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Title: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 05, 2008, 06:10:16 am Mark, can you give us the history and incarnations of the orange '66. In my opinion, one of THE best Cal Lookers ever built. A bunch of photos would be nice , too!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Fastbrit on September 05, 2008, 08:28:21 am Yeah, show us your cats!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 05, 2008, 12:51:07 pm Mark WHO?? ??? ;D
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: javabug on September 05, 2008, 13:14:35 pm Who the fk is that??? ??? ;)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 09, 2008, 00:55:03 am Hey Mark! You have a thread here that needs some answers from you!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 09, 2008, 04:08:47 am Quit stallin' and get the scanner fired up!!! ;D
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Jim Ratto on September 09, 2008, 17:11:03 pm earth to Mark........
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 10, 2008, 04:12:00 am Mark!!!! Just reminding you !!! There's a thread here that needs your attention! Keith didn't do you in on that last raid, did he?
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 10, 2008, 04:16:43 am Dang, I was hopin' that this would become forgotten about. Okay... I'll fire up the scanner.
Stray(sic) tuned. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 10, 2008, 05:19:50 am Drum roll sound effect............................................................................................. Mark???? ( Echo )
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 10, 2008, 05:37:30 am I can't hold my breath much longer... ::) ;D
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 10, 2008, 07:57:05 am Well, John... you asked.
;D I was 17 years of age and in 11th grade in high school. One day, in class, my best friend was sitting behind me & taps me on the shoulder and hands me a local newspaper classified section. For Sale: 1966 VW Bug $1,700. I told him that was too much money for my first car. Remember, this is 1979. I was already working at Lakewood skatepark, Bellflower Schwinn, and Der Weinerschnitzel. Making good money for the the era... but I needed $500 more. So one night, my Mom and I drive to Long Beach Press Telegram newspaper where the seller was one of the chief editors. He had the car in the parking lot. I saw it and instantly wanted it. I borrowed the money from my Mom and had her paid back in a couple of months. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966Bug1979.jpg) At first, I had the car with a single Holley progressive 2 barrel carb, 1,679cc, stock cam, and factory '66-'67 chrome plated wheels with the correct hubcaps. Also had a flat black Talbot side view mirror. The interior was just a basic brown vinyl with brown carpet and a Grant steering wheel. AM/FM standard issue radio and a black chrome Hurst shifter with the wood knob. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugInt.jpg) (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugHolley.jpg) S&S header with single quiet pack and alloy t-bars. The front beam had the Select-A-Drop (hated that thing) with super stiff front shocks. Rode like crap, but it was my first car and I drove it EVERYwhere. The car came factory painted white with a brown interior. I'm guessing that someone special ordered the interior color... I'm basing that on the fact that I haven't seen a lot 'em that way. The heater panels below the rear seat and the metal bar above those were factory brown. So I left 'em that way. Later that year, I met Dave McNew and Mark Ramirez. Mark was president of Der Kleiner Kampfwagens at that time. As time went on, I found a set of used Kadron carbs, 5 Lilligard 8 spoke wheels, VW1300 badge on the decklid, had Suzy at Vee-Dub Seatcovers redo my interior in dark brown naugahyde. Also added European spec headlights. What many people don't know was that the car came with a plexiglas moonroof. Horrible aluminum framed sunroof that got converted to a non-opening eyesore. I hated that thing, so I had Bob Hawley Body Shop in Bellflower remove it and he ended up doing a beautiful job, making the car look like it never had a hole in the roof. Thank God! He used no Bondo... all lead. He was Danny Gabbard before there was Danny. HAHA!! Even did a super trick job on filling the exhaust ports on my rear apron. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugPrimered.jpg) At this point, I had the body how I wanted it. So another friend's Dad painted it in his garage. I went to K&K Kolor Automotive Paint in Bellflower and had them mix me a custom orange. Also added a Formuling France steering wheel, European bumpers, dual FourTuned quietpacks and header. My friend, Jim, was stationed in Germany at that time and he'd send me European license plates, headlights, tail lights, manuals, and speedometers. So I took out my U.S. mph one and had my kph one re-calibrated to mph. Painted the needle orange to match my VDO Cockpit gauges and painted the bezel black. Then, I got voted into D.K.K. I was beyond STOKED that day! They were so cool, they even let me in with no headliner. Suzy hadn't done that part yet, because I was having the hole filled in on the roof. A few days later, I had her install a brown matching naugahyde headliner and I put in a black carpet kit on the interior and trunk. Then, I put the club stickers on the quarter windows. I was on top of the world and so happy with what I'd done in a short amount of time. D.K.K. was all about having fun, joking around, and enjoying fast Cal Look Volkswagens. Because of that, I instantly became good friends with many of the members. Just a bunch of young kids havin' a good time. Whether we were cruising Whittier Blvd., racing at Nabisco, at a car show, car rally, or causing mayhem at a swap meet... GOOD TIMES! I painted the 8 spoke wheels Chevy Engine Block Orange to contrast with the body color. Then, I painted the wheels beige, along with the inside of the bumpers and guards. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugOrangeWhls.jpg) For a short while, I had 5 Porsche/Fuchs 914 2 Liter wheels and gravel guards, too. What was I thinking? HAHA!! I've always liked those wheels, but never understood why such a great looking forged wheel had such a lame center cap. So, I did what McNew did to his... bought some early Fuchs 911 center caps, removed the clips, and had the lip on the backside milled off and polished along with the wheels. Then, JB Welded the caps onto the wheels and painted the embossed crest and outer ring in dark brown to match my interior. I also painted the inner sides of the spoke holes. You really couldn't see that part unless you were right up on the car. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966Bug914Whls.jpg) I added a locking glove box door lock and a locking trunk release knob from a convertible. Also removed all of the EMPI wood knobs, handles, window cranks, and e-brake cover and put in '67 black rubber ones. Changed the shifter knob to a black one, too. Found a set of N.O.S. VW embossed factory rocker threshold trim pieces. I never saw another set like those. After I blew out the original transmission, I replaced it with one from my friend's '67 Ghia. Then, I added reverse lights. Later, I removed the right side one. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugEMPIwhlINT.jpg) By this time, I'd been a mechanic at Les Purnell's German Car Repair, then a parts salesman at Steve's Foreign Car Parts (where Bill & Steve's VW Parts is now), and manager at Long Beach Auto Haus (John Rayburn's second home... HAHA!!) Speaking of John, one of his old friends, Dave R. had a set of early EMPI 5 spoke wheels for sale. So I paid $500 for five wheels. They were pretty worked. The entire wheel finish was just raw & gray... even the lips, so I took them to Les Purnell's shop and he let me borrow his bead blaster. I blasted the centers then sent 'em off to Crystal Polishing in Paramount to have the outter lips re-shaped and polished. I bought a set of original chrome center caps and orange EMPI stickers from Shubee. Gary Berg sold me a N.O.S. EMPI GTV wood steering wheel. I scored a brand new in the box EMPI glass filter (still have that). Found a boat load of N.O.S. EMPI bumper bars at the main Auto Haus warehouse in Buena Park during one of my parts orders for my shop. John came in and picked many sets. Also painted a set of headlight rings to match the body color and added early Porsche 911 European headlight lenses. Also got a set of better riding front shocks. HUGE improvement. Girls actually wanted to ride in my car... finally! (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Sumdumsurfer/Cars/1966Bug1.jpg) Down the road, I took a stab at building engines in the back of Auto Haus. I built my friend, Al, a fast 1914cc with 48IDA Webers and an Engle 120 or something like that. Anyway, we were blown away at how well and long it ran. After a couple of customer's engines, I decided to build me one from scratch. So I talked to Gene Berg at a VW event and told him that I wanted a mild 1700cc. I took his advice and had everything that I could balanced, blueprinted, cc'd, whatever. That engine ran SO smooth. Upgraded to Treuhaft aluminum manifolds, blueprinted factory oil pump, very mildly ported heads, FourTuned merged header and very tucked dual quietpacks that looked great. Only lightened the flywheel a couple of pounds. Since it was my main daily driver, I wanted a heavy flywheel for climbing hills. I plugged the fresh air ports on the fan shroud and put factory hoses and grommets on. People tripped out on that when I displayed the car. They'd look underneath at the merged header with no heater boxes then back at the engine compartment. PRICELESS! Keep in mind, that even with a few VDO gauges, a 12v Sony stereo (with converter), and tungsten 6v Euro headlight bulbs... this car was 6 volt. The more people that told me to covert it to 12 volt, the more I laughed and told 'em to quit allowing it to affect their lives. HAHA!! Another side note about this engine... there was no chrome on it. What you see that looks like chrome is highly polished raw metal or aluminum. I hated chrome on my engines and still do. The coil was something I was experimenting with, too. I took it over to a friend's shop and bead blasted the blue paint off. Then, clear coated it and added a real N.O.S. Bosch 6v coil sticker. Had tons of compliments on that. The polishing was a pain to keep up with, but totally worth the effort. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugEngine.jpg) It was a very reliable and only car for me from 1979 to 1985. Took it on many roadtrips up and down the west coast. Robert K. Smith approached me at one of the VW events back in the early '80s and he gave me his business card. He wanted to feature the car in Hot VWs. I was beyond honored and flattered that he even considered it. All excited, I detailed the car out. Went cruising on Whittier Blvd. Afterwards, I raced a couple of cars at Nabisco over on Beach Blvd. and Artesia. My last pass, I broke a rocker arm shaft on #3 cyl. Oh well. I limped the car home on streets and stayed off of the freeways. That night, the car was stolen. Thank God that I had a hidden kill switch in the car that no one knew about. Lakewood Sheriff found the car on the next block in the middle of the street. They had taken my spare EMPI 5 