The Cal-look Lounge

I've gotta take issue with the owner's claims of that 1776 engine being a "13 second" engine, as quoted in the article.  The engine does have 48 IDAs, 10.5 compression, as per the tech box, but an Engle 110, 40x35.5mm heads which are semi hemi cut and all of which was supposedly built by some "legendary Portland drag racer."  As an Oregonian that's been around the scene awhile, I'd never heard of the guy who built the engine (Jimbo Barnett I believe the name was, or something similar).  The transmission is a rebuilt stocker from what I could tell by one of my least favorite Pacific Northwest VW people, Wally Gator Schmidt.

The car is obviously a complete trailer queen show car.  I saw it at Woodburn tilted up, wheels off and mirrors underneath, etc.  Not my cup of tea, but hey, the guy's proud of his project, that's cool.  I just have my doubts that the engine is, by any stretch a 13-second capable machine.  Did anybody else read that article? 

By no means is my post a slam on Hot VWs or the article's author, as they only report on what the owner tells them, but I am curious as to what other think.

I read it too and i think its either a misprint on the cam or a misprint on the seconds.Whit that cam and heads it would run in the 16's i guess.
But by no means its a nice car 8)

Liked the hawaiian turbo streeter too in the mag 8)

it jumped out at me when i first read the mag ....

not my thing , but i could appreciate the work that had gone into it .

i gave the mag away , and cant remember too much apart from it was "different" ....

did it have a "1 spoke" steering wheel , and reversed paint underneath (designed to be on mirrors )  ??

I thought the 13 second claim was a stretch, too.  Where's the family pic of it at the track?

Performance questions aside, what's with the shiny grey seats? Looks like the clear covers I recall in my grandmothers '59 Rambler

Now that care made me want to puke.  Sorry, I just thought it looked stupid.  It may have been well executed, but definitely not my style.

I thought it was a pretty different look, not necessarily my cup of tea.  I think the seat upholstery is supposed to be similar to the old '50s style diner seats or something.

I'd be interested in knowing if any Oregon VW guys recognize the engine builder, because I don't ever remember seeing a VW racer by that name at any of the early 90s and late '80s Oregon VW events.

In all honesty, I'm not a huge fan of the over-the-top full customs, never really was; not even when they were in vogue back in the 80s and early 90s.

anybody post a pic of this car?

Ugly as sin. Does that shit really sell magazines? Features like that is why I haven't renewed my HotVW's subscription in years.
The Steve Tims article was nice though :)

Ya know.... we get hate mail for running too many Cal Look cars.... we get hate mail for note enough "different" styles, we get hate mail for too many "check book" cars, hate mail for too many vintage, not enough vintage, and on and on. Hard to please you guys.

I think "we" are relatively easy to please. It's everyone else that's the problem!!! :D

Deano, by no means was my post on this thread intended to be directed at you guys.  Check out the Samba's Off-Topic forum, I firmly stood up for the challenge you guys face in pleasing everyone each month  ;)

My comments are directed to the car's owner, as I have my doubts that the engine is a 13-second 1776.  It's most certainly faster than my Engle 100'd, stock valved, dual Kadron'd 1776, no doubt.  I know you guys probably face a lot of issues with owners "embellishing", and there are worse things that could be said, such as taking claim for other peoples' work and such.

Yes, and thanks. I am aware of your support on the internet.

i get it!!!

it is measured on a american 1/4 mile. they all go downhill anyway  :o

The car does not know what it wants to be when it grows up  ;D

Not my picture, but here it is.

(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f366/edragndean/Woodburn%2008/DSC06025.jpg)

oh dear.

 :'(

did a blind man fit the horn grills?  :o ;D :-*

Did a blind man buy them? I hate those things...

Cue the Grease soundtrack!   :-X

As ugly as I may think that car is, I`m sure there will be people praising it somewhere. So I guess you have to try to keep everyone happy. I would have much rather seen Bobbys Ghia on the cover though. And also, don`t you think that cancelling your subscriptions and only buying a few magazines a year is kind of foolish when you can buy a whole year for only $22.00?

I don't have a clue as to the capabilityes of that perticular car, but I know that Marcus Krantz from Sweden is squeezing low 13 sec passes (13.26) out of a late sixies car without interior (700kg with driver).
The engine size is 69x82 and home ported stock heads with 35x32 valves with a 296° cam...  9.5 CR  48 Dellortos.
I'm not saying this yellow dandy could do it, but I don't think its impossible either.

http://

That car was at our GCVWs show this past summer. Not my cup of tea, BUT, it is different and the owners are really nice and enthusiastic. Aside from that horn grill.. :o it shows thousands of hours building it. I'm sure they are pretty happy about the nasty comments.. :(

