Popular mods for an average early 70's Cal Looker

[AirCooledCurtis]

I am redoing my '67 in interest of period correct modifications for a middle of the road, non show car, California Looker circa 1973.  I doubt everyone was using magnesium brm's and ida's, and more had a budget like me.  What wide 5 wheels and engine combos were popular among this group?  Was everyone de-chroming and removing bumpers on there cars? (I am leaning to retaining my one-year-only rear bumper) What other distinctive custom tricks were there?  I want my car to stand out from all the "phat boy equipped 2332's rolling on heavy aluminum brm copies with ridiculously large tachometers".

[Flow]

This is a nice idea for your project   
You could think to use Empi 8, unrefined or with color matching bodypaint, maybe rivieras too 

[AirCooledCurtis]

That's a lot like I was thinking, what would be the best way to convert to 4-lug? just post-67 drums?

[Worm]

No bumpers, T bars or buggy bars ruled.  With bumpers your ride looked like all the other millions on the road.  NO chrome except driver mirror, all holes filled.  8 spokes, rivies, 2.0 alloys, all 4 lug, drilling drums mid 70's was'nt done much (adapters) A VERY popular option was chromies and porsche nipple caps.  BRM's were IMPOSSIBLE to get or afford, one of my favorite wheels at the time were Centerlines....  Still luv em'.  Also Mitchell's (like Erco's).  Most popular engine combos, 1641,1776,1835, 2180.  Kadrons, 42's, or even better Solex 40P11's with the tall velocity stacks.  They were affordable and manifolds were easy to find.  Kadrons were the affordable option that worked well for most that did not find the dollars for IDA's.  Hah, dont forget to demolish your entire dashboard and screw on an aluminum dash plate (maybe that was later 70's).  Might want to forget that one.  Dual mufflers (a must), non merged exhaust, relocated front turn signals (Lucas lights).  Trunk splatter paint in the engine compartments, Black tin or color matched to body.  Cal look rubber for all glass, one piece window kits.
I was the "affordable" Cal Look guy.  There were always the guys I knew that seemed to have WAY more money than I did and could afford IDA's or Alloys, but most bought wheels that fit their bolt pattern, found deals on carbs, painted everything they could and made certain the carpets were clean and the windows spotless.

Thats ALL you have to do...... ha

[Neil Davies]

I was waiting for a Deek to turn up, and here's Worm, right on cue! 

I've gone slightly later in period with my car, and blacked out the handles and rear light rings. I painted the headlight rings in body colour too, and again, I think this is a later look - about '75-'76ish?

[70slooker]

What about plexi headlite glass I'm guessing illegal in europe but that has always been missed aspect that in my opinion makes a car with Lucas signals look just mean

[AirCooledCurtis]

I like the idea of body colored empi 8 spokes (my car will be the original Zenith Blue) My motor will be a 1641, I already have a set of nos 87mm pistons and other original german goodies that have been in boxes since the 80's.  How many people used dcnf's?  I don't think idf's were ever used then, so that isn't in question.  Maybe I'll go with Kadrons though... need more research.  Was stock interior used in any early 70's cal lookers, besides extra guages in the speaker grills?  Big tacs are just out of place if you ask me.

[AirCooledCurtis]

Also, would two quietpacks be out of place for a small engine?  The engine still needs some backpressure through the system, with a 1641, a single quietpack seems more appropriate.

[Worm]

Back pressure?  We don't need no stinking back pressure.  Put the dual cans on a 40 horse. Its about attitude baby.  Stock interior? Never. You went to a Mexican upholstery shop and found some kind of cloth insert that was plaid or velour. You HAD to do the interior. I can't remember anyone ever buying a head liner kit. You picked a textured or smoothe vinyl and had them create it. I think I remember I paid $800 bucks to have my 56 painted in n out, all holes filled by braising and then a custom interior was about a buck fifty. Laughable now.  Also Empi 8's were painted at times but mostly unpainted. Raw was king. Same with 5 spokes.
Segue. I was at Bergs last week and Dee n I were laughing about how much she sold me 4  NOS Empi 5's in the boxes for 150 bucks. As well as an in the box Empi steering wheel for 35. Unreal now. We both laughed and wished we had a crystal ball.
Dual cans............
You know what...... Don't do what we did 100 years ago. Create a car with modern technology that makes YOU happy

[kustomlarry]

Sounds like this is going to be awesome. I am doing this with a 65 I have....Traditional looker with early stuff.

early t bird header, kadrons, etc...

