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1- Dirty Dave '61 SEDAN : From Renfree to Speed Unlimited... |

DIRTY DAVE VANDERBEKE '61 SEDAN!!!

We all know everything's possible 'bout the legendary VW gassers of the 60s and 70s : Inch Pincher, DDS, Lightning Bug, Here comes da bug and so on... This is the purpose of this website for 2 decades (outch...) now... But there are still so many things to discover as far as period VW performance is concerned...

Looking at old pictures of those early racing days, you may have noticed a BECKER painted bright orange little bug... You may also have asked yourself why sooo many different sponsorships for just one car... So it was time to compile a section about the late Dirty DAVE VANDERBEKE I/G little bug.

Quite probably the very first colour picture of Dave's bug I have ever seen. Its appears on the back cover of the famous Bill FISHER 'How to HOTROD Volkswagen engines' with this 1970 season comment : 109 mph / 11.9s. Picture by Howard FISHER.

To be honest, it would have been an impossible mission without period literature and especially a writing by Dave himself in the Spring 1972 issue of the Volkswagen Greats magazine. Ready to learn everything's possible about it? So let's go for a little timeline to help...

A very early (and never seen before!) picture of the Renfree Motors sponsored bug at OCIR by Mike DITTY. Note that the bug don't have any sticker yet. I am totally unsure of the rims... The colourscheme from yellow to bright red/orange is evident here.

- April 1968 : Me and my '61 sedan with its 1200cc engine took off for the drag strip. Our first effort was a 19.80 ET - less than impressive but it's a start...

- October 1968 : Worked the 1200cc over some and we should do better now. Got the ET down to 17.20 but not nearly fast enough. Have some ideas cooking.

What an awesome picture! Note the Stutt Bee Audley CAMPBELL Stuttgart van in the background. Location unknown.

- March 1969 : Found a Porsche 1600 super engine and stuffed it in. Things are looking up. First time through got a 15.20 ET. Got it down to 14.70 without any trouble.

- May 1969 : Tore the engine down and did a real job on it. Cam, big bore kit, modified the heads, etc... Got the ET down to a 13.60. Have more ideas...

Early racing at Carlsbald Raceway. Note the Dynosoar bug in the background.

- July 1969 : Changed the cam again and changed over to Weber carbs. ETs are dropping steadily. Got a 12.90 at 101 mph but can't keep up with the cranks - lost a second one that last time out...

- October 1969 : Replaced the engine with a '69 VW 1600cc and will see what it can do for us. Left it stock and put it in just to try it out. On the first run got a 12.64 ET at 105.5 mph.

Winternational picture of the Renfree Motor Bug.

- Spring 1970 : Have been trying a number of different things and am running in low 12s. The little rascal is running great. Took class at Springnationals with 12.47 ET due to bad weather. Won over Ligthning Bug. Won class at the Bug-in.

- October 1970 : Got second in I/G class at Bug-in 5. No excuse.

Sometimes in 1970, the 'DIRTY DAVE' appeared on the side of the bug, while Renfree Motors still sponsor it. This Bug-in 5 (Maybe Bug-in 6 hard to say) picture is interesting because of the 4 SALE writing on the roof. I guess Dave changed his plan later as the car was never sold...

- January 1971 : Went to Lions to compete in AHRA Grand American race. Ran F/Gas class - won overall.

- March 1971 : Went to Lions again to experiment with super-low ring and pinion - stood car straight up and carried clear through first gear. Stood up again when I hit second gear. Wildest ride of my life. Even with wheelstanding when through at 12.13 ET.

Same Bug-in from opposite view... Photographer unknown.

- Spring 1971 : Won Springnationals in Dallas for the second time. Won class over Inch Pincher at 11.97. More experimenting with heads. Won class and overall champ at Bug-in 6.

- Summer 1971 : Picked up a great sponsor and just in time. JEB industries wanted a VW drag car to use as a test car for its new VW speed parts. Really hooked up at Fremont - ran a 11.71. Things are really looking up, new sponsor, lowest ET ever. Wow!

