The Cal-look Lounge

as the title says, what was done in yesteryear to callook cars and is seldom seen today ( dechroming come to mind  :P), but also the fitment of 165 tyres and i think a lot changed.
so what are some of the things you noticed, experienced, used to have and are not common or seen today. it can go from add-ons, rims, accessories, engines,...

custom dash

RX exhausts
velour interiors
'cal look' scripts
louvered decklids
pastel paint
peep mirrors
  :(

My car is dechromed and has a custom dash! No louvered decklid, but a scooped one is pretty close (I see it as one big louver). Does this mean I'm out of fashion  :'(

Center mount fan shrouds
Angle-cut fan shrouds
Rapid-Cool oil coolers bolted to the back of any fan shroud
louvered running boards
Giese style roof scoops (more of a baja or road race look I suppose)
anything painted in day-glo colors
one-piece door glass
Monza mufflers (many hate 'em, I'm not so opposed, myself)
lettering down the sides of the cars (also was a big Hawaiian trend in the mid to late '80s)

 - Really ?   -'not stand the test of time' . . .  ???

...OK, they may not be done as often, but that's probably because they're a bitch to get right...  Looks-wise, they're still bang-on  ;)


 ;D


 . . for example, a new Club car being debuted at this weekends Volksworld show...

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/SteveMortimer/IMG_0146.jpg)
 8)


(

Pastle colour's
White window rubber's  :o
colour coded wheels
frenched in rear lights , and license plate's
suicide doors
colour coded running boards
smoothed out hood handle's
lost in space narrowed beam's  ;D ;D

I'm a bit stuck with one piece window's , as my car came with them fitted as standard   ;)

some of the above need to be kicked off the list...  ::)  :P ;D

think of the " Herrod Helper  " gone... except for the one car making a statement

Anthony / ISP WEST 

There may be cars that still have them, but from what I've seen more people are shying away from them since they're such a PITA to install.  For me, some things aren't worth that much effort for a certain look, but that's just me.  I prefer having the stock vent window in place, myself, both in terms of visual and in terms of purpose.  My first car had one piece door glass and I hated them... never could get them right.  Of course, that car also had shaved door handles... that's something else that should be added to the list I guess! ;D

Big ass nuclear sound systems. One thing I hated about VW events for the longest time.

x2... super weak, IMO.  I couldn't help but laugh at the dorks that were blasting out Color Me Badd in their hi-po stereo set up in their modded Jettas and Golfs.. then there were guys playing NWA and other (c)rap and hip-hop in their Bugs and what not.   ::)

Then again, where's the INNOVATION?
Next thing I'm going to see listed is 'dual quiet-pack mufflers'!!!
Does every car have to be a cookie-cutter replication with only different wheels and color?
I never thought or think of the 'Cal-Look' to be represented by a restored car with a 48IDA motor, lowered in front with custom wheels ... it's got to go much farther than that!

One piece windows and dechroming were and in my mind still ARE hard core & TRUE "Cal-Look" trends that I look for to find the 'keepers of the flame' cars.
Think about the best of the original cars ... Dave Rhoads comes to mind right away. Are you saying his car ISN'T "Cal-Look" (anymore ???)???
I'd tend to disagree. Take another look.

I welcome the trends and innovation ... a lot of it just didn't work, from an engineering stand point, i.e. aluminum fan shrouds, etc. ... then again, everyone was itching to find an NOS center-mount fan shroud & stand after Shawn Geers dared to put one on his entry ... surrounded by Terminators, how can you lose?
Life is boring without change/difference.
Trends will always come and go, and that's predicted by those that dare to go back in time and reinstitute a past fad and make it cool again ... or DARE to go OUTSIDE the box and actually come up with a new idea that everyone HAS TO HAVE!

There'll probably be a car at the Classic in a few years with a scoop mounted oil-cooler and everyone will be going crazy over it ... Hell it'll probably have a velour interior, roller pedal, and a wink mirror ... UGH!