spoke, my black chrome Hurst shifter, stereo, and $100 worth of cassette tapes. They also kicked in my hood, decklid and quarter panels. The Sheriff made sure that I got the car home safely. I fixed the rocker shaft. Repaired the body damage the best that I could. It turned out okay... but it was never right again. Eventually, the thieves made a lame mistake by asking my friend, Ray, if he wanted to buy an EMPI 5 spoke. Ray recognized the wheel as being mine. He called me and I traced the guy to Mr. Bill's VW Tow & Repair in Downey. Got my spare wheel and tire back. Bought a new chrome Hurst shifter, replaced the stereo, and called Robert K. Smith. Told him that I wasn't going to go forth with the photo shoot. Thankfully, Dyno Don was a big part of getting Mr. Bill's shut down for good. The cops went in there and found out that it was a full blown father/son theft ring going on. Complete with bodies and pans laying around with the v.i.n. tags all being swapped. You reap what you sow. Like an idiot, I woke up one day... looked outside at my newly tricked out brand new 1984 VW Rabbit GTI and sold my orange '66. Something I'll never forgive myself for. My original plan was to put that car in storage, then pull it out when I had kids that were old enough to enjoy it with me again. (sigh). It was a stupid rash decision that I made and a couple of days after the car was gone, I realized what I had done. Right before I sold the car, I removed the EMPI steering wheel, fuel filter, and 5 spokes. Sold the steering wheel to Rich Kimball for $200 and the wheels went for $800 for all five without tires in The Recycler... they were gone in two days. I was working at Circle Porsche+Audi in the Parts Dept. with Don Metz at that time. They let me have a 3 spoke Porsche 911 steering wheel and a set of N.O.S. 356B wheels that were still in the factory silver finish. Those items went on the car when I sold it. I took out an ad in The Recycler and in two days, it was gone. Last that I checked, the plates are still in use. Both of my '66 Bugs had their original black CA plates. I'd love to find that car and see what condition it's in. Back in 1985, I said that if I ever got another Bug, I'd get a '67, '68, or a '69. Restore it stock, lower it, and build a 1914cc engine for it. Thanks to Schwimmer, Meredith, and Rayburn... I got a second chance. They pulled me outta air-cooled VW retirement and now I'm YOUR problem. What's really bizarre is that my same friend, Bob, (the one that found my '66 for me) also happened to be on the computer right when my '67 popped up on The Samba. I was stuck in traffic, after work, and he called me. Told me about it and we ended up going out to the desert and bought the car the next day for $3,850. But that's another story for another time. The point is... Bob and I have known each other since I was 9 and he was ten. He's literally had over 100 cars, most of 'em old VWs that he's restored. We've been through everything together and it's weird that history repeated itself, this year, when I scored my current Bug. Thanks again, Bob! Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Fastbrit on September 10, 2008, 08:40:27 am Very cool stories, Fred, er, Mark, er, kitty kisser. ;D
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 10, 2008, 08:41:35 am Very cool stories, Fred, er, Mark, er, kitty kisser. ;D HAHA!! Thanks, Keith. You're alright... even though you like cats. ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Diederick/DVK on September 10, 2008, 09:11:20 am thanks for the good read mark! cool story!!
i'd even like to see more pics of it!! ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 10, 2008, 13:03:02 pm WOW, worth the wait! Nice job, Mark. 8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: javabug on September 10, 2008, 13:21:46 pm Cool write-up and pics.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: LuftsickTero on September 10, 2008, 13:32:41 pm (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966Bug914Whls.jpg)
Cool car and cool story 8) One of the very few times that 4-lug Fuchs look really good, somehow shiny wheels compliment this car better than gray 5-spokes. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: speedwell on September 10, 2008, 14:10:31 pm cool car mark she rocks 8) 8)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Jim Ratto on September 10, 2008, 15:29:56 pm if only every guy could write so well about their cars! Very cool Mark, felt like I was there. Glad to see you're back in the thick of things. See you on the 20th. Super cool cars you had/have.
your bud, Jim Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: wolfswest on September 10, 2008, 15:45:31 pm indeed, keep the super cool stories coming mark! we love it. ;)
Dem Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: louisb on September 10, 2008, 15:45:46 pm Great story and what a cool looking car.
--louis Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rick Sadler on September 10, 2008, 16:02:10 pm Very cool story Mark. I love the car. Did anyone else notice that even way back then Mark knew how to take great photos? ;D
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 10, 2008, 16:39:57 pm Great stuff , Mark! Mark may or may not remember the girl I was dating back then. She had just bought a 71 bug in primer and wanted to paint it yellow. I kept taking her to Auto Haus to see Mark's car, or to the rallies. I ended up talking her into painting the car orange, and fitting it with 2 Litre alloys. I hope you have alot more photos of your car , Mark. This is a big time machine!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 10, 2008, 17:45:31 pm Wow... I'm surprised. I honestly didn't expect this response. Thank you, all.
