Once you get that first taste of V8 blood.....

[Mike Maize]

They always have excuses.   I really enjoy it when they are cool about it and give me thumbs up or just wave and smile.

So true Donny! Once a guy in an early V8 Cuda wouldn't even talk to me before we lined up at the track. We line up and the announcer says he thinks it's an unfair match etc..He does the usual 5 minute burnout, I drive around the water, then I nail him by over a second! After the times pop up on the board the announcer says "I would have a hard time going home with that!"....LOL Then walking through the pits I hear him tell his buddy he needs to get his "slicks on" because it was really spinning. Next run, with slicks, same performance! This time walking through the pits he is loading it on the trailer I would bet it changed his view of both of our cars forever.....

[johnl]

Was just reading Seume's latest Cal Look book, and the chapter on Mahaffey's green split window giant killer, realizing, his experiences whomping on the V8's on a Friday night, are what probably has kept this hobby going for 40+ years.

When the Mahaffey V8 killer built it's reputation the car was actually a dark metallic brown.  I don't know if I've ever posted this before but I do remember one night in Taco Villa on Harbor Blvd. just north of the 91 Freeway.  Mike pulled in with all of the BIG V8 Chevy, Ford and Mopars and launched the car in front of them.  I happend to be standing directly behind the split and to this day I'll swear the quarter panels distorted when he did so.  I think the car was wearing 185x15 Pirelli Cinturatos on the rear which was a large tire for a VW in those days.  They went up in smoke immediately and a hush fell over the crowd.

[Fritter]

Whenever my VW enthusiasm may wane a bit (God forbid), I pull out either of Keith's 2 Cal Look books and it gets the fire going again, every time.   The old stories, pictures, etc are SO inspirational!  I like the modern day stuff too, but sometimes it gets a little too retentive or $ oriented nowadays....40 years ago, all this cool stuff was being done by KIDS, not 40-50 year old dudes with a lot of disposable income and a list of very talented VW craftsman willing to do the work.  That's why the old stuff is magical.  I'm sure those old cars weren't "picture perfect", they were drivers that looked pretty good and got the job done day in and day out.

I go to cruise nights regularly with my buddy who has a '59 Cal Looker, and I take my '68 911 because my '64 Bug isn't done yet.  His Bug ALWAYS gets more attention, swarms of people around it, etc.   My old 911 gets admiration but it's more from "afar"....most people cannot relate to it, although they like it.

Nothing beats an old Cal Look VW to make friends and kick V8 booty.

[Fiatdude]

I can't seem to get anybody to "play" with me anymore -- -- Maybe it is the smell of the ethanol in the E85  8^b

http://youtu.be/JJNaZRlCDPE

[kingsburgphil]

I can't seem to get anybody to "play" with me anymore -- -- Maybe it is the smell of the ethanol in the E85  8^b

http://youtu.be/JJNaZRlCDPE
[/quote
Maybe it's because the business end of your car looks like the space shuttle 

I be liken that E85 too.

[Zach Gomulka]

I can't remember where I heard it (I'm thinking it was Berg for some reason??), but it's a fact that you can't really loose when racing a V8 with your VW... If you win, you win. But if you loose, is the guy in the V8 going to brag to his buddies that he knocked off a VW? Don't think so

I need another quick street car in my life. It's weird... I've built big/fast motors for friends, but the first motor I ever built for myself was the fastest I've owned (and oddly the smallest at 1600cc, made 93hp). Since then, I built a torquer 1776cc type 3 (85hp/100tq), and now this weird, stock cammed, stupid expensive, EMPI 1679cc that I'm hoping will break my car into the high 16's... What the fuck is wrong with me?! I like to think the refinement has improved, but the power output surely hasn't.