Makes me think ... maybe I'll just leave my car the way it is rather than change and blend in ... ?

Chrome fan shrouds and tin
Vittaloni mirrors
Wink mirrors  short or full width.....ha
Select a drops
smoke lens headlight glass
chrome glove box doors
cutting holes in the front trunk for your 6x9 speakers above your feet
putting vodka in the pressurized washer bottle (and running the hose into the glove box)
Billet
Louvered firewalls Louvered anything
Painted writing or cartoon something on the deck lid
Stinger exhaust (with or with out super trap insert)
Chrome valve covers
Shitty external coolers (with hose clamps everywhere)  We all ran em at one time or another
Holly Bug Spray
Full Bras color matched.....uh
Did I say Billit?  ha Its worth mentioning again
Those stupid 76 foam balls on your antennea

Oh.... theres more

OMG ... I still have a small box of highly prized "76" antenna balls.
You don't like it? You can WALK! ;D ;D ;D

LMAO!

why not Meyer's rum?

Curly Q engine wiring.

Whilst rummaging through a number of 1980's and 90's VW magazines recently for a friend, I kept seeing articles about Cal-Look cars with roof racks and swamp coolers !
My God I hope that never comes back !

My louvered firewall is so staying as well as my 76 ball!  :P  ;D

I was the one that started the 76 balls in DKK... I showed up with a box of them @ Bug-In and went down the club display and put one on everyones car!  ;)

Zig-Zag papers !! And brass pipes!!

SSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Just because you had a problem doen't mean the rest of us .. ..had. .. . a . ... ... . .prob    . .. . --- opps -- yep, ur right they gotta go -----   LMAO

"BILLIT" ( Dizzy covers,Knobs,door handles,dash,mirrors,bumpers,running boards....etc)...gets my vote !...I never cared for it

Honda Prelude front seats
Flourescent pink engine sheetmetal
Clear distributor caps
Fake knockoffs on fake EMPI 5 and 8 spokes

turquoise paint jobs
one piece tinted windows
dechrome
vitalone mirrors
76 balls
oh no.....................................  :o

GEEZ ...

found a deal on these

[attachment=1]

Could not agree more, with a big system you cant hear they only stereo that sounds bitchen, a set of 48 IDA's. MUSIC TO MY EARS :) :) :)

Woody goodies
Coco mats
Plexiglas dash's
nipple hubcaps
no back seat
glasspac muffler
Air shocks
tinted windows
Racimex guages

Fake DKP stickers? :o

And I can add more from your lists ... Some of it is not on the car yet, but is definitely planned. Even more so now. Does this now mean I'm even more than old fashioned and just plain wrong?  ???

So, already on:
- dechromed
- custom dash
- scooped decklid
- no backseat
- one-piece windows
- roller pedal

Still to add:
- tinted glass (lexan by the way)
- smoked (FLAT) headlight glass
- painted writing (at least somewhere on the inside, possibly on the rear fender as well)

I tend to agree with Texas Tom, a lot of the above means hardcore Cal Look (to me). To some now it may look juvenile and provoking, but we are not car collecting purists, we like to do things different and basically make our cars our own (and worthless to others). And I look for that in cars, there should be more people building  their own car, instead of building cookie cutter Resto Cals with a stance  :P

For one, my all time favourite car is Mike Maizes orange car, he's even sporting that hideous front hood with the canyons glassed in. Still can't get more cal look than that!

From reading this list, one thing is for certain, CAL-LOOK didn't stand the test of time.
Thank god one doesn't need to conform ;D

That's funny right there! :D
 

Cal - look, how far do you want to go back. From auto-haus logo look, bigwheel rims, shag carpet, pioneer supertuner, wood dash, dechromed, sunken fibergllass hood, chrome glove box, shag carpet, no rear seat, 1973 to to 2005, and still now more changes going on. STILL a vw guy , just respect others tastes.. bill
i

Holy CRAP Bill! How old were you in theat photo, like 14? NO MUSTACHE!!! :o

It took 15 years before my wife ever even saw a pic of me without mine ... LOL!

