PROJECT 65 Basically I am finally building a Cal Looker! Pre Cal For Starters...

[Lee.C]

Well as a few of you have probably seen/heard I resently sold my 51 to a well known Belgian Collector/builder and I am FINALLY going to build that Cal Looker I have been talking about for that last few years  

I did toy with using the funds from the sale of the 51 to buy an Early Bay or even buying Zach's GTV and restoring it but the call of a Cal Looker was to strong!
(and a little something JS said  )

To be honest I hadn't really started looking for a base car for the cal looker but I did mention to a few people that I was looking for a 66, Anyway last week my boss and VERY good friend Gunnar Romfog said "You know Little Tommy has a 65 that he's looking to sell and its a REALLY nice car and he only want 15,000nok for it!" so I thought what the heck I'll take a look at it, And it just so happened that Tommy popped in to say hello a few hours later and after a little chat he agreed to drop in with the car in the next few days - And last friday I was working away in the workshop and I hear the unmistakeable sound of a STOCK volkswagen and I look up to see Little Tommy sitting there in what can only be described as one of the nicest most original USED volkswagen I have even come accross, You know when you can just "Tell" So to cut a long story short basiclly I brought it there and then!  

Now don't get me wrong this is not a "Perfect" car its just a GOOD ORIGINAL USED VOLKWAGEN that has been driven and looked after for the last 48 years I. Its all matching numbers ie engine, gearbox, front end, panels etc, it only just covered 100k (showing 01036 now) and as far as I can see the motor has NEVER been out!, From what I have been told it was brought new here in norway and owned by its first owner for many years, he had it serviced by VW (I have the history) had it properly rust proofed, always garaged it and never drove it in the winter, it was then passed on to a second owner (maybe a family member of the first) who drove and cared for the little bug in the same way as its previous keeper and did so until the mid 90's when the little bug was put into dry storage and there it stayed until little tommy brought it approx 2yrs ago (2001) and all he did was get it back up and running ie new fuel lines etc and get an EU Control/MOT and drove it approx 100kms!

Like I say this by no means a "perfect" car but its just those little things that tell you "This is a GOOD one" Yes there is a TINY TINY patch of rust at the bottom of the R/F A pillar but that is it! Clearly a spot that the rust proofing guy missed as the rest of the car is AMAZING! but its the little details like EVERY and I mean EVERY rubber bung/gromet is in place, It still runs a VW logo'd fan belt, The faded ORIGINAL paint, The ware marks on the drivers door from years of grabing the handle......... And EVERYTHING works CORRECTLY! inc the interior light and the heater  

And best of all it drives like a DREAM  

I will post more detailed picture in the next few days....
Enjoy  

[Lee.C]

 

[Lids]

not a 66, but looks like a very good base: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UN-FINISHED-PAINTED-ROLLING-SHELL-1964-VW-BEETLE-SMALL-WINDOW-PROJECT-/200788856144?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2ebff2cd50

Right where do I start  

1: its NOT a 66

Nice base to start with, now is the time to stick in that SPG motor.

[beetletom]

lovely car.

[JS]

lovely car.

Words don't really do it justice. It's a no less than perfect donor car for what Lee has planned. I wish mine was half as good when I started working on it!!

[j-f]

Good to see you back on the track to build a looker buddy.
Your buggy was a such hit that I can't wait to see the result 

[Nico86]

Nice find!

[Lee.C]

Thanks for the comments guys and JS is right its PERFECT for a cal look project 

I have been checking it out in more detail over the last few days and its such a nice car! at some point in its life it was PROPERLY rust proofed, every little corner/hole/void is covered, it was done so well it even has all its original brake pipes and hoses (although these are starting to "colaspe") I suspect this rust proofing was carried out when new 

I have also been checking through some of the old serive history and from what I can see it had only cover 52,000ish kms by 1979! meaning a average yearly useage of approx 3700ish kms, during this time it was also serviced by VW and even had a "Diagnosis Check" at 34,000kms 

The plan is to drive it "stock" (well almost  ) for the next year, I'm planning on driving to EBI5 (I have a couple of little ideas for that  ) and then pull it apart for some minor repairs/modifications and a repaint and then rebuild as a PROPER Cal Looker

More detailed pictures to follow tomorrow 

[Nico86]

More detailed pictures to follow tomorrow 

Yes!

Was it some kind of wax that was used for rust-proof treatment? Or some kind of "Blackson"?

[Gunnar|Rennfahrer]

Nice car! I'm looking forward to see the result.

It may have been at the same dealership at the same time as my 65, maybe standing side by side. (my car's reg.plate D-61928)

[Lee.C]

Nice car! I'm looking forward to see the result.

