The Cal-look Lounge

you think about the HOODRIDE mvnt

i don't like it ; to many crusty cars and some of them can be saved, but with this trends they are intended to scrape the ground till the end I do not hide that at the beginning it was funny to see a car or the other one in this style, but now there is not more than that, for me it is a question of ease for it is people, they do not want to make beautiful cars, because there is means to make beautiful cars without for it, to invest there all money

I know that I am not going to be made some friends, can be not here, but among the guests of this forum who come to read from time to time

fabs

I must admit i too did find it funny at first but it is now out of control i know of someone near me building a zwitter in this style bit of a waste of a solid and rare care imo. Alex

I don't like this very much for the same reason as you.  :-\

At the beginning, there is only a few hooride car made by people that take lot's of time to make it "spectacular", like Radikalbugz here in Belgium.
Then, lot's of people lower their bug by an irrational way just to look "Cool". The more they scratch the ground, the more they are happy.  That's silly.

I see it more as a reflection of our current society... the "I don't give a shit what you think" crowd.  It's an easy way out, a way to get noticed (not necessarily in a good way).  My $.02

There are many cars that try to carry off the "Hoodride" and/or Rat Look tag, but in reality are just nasty dangerous pieces of crap. Even to the point that I saw a Mk2 Polo being sold as "rat look" when it should be described as an MOT failure/basket case.

However, there are certain patina'd cars/vans that do it for me. The RBoD guys in the UK have some cool buses wearing original paint and rolling on rare rims. Scotty's 52 Split is a prime example of a good rat look bus and I think it won the title at EBI1?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=421076

i agree with that, there's some cool patina bus This bus in one skated don't mean inevitably hoodride as skates, it does not scrape and does not collapse as certain car

Sarge, I could not agree with you more.

Tim C hit it on the nail as well... it's great to see a nice un-restored old car, loaded with patina with a nice set of wheels, etc.

~DR.

I agree. There are some original unrestored cars that look cool slammed over a set of nice rims and with a big IDA motor. A good example of this was the Type 3 panel owned by T3D with the burners. But most of the rat look cars I have seen are unsafe to drive and just rolling POS.

--louis

Waht about all the patinad 70's bugs which in reality are just sanded through to the primer not cool  ::)

I don't mind a nice early car with sunburnt original paint, as long as it is solid and safe.I just wouldn't own one myself. What I really don't like are the dangerous rotten pieces of crap scraping around in the name of 'cool'.  The thing that really pisses me off is when people take a nicely restored or well kept shiney car and 'age' the paint and put fake faded sign writing on to try and recreate the look.

Yeah Mark, I see what you're gettin at.

I'll expand on my own feelings a little... "Patina" to me generally describes the overall non-perfect, aged condition, of whatever the item is like cars, parts, antiques, etc. I agree the word is over used just like "barn find", "survivor", etc.

Personally, for me I would rather see a well preserved original or older restored driver car any day. I thing we can all agree that all things being the same, an original car, when sold may even be worth more than something restored (note-- not some P.O.S. but a NICE original example). Trailer queens are all over the place, and that's fine... I've even built a few of 'em... whatever.

At my old shop we used to specialize in air cooled VW and 356 & 912 Porsche repairs and restoration... We did a LOT of 'em over the years and IMHO, the best car I ever had the pleasure to work on was an original unrestored 1957 Speedster that had been in dry storage since 1962...  We did all the uaual things to make it a driver, and because it was not perfect but well preserved, it stole the show everytime.

OK, I'll be quiet now ;)

don't get me started.  >:(

What better way to accelerate the demise of these old cars, risk injuring the innocent public, make our hobby look stupider, and create even more eyesores on the face of the planet? It isn't the cosemtic insult that these cars present that piss me off, it is the sheer stupidity these "cars" are put together with. Seems like the less reliable and more dangerous the car is, the higher it ranks on the "cool scale", what a f**king joke. I remember when this whole scene was just getting going, over 10 yr ago, there was this really rag tag group of idiot kids that just fu**ing MURDERED these poor VW's, thinking they were doing something "cool." They patted each other on their dirty backs about such accomplishments as scraping the sump smooth, grinding their Bus steering box open on the asphalt as they drove, being able to drive with NO torsion bars (no kidding.... this genius claimed all that was holding his trailing arms in place was a pair of bungee cords stretched through the beam tubes). Funny, they could absolutely destroy the integrity of the car, sink almost no money into making it a "working" car, but spend all their dough on stupid roof racks, saftey stars, VW mudflaps (which, after about a mile, were destroyed), and other useless crap. Thank god for cal look cars.

fabs, I think I went off somewhere before about this topic.

i thought it was really funny when everyone worshiped dopehead derek then he ran off with their money, whoops!
its now old hat and very boring... but i guess its a way of people affording to have a 'show' car.

what was the story with that tom ??
i remember some uk show flew him over to judge the hood-ride class or something , but thats the last i heard .... wha appen ?? :)

yeah, thats was at vw action, the hoodride line up was bigger than the show and shine entrants, i think?
shows how big the hoodride movement is in the uk!

on the website people ordered loads of stuff, then he never bothered to send anything...