[modnrod]

HAHAHA! Thanks for the "reality check" on the memory Worm! Not everyone could even FIND let alone afford some of the HotVW "must-have" items, at least in the early 80s. I spent the 70s (in my teens) sitting next to my nanna in her KG with her scarf fluttering about, and my Opa helping him do deliveries in that old beaten up Low-Light, but honestly for the life of me I can't remember NOT 1 SINGLE Mag wheel on anything, it was all chrome rims and Nipples. Even when I rolled with my first VW in 1984 it had chrome 14x7, woodgrip shifter, and a 2" chrome "nudge" bar on the front, rolled pan rear (Type 3 Square '73).........and twin 2" pipes on the 1641!
Make sure the twin straight-through mufflers are 2".........that's a bloody big pipe!  

Oh yeah, don't forget, at least here in Oz, twin-carbs were pretty rare, most hotrod Bugs had a single carb, normally DCNF or Holley. Twin IDAs? What are they?

[deano]

Dido on the chromies with Porsche hub caps. Major deal back in the mid-70s. Phat Boy muffler, no! Dual mufflers, no! (too soon). A single QP would be right in there for 1973ish. Traction bar, Talbot mirror, NO narrowed beams!, Koni shocks, 135x165s tires, and perhaps tinted windows?

[AirCooledCurtis]

That's what I thought with the single muffler (you had a single on your 67, right?)  My windows are already tinted, and I am in the process of finding a stock width beam to put in.  Previous owner turned the car into a hoodride, the thing had no suspension travel.  Most uncomfortable car EVER.  Are there any good replica 356 wheels, at cip1 they warn that the chrome is bad

[modnrod]

Don't know where you are, but I have heard good things about these guys from local club guys.........

http://www.midlandwheels.com/Shop/C-1053-5x205.html

They all had alloys though, you'd need to double-check the chrome.

(Then let me know for my little project!).

[Rick Meredith]

I am redoing my '67 in interest of period correct modifications for a middle of the road, non show car, California Looker circa 1973.  I doubt everyone was using magnesium brm's and ida's, and more had a budget like me.  What wide 5 wheels and engine combos were popular among this group?  Was everyone de-chroming and removing bumpers on there cars? (I am leaning to retaining my one-year-only rear bumper) What other distinctive custom tricks were there?  I want my car to stand out from all the "phat boy equipped 2332's rolling on heavy aluminum brm copies with ridiculously large tachometers".

I was gonna build this car, I'd keep it 5 lug and run Empi Sprint Stars. On a Zenith Blue car they'd look tough!

[Rick Meredith]

What about plexi headlite glass I'm guessing illegal in europe but that has always been missed aspect that in my opinion makes a car with Lucas signals look just mean

Plexi covers weren't anymore legal in the US 

[Rick Meredith]

I like the idea of body colored empi 8 spokes (my car will be the original Zenith Blue) My motor will be a 1641, I already have a set of nos 87mm pistons and other original german goodies that have been in boxes since the 80's.  How many people used dcnf's?  I don't think idf's were ever used then, so that isn't in question.  Maybe I'll go with Kadrons though... need more research.  Was stock interior used in any early 70's cal lookers, besides extra guages in the speaker grills?  Big tacs are just out of place if you ask me.

DCNFs were popular. Some cars ran pretty stock interiors.

[Rick Meredith]

Also, would two quietpacks be out of place for a small engine?  The engine still needs some backpressure through the system, with a 1641, a single quietpack seems more appropriate.

NO

[AirCooledCurtis]

I was looking at buying BBT sprint stars (steel like the originals) but thought that they would be earlier than the period I'm after.  Maybe not.  Chromies look sick, It's just that original chrome 356 wheels bring big dollars compared to my other choices (bbt sprint stars).

[Bryan67]

I don`t think very many ran sprintstars at all. Chromies and Porsche caps, 5 spokes, centerlines, or maybe convert to discs and run 8 spokes.

[Rick Meredith]

I don`t think very many ran sprintstars at all. Chromies and Porsche caps, 5 spokes, centerlines, or maybe convert to discs and run 8 spokes.

Not many ran them but they were still used enough and were certainly part of the look in Orange County.

I may be biased as the "THE" car that got me into Cal-Look was a black dechromed '67 running Sprint Stars that belong to the older brother of my best friend. I remember many times running around in the back seat of that car ;-)

Anyways, this car would have been built around 1973.

[speedwell]

 

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[speedwell]

greg aronson 63 ragtop with chromie porsche wheels

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]