Launching hard against an unknown street bug... Don't miss Bill CLARKSON Competition Engineering van in the OCIR return lane.

- August 1971 : Won Modified Eliminsator at Sacramento and got the record for I/Gas. Lowered the record from 12.12 ET to 12.08. Will take the record into the 11s next time...

- October 1971 : Just got an invitation to run the Supernationals in Ontario. Better get the engine back together after breaking the crank at Bug-in 7. At least old JEB won class before it let go.

Incredible side detailed view!

Racing against the freshly done (still in an all-white paintscheme) Inch Pincher too at Winternationals. Notice the Good Guys headers new sponsorship.

This is an amazing picture of the new JEB VW Power Products paintscheme. Looks like Ron FLEMING is watching but I'm not sure...

Rear view of racing bug launching hard at the dragstrip are so cooooolll... The JEB is no exception...

RENFREE MOTORS - ORANGE, CA.

Just for reference, RENFREE MOTORS was a VW dealership opened in 1965 and owned by Paul RENFREE that was located at Katella avenue in Orange.

Those old US Volkswagen dealerships were sooooo sexy... Renfree Motors is no exception.

Even more sexy at night. I love the Renfree Motors dealership sign.

DIRTY DAVE VANDERBEKE

It was quite difficult to find out the story behind Dave's interest with Volkswagen... I guess being a VW mechanic at Renfree helped... In fact, Dave was in charge of dispatching jobs to the others mechanics as well as wrenching on problem cars.

A young Dave wrenching. DDS sticker on the rear window... Interesting... As the bug was later DDS sponsored...

From what I read, Dave was special guy, loud and controversial person and certainly not being nicknamed 'Dirty Dave' for nothing... But when he was behind the wheel of his race car, he was one of the best runner of the times...

Luggage compartment hasn't been changed, nor has the front suspension except for a 3 inch lowering job. Heavy VW gas tank still in place...

Anyway, one thing is for sure, Dave was a serious competitor and a tough one to beat, always on a budget, starting with a $200 street bug and a $6000-$7000 cash outlay and 1500 manhours of work, Dave doing all of his engine work himself. It seems Dave had made his hobby a family affair and his wife & daughter were usually helping out between round of racing.

This is the same OCIR race than the color picture on the left, considering the 4 SALE sign on the roof and the I/G 222...

VOLKSWAGEN GREATS SPRING 1972

Below is the complete article published in VW Greats

Let's take a look at the specifications of the Modified Eliminator record holder. From outward appearances it could be just another street-driven machine with flared fenders and a blended paintjob. Dave VANDERBEKE of Anaheim, Orange, is the proud papa of JEB, one of the strongest I/Gas racers in the western part of the country.

The bug is now JEB sponsored.

In 1971, JEB qualified first of at all the points meets and Modified Eliminator meets. Not bad at all for a Volkswagen when Modified Eliminator is open to larger cars than its 127 cubic inches. The car itself does not look as if it would be an all-out drag racing machine. The '61 sedan is nearly stock in appearance. It is fitted with flared fiberglass fenders front and rear along with a fiberglass hood and decklid. The rulebook requires that all cars using fiberglass parts must be fitted with a roll bar. Dave felt this was fair and installed a super strong one. He has seen a few of his opponents become members of the 'VW flying club' and he wanted his car to be plenty safe if he ever got into a similar situation.

Irwindale Raceway racing...

The car has its original doors and all the glass windows with the exception of the two door glasses which were changed over to plastic. The sharp blended paintjob is the handywork of Becker's Bug House in Orange, Calif. At the front the color is a bright yellow and fades into a brilliant red-orange at the rear. The front compartment looks much like a regular VW, too. Dave did not 'gut' this area as many VW racers do. He needed the weight to make the I/Gas class. The car weights 1405 lbs. A stock 10 gallon gas tank is used in its stock location. Stock headlights are also used.