I didn't even mean my comments as necessary derogatory or mean, but I just have my doubts on the 13-second capability.  I could be wrong, who knows?  There was another guy from Eugene about 15 years ago had a car featured in VW Trends.  It was a yellow '68 build in "Pro Street" style and, looking back 15 years later, it was so incredibly CHEESY.  It even featured "Pro Street" decal lettering in the quarter windows. ;D  Anyhoo, to get to my point, it had a Wik style one piece nose and a set of huge tires in the back, equipped with a 2180cc, Dellorto'd engine, as I recall, and the article stated that Mike's best ET had been an 11.97.  There were a lot of us in the local club splitting our sides over that one... hell, the car had never even been driven to a car show, let alone down a drag strip.

i am very sorry to say this, but aside the bumper, grills, mirror and tires (all replaceable) this car looks good...  :-\

OK it is yellow, but that isn't that ugly. it is maybe even a welcome change...

is it that wrong? i think it looks better then the all black car (except bumperbars) IMHO.















but i have a type3 so i guess my opinion doesn't count   ;D

I like some of the different touches applied to the car, in all honesty.  I have to give the guy props for putting the years and years and years of time in to finishing the car, even though it's not all my cup of tea (the steering wheel in particular isn't my scene).  The engine bay is very sanitary, as well, and those air cleaners are definitely different.  I like the car's build than, as said previously, any Hoodrides (there was one pathetic example at the Woodburn Bug Run show this year, which is where the pic in this thread was photographed) as well as a lot of VolksRods.  I like well-crafted VolksRods, but there are just too many piles that just look stupid (there was one of these at the Woodburn show as well, with a confederate flag painted on the roof--I hated it).

To sum up, I like anything thats' executed well. 

This whole thing gets back to my issue with cars that loose their "VW-ish" characteristics. To me a good "cal look" car is still very much a VW. Maybe with a whiff of Porsche added. To me any "good" car, cal-look, off road, race, VW or not ....whatever isn't about how much crap can be screwed to the car.
I think a good cal look VW follows in the shadow of the legendary 911R. Turn up the power, lose the frills, pare down the weight. Somewhere I have a picture of the 911R in a rear 3/4 shot, even though it's not a VW, the car oozes "cal look" from every pore.
VW's are cool cars. No reason to turn them into lakester, retro hot-rod Ameri-Geman freak hybrid crap. I dunno, maybe I'm alone in my opinion but a VW is a totally different thing from a greasy American hotrod thing. I like keeping the VW scene its own thing.

I think the same way, but perhaps see the Porsche-connection bit more loosely (being non-native English-speaker cannot put it any better).

A colleaque at work took once a look at my Oval and asked about the Gas Burners; "do you think that this is now Porsche with those wheels".. He was joking, but that made me think about getting center caps that don't have the Porsche logo if that is the message I give to outsiders.

Haven't yet received that issue, so based on that one photo the car looks okay to me. The details I don't like would be easily replacable, but then again it would look like any other Cal Looker :D That colour coded sunroof is nice touch, BTW. The forums are so full of bullshit about horsepower statements and bogus advice (which is even worse) so I wouldn't be bothered about one magazine article.

I guess here is one topic that didn't do any good to anyone ;)

Man, I didn't intend to ignite any animosity, by any means.  I'm such a troublemaker. ;D

A bit off-topic, but a car that has brakes that you need shades to get a look at does not do it for me. Just my $0,05.  :)

The only picture I`ve seen is the one posted on this thread, but it`s obviously finished to a very high standard.
Better that than ending up another lowered to death `patina` car.. ;)
 

Typically, I can appreciate the effort that goes into any automotive project, whether it fits my unique tastes or not. The effort signifies that the builder is a "Car Guy," and thus, part of the fraternity of "Car Guys." I've even been known to admire lowrider impalas with hydraulic suspension just because of the workmanship and attention to detail.

One rule I try to follow, is this...

"Don't try to make your own light appear brighter by blowing someone else's out."

However,  sometimes I don't follow that rule and it always gets me in trouble.

Case in point, a few weeks ago, I made a comment of the CLF (US) that I didn't particularly care for this new VW forum that popped up, and I was immediately set upon by the forum's administrators and their "posse" and ended up getting banned. It got pretty ugly

You just never know who is reading!

$42,500 :o
http://www.oldbug.com/sales.htm

WOW!

That thing was parked next to me.......just my luck.  He had all 15 members of his family hanging out in lawn chairs around my car.  I wasn't happy. 

That yellow thing didn't excite me in the least bit.  At the same time, I'd bet my car wouldn't excite him.....at least I hope not.   :D  It's all real simple........challenge him to a few passes, let's see what she'll run!!!!   ;D

Here's the rat in question in the back ground....  It too had tons of work in to it.....but far from my liking.

(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/Hotrodvw/Woodburn%202008/IMG_2355.jpg)

I always loved the "get it in the mag and let's see how much we can get for it" ::)

I prefer the red '65 underneath! ;)

The picture on Oldbug is the only one I've seen of the yellow car we're discussing here - firewall at work blocks the other pics. Not my cup of tea, but easily changeable if you wanted to. With blackwall tyres and t-bars it would look totally different and a lot closer to what we deem "acceptable" I suspect!

No, you have to see the interior.............It's gotta go for sure!

If he's asking 42 grand, I can't imagine what he has into it.