The Cal-look Lounge

All of us have heard of Dean Lowry, Berg, Vittone but what about Earl McMills?  I was talking to Mike Mahaffey last night at Nick's and Earl's name came up and it brought back a few (very) old memories.  The very first stroker crank Mike bought was a welded piece that lasted only a few runs before giving up.  Ron Fleming knew of Earl...that he had "stuff" in his small garage to make VW's haul ass.  So, Ron and Mike paid Earl a visit and Mike left with an 82mm SPG stroker crank, and in later trips, dual port heads and even a limited slip differential.  I made the trip once and bought an intake manifold for my newly aquired Zenith 32NDIX.  I ran into Ron at Drag Day last weekend and he showed me some old stuff he'd dug up out of the atic recently...one was a picture of Earl.

was that the guy up in Van Nuys?

Yes...could have been Inglewood, too.  Hard to remember.

there should be some good stories about him as well. there are probally some people who have done a lot for the callook-scene in general without being really a part of it, by being in clubs and having a callook. it's nice to see that these people are not forgotten

btw, that looks like a very nice white sunroof notch next to him. makes me drool a little.

I believe Keith´s first book mentions him briefly along the lines of what Sarge recalls and places him in Inglewood?

Let´s hear it!!!

Ron´s pic above is the same as in the book as I recall, anyone with some New Old Stories?  :D

I'm Earl's grandson and joined this group specifically so I could see the photo above.  It's amazing and brings so many memories.  I always enjoyed our time together and "playing" in his shop.  I usually spent summers at the house and some of you probably saw me running around if you had stopped by in the 70's and early 80's.  I was too young to fully appreciate how my grandfather contributed to the early days of VW performance.  I had a few VWs but unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to work on them with my grandfather.  The things I remember the most were visiting a bigger shop with a dragster, maybe Dick Herr?, and "Speedy" who drove an early model 911.

If anyone has any other photos or anything interesting to say, please chime in. 

 :o I'm speechless!  WELCOME! 8)

hello, welcome!

maybe someone on here as more picture and info, but can i ask you start digging in the old family albums? maybe you can find some pictures and stories as well.

As to the past, my grandfather was originally from Chicago but relocated to Inglewood and retired from Northrop as a machinist.  His specific occupation was in the manufacture and inspection of aeronautical parts.  I think his biggest involvement was with the F5-B Freedom Fighter.  He retired from Northrop and had two homes in the Inglewood area.  One was closer to an industrial area and used for storage.  I remember a blue Manx beetle parked stored in the garage, I would give most anything to see that again.  The other home was located near the intersection of LaBrea and Fairview, and this is the location of his personal residence and machine shop.  The photo above was taken in the driveway between my grandparent's house and the neighbor's house with the garage/shop behind the person working the camera.  The Squareback and beetle on the left were his, the dune buggy on the right was probably belonged to a visitor or the person taking the photo.  I have another photo of myself in their back yard on a 2-stroke Maverik trail bike, and the same Squareback is in the background.

My grandparents gave me a 71 Beetle when I turned 16 y/o.  Fantastic car and a pleasure to drive, but the gift came with strings.  Granddad wanted me to keep it stock, which isn't exactly what a teenager wants to hear.  It shouldn't have came as such a shock but his VWs were stock as well, which was certainly ironic given his involvement with VW performance.  We drifted apart a bit during a time which could have been spent digging through VW engines, then he suddenly passed away 3 years later.  My grandfather didn't boast, my grandmother wasn't nostalgic, and I was too young.  I have the feeling there was a side to his life I didn't fully comprehend or appreciate.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a VW for my 50th and talked with my mother about granddad, which is how I started down this path.  She mentioned he was talked about online and mentioned in a magazine article, probably Car & Driver or Hot VWs.  It seems he was mentioned in one of Keith Seume's books as well.  I'd appreciate it if anyone could point me in the direction of an issue or book title.  Photos like the one above would be great too, but I know this is like a needle in a haystack.  I'm happy with what I've found so far. 

This is the book we're talking about .
California Look VW by Keith Seume.

It's commonly called "The Cal-Look Bible."
It's no longer in print but you can find used copies of it.
Usually around $50+ depending on condition.

[attachment=1]

Thanks Rick, I had been looking on Amazon a few days ago and had a feeling that was the book.  I'll find myself a used copy.

I think he may have worked on some of the charter or early members VWs in the DKP car club.  I'm mostly guessing because of timing and the fact he wasn't very far from Santa Monica.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone had a story attached to the framed photo above.

So cool.  WELCOME

Nice to see the Lounge still has "it" this stuff here is what this place is about.

