The Cal-look Lounge

Saturday I got together with a couple new friends for a way just to get out and enjoy what we love most- DRIVING our old cars! These guys are really cool long-time bug enthusiasts who have been messing with bugs for 40 years. Ron (HECKER) has owned his factory black '67 for over 30 years (it's been stolen, recovered, through a divorce- the whole thing) and Bruce (61SNRF) has been messing with his '66 (silver wheels) for a while and getting ready to paint it. I'm just plain having a blast with my '67 (with BRM rims) and driving it pretty much everyday.

We will be getting together somewhere between Whittier and Riverside for breakfast & BS-ing (maybe some wrenching) on Saturday mornings so let me know if you might want to join us. Thanks Jim

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Sounds  like a good idea to me ..!...I'm always down for "breakfast and bugs "....that's better than a bowl of wheaties ...!!!..... ;D

You go Jim, yeah its a cool idea... its time for some of us who LOVE to eat breakfast to get
out there & give props to our favorite places.....I'm almost always ready to eat & drive !!!

Hecker ;D

Yeah, we had a great time just hanging out and BS'ing (for three hours!). Nice that it was aircooled only too, no Supercar or Big Block egos to contend with!
We met at Farmer Boy's in Diamond Bar off the 60fwy, very good breakfast and plenty of parking. We've been considering rotating to any good dives for breakfast along the 57 fwy corridor, so if someone has a favorite spot along there, let us know. It would be nice to come up with one good spot so it will grow and become familiar to our community as a weekly happening. All are welcome so keep it in mind for this weekend.

Another cool element to parking a few VWs together is the positive "civilian" comments about their own memories. We will be doing this every week so stay tuned to where to get together.

Very Cool

I may have a place to suggest... When I used to live out that way I used to go to breakfast at Tom's Place. Typical Breakfast food and reasonable pricing. It's on Orangethorpe just east of the 57. Easy access off the 57 and just north of the 91.

Good evening California VW Brothers!  A VW friend here in Texas pointed me to this WebSite.  I was interested to read about the "Bugs for Breakfast".  I started a similar group out here 5 years ago this month.  We seem to have similar goals as yours.  We are proud also NOT to be a club--no politics!  But, we are a by-invitation-only group so that we can stay true to our vision of remaining air-cooled only.  We have some award-winning cars in the group but most of us own just nice, useable cars which we love.  We do the once monthly breakfast which no one wants to miss.  You can hardly drag some of us away even by mid-morning!  From our group have issued a number of solutions to the normal problems which we all encounter with these vintage cars.  I am happy to say that all of us benefit from any one person's expertise and knowledge because we are careful and good to disseminate all information to all of the members of our group whether they can be present at a given meeting or not.  I have never seen another group like ours for cohesiveness and genuine friendliness.  I trust that yours will develop into such a group as well.  Keep up the good work in California!  Out here, we look up to you California VW Brothers.  HAPPY MOTORING!  [I have a nice '67 Bug--my favorite year, I guess.  I have a continuing project of a '65 Bug as well.  It would take little to get it onto the road but I have to work up the energy now at my age (71).] TexasBug (jay)

First, welcome TexasBug (Jay) to this place, glad to have you on board.  ;D Second, this sounds like a great idea to me also. Great opportunity to meet new friends, and talk VW, oh ya, and have some breakfast too!  :D

Ted

I have an in there- I live with Tom's daughter! She's my Uncle's girlfriend- GREAT FOOD!!!

Good to have you here TexasBug(Jay), age and location is no object. It's nice to hear that you've got good friends in Texas to share your enthusiasm with. We have a number of long running car related Sat morning cruises here in SoCal, but there are enough of us we thought it would be appropriate to have an exclusive VW gathering.
It actually started because myself and fellow DSK club member Ron (aka Hecker) met Jim in person at the WolfsburgWest spring show. We had a great time there and thought we should get together again soon. Jim is a super nice guy with lots of car knowledge and must have oil in his blood.
Ron needed some follow up work on his car, so we decided to meet the next week for breakfast and then head to my house afterwards to wrench and bench race. That was two weeks ago but Jim had other things come up so the first meeting me and Ron had breakfast at Norm's Famous Charbroiled Burgers in Whittier. Because our Bug's were out front we attracted the attention of another old enthusiast. We saw him looking at our cars then he came in to talk to us. He is retired, and said he was looking for a '67 decklid for his wrecked Bug. One thing lead to another, so after breakfast we headed to his house where he had stored the car since 1982 when it was hit in front of his house. Long story short but let's say he needs alot more than a decklid! The car looked to be fairly original, black with red interior, parked since '82 just like he said. The big suprise was it has two original Empi five spokes on the front, a S&S header with a glasspack, and an 010 distributor! He also has an old fiberglass buggy and other VW parts (somewhere in the garage!). He still wants to fix them up so we left him our names and numbers, who knows what will come of it. BTW he has a super nice 58-63 decklid in OG Anthracite if anyone is looking to trade for a good '67 sedan decklid.
So, the next meeting is open for discussion. I can make Tom's if all agree, let's do the planning soon.