He's now serving drinks at some Phoenix gay bar and spinning dope mixes from his treehouse in central Phoenix.  I wish I could find the link.

This topic is just like the narrowed beam topic. ;D

hoodriddance !
 >:(

Here is the link to a thread on the Samba:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=247391&highlight=hoodride+money

and what do you think about car on airbag suspension/shocks ??? for the the hooride start with kcw car built with their air ride  suspension, the car look great but toooooooooooooooooo low   :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\

 ::)

can we talk about Cal Look stuff?

that car looks stupid,

 ;D

air-shocks ARE cal-look ....  hot vws says so ;)

:D

Air-shocks and air-bags are apples and oranges !

Of course there was also the time that "Dope Beat Derrick" and one of his cronies stole a battery from a car when their shitpile split broke down near some town called Blythe.  KCW at one time, as I recall, supposedly "fired" both of these guys, but one of them is still working for the shop, last I heard, or got rehired.  It was another subject of discussion on the Samba. 

I'll be glad to see a few less KCW cars in Hot VWs magazine, because that whole situation is what I think of first when I see 'KCW built this car for Joe Blow.'

OK, Kill Me...
I loved that stuff in the beginning. Then i tried to understand what the difference between Hoodride and Rat was. Now they are the same to me. Unsafe. I love the look but if i had the funds and time..... Really not to be saved old body, keep it as is. Powdercoated new floorpan, cage, brakes, suspension, AN Lines, Seat, hefty motor, Loooow, Etc.,  Drag functional and approved.

Sadly, the HoodRide movement seems to be firmly implanted here in the pacific northwest.  I don't know how many emo-wannabe kids I saw at Woodburn's Bug Run with broken-axle shitboxes this year... one of which was in the car show with zero seat covers and bare frames covered by wool blankets.  It ranked right up there with the shitty volksrod that featured the confederate flag on its roof.   ::)

There's one fella in particular that I won't name... saw his car in the swap, slammed running spindle mounts in the front and horrifically cambered up rear Randars.  Rusted bucket of garbage.  He owns a shop in Salem, and I would never give him money to work on my cars, regardless of how many fans of his Hoodride skillz he may have.

shops are doing this stuff to cars?

Well as a Canadian , we are known for our laid back attitude ;D,I would have to say that any enthusiasm for the VW scene is probably a good thing. My hope is that these youngsters (well most of the hoodriders anyways) will eventually see the light and graduate to a better built car.You can see that happening in the "Rat rod "scene ,the quality of some of those cars is getting  better and better.

What really amazes me is that I have seen pictures recently of a lot of the Hoodriddance cars with large displacement 48IDA motors and built transaxles along with the severly decambered rear axles.
Can you imagine launching a car on the dragstrip with the rear end sitting on the inner sidewalls !?!
Not to mention paying todays very high shop labor costs to "Rat Look" your good condition car ?
  ::) ::) ::) ::)

Until I read this thread, I thought I was the only guy who hated the whole hoodride/ratrod trend. In the last couple years quite a few of those chopped, fenderless bugs have shown up around Denver as well. I hate them too. I suppose that any interest in the VW scene isn't bad, but I hope this trend dies, sort of like billet gauge panels and wink mirrors.

I am not a fan of the hoodride, but in the beginning of the "movement"(bowel ??? ;D) there were probably some cars that were built with skill and planning. Then trendys jumped on the bandwagon and made this outlet of our hobby a mockery by finding any rusty beetle and putting it back on the road with minimal thought for safety or driveability. In some way it is good that these beat down beetles are being saved, but at some point it just gets ridiculous. This is very similar to the current trend of american hotrods that are made to look like they were built 60 years ago. Some are nice but I am also sick of seeing every rat rod get exposure in a mag just because it one ups some POS that was built the week before.

As for a trend..."SoCal Products" offers a kit. so it must have a following outside the vw group
for a old hot shop accessory and hard parts company to invest in producing a kit.

I agree I get tried of seeing them, but on the other side of the coin, It's generating interest in
vw's which us old guys returning or been here all along can't keep it going alone.

