New assignment for speedwell and his archives: Karmann Ghias

[speedwell]

Russell, you asked if Dyno had the R&R Machine drag bug on the cover of Hot VWs. I have it and I'm in the process of restoring it. The bad part is it's kind of gotten on the back burner because of time/money and other projects. But check out my blog! http://web.mac.com/larry_mckenzie/ Photo by Brian Watts.

larry here's the report from the R&R race car    if you want this one mail me 
fabs

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

Jim, I somehow feel you're abusing Fabians good nature

Fab, while your there, can you find me as much info on Berglar as possible please

new one with the berglar this report was in the super vw n°30 (special 67)

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

 

[Diederick/DVK]

gotta love the berglar 

and a 10.92?? 
WOW

[Rune]

and a 10.92?? 
WOW

That would be Berg's black 67, not the berglar

[speedwell]

and a 10.92?? 
WOW

That would be Berg's black 67, not the berglar

you're right rune is  for the black sedan
do you read french  

[Rune]

Haha, no Fabian. Don't understand a tiny bit french

[Diederick/DVK]

ah.... "dans sa premiere version"

je comprends maintenant 

[speedwell]

non diederick c'est la noire qui fait 10.92 (the black one)   

[louisb]

You know, the Bergler may have been ground breaking in its day, but today it would just be considered an average looker. The interior is fairly plain with mostly off the shelf upholstery, door panels & seats. The wiring under the hood is a bird's nest. The engine is so so. It just shows how much the target for a top of the line, mag quality Cal-looker has changed in the past couple of decades. Would this car today even make it into a magazine? It's place in Cal-look history is secure, but we sure have come a long way.  Just an observation.

--louis

[Diederick/DVK]

non diederick c'est la noire qui fait 10.92 (the black one)   

cela est que j'ai dit 

just kidding, my bad 

[speedwell]

 

[Zach Gomulka]

You know, the Bergler may have been ground breaking in its day, but today it would just be considered an average looker. The interior is fairly plain with mostly off the shelf upholstery, door panels & seats. The wiring under the hood is a bird's nest. The engine is so so. It just shows how much the target for a top of the line, mag quality Cal-looker has changed in the past couple of decades. Would this car today even make it into a magazine? It's place in Cal-look history is secure, but we sure have come a long way.  Just an observation.

--louis

I see what you're saying, but the Berglar does have a lot going for it. The unique look with full bumpers and shaved chrome, powerful engine, and of course real BRM's cant hurt. Not to mention who is responsible for its assembly!!

That wiring is a nightmare though!!!

[nicolas]

what is that thing on the drivers sunvisor of berglar?

[Jim Ratto]

what is that thing on the drivers sunvisor of berglar?

maybe radar detector or garage door remote?

Anyway.... having worked on Berglar after it changed hands, I can tell you that this car was amazingly well finished. Maybe it didn't have all the "latest" gizmos that some of today's "show cars" have but it worked as a car, and the finish and fit of everything was top notch and "made sense." The last thing you could say about the car was that it was "over the top" or overdone. While the photos here are gorgeous, to see that car in person and see that Triplett paint job in the sun for yourself would really do it. I drove that car a bit in 1994, and while it wasn't a monster, it was a good driver. It was awfully cammy, but the gear stack helped keep the motor on the boil. A few more points of CR would have made the monster. If anything, the motor was quiet, tight, not thrashy sounding.
So while maybe the Berglar, in today's context, doesn't "take the cake" as far as the biggest, baddest, latest, greatest.... we have to remember, this car is probably the yardstick most guys are going to remember in years to come.

[Jim Ratto]

fabs, when you get time...can you see if you have report on Dan Gabbard's black early K Ghia with 2161cc IDA motor?

Thank you buddy,

Jim 

[Rune]

Anyway.... having worked on Berglar after it changed hands

Have you got some Berglar stories from back then?

[Jim Ratto]

Anyway.... having worked on Berglar after it changed hands

Have you got some Berglar stories from back then?

not really. Just took it for a test drive and got temp in it before the owner picked it up.

[Donny B.]

Just curious Jim, what was he having done to the car at Buggie House?  I'm surprised because he was so secretive about everything.