It may have been at the same dealership at the same time as my 65, maybe standing side by side. (my car's reg.plate D-61928)

Mine was sold at "OLRUD AUTO A/S"

Pic's to follow soon 
 

[Gunter]

keep it bone stock Lee and drive it for a year, you will see that nothing beats these original cars

then go and look for a project / donor car for your CalLook
don't use this one
they are getting rare and more rare all the time

just my 2 cents

Gunter.

[Lee.C]

keep it bone stock Lee and drive it for a year, you will see that nothing beats these original cars

then go and look for a project / donor car for your CalLook
don't use this one
they are getting rare and more rare all the time

just my 2 cents

Gunter.

Very Good point dude - I really really like driving a "Stock" volkswagen, and this one is AMAZING 

I do have plans for the future to look for a STOCK 1972 1200 Base Model (sky blue) the same as my first car so I won't feel as bad about Cal Looking this little baby 

[Nico86]

Why not keeping it in its very nice "used condition", and building a cal-look using only good "used condition" period correct parts or aged parts? Could be an interesting project to lead, like a barn find cal-look. And if one day you're bored with cal-look you could easily put the car back to its stock condition if you keep all the orignal stock parts.

[Neil Davies]

Why not keeping it in its very nice "used condition", and building a cal-look using only good "used condition" period correct parts or aged parts? Could be an interesting project to lead, like a barn find cal-look. And if one day you're bored with cal-look you could easily put the car back to its stock condition if you keep all the orignal stock parts.

Good idea, something like Paul Rui's split. Best of both worlds then!

[Berger]

Why not keeping it in its very nice "used condition", and building a cal-look using only good "used condition" period correct parts or aged parts? Could be an interesting project to lead, like a barn find cal-look. And if one day you're bored with cal-look you could easily put the car back to its stock condition if you keep all the orignal stock parts.

I agree! Just take of the stock beam complete with brakes/drums and all (store it dry) and put on a aftermarked adjustable one to get it slightly lower up front. Then add some nice wheels and leave the rest as it is. Then you have a winner to enjoy all summer long (and it can be put back to stock in no time)!  

[Gunnar|Rennfahrer]

Nice car! I'm looking forward to see the result.

It may have been at the same dealership at the same time as my 65, maybe standing side by side. (my car's reg.plate D-61928)

Mine was sold at "OLRUD AUTO A/S"

Pic's to follow soon 
 

Nice car! I'm looking forward to see the result.

It may have been at the same dealership at the same time as my 65, maybe standing side by side. (my car's reg.plate D-61928)

Mine was sold at "OLRUD AUTO A/S"

Pic's to follow soon 
 

Mine too! And with only 3 cars between them, they are probably "old friends"..
Call me whatever you want, but I like the feeling of it... :-)
Since I've already gone for the "barn find cal-look," I think you should go all the way, as you've planned for a long time.
And that's not because I don't want you to do the same as I, it's just that I love your inspiration car so much.

[Lee.C]

Why not keeping it in its very nice "used condition", and building a cal-look using only good "used condition" period correct parts or aged parts? Could be an interesting project to lead, like a barn find cal-look. And if one day you're bored with cal-look you could easily put the car back to its stock condition if you keep all the orignal stock parts.

Good idea, something like Paul Rui's split. Best of both worlds then!

Why not keeping it in its very nice "used condition", and building a cal-look using only good "used condition" period correct parts or aged parts? Could be an interesting project to lead, like a barn find cal-look. And if one day you're bored with cal-look you could easily put the car back to its stock condition if you keep all the orignal stock parts.

I agree! Just take of the stock beam complete with brakes/drums and all (store it dry) and put on a aftermarked adjustable one to get it slightly lower up front. Then add some nice wheels and leave the rest as it is. Then you have a winner to enjoy all summer long (and it can be put back to stock in no time)!  

Its like ytou guys have been reading my mind  I have been thinking ALOT about the "Barn Find Cal Looker" idea and I have some really cool ideas 

The car does need a very very small amount of bodywork/rust repair, As I said before she's not perfect and I do have a friend/pinstriper/tatto artist who is VERY VERY good at replicating "patin'd paint" And if I am building any kind of cal looker it HAS to be dechromed! But this could very easyily changed back at a later date - The biggest decission is the dsah - DO I CUT IT UP?  I have all those cool vdo jet cockpit gauges and it would be a real shame not to use them 

More updates/pic's tomorrow I promise 

[Nico86]

Maybe you could find another set of matching red dash grills that you will cut to put the gauges.

[Jon]

It's a 65 Lee... do what you want with it...   dechrome and cut up the dash...  live a little!

This one is in the exact same shape as the 66 I found for you... even the same color... There are more cars than there is people to look after them in Norway... and as most cal-look enthusiasts will tell you, it's got to be an oval...
Why I don't know, in my eyes a oval is really hard to make a hardcore cal-looker out of...  but a soft looker... easy, , but I digress.

