young, full of adrenaline, stashing first Big motor parts under your bed...

[Jim Ratto]

I don't know about today, but back when I was first getting interested in VW speed parts and so on, being 16-17 years old, it seemed that a big dual carb motor was never going to be mine, too much money, not enough know how, no tools, etc. So the hours of daydreaming about bolting some fire breathing big bore Weber motor, amounted to nothing more than just that....dayream nation...
My VW friends and I were all around same age back then, and all in the same financial predicament.... no cash. But the enthusiasm behind the daydreams and "teenage expertise" was off the charts. So many hours threatening one another with things like "....just ordered my Engle 130 dude....yep for my 1641, dude you're history..."   or  "...I'm mowing 6 lawns this weekend, and then driving straight to Buggy House to by my 041 heads...."  all kinds of pie-in-the-sky dreams of Street Eliminator or JME heads, CB Turbo kits, dual carbs, etc....
Every two weeks or so, a few of us would pile into someone's ride, and make the 25 mile drive over to Buggy House after school, with no money, no intention of buying anything, just to go drool over whatever new was in the glass display cases. Man we must have wasted so much of the counterguys' time there in the 80's....hahahaha  sorry Tony....
Anyway, in 1988, somehow, I got in the middle of some "deal" with this other kid at school, Zeke, who had no clue when it came to VW stuff (like most of us) but also had no interest in it. But... his mom had this high dollar Baja bug that was running some big 78mm Claude's motor with Dellorto 45's, 912 rods, the old "black" Eliminator heads, Claude's cam....etc. Anyway, this kid Zeke led me on....telling me his mom just wanted to trade for stock motor! So for days I didn't sleep, laying awake scheming how I'd do this and get it past my parents, and eventually, the kid handed over the crank and rods and heads and let me take them out to Jerry @ Buggy House after school one day so I could get his opinion.
So I go walking in the showroom door, tripping of course on my way in, almost dropping crank and rods...
Jerry was at counter, saw me coming with this arsenal of engine crap, and asked "Now WHAT are you tryin to do?" (this was years before I worked there).  Oh man, now what? How am I gonna answer him?   "uh well....um...uh....well, this kid at school, his mom is like rich, and has all this stuff, and I'm thinking about buying all this stuff and there's like this other kid @ school that thinks he's faster and well uh I want to beat his Bug....and well...." And Jerry's just looking at me like I am speaking martian.....and there's an awkward moment where we're just looking at each other...me trying to not drop the rods on the floor....  and finally Jerry says "Well, let's see what kind of shit you've got....don't just stand there, get that shit up on the counter...." So I drop it all on the counter and he starts in...."Claude's cast crank, you're not gonna use that..... 912 Porsche rods, ain't using those clubs, now where's the case for all this shit?" So he convinces me to not buy the kid's mom's stuff, and instead, writes up a work order to bore a filled universal case for 94's and full flow it and I ask as he's writing....  "so...uh Jerry, do think this motor you're writing down, uh do you think it will beat this other kid's Bug at school?" to which he replied "Je*us Ch**st Jim.... this goddam thing's gonna eat shit with Chevy written on the side"
My eyes probably got to be the size of hubcaps with that.

[Jesse/DVK]

Great story  MORE!!!

[Diederick/DVK]

haha, awesome pal!
 
i can sorta relate to the first part 

[j-f]

Great history. 
And it's cool for young newbies as me to see that everybody start at the same point 

[Jim Ratto]

thanks guys..

when we were kids (16-17 yr old) we tried all kinds of cheap ways to go "faster"
One super elaborate plan was to "supercharge" my Weber progressive by hooking up fresh air hoses to air filter instead of heater boxes. No kidding.

Or monkeying with progressive linkage so both barrels dumped open at same time.

We swore decklid stand-off's made a least 25hp, thanks to cold air ram effect.

Open stinger was good for 30hp or more, depending on which other "mods" you had....

Oh we were cheap and dumb but zesty. 

[javabug]

a big dual carb motor was never going to be mine

    I'm not that young anymore, and this is how I feel!

[louisb]

a big dual carb motor was never going to be mine

    I'm not that young anymore, and this is how I feel!