I guess that's the point ... Mustache ... Cal Look trend? Maybe not ...  ;D ;)

That top pic is amazing.

Amen to that ! Difficult for me to accept that now people disregard the "one piece windows".
They are on my wish list on my own project.

Cheers

V.

They're probably okay if a person puts them into a car that doesn't get driven as primary transportation and is garaged... I've heard over and over it's a matter of putting in a ton of time to get them right, but for me the look wasn't worth the headaches involved for something that ended up never working correctly.

Hi Bugnut

Well, agree that it could be difficult to get it right but the look worth the efforts to me. At least that's my view today. I might end up with another view in few months time  ;)

It's like anything, some folks have good experiences with some things, while others not so good.  I do admit the one piece glass does look much cleaner than stock... maybe I'll give it a whirl again someday! ;D

Bolt on select-a-drops!  We used to call them "selectacrunches".  Cut and turned beams.  Also, 30 years ago people were much more willing to cut a dashboard.  Now it seems people leave the dash metal alone.

Pulling splines to lower your car. 

Looked better and was free but the ride was shit

(I like one piece glass)  You can get your whole arm out the window that way......

Bring back Turquoise!

    I think the word dizzy needs to go.

X2

XXX

X4


 And bring back "Alloys" 8)

X2  ;)

I remember seeing that light green car outside the Bergs when I was down for the Classic in 2002!  Beautiful car...

What else to they call 'em??? ???

Fuchs

I don't care how dated turquoise is, this car was at BugORama in the pits this weekend and it was killing it!!!
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/tobiism/Bug%20O%20pics/DSC09166.jpg)

I loved that car! It was the only one that I took pictures of. I saw under the dash that it was built in 1990. Other than the wheels (repro FF ALLOYS) it looked like it stepped right out of the late 80's/early 90's. I was diggin it!!

Put some color-matched 8-spokes on it and it's there! :D

Supertrapp mufflers... of course, I don't think they were ever necessarily 'Cal-Look'... ;D

I am guilty of both of those in 1980's  ;D... the backing plate was clear plastic even. Bad ass.

some morons @ my high school used to hammer the deflector in the fan shroud, the one just below the fan (ya know that one, that forces cooling air into generator?) "up" to make the fan whistle like a tea kettle. A sad attempt at the straight cut gear sound I guess. To me it always sound cheap, especially when guys had stock mufflers etc.

92mm's

I have a set of those in my garage with a brand new set of rings, waiting to be honed... and, contrary to the popular lore, the cylinders are not warped and distorted to all get out.  Checked with a dial-bore gauge, they're all absolutely fine. ;D

Chrome eye lids
Taped on lighting bolts
High back seats
Anything painted pink..

your killing me!

I did it in the early nineties, and I'm doing it again now...  I don't need another bellybutton

--------------------------------------------------------------------

What is this thread really about??
Making fun of everything BUT stock 67's with chromed swim platforms from A1?

Where is the fun in collecting all the negative comments for a style... and especially for the style we LOVE? I just don't get some people

It's all these small thing people did then and now that is the point of it all.... THAT is the hobby.... trim away ALL of that, and you are left with the cars Volkswagen sold with tuned engines... and that has been available over the counter since time began in Europe, and in the US (Empi). If people then were building the cars of today back then the name Cal look wouldn't arise AT ALL, as it has been done ALL over the world.

This forum was meant to gather people with the same interests and let them discuss the things they love, if that is PINK cars with WINK mirrors, let them!!
Perhaps a few new sections is called for?

We don't need people to jump up and down on all styles except the current...

Personally, I wouldn't probably do any of this things to my car but.....