Rick, it's the second book that has the story of Earl McMills in it! The one with Sarge's car on the cover!

Found here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Story-California-Look-VW/dp/1906133085/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419844015&sr=1-1

pages 12-13 has the photo and some history about buying a SPG crank etc

For what it's worth, you might want to attend a DKP cruise night at Farmer Boys in Fullerton.  These are held the first Sunday of each month.  You might get
the chance to chat with Ron Fleming or Mike Mahaffey; two guys who are seldom on this forum but had dealings with your grandpa back in the day.  I do remember
a visit like I mentioned at the start of this thread but that's it; it was a long time ago! ;)  You can find find more cruise night info at  http://dkpcarclub.com/blog/home/
I hope to meet you one of these days....

Along with this interesting topic, it's good to see you back here Sarge.  So many of those who can tell the real details of times gone by have left this forum.
Steve

 ;) Thanks, Steve!

I second that. Nice having the guys here that started this whole mess.  :)

Its great to go back in time to see how all this originated and reading about the involvement between the founding fathers ; if you will. Great thread! Thank you!

Crap... sorry about that. I remembered reading it but somehow I thought it was in the first.

Sarge, thanks for the invite and I'll try to swing DKP at Farmer Boy's some day.  Got a baby on the way and some other things to take care of, but I'll get around to it in due time.  I may drag along my mom along as well as another friend who used to have a Ghia which was an early project car of Chris Addington.  We both are talking about getting back into vintage VWs.

Here's a link to a YouTube of Chris Addington's Ghia.  The Ghia was featured in VW Trendz and it was a big deal here in Bakersfield at the time.

http://youtu.be/ClbSpALMGGE

As for the book, I bought the 2nd copy off Amazon.  It'll be really nice to see even if the reference to my grandfather isn't very lengthy.  I'm sure the rest will be a good read too.

  :-*  :)

I just received my copy of The Story of the California Look VW and read through the pages which included a couple paragraphs about my grandfather.  Thanks to everyone here who took the time to remember Earl and to point me in the right direction.  The book also mentions Isky, who was a friend of my grandfather and lives nearby. 

On a side note, I sometimes advanced the bit when my grandfather was boring and honing engines.  I was just a child turning a wheel, but I was there.  I wonder if some of those engines are still on the street...

I've found this for those of you who have any interest.  I believe this to be the correct person.


Earl D Mcmills was born on June 03, 1912 and died on October 03, 1988 at the age of 76. Earl last resided in Inglewood, California in Los Angeles County.
 
Name Earl Mcmills
Find Earl Mcmills Death Records
Date of Birth June 03, 1912
Date of Death October 03, 1988
Age at Death 76

That's probably because the old guys never told me anything more. In fact, Ron and Sarge were the only guys who mentioned Earl when doing my original research – I have it on tape (along with about 16 or more hours of interviews with everyone including Dean Lowry, Gene Berg, etc). ;)

Glad you found a copy but sad there isn't more about Earl within.  Possibly you can share how he became involved with Volkswagens and making more power.
[/quote]

I've been toying around with the idea of getting back into VWs and a casual conversation with my mother made me curious about my grandfather and his machine shop.  What really set me down this path is she mentioned he had been in a magazine, and that search brought me here.  Honestly, I grew up knowing my grandfather as a "VW guy" who manufactured, modified, and tuned parts.  His shop wasn't very busy later in life and I perceived it, at the time and I was a child, as more of a hobby he could share with friends.  A lot of people would stop by the shop to visit or have work done.  I remember a German fellow named Ludwig who used to love hanging out and getting into fantastic arguments with granddad.  I think they had some sort of love/hate kinship.  Another guy was Speedy who drove an early model Porsche.  We'd also visit another machine shop and drop off valve guides which he manufactured by the box.  I could be wrong, but I remember the owner's name as being Dick and they had a rail-type dragster which may or may have not been VW powered.  Another guy as that same shop had a black hopped-up beetle with a NOS bottle mounted on the passenger side.  He took me for a blurred spin around the industrial park.  Other people who were friends of Earl who I probably bumped into as a child are Ed Barker and Ed Iskenderian, but I was too young to remember.  My parents and I relocated to the San Joaquin Valley when I was 6 y/o, so there was probably much more going on than I was exposed to.  We did spend holidays at the Inglewood house, and I also stayed there most summers between the ages of 7 and 16 when I wasn't working for my father. 

