The Safeway Sleeper '67

[Jim Ratto]

another story from my youth, promise to keep it short (er)

Before I had laid a wrench on my '67 (and before I had my license) there was a very clean Zenith Blue '67 that used to be parked in the local Safeway (grocery store chain) lot. I'd see the car almost every day parked there in the afternoons (cutting class, riding BMX bike to Jack in the Box). Of course, owning a '67 Bug, I started to notice the other ones around...this one especially because it was same color as mine. It sat at factory ride height, had stock '67 wheels (all white, not black and white), but ran no bumpers, had T-bars instead. I rode past it just about every day, never noticing propped deck or merged dual quiet mufflers. Until one day after I got my license, and went to Safeway for a soda pop, and when walking back to my car, noticed the HP-1 filter, quiet packs, Aeroquip oil lines and decklid standoffs. I didn't know the significance of any of this stuff at 16. I peeked through propped lid and saw two carbs and some complicated linkage. Peeked under car, his motor looked to hang lower than mine did (sump), had a big brace running under engine (traction bar) and had all this cool looking cloth-covered hose with hefty looking oil fittings going to an white and orange (old) Fram HP-1 and an oil cooler. This was the coolest streeter I had seen, really. Pre-Pete's Dragon for me.
Years later, after building my 2276cc...my friend Mike and I went to same Safeway to buy beer, and one night the Zenith '67 was parked outside again. It was 10pm, so there weren't many checkers working. One guy was a young, mid 20-ies guy with shaggy blond surfer hair. Kind of spacey. He was a checker, we got in his line, and I asked him "you know who owns that '67 Bug out there?" I suspected it was him. Yeah, it was so we got to talking, the car had a 1776 built with mostly Berg stuff, Berg heads, Engle 120, Berg 42's...etc. What a neat car and a nice guy. We became regulars in Safeway (Mike and I) every night for 12-pack, and always stop and shoot the breeze about VW's with this guy. Too bad I didn't keep in touch with him. His car, along with a few others (Pete Staat's car, a guy I went to HS with, Dan Jackson's 1975 standard Bug, Dave Galassi's N.O.S. notch, and this hot lady's white 911S around the corner from my house) , were such an influence on me and my '67 way back when....when the whole VW thing was brand new for me.

[Donny B.]

Cool story, I know the feeling.

[nicolas]

mmmmmm

jack in the box

(never tried it, but an american friend i had in England, said it was the ultimate in fastfood) even now my mouth starts to water just remembering him talking about it...

[Donny B.]

Jack in the Box Tacos...  they are lousy tacos, but they sure taste good!

[lawrence]

Jack in the Box Tacos...  they are lousy tacos, but they sure taste good!

My friend calls them kangaroo meat tacos because the meat is finely shredded and strange looking, but he still eats them. I love kangaroo meat tacos especially after some cold beers and the price cannot be beat either; 2 for $0.99. I usually get about 4-6

I think this belongs on another thread

[stealth67vw]

Screw you bastards, I gotta drive 30 miles, up hill both ways, in the blinding snow and rain for kangaroo meat tacos

[Jim Ratto]

Screw you bastards, I gotta drive 30 miles, up hill both ways, in the blinding snow and rain for kangaroo meat tacos

I think somehwere I started a thread about a VOLKSWAGEN!!?

[stealth67vw]

Screw you bastards, I gotta drive 30 miles, up hill both ways, in the blinding snow and rain for kangaroo meat tacos

I think somehwere I started a thread about a VOLKSWAGEN!!?

A Safeway is too damn expensive. Why would a cheap skate VOLKSWAGEN owner be shopping there?