And about doing it the same way Pål did it... sure, do it... but remember that the important thing is after all the removal of the trim, and the total lack of lowered spindles.

Now do it, report back in one week!

[Lee.C]

It's a 65 Lee... do what you want with it...   dechrome and cut up the dash...  live a little!

This one is in the exact same shape as the 66 I found for you... even the same color... There are more cars than there is people to look after them in Norway... and as most cal-look enthusiasts will tell you, it's got to be an oval...
Why I don't know, in my eyes a oval is really hard to make a hardcore cal-looker out of...  but a soft looker... easy, , but I digress.

And about doing it the same way Pål did it... sure, do it... but remember that the important thing is after all the removal of the trim, and the total lack of lowered spindles.

Now do it, report back in one week!

"LIKE" 

[JS]

I'm with JHU on this one. You've been talking about exactly how you want it to look for as long as I've known you, it would be pretty stupid thing to change plans now IMHO... 

[Lee.C]

I'm with JHU on this one. You've been talking about exactly how you want it to look for as long as I've known you, it would be pretty stupid thing to change plans now IMHO... 

"LIKE" 

[Lee.C]

From old town fredrikstad after work earlier today 

[Nico86]

That's a ski rack under the rear window?

[Lee.C]

That's a ski rack under the rear window?

Sure is - you don't get much more norwegian than that do you 

[Lee.C]

you have to love proper original patina 

[hotrodsurplus]

As the late (and great) editor Gray Baskerville frequently said, Wheels, tires, and stance make the car. And as my designer pal Larry Erickson told me more recently, the world would be so much better off if people just concentrated on...wheels, tires, and stance.

I'd just as soon leave that car alone--the finish is presentable and for what it would cost to paint it properly you could buy another finished car stateside and ship it over. If you do decide to play with it, you can pull a few leaves and re-index the bars in an afternoon and restore it in another. Wheels and tires bolt on even quicker.

If you're itching to spend dough, scare up a set of Porsche drums. They'll look bitchin' AND make the car stop hard. I'm into mine for less than what a set of wide-five discs would cost and they'll sell for several times what a set of used wide-five discs would EVER bring. Build a mild engine if you just have to have more power and dress it with early parts. Find a Hurst shifter. All that stuff comes right off without leaving marks.

The beauty of Euro-spec cars is that they make instant lookers. You don't have to shave those godawful towel-rack bumpers that our silly government imposed upon us. Man, you could just bolt a set of T-bars to it and be done. I personally like the euro blades best, tho. And that car has 'em. Zero money spent.

The days of having to reinvent those cars to make them stand out from the crowd are over. You could probably drive it for several weeks without seeing another early beetle! Just come to terms with the fact that you have a bitchin' car and spending a ton of dough probably wouldn't make it any neater. 

[roland]

As the late (and great) editor Gray Baskerville frequently said, Wheels, tires, and stance make the car. And as my designer pal Larry Erickson told me more recently, the world would be so much better off if people just concentrated on...wheels, tires, and stance.

I'd just as soon leave that car alone--the finish is presentable and for what it would cost to paint it properly you could buy another finished car stateside and ship it over. If you do decide to play with it, you can pull a few leaves and re-index the bars in an afternoon and restore it in another. Wheels and tires bolt on even quicker.

If you're itching to spend dough, scare up a set of Porsche drums. They'll look bitchin' AND make the car stop hard. I'm into mine for less than what a set of wide-five discs would cost and they'll sell for several times what a set of used wide-five discs would EVER bring. Build a mild engine if you just have to have more power and dress it with early parts. Find a Hurst shifter. All that stuff comes right off without leaving marks.

The beauty of Euro-spec cars is that they make instant lookers. You don't have to shave those godawful towel-rack bumpers that our silly government imposed upon us. Man, you could just bolt a set of T-bars to it and be done. I personally like the euro blades best, tho. And that car has 'em. Zero money spent.

The days of having to reinvent those cars to make them stand out from the crowd are over. You could probably drive it for several weeks without seeing another early beetle! Just come to terms with the fact that you have a bitchin' car and spending a ton of dough probably wouldn't make it any neater. 

[Zach Gomulka]

That is a great car you've got there. Pretty much everyones dream project car in terms of condition. So nice that it makes the work easy, and so nice that it makes the decisions difficult for custom guys like ourselves.
With that car, my idea of fun would be to go through the motions like they did "back in the day". Even if it takes years. Start out pre-cal with stock height, chromies, and a few bolt ons to the 40hp. Next, drop the front and get some proper rolling stock. Ad some more horsepower... Then do a shave and an exterior only repaint in the stock colour. Big IDA motor to back it up. Then dash and interior mods. It will always be evolving, you'll never get bored with it. It's rare to find a car in that condition these days, but they made a million or so 65's, it's not like yours is the last stock example on earth. So have fun with it, whatever that means to you.