. The Porsche seats that had been fitted have been turfed, and an original style bench seat has gone back in. “It sits on Radar alloy wheels, which are a bit of a nightmare to polish,” jokes Paul! “I’ve given them the token wipe over this morning and that’s going to be it! The engine is a 1641cc that breathes through a pair of twin Kadron carburettors.” We suggested to Paul that buying a fully-restored Campervan meant little in the…

It’s funny how some people change their ride almost as often as they change their socks, while other’s seem to build a Bus and stick with it. Rolando Alvarado definitely falls into the latter category and, having covered the miles and been seen with his old 13-window all across California, there is no doubt in many people’s minds that the 13-window will always be ‘Rolando’s Bus’, no matter who owns it now or in the future. It came as a bit of a surprise, then, when he sold the 13-window a couple of years ago and picked up a fairly rough looking (at the time) Dove Blue 1960 Double Door Panel. I think, even in this day and age, it’s quite surprising to see someone selling what basically constituted a…

One of the most extraordinary things about air-cooled VWs is how comprehensively they spread across the globe. What was, at the end of World War Two, effectively a ruined factory building cars many regarded as utterly worthless had become a thriving conglomerate within a decade, exporting these same vehicles - and more besides - all over the world. And this was only the start. By the 1960s, VWs were sold in 136 different countries and built in 12 of them, in addition to Germany. It was a remarkable achievement for VW, and while it was the Beetle that spearheaded such impressive quantities, it was ably supported by the many other machines to bear the VW roundel There were lots of factors involved in Volkswagen’s supremacy, not least planning, organisation, foresight,…

27 December February 2019 issue of C&B on sale! 29 January VolksWorld Spares Day South of England Event Centre www.volksworldshows.com 6 - 17 February Dub Freeze Bingley Hall, Staffordshire www. dubfreeze.co.uk 10 March Ultimate Dubs Telford International Centre, Telford www.ultimate-dubs.co.uk 16 - 17 March Ninove / The Freddy Files Ninove, Belgium www.facebook.com/ukcruisetoninove/ 23 – 24 March VolksWorld Show Sandown Park, Surrey www.volksworldshows.com…

There are many ways to describe your typical classic VW owner. Seeing as we don’t tend to take ourselves too seriously, most of them would probably be self-deprecating. There is one thing, however, that we can rarely be accused of having and that’s a need for speed. Don’t worry, we’re not going to go all Top Gun on you. Although, with the boost cranked and some ethanol injected, this ’66 13-window is more than capable of taking you into the danger zone. Honestly, this ends here. [It better. -Ed] Computer says no Owner, Rich Davies of Warwickshire, is the guy with the penchant for speed and, having just sold his 400bhp Focus RS MK2, was in the market for a GTR. Rich reveals: “It was a big upgrade and I…

H-Town Classic and Dub Club was formed in September 2017 when a friend suggested I arrange a more regular classic car meet after I’d planned a successful little one-off gathering outside my barbers / hairdressers - Farley’s Hair Emporium in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. After looking at when other local meets occurred so as not to tread on anyone’s toes, the first meeting happened on the last Monday of September 2017 in a local pub with a decent sized car park. About 30 vehicles turned up, almost entirely air-cooled. Unfortunately the car park was found to be so dark that we were having to use our phones to admire each others machines, so the October meet moved to Market Place, Hitchin. It’s the central, well serviced, very picturesque and well lit heart…

Having bought a ’73 Westy, we discovered around 5-inches of play at the steering wheel. It didn’t inspire confidence when driving, and is of course an MoT failure. The steering system on any car consists of a number of components, but on a ‘forward control’ vehicle, like a Split or Bay, there are even more things to check. It’s easy, when finding play at the steering wheel, to just assume it’s the steering box itself that’s at fault, but in 80% of Buses out there, I would say steering box play alone isn’t actually at fault. With this in mind, whether you have a Split of Bay bus, here’s a guide to diagnose and improve the way your Bus steers for good. 01 Testing for play The main measure throughout…

AAC ENAMEL SIGNS, £100 - £120 Enamel signs are the perfect addition to any garage or man/woman cave and these offerings from Air-cooled Accessories will delight neat freaks and patina junkies alike. Available either freshly minted or pre-aged, they’re a snip at £100 for the new versions and £120 for the busted and rusted ones. www.aircooledaccessories.com BUTTY CUPS, £8.40 You’re no doubt familiar with Butty, and his bits for Buses, but how about his Christmas gifts? When asked about his latest offerings he said: “Hopefully you know what they are, hot or cold stuff goes in the big hole etc. Its an ’80s style day-glo mug and I sell them on the website for £8.40 each. I also do stainless steel baubles. The centre twists to make them into a…

The name Mark Webber may be familiar to long term readers. Or if not his name, perhaps his last feature vehicle - a stunning Sea Blue and Cumulous White 21-window Deluxe shot on a hill top. Having owned the absolute Don of all Buses, where do you go next for your VW kicks? Why a Fridolin of course. But then we say of course like it’s the obvious choice, and as any VW aficionado will tell you, Fridolins are anything but an obvious choice, because they don’t exactly grow on trees, do they? And well, you have to admit, they are just a tiny bit odd aren’t they? Without doubt one of the quirkiest vehicles ever to grace the planet, never mind one to have a VW badge on its…

Since knowing Si, he has always had a fascination with the Highlands; it’s only taken 11 years for us to scratch that itch! We decided to make our way up there after a long week at work. We had sold our 1962 SO33 Westy a little while beforehand and thought we would be a bit too brave if we were to use our Oval and pitch our tent (it was the middle of winter). Luckily enough, all the family are in love with Volkswagens so were able to borrow my father-in-law’s 1978 Westy Berlin for our trip to the north. This had become a bit of a regular occurrence as only a few months previously we took the same Bus on our honeymoon to Italy. Cosy Camper We set-off just…

The third of June 2018 saw the annual VW Expo take place in sunny Henley on Thames and this year proved to be one of the best for a long, long time. The scorching hot sunshine brought out a superb mix of cars and the whole place had a fabulous vibe. Air- and water-cooled, Beetles, Ghias, Golfs and Buses - VWs, Porsches and beyond – everything just seems to blend in so nicely at Stonor Park, and there’s always enough of everything to keep you interested, but never too much to overwhelm or ever bore you. As always, the show ’n’ shine field saw some super slick show cars sitting next to original paint gems, and there were some pretty cool fauxtina rats scurrying about, too. We should also give…