The Cal-look Lounge

I just found this pic and thought I'd put a thread up.
1998
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/ralf.jpg)
I bought the bug in '97 I think it had sat on someones drive for a while and I did my usual trick of taking petrol and a battery and driving it home. I bought a lowered beam and a really nice 1914 with 044's and twin 40s. It ran 13s on the stock box and horrible second hand rubber. the engine eventually killed itself bith a bolt down the bellmouth.

In 2001 I bought this
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/coldsweat/sporting.jpg)
and this to go in it
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/coldsweat/gearbox.jpg)
and this to bolt to that
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/coldsweat/engine1.jpg)
Then my dad bought this
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/midtrack.jpg)
and I went racing.
The black car proved to be too much work for me and was sold on. The 67 went to Cotsweld for a cage and I raced dads car for a bit .One thing led to another and it was 2005
(http://antonyl.brinkster.net/ralf/gasser.jpg)
At some point I must have got a job lot of satin black because my bug and bus both wear it. The engine bought for the chop is still in my garage and destined for the 67 the gearbox is still with Peter at Cogbox waiting for me to make my mind up and give him some dosh.

Very little has changed since then. I've bought some bits,  cut some bits off the car. Painted some stuff and that's about it. This is my build thread which means I'm going to have to get on with it :)

Well, then>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GET TO IT!

Now you've started a thread the pics & progress need to keep coming :D
Cheers,
Kev

That was the idea. I've been slowly doing very little on the car for 10 years so hopefully this will encourage me a little.

This is my fuel pump.
(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189483_10150144839216789_786466788_8028497_2154947_n.jpg)

A year went by and I did almost nothing to the car. The enthusiasm wasn't there and I didn't know why. Then at the Volksworld show I had a conversation with James Wotton about why his car is street legal and the spark was re-lit but the direction had changed.

I was building a strip only car and that was the issue I think. When we took the cooling off my dad's red car it stopped getting used and racing wasn't really all that much fun at the time. I guess deep down I didn't want a race car and that was what was holding me back.

So the flurry of selling the race only bits, looking for tinware etc. has started.

I've got some nice Single port tin to convert over for Superflow use, need a fan housing, generator (got the stand and berg breather from before), oil cooler, seats, wheels etc.

I feel very enthusastic and have a solid picture in my mind of what the finished article will be. First step is to get the motor in the car with the current stock box and get it running.

I will be updating the thread :)

Yes, Fast road is where to go ;), The track is just for tuning :o, Do you know what I Am Saying...... ::)

nice one Ant,
I'll always keep mine street legal, you know when you just want to go for a drive to remind you why you love an old Volkswagen ;)  pluss the M62 is great for hi speed testing ;) lol

Only up to 70mph I hope  8)

Engine specs
    2443cc
    Rimco machine case
    Flanged crank
    Super Flo II heads, 44x38mm
    Weber 51.5mm IDA's
    Autocraft cylinders
    Autocraft rockers
    FK89 cam
    Magneto

It was built for nitrous so it's probably going to be awful on the road, we shall see.

Yes officer..... ;) lol

go for it Ant..be good to have ya back in a car mate..Si

Did a little de-chroming tonight

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/398848_10150794258256789_2103750630_n.jpg)

Went through the car with a fine tooth comb to see if there was anything lurking. There was! Needs a repair to the passenger side floor pan at the front and a weird thing is the grill on the heater channel is rusty but not anything below it. I'll let just that bit in from a replacement panel.

The other issue is this
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/548364_10150798145531789_786466788_11500471_913288982_n.jpg)
The Vent wing catches the cage (actually needs a good shove to open) and removed the paint.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/524756_10150798145611789_786466788_11500472_2096040836_n.jpg)

So do I go for 1 piece windows after all or clearance the vent wing frame a little, they will be painted so it should be noticeable.

I've got some one piece windows Ant , go nice with the seats  ;)

Oh yeah? How much? We'll be there about is 11:30am too late to come to yours next Sunday?

