The Cal-look Lounge

Well I started tearing into this car today. The body is in excellent shape but the chassis is toast. The elements have taken their toll on not only the pan halves but also the bottom of the tunnel. I'm currently looking at a couple of options for a clean donor pan. The interior was packed to the roof with old engine parts. Some from this car and some not. There's a case bolted to the transmission and mocked up with some pieces but a lot of the bottom end stuff was in the car.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/B4F6B970-F56D-4F14-8D1D-EDA739D4B22E-4869-000001857DE4F55C_zps54904bb6.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/5E2B4F80-880E-49D0-AABF-B2238B579CA1-4869-000001858E10EE56_zpsd50c1ab3.jpg)

Among other stuff, I found an old SPG roller crank, DDS cam, and these OG empi rockers. I'm gonna try and blast them and see if they can be salvaged. The tips that contact the valve stems are like new so I may be ok.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/9681660E-C1F4-4302-843B-3F0C01D8C998-4869-0000018594B62C70_zpsd34972fb.jpg)

I also found an old parachute inside the car as well. Must have been a wild ride.

I'm gonna strip down the mocked up case tomorrow and start on rejuvenating the original 48 IDAs. I'm hopeful they can be saved. Throats are like new. Fortunately someone had sense enough to put stack covers on them before they parked it.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/03ACEDC6-9B56-4668-B847-89281934013D-4869-000001859B45C50F_zps7191c1ac.jpg)

BTW, the Deano Dyno Soars can is marked DDS 146. Anyone with old catalogs know the specs on this cam or an Engle equivalent?

God I hate rust! >:(

Cool..... I'll be keeping an eye on this one  :)

Very very nice Car!!!
Do you have more Pics?
Whish you all the best with the Restauration :)

Regards from Switzerland

Be real cool if all those old parts clean up and are re-useable - period motor  8)

That's my hope. I'd like to reuse as much of this stuff as possible. I'll post a lot more pics today. The exhaust is especially wild.

I've gotta say I've long been a fan of these early drag bugs. With guys like Russell Ritchie and the Schley Bros revitalizing these cars and Dean Kirsten documenting the history, I've been really inspired to find a gasser project of my own. Granted its not even close to the same league as the Lightning Bug, Tar Babe, or Inch Pincher, I think it still deserves a second chance at opening up it's IDA's again. The owner told me this car raced for 10 years. 1972-1982. I've got a long road ahead, but having a body pulled from the same mold as the original EMPI Jouster is all the motivation I need!  ;D

i think this tread will be a cool one,
here're some folder  from dds catalog  and there's nothing about a DDS-146 cam , now may be someone have more info

 ??? The plot thickens! Must be a super secret prototype Deano special cam! I mean, how else do you explain the 250 hp? We've found the secret ingredient! LOL

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/23D68A57-1D37-4744-AF0F-7340B87BCB96-6108-000001E619338C62_zps5b38234e.jpg)

VERY COOL!!!!! I wish you much success in the restoration!
The 8 spokes go very nice with the spindle mount 12 spokes. Must be a '68 transaxle, right?

really cool adventure this is going to be  8)

Very neat car. I think it should be known as the FiberGasser. :)

Thanks gang. I'm told the tranny is from a 68 Type 3 and has close ratio gears.

Fibergasser is brilliant! Love it!

Tore into some of the engine parts today. Got the IDAs pulled off and they look like theyll bounce back with rebuild kits and a soda blast. I'd like to shake the hand of whoever had the foresight to put the stack covers on. I really like the vintage crossbar linkage. Very primitive but cool in how it mounts at the manifold/carb. I also found EMPI markings (upside down) on the top of the manifolds under the mounting stud edge.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/DB5253CE-457B-4D2D-B2B9-AAB0F9C575D0-6673-00000211E8AF9151_zps06cea497.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/65AD4E22-DF4F-4963-A1CB-9CD315B121C2-6673-00000211E24575A1_zps466bac94.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/CB668013-0A1B-4B6A-BA73-4E860142416B-6673-00000211EE5DAF44_zps510f0d9d.jpg)

When did they switch from the globe design to this stamping? I've seen both styles on the samba...

loving the linkage , less is truly more , manifold / carb grounded linkage ensures adjustment doesn't go outta balance as the motor warms & stretches  8)

Globe style came later.