I to thought I was one of a very very few that never cared for that hoodride, chopped decambered scrapping bug...I before the
look I  have had since my early days of owning an oval.

So what? The trouble with air-cooled Volkswagens is that they draw so many different kind of people under the same "brand". Like during Beetle's lifespan (depending how you calculate it) from the KDF to the last ones from Mexico, Ford in US has produced cars for Hot Rod / Street Rod / 50's Kustom / Mustang / Muscle Car / Van / Mini Truck / Tuning crowd, as I live in Europe I don't know but are there events/magazines/scene covering all of those like you see in big Volkswagen event or in one of magazines?

There is plenty of shit in the scene that I don't like, like Fuchs waisted on 70's watercooled cars, Volksrods  :D

I to thought I was one of a very very few that never cared for that hoodride, chopped decambered scrapping bug...I before the
look I  have had since my early days of owning an oval.
[/quote]


Nice, tasteful Oval you have there... I dig the wide steel wheels!

~DR.

Ohhhhhh so true!  I relate the Hoodride crap with the term 'scrub'.  That's exaclty what I think of too.  This guy bugnut68 speaks of has his car so low, the front and rear torsion housings are worn through.  Now, I like to be practical in most applications of my life as I'm sure it is what helps with maturity.  I just don't understand.  Zero pride in your ride so much that you'll destroy it to look cool. Funny since I was at Woodburn also.  My car isn't a true Cal-look car, but it's very obvious I don't 'fit' in up there.  If it isn't a 1/2" off the ground.....it doesn't get looked at.  It must be the So. Cal. kid in me.   ::)

whats that nosecone in the background ?
looks interesting .

pisses me off that it is cooler to have NO PAINT that it seems to be to try to keep my 20yr old paint alive.

I've always said, I like cars that you can see that the owner "cares about".... not necessarily is temporarily fitting into some "group" with because "this is the latest cool thing." Really, I don't care about the year of the car, or if it has real this or repop that or if it's 5 lug, 4 lug... as long as the car is using ALL OF ITS LUGS..., you know....you can see when somebody uses the car and cares for it. Those are the "anti-hoodrides", and the cars that do something for me.

Is Rattos car considered a hoodride :o

have you seen the left half of your case around? I can't seem to find it. Man the box of parts for your shitbox keeps getting emptier.

You've got it!!
One of my really good friends is into the Hoodride thing. We met in high school, I am the one to blame for him being into VW's! Here is his current ride, a '72 Bug...
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/DoubleTrouble62/driver007.jpg)

Notice the beer bottle opener screwed on the front quarter. Once you get the cap off, you pinch it on to the rain gutter (I don't know how he manages to not get pulled over). The beam is narrowed a ton, it has no shocks, painted wheels in front, chrome wheels in back, and pinstriping on the hood and fenders (it does have quarter windows now). Funny story... There was a VW show last February in Phoenix, he only had to drive across town to get there. On the way there, he blew out a rear tire (from being too low and rubbing on the fender), and lost a CV joint. I of course pointed out that Slinger and I put over 300 miles on our VWs that weekend without an issue at all ::)

I really hate it when I see a otherwise nice and/or rare car put to this torture. Why grind and beat the tar out of a perfectly good car?? I don't get it.

I too have a friend that is into the patina Hoodride thing.
His car is lowered and has the "sunbleached" paint look.
What amazes me, is he has ads all over looking for the rarest of the rare accessories for it and they must all be NOS IN THE BOX !
The total opposite of how the rest of the car looks.
 ::) ::) ::)

 ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

that is funny Richard!

The good news about the split on the first page... it has been saved!!! And other than the roof rack, it looks pretty good :)
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/387393.jpg)

hahahaa MArk only those guys could get a car to run with half a case.... :D

OUTTAMAWAYSUCKAZ >:( >:( >:(

Did you try calling the number?

You guys really need to try the 1-800-EAT-SHIT line..., I've heard you get through every time ::) ;D



Good point and report, Zach! 8)

That license plate frame would make his Momma so proud...

And then again, it really might :o

~DR.

Now THAT is FUNNY!! ;D ;D ;D

~DR.

Ugh.  The rims are worth more than anything else on that thing.

poopride? crap look? who cares ??? time to bury this one i think!

There's a twit here in Oregon running a pair of those on the back of his seriously rotted Bug and spindle mounts in the front... the same guy that owns a shop as I mentioned earlier in this thread.  Wouldn't think that car would be good advertising for business.  I don't know how many guys on the Samba told him he was stupid for running spindle mounts on a daily driven car, but he wouldn't listen.  Retarded stupid, IMO.

I think methamphetamine has a lot to do with it.