... how can anyone read this topic (and it is one of numerous similar discussions on this forum) and at the same time complain that most cal-lookers look the same nowadays. No Zach, it is not the repro parts that are to blame. It's the internet and topics like this.

It's the drawing in the 1975 issue of Hot VWs and published DKP rules which many people take as "if I replicate this I end up as cool as these guys".

My reply was not aimed at you Fred, it's more of an observation from my side, as to where this forum is heading.

I disagree.  Nothing at all wrong with pointing out some of the silly things that were done back in the day and integrated into Cal-Look.  Wink mirrors, louvered firewalls, etc were ugly, useless and in the case of the wink potentially lethal in a crash. (although considering how much blood I lost on my louvered firewall, it may have been lethal too)

Hopefully, by looking back at our mistakes, we wont make them again in the future.

Cal-Look is a specific style. It has evolved over the years, but the core elements have remained the same.  If someone has a pink car with a wink mirror and a whale-tail and they like it, good for them.  But that doesn't make it cal-look and I refuse to pretend it is just so that they feel "accepted".  A car or component either is Cal-Look or it isn't.  Sometimes the edges are blurred.  We don't always know what "is" cal-look, but you know immediately when something isn't!

Imagine going to a fine French restaurant and finding hot-dogs and Burritos on the menu.  Would you say "oh how nice, they are accepting American and Mexican as French food now"?  Of course not, and exclaiming that hot dogs and Burritos are not French is in no way offensive to Americans and Mexicans.  

Likewise, giant Beard baja seats, 6" narrowed beams, roof racks, Cosmic wheels and pink whale tails are not Cal-Look.  Each of these may work/look great on a specific car, but they are not Cal-Look any more than hot-dogs are French. (you can include my chrome side trim in that too.  ;D  )

Wow, I actually agree with Dave on this one !
 :o

Excellent post ...

Come on now... you know you can't buy cool!  :D

True, but that "cool" ship has long since sailed away.

Dave has a good take on this.

I think a few things come into play here:

1) Part of what makes a guy in this hobby tick is reminding him of when he was younger and the scene was brand new. There is no way to replace the excitement and enthusiasm that is elicited "the first time you do something" (I'll keep this G rated  ;D). What I mean is, if you got into hot rodded VW's in the mid 1960's then you may have gotten excited over 40PII's or a single Zenith 32NDIX, or factory dual ports. Within a few years of being into it, you got "set in your ways" and as new fads came and went, you might have looked at them suspiciously and thought to yourself "what will these kids do next?" Contrasting that, if you, like me, got into the hobby in the 1980's, you may have looked back at the genesis and the heyday of Cal Look like one might look at bellbottom jeans or tailfins ("man what were these old guys thinking?"), and thought to yourself, "if only they had SCS Street Eliminators back then..." Not only that, but each era or segment of this hobby is somewhat dictated and dare I say, governed, by what is available to the common enthusiast. In 1987-88, no matter how badly I wanted BRMs, I wasn't getting them. I made $4.25/hr and didn't know a soul who'd know where 4 were anyway.
2) expanding on point # 1: Where were you and what year was it when your mind was blown to pieces by the hot rod VW's that you'll never forget? Bet none of them fit the "mold" being discussed he at times, 100%. In fact, most of the cars that I can recall really making my jaw drop do not fit into the "rules", I think maybe one out of a half a dozen does (Dave Rhoads' green '64 when I saw it run mid 12's in 1990). Rest of them blur the lines. Good!
3) Personal preference. Like Dave C. says, while the hobby of the Cal Look car can't really be "locked into a rulebook" (thankfully), there are some techniques and details that keep a modded VW outside what is generally referred to as "Cal Look". Sometimes I see a car, and you can tell what the car 'stands for' and while it may not have the blessing of the "purists" it is still an exceptional example of a hot rod VW. What bugs me about this scene the most is how some guys will worry so much about period correctness and "living in the past" with parts from yesteryear..….but then by doing so, their car may be limited in its use, performance or safety. I don’t think the guys doing this 40 years ago were looking to gain acceptance simply through “looking cool”, they were in it to throw down on the street and kick ass. The DKP Top Ten Board wasn’t based on appearance. If everybody wants to mimic “what the old guys were doing” then realize they were ditching old technology (for the time) and going the way of radials, high compression, “then new” heads, etc. Sure there is a romantic side to seeing a car like Dave Rhoads’ or Hector’s cars, these cars that time kind of forgot, and we are blessed to still be able to get a glimpse of “how things were done.” But these cars have been around for what, 35+ years? Respect them.