Sure thing Mark / Fred --- its pretty cool to just BS with the non-vw crowd that ask about the cars.....
Seems that EVERYONE has had a bug or a friend with one. I swear at a parking lot once -I overheard
some lady say she had lost her virginity in the back of a VW !!!!    The best is when people guess
what year a car is or should be, or can't be........Join us Mark--- it will be fun to have another "shiny"
car......and anybody else, stay tuned for the place, or make your suggestion !!     ;D

Bruce- I want to trade him that decklid I mentioned to you.

Oh, I already lined up Tom's Place off the 91 if that's cool with you guys.

I don't talk TOO MUCH about my non-VW projects, but I was raised restoring classics and building hot rods with my dad (he has 30 cars- mostly early V-8 Fords). I have been the Editor of the "Goodguys Gazette" and the Senior Editor of "Rod & Custom" Magazine before I opened my SO-CAL Speed Shop franchise store. I closed that this year due to the economy and have returned to writing about cars- only now looking more at finally writing about VWs. I have also freelanced for other magazines like The Rodder's Journal, Street Rodder, Classic Trucks, Hop Up and Rod & Kulture. Also have my own on-line magazine "Traditional Speed & Kustom" that has a message board with its own VW section as I believe many hot rodders have a soft spot for VWs.

So yes, I do live and breathe old cars and have oil in my blood.  ;)

A very similar group was just started this year here in Pennsylvania.  Our food focus is slightly different, as we seek out "fund-raiser" meals held by churches, fire halls, etc.  Usually all-you-can-eat for cheap!   ;D

Ummmmmmm... breakfast..... My favorite meal!

If you guys want to venture out from your regular gig, say make a roadtrip out of it, I'd like to suggest the Hollandburger Cafe in Victorville. Located about 80 miles north of the big "OC" it's a very cool place to go. Just off I-15 on D street (old Route 66 ;))
After breakfast, a quick trip to the Route 66 museum, then cruise by my pad on the way home and hang out in the shop for a while... I've talked about this before to other VW friends... I'll put something together if we have interest. 

 

Looks like plenty of VW parking.  Me hungry...let's see...Driving Directions from Hershey, PA...hmmm.

Meeting up this Saturday at Tom's Place, 4477 E. La Palma, Anahiem CA.
Give us an idea if you think you are swinging by- Thanks Jim

I thought we weree talking about the tom's in fullerton per dkk rick, rather not have to drive that far myself :(

The one I was suggesting actually has a Placentia address but the one that Jim has us at is about 4 miles away.  ???

Hello again from Texas where we are heading for triple digits!  It is good to hear of the many VW enthusiasts out there.  Texas had a number of VW dealerships but nothing like the West Coast did.  Our VW maintenance shops are rapidly drying up.  I know of only one former Certified VW Specialistactually actually wrenching in the Dallas area now.  The rest are guys who learned on their own and now they are dying or retiring.

That's a good thing about our group--we focus on those knotty VW problems over a good breakfast, do some looking at parts in and out of the restaurant and do a lot of e-mailing back and forth between meetings.  There's never a dull moment!

The major VW Club in the Dallas area went downhill due to politics and from diluting efforts (charity shows, poker runs, etc.,etc) so that eventually no one was coming to the meetings in an air-cooled VW of the few people that did attend.  This helped to dry up one of the largest show/swap meets of the year.  Now, the closest meet is yearly in Fort Worth, which is a fair trip for a lot of us.  Having a smaller "family" group of our own makes up for these losses--and NO POLITICS!

I hope that you fellows can find a good spot for meetings so that you don't need to try to decide every time where to meet.

I'll follow your activities as I can.  It is good to know what's happening elsewhere.

I have a customer in Saigon.  Now, over there, they like to collect what you and I like to put right onto our cars.  I just shipped a pair of bullet signals, a pair of snowflakes, a pair of early, early window cranks, etc.  These will be show-cased for looking at.  I guess that one way or the other, they do the job for the VW enthusiast.  This particular person has just restored his 1966 Bug.  He and his friends meet every Sunday morning over breakfast.  Nice.

Take care and Happy Motoring!

TexasBug (jay)

       

Only 2500 miles Mike ;D
You fly, I'll buy :D

There is a Tom's place that Rick is talking about ,it is on Orangethorpe right @ the 57 on the eastside of the freeway if this is an easier location for you guys.  What time are you meeting?