Now this is really something!  ;D

Very cool find!  I love it!  Some cool parts so far for sure.  Run the magneto, it's period correct and also gives better spark. 

I looked up that cam in my Deano stuff and I couldn't find it, maybe it's a later (mid 70s) Deano cam of some sort?

What type of front end is on it, a Deano?

Awesome, shall be watching this. I would imagine the hunt has already started for in period pictures by someone on here ;D

So pleased to see you go this car! I've read the threads and I'm bringing my thoughts together here!

If it was mine, I'd look for a new floorpan, as you've already stated, with a VW beam up front, swingaxle rear. I'd cut the cage out and replace with a fresh mild steel one that's as close as possible to the original so you can use the interior aluminium panels, but without the rust and updated to current specs (adding sill bars and a diagonal in the roof for example). I know you said that you won't be racing it competitively, but it wouldn't hurt to have it "right"!
Keep the body as-is if possible, like Russell did with Stutt Bee - it's a shame to lose the look of the car, even if it's not that well known.
Motorwise, I'd use the 82mm crank and H-beams and build a high-compression race gas 2180 with the DDS cam, IDAs and magneto, so it's a period perfect look and feel but still reliable. As for the gearbox, check out what's in there already - you might find it's perfectly suited to the motor part you've got!

I agree with Neil.

That's awesome advice Neil! And that's also along the lines of what I'm thinking.... As much as I'd love to see this car shiny and new again, they're only original once. This car just oozes cool as it sits. A new cage is definitely at the top of my priority list too. I'd like to make this car as safe as possible, seeing as how the fiberglass body doesn't offer much in the way of protection if the unthinkable were to occur.

Yes, my hunt for period goodies for the motor has begun. It's evident by the prices on some of this stuff that it's still highly collectible!

I found a Deano cam grind 141D on the samba. Anyone know if the specs for a D cam are different from the 141 listed in the spec sheets above? Also, are these a 1:4 cam or 1:1/1:25?

Has anyone had problems with these old cams flattening lobes when being used with today's insane spring pressures?

X2

After reading the entire Stutt Bee revival thread, my mind is made up. This is the way to go. Today was spent stripping the car down to prepare to separate the body and pan. Hopefully it's stable enough to hold together. The fiberglass seems fairly thick.

Maybe instead of a real Deano cam, you could just find a new cam with specs the same or very close to a real Deano cam.  Keith Seume's aircooled interchange book would be good to find the right cam.

I'll check that out. I haven't been able to find anything out so far about the specs of that particular grind of DDS cam. Thanks for the tip!

Any pics of the heads yet and are you going to try and re-use them. Guessing they have been extensively hand ported and re-worked  ;D hey maybe by the legendary FF himself !

I'll try and get pics of them today. Problem is I don't know if these were the heads the car actually ran or not. The "engine" it came with was a mocked up mish mash of parts. So far, though, it's yielded an SPG roller crank, DDS cam, OG empi 1.4 rockers, and OG Empi IDA manifolds with Italian 48 IDAs. All parts definitely match the period when the car was built-1972. So we will see what else is there...

Sorry it's been a couple days... Finally got the 63 ragtop put away for winter which freed up space for the gasser. Jacked it up today to see what I've got going on with the front end. Don't know if its a Deano unit or not-but certainly representative of tube beams of that era. I'd really like to switch this over to the new donor pan...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/8546D990-5C6B-4F02-A802-1866B632F1A0-9369-000002DF7CBFB5A2_zps625d1d39.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/C9BD8203-AD51-4B4E-80F2-4DD28E470282-9369-000002DF8305F64E_zpseb5ead5f.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/81E42059-D932-465A-9E20-828388B3C491-9369-000002DF88BCA62F_zpsdbad2caf.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/AE15F530-7E26-41C6-909A-799F8D40232C-9369-000002DF8FF36D76_zps0db6fa68.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/A518601F-1184-4973-BA93-5A0796ECC9BD-9369-000002DF969EB601_zps3cdffc97.jpg)

Spindle mount wheels are marked American Racing

Those wheels are bitchin.