*edited due to my own error*

Nate Curtis owns Wagens West. http://www.wagenswest.com/ This car is owned by Micheal Fisher and he does not own Wagens West
(http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/383957.jpg)

wouldn't it be fun to put on a ski mask, hop in a big late '60's American pickup with a big inch V8 and a big brush bar, and go ram these pieces of shit right the fuck off the road?

rust is a crime

:-[ I'm mistaken.  I thought the shop was Wagons West, public apologies on my behalf for my error.    Regardless, that car is one gigantic pile of shit, and the owner did purchase a Salem-based shop.  Again, my apologies for my error.

here's something to think about....

Consider the first Cal Look cars, Mahaffey's split, Aronson/Holmes '63, Dean's '67, Sarge's '63...  these cars and their histories are lapped up by us "new guys", right? We revere them like religous artifacts. The guys that owned them look back proudly upon those old cars too, and for good reason. There's been books written about the scene, the guys, the cars. We're posting here because of these guys and their cars.

Think, in 35 years, that KS' offspring is going to be compiling a book about hoodrides? Think the dipshits that own these cars are going to dig through a shoebox in 20-30 years and find pictures of their "cars" and get a good feeling about "the good old days?" I doubt it. if anything, it will be like growing old with a bad tattoo, they'll look back and think "WTF was I thinking?!!!!!!!!!!!!"

do you think in 15-20-30 years, guys are going to be searching samba, ebay, internet, for parts off some hoodride, like guys are looking for BRMs off Don Crane's car (Hi Richard  ;D)? I think not.

In all seriousness, like Sarge has said, these cars and this "movement" is just kind of a window into society today, well in CA at least. Kind of a middle finger to old fashioned pride, care, concern....   who knows maybe these guys consider their shit a kind of rebellion to the real Cal Look thing... like anti-cal-look? Gosh, when I was 18-19-20, my daily driver, aside from my '67, was my 1970 Bus (The Scab, named after its color.... same as dried blood)  and it was one ugly mother. The paint was chalky and faded, there were some gashes and dents, but I still attempted to rub the paint out, fix the little glitches, added new VW hubcaps, and definitely kept it in safe condition. I mean, this was the car I took chicks out in....

Believe it or not, this picture is from the September 2008 Hot VW's magazine.
 :o ::) :o
P.S. Remember when you had to have a real nice car to even be considered for the magazines ?
 :'(

 :P

and that poor family rides in that?

gotta love the GTV badge


c'mon!!!

Who the F is he kidding?????????????????

And a 7 inch narrowed beam.  ::) I stole that pic off the samba and his comments about that pic were "Who needs front brakes when you have wind resistance?" What a dumb ass. Stupidity should be painful.

With opinions like that I bet in the end it'll be painful, hopefully he doesn't crash to anyone else while meeting the end..

I like also cars with patina as my other Bug has 53 year old paint (http://luftsick.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-oval-in-kassel-hills.html), but to have an unsafe car is just stupid..

Do his clown shoes provide extra braking power as he forces them down through the undoubtedly rotten floor? ??? :D

Volkswagen or not, I'd rather see that thing crushed and recycled into a year's worth of Coca Cola cans, my soft drink of choice, than to continue being tortured as it sits by its moron owner.

I'm just as guilty as the rest of you.... but can we talk about our stuff? Fuck these idiots and their rolling wrecking yards.

That's my view really, peoples taste differs but there's not really anything to debate when it comes to making decisions about basic safety.



I'd prefer Root Beer. 

:)

I'll leave this thread with one final thought: I saw this car at Woodburn's Bug Run earlier in the summer and yes, it is as bad as it looks.  In person, it's even worse!  ;D

gotta love the GTV badge


c'mon!!!

Who the F is he kidding?????????????????[/quote]

Jim,
For that car GTV stands for "Get Tetanus Vaccination" !
 ;D

Okay, I lied, one more reply. The guy that owns that car looks like a total troll (literally, it's hilarious).  Okay, I just devolved this thread into grade school antics, but gosh it's fun!

Lied yet again: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=658833

Laughable.  And the shop is WagenWerks, I found out.  I pity the poor high schooler's parents that shell out any money for this bucket.

I figured it would be appreciated... sad thing is I've seen it in person, and it looks even worse up close, if that's possible.

No Fat Chicks! :D

No chicks at all - he's probably still a virgin...  :o Can you imagine any girl you know, (no matter what size!) agreeing to get into a car with no seat covers? ;D

In my best Cartman-whining-to-his-mother-to-get-what-he-wants voice: "But Mo-ooommmmm, I need to get this Hoodride car so I'll be cooooooooooooool!"