John, here ya go... some memory lane for ya. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugAutoHaus074.jpg) Later, I removed the Tornado side view mirror and painted a Vitaloni California (Ferrari 308GTSi replica) one orange. So many people were running the Tornado ones, that I wanted something more unique. Also, I added the early Porsche 911 Euro headlight lenses and painted the headlight trim rings. I went from working at the Porsche dealer to Long Beach airport, which is where I shot this photo. God, I miss flying private aircraft. What a rush. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966LGB.jpg) In this picture, my best friend, Bob, took some shots of me as I drove by on the 405 freeway. We were on our way back from Bug-In 29. I remember rolling down my window and getting real close to his car and handing him my camera as we were driving on the freeway. He knew what do to. He ended up taking a three frame sequence of me. This was number three. He was passenger in Dave McNew's old Squareback that he'd sold to his younger brother. That was one sweet Type 3. I have a few pics of that one, too. (http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj128/Rennsurfer/Cars/1966BugInFrwy.jpg) I'll have to scan those all together and add that. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Stephan S on September 10, 2008, 17:47:02 pm Yeah, that Mark-Fred guy is OK...
John Rayburn too! Thanks for the great story, Mark Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 10, 2008, 18:28:44 pm Yeah, that Mark-Fred guy is OK... John Rayburn, too.... AWWW, ain't that sweeeet!! ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 10, 2008, 19:30:36 pm Stop it, Sarge... you're makin' me blush. HAHA!!
Thanks, Fabian & Stephan for those pics. Stephan's image doesn't reveal the conversation that John and I were discussing. At that precise moment, I was saying, "Just think, John... all of these cars will be yours, if you simply hand over your engine & transmission." Sadly, he never complied with that. Oh well... I tried. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Fastbrit on September 10, 2008, 22:43:05 pm Stop it, Sarge... you're makin' me blush. HAHA!! Oh I think I know what was really being said... Just check a certain "Cat lover" thread! :D :D :DThanks, Fabian & Stephan for those pics. Stephan's image doesn't reveal the conversation that John and I were discussing. At that precise moment, I was saying, "Just think, John... all of these cars will be yours, if you simply hand over your engine & transmission." Sadly, he never complied with that. Oh well... I tried. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Dave Galassi . on September 11, 2008, 01:17:46 am Great thread and pictures Mark. I wish I could turn back the clock and go through the pile of "take offs" at Circle again. Wow. Spent many a paycheck there with Metz to buy goodies to finish my cars.
The Auto-Haus photo. Crazy. Can we still order those parts?.............................. Not often you get to see a photo timeline of a car. Thanks again. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: lawrence on September 11, 2008, 03:09:15 am Cool stuff, Mark. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any pics of the car with the 356 wheels. I bet it looks sweet.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on September 11, 2008, 04:34:46 am Man, the Auto Haus picture is the BEST, Mark! How can you forget the days of guys pulling up out front in their bugs and coming in to buy intake manifolds, Holley Bug Sprays, S&S Headers, Cibie headlights, buggy whips, Baja kits, roller cranks, Engle cams, 010 distributors.... At the Buena Park store, we'd have our bugs parked out back and when it was slow, be out there shinin' our shit. I hated it back then, but I wouldn't trade the memory for anything in this world. 8) 8)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 11, 2008, 04:47:51 am The shot of Mark's car at Auto Haus was what I saw daily after class at Long Beach State. Sometimes, in leu of class.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: PIP on September 12, 2008, 04:08:12 am Your car was why, I'm into VW's.. I remember drooling over it as a youth. Sitting at Robert Millers house. Or at the bike shop.
Cool Thread! 8) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 12, 2008, 04:25:45 am Your car was why, I'm into VW's.. I remember drooling over it as a youth. Sitting at Robert Millers house. Or at the bike shop. Cool Thread! 8) Hey, Pip! Cool seein' you on here, man. Thanks for the nice words. Robert Miller is the guy that did my paint work on that car. I have shots of him painting the mirror and headlight rings, somewhere. I gotta find those and scan 'em. He recently came down from Washington with his wife and step-daughter. Was cool seeing him and the rest of the Miller family at the Miller compound. GOOD TIMES! Hope all is well with you and yours. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 12, 2008, 18:00:51 pm I finally located a few more pictures. Here's one at Bug-In 30 or 31. I'm thinking... the latter.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Sumdumsurfer/Cars/1966BugOCIR.jpg) Don't know what made me use my spare wheel cover... there's a fifth restored EMPI wheel underneath, too. D'OH! Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: speedwell on September 12, 2008, 18:08:59 pm I finally located a few more pictures. Here's one at Bug-In 30 or 31. I'm thinking... the latter. is it the a dean's bro 67 ??? next to you ???(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Sumdumsurfer/Cars/1966BugOCIR.jpg) Don't know what made me use my spare wheel cover... there's a fifth restored EMPI wheel underneath, too. D'OH! Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 12, 2008, 18:13:22 pm Can't tell, Fabian. The door handle on the driver's door looks like a square button and not a round, like on my car. My car was an early '66, but I added '67 dash knobs, seat belts, transmission, reverse lights, and door handles.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 12, 2008, 21:27:09 pm Mark, didn't you say the plates are still in use from that car?
