The Cal-look Lounge

....We all live in a changing world and during the youth when we grew up we sort off set our minds and goals for life.....They made their inpact. So what made you go Volkswagen ad specificlly Cal-look?

To me it was my parents not wanting me to drive a street race built Nova I envisioned amd all that ended in a compromise on a Volkswagen. They new a Volkswagen could not be hopped up and I new a Volkswagen could. So we had an agreement and I spent a fortune and a few years making my car in to a a street race built Volkswagen!!! I missed the goal a bit but got what i wanted!! So how do you make a car looking cool when there are no other around.....my inspiration when it came to the look was the hot rods of the era (mid 70's) and when I got hold of the VW mags it striked me that "hey they are doing the same thing"!

So come on and give us the story on how it all started for you!!  8)

My first car was a '67 Mustang coupe A-code (2bbl 289ci V-8) with an automatic. After that I owned a '71 Fiat 124 Spyder. I then bought my '67.

The choice to go with a VW was easy. My best friend Eric had a brother that was 4 years older than us, Mark. He had a black '67, lowered, t-bars, EMPI Sprints. We must have been around 14 when he bought it. When I was around 16 Mark, sold the '67 and bought a '70 Ghia that he Cal-Looked. About a year later, his '67 came up for sale so he sold the Ghia to his then girlfriend, now wife. We were always in his garage, hanging out and watching him work on the cars. I always wanted a hot rod but at that time, a true hot rod was not affordable. VWs had the look of an older car and when lowered, had the stance of a hot rod. The Mustang was too beat to do anything with and the Fiat was too unreliable. So in August of 77 I bought my '67. I had no desire for a stock VW so shortly the conversion started.

My first car was a 1963 Kombi w/a 1600 update....struggled from there.

I was young and impressionable and I read this ;)

(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0760300283.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)

I wanted a bug since I was 7 or so, then at 14 I read the "VW Custom Handbook" by a certain author  ;D, then some years later I read some other book by the same author...then one day in the internet I found someone had started a forum about the california look...well you get the point

When i was 10 my dad took me to see Herbie ! (cant remember which one, 1979) when we left the cinima after we were crossing the road between cars and we run out in front of a beetle with a silly horn, i had stated thatb this must be herbie and wanted one.....

I was then 16 and wanted my first car, I had been reading Custom Car and collecting the early VWXYand Z sections from it, there was a yellow/white beetle and KS's fastback were the two that secured the deal for me VW it had to be.

I then saw in the paper a damaged beetle for £ 100 ($150 back then) it was a 72 Green and only had 42,000 miles and 2 owners the woman had puit a small sports steering wheel on it and then while turning a corner her wrist chain caught the indicatpor stalk and she crashed into a lampost bending the front wing and beam !

My dad and i towed the car home, went to the scrap dealers and took a wing and a beam off another beetle (this was my first DIY job on cars) and carried out the repairs, however when i removed the running board at the driver side there was a hole or to ion the sill only, my uncle being the ford mechanic that he was came to look at this for me and my dad.... i still remember him saying wht did you buy this for there crap, even before he saw it. He then told us that the corrosion was too bad and we should try and sell it ! I was devastated..... Advertised it and sold it £ 150.00, the gut turned in to a Baja then left it on a beach to rot.

Now adays I know what i had an original paint perfect car that only needed 1 sill ?????, yes it was a 72 and green but it was my first car, i still have some pics and will post when i find them.

lesson learnt: never ask for advice from a now vw person let your head rule and enjoy !

I have had quite a few from then and it seems to be in the blood, its a way of life. The cal look grew on me from the mags, books etc. and now the internet, but the racing history and the performance is what gets me ticking, i still try to cope with these guys doing 10s and 11s 30 years ago with home made parts and cars on very tight budgets, look at the RS Ghia very little budget, iguana in Bills Back yard, this is the same story for every famous car.

When i as in  Houston 3 weeks ago i drove Arnie's DKP 1 car for the 1st time, one of my guys over there asked for a heads up race with his 2005 Mustang V6 (nobody buys a V6) blew him a way in 1st and 2nd had to back off as the brakes need some checking, he was gutted and thats another reason why old VW's rule, you should have seen my smile........

This Is My Story
In 1967 I Was 13 years Old I worked Part Time after school and weekends at Country Liquor Store as a Box Boy The Owner Was Rudy Marquez, Rudy Was a Barber before he bought the Liquor store He Actually gave me my very first Hair cut when I was a Baby and was my Barber till I was old of my teen Years His Nephew  Gilbert was about four years older then me he Bought his first new car a Lotus White 1967 VW Bug I Loved that Car And Really got a kick out of him letting me Drive it even thou I did not have a License. Gilbert’s Mother had a 1966 Chevy II Nova which I always Loved The 66/67 Chevy II Body Style One Day Gilbert let me Drive his Mothers Chevy II I Was in Heaven I  was driving it over a Bridge in El Monte when all of a sudden the Hold Flew Up  When I was Driving It, It Scared the crap out of me I had to Drive the Car Across the Bridge with the hood up in the air  I had to look threw the cracks to see where I was Going till I got to the other side from that Day On I have always had a love for the Chevy II’s   when  I was 16 years old  I Got A Job At Auto Haus in Pomona it was a VW Parts Store before long I had My First VW a 1964  Bug it was the first of many VW’s  I have Owned  47  VW’s in my younger years  I also Worked for Small Car Specialties, Barrett Ent. I Bought my First 1967 Chevy II Nova 2 DR Hardtop In 1987 I Restored it and ended up selling it to one of my friends Jon Wall  in 1994  because I had just Bought a New Home and needed the Money for Landscaping  about six months after I sold the car I really Wanted another  Chevy II  I Looked for about two years to find a decent one I ended up Buying  a 1967 2 DR  Sedan  for $1800.00 in 1996  The Car Was In Nice Shape for its age but had a transmission Problem so I pulled the motor and transmission out and discarded them since I was going to put a new motor and transmission in anyway I had the car towed home after pulling the motor  the car sat in the garage under a cover  from 1996 till I moved to Oxnard in 2001 which it also got parked and covered in the Garage. I finally got around to working on it in august 2003 it went to the body shop and in January 2006 it returned Home to its place in the Garage I am now in the Process of putting it all back together I am So Glad I Took Pictures of the Car as it was being worked on. Also I got The Urge to Get another VW after going to the VW Classic in 2006 I Just Bought Another 1967 VW Bug That Makes #48 I Don’t Know What It Is but I Have Always Loved Things Made In 1967... That’s My Story Hope I Did Not Bore You to much…. Check out my Chevy II Website http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/forest/3713   theres 20 pages of pictures of the car in Progress even Pictures of me and Chip Foose from OVERHUALIN  the car is almost Done Now My 67 Cal Look is Getting the Same Treatment Body Off Old School Cal Look heres a picture of my 67 Chevy II and My 48th  Vw I Picked up about 8 Months Ago Clean And Completely Stock And Ready For Me To Tear it Down To Nothing And Start Building My Next  1975 ERA OLD SCHOOL CAL LOOK.....