Hey Louis...Here is my current driver...working on some different wheels...

[rick m]

This is a chop top I hunted down and purchased. It did not have the gauges, black running boards, motor that I built, Land Products Tach bracket and tach or berg shifter.  The plan is to strip it down in the future and dechrome the rest of it and do the full CAL LOOK treatment to it. I have a new pan I am working on with all new suspension pieces that will get complete first.

Still, it makes a fun driver for now and gets over 30mpg on the freeway. Drove it to the Jerome Jamboree and even with the Black Canyon City grade (1600ft up to 4500 ft) along with all the other grades on the way to Jerome, it took 3.1 gallons to go 101 miles.  Not a bad driver for a 1915 with a 110 ENGLE cam in it, dual ports with 40mmx35.5 valves, old Mance 69mm stock counterweighted and wedgemated crank, old RIMCO rods with 3/8 bolts, new 94 Cimas and flull flowed with an auxilliary fan and cooler. Motor runs at 180-190 degrees.  Hits about 210 when blasting it hard on the feeway at over 75 but recovers to 185 when I am doing 65mph.

Trans is stock with a 3.88 R&P. Berg Shifter.

I installed all the gauges and Don Bulitta, my wiring master, helped me hook everything up. Motor purrs at 1000rpm idle and drives like a stocker until you put your foot in it.  Plans for the future...full tilt CAL LOOKER. Holding off for now to see what the economy does before spending any money.

Rick M

[louisb]

That is a really well done chop who ever did it. I like the dash layout too. Keep us updated on your progress with the rebuild.

--louis

[javabug]

I'd probably drive that without complaint.  Will be killer when you follow through with your plans.  Keeping the yellow?

[rick m]

Not keeping the yellow. I have a color in mind that I have not seen on a CAL LOOKER that will be killer with the new interior and wheels I plan to use. In the meantime, it is a very driveable and fun car. Here are couple more angles of the car.

Rick M

[javabug]

Like Louis said, that chop was done nicely.

[rick m]

You have to check out the old pix I found of my Cal Looker dash from 1977.  The pictures are old but it shows how crazy some of us were with our interiors. Go to the link below and look at the most recent posts.

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,6785.0.html

Rick M

[Rennsurfer]

Still, it makes a fun driver for now and gets over 30mpg on the freeway. Drove it to the Jerome Jamboree and even with the Black Canyon City grade (1600ft up to 4500 ft) along with all the other grades on the way to Jerome, it took 3.1 gallons to go 101 miles.  Not a bad driver for a 1915 with a 110 ENGLE cam in it, dual ports with 40mmx35.5 valves, old Mance 69mm stock counterweighted and wedgemated crank, old RIMCO rods with 3/8 bolts, new 94 Cimas and flull flowed with an auxilliary fan and cooler. Motor runs at 180-190 degrees.  Hits about 210 when blasting it hard on the feeway at over 75 but recovers to 185 when I am doing 65mph.

Trans is stock with a 3.88 R&P. Berg Shifter.

VERY cool, Rick. You just described, exactly, what I'd like to accomplish with my '67 when I get my finances back in order. What size carbs? 40 or 44mm? I was gonna go with a slightly more radical cam than the 110, but every engine that I've built with that cam turned to be great and very streetable. Thanks for the post. I was curious to see what the performance/mileage/temps. would end up being with a stock transmission. I want stock gears but with some mild beef up mods.

[67worshipper]

the front pic with the bra looks good rick.does it fit any good?

[rick m]

Louis,

The carbs came on the old motor so I used them.  The motor was only a 1776 that came in the car. The carbs are 44mm webers. I have 155 mains and 200 airs in them. They are very smooth.  They were too much for a 1776. I added the Dellorto carbs, CB air cleaners and linkage to the set up.

The combo works very good. I am not a big cam guy if I plan to drive it all the time.  I ran a Pauter cam in my last 67 that had a 2110cc motor. I ran 48 Dells for most driving and put my 48IDAs on for shows and goofing off. The car only had a total lift of .480 at the valve and a 284 duration. It was very streetable and still got 24mpg on the hwy.  You need to decide what you will use the car for the most before thinking K8, K10 or bigger.  Yeah, I've had the big cams too and would use them on a weekend warrior but not something I drive all the time.

I have run PAUTER grinds with 1.25s and 1.3 rockers to give a little less lift.  One thing I am a big proponent of is cams with a large base circle and very rounded nose. The peaky grinds, where the nose of the cam has a sharp ramp both ways, are noiser and seem to be harsher on the overall valve train. I think you will find most guys that have done a lot of motors prefer the wide base circle cams and cams with the slower ramp (not less lift) for motors that will last a long time and not wear out valve train parts and lifter bores.