Be careful what you offer, Dave...I'll make it out sooner or later!   ;)

Jim has set it up at the Anaheim location at 4477 E. La Palma, map shows it just north of the 91 near 55. I found more than one Tom's on a Google search, so they've branched out and all had good reviews. We can rotate to the other locations until one feels right, and we're still open to other suggestions as well. We can talk more about it when everyone's there.
Prior to this we met at 8:30AM and that's probably the earilest I'll get there. It's casual so come early if you're hungry!

I'll try to make it if the wife doesn't have a list of things for me to do.

Just do it man... besides, it's easier to get forgiveness than permission :D

 

LOL ya but this is the same wife that took 3 vacation days off and went with me to drag my car up to Danny's last weekend so I owe her!  ;)

Didn't you take her sight-seeing at the bunny ranch

Sat June 5 ...Tom's 4477 La Palma Anaheim ..... sounds good guys, but I have a previous
commitment to the O.S. BMX God in Bellflower, I'll be with you all in spirit !!! Beer , Vodka, etc.
HAVE A GOOD TIME GUYS !!!!! and welcome any newcomers.......... ;D

Sorry for the confusion guys- all the Tom's are GREAT- but Tom himself actually spends the most time at this location and is a really great guy who will appreciate the cars. Also for this weekend I have a special after field trip for those interested to the shop of a well-known bug builder who is picking up a new split window project that we will be the first to see tomorrow. He's in Corona- just to let you know which way we are headed if you are interested. Thanks! Jim

That's why I owe her!  ;)

Sorry I missed but had a great day....sold a whole bunch of stuff I found hiding
in my garage. Better yet I think I got quite a bit of interest in my race frame &
some old BMX wheels, if those sell I up enough to pay for my vacation cruise !!!
Next weekend is the classic so where lies the plan ???  Nick's on Friday night !!!

Sorry you guy's couldn't make it. Me and Jim had a good time talking cars over breakfast. I still think it's a good idea and know others would enjoy it too.
With the hectic schedule coming up this week there is no plans to do it again until maybe July, so keep in it mind and if you have any ideas please let one of us know.

you should have seen the old school BMX stuff / displays / bikes / ETC that they had se out at the Summer Nationals in Roseville (Sacramento) this past weekend.  Some were getting BIG $$$$$ for parts and frames

You guys are doing what I've wanted to do for a long time: a breakfast event. I'm going to be following this thread for the next one, and hopefully by the next one I'll have one of my VWs ready to drive. Is it ok to bring out my EMPI Imp dune buggy? My '69 Cal-Looker is next on the "get running" list, but the Imp will be running soon. The Imp is definitely more Cal-Look than off-roader. :)

I'm in Fontana, so I'd definitely be interested in one in Riverside or somewhere closer to home.  -- Tuna

(http://tunacan.org/cars/pics/70imp/imp.jpg)

Neat looking buggy.  Let's see a "money shot" (engine view).   ;D

Glad you like the idea Tuna, I'm a morning guy so it suits me too. You're certainly welcome to bring the Imp, even encouraged to!
With the Classic coming up, and me working on the 19th, not sure when the next one is planned. The info will be put up here when a date and location is set. Jim mentioned that Chino Airport has a good diner onsite and often gets a crowd of gearheads on Saturdays, so that may come up as a spot close to you soon. Keep that in mind or let us know if you have a good location to suggest. Note that Hecker is paranoid about theft and has to be able to see his car when he's eating ::), so picture windows overlooking the parking lot is a plus.

I vote for the Chino Airport diner...try the biscuits and gravy (heart stopp'in good :D). Besides whats not to like about the superb "Planes of Fame" air museum.

With the Classic and Father's Day Roadster Show coming up the next 2 weeks I want to make plans for the 26th at the Chino Airport if that sounds good- Let us know and we can work on getting a decent group and I can plan a fun spot to cruise to after for those interested. I have been a part of the Early Times New Years Cruise for the last 30 years and watched it grow from 6 cars to a couple hundred. That's a little too big, but fun to get out and see stuff with other car guys. Thanks Jim

The engine is quite a mess at this time and it's basically a stock 40hp. '62 case 40hp, 019 distributor, Bocar 30PICT1, TriMil 1-3/8" header (with glasspack insert), stale air 40hp fan shroud, and an old CB Perf oil pump with in/out ports. I'll take some photos when I get the engine back in. :)

"PARANOID" is a little harsh --- but I'm usually overly concerned !!
Flo's is a nice spot, maybe Sarge will join us & there will be 2 shiny cars.

2 Shiny Cars???  Sarges and What other Car??   LMAO  (did you Forget about Rattle Can Dan)?

Sharon and I are at Flo's most every Sunday morning.  We get there early though as it gets crowded quick.  Our other place that we like iis The Red Hill Cafe on Foothill at Grove in Rancho Cucamonga.  By far the best that we've run across in the Inland Empire but can be very crowded too... best to be there at 7:00 am on Saturdays(they open at 6:30 on Saturday and 7:30 on Sunday).  In the OC, don't forget about the Original House of Pancakes on Lincoln in Anaheim... THEE BEST!  They open at 6:00.