We all have our favorite idea of what Cal Look is all about. To me the whole hobby is more about the legend of the scene and where it has gone and less about trying to pretend it’s 1970. Trim, no trim, filled dashes, stock gauges, real or reproduction, it all fits in somewhere. When you’ve scared the shit out of the girl next to you, and have blown some “performance car” into the weeds, does it really matter?

“Meet the new boss….same as the old boss.”

Very well stated Jim.  I like my car just the way it is.  I didn't build my car to a specific rule.  I built it so I could drive it anywhere and enjoy it all at the same time...

Some great posts here recently. Gotta give credit to you guys who can string intelligent thoughts together, make a clear point, and have the energy to type it all out. I get worn down just generating the thought!

I was dying to get my car out before reading Jim's post. Now it is really killing me!

One trend that gets very tiresome is the constant debate about what cal-look is and isnt. Leave a good thing alone and go out to your garage and do something constructive instead of judging other peoples taste.

Too much Pabst and fried food will do that.... ::) ;D  Good topic!

PBR me ASAP! ;D

I belive you have misunderstood this thread.

It's about Cal look trends that didn't stand the test of time. In what part of the world is the whale tale recognized as a bona-fide Cal look trend (like the T bar)?

This makes this thread about JUST the things that you, I and the others recognise as a past Cal-look trend.
This being a forum for ALL the different years of cal-look, I find it highly offensive.

A bug with any number of modifications listed on this thread (If people would stay on topic) is without a shadow of doubt a Cal looker, from some point in time. It has been evolving as you say.

Who are we to judge who has a UGLY Cal-looker or not...?  And "judges" without "rules".. sounds like a middle eastern country

There is no need to tell someone that you hate their tweed interior, or "you should newer have used after market fenders"... people make their choices based on their own preferences, if they are unsure they will ask.

Live and let live....

JHU,
Perhaps the thread has crept a bit, but I am compelled to address part of your comments.  You seem to be very sensitive about this and Im not sure why. "Judging" seems to come up in your comments as a concern.  But if you read what I said, it had nothing to do with judging or calling other peoples cars ugly.  

To reiterate, people can build whatever kind of car they like. If it makes them happy, then great.  However, there seems to  be this trend of calling everything cal-look in order to be inclusive, which waters down the niche.

For example,  I have seen some amazing resto-cal cars.  While they are not my preference, I can think of several right off the top of my head that I would be thrilled to own. But resto-cal cars are not cal-look.  It doesn't make them bad and it doesn't make them ugly, it just means that they are not cal-look. Swan mirrors, stone guards, sun visors are not cal-look.  Notice that I didnt say that they are ugly or wrong, just that they are not cal-look. That statement isn't judgmental, just a fact.

I did notice that you referred to "chrome swim platforms from A1" earlier.  Sounds like you dont like A1 mufflers...seems kinda judgmental in fact.  Hmmm, I had one on my 67 before the turbo.  Are you calling my car ugly? 