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Diederick/DVK on September 12, 2008, 21:31:46 pm yup he did!
trace it down ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 12, 2008, 21:32:00 pm Mark, didn't you say the plates are still in use from that car? For my orange car... yes, last I checked about a year ago. I have no idea about my Java Green one. I'd love to see both cars, actually. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 12, 2008, 22:42:49 pm Let's go find them!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 12, 2008, 23:45:34 pm Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: PIP on September 13, 2008, 05:28:58 am Your car was why, I'm into VW's.. I remember drooling over it as a youth. Sitting at Robert Millers house. Or at the bike shop. Cool Thread! 8) Hey, Pip! Cool seein' you on here, man. Thanks for the nice words. Robert Miller is the guy that did my paint work on that car. I have shots of him painting the mirror and headlight rings, somewhere. I gotta find those and scan 'em. He recently came down from Washington with his wife and step-daughter. Was cool seeing him and the rest of the Miller family at the Miller compound. GOOD TIMES! I need a job REALLY bad... please hit me if you know of anything. Rennsurfer(at)aol(dot)com Thanks! Hope all is well with you and yours. Marc, The miller house is a fuck'n time capsule. I was over there a couple weeks ago. Ronnie pulled out a bill of sale, I wrote him. When I was 12 fucking yrs old. for a mini bike I sold him!!!! Thats 28 yrs ago :o Classic!!!!!! Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 13, 2008, 05:34:51 am Marc, The miller house is a fuck'n time capsule. I was over there a couple weeks ago. Ronnie pulled out a bill of sale, I wrote him. When I was 12 fucking yrs old. for a mini bike I sold him!!!! Thats 28 yrs ago :o Classic!!!!!! Oh YEAH! I was recently there, cleaning Robert's Ford van that he keeps down here for his So Cal trips from up north. Rosie invites me in to eat, as usual. And I was trippin'... everything's the same in there. I LOVE it. Felt like was a teen again. Then, when Robert, Ron, and Raquel all came over the next day... they bust out an album with pics of all of us when we were really young. PRICELESS! I think there was a pic of Ron's go-kart that I got into a four wheel drift around a corner. Ended up wasting a front wheel. He'd pull it next to my Bug and Robert's cars when we were getting our rides cleaned up for cruising Whittier Blvd. and clean his go-kart along side of us. Some great memories in that old big house. Think I saw a pic of when my orange Bug used to pretty much reside on the side of the house on the south facing corner. Rosie loved my car and called it her lawn ornament. Such a cool family. Can't believe that mini bike bill of sale is still around. But I'm not surprised, though. I remember that bike, too. I'm gonna be bummed if they ever sell the house. That was where I spent a good part of my life. We painted bikes, motorcycles, cars, and anything else we could at that place. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 14, 2008, 04:27:47 am Mark, any shots of you painting the orange car in the alley?
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on September 14, 2008, 18:57:28 pm Mark, any shots of you painting the orange car in the alley? Not me... it was Robert. But, yes... I have that picture somewhere. I gotta climb up and bring down a box full of very old pics. When I get some free time, I'll post it up. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on September 16, 2008, 05:41:44 am That ought to be a cool shot. I can't wait!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 22, 2009, 01:51:14 am Mark, didn't I hear you say recently that you found the picture of your Orange car being sprayed in the alley? If so, post it up!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 22, 2009, 03:23:16 am Cool stuff, Mark. Thanks for sharing. Do you have any pics of the car with the 356 wheels. I bet it looks sweet. Lawrence, sorry... but this is only photo that I can dig up with those wheels, so far. My camera wasn't the best back then... but here it is when I was working at Long Beach airport, around 1985. You can see the For Sale stickers that I made from vinyl letters (just behind the D.K.K. club ones). That 'plane was cool... used to run the postal mail out to Santa Catalina Island every morning. I had to refuel it before sunrise. Old Beechcraft E-18 or something like that. Now, they're using an old D.C. 3. (http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss104/Rennsurfer2/1966BugDC3.jpg) Mark, didn't I hear you say recently that you found the picture of your Orange car being sprayed in the alley? If so, post it up! Dang, you've got a good memory, John. Yep... got it: (http://i566.photobucket.com/albums/ss104/Rennsurfer2/Robert1966Bug.jpg) We waited for a nice day with zero wind, hosed down everything the night before, and he did a great job at blending/matching my previous paint. Had a fender bender that wasted the hood and front fender. The good old days, back when you could still buy factory sheet metal. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rick Sadler on November 22, 2009, 04:07:01 am True history right there. Thanks for sharing Mark. Thanks for staying on him John. Thats what this forum is all about!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Dan Mazur on November 22, 2009, 04:08:41 am Shouldn't this be the "Fred Thread"? ;)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 22, 2009, 07:37:16 am It's the Fred Thread, indeed!
