The Cal-look Lounge

Was just reading Seume's latest Cal Look book, and the chapter on Mahaffey's green split window giant killer, realizing, his experiences whomping on the V8's on a Friday night, are what probably has kept this hobby going for 40+ years. His experiences in the parking lots of Big Carls and Taco Villa were the template for so many other stories from my own growing up with a modded VW- and most of my friends' up bringing too. In the towns I grew up in, there were more than 4 or 5 VW's ready to throw down with most any of the "macho muscle" dummies that were busy bolting on Performer manifolds and Unilites to their 305 Chevs. Any given Friday or Saturday night, the VW guys would hunt these V8 guys down either @ the Burger King in Livermore or out at Patterson or Raymond (Patterson was often patrolle by lab cops so you had to get out there, make your kill and get out FAST). In junior year of high school, at age of 16, I rode along in my friend's 90NPRx 82mm '64 gutted Bug, and watched firsdt hand how a scruffy little VW could kick the crap out of a 6.6L Trans Am. And this VW was done on a high school budget, a core motor from a Bus, that just happened to have a Scat 82 crank and 912 rods in it. Borrowed 44 Webers, as cast 041's and a Claude's off road cam. Total hodged mess, but it did the trick. At the time I had a 1641 with dual ICT Webers, but knew someday....
My first kill was a white Pontiac Tempest with 383, headers and low gears. Ironically the guy that owned it was the son of my boss @ Buggy House, who knew full well what a Bug could do. It wasn't even close, and my motor at that time was at best a mid 14 sec setup, but that night, again like the night in high school pretty much sealed the deal. That was 21 years ago this summer, and while I don't go out Friday nights looking for V8s, I do still have my VW, tuned better than in years past, and still fully capable. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Hey , it is the same today ;-) But i started , because of living in germany , to blow away some SL55 AMG`s or a Porsche Turbo. Not to speak about that Honda and water Vw people . Was much fun all the time.
V8 ? Sold me engine about 4 years ago and bought a 79 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a built 70´s Corvette engine. Was very fast and much fun , but to fast for it allmost stoch suspension !was somehow scary from 110mph++ to handle it on full throttle when the engine reached its max. power.....
But than again ther was this feeling... Sell that Olds and go again with the bug !!!!! Thats what i did and started collecting parts for the engine.
Still have the same car from 1994 to now. Hope to get it on the road and track again next year :-)
So , i understand what you mean.
Maybe when the car is ready again , some people in their hightech wannebe sportscars , will not beleive what will happen......
Greets , Carsten

I hope to experience that before I lose the desire with the frustrations I'm having with my current build.  :P

people that throw is the towel are not true car fans...remeber its a hobby have fun with it.... that day you are driving it with a ear to ear grin will be well worth it!!!!!

Blood Sweat And Tears Gets you Banging Gears :-]

I politely disagree... if I throw in the towel, it won't be because I'm not a true VW or car fan, it'll only be because I can no longer financially support the hobby.  That said, I've known a lot of guys from my old hometown that only got into VWs because it was the fashionable thing to do at the time and moved on when the next fad came around.  To me, those guys are the definition of 'fair weather' enthusiasts.

My first blood was a 71 or 2 El Co at itwindale 1/8 mile. My 2110cc with denham heads and Idas vs. His 383. I beat him so bad he wanted another go with me on 165s and him on slicks.

"Back in the day" I had my fair share of V8 fun.  For me, the V8 "blood" was mostly from Saturday night stop light to stop light type contests.  I'd be sitting at a light and some V8 car would come up with its lumpity-lump sound, and they'd either give a little rap or simply leave the light hard.  I particularly enjoyed it when they'd take off and I'd have to catch them.  It would be pretty satisfying to pass them, and then at the next light either see them make an abrupt turn to avoid any eye contact, or they'd pull up and ask "what the hell do you have in that thing!"   ;D

Other times it would start out with both cars leaving the light like normal and then slowly build up, and up, and then they'd nail it.  I'd drop it back to 2nd and fly by them with a 3rd gear chirp. 8)

Looking back, I guess it was all pretty stupid going 90+ mph on the street. :-\

yeah i can understand that but if you wana play you gotta pay  :-*

hey bugitchynuts,
        aren't you the guy who's for gays in the military?.....................it figures!

