Mike Mahaffery's 51 Split

[Sarge]

It's about time you showed up, Mike...now, buy us all a beer!!   If my feeble memoriy is correct, didn't you do your own upholstery work?

[mgmahaffey]

No, I was working at a upholstery supply warehouse during college and an auto upholsterer customer of ours from Fullerton did the work. I chose him because he cut me a good deal and he was good. It was during my employment there that I met another upholsterer, Don Bradford, and introduced him to the VW scene. But I did take auto upholstery classes in the 90's at the local community college and did an interior for a '63 Ghia that has yet to be restored.

[Jon]

Welcome to the Lounge Mike! Hope you like it!
Those door-panels were something else, how would the real cal-lookers of today look if this picture had been in KS’ cal look book? one can only wonder..
I for one like them alot, looks more like a "car" if you get my drift.

[ESH]

Cool thread! The car is a great point of reference, I too like the interior a lot. 

[Rick Meredith]

Hey Mike Glad you showed up here!

Welcome

Rick

[Lee.C]

When I had it the license plate was UOT 994. I never had blue plates. The picture of it brown was taken at a Bug In at OCIR. It was only brown for a short while. I had Becker's paint it 1970 Porsche Conda Green. That's when I had the chrome removed. I left the bumper slots incase I got a ticket for not running bumpers, but I never used nerf bars or anything else - no chrome anywhere. The one interior black and white shot looking down toward the dash is after I had it. The other shots are what I had done. The seats had a black rectangular insert pattern. If I could figure out how to insert pictures here I would post some.
Mike Mahaffey

WOW I can't belive it - Thanks for dropping in Mike  I have always LOVED your old split for me its a true Cal Looker, I would love to see a few more pictures if you have any 

Also what engine did you have in it when it was Conda Green  and what were those AWSOME gauges 

[mgmahaffey]

I had the 2180cc in it at that time. That was the biggest available at the time. It had an 82mm SPG roller with 92cc NPRs. I don't think the German companies made pistons and cylinders that big then (don't hold me to everything, my memory gets a little cloudy here) I had a 2074cc when it was brown but that disingrated halfway down the strip at Lions in Long Beach. The crank was a 78mm welded stroker - no counterweights. About the only thing available then other than the welded ones were Okrasa cranks, but I couldn't afford that. I was just a college student going to school full time and working part time, so I had very little money, spending every dime I had on my car (well, I left a little for beer money at the end of our rallys at Shakeys. Sarge would remembers those days, probably why my memory is a little cloudy ;-) Anyway, I figured the SPG roller would last. I couldn't afford to blow up another motor. This car was my only transportation and if it broke on Sunday I didn't have a ride to school on Monday. Our cars were not second-car toys, they were all we had, so they got driven everywhere daily. So my building such a big motor was risky for a "daily driver" - a term we never used. Plus no one to my knowledge had never done it before - at least Dean Lowry had never heard of it. I don't remember the cam but Ron Fleming swears it was an Engle 130 but I don't think it was that big. Ron did the heads, experimented with a D shape. I had bigger intakes but couldn't afford bigger exhaust valves. I used a holley fuel pump and a Vertex magneto with a 6-volt starter, 48 ida's - started instantly. Anyway it ran great on the street, a real torquer, better than anyone thought it would. Gene Berg cut me special 3rd and 4th gears to go with the limited slip. With the solid steel mounts and no engine compartment insulation, it was very noisy - couldn't even hear my 8-track, so I took it out. I never broke anything after that. But I did only run Pirelli's and not slicks and came off the line at only about 3500rpm (didn't want to break the tranny or spin the roller) and still ran in the low 13's. And drove it to school on Monday.
Mike Mahaffey

[speedwell]

WAOUWWW    cool story mike    And can you tell the continuation (suite) after when you  sold the car etc... who was the new owner ?? ed craig ??
thanks

[christophe]

........ and still ran in the low 13's. And drove it to school on Monday.
Mike Mahaffey

That's cool!!!!!

[nicolas]

welcome and thanks for charing such memeories!!!

this is the REALLIFE CAL-LOOK BIBLE!!!

it's getting better and better here on this site.

[autobarnhauler]

welcome and thanks for charing such memeories!!!

this is the REALLIFE CAL-LOOK BIBLE!!!

it's getting better and better here on this site.

i reckon

[Sarge]

With all the current speed parts and big horsepower of today, it's hard to truely appreciate Mike's accomplishments of long ago.  I remember taking an all to short ride in Mike's car when it had the 2180; how it litteraly blew those poor Pirelli's away and how easily the back-end came out on the second gear shift...then the close ratio's...unbelievable back then!  One other thing...Don Bradford who Mike introduced to VW's at upholsery class years ago is the guy behind Brad's Upholstery and the "fat biscuit" Cal Look interior!  Good stuff, Mike...keep it coming!! 