I dig em too! I'm hoping a soda blast will help freshen them up!

Got back to work on the car today. In the process of stripping the car and separating the body from what's left of the crusty pan.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/6C9FDECF-0500-4049-9AA6-C662C08DF110-1107-000000425F4D1716_zps9f7b624b.jpg)

Would you believe what I found! Looks like original instructions for mounting the 48 IDA linkage! Very much in the style of the artist who did the anatomy of a Cal Look car for HVWs!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/74E1CBED-0317-4DCB-8D52-B69021CFDB62-1107-00000042183D9081_zps62e3cccc.jpg)

Cool  :)

Pulled the OG Mooneyes 2.5 gallon aluminum tank.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/8BE9F337-8A80-44EC-A000-ED7ACA5FDD8D-2458-000000BEC0173E4F_zps3a15f8b6.jpg)

Still has the original Eelco fabricated mounts and spring retainers!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/F88399ED-81C8-466D-B8B3-A212E6756985-2458-000000BEC5A22C94_zpsd47a42c5.jpg)

Cool updates.  By chance did you weight the car when you got it?  I wonder what it weighs....I would guess 1000 pounds or so?  Maybe less?

Here you go, behind the dragsters..



(http://twotogo.homestead.com/files/Photos-SidebySide/1Jon-Pulver-7-1.jpg)

Holy shit Ian! You're the man! Where on earth did you find that???  :o

Fritter, haven't weighed the car yet. I figured due to half of the pan being rotted out I figured it wouldn't be accurate! LOL I'm curious as well to see what a featherweight this car is. I can tell you I'm no muscleman but I can easily lift the front off the ground by myself...

Also discovered something that may be significant. Prior to its incarnation as the Super Steeler I've discovered the car was turquoise-very similar to L380 factory color. Even the rollbar was painted this color. Anyone know of a fiberglass drag car in this color scheme from way back when? Must've been prior to 1972.

I just stumbled across it looking at pic I have saved on my computer,I thought it was super cool to see a period pic of this car so I went back on the net to see if I could find where I found it to get more info on where it was taken. Didn't find out anything else unfortunately.

The twin engine rail was built by Jon Pulver in 1968, there's a good chance this pic is before '72!

Looking at the code and hence finding a broken link on the web, it seems this picture was taken in 1971.

You guys rock! Thanks for the info! Body is off of whats left of the pan. I was able to cut the original mono-tube front end off. Will be transferring everything over to the nice clean donor pan in the coming weeks...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/5FEF05D1-A1BA-401F-ACF0-FD44A8E674A7-6105-000001DED7E5461C_zps98a1353e.jpg)

He's in pieces at the moment. This week we are sandblasting and painting the donor pan after we transfer over the original drag spindle front beam. And those bitchin' wheels!

your on a roll! how many hands did it take to remove the body? what brand of slick does the car have on?

Just took two of us to lift the body off of the pan. The slicks are original 70s era M&H Racemasters!

Nice!  Got a pic of the removed front end?  How are you planning on rewelding that on the new pan?

I'll post some today of the front end itself. Basically, I cut back the tunnel about 3 inches from where this thing is mounted. Frm there, I'm going to dissect away everything carefully with a grinder. Then after trimming back the frame head on the donor chassis, we will transplant everything over. It should be a pretty straightforward swap.

Cool.  How will you make sure it's straight?  I assume lots of measuring from differnt points.

Wow!  This is a much better find than I ever imagined when I saw the ad for this car.  Those period engine pieces alone are probably worth what you payed for the car.  Glad to see you're soda blasting most of the parts.  That does a good job of removing paint and rust but not much else.  I don't know if your Deano cam is usable but I would send the cam and lifters to Steve Long for him to inspect.  He could regrind the lifters and "profile" the cam to give you the exact specs.  Hang on to everything you don't use like the SPG roller crank.  They can be pressed apart and repaired.  There are still guys that run those if they are pinned and welded.  Good luck on your build. 