Moving inside, the stock front seats were removed and replaced with a set of fiberglass buckets. The dash was left intact even through most other race machines have this area cut away. Headliner and door and side paneling was left in place. The hefty 2 inch chrome moly tubing roll bar is padded for greater safety. The only gauge, other than the stock speedometer, is the Auto-Meter tach mounted on top of the dash.

... and quite probably the very same day at Irwindale...

JEB's chassis is as nearly stock as its body. A stock torsion bar front axle is used but has been worked over to get the front end of the car down closer to the ground. The steering box location was reworked to change the angle for a correct toe-in throughout full front end suspension travel. Gabriel 90-10 drag shocks are used up front with the reworked axle. Front brakes were removed altogether as the rear ones give plenty of stopping ability.

The '61 transaxle has also been worked over. Crown's closed ratio third and fourth gear were installed along with its Beef-a-diff unit. Summers Bros was called upon to make up the axles for the car. Hurst 50-50 shocks are used at the rear. So you are wondering what makes this VW any different than all the other beetles running at the drags. Most os the really Hot VWs are similar in body and chassis specs, but in engine modifications they all go their separate ways. Every VW racer has its own speed secrets and opinions. They all have to try their own thing.

JEB's basic powerplant started out of a 1969 Volkswagen 1600cc engine. Dave is a real one-man show here as he does all the engine work himself. Yes, it does help to work as an engine man for a VW agency. He installed a set of 92mm barrels and upped the stroke to 78mm. The 78mm cranck is an Okrasa counterweighted plain-bearing unit. Connecting rods are stock 1600 VW. Dave chose NPR pistons and rings to connect to the stroker crank. The cam is one area where Dave keeps experimenting. Being a test car for JEB industries, he uses different idea in cams. The cams are made to his specifications with the idea of mass producing them if they work out.

Awesome night racing shot.

Others parts of the engine that have been extensively reworked are the heads. Dave feels that one of the big problems with an engine is its breathing. He uses the dual port VW heads as a starting point. The ones currently being used have the intake ports squared off and polished. The exhausts ports were enlarged and polished extensively. Valves utiliezd are 40mm intake and 37mm exhaust. Dave feels that these and a fine set of needle bearing rocker arms (all standard JEB Industry Powerline products) give him a very essential connecting link, thus allowing the fuel/air mixture to flow through the reworked intakes manifolds from the two big 48 IDA Weber carbs.

JEB intake manifolds route it into the combustion chambers as smoothly as possible. The heads were milled by .160 thus upping the compression ratio to give this little four banger a new displacement of 2074cc, or 127 cubic inches.

If you plan to build an early style VW gasser, this is quite probably one of the best example to follow.

The fuel mixture is fired by a Bosch centrifugal advance distributor and exists through a Good Guys Muffler Shop competition extractor system via a super stinger.What is the outlook for JEB in 1972? Many things are taking shape right now with the possibility of a new car shortly and Dave sees 11.50s or less as a goal for 1972. He feels that it will take 11.70s to win any class laurels and knows that JEB must stay ahead in equipment to stay ahead of the competition.

DIRTY DAVE HAULER & TOW TRUCK

Dave used different haulers and tow trucks at the tracks... Seems there were 2 different Kombi and the Renfree Motors Crewcab.

The very very 'LGB 155' early days behind the Renfree crewcab...

The very early days...

OCIR in the staging lanes behind Renfree pick-up.

Seems the Santa Ana Commonweatlh dealdership pick-up was also used to tow the racecar...

Under the Speed Unlimited sponsorship.

A FRENCH TRIBUTE
TO THE PIONNEERS OF VW DRAG RACING
---

DIRTY'S DIGGER!!!

Another period writing coming from the Complete Volkswagen Book #2... Only on the Nostalgia Corner...

It figures that a guy with a name like VANDERBEKE would own a kraut car. Improbable as it may be though, this particular car -as clean as diggin' Dub as you'll ever see - has been built, maintained, driven and owned by a 27 year old lad who goes under the mis-moniker of 'DIRTY DAVE'.

Dave behind the wheel in the staging lane. The bug is still Renfree sponsored but the words DIRTY DAVE are now painted on the doors.