Not a lot of movement I'm afraid but some physical movement of the car from in front of the house round to the workshop should speed things up. In addition to the heater channel patch up and the floor pan a small piece at the bottom of the cross panel is rusty and will need replacing. The parts I see advertised as German look entirely wrong for a 67 and the wolfsburg west one is going to cost $155 to ship.

Seeing as the car is so chopped about with already having the cage welding to the channels and body I might just make up the part that needs replacing (although it has a rib and hole pressed in) or buy a cheap pattern panel and just cut out the 3 inch square I need and not worry about the originality.

Anyway the plan right now is to dive full steam ahead into the repair work.

Other things that have occurred to me or advice has been taken is regarding the fuel pump. The Barry Grant one is going to go and I'll run one or two more street orientated ones (ie something that has a service life not measured in hours). Still waiting to hear back about the tank fitting for the stock tank. Bought some single port tinwear to cut and weld to make them fit the Super Flos and somewhere in my head I've made a decision on things like body work and paint colours  ;D

Hi Ant, good to see that you're getting closer! The German parts are wrong for a '67 - they're much later. If the cross panel you're referring to is the one under the back seat, they're 1970 on - much more square shaped. The very ends are the same because the inner quarter panel is still the same on earlier cars. If you're only using a small piece, I'd just go for a pattern part.

It's the front firewall/bulkhead. The double skinned one that sits on top of the napoleon's hat. I'm thinking about buying the cheap one I've seen for £30 and using the little bit I need. At some point in the future this car will need a front clip to be 'perfect' so I can correct it then if needs be.

That's one of the problems with looking at this site, you see so many ultra high class cars that doing anything other than a body off nut and bolt resto feels like a bodge job :)

Ant, I know exactly what you mean! I think my next one will be a fast shitter - I haven't got the time or money to build something that's any more than a 20 footer!

I'm thinking more shiny turd, although I'm painting it myself so it is unlikely to be that shiny :)

Absolutely nothing has happened on this car. The whole shiny turd thing is now out of the window and I'm pulling the body off to do the job properly. Cutting the cage where it meets the floor and leaving it attached to the body for now. I'm contemplating just cutting it out completely.

Ultimately I want a car I can cover decent distances in (drive to Spa which is 300 miles away), looks good, handles well and has a decent turn of speed.

I think that means my Super flo IIs will be out of the picture, and the mag the 52 IDAs might get swapped for 48s, I've got some nice small valved heads, stick with 2443cc and sensible street gearing.

Anyone first move it to get the body off and see how rusty things really are.

Sitting around for years made it  rusty
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/971974_10151907530116789_1266312392_n.jpg)

Cage mount at the B pillar, I've since cut the tubing flush to the box in order to get the body off.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/q82/s720x720/1013742_10151907530031789_1706910827_n.jpg)

This is the cage where it ties into the frame horn.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q72/s720x720/7911_10151907530016789_1326346353_n.jpg)

I'm a little embarrassed that I let it get this way but onwards and upwards.

Its great to see you reigniting your enthusiasm with the car, i look foreward to seeing your progress mate.

Your dads old car is still out there racing and getting quicker all the time, its back in the 12's now, upgrades for the winter should see it good to run 11's ( hopefully)

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/t3ben/1013374_10201913152537224_240305321_n_zps8ab0aa8e.jpg)

6 years later, after moving house 4 years ago and having very limited garage facilities I'm going to give this another try. As far as I remember there is 1 floor pan bolt stuck and some question over my paperwork. So log book being applied for and new nut gun ordered for when I get back off of holiday in September. Please help with my enthusiasm, I really miss the VW racing scene

come back sooner and get a headstart  ;D

I'm not that enthusiastic  ;D

Pulled the cover off the car and set to work on finishing the body from pan removal. First snag was not being able to find the 1 bolt I thought I couldn't get out. I figured it was a hazy memory situation and started to asses what else needed doing to get the body off so I could at least make progress (I'm committing to a weekly update of the thread).