I also do not run killer springs on my street engines. Since I try to set my motor up to produce all the driveable power between 1500rpm and 4000rpm, I don't need triples or even killer doubles. There are a lot of dual spring set ups with a not so stiff outer spring and a strong inner that work well.  The new behive springs, like the V8 guys use, also have a more progressive spring rate and still are stiff enough for a performance motor.  Mike Fisher of CE engineering has done some motors with the behive springs.

Rick M

[rick m]

Sorry Fred...I did not see that it was you asking about the carbs.  Yeah...the cam selection always gets me right before I put the case halves together. When doing a driver, I have to force myself to ask what the main use of the car will be.  I've had the big cams over the past 38 years and I just like a motor that is not so high strung.  Don't get me wrong...I've had some motors with K8s that were very driveable but then I am tempted to twist them to 7000rpms all the time.  Valve trains and parts just don't last a long time when you are tempted to buzz them all the time in every gear.

Knowing my need for speed...I call my cam selection my "GOVERNOR".  Having gone to jail for too many speeding tickets in the early 70's (in a 67 bug), I've learned to temper my motor builds and cam selections.  This does not mean I will not built another big motor or V8 eater.  I'm saving up for that one now. The docile 1915 in my chop keeps me conservative in my driving habits.  Cannot afford tickets at my age.

Rick M

[JS]

LOVE the rearview mirror!!! 

[67worshipper]

WHS^^ they mirrors good for seeing out of?

[Lee.C]

LOVE the rearview mirror!!! 

COOOOOOL - I keep toying with the idea of using my Race Trim "wink" mirror in PROJECT 66 - I think you guys just made up my mind 

[Zach Gomulka]

What wheels are you thinking??

[Jim Ratto]

I really like its current color. From the picture it looks like an ochre yellow? An awesome color on older European cars, if you ask me. Would look fantastic with Porsche 911 alloys, detailed as they left the Porsche factory,
Always thought a Ghia or 356 "Cal Look" would look perfect in ochre yellow.

neat project. 

[alfie the monster]

WHS^^ they mirrors good for seeing out of?

Yeah, you can see not only see round a corner, you can see round the block and the front of your car 

[67worshipper]

trust you to come out with that

[alfie the monster]

Moi? 

[Eric Ellis (57HotrodVW)]

That's a very cool car, Rick. I'll be looking foward to seeing what the future might bring to it.

Any cool stories related to the hunt for the car, or perhaps a history that you can share?

--Eric

[mg]

Great chop RM, looks like a blast to cruise in.
In PHX might be nice to add A/C.
Locally there is a similar project but with a long flat gasser style flat roof.
It has an extended rag top.
fwiw a wink is the mirror of choice for 911 track guys today.
Got mine at Pep boys.
Clean color, what's the origin of that yellow?
Best,
Mike

[rick m]

The wheels that will go on the car are Traditional 911 alloys with black background and polished spoke face and outer rim.  The color of the car is 1976 Triumph Inca Gold.  My wheels are late model 911 not the early's. I am having Eric Vaughn (Vaughn Machine) narrow some 6's to 4.5. I will run 7's on the rear.  When I get the narrowed wheels back I will make a trip to my buddy Al Reed In Anaheim, CA., to have the rims redone with the traditional look.

Rick M

[Rennsurfer]

Sorry Fred...I did not see that it was you asking about the carbs.  Yeah...the cam selection always gets me right before I put the case halves together. When doing a driver, I have to force myself to ask what the main use of the car will be.  I've had the big cams over the past 38 years and I just like a motor that is not so high strung.  Don't get me wrong...I've had some motors with K8s that were very driveable but then I am tempted to twist them to 7000rpms all the time.  Valve trains and parts just don't last a long time when you are tempted to buzz them all the time in every gear.

Knowing my need for speed...I call my cam selection my "GOVERNOR".  Having gone to jail for too many speeding tickets in the early 70's (in a 67 bug), I've learned to temper my motor builds and cam selections.  This does not mean I will not built another big motor or V8 eater.  I'm saving up for that one now. The docile 1915 in my chop keeps me conservative in my driving habits.  Cannot afford tickets at my age.

Rick M

Well put, Rick. All great points. Especially the last sentence. I'm in the same boat.

[rick m]

Hey MG...it is already A/C!  :-)

Here are a couple more shots at different angles of the car.

Rick M