Your Very First VW

[TOM / EINHEIT 11]

its not my first one ( i did not find any pics yet ) its my second bug. I bought it from an other E11 member back in 1989, added empi 5 spokes and a lowering kit, some more details and the car was done. i drove it many years and sold it to a policemen later in the late 90s  

[Dom S]

My first car back in '95.
The second pic is how it is now.

[Jim Ratto]

That's funny about the different exhaust systems that we go through when we're young. I changed that and wheels on my car a LOT. In chronological order:

S&S w/single muffler
Monza four tip for only a couple of months (God, I can't believe I'm admitting this)
S&S header back on but with chrome tipped dual mufflers
FourTuned header with dual chrome tipped mufflers.
Same header w/single chrome tipped muffler (still have it)
Same header back to duals
FourTuned merged collector with very cool super tucked dual chrome tipped mufflers

If I still had that car, I'd either be running the last exhaust or more likely one just like the one that A-1 recently built me with the big heater boxes. That system is GREAT! Never seen so many people crawl under my car since I owned my Porsche in the '90s. HAHA!!

Good stuff, Mark and Jim.  I spent WAY too much time and cash at Phil's Muffler in La Habra with the '56..., one bad idea after another .  My favorite was the "header system" we came up with that invoved j-tubes for #'s one and three and a cross over for #'s 3 and four.... two pipes on each side that exited under the taillights.  For mufflers, I used stock VW chrome tips.  It was fourth of July weekend and I got stopped at least a half dozen times for excessive noise before being chased into Phil's Tuesday morning by yet another cop.  Ah, youth

Good one Sarge 
I think I have a shoebox full, somewhere, of Pleasanton P.D. "fix it" tickets for noise.  You name the exhaust, it got me in hot water. Even qp mufflers.
Speaking of that S&S exhaust I had and header shops.... 
I remember just after I got the car running with that header, I realized how often I was polishing the alumnim mufflers under there (never mind the oil leaking onto them from the chrome valve covers ) and engineered this Really Cool Plan to solve the issue. I went to RPM Mufflers, on A Street in Hayward, and had them cut me a 30" long piece of 3" exhaust tubing. I remember going there in my car, just barely old enough to drive, a skinny 16 yr old (with mullet) in a VW asking for 3" exhaust tubing. The guy was one of those rough, growly guys, like always unshaven and always with some stub of a damp cigar clamped in his jaw... he looked at me and my VW and said "what in the HELL are YOU going to do with 3" pipe on that thing?" Anyway, I took it home and slant cut it into two matching sleeves, then slid them over the mufflers and used self tapping screws to hold them on. Oh yeah.... great plan. Let's make a heavy, fragile, too low exhaust system heavier, MORE fragile and lower. I think it lasted a few days before I left a muffler on the freeway somewhere. Probably went through some poor guy's front grille.

[Sarge]

Hahahaha....good one, Jim!  After graduating high school, I took a job at Industrial Tools in Pico Rivera (my dad worked there and landed me the job).  It was there that I first laid eyes on a sandblasting cabinet.  I remember this low-rider dude that was always back there blasting stuff, so I got him to show me how it worked.  One day at lunch time, I crawled under the '56 and unsnapped the valve covers for a quick sandblasting.  Funny, I thought to myself..., some of the crud comes right off (paint), but some of it took quite a bit of effort (permatexed ancient gaskets)...WTF??   I snapped the covers back on (much easier then taking them off as there was no more gaskets) after work and headed for home.  It didn't take long for the oil to start burning on the exhaust pipes...., live and learn

[lowfastbus]

Only picture I have on my PC off my first VW.
It was a '67 pickup.  Picture was taken in '99, cars gone, girlfriend stilll here...

Jelle

[Rennsurfer]

We had to put Mark in an intense intervention program because of that Monza thing. At least he can talk about it now without going into vomiting convulsions.

Sheesh, why do I taste vomit? I'm sorry... what was the question?

[Bewitched666]

Love the exhaust in your pic from 1987 Jim

[Diederick/DVK]

here's the chronology of my '67:

when i bought it (6/2004) was rusty and had flooded several times due to the faulty working sunroof.
the next picture is the moment i first liked the look of it (12/2006).
and the last was taken on the way back from bitburg and resembles how i've been driving round for the last year and a few months. i'm hoping to have a lot of things done to it by next season 

[Sam K]

Are those "rostyle" wheels? They look a lot the wheels on an MG my Dad had a while ago.

