VW Trends Magazine, Vol.1, No.1, Spring 2021

LOO K W H O’S BAC K! VOL. 1, NO. 1

S PRI NG 2021

RICK’S PERFECT PANZER

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staff Editor-In-Chief: Dan “DG” Leadbetter Editorial Director: Paul Morton Creative Director: Ron Petro Layout: Jason Smith

CONTRIBUTORS Alex Arredondo, Rich Crafton, Bob Daniels, Lee Hedges, and Jason Stilgebouer

STA PUBLISHING Publishers: Dan Leadbetter and Rich Crafton Chief Financial Officer: Beckyjo Ohlendorf Subscription info: vwtrendsmagazine.com VW Trends Magazine (ISSNAPPL100001111, USPS MID 903010850) is published whenever humanly possible (but for now quarterly) by STA Publishing, LLC, 4533 MacArthur Blvd. Suite 5208, Newport Beach, CA, 92660. Reprinting in whole or in part is expressly forbidden except with written permission from the publisher. Copyright ©2021 STA Publishing, LLC. Periodical postage paid in Newport Beach, California and at additional mailing offices. There are just too many acronyms … STA, ISSN, USPSMID, EIEIO, OMG, WTH, IDK …

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: A minimum of six weeks’ notice is required for change of address and you must provide STA Publishing with old and new address. Send all change of address info to: STA Publishing, Attn: VWT CHANGE OF ADDRESS, 4533 MacArthur Blvd. Suite 5208, Newport Beach, CA, 92660. Or change your address via email: info@ vwtrendsmagazine.com. However, if you’re going to lead a rebellion against Skynet when it becomes self-aware, please don’t contact us. The last thing we need is a T-1000 from the future coming to our office asking if we’ve seen Sarah Connor.

POSTMASTER SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: STA Publishing, Attn: VWT CHANGE OF ADDRESS, 4533 MacArthur Blvd. Suite 5208, Newport Beach, CA, 92660.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. and U.S. Possessions $29.99 for one year (4 issues).

ADVERTISING: Please direct all ad inquiries to rich@ vwtrendsmagazine.com or STA Publishing, 4533 MacArthur Blvd. Suite 5208, Newport Beach, CA, 92660. You know you want to advertise with VW Trends Magazine. It can change your life.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS are welcome but not guaranteed unless by express written approval of VW Trends Magazine staff. Photographs and/or articles must include signed photo and property releases from the writer, photographer, vehicle owner, property owner, plus any recognizable people. STA Publishing is not responsible for the return of any manuscripts or photographs. But if you want to send cute cat photos, please send those to dan@vwtrendsmagazine.com. We won’t run them, but Dan likes cats.

DISTRIBUTION: Want to distribute VW Trends Magazine at your place of business? Send your inquiries to info@ vwtrendsmagazine.com to see how you can sell VW Trends Magazine, and actually make some money!

NOTE: VW is a registered Trademark of Volkswagenwerk AG. VW Trends Magazine is in no way affiliated with Volkswagen.

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

S PRI NG 2021 • VOL . 1 NO. 1

DEPARTMENTS

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6 EDITORIAL: Top Dead Center 7 PETRO’S PAGE: All Aboard 72 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Johnny Jalopy 82 SHOP TOUR: CoolRydes Customs 92 INTERVIEW: Shannon Rae FEATURES 10 RICK’S PERFECT PANZER: Rick Sadler’s 1967 DKP Cal-Look cover car.

24 DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: An impressive long-term Double Cab build.

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30 PILE OF THE MONTH: The feature that started this whole mess, with the O.G., DG Leadbetter

38 I WANNA BE SEDATED: A surgically clean Karmann Ghia.

48 YUKON GOLD: Dean Kirsten’s era-correct 1967 convertible.

54 BOLD BLUE COUPE: A fast and furious full-custom Corrado.

60 QUICKSAND: Vegas local gambles on a 13-window Bus. 76 SELF MADE: A full-custom 1961 convertible built with a personal touch.

EVENTS 18 FLORIDA’S ALL-VOLKSWAGEN WEEKEND: Three days of sun,

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fun, and VWs in Florida.

32 BUG BLOOM #3: Awesome little local shop. Unexpectedly BIG VW show!

66 DUEL IN THE DESERT: Slash-X-Ranch baja race put on by Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusaists

TECHNICAL 42 HOW NOT TO BUY A BUG: What to avoid when purchasing a VW project.