The more I looked at how the cage is welded to the pan and how at the cage mounting points, the body welded to the floor and thought "why am I going down this path?".

I searched through my mails and Facebook posts because I knew someone had advised me to do this and I wanted to know the reason as it felt wrong. Eventually I found it, cage off the pan makes it easier to get the pan blasted!

I sat down and contemplated at the slick of inspiration

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Hdv09hPqV/?igshid=1a5762aikviqk

I'm a software engineer and entrepreneur, I spend the majority of my working life finding the minimum needed to produce a usable product and take the path of least resistance. I need to do the same here.

What that means is not thinking about what I want past the first usable milestone, just set the milestone, look at the issues outstanding and work out what ones need fixing and what ones can be left.

The first milestone then is to get the car race worthy and go to the track with it. This removes so many of the hurdles that take a lot of time, money, space and stress. Reducing it down to some core decisions that don't need to be the final end game at all.

This now seems easily achievable, and achievable in a sensible timeframe. Next step is to list the problems that need solving and start ticking them off.

I spent a good couple of hours doing rust investigation work and a bit of a tidy up and stick take.

List of parts that need some repair.

OS rear quarter/channel
OS front pan and channel
NS front pan and channel
NS front inner wing
Both A pillar bottoms
Rear cross member (tiny patch)
Front cross member

I've got a few of the panels  will order the rest and do some welding practice as I've not touched the welder in 4 years. I've got a good rust free door to go on and a complete set of glass.

I then looked at what was what with the engine

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2MyuQkBzc-/?igshid=t2kulwgt835t

Need some fasteners, head to inlet gaskets, plug leads, and probably a couple of bits for the nitrous.

Drawing up a wants list and seeing what I can get cheaply while I'm doing the welding.

Here is the kicker, my garage is too small to keep the car in so will need to wheel it in to do my welding. That is currently an issue as it's got rotten tyres, and the trailing arms are seized in the beam on full slam. I guess that's the first thing to tackle.

Ant, I'm building a '71 1200 Cal Looker with my students at school, and we're probably using the same parts that you need! We've had the majority of bits so far from VW Heritage, with varying levels of quality.

The pan halves are the heavy duty ones, made in Taiwan but really nice quality. Need a trim to size at front and rear but side to side are spot on. They don't have the rear cross brace or the jacking point welded on, but they do have the seat mounts on. Worth the money.

The other parts I've been really impressed with are the A-pillar bottoms from Autocraft, which are again really nice, made in the UK this time I think, and believe it or not, the Klokkerholm heater channels aren't that bad! It looks like they've put a lot of work into remaking the press tools as they're much better shapes than they used to be, and the captive nuts that always break out when tightening or loosening or just looking at them have been replaced with proper nutserts.

I just got the regular Klokkerholm rear quarter repairs and cross members, which are quite adequate, but those bits above are really nice.

Cool thanks, I've already got the A pillar repair panels from Auto Craft and the alignment tool. Will look at the crest, I've got floors and channels here and as I only need to do the front bit and 1 back bit I'm going to use as small a bit as possible. Doing the whole lot is not needed right now.

You're lucky then, our school car needs everything from the windscreen forwards and the bottom foot too!

The severe nose down stance saved mine haha

I said in a previous post that being able to wheel it around was an issue and the trailing arms had seized in the bearings, well I jacked it up and while not super loose they did just fall with a little help, I've raised it up to a sensible height and will see if the front tyres hold air, the rears seem ok.

I'll make a decision on what to do about the beam at a later date, hopefully with a bit of working up and down they'll free up some more. I'm tempted to take the whole lot out and replace the bearings if the trailing arms will come out but it goes against my 'path of least resistance' stance.

Trying to do a Monday update each week to keep me on it.