I enjoy the Red Hill Cafe in Fontana too. Great omelettes! I'd be up for doing a get together at the Rancho one. :)

Tuna

Dude... if you're going to the Jagerhaus, you might as well go to The Phoenix Club for the buffet. It's just on the other side of the 57. Ya can't get much more German than that.

Sue and I go there for breakfast when the Angels have a 12:35 Sunday game.

Really? The Phoenix Club is social club for people of German descent. They used to own part of the land that was under the The Honda Center and sold or swapped it for a much larger piece a few miles away.

Come to think of it, they may only do the brunch on Sunday but they have a Restaurant that we could go to.

Sounds good!

Does anyone plan on this Sat the 19th?? I know Bruce is working,
but anybody want to plan a spot?? I think I can do breakfast!! ;D

Heck,
I can meet before work at Norm's again, 7:00 am okay?

Oh, I feel so left out!  :-\ Be back with you guys next week, unless I'm in a Home Depot parking lot trying to scrounge up some work as a day laborer!  ;)

Jay from Texas here...I note that Tuna uses a Bocar 30 Pict-1 on his Imp.  Can you really make that carb work?  Out here we use them for parts but don't attempt to use them or to rebuild them.  The German 30's are so reliable.  If the throttle shaft orifice leaks, we send them to be bushed and go from there.  I've been running these little carbs for 34 years with great success.  In a pinch, the Brazilian H 30/31 is great, as well.

I recently rebuilt the 30 Pict-1 for my '67 Bug.  I sent the bottom half to Fort Worth to a shop for bushing.  Round-trip took 4 days and I was back on the street good as new for $50 dollars plus the kit.  I do the cleaning and kitting myself. 

We just celebrated the 5th anniversary of our group's founding.  We had a good group present.  For a by-invitation-only group that no one knows about, we had 19 present with 14 air-cooleds.  We discussed things such as how to obtain or manufacture rear tube-axle oil slinger washers--not available on the market, you know. 

One of our group had a featured ad in Hot VW's for July--showing some of his fiberglass work--wiring covers, glove boxes, etc., etc.  He also does carbon fiber dash covers, glove box covers, etc. for that custom touch (Southwest Fabrication--www.swfabrication.com).  Check it out.

Did you find a "permanent" breakfasting location?  While it's good to do different things, having a "permanent" spot saves having to remind people where to go.

We're planning a cruise away from Dallas for a nice breakfast at an historic location.  Should be a great trip and an eye-catcher for those who see us.

Hey...take care out there and remember:  HAPPY MOTORING!

jay from texas

New information on a logical place.....at a normal time !!! See new thread !!

The carb was a new one that I had purchased when I was working at a VW shop in Redlands, CA. After purchasing the Imp, the carb on it wasn't cooperating, so I used this Bocar to see if I could get it working. It fired up with no hesitation and it's been running on there for the last ~13 years. I can't complain about it, it's worked perfectly day in and day out.

Tuna

Well...I see that So-Cal L.A. is selling that Patina-ed '67 Red Bug!  Does this mean an end to participation in the group?  jay from texas

Hello, Tuna...Well, then, your Bocar 30 Pict-1 was a good investment!  I'll have to check my stock.  I have one which appears to be "like-new".

Happy 4th to all of you folks out that way!  Wave the Flag and remember how blessed of God we are!

jay from texas

Hello, Fellows...I have not checked in for awhile.  I mentioned some time ago that what used to be the largest VW club in North Texas recently closed its doors.  They had the last Bug Swarm Show in late September.  I just had to go to see people whom I wouldn't see on a normal basis.  Had a great time and bought as much as I could at the swap that was held with the show.  What a shame to see this venue go away.  I aim to speak with some people who might promote for next year. 

You have heard of the infamous "bastard" Bus engines, I am sure.  I obtained one of these that had been used, apparently, in a stationary application.  It had never been opened.  Case and crank and cam, etc. were in excellent condition.  I just sold it to a fellow who is building an engine for his '60 Bus.  It should be right in style for his vehicle.  The Bastard sported pedestal rocker arms and other weird parts.  How about right and left valve covers?  Why VW did this is still a mystery--it turned out to be an engineering fiasco and cost VW dearly.  When a customer would drag his Bus into the shop (from what I'm told) the technicians would just trash the engine and install a fresh one.  I was glad to save one more of these and hope to see it on the road soon.

Did you finally settle on a regular meeting place?  Seems like that was the topic most on your minds when I last checked.  I hope that you continue to build your group and have a great time of it.

That's about it from cool-weather North Central Texas!  Have a great weekend ahead!

jay from texas