[empicolector]

welcome to the lounge  mike and  nice story

[mgmahaffey]

I'll post some more things on Monday about my car. But this weekend it's off to Phoenix for the Bugorama with Hunsaker and Fleming!
Mike Mahaffey

[Lee.C]

yet again WOW I can't believe how big this thread has got and I can't wait for the next update - Thanks Mike 

[nicolas]

here is what i could find about the car. it is one mike mahasse's car in the intervieuw but i think we are all talking about the same car here... 

it is an article in volkswagen greats of march 74. i couldn't scan the intervieuw but i took pictures

[edcraig]

I owned the car when those pics where taken.  I was at disneyland for contest and was trying to make it look like a 50's lowrider.  The "dingle balls" window etching...and flaames, were all fake, (along with the shoe shine white walls).  My wife in the pic had more flames in the bag that we were attaching.  The competed car was used in a VW book about Bugs shortly after.

It looked so bad, I was actually embarressed to drive it that day, but it did get a pretty good laugh.

[speedwell]

welcome to the lounge ED  ,  cool to have you on this place now maybe we can know the all story of the 51 
regard
fabian

[empicolector]

welcome to the lounge ED

[Sarge]

Welcome to the Lounge, Ed!  Maybe YOU can recall a few old stories of our days at Auto Haus...I'm way too old to remember much of anything. 

[speedwell]

Welcome to the Lounge, Ed!  Maybe YOU can recall a few old stories of our days at Auto Haus...I'm way too old to remember much of anything. 

and don't forget the old pictures 
 

[Lee.C]

With all the current speed parts and big horsepower of today, it's hard to truely appreciate Mike's accomplishments of long ago.  I remember taking an all to short ride in Mike's car when it had the 2180; how it litteraly blew those poor Pirelli's away and how easily the back-end came out on the second gear shift...then the close ratio's...unbelievable back then! 

Thought I'd get this thread going again seeing as ed and Marc have been hanging out on here lately 

Also does anyone else recognise this little paragraph from Sarge 

[edcraig]

Most of the pics here are when I owned the car.  (except when it was brown, or with the gold 8 spokes) The pics supplied by speedwell, and the ones with the white walls are when I owned.   Mike had it when it was brown, and also while green with black plates.  I had it with blue plates and BRMs.  I sold it witn CHrome wheels, (sold the BRM's seperatly), and the next owner put the gold 8 spoke on it. 

Here's the story about the whitewalls and flames stuff. Didney was just about th release Herbie the love bug, and had a contect at Disneyland for VW's you had to "dress up" you are to be judged.  Finialst would get to drive down mainstreet in disneylad.  the winner got a new VW.  3 cless, humor, patroic, or nostaliga.  I picked the last, and ried to make my car look lkke a typical 50's low rider.  The girl in the pic is my wife.  Inside the bag she's holding at some stick-on flames.  The white walls are shoe polished on,  The green dingleballs in the windows were taped on.  The window etching is a decal.  I even had a green "brodie" knob the the steering wheel, and white dice hanging on the mirror.

It looked so bad I was actually embarressed to drive down there in the morning.  I was afraid people might think it was the "normal" look of the car.  Unfortunetly, I didn't make it look silly enough.  I wasn't a semi finalist, but the car behind me that looked like a giant pickle made it thru.

Currently, the car is red with BRM's again.  The current owner has had it in storage for 25 plus years and might try to bring it to the VW Classic this year.

...Ed.

[edcraig]

Also... the DRA decals in the windows are a give away when I owned it too.

...Ed.

[edcraig]

This car has some great memories for all past owners.  It was well know with Mike as one of the fastest street cars around.  It was the first split wndow I ever saw, (back when it was still brown).  At the time I had no idea ithat I'd buy the car in a few years.  Mike sold it too me with a 1600 motor.  I just got married, so funds where limited, plus it was my daily driver, so never was able to put a big motor back into it.  he work I did was more fine tuning details on the car. For me, it was just a fun car to drive.  Many car rallies..many trips to Dodger games...even more camping in it out in the desert.  It went everywhere!

The current owner seems to have many good memories too.  All around great car!

[Lee.C]

Cool thanks for the stories Ed  Its just coool to know the car is STILL going 

[speedwell]

ed the picture i posted are small, i pick up those on the net  and it was that size,  can you scan the original and poste them  in bigger resolution

thx
fabs

[marc1951]

I love 8-spokes, in fact I've had a set in my attic for years waiting......., but they just don't look right on a split.

There are some awesome pictures here of Mahaffery/Craig's car but one interior shot is actually of my car.
I think I've seen more of the car here than when Ed Craig and I were in DRA together.

Great thread

Marc Buehler

[speedwell]

mark here's ed's split when eddy the cuyper own it

[Lee.C]

I love 8-spokes, in fact I've had a set in my attic for years waiting......., but they just don't look right on a split.

There are some awesome pictures here of Mahaffery/Craig's car but one interior shot is actually of my car.
I think I've seen more of the car here than when Ed Craig and I were in DRA together.

Great thread

Marc Buehler

I'm guessing this is your interior dude   I was wondering about this pic as I did notice the gauges were different And I know what you mean about 4lug 8's on a split - it just looks alittle wierd,

One thing I have been noticing is Mikes/Ed's COOL rear T bars - I am guessing he made these himself