Thanks man! Yep, I've carefully catalogued everything that's come off the car. Even stuff I won't be using is getting saved and put away. You're right. The car ended up being way cooler than I first imagined. I'm glad I took a chance on it! The money I am using to resurrect this beast was originally earmarked for a nice bus project, but in having a ball with this car so far, so no regrets!

This is awesome, I bet there are tons of people kicking themselves for not picking this one up, I thought it was a cool looking car when I saw the ad! Looks like you have found a little gold mine of old school VW performance. It will be awesome to see it back on the track one day.

Rob

Here's some pics for ya fritter! Yep, gonna be using lots of tape measures, levels and carpenters triangles!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/258E4960-84F6-4975-A5B7-AD3E07076FE3-8915-000002C3A8FFDCF2_zpsb6399192.jpg)

You can see in this shot how far back I cut everything. This way we can grind away the welds and hopefully save the original mounts. They did a good job of making everything fit together as it should while retaining a fairly decent level of adjustability for alignment...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/E3F50C60-57E2-4EFD-8E28-B8A34FD910A9-8915-000002C3A3073FC8_zpsa16e9088.jpg)

Dude this is cooler than the coolest build on this forum !!

Neat.  Is it just welded to the Napoleon hat in that one middle spot?  If so, that seems scarey....

Believe it or not, yes, that was it. There is a plate of sorts recessed flush into the tunnel, but nothing else outside the middle of the tunnel. Holy flex huh? I'll be tying the front tube frame into the roll cage once the body is back on the pan for sure... I'm all for originality and all, but there are some definite safety improvements that will be made too!

Nice!  ;)
Is there any suspension on the front end or is it completely stiff?

 :o :o :o :o

Anyone else find humor in a car that's called "Super Steeler" with a fiberglass body?  ;D

I thought that was weird too. I didn't get it at first, and then the owner explained the car was campaigned by the local VW dealership Steele Volkswagen. Still a dumb name for a fiberglass bodied car though. Just a little misleading! I guess it's more appropriate that it now resides in western PA except its Vikings colors. LOL

Thats the coolest thing I've seen on here in a long time!

Great find Tory....I'm keeping an eye on this one also

Thanks Eric! Good to see you on here!

It just keeps getting better. I tore into the engine case today and this is the sump that was bolted to it. Couldn't believe when I flipped it over and saw the globe! Definitely an early original magnesium EMPI sump. Gonna clean it up and put it back on the engine when it's time!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/5FE70017-05CC-4693-8E9B-EFA69016C9B4-283-0000000D93D9BDBA_zpse08b98d8.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/F5594914-865E-4ED0-99BB-87D845E26235-283-0000000D9AB26C2A_zpsb1261989.jpg)

Hey, that's cool!

Those are cool. Super light, much better heat dissipation than aluminium. Just remember to not put a jack under one, either lifting the car or just the engine.

Hey, we need an update on the Super Steeler. 

August, 1966 HOT ROD magazine.

Awesome ad! That's definitely the same body!

It's been slow going because of the wet weather. My friend Dan Miller at redbarn restorations is planning on blasting the pan clean and painting it as soon as weather conditions cooperate. Frame head on donor pan is a thing of the past, and Dan will be welding the original tube frame front end on the "new" pan.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/6ACBF8D1-4052-425A-B237-49BC942507DD-21797-000006CB2FA4D365_zpsd6e49299.jpg)

Original mounting plate preserved and will be blasted prior to welding.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/E6611CD0-7EC5-43EB-BA60-A0C847155EC2-21797-000006CB457D9FDB_zps878cfd94.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/46FA7A2B-7DB2-4F96-B8AB-2E2B5A38B0A5-21797-000006CB3C279295_zpsaf21d805.jpg)

Mail them a dollar, maybe you'll get a catalog.   ;D

Man, they did some janky things back in the '70s... I can't imagine a car being very stable at speed with such a rickety looking front axle.  It's cool as an artifact from that era, but scary to fathom what happens if the car gets out of shape at speed!

I agree. I'm going to be tying the front end into the rollcage. It won't be original, but should reduce flex and wandering at the top end. I'm ok with sacrificing some originality for safety!

