How about some old off roaders stories...Mears Gang, Walker Evans..etc.

[Jim Ratto]

Anybody have some stories about hot rod offroad VW power? Old DDS powered stuff? FAT powered stuff? How about some pics?

[speedwell]

here's my all time favorite dune buggies , vic wilson/drino miller sponsored by dunes buggies magazines ,and those bajastar are very cool

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

 

[speedwell]

 

[Jim Ratto]

here's my all time favorite dune buggies , vic wilson/drino miller sponsored by dunes buggies magazines ,and those bajastar are very cool

who knows the tech behind this buggy? Motor cc? Looks like dual 32NDIX's for carbs. What kind of heads? How much travel did the suspension have? What type of trans did it run? Wow, what a cool piece of VW history!! Thanks for pics fabs! 

[Tony M]

Wow great pic's - brings back old times - our family started off road racing in 1970 with a funco - in 1972 we got a new chenowrth wedge - raced it hard till 1978 - dad got tired - went to work at buggy house in 1981 - raced circle track and stayed in the off roading - building off road racing engine - good time once at firecracker 400 in barsto racing mears gang - my dad beat them up year befor - rick and roger came over and asked my dad  - HOW DID TOU GO SO FAST OVER THE BIG ROLLERS - to may dismay he told them - HAMMER IT IN 4th GEAR AND GET ON TOP - well we never beat them after that - mears gang went on to greatness.

[Jim Ratto]

Wow great pic's - brings back old times - our family started off road racing in 1970 with a funco - in 1972 we got a new chenowrth wedge - raced it hard till 1978 - dad got tired - went to work at buggy house in 1981 - raced circle track and stayed in the off roading - building off road racing engine - good time once at firecracker 400 in barsto racing mears gang - my dad beat them up year befor - rick and roger came over and asked my dad  - HOW DID TOU GO SO FAST OVER THE BIG ROLLERS - to may dismay he told them - HAMMER IT IN 4th GEAR AND GET ON TOP - well we never beat them after that - mears gang went on to greatness.

wow, way back in 1970...what was in your family's FUNCO?  What about the Chenowth? Did you build the motors thru Buggy House or Small Car? I think the off road thing probably taught a lot of guys how to make hp and make it live at the same time.

[Tony M]

the hot vw car - yes it did have dual 32ndix carbs - type 1 gear box (swinger) very limited wheel travel - aprx 5-6 in front - aprx. 7-8 in in rear - engine size - most at the time like ours was a 2180

[Tony M]

jim - in the funco we had a smaller engine - 1835 with a singel 32ndix - in the chenowrth it was a 2180 with a single 32ndix - dad built the engine at our old shop - THE BUG HOSPITAL, in san leandro - will try and find old pic's - my sister in orange has an old photo albumn - will talk to her very soon - still see roger mears from time to time - the guys i race with now use to run at pikes peak - rick and roger both drove ELROD CARS and won.... paul newman built hill climbers - talk to him every once in a while - lives in pismo beach area

[Jim Ratto]

jim - in the funco we had a smaller engine - 1835 with a singel 32ndix - in the chenowrth it was a 2180 with a single 32ndix - dad built the engine at our old shop - THE BUG HOSPITAL, in san leandro

in the 2180 did you run an SPG crank?

[Tony M]

jim i dont remember - very possible - not too much of a choise at that time - i will call my dad in oregon and get more details

[.]

I just bought some items from a guy who worked for Empi and drove this !
 

[Soda]

I had a good time racing Pikes Peak this year. Got second 15min 37sec.. We did well until the carb top came off wide coming in to a corner.  There was a old Newman Dregger with a turbo. It was like big Franks or the one in the Berg catalog. If I can figure out how to post pictures I have some pictures of it.


bryan

[stealth67vw]

You actually got that thing off the trailer? I remember thinking " What the hell is Bryan going to do with that old piece of shit Newman Dreger?". Good for you Bryan!

[speedwell]

here's some pictures from the empi inch pincher too baja bug
someone know where that car finish his life  i've a report from the car with pictures from inside the car

[speedwell]

here's the sand rail of jim , engine was an 2074cc with 155hp at 5500 rpm , and those very rare halibrand magnesium wheels are cool 
thanks for the pict jim

[speedwell]

jim here's the report from the aug 77 hot vws with your ride ,i see  that the bucket seat were trimmed with the same color as your 67 ride grey/fat biscuit design 
rgd
fabs

[Sarge]

Thanks for helping me with my pics once again, Fabs.  I know Jim's thread is about off-road racing but thought I'd share a couple of pics from our years of off road "cruising."  The first pics are of our second car...here the engine size was 2332, FK87, 13.0:1. The feature from Hot VW's was our first car and had the 2074.  Don Bradford (Brad's Upholstery) did the fat buscuit seat covers on our first rail and was part of our "group" at the dunes in the early days.  For those of you that have never ventured off road, there's NOTHING quite like waking up to the smell of desert creasote mixed with the aroma of bacon, coffee, and C-12!   

[Carlos De Alba]

that was one bitching sand rail........ ...... Great times at the dunes......

[dave greiner]

Here are some old off road pictures from back in the day. That is Rick Mears in the #90 car, and yours truly in #18. That chassis was given to me as a wedding gift! (in 1973.) ( I was only 10 at the time) The others are me winning my heat in a friends class 5 baja at Saddleback park, and a small flip in my class 1 at Saddleback. Yes, that is a bent swing axle!

[speedwell]

cool  pictures dave what the car behind the baja bug ??type34???

[Tony M]

OUT STANDING PICTS - LIVED IN TUSTIN DURING THAT TIME - WENT TO SADDLEBACK PARK ALL THE TIME - HAD A DIRT BIKE - BUT LOVED THE OFF-ROAD - WHAT OVAL TRACK ARE THEY ON ?

[dave greiner]

The car behind me in the baja is a Karman Ghia. The circle track pix are from Ascot Park in Gardena, "WHERE THE 405 AND THE 11 COLLIDE!!"

[ESH]

Some cool photo's here! 

[Jim Ratto]

jim here's the report from the aug 77 hot vws with your ride ,i see  that the bucket seat were trimmed with the same color as your 67 ride grey/fat biscuit design 
rgd
fabs

Very cool by Dean K, Sarge. Reads like a who's who of fast VW folklore! Sarge if you get some time can you share some stories about Chase Morse....and maybe some stories from your trips out to Glamis? Thanks buddy

Jim

[speedwell]

new pictures from sarge , here's steve mitchell sand rail

[Jim Ratto]

wicked looking. Hilborn injection.....NICE

[Sarge]

Thanks again for the help resizing and posting my pics, Fabs!  These were taken in 1980.  Steve Mitchell was a guy who had a car like my first rail and soon became "obsessed" with trying to be the fastest up the hill.  He had Bob Pusateri at Sandrail Mfg build him a VERY lightweight car (my car was built from .029' mild steel...the roll bar from heavier material and was brazed...the car weighed 750lbs) from chromolly tubing that was really "dainty"...I'm thinking the completed car weighed 625 pounds or so.  For the engine, Steve had the boys at FAT build a stout 2180 with Hilborn mechanical fuel injection and ran a potent mix of alchohol and nitromethane.  In an effort to save weight, there was no starter.  This car was SCARY FAST!