Like so many of the gasser-type cars that inhabit the dragstrips throughout the country, Dave's beetle started life as a $200 street-driven transportation car. But the call of the wild hit, and Dave's once ild-mannered Bug was transformed into a violent Volks.

Pits lineup : VW as far as eyes can see... Those were the days a the track... Here we have Iguana, Little Giant Killer Fiat, Underdog, Commonwealth and the Dirty Dave gassers... Orange was undoubtely very popular in the early 70s ;-)

Nothing would do but to go racing. That Dave did. Yet it too is an all-about racing car, but philosophically a bit different. For Dave's car has kept to the stock theme a little closer than the others; it still looks like the day it left Germany.

Same lineup with a different point of view... Notice the DDS truck meaning the Dynosoar is here somewhere also...

ENGINE & DRIVELINE

I ain't stock in here though. Bolted to the '70 VW case are four 92mm barrels and a rare 78mm Okrasa forged, fully counterweighted, stroked crank. Total displacement has been upped to 127 inches.

That rear bumper pushbar always intrigued me.

Dave's valvetrain is an interesting conglomeration of Isky pushrods, EMPI rockers, Engle lifters and cam. Valves are pretty much standard with 40mm intakes and slighty unusual 38mm exhausts. Pistons are four of Deano's pressure die cast items, although the rods are stock VW.

Ready for a '70 Springnationals pass.

Heads are dual-porters, but have been converted by Dave into a square port shape on the intake side and have been modified to provide a sqeezing 13.0:1 CR. Atop the Gene Berg intake manifolds are the good goodies from Weber while another good friend, a Vertex mag, sparks the mixture.

Same Springnationals. The Renfree Motors is replaced by a Gene Berg Enterprise sponsorship on the side of the bug.

Exiting the gases is left up to a Cyclone header system. The horses (estimated 200hp) are fed into the transaxle via a lightened (9 lb.) flywheel, Porsche 180 mm pressure plate. From there on Dave gets unusual. Instead of the high-dollar Porsche transaxle unit, he is sicking with a '61 VW case carrying a set of close-ratio gears, and a self-modified differential carrying two extra spider gears. SHifting is made easir by one of those wekk-known gizmos from Hurst.

JEB sideshot.

BODY & CHASSIS

If you can look past the paint, there remains a typical, never-ending, standard, non changing, you've seen a million of them ever-lovin' Bug. For performance reasons, Dave uses fiberglass fenders, decklid and hood. But it's the color that distinguisehes the car from its brothers. The front starts with a brilliant red, then in 15 easy steps it goes to a bright yellow in stages so subtle and with feathering so fine you cannot tell where one shade leaves off and the next one begins. The headlights are stock, as are the taillights.

Close up view of that Irwindale Raceway shot.

Inside it's much the same. 'Glass buckets combined with stock door paneling, headliner and carpeting make you think you're looking at a restoration project... until you steal a peek at the dash and the almost complete lack of instrumentation with the exception of an Autometer tach and stock speedo.

One of the greatest VW that appeared on US drag racing magazine cover : the December '72 issue of Popular Hot Rodding. Note that the bug is now sponsored by DDS with a super cool new side painting.

Underneath the car is much as it was 10 years ago. The wheelbase remains stock, as does the front and rear tread width. Front and rear suspension is stock, except that no front brakes are used, and the car has been lowered 3 inches. Shocks are Hurst/Gabriels. The only departure from the showroom theme are the Lowry-built aluminium wheels mounting Pirellis on the front, M&H 6.60's on the rear.

Wondering about the dragstrip here...

Maybe the NHRA-inspired slogan on Dirty Dave rear push bar explains why countless cultists of the Bugged generation spend so much time, money, and energy making their particular beetle a thing of beauty that never makes the street scene. Like Paul, Audley or Bill, Dave is following in that ancient Christmas Tree tradition... to simply drag it out.

Note the DDS lettering on the rear wings also.

Another hard launch.

Racing against Underdog.

Racing against the top chopped Lightning Bug.

A proud Dave winning its class at Bakersflied.