Well, thats ok.  My pal John Plow regularly told me how he hated my muffler and how it was too loud.   ;D  I just ignored him. Seriously, I wasn't offended by your A1 comment.  I try not to get offended...in fact I like people who have strong opinions - black is black and white is white...easy to understand and no games to be played.  But for people who are thin skinned there will always be something to find "highly offensive".  8)

And to get this back on topic - wool plaid dash panels!  Cant believe that this was ever cool  :D  I want too see someone try and pull that one off nowadays. ;)

Some cal-look trends I used in the day that are not popular anymore are;
- 1835cc or 2180cc displacements with 10:1 or 11:1 compression. (Yes, I know why!)
- transaxles with colored axle boots. Color didn't last long but during the punk era they where popular.
- painting inside aprons with black hammertone paint. Looked good back then with a black spare tire cover.
- seat covers where popular especially from Westminster Upholstery.
- tinted windows from San Bernardino Glass. It gave the car a upper class look and the tint was inside the glass.
- radios seemed to be more popular back then with cal-look. Cruising around with a nice sound system enhanced your driving pleasure. Made me get more tickets though listening to the old KNAC punk music.  :-[
- different colors where used with Porsche alloys or BRM's etc. Not just black. A lot of times would match the color of the car.
- RHD cal-look cars were extremely cool back then. It was different which made it more accepted.
- rear spoilers like for example the Herrod Helper wasn't that popular. It disrupted the clean and simple lines of the cal-look image, but I sort of liked them. It would be the only spoiler in the cal-look scene that was accepted; if  you wanted one, IMO.

 The Smiths "How Soon Is Now?"

Reproduction parts are like riding a Japanese Harley;  you're almost there, but not quite!  :D :D :'(  I love my Flat 4 BRMs though.... 8)

English is my second language, so I apologise for my shortcomings in the ways of syntax  

As you may or may not know, the Lounge forum is run by Trond and myself. And I for one don't like mudslinging, and especially whit in the topics covered by this web forum.

And to make something perfectly clear, it is the fact that this THREAD exists I don't like, not the opinions inside it!


By singling out characteristics of an era of Cal-look you are bound to indirectly "judge" someone with that feature...  And with a list as the long as the one in this thread most everyone's cars are faulty...

This is not what this tread is about. I don't disagree, but it's just not what the thread is about.


When I post a personal opinion about a cal-look trend in this thread it's "kinda judgemental"
When others their opinion post it's not judgemental?? I don't get this.... must be that second language thing...

well it is somehow a good thing that these discussions are going on. to me that is a sign that you both care. but it also seems to be clear that opinions differ on what is a callook (sorry Fred, it just types faster like this  :P) is/was and wil be. but that is only a good thing
on the other hand it was not my intention to stir up the discussion like this. it is just a good fun topic to know some of the things that were done in yesteryear or before that.

This was my point, I was being a touch sarcastic :).   You are quick to call others judgmental but you were doing the exact same thing that you dont like others doing...sooo???
Seriously though.  At this point I'm just enjoying the debate. Please don't take me too seriously.  I also understand that English is your second language and that does affect the details. I could type out my thoughts in a second language but it would just look like this lafwehlu s;lehr;; afgq vnrdgrngliafubu dkrguksdr.   ;D

With that said, this idea of being sweet and accepting and sunshiny no matter what doesn't work with me. I like hearing what people like and what they don't like. Its fun hearing about modifications that seemed to be popular back in the 70s and 80's because of the magazines and then finding out that a lot of the people who were there hated that look. People are too quick to be offended nowadays anyway! 

Oh, and for what it is worth, I like the shaved deck lid and the license moved to the bumper too! I think it works best on 68  and later, but I always thought that was a good look. I did that on my 69 back in 1989. I like louvers too.  In fact, I have a spare 67 decklid that I was thinking about punching with louvers just for something different on my car (seriously)  :o  Mark can borrow it when I am done. In fact, now I am going to do it just so that people can tell me how terrible it is!  8)

I'll provide all the Pabst and fried food you can handle if any Loungers show up in Pennsylvania. Get Rosique to organize a RBIGBUS trip!