And I agree with Winks!!! Work on it till it runs and runs well ;)

Ryan, not tryin to bash you, but that statement speaks volumes to me. Maybe nobodies said it to you yet, but have you ever thought of getting out of that 1 horse town, looking for a better paying job in a bigger city. Every time I hear someone crying broke and listen to their story, everyone of them is stuck in a rut but would rather bitch about it than do something about it. What have you got to lose? You're still young, take a chance, if you're not afraid to fail, you probably wont.

When I still street raced the real fast pro type guys recognized each other. No need to prove a point. The ignoramuses were fair game, and received their just deserts. The more vocal and braggadocios, the sweeter the victory.    

After all these years...the taste still lingers.  ;)  

most common question we've all been asked:

"Is that a Porsh motor in that there darn thang?"

My usual response:

"No... I wouldn't want to slow it down"  ;D

I had a dozen different thoughts running through my head when I first saw this post by you, a guy I've never met let alone ever had a problem with online, but ultimately I decided to tone it down.  This reply as well as your unwarranted bullshit post I quoted will likely be deleted from this thread, anyway. 

I will ask this: WTF are you trying to achieve with this comment, which references a CLF thread in which I spoke my mind freely, something our homeland is built/based upon?  Seriously, dude, I'm not going to get it into it here with you, because online bitchfests are retarded, they achieve nothing, and the mere fact that you're that lit up over a difference of opinion from another goddamn web site is really, really strange.

Seriously, dude, WTF.   

True that, I can just only afford to pay once...;D

In all fairness, 24 hours has passed since I posted that initial comment... largely out of frustration.  I'll always love VWs, have since I was just a tot and I'm 34 years old now.  It's just that taste of blood that Jim spoke/speaks so eloquently of is getting all the more fever pitch for me...lol.

http://www.cal-look.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/im-sick-and-tired!!!!!!!!!!!/

Need I say anymore............................

I apologize Jim if I disrupted your thread....... Great thread by the way! I love my 2165 I built!The sound and feeling got me hooked when I was a kid! Still learning alot along the way, it's a awesome hobby! Lets hope the economy in the USA rebounds so we can continue to enjoy it!

Can we please start this thread over...?

Last night I left a friend's house and headed to the parkway. Thee was a Audi A4 behind me, while not tailgating they were close. So I dropped it down 2 gears and hit the on ramp. These guys caught up quickly so I took off and it took them a few seconds to catch up. I was surprised that they were so quick. The road opened up so I changed lanes to let them by. It wasn't a A4, it was a RS4 with a V8. I got a thumbs up and took off after them. Nothing stupid, just some quick lane changes and downshifting. Finally my exit cam up and got another "thumbs" up from them.

While I would not pretend I could keep up with them on a open road... we both had some (safe) fun.

Really no need to, just keep the CLF stuff on CLF and the cool stuff on here, and everyone will be happy.  :)

Got a thumbs up from a Audi R8R yesterday :)

Spotted him 10 cars ahead, changed lanes to get to him and slided in behind him. But not only a R8R but a 997 Turbo infront of the Audi. because his car's heritage could be traced back too the Beete I just needed to pick a fight  ;D

He changed lanes, and I could downshift and get along him. Gave him some revs (loud Phat boy) and passed him a couple of times.. At the next lights he gave me the countdown, ending with one on his middle finger (jerk). He didn't dump the clutch so I got a few yards on him, then a couple of turboes got in my way  :P

The R8R passed me as my exit came up, with his hand out the window and a big ol' thumbs up! MADE MY DAY ;D

It's about respect on the road. Because the "fastest" is usually the one driven by the guy that values his life the most.

R8R... pretty cool.

Love this place :)

I apologize Donny and Jim, I was only standing up for myself after being needlessly heckled.  ::) Nuff said.

No Apology necessary... I'm with you on this one...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6qFmEoinWo
fun times :)

Guess what the camaro owner told me after the run..