Sorry it's been awhile since my last update. The winter weather here hasn't been conducive to outdoor blasting. Finally got a warm few days and my buddy Dan Miller of Red Barn Restorations was able to sandblast and paint the floorpan after carefully welding on the original spindle mount front to the new donor pan I picked up. Today I blasted the wheels and got some new 135s/tubes mounted. It's been slow going, but progress is being made!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/panamaherbie/Mobile%20Uploads/DAAF5715-7401-478B-97C3-8FB4C52DAEB7.png) (http://s.photobucket.com/user/panamaherbie/media/Mobile%20Uploads/DAAF5715-7401-478B-97C3-8FB4C52DAEB7.png.html)

Just saw this thread.  Wow this is so cool.  Love it!  Dont clean that thing too much. Strong new guts, old patina'd shell.  Amazing dream build.  Looking forward to more updates.  Drool..............

That's the game plan exactly. I'll be making a few improvements in the safety dept. Things like tying the rollcage into the front beam, better safety harness, rear disc brakes, etc. But, the patina'd body will remain exactly as is. Planning on keeping a period correct looking motor externally with some more modern and dependable pieces internally!

Coming along well there!  Looks good.  Looks like that rod in the middle is the caster adjuster? 

Correct. The long bar is also threaded to adjust toe. Quite a primitive setup for sure...

Awesome build, and nice to see all the right parts used 8)

So whats happening with the car?  I saw a craigslist ad with this car mentioned in some form...

the new/ex owner(Vwfreak53) sell the car to  a relative of the original builder :-/
hope  the new owner will share with us the rebuild of that car

Have you seen the update?  I guess the grandson of the original owner got it back.  Not sure what his plans are but I do not like this...
 :( :(  :'(
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1335699.jpg)

what the f..k , what's that big scoop on the decklid??
i know owner or not , never sell a car before to be sure that the guy will restore it to his original conditon
to sad to the how look the car today :'(

Conversion to V8 ? Or just a joke for the picture...?

I'm quite worried about the heater channel being cut out - it's not rusty, so why? Nice that a family member got the car back, but I'd hate to see it butchered for no reason, especially as the OP was doing so well with the resto.

got a nice message regarding my comment about this car from a boring guys not the 1st  time , but he don't have balls to sign


for yuor information i write what i want Ass...e  ;)

Now.... Absolutely NOT the coolest thing.

That's stupid... You weren't even disrespectful !  ::)
Yes the owner does what he wants and the picture is the evidence but anybody can have a say if he wants to ! And "I don"t like what's happening" is legitimate regarding the picture...

Looks like a period chassis could be up for grabs at least

Shame it didn't get returned back to its former glory

Still sure it the vintage crowd say the same about us !

Guys, don't freak out! The scoop was merely a joke. I assure you the present owner is going to do right by the car. He was very close with his grandfather who originally campaigned the car back in the 70s. The scoop is from another car and meant as a joke. He's currently pending membership here so he can continue to update you on the resurrection of this gasser...

Now that's a relief! When I read his posts on thesamba, I didn't get the impression of a V8 butcher!

;D

ya you guys are a bunch of doinks the scoop is off my s10 lmfao and the project is already back on 4 wheels and will be restored era specific with the exception of a few things so reeeeelax haha anyways will be posting pics soon

Haha, thats funny. Don't mess with the gasser fundamentalists ;)

just found a picture on fb of the car at an old event
look how the car hadn't change alot
only the front suspension was different
(https://scontent-bru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/12647143_498231043682735_222573499761150027_n.jpg?oh=ab22c0f928cb660c1d491cd8734a343c&oe=573FF6E4)

That slingshot looks pretty cool

i've found a cool picture from the car on fb
here we go

Hello,
You just brought me down memory lane.
My father was the original owner/builder of the Super Steeler!!!!
We owned Steele VW in Pembroke, MA.

Would love to know the status of car?
My brothers and I are ecstatic it is still around!!!!!

hi randy , i've asked someone  on facebook who had may be the car at one point and sell it to someone else ,  i will let you know if  i've a name