Finding information is a little difficult because the McMills family is from back east and ties were very loose.  Our immediate family was every small and now consists of my mother and myself.  I'll have to sit down with her and see how much more she knows, but there's a good chance it's not much more than what I know already.  I feel like there is so much more and he had a life I was too young to remember or comprehend.  I wish I could jump in the VW time machine, but I'll just dig around for now and see what shakes loose.  I really appreciate the photo above and the help I've received.  Hearing Keith's tape of Ron and Sarge would be interesting.

Here is a link to the photo I mentioned before with the Squareback in the background, same as the one in the photo in Keith's book.  I'm the kid on the trail bike.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/S4d564leWrA0pkrxGTIBHJXWVePJqeScoOLeIpZtXZ4 (https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/S4d564leWrA0pkrxGTIBHJXWVePJqeScoOLeIpZtXZ4)

I wonder if that other machine shop you visited was EMS (Engine Machine Services) @ 835 W. Olive Street Ingelwood home of the Madness race car. Dick Nuss & Bill Duncan.

Earl McMills is mentioned in some of the Porsche 356 forums & registries, so you could introduce yourself.  Here's one conversation where Earl is mentioned a couple times, including someone who was providing piston kits:
http://forum.porsche356registry.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13887&start=165

Sterling Vaden wrote:
"I once visited Earl McMills shop in LA. Was it in Hollywood? He had piles of engine cases everywhere. He died shortly after that. I don't know what happened to all the parts."

John Ward wrote:
"I was friends with Earl. Snarly old coot at first, then got to be a great friend later on.
I`d hang out in his shop, behind his house in Inglewood. I used to sell him NPR big bore kits (He would buy 10 sets at a time). I would deliver the P&C`s to him after I would deliver the same amount to Vasak`s shop
Boy, that name sure brought back some great memories."

Thanks for the names and references.  I'll ask my mom about Dick Nuss, Bill Duncan, and John Ward.  John's comments really piqued my interest.  I had looked at the 356 Registry before but missed them for some reason.  I looked up EMS but they don't have a web site and the street view from Google Earth doesn't look familiar.  Could be a bad view, the shop had an old location, or that's just not it.  I'll find out.

Great photos!  I can Email John through the 356 Registry but was going ask my mom before trying to contact him.  Speaking of the San Bernadino mountains, I stay at a friend's place in Angelus Oaks and fish Jenks Lake several times each year.  Both are just above Riverside on the 38.  Would be a small world if he ended up in the same place.

Small world indeed!  On a similar note, my stepdad runs into Ed Iskenderian from time to time, probably at SEMA.  I just found this out and that he got invited to a birthday party a couple years ago. Isky supposedly lives about an hour away and may have some history I'm looking for.  I'm not sure I'm bold enough to look him up, but at least I have the option.

Fantastic 300c!  Makes the new ones look awful by comparison  ;D

BTW, thanks for the tips.  I'll talk to my stepfather about how I'd go about getting in touch with Isky.  As for the other fellows mentioned above, this is what I got from my mom so far:

Engine Machine Services is familiar to me. Bill Duncan is a name I remember
the best of the three. Then John Ward and Dick Nuss. I think Dad knew Bill
the longest. This is pretty cool connected with Dad's past and friends.

I'll be talking with her during the following week.

Last time I saw Bill Duncan and Dick Nuss they have relocated to 8416 Osage Ave. in Los Angeles. They are located really close to the world famous Randys Donuts! I think its awesome you are reconnecting with old friends. Keep us posted!
That brings up a point with the involvement of Chrysler and Earl. From what I understand, most VW high performance cams were designed from Chrysler grinds. I'm wondering if Earl played a part in the engineering of VW cams. Maybe someone who knows more about this can chime in?

WCB, A Google Street View of 8416 Osage Ave looks very familiar, but I'm wondering if they were located there when I was a child.  If so, their shop would've been in the back on the right.

I've been talking, texting, and Emailing my mom about the information and names I've found here.  Here's a snipplet:

Engine Machine Services is familiar to me. Bill Duncan is a name I remember
the best of the three. Then John Ward and Dick Nuss. I think Dad knew Bill
the longest. This is pretty cool connected with Dad's past and friends.

And another:

I just thought of a good friend of grandad's. Jack Feeder, or Feder. He was
German, and his  brother or close friend was a connection to the local clubs.
That guy, Helmut, owned a VW and foreign car mechanic shop in Culver City
or nearby.

I'm still working on this stuff but it's been going a little slower since I'm back to work after the Holidays.

Glad I could help. Keep us posted! Very interesting thread.
Bill and Dick are super nice people and very intelligent on how to make a VW fly. They were always fierce competitors to The Bergs when racing took place at the Bug Ins in Orange County!! There shop is located back /right.
Steve Niendorf