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on November 22, 2009, 15:27:50 pm That paint shot is MONEY!!! 8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 22, 2009, 17:55:03 pm That paint shot is MONEY!!! 8) 8) 8) I've been bugging him a long time to dig that out. Well worth the wait!Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Nico86 on November 22, 2009, 23:33:18 pm Never saw this thread before, great stories Mark ! 8)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 24, 2009, 02:25:34 am Never saw this thread before, great stories Mark ! 8) Thanks, Nico. And thanks for always managing to find some cool VW pics that you post up. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Casey on November 24, 2009, 02:42:37 am Great thread! Love the alley shot.
Funny, I still used spell check on this! Whenever Mark is close by I always check myself. ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 24, 2009, 05:37:30 am Great thread! Love the alley shot. Mark is the spelling sheriff.Funny, I still used spell check on this! Whenever Mark is close by I always check myself. ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Nico86 on November 24, 2009, 23:06:12 pm Never saw this thread before, great stories Mark ! 8) Thanks, Nico. And thanks for always managing to find some cool VW pics that you post up. ;D ;) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 25, 2009, 00:39:31 am Great thread! Love the alley shot. Funny, I still used spell check on this! Whenever Mark is close by I always check myself. ;D Mark is the spelling sheriff. HAHAHA!!! You guys crack me up. Almost doused my screen with bier. I hated school, but spelling/writing/reading was the only thing that was very natural for me, besides being lucky enough to have shop classes from 7th to 11th grades. See you cats at Nick's very soon. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 25, 2009, 04:36:39 am Great thread! Love the alley shot. Funny, I still used spell check on this! Whenever Mark is close by I always check myself. ;D Mark is the spelling sheriff. HAHAHA!!! You guys crack me up. Almost doused my screen with bier. I hated school, but spelling/writing/reading was the only thing that was very natural for me, besides being lucky enough to have shop classes from 7th to 11th grades. See you cats at Nick's very soon. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Jim Ratto on November 25, 2009, 17:59:34 pm Mark, thanks for sharing the stories of your invlovement with the VW scene, always enjoy your input and photos. Keep 'em coming.
What's the plans on the '67's new motor? Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 26, 2009, 07:27:22 am Mark, thanks for sharing the stories of your invlovement with the VW scene, always enjoy your input and photos. Keep 'em coming. What's the plans on the '67's new motor? Thank you, sir. Regarding the engine... I'm torn 'tween two of 'em. Either a basic 1914cc/Engle 125/44 or 48 IDAs/mild heads. Or, what you and I talked about off list. Ever since Schwimmer took me for a drive in that late car (with same engine), I can't stop thinking about how effortless that car hauled down the road. Looking at the tachometer, the engine was merely yawning and nowhere near it's full potential. Just amazing. So, there you have it. I'm old and I prefer the simplicity of a basic and mild Type 1 power plant. But that drive opened my eyes. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 26, 2009, 08:30:57 am How adult.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Jim Ratto on November 26, 2009, 15:48:30 pm X2
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Neil Davies on November 26, 2009, 16:58:01 pm Mark, thanks for sharing the stories of your invlovement with the VW scene, always enjoy your input and photos. Keep 'em coming. What's the plans on the '67's new motor? Thank you, sir. Regarding the engine... I'm torn 'tween two of 'em. Either a basic 1914cc/Engle 125/44 or 48 IDAs/mild heads. Or, what you and I talked about off list. Ever since Schwimmer took me for a drive in that late car (with same engine), I can't stop thinking about how effortless that car hauled down the road. Looking at the tachometer, the engine was merely yawning and nowhere near it's full potential. Just amazing. So, there you have it. I'm old and I prefer the simplicity of a basic and mild Type 1 power plant. But that drive opened my eyes. Go big and mild(ish) then! Better than a smaller, more stressed unit, with more beans available when you stomp on it. A 2007/2165 or similar, with 40x35.5 or 42x37 heads, that W125 and some IDAs would be nice, surely. ;) You don't need a low 12 second motor, but high 13's to low 14's would be nice and still very much streetable. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Sarge on November 26, 2009, 19:41:03 pm Mark, thanks for sharing the stories of your invlovement with the VW scene, always enjoy your input and photos. Keep 'em coming. What's the plans on the '67's new motor? Thank you, sir. Regarding the engine... I'm torn 'tween two of 'em. Either a basic 1914cc/Engle 125/44 or 48 IDAs/mild heads. Or, what you and I talked about off list. Ever since Schwimmer took me for a drive in that late car (with same engine), I can't stop thinking about how effortless that car hauled down the road. Looking at the tachometer, the engine was merely yawning and nowhere near it's full potential. Just amazing. So, there you have it. I'm old and I prefer the simplicity of a basic and mild Type 1 power plant. But that drive opened my eyes. Go big and mild(ish) then! Better than a smaller, more stressed unit, with more beans available when you stomp on it. A 2007/2165 or similar, with 40x35.5 or 42x37 heads, that W125 and some IDAs would be nice, surely. ;) You don't need a low 12 second motor, but high 13's to low 14's would be nice and still very much streetable. Well put, Neil. Plus, the ease of building a 78.4 stroked engine with stock VW rods and "b" pin height pistons is cake... hardly any measuring, cutting or shimming needed. Good luck on your build, Mark! 8) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 26, 2009, 19:42:10 pm Go big and mild(ish) then! Better than a smaller, more stressed unit, with more beans available when you stomp on it. A 2007/2165 or similar, with 40x35.5 or 42x37 heads, that W125 and some IDAs would be nice, surely. ;) You don't need a low 12 second motor, but high 13's to low 14's would be nice and still very much streetable. I agree, Neil. The farthest thing from my mind is making my car a 12 second one. Well put, Neil. Plus, the ease of building a 78.4 stroked engine with stock VW rods and "b" pin height pistons is cake... hardly any measuring, cutting or shimming needed. Good luck on your build, Mark! 8) Amen to that, Sarge... and thanks. Think that it's time to start selling some Schwinns, surfboards, and other stuff to help fund this venture. I've waited long enough. Disc brakes, transmission, then engine. I'll keep y'all posted. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: nicolas on November 26, 2009, 20:54:18 pm i'll help!
i'll take the cool early 90's skateboards of your hands. SMA preferably ::) ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 26, 2009, 21:07:01 pm i'll help! i'll take the cool early 90's skateboards of your hands. SMA preferably ::) ;D Sorry, Nicolas... but as many skateboards as I have, I'll never sell those. My two sons will get those after I'm gone. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Jim Ratto on November 26, 2009, 21:23:21 pm 94 x 78 is so easy to put together, your average 4th grade kid could build one.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: MYTOY on November 26, 2009, 23:18:43 pm Very cool Mark
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on November 27, 2009, 03:53:48 am i'll help! i'll take the cool early 90's skateboards of your hands. SMA preferably ::) ;D Sorry, Nicolas... but as many skateboards as I have, I'll never sell those. My two sons will get those after I'm gone. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: nicolas on November 27, 2009, 09:47:10 am i'll help! i'll take the cool early 90's skateboards of your hands. SMA preferably ::) ;D Sorry, Nicolas... but as many skateboards as I have, I'll never sell those. My two sons will get those after I'm gone. ;) i regret selling my SMA think crime deck, but at the time i needed the cash to buy a new one, too many skateboards have been passed on that way... a nice everslick SMA julien stranger or alan peterson would be an ultimate find (never had those, but i liked them very very much then and now) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: DKK Ted on November 28, 2009, 19:40:53 pm Hey Mark, My second motor I built was a 78X90.5 W/E125 with 1.25 rockers, and Auto-Craft heads, 40X35.5 that was in my 67' I had, (before I lost it in my divorce). Anyway, that motor ran bitchen with the IDA's I had on it. Very streetable car, and had the beans when I wanted it. Thumbs up on E125! For sure.
Ted Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on November 28, 2009, 20:28:22 pm Right on, Ted... yeah, whichever engine I end up building it, FOR SURE, is gettin' the 125 cam treatment. No doubt. Your engine sounded pretty cool, too.
Nicolas, if you look hard enough... you'll find those boards that you so desire. The 'Net is helpful like that. ;D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on December 01, 2009, 04:01:45 am Mark, do you have any of the millions of photos ,Ray Zimmerman took of your car that we haven't seen yet?
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 01, 2009, 18:10:16 pm Mark, do you have any of the millions of photos ,Ray Zimmerman took of your car that we haven't seen yet? Yeah, somewhere... I think Ray made me a disc of all of the outtake images back in 2004. I'll have to dig that one out. He gave me some of Al's '66, as well. And, I have some shots that he I and both took of his '67 Squareback and his '62 Ragtop. That was a stout lil' car... IDA carbs, real EMPI 8 spokes with (I think) 14" up front. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on December 05, 2009, 22:00:40 pm Mark, did you find the disc yet?