[Jim Ratto]

Hi Don,
actually, Jerry (my boss and owner) refused to work on the car. I actually had the car at my parents' place for over a month. He brought it to me for a valve adjust and a tune and to fix a few oil leaks. Upon opening valve cover, I found a few broken springs, so the motor came out, and I sent heads to Gene. They were freshened up with new springs, valve job etc. What is too bad is that the owner refused to allow me to go into the bottom end of that motor. I pulled the strainer from the O'berg filter and it was full of cam and lifter metal.    No amount of cajoling was going to earn his trust to go into his Berg motor. (He flat out questioned my talents and abilities....which didn't go over well, but since I had a soft spot for the car, I kept my trap shut, and as some of you know, that ain't the easiest thing for me  )
Anyway, I got car back together, sans new cam and lifters, it ran "ok" but I heard soon the cam went away completely. Rumors went around that the motor was sent to Bergs but no money with it, so it stayed at Bergs. Other rumors said the car was at the Classic with a GEX 3 cylinder 1835 one of the last times I saw it. You know, despite the fistful of iron in the filter, that car ran pretty good. I'm sure it ran a whole lot better in Gary's care. McKenzie drove the car too, shortly after it changed hands. He and the new owner exchanged seat time in it from Oakland CA to Solvang CA. He said it got up and went, especially in 4th and 5th. If that motor was ever redone with some more CR and same cam or maybe 86C it would kick some ass into orbit. The heads on that car were race ready monsters.
When are we going to party at Solvang campground again? I hear there is a new formula to figure out speed of light....

[Donny B.]

I was at the Solvang that he and Larry drove the car to.  I was actually in the hotel parking lot when they pulled in.  I got to be friends with the owner, but that went away on the '98 Berg Cruise to Seattle.

We did have a good time at Solvang dodging cow pies in the show area.  I guess many folks took exception to others having a great time in the campground.  I know that Rick Mortensen got a nasty email from someone after he got home.  He had his web address on the side of his motorhome.  That was a great weekend.  I think that was 1996.  I remember Matt Joy and his wife flew in from Nebraska and rode around with me and the wife.   Matt's wife at the time didn't like flying and worked real hard on getting drunk immediately upon arriving at the hotel.  I have this vision of her standing on the bed with a bottle of beer in one hand.  I'm not sure Matt would appreciate that, but Oh well......

[Jim Ratto]

I was at the Solvang that he and Larry drove the car to.  I was actually in the hotel parking lot when they pulled in.  I got to be friends with the owner, but that went away on the '98 Berg Cruise to Seattle.

We did have a good time at Solvang dodging cow pies in the show area.  I guess many folks took exception to others having a great time in the campground.  I know that Rick Mortensen got a nasty email from someone after he got home.  He had his web address on the side of his motorhome.  That was a great weekend.  I think that was 1996.  I remember Matt Joy and his wife flew in from Nebraska and rode around with me and the wife.   Matt's wife at the time didn't like flying and worked real hard on getting drunk immediately upon arriving at the hotel.  I have this vision of her standing on the bed with a bottle of beer in one hand.  I'm not sure Matt would appreciate that, but Oh well......

Too bad so many people were turned off by the same guy. When I first met him in 1990 he was friendly, but was always bagging on the DKPIII guys and how "they stole his club"
Awfully petty if you ask me.

My group of friends got some harsh words at the campground in Solvang that year, but we deserved it. We drank so much beer that Saturday night and made so much noise laughing and screwing around, we were lucky nobody put our lights out.

[Rune]

Matt Joy and his wife flew in from Nebraska and rode around with me and the wife.

Matt's old oval was a really nice car...

[speedwell]

fabs, when you get time...can you see if you have report on Dan Gabbard's black early K Ghia with 2161cc IDA motor?

Thank you buddy,

Jim 

sure  my friend

[nicolas]

what is that thing on the drivers sunvisor of berglar?

maybe radar detector or garage door remote?

you know why i asked? i have some magazines from 92 and in the may issue there is an advertisement of a OPTO TIMER... it looks like a small black box with some knobs on it...
anyone ever tested this? it probally doesn't work as nobody runs it these days. but there has been some nifty gadgets in the 90's that would have brought instant horsepower and better milage.

thought if the Bergs would run it, then it really worked...

[speedwell]

fabs, when you get time...can you see if you have report on Dan Gabbard's black early K Ghia with 2161cc IDA motor?

Thank you buddy,

Jim 

sure  my friend

[streetvw]

fabs, when you get time...can you see if you have report on Dan Gabbard's black early K Ghia with 2161cc IDA motor?

Thank you buddy,

Jim 

sure  my friend

the best ghia ever built bar none and the guy in the blue shorts in that foto looks like he's liking it too 

[Jim Ratto]

fabs, when you get time...can you see if you have report on Dan Gabbard's black early K Ghia with 2161cc IDA motor?

Thank you buddy,

Jim 

sure  my friend

the best ghia ever built bar none and the guy in the blue shorts in that foto looks like he's liking it too 

hahahahaha!!!! YEeeeah!!!!
or maybe he has an itch?