The Cal-look Lounge

Hey all, been a while since I've been on the lounge, and unfortunately I come here with bad news...

On March 19th Zach Gomulka's fathers garage burned down. 


Zach's dad Earl, is a car nut just like all of us, and has been chugging away on his '34 Ford hot rod project for over 10 years.
Earl recently retired and was looking forward to polishing up his hot rod. 

Due to some event in the garage stove chimney, the fire started either on the roof or in the upper level.

This is where Zach's 20 year plus collection of VW goodies were, and sad to say, are no more.
The fire continued and destroyed Earl's entire onslaught of tools, even yard equipment and of course his Hot Rod.
Fortunately, he was able to push his Beetle to safety. :o

Per Zach's request I went to the scene days later to see if I could spot anything salvageable , and I was sad to report that I couldn't.
Oddly enough the only recognizable items of Zach's collection were half burned Hot VW's Magazines. Weird.

I'm sure you all, like me can not imagine if one of your beloved hobby collections just evaporated.

Un-contained Fire is a SOB! Let's all take a look around our houses, garages, business, etc... and be extra safe.


And Zach, buddy, I know this has put a big rip in your sails; however you're a creative guy and I have faith that something good will come of this;
so come on everyone let's give Zach big Internet Hugs  :)


*Local Story about the fire.

https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/mar/21/dearing-park-fire-destroys-garage/ (https://www.dcourier.com/news/2017/mar/21/dearing-park-fire-destroys-garage/)

Sorry to hear this both for Zack and his dad. At least no one was hurt except for ones pride.

Hi Chris

that's really sad to hear.


Zach that really sucks, gutted for you & your dad:(   Cant imagine what that would be like


Richie

Sorry to hear the bad news, Zach.

Andrew

sorry to hear that, and glad nobody got hurt!

That hurts bad man.
Very sorry Zach, and for your dad.

Oh no Zach..... So sorry to you and your Dad that this happened.

I first though it was a bad april fools joke  :-[

Sorry to hear that bad news.

Sad to hear this news. Zach if there is anything I can help with let me know...!

Don

Zach, if it wasn't for bad luck... you know the rest. :(
It's crap that this has happened. Hopefully you've got insurance which will cover you for the losses, and maybe that's a lesson to all of us with stuff squirrelled away.

Scary! My neighbour a few houses away had his older Ford Explorer hybrid spontaneously start on fire when it was parked behind his house. Luckily it wasn't in a garage. It would almost be worth it to install a sprinkler system in your garage as long as freezing wouldn't be an issue. My neighbour only knew about the fire because he happened to be home and smelled smoke when he was inside his house.  :o

damn… sad to hear this. if i (we) can do anything to help you out with whatever feel free to ask.

Very sorry to hear this, hope you find the strength to pick yourself up and start again with your collection.

Best wishes from the uk, can't imagine how you must be feeling right now  :(

So sorry to hear Zach!!

Zach, sorry to hear this it's horrible.   I have a bunch of magazines and a lot of doubles.   Let me know if you want the doubles....free of course.

I can't imagine the sense of loss. Very sorry to hear, be thankful that nobody was injured. It's tough to replace parts and cars- and now just memories remain. But at least you can remember.
Don't get discouraged.

Jim

Thanks all. Make sure this doesn't happen to you. Don't think for a second that it can't. Get more insurance, and take video inventory on a yearly basis. It fucking sucks.

I'm still not really sure what to say at this point. One big loss like this is very hard, two in five years really makes you reconsider what your priorities are. The only thing I know for certain is that my 55 will be for sale, as all of the vintage parts I had acquired for it (many from friends on this site) over the last 15+ years now exist in the form of ashes in a dumpster. Outside of that, I just don't know. I've loved the cal look since I first saw the bible when I was 16 years old, and many of the people I've met through it have become life long friends. This cal look thing doesn't make for a very good spectator sport, and although I still daydream about building cars constantly, actually working towards another just doesn't hold any appeal to me.