"My carb isnt jetted properly"  ;D

They always have excuses.   I really enjoy it when they are cool about it and give me thumbs up or just wave and smile.

So true Donny! Once a guy in an early V8 Cuda wouldn't even talk to me before we lined up at the track. We line up and the announcer says he thinks it's an unfair match etc..He does the usual 5 minute burnout, I drive around the water, then I nail him by over a second! After the times pop up on the board the announcer says "I would have a hard time going home with that!"....LOL Then walking through the pits I hear him tell his buddy he needs to get his "slicks on" because it was really spinning. Next run, with slicks, same performance! This time walking through the pits he is loading it on the trailer ;D I would bet it changed his view of both of our cars forever.....

Was just reading Seume's latest Cal Look book, and the chapter on Mahaffey's green split window giant killer, realizing, his experiences whomping on the V8's on a Friday night, are what probably has kept this hobby going for 40+ years.

When the Mahaffey V8 killer built it's reputation the car was actually a dark metallic brown.  I don't know if I've ever posted this before but I do remember one night in Taco Villa on Harbor Blvd. just north of the 91 Freeway.  Mike pulled in with all of the BIG V8 Chevy, Ford and Mopars and launched the car in front of them.  I happend to be standing directly behind the split and to this day I'll swear the quarter panels distorted when he did so.  I think the car was wearing 185x15 Pirelli Cinturatos on the rear which was a large tire for a VW in those days.  They went up in smoke immediately and a hush fell over the crowd.

Whenever my VW enthusiasm may wane a bit (God forbid), I pull out either of Keith's 2 Cal Look books and it gets the fire going again, every time.   The old stories, pictures, etc are SO inspirational!  I like the modern day stuff too, but sometimes it gets a little too retentive or $ oriented nowadays....40 years ago, all this cool stuff was being done by KIDS, not 40-50 year old dudes with a lot of disposable income and a list of very talented VW craftsman willing to do the work.  That's why the old stuff is magical.  I'm sure those old cars weren't "picture perfect", they were drivers that looked pretty good and got the job done day in and day out.

I go to cruise nights regularly with my buddy who has a '59 Cal Looker, and I take my '68 911 because my '64 Bug isn't done yet.  His Bug ALWAYS gets more attention, swarms of people around it, etc.   My old 911 gets admiration but it's more from "afar"....most people cannot relate to it, although they like it.

Nothing beats an old Cal Look VW to make friends and kick V8 booty. ;D

I can't seem to get anybody to "play" with me anymore -- -- Maybe it is the smell of the ethanol in the E85  8^b

http://youtu.be/JJNaZRlCDPE

I can't remember where I heard it (I'm thinking it was Berg for some reason??), but it's a fact that you can't really loose when racing a V8 with your VW... If you win, you win. But if you loose, is the guy in the V8 going to brag to his buddies that he knocked off a VW? Don't think so ;D ;)

I need another quick street car in my life. It's weird... I've built big/fast motors for friends, but the first motor I ever built for myself was the fastest I've owned (and oddly the smallest at 1600cc, made 93hp). Since then, I built a torquer 1776cc type 3 (85hp/100tq), and now this weird, stock cammed, stupid expensive, EMPI 1679cc that I'm hoping will break my car into the high 16's... What the fuck is wrong with me?! I like to think the refinement has improved, but the power output surely hasn't. ::)

I started seriously modifying my bug in 1996 with a nice little 1776 dellorto engine and that quickly turned into a 2160 with 48 idf's. At the time my sworn enemy was the local 5.0 Mustang crowd. At the time, the 5.0 was the car to have in Denver and most of the guys at the street races and the track thought they were hot sh*t until me and my VW buddies showed them what was up. I don't remeber any specific instances but I'll never forget how pissed off most of those guys would get. I used to hate those damn Mustang guys but eventually became friendly with a few of them and had a chance to drive a couple and see how fun they were. The irony here is that when my lust for horespower became to great for a street driven VW to satisfy I ended up joining them. I've had a couple Mustangs and the '89 LX that I have now runs high 10's on DOT tires and pump gas, but my passion will always be fast VW's.