Don't feel like you are alone in that category. Every time I think I am getting close to being able to achieve my goal, life whips it out and hoses down the parade.

Great story Jim. Reminds me of stashing small block chevy parts in my closet as a teen at my parents house. I think at one point I had a complete small block and a 235 six banger in my bedroom at one time. Then when I got into VWs it was a gold painted MoFoCo 1776 short block (stop laughing, I didn't know any better at the time) Berg POTL 95.5s, Berg manifolds, stock used heads I planed to self port, Engle 120 cam, 40 IDFs and a rebuilt stock swing axle tranny. I was going to rule the roads in my '71. 


--louis

--louis

[Jim Ratto]

If you guys want to find that horrid pic of me in my bedroom as a teen, day of senior prom, yeah with the hair...

Look in the background....on my bedroom carpet, to my mother's despair, was that case I mentioned above, the 78mm cast crank, Engle VZ25 cam, Scat lifters (back when they worked  )

I think Carlita or Sheep posted in under Jim's Hot Mullet or something

[Carlos De Alba]

If you guys want to find that horrid pic of me in my bedroom as a teen, day of senior prom, yeah with the hair...

Look in the background....on my bedroom carpet, to my mother's despair, was that case I mentioned above, the 78mm cast crank, Engle VZ25 cam, Scat lifters (back when they worked  )

I think Carlita or Sheep posted in under Jim's Hot Mullet or something

Here you go Mullet Boy!!!       

[Jim Ratto]

dude,

what...do you have that saved as your screen saver or what? I knew you were weird but.......... WTF? 

[Carlos De Alba]

dude,

what...do you have that saved as your screen saver or what? I knew you were weird but.......... WTF? 

    I have the picture framed on my desk............ 

[Jim Ratto]

you mean under your desk.

[louisb]

Young, Dumb, and full of...Adrenaline?   

--louis

[Tony M]

  Great stories Jim - I remember those days - shop full of kids spending money like no body's business - love taking the money

[Jim Ratto]

Great stories Jim - I remember those days - shop full of kids spending money like no body's business - love taking the money

yeah me too once I worked there....I was greedy bastard.... had my fan club, like Jason...hahahaha  I "skinned him alive" as Dan O. would say.
Jason and all his buddies....  Marco and Chaz and those clowns. hahahaa

Then there were the guys Frank and I catered to.... we were like Robin Hoods.... deals of the century to Derek, SODA, Wilkie, Darrel....etc.

[Tony Wilkie]

Great stories Jim - I remember those days - shop full of kids spending money like no body's business - love taking the money

yeah me too once I worked there....I was greedy bastard.... had my fan club, like Jason...hahahaha  I "skinned him alive" as Dan O. would say.
Jason and all his buddies....  Marco and Chaz and those clowns. hahahaa

Then there were the guys Frank and I catered to.... we were like Robin Hoods.... deals of the century to Derek, SODA, Wilkie, Darrel....etc.

I remember when Javier started working there and he said come on down and I'll get you my employee discount.
Just as I was about done christmas shopping  one of the other employees came up and asked what Javier was doing? You know Javier...he tried to explain himself and looked at me and said I'll call you later 
I quess I was only suppose to get the Z Long Customer Discount 

tw

[Jim Ratto]

customer 10087 Z long deal hahahahaaa

[Rick Meredith]

The special friend discount... list + 10% 

[Rick Meredith]

Great story Jim!

[Brian Silva]

Ahh yes those days....Larry Mckenzie got to know us "Kriegers" real well at Volks Authority...Started shopping over there when I was 14 trying to get all the go fast goodies. I remember buying my first set of Brm's a while back. I will never forget the look on Larry and Ray's face when I dumped $400 in quarters on the counter  (My parents used to pay me in quarters since they owned the laundry machines at their apartments).   Then i went on the payment plan soon after to buy some ida's and some motor parts off of Larry... Those were the good old days when we could spend all day asking stupid questions but learning a whole lot about what contributed to my VW facination, especially cal-look.

[Bewitched666]

Nice story Jim,can relate to it except for the mullet of course,haha

[Sam K]

Sounds pretty familiar too me. I remember buy my first stroker on layaway. I went to Painter's (the local VW shop) every week to make payments. Good times!