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[Jim Ratto]

Ever work through the night trying to get some car together for an event the following day? Typically involves filthy clothes, numerous trips to hardware and or auto parts stores, tools strewn everywhere, flaring tempers, some flesh wounds, and lots of dirty words.
Last good one I participated in involved a 1965 Westfalia, 6 volt Bus. In one day, my friend Sean and I had to remove the original 1500, install a dual carb, full-flowed big cc motor, tune it, install a reduction box tranny and convert the Bus to 12 volt. We started around 10am, and Sean actually drove the Bus home around midnight, later that day. By then we were both covered in grime and blood and gear oil. Tools were everywhere. every few minutes, one of would ask "do we need this part?" which would mean removing something else first. Amazingly, the following day Sean drove it to Sac Bug a Rama without a hitch.

[Zach Gomulka]

Too many!!!
Long story short... A few years ago I was building the 1776 for my Fastback. It had been off the road for about 2 years, so it needed alot of attention. I had finished the engine over at Steve Hollingsworth's shop in Phoenix, broke it in, and dynoed it, so it was more or less ready to go. So Friday I wake at 5am to to go work, get off at 2pm, and drive my '67 bug over to Steve's shop. Somehow we shoehorn my turn key type 3 engine into the back seat area of my bug, and I drive it home. We work through the night, make the fastback driveable and "safe" and that Saturday afternoon we drive to California for HotVW's Drag Day, with not a wink of sleep in 30+ hours!!! I drove all the way to Pomona (I think), but I couldnt stay awake any longer, so I let my buddy Travis take over the wheel. We got to Scott Bakken's house, bearly alive, but happy as hell to have made it Never had any problems either.

[Carlos De Alba]

During 2001 I was getting a 65 Notchback ready for the classic.  Took 3 days off from work to try to finish everything I could  in time to go to the classic.  The car was not completely done but I wanted to drive to the classic anyway.  My girlfriend then was pissed off because I was not spending time with her instead, I was working on the car... .  Everything was just going as planned. The night prior I had a mess in the garage tools everywhere, grease, dirty words (like jim said)  I went to sleep that night with a grin on my face, knowing that I was going to drive it early in the morning.  When I woke up ready to go my carbs went to crap..............  I did not drive the car but was able to make it to the classic and had a blast.....  Looking back, I sure had a great time doing those last minute changes.........But ohhh man did I have a long conversation with my girlfriend............

[The Ideaman]

Sold the Jade Grenade on Friday night.  Took the car for one last drive all rubberlegged because Ron has already paid me.  All of a sudden the car is making an awful noise from the bellhousing.  Saturday morning, I've got the car in the air and motor out by 9:30.  The clips holding the throwout bearing are the crappy empi ones, allowing the TO bearing to ride against the clutch all the time and burning up in under 100 miles.  Grab another throwout bearing off the shelf, and get some German clips from Scott Sebastian, our local tranny guru.  Daniel Hood and I have the motor back in the the car by 11:45.  JG is running by 1pm.  Ron picked up the car around 5:30, but I forgot to adjust the clutch.  I'm burning my forearms on the header as I adjust the clutch with the temp around 110 degrees.  Oh, and then I board a plane for the Phillipines with the family the same night.  Ron took the car to Sacramento Bugorama the next morning.

[Cornpanzer]

Russ Hare flew out to Ohio one week to hang out and go to an event with me.  The night before the show, several of the Cornpanzers were at my house and we decided to go to the local V8 cruise night.  On the way to the cruise night, my pressure plate broke.   

Got the car home at about 9pm and started working the phones looking for somebody that had a pressure plate I could use.  My buddy George Wells had a bus plate with a 4-puch disc that he loaned me.  Meanwhile Matt Homer had found a set of venturies in my stash that he wanted to try out in his car.  Long story short, we had my engine out, changed the clutch and put it back in before Matt finished swapping the venturies in his IDA's! 

The little bus disc worked pretty good.  The next day I ran my first 12 second pass!

[Jim Ratto]

Bates reminded me of a more recent thrash session at Bug A Rama maybe 10 yr ago? A group of us got together with a friend, Darrel, and volunteered some time and parts to get his '66 to Sac to race. Bryan SODA was selected to drive it and I put the motor together (1914 made from leftovers, FK10, midget heads, IDAs). We spent a few nights before Sac getting car running, electrical issues nailed down...etc. Originally, car had Rancho close ratio 4.37 trans in it, but Darrel, being Darrel...brought an extra trans with with him in the trailer. Anyway, I had to work on Saturday, at Buggy House, and my plan was to drive up to Sac when I got off. By the time I got there, Bryan had already chewed up the first trans and they had swapped the spare into the car. After I arrived, Bryan went out for a few more test passes (not sure why, the car was running 12.80-12.90 at about 100mph), and grenaded the spare too. It was now 8:00pm and getting dark and we were out of trannys and it wasn't even Sunday yet (race day). Then we remembered, Darrel had his purple racecar at home ('65 sedan) with a Transform ( ) "race" gearbox in it. We had no ideas what gear stack it had, or even if it was any good, but the car rolled, so that was a start. Problem was the car was at Darrel's house, about 130 miles away. So Bryan and Bates and I jumped in my truck and drove to Darrel's place, arriving about 11pm that night. Air compressor going, air tools whining. Banging. Thrashing. I felt bad for his wife and kids. Anyway, we got the brakes and crap (4 lug...'66 was 5 lug) off, got tranny out, then drove to my place and slept for 3 hours or so. Up again at 5am, drove 100 miles back to Sac, started putting trans in the '66, and discovered the stupid Transform transaxle girdle was going to interfere with the Berg mount in the car...so out with hacksaw and Bryan cut it off. Got it in the car....he made two passes (12.81 was fastest, with nice wheelstand) and killed the ring and pinion. The day was done.

[stealth67vw]

I'm glad you guys didn't take me up on my offer to loan you guys my transaxle. Lot's of broken parts and gear oil soaked clothes that weekend.

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

When I Owned Scott Bakkens old 67  I ran a 78x90.5 with IDA's I decided to Sell The Car And The Guy Buying it wanted a Smaller Motor So I put a 1776 in it I had With the Ida's It ran strong,  He had given me a deposit on the car and was picking it up the next Day Well I thought I would take it out for a last Cruise But could not keep my foot out of it to make a long story short I dropped #4 exhaust valve I am Lucky the valve snaped at the bottom of the stem I drove it Home about two miles pulled the motor pulled the head It cracked the piston but did not put a hole in it  I had to replace  the Piston  I changed #4 Rod Bearing just to make sure it did not get pounded  Head was saveable I had the head repaired and had it back in the car that night and ready for  the new owner to pick up I think I worked threw the Night but got it Done.  I Did learn a Lesson after you get a Deposit Park It LOL