[Sam K]

I started seriously modifying my bug in 1996 with a nice little 1776 dellorto engine and that quickly turned into a 2160 with 48 idf's. At the time my sworn enemy was the local 5.0 Mustang crowd. At the time, the 5.0 was the car to have in Denver and most of the guys at the street races and the track thought they were hot sh*t until me and my VW buddies showed them what was up. I don't remeber any specific instances but I'll never forget how pissed off most of those guys would get. I used to hate those damn Mustang guys but eventually became friendly with a few of them and had a chance to drive a couple and see how fun they were. The irony here is that when my lust for horespower became to great for a street driven VW to satisfy I ended up joining them. I've had a couple Mustangs and the '89 LX that I have now runs high 10's on DOT tires and pump gas, but my passion will always be fast VW's.

[Fiatdude]

I can't remember where I heard it (I'm thinking it was Berg for some reason??), but it's a fact that you can't really loose when racing a V8 with your VW... If you win, you win. But if you loose, is the guy in the V8 going to brag to his buddies that he knocked off a VW? Don't think so

I need another quick street car in my life. It's weird... I've built big/fast motors for friends, but the first motor I ever built for myself was the fastest I've owned (and oddly the smallest at 1600cc, made 93hp). Since then, I built a torquer 1776cc type 3 (85hp/100tq), and now this weird, stock cammed, stupid expensive, EMPI 1679cc that I'm hoping will break my car into the high 16's... What the fuck is wrong with me?! I like to think the refinement has improved, but the power output surely hasn't.

Zach --- you need to come for a ride in the Ovalholio -- It is tuned super rich right now until I can get down to Bill Shears Dyno (so I don't hurt anything LOL) When I was driving it Sunday it would come up on to about 13 lbs boost in fourth gear but it was soooo fat it would be blubbering and then I'd roll off the throttle and it would lean out and the car would just blow the tires away -- put down about 50' of black marks down the street in 4th gear -- was the weirdiest feeling -- but it was way cool so I had to do it about 5 or 6 or 10 times LOL -- a ride in this POS will light up the go fast fire in you real fast -- I'm almost hating I'm working because I'm wanting to get back to the dyno

[bugnut68]

I started seriously modifying my bug in 1996 with a nice little 1776 dellorto engine and that quickly turned into a 2160 with 48 idf's. At the time my sworn enemy was the local 5.0 Mustang crowd. At the time, the 5.0 was the car to have in Denver and most of the guys at the street races and the track thought they were hot sh*t until me and my VW buddies showed them what was up. I don't remeber any specific instances but I'll never forget how pissed off most of those guys would get. I used to hate those damn Mustang guys but eventually became friendly with a few of them and had a chance to drive a couple and see how fun they were. The irony here is that when my lust for horespower became to great for a street driven VW to satisfy I ended up joining them. I've had a couple Mustangs and the '89 LX that I have now runs high 10's on DOT tires and pump gas, but my passion will always be fast VW's.

I have to admit I know where you're coming from...I have thoughts to share about V8s that would probably have some folks telling me to get outta here (), but I have to admit, having driven our local club's '62 Impala, it's amazing how much more substantial, in terms of durability/overall feel of strength, American iron is compared to, say, my '70 Bug.  The fragility factor feels so much greater in my Bug, as much as I love it.  Whenever I've railed on my Bug a bit, in the back of my mind I'm always thinking, what's my current weakest link? Lol.  That may change if I ever get a good, strong gearbox built for it, especially as I increase its horsepower.
Bang for the buck is certainly a plus with those fox-bodied Mustangs, from what I've heard, but it also takes a lot less horsepower to get a VW rolling at a respectable rate.

[Jim Ratto]

They always have excuses.   I really enjoy it when they are cool about it and give me thumbs up or just wave and smile.

There was a night about 15 years ago, a few of us were bored and feeling antagonistic, so what better to do than go throw revs at the Mustang morons @ Burger King. I had a 2276, FK10, S/E 42 x 37's bus snubbers, solid mounts and a lower pulley about size of a nickel. Pulled into Burger King and spotted a metallic late 80's 5.0 (louvered taillights, etc) and gave him a wad of 48IDA bark to chew on. Him and his buddies all stopped mid sentence, Skoal falling from their gaping mouths, etc. The owner (obvious) asks "guess that means you wanna race?"
To make a long, borng story short, after first pass, him and his cronies start unpacking speaker boxes, spare tire, 12 packs of Hamm's from the 'Stang...("ain't no way now that boy in the veeduabbaya is gonna beatcha again!"). One guy's bleeding air from the guy's rear tires. We're trying not to laugh. Second pass, win to Bug. Third pass same. This guy's got the Mustang's hood open now ("maybe if I shake my air filter out....wait maybe this plug wire's loose..."). Finally he concedes, but then asks me "That thing a dual port?"