[speedwell]

Are those "rostyle" wheels? They look a lot the wheels on an MG my Dad had a while ago.

KPZ sportrad wheels

[Diederick/DVK]

correct as always fabs

too bad they're steelies, so they gotta go soon

[javabug]

Don't be so fast to lose them, they look real good on that car!

[Jim Ratto]

Derek, whay haven't you told us abut your car here? It was your first.... jeez I could fricking tell it for you. WTF's the holdup?

[Rennsurfer]

Diederick, I have a question... I know my eyesight is getting really bad, but are your front turn signals cut out on the sides? Sure looks that way in the pics of your car on this thread. Help an old guy out, here.

[John Rayburn]

I see it too, Mark. At least we can hallucinate together.

[Rennsurfer]

I see it too, Mark. At least we can hallucinate together.

"We were somewhere around Barstow... on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold."
~Hunter S. Thompson / Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas

One of the best movies ever made. Thanks for reminding me that I need to watch it again, John.

[John Rayburn]

Somehow I knew you'd invoke that line!

[Rennsurfer]

Yeah... you know me all too well. Just watch out for the huge bats and manta rays swooping around our Bugs.

Speaking of Bugs, lemme know if you're serious about locating my orange car.

[John Rayburn]

I'm serious.

[Rennsurfer]

Cool. The search begins... again.

[Berger]

This was my first bug. Bought it from my brother when I was fifteen and had it ready for my eighteen birth day in 89.
Built my first engine to this car, a 1835 with 041 heads and Engle W120. Had 14" splitbus wheels, cut-turn-weld lowering in the front, bucket seats ++
Many cool memories with this car

[ian c]

Are those "rostyle" wheels? They look a lot the wheels on an MG my Dad had a while ago.

i know an interesting fact about rostyles that the brm guys will like ...

[Sarge]

This was my first bug. Bought it from my brother when I was fifteen and had it ready for my eighteen birth day in 89.
Built my first engine to this car, a 1835 with 041 heads and Engle W120. Had 14" splitbus wheels, cut-turn-weld lowering in the front, bucket seats ++
Many cool memories with this car

Cool car, Berger..., love those painted brake drums!  In the old days (dark ages), there were no wheel choices, so about the only thing left was painting the drums.  Bright yellow matched the Competition Yellow '55 / '56 / '57 Chevys of the day and became the choice of many.  My car came with some spiffy, slotted aluminum beauty rings which quickly turned to shit after they were scoured with cleanser a few times by some idiot

[Casey]

Great topic! I found some ol' ones stuck together too. I sold my Robinson bmx bikes and parts to buy this 62 before I even had my license. My mom was so cool; she followed me as I drove the thing home! Went through many fazes with this car. Stock motor, 1835 with Webbers. And the stinger! Never will forget the street racing days with the friggin' exhaust leaking, fire spitting stinger. I thought I was soooooo cool back then. What a dildo as I look back. Sold it, had a 60, 65, 66 since and then the latest part II of the beryl 62. Great memories these little cars bring us..huh. Later, Casey.




Part II

[speedwell]

casey you 've a delorean ??

[Berger]

Thanks Sarge
Our first car, and what do we do then..? Paint the drums!! Funny...!!

[Nico86]

casey you 've a delorean ??

Show us more of it !

[Jordy/DVK]

My very Firstn VW  is still my current '68. 

I buy it in  February 2004 and I'm still working on it since.

 
Funny... My red '68 is also my first and current car and I also bought it in February 2004... 

[j-f]

My very Firstn VW  is still my current '68. 

I buy it in  February 2004 and I'm still working on it since.

 
Funny... My red '68 is also my first and current car and I also bought it in February 2004... 

Mhh, seems to be a good karma for this month 

The day I bought it was the 14th... Valentine's day. And the day I got the license plate was April 13, my birthday. And it was only coincidence... 
Definitively, this car is part of the family 

[Diederick/DVK]

mark&john, yes they are cut out it. i didn't fabricate them myself, otherwise i would've showed them off in the what parts have you made for your car ?? thread   

i have reason to believe the artist in question was inspired by the rare italian indicators which look only the slightest bit nicer