On the repairs side of things I'm starting with the worst side on the left. It's a bit of a jigsaw with bit of channel, floor, inner wing and A pillar bottom to do. I took the door off and measure up for the A pillar repair section. As I'm using really nice parts there I though that would be the bet place to start as I've also got a fixture to ensure it is lined up with the top. Decided the channels I had weren't good enough so ordered another pair yesterday which should be here soon.

As I was carrying a bare door and a door with windows in yesterday I realised I don't really want to put window regulators and glass in so am on the hunt for some cheap polycarbonate. Of course I did have a full set of lexan windows that I sold on here years ago when I changed direction and wanted a street car.

One of the body to beam bolt snapped putting it in, I took that as a sign that I should replace the potentially sticky beam with the new one I have in the garage. I'll wait till I've done the floor/body repairs before taking that out.

I bought a close ratio box (3.78, 2.06, 1.58, 1.22 with a 4.12 R&P).

Also talking to Danny Pike I've decided to not use my Poly seat and buy an aluminium one. Also need to check on the rules about the top/rear mount and how that will be done. If it needs cage modification I'll have it done at the same time as the couple of bits that need rewelding.

Not a huge update this week as I went to watch drag racing on Saturday (got lots of ideas).

I have all the panels and have marked cut lines on the body, the double skinned area in the footwell needs further thought. The replacement panel is the right shape and size but the pressings are not, so taking patches out of it for the mall bits that need doing wont work.

On the engine side of things I've gone through and replaced a couple of bits here and there, I've got a clutch and the start of some simple clutch management to try and save parts.

Worlds shortest update this week. Awful weather and a very busy schedule saw me do nothing but collect my gearbox :)

this week is supposed to be just as wet so I need to come up with some in the garage jobs to do.

A bit more progress this week. Most of it angle grinder related
(https://i.imgur.com/rSObVHi.jpg)
At the rear this is the only bit that is rusty. I'm going to replace that part of the channel and the part that's gone at the front. After thats done I'll do an entire pan half. Currently debating if I should use a good quality one which is 3 times the price and 3kgs heavier than the cheap one :)

(https://i.imgur.com/UE9Hdis.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bOFmxUB.jpg)

The floor pan is solid on the part that bolts to the channel, so the plan is to do the channel and A pillar then replace the front floor. This leaves the front bulkhead, the replacement panel is awful, totally different pressings so hard to use for patches. Still need to work out what to do but I'm leaning towards cutting the whole lower bulkhead out and putting in the replacement panel.

(https://i.imgur.com/2VGIHOe.jpg)
I also went to my lock up and pulled out a bunch of parts including this fuel cell I don't remember owning. I'll clean it up block the return line on the top and add a second outlet at the bottom.

I think I said earlier about the pans I had from VW Heritage - made in Taiwan but really impressive. Supplied oversize but easy enough to trim down - about 12mm off each end and the spine side if I remember correctly.

If you want to, pm me your phone number and I'll WhatsApp a load of photos from school tomorrow - one pan half is nearly in so perfect timing!

do you live alone?  ;D

No but I paid for the dishwasher so I'll use it :)



Cool, are they the cheaper sub £70 ones? The dearer ones come with the rear cross member which I probably don't need.

They are the more expensive ones - £169 a side, although that is for the '70-'72 ones, not sure if the earlier ones are cheaper.
 https://www.vwheritage.com/111701061mrg-left-side-floorpan-half-vw-spare

Got your pm, photos coming shortly!

Cool same price for the earlier ones. I think I also need the thing to mount the pedal cluster too.

pent a fair few hours on the car last week. Passenger side heater channel repair is ready to be tacked in and I've got plans for the floor and firewall on that side too. Doesn't sound like much but that's probably 16 hours in all.

Got new gaskets for engine and box, along with lots of nice new hardware. Just need to get some M8 studs now to do the job properly.

I've done nothing but gather parts for a month. With the car being outside and the weather being wet anytime I wanted to do something I've been stuck.

New plan is to see if I can fit the car in the garage alongside my motorbike, it means clearing out a LOT of stuff first though.