And to stay on topic, we can talk about cal-look trends in person!  ;D

I also liked the shaved deck lid on 68's and 69's only, but it has to have t-bars, and a big motor is a must.  Throw some old centerlines on there and you have one tough looking car.  If you cut the dash and throw some vitalone mirrors on this car it will look like my buddies car back in the 70's.  That was one bad ass car back then.
I still have some vitalone mirrors on my el camino, and would run them on my ghia if I could find another set.

Chrome engine anything ... coil covers, tin, fuel pumps, ... chrome is BAD.

Vitalone mirrors ... as long as they're color-matched somehow ... Jeez, we probably installed over 100 sets of those things back when we were building cars for customers! They were the inexpensive way to get the 911 look! I don't mind them still ...

As for 'The Debate', I'm enjoying it. Why? You really get to know people better, whether you like their views or not. As these 'Debates' started on the different threads I have found a few whose veiwpoints I really like! I'm hoping some day to meet/spend time ... SOMEDAY!
Until then ... we've got The Lounge! ;D

I'd like to Thank Trond and JHU for providing this GREAT meeting place for all of us!

p.s. I've got a few billet pieces on my car ... sshhhh, don't tell anybody! :D :D :D

 :D :D :D Zach! LOL

I'll probably change it when it becomes the thing to have again ;D

Are they ok now with thick wall 92's? ;)


Nothing wrong with having some tunes! But if it gets into having amps and massive subs, the weight factor takes away from performance.


This is something I would like to see come back. Really captures that late 70's look. Especially on alloys.

I tried one on the GTV a while back. It did two things: Noticeably raise the oil temperature, and give the impression to EVERY ass clown on the street that I wanted to race them! No more!

We used to call them Hemorrhoid Helpers!  ;D

  I can't tell you how many of those Auto Haus sold, but it was a lot.  Mr. Herrod use to deliver them to us fresh from his garage and I guess they really did help mileage.

That's Scandinavia for you ;) Freedom of speech as long as your opinion is fashionable, acceptable and politically correct ;D

All of the custom car trends have details that look silly looking back dozens of years after, also funny that no period correct Cal Looker build today in Europe doesn't have a center console or the "curled wiring" in engine bay :P

Not on mine! ::)

forgot about the center consoles, uh oh.........

One could probably divide this poor thread up into a few subtopics. I went and re-read almost all of it (not my long winded dribble) and I noticed the initial post wasn't taking the tone of "which stupid things were done to Cal Look cars in the past", I think I am reading it more as "what trends were evident in past years within the hobby that have gone by the wayside?" Right?
Then there are posts of some things that were popular within certain time sgements, that were not really key at enhancing the performance, etc. A lot of these mods were cheap, inconsequential and easily reversable. There were glam items sold, at least when I was first into this, that capitalized on monkey see, monkey do. I sold a lot of it @ BH for many years (esp @ Pleasanton Bug Bash). The transparent 009 caps come to mind. The SS sleeves that wrapped around the generator does too. I know they caught my eye at the first Bug show I went to.
So I guess what I am saying here, is originally the post (I think) was just wanting to BS about "oh yeah, remember when every car was decambered in the back, ran color matched Rivieras and bronze tint SBG glass?" And then we all had some fun poking and ribbing each other (good natured I hope) about some of the stuff we did, and even some of the "out of style" stuff we still like (I still love turquoise, dechromed cars with chromies and nipple caps, though you can keep the subwoofers and amps and chrome motors.... I'd rather match the paint of the car for the engine tin). We could all dig up pictures of ourselves from 25 yr ago and laugh at those too....no harm done fellas.
And who gives a rats ass about "fitting in"? This hobby is so far out of "mainstream" as it is already. We're all wierdoes. Out of 400 employees here @ work, I've got the one and only air cooled VW Beetle in the lot today. Yeah, in So Cal. When people here hear me get all excited and worked up about my main jets or seeing 7400rpm getting on 118 freeway, they look at me like I just hatched from an egg. "In a Bug? uhhh...ok..ya feel ok JIm?"