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: 67worshipper on December 05, 2009, 22:32:37 pm Mark, thanks for sharing the stories of your invlovement with the VW scene, always enjoy your input and photos. Keep 'em coming. What's the plans on the '67's new motor? Thank you, sir. Regarding the engine... I'm torn 'tween two of 'em. Either a basic 1914cc/Engle 125/44 or 48 IDAs/mild heads. Or, what you and I talked about off list. Ever since Schwimmer took me for a drive in that late car (with same engine), I can't stop thinking about how effortless that car hauled down the road. Looking at the tachometer, the engine was merely yawning and nowhere near it's full potential. Just amazing. So, there you have it. I'm old and I prefer the simplicity of a basic and mild Type 1 power plant. But that drive opened my eyes. Go big and mild(ish) then! Better than a smaller, more stressed unit, with more beans available when you stomp on it. A 2007/2165 or similar, with 40x35.5 or 42x37 heads, that W125 and some IDAs would be nice, surely. ;) You don't need a low 12 second motor, but high 13's to low 14's would be nice and still very much streetable. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on December 12, 2009, 01:44:46 am Still waiting for new photos, Mark.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 12, 2009, 02:00:03 am Still waiting for new photos, Mark. Sorry, John... it's been a rather busy week with my sons' sports events, work, and skateboarding. I'm so far behind processing pictures from different events, I'm almost looking forward to the rainy weekend so I can finally get some free time. While we're waiting, let's see some pics of YOUR car that we have yet to see. ;D Tag, you're it. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: John Rayburn on December 12, 2009, 02:13:03 am Still waiting for new photos, Mark. Sorry, John... it's been a rather busy week with my sons' sports events, work, and skateboarding. I'm so far behind processing pictures from different events, I'm almost looking forward to the rainy weekend so I can finally get some free time. While we're waiting, let's see some pics of YOUR car that we have yet to see. ;D Tag, you're it. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rick Sadler on December 12, 2009, 03:28:11 am I agree. It is the posts of the remeberence of yesteryear that adds so much to the Lounge.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: MYTOY on December 12, 2009, 04:06:29 am Markie! ::) may have 44's
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: LuftsickTero on December 25, 2009, 22:24:36 pm Mark, any luck in finding the photos? :)
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 25, 2009, 22:29:25 pm You know, Mark, For someone that has nothing to offer the Cal Look community, you sure have a lot to offer the Cal Look community. HAHAHA!!! Dang... how did I miss that one, John? You kill me. Markie! ::) may have 44's REEEALLY? We'll talk about this on Sunday over food and bier, hopefully. Mark, any luck in finding the photos? :) I'm sorry, Tero... I haven't exactly been looking for them. Been too busy with my sons' sport events, skateboarding, surfing, and work. Add Christmas parties and gatherings to that, too. Soon, I hope. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: ian c on December 25, 2009, 22:36:13 pm sport is for losers .
beer and smokes is where its at ;) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 25, 2009, 22:43:51 pm sport is another word for urinating. skateboarding and surfing is where it's at ;) Couldn't agree more, Ian. Merry Christmas, my friend. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: ian c on December 25, 2009, 22:45:49 pm merry christmas to you buddy .
see ya next year . btw , whilst back in england i needed a car to get about it (911 no good in this weather) so ... i got a jaguar !!!! now everybody is making fun of me , saying its an old mans car , and i'm old and sensible , and all i need to complete the picture is a trilby , some string-backed driving gloves , and a tartan blanket on the rear parcel shelf ......... any chance you can send me your spare set over ?? :D Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 26, 2009, 00:12:03 am merry christmas to you buddy . see ya next year . btw , whilst back in england i needed a car to get about it (911 no good in this weather) so ... i got a jaguar !!!! now everybody is making fun of me , saying its an old mans car , and i'm old and sensible , and all i need to complete the picture is a trilby , some string-backed driving gloves , and a tartan blanket on the rear parcel shelf ......... any chance you can send me your spare set over ?? :D HAHA!! Right on, Ian. Merry Christmas to you and yours, too. And to feel too bad about the "old man's" car. Wait till you get back to the States and we meet up for tea, again... you'll have to see what I sold my BMW to buy. Sorry about the spare blanket, as it were... perhaps I can stop by the convalescent home and pick up yours and send via post to you. ;D Call me when you get back in So Cal, sir. Tried calling you a month or so back and was told that you're over there. Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: ian c on December 26, 2009, 00:28:33 am was due home for xmas , but things got in the way , so i'm in europe til sometime january .
was working for an offshore oil+gas company out of houston , and they had a free coffee vending machine .... the service engineer had to come out and refill it everyday :D in the end the doctor said i had to give up coffee and cigerettes , so i'm sat here drinking cider and smoking menthols ;) Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: Rennsurfer on December 26, 2009, 00:31:51 am Dude... lay offa the menthols. Those are WORSE than regulars. Stick to bier and Volkswagens. MUCH more healthier.
Title: Re: The Mark Kessenich thread! Post by: ian c on December 26, 2009, 00:38:56 am ok , you got it , will be back on the marlboro tommorrow .
menthols are costing me a fortune as well , having to smoke 3 times as many just to get satisfied . |