Zach --- you need to come for a ride in the Ovalholio -- It is tuned super rich right now until I can get down to Bill Shears Dyno (so I don't hurt anything LOL) When I was driving it Sunday it would come up on to about 13 lbs boost in fourth gear but it was soooo fat it would be blubbering and then I'd roll off the throttle and it would lean out and the car would just blow the tires away -- put down about 50' of black marks down the street in 4th gear -- was the weirdiest feeling -- but it was way cool so I had to do it about 5 or 6 or 10 times LOL -- a ride in this POS will light up the go fast fire in you real fast -- I'm almost hating I'm working because I'm wanting to get back to the dyno

I have to admit I know where you're coming from...I have thoughts to share about V8s that would probably have some folks telling me to get outta here (;D), but I have to admit, having driven our local club's '62 Impala, it's amazing how much more substantial, in terms of durability/overall feel of strength, American iron is compared to, say, my '70 Bug.  The fragility factor feels so much greater in my Bug, as much as I love it.  Whenever I've railed on my Bug a bit, in the back of my mind I'm always thinking, what's my current weakest link? Lol.  That may change if I ever get a good, strong gearbox built for it, especially as I increase its horsepower.
Bang for the buck is certainly a plus with those fox-bodied Mustangs, from what I've heard, but it also takes a lot less horsepower to get a VW rolling at a respectable rate.

There was a night about 15 years ago, a few of us were bored and feeling antagonistic, so what better to do than go throw revs at the Mustang morons @ Burger King. I had a 2276, FK10, S/E 42 x 37's bus snubbers, solid mounts and a lower pulley about size of a nickel. Pulled into Burger King and spotted a metallic late 80's 5.0 (louvered taillights, etc) and gave him a wad of 48IDA bark to chew on. Him and his buddies all stopped mid sentence, Skoal falling from their gaping mouths, etc. The owner (obvious) asks "guess that means you wanna race?"
To make a long, borng story short, after first pass, him and his cronies start unpacking speaker boxes, spare tire, 12 packs of Hamm's from the 'Stang...("ain't no way now that boy in the veeduabbaya is gonna beatcha again!"). One guy's bleeding air from the guy's rear tires. We're trying not to laugh. Second pass, win to Bug. Third pass same. This guy's got the Mustang's hood open now ("maybe if I shake my air filter out....wait maybe this plug wire's loose..."). Finally he concedes, but then asks me "That thing a dual port?"

Really?? I don't get that feeling AT ALL. Everytime I drive a 50's-70's American car, they feel flexy, heavy, poorly built, doors shut with a CLANG, etc. Even the ones that have been restored! But I hop in my Beetle, the door shuts tightly enough that I open the vent wing first, even with the original nearly 40 year old seals. It feels tight and light, easy to control. I feel like I'm much more able to avoid a collision in it, which is better than surviving one after! And those on/off power brakes American cars had back then?? No fucking thanks!

I was mainly thinking in terms of going down the track.. not so much the peripherals like the feel of the overall car, like doors and such.  Until I have a built box and all the goodies to go with it in the Bug, I'm reluctant to flog it very hard in terms of launching and what not.  Of course, that Impala I spoke of has an automatic and not a clutch.  Just a completely different feel altogether from the Bug, is all.

...and then we told him to race the 4 door Rabbit. The Rabbit was so ordinary Rabbit. It was a very stock looking early 80s white 4 door Rabbit that just happened to run 13s on street tires and had won many bracket racing events at Sears point. Ed was so far ahead of him in his Rabbit he put on his blinker on and pulled in front of him and then the Fuzz showed up and put an end to our shenanigans.

....and the poor guy that never barked a tire (Kyle) was the one that got nailed that night for driving off with no headlights. I think Ed (Rabbit) either a) blew by the cops or b) they figured "this poor dork in the Rabbit got himself in a street brawl between a few 'Stangs, he didn't do nuttin" or c) just oturan them.

That was the beautiful thing about the Rabbits! Even LESS likely than a bug, to most people.