Everybody's normal till you get to know 'em ... Freak ;)

Haven't seen a Formuling France steering wheel in quite some time .... seems like everyone goes Empi or stock.

Fully polished or chromed fuch's and empi's , thank god !!

This is where I'm different than a lot of folks, I guess, as I can't stand big ol' steering wheels in a Bug, at least.  I've got long legs and am much more comfortable with a Grant GT or else, my personal favorite Formuling France wheel.

Again, that's where I'm different.  I think those wheels look way better either polished or chromed... especially on a late-model, in the case of 8 spokes. ;D

I wonder ... surely Formuling France wheels are not still made?
Surely that was there demise ... I took mine off when the horn button disintigrated. Luckily I had something else to use ...

Careful with opinions like that you'll find yourself confined to the resto lounge  ;D
you'll be liking roof racks and pop out rear windows next  ::) ;)

Meh, I don't care... lol.  I'm already something of an outcast owning a late-model VW. ;D 

Never curled wire but I did braid it   ;)

Late models are the new Ovals ;)
They even have their own thread!
LMAO!

Lol, my car isn't Cal Look simply because there's hardly any paint left on it... it's what I would refer to as the 'SSB/Mark Herbert Look.' ;D

dang, formuling france wheels also!  I just removed the louvered fire wall as I decided it was too outdated.  My car is a who's who of what didn't last.
Got me thinking,  which cal look trend's that have stood the test of time:
stock side trim, stock steering wheel (always the first thing to go on any of my cars), stock mirrors, over rider bumpers, stock paint colors, stock width front beam, stock dash, stock gauges, dual cans, alloys, uncut dashboards, stock window rubber, big motors, and stock radio's and being not too low, oh yeah and stock lighting.
hmmm......... I don't remember alot of these things being cal look, other than the obvious.
enjoying this topic by the way.
jim

I never liked FF wheels... found the hub too big and the horn button too cheap looking. I had a Racemark in my '67 before I put in the Empi

right!

Couldn't find a picture of a Racemark in a VW so I found the next best thing.... A Racemark in a Porsche.

These have the earlier style horn button Mine has the later horn button which was flatter and had a smaller button with a aluminum ring around it. .. oh and of course a Wolfsburg crest in black and chrome. Still have it but I think the leather would need to be redone as it's showing its age. I think it's 15in.

Of course going from this to the much larger Empi was like adding power steering to the car.  ;)

Racemark was started as a partnership with Mark Donohue and is still in business but now specializing in floor mats  :(

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is this what you're looking for  ::)........ ;D.... ;)

That's the right wheel but I haven't seen that horn button before. I think that maybe something custom as the only ones I've seen have been the earlier one like the one in the picture I posted and the later one which I have.


Edit: Here's a pic I found on The Samba. This is the horn button I have but I have the leather wrapped wheel like in the other pics.

(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/473538.jpg)

I understand that, but my point was that all the comments in this thread is judgemental.
When it comes to my comment about the A1's I absolutely understand what I did, what I was trying to do was to put the shoe on the other foot.
But it's true, I like my exhausts somewhat hidden... and black...

The use of the word "sano" in Hot VWs articles is clearly a cal look trend that didn't stand the test of time.  :)

Too bad crappy writing is still in vogue...

Briz bumpers   :-[

knock offs.  thankfully on american cars also.

hydraulics
suicide doors
raked B pilars
& de seaming  ::)

I can remember during the '80's people getting really creative with their headliner material using leopard,zebra, plaid, velvet, shag or this really hairy mohair material. Badges were popular from different punk/rock groups pinned to their headliner.

OK I'll admit it.. I liked WINK mirrors. Be able to see who pulled up next to you without moving your head was cool. It gave you a panoramic view. My friends where using them too even race cars like INSANITY had one.