[Zach Gomulka]

...having driven our local club's '62 Impala, it's amazing how much more substantial, in terms of durability/overall feel of strength, American iron is compared to, say, my '70 Bug.  The fragility factor feels so much greater in my Bug...

Really?? I don't get that feeling AT ALL. Everytime I drive a 50's-70's American car, they feel flexy, heavy, poorly built, doors shut with a CLANG, etc. Even the ones that have been restored! But I hop in my Beetle, the door shuts tightly enough that I open the vent wing first, even with the original nearly 40 year old seals. It feels tight and light, easy to control. I feel like I'm much more able to avoid a collision in it, which is better than surviving one after! And those on/off power brakes American cars had back then?? No fucking thanks!

[bugnut68]

...having driven our local club's '62 Impala, it's amazing how much more substantial, in terms of durability/overall feel of strength, American iron is compared to, say, my '70 Bug.  The fragility factor feels so much greater in my Bug...

Really?? I don't get that feeling AT ALL. Everytime I drive a 50's-70's American car, they feel flexy, heavy, poorly built, doors shut with a CLANG, etc. Even the ones that have been restored! But I hop in my Beetle, the door shuts tightly enough that I open the vent wing first, even with the original nearly 40 year old seals. It feels tight and light, easy to control. I feel like I'm much more able to avoid a collision in it, which is better than surviving one after! And those on/off power brakes American cars had back then?? No fucking thanks!

I was mainly thinking in terms of going down the track.. not so much the peripherals like the feel of the overall car, like doors and such.  Until I have a built box and all the goodies to go with it in the Bug, I'm reluctant to flog it very hard in terms of launching and what not.  Of course, that Impala I spoke of has an automatic and not a clutch.  Just a completely different feel altogether from the Bug, is all.

[stealth67vw]

They always have excuses.   I really enjoy it when they are cool about it and give me thumbs up or just wave and smile.

There was a night about 15 years ago, a few of us were bored and feeling antagonistic, so what better to do than go throw revs at the Mustang morons @ Burger King. I had a 2276, FK10, S/E 42 x 37's bus snubbers, solid mounts and a lower pulley about size of a nickel. Pulled into Burger King and spotted a metallic late 80's 5.0 (louvered taillights, etc) and gave him a wad of 48IDA bark to chew on. Him and his buddies all stopped mid sentence, Skoal falling from their gaping mouths, etc. The owner (obvious) asks "guess that means you wanna race?"
To make a long, borng story short, after first pass, him and his cronies start unpacking speaker boxes, spare tire, 12 packs of Hamm's from the 'Stang...("ain't no way now that boy in the veeduabbaya is gonna beatcha again!"). One guy's bleeding air from the guy's rear tires. We're trying not to laugh. Second pass, win to Bug. Third pass same. This guy's got the Mustang's hood open now ("maybe if I shake my air filter out....wait maybe this plug wire's loose..."). Finally he concedes, but then asks me "That thing a dual port?"

...and then we told him to race the 4 door Rabbit. The Rabbit was so ordinary Rabbit. It was a very stock looking early 80s white 4 door Rabbit that just happened to run 13s on street tires and had won many bracket racing events at Sears point. Ed was so far ahead of him in his Rabbit he put on his blinker on and pulled in front of him and then the Fuzz showed up and put an end to our shenanigans.

[Jim Ratto]

....and the poor guy that never barked a tire (Kyle) was the one that got nailed that night for driving off with no headlights. I think Ed (Rabbit) either a) blew by the cops or b) they figured "this poor dork in the Rabbit got himself in a street brawl between a few 'Stangs, he didn't do nuttin" or c) just oturan them.

[javabug]

That was the beautiful thing about the Rabbits! Even LESS likely than a bug, to most people.