My father, on the other hand, lost literally every object that was important to him. He had been working on a 'glass 34 Ford for the last 11 years, and recently retired so he could invest more time to finish it. He was nearing completion of the fit up stage, before blowing it back apart for paint and final assembly. He lost all of his tools, all of the tools inherited from his father, essentially everything that made him tick. All gone. It is devastating. He's 68 years old and is trying to figure out what to do with his life.

Don't let it happen to you.

Hey, Zack, please don't give up on the 55. I know this sounds trite, in fact, I agree, it's very hard to know what to say, but having recently experienced the loss of my Father, I would say the two of you need to bounce back, and bounce back together! Your Dad didn't loose everything, on the contrary, he's still got you! He's got you to help him make some more best times....cos, and please believe me on this one, when he's gone, and I hope he's got many more years left, you can't make any more of those...

Andrew

I too am sorry to hear what has happened. Any other cal look friends want to donate some money towards some new tools? I'd certainly put some cash in. The father son garage time is awesome as I well know
Lee

Take another project, even a small one, and keep going. My parent's house was nearly destroy in a tornado 1 1/2 year ago and the very next day we where busy at work like it never happen. We lost a lot's of stuff, but, hey, those are just objects.

Hey Zach, I'm so sorry you and your dad are going through this. It really sucks.

If I can do anything for you guys, let me know. You still have my number?

You might try going in a different direction with the '55. Vintage builds are cool but modern builds can be cool too. Look at Henry Mayeda's car. One of the most unique cars you'll see and while it's got a few old pieces, it's still pretty modern.

I was set with the way I wanted to go with the '67. A talk with Bill Schwimmer 10 years ago completely changed the direction of the project. If it wasn't for that conversation, my '67 would still be sitting.

Deciding what to do with my GTV after the accident was gut wrenching. I had a lot of memories and formed a bond with that car. The 55 is an easy decision. The car itself is a 55 shell with a 57 tank forward clip sitting on a 57 pan. It's rubbish. But it worked for what I had planned. The value was in the parts I had acquired. Oval projects are comparatively plentiful and easy to find if I want to scratch that itch again. But, I can not comprehend putting that collection of parts together a second time. It would take much longer, and be unbelievably expensive. Rick, I've considered changing direction but in my head there is only one way to build the 55. Nothing else comes close. I'm ok with passing it on.

I feel I should clarify- My dad still lives in Arizona, in the home I grew up in. I moved to Washington state nearly two years ago (I stored my parts there when I moved because I didn't have space for them in the apartment we first moved to). I appreciate the thought of father/son garage time, but the truth is we are 1400 miles apart and that doesn't happen very often anymore. I am humbled and I sincerely appreciate the offer for donations, but there are people in much more dire straights than we are that need real help.

I have been casually looking for an original paint '65 beetle for quite some time. Something that is already drivable or can be with a little work. If anyone comes across one on your travels, please let me know. I'll travel for the right car. I haven't had an ACVW that I could drive on a daily basis since the GTV and I really miss that. Even if it is stock, it puts a smile on your face.

Thank you all for the support.

I'll keep my eyes open.

Sad to hear this.
But don't give up on the hobby.
I know it is easy to say when not in your situation.

Henk!!!

Sorry to hear about this Zach. As everyone said, thankfully no one was hurt. Hope you find a nice '65 very soon!

Sorry to hear. The shop I worked at, and a good VW friend both had horrible fires. The shop had pretty good insurance to cover the business, but the friend lost everything. Video/Photographic inventory helps, but it's hard to get anything out of an insurance company these days. My friend going to the hospital from smoke inhalation, and loosing a 21 window was bad enough, but it took most of the day for the fire dept. to put out the fire that involved a couple dozen engine cases/trannies.
(https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/755718.jpg)

Don't know if you do Face Book. Here's a very nice '65[attachment=1][attachment=1]

Darn, too many moving parts.[attachment=1]

Thanks all for keeping an eye out for me.

That's a nice car, but it isn't original paint (non original colour). I'm very particular about this, it has to be original paint for what I eventually plan to do with it.

Very bad News