86 TANKS A LOT: DIY gas tank restoration and full-body workout.

On the cover: If you’re reading the Special Edition issue, you’ll see that we brought back the wonderful and talented Shannon Rae, who is holding an OG issue of VW Trends (April 1986, Vol. 5, No 4) — one of many that feature her as the cover model! Or you might be looking at the Subscription Edition, where Shannon is helping Rick Sadler with his ’67 Perfect Panzer (more on page 10). Hair and makeup by Michelle Van der Hule.

Photography by Paul Morton backed up by the VW Trends crew, including Dan Leadbetter, Rich Crafton, and the elusive BeckyJo Ohlendorf.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

A HISTORY OF HIGH STANDARDS AND OEM QUALITY

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800-247-3202 We are not affiliated with “Volkswagen” or “VW”. Their associated images or logos are trademarked by Volkswagen and are used for descriptive purposes only.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

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TOP DEAD CENTER Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends … again!

W

hen my brother was in his senior year of high school in 1975, he saved up his money and bought a beautiful Forest Green Metallic 1969 Shelby GT500. The car was a bad-ass powerhouse of a Mustang, and he drove it around for several years before selling it.

After our mother passed in 1996, we both came into a little money, so he decided to hunt down another Shelby. He located a Bright Red one in Sacramento for about 100 times more than he originally paid for his.

He was walking around the car he decided to check the VIN. It turned out to be his old car, repainted. Seriously? Can you imagine the rush of nostalgia … that familiar, yet brand new and exciting feeling surging through him as he slipped behind the wheel of his old car?

Why yes, yes I can. That’s exactly how I feel right now.

When I left VW Trends for the last time back in the 1990s, it was a bittersweet experience. I was really sad to leave the VW world behind, but was excited for what the future held. Working for VW Trends was some of the most fun, exciting, cool, and “Rad to the chicken foot” times I had ever had in my life. (Yes, that’s a term from a VERY old column I did called, “Let’s Do the Lingo.” Go look it up in a past issue of VWT.) I met some amazing people (I’m still friends with many of them today, thanks to Facebook ), saw and photographed some of the best street and off-road VWs in the world, went to AMAZING shows in too many states to count, and actually got paid to do something I enjoyed. Yep, I’ve got memories that will last me a lifetime.

I was sad to see my contribution to it come to an end.

My personal life took many twists and turns. Working at various levels in other publishing venues both print and digital, I had a couple marriages and divorces, lots of

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

ups, many downs, rekindling of past relationships, and everything in between. Then in 2005, I was shocked to learn that VW Trends had died a sudden, bitter death. That was actually tough to swallow. I was mad, angry, and sad that such a good publication had died. We could go on and on rehashing the why and how, but whatever the reason, VW Trends as we knew it was gone. And it stayed dead and buried for 16 years.

Last year, I bought a beat-up 1969 Bug to sell the parts off of and picked up a clean 1956 Oval Window to build up. After joining multiple VW-related message boards, Facebook groups, and chat rooms, I thought it would be cool to do something in the VW world again. I actually just thought I’d build a cool VW to drive around and remember the glory days of the ’80s and ’90s.

If I may borrow a line from Talking Heads, “You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?” I’ve asked myself that question … multiple times. I guess the short answer is (to borrow a line from Rush) “Why are we here? Because we’re here.

Roll the bones.” I had been toying with the idea of bringing back VW Trends for a couple years, but didn’t really know how, or if it was even possible to resurrect it. If I was being really honest, I was actually kinda scared to do it. Well, not kinda, I was REALLY scared. I mean, I’m a 61-year old dude trying to revive a defunct printed VW magazine in the middle of a pandemic?

What kind of whack job does that?

Well, apparently that would be THIS whack job.

I knew I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) do it alone, so I reached out to four people from back in the day that I knew I could trust to give me an honest answer. I tagged one of my best friends, Rich Crafton (former VW Trends Associate Editor), Paul Morton (friend and former Auto Sound & Security magazine Editor), and good friend, VW fanatic, and artist extraordinaire, Ron Petro. So, I posed the question: “Should we

bring back VW Trends Magazine?” There was zero hesitation. The answer from all of them was a resounding YES! We did all the legal, behind-the-scenes stuff, and put everything in place to breathe new life into something we knew and loved. VW Trends Magazine is the first offspring of the parent company STA Publishing LLC (STA stands for “Second Time Around.” More on that at a later date). And that’s where we are today.

The issue you are holding in your hands is a one of a kind. This is the premiere issue, the rebirth of VW Trends magazine … a brand spanking new VW Trends! It will be familiar, yet different. If you bought one of the Founder’s Club packages — each of which included some combination of the following: a poly-bagged magazine with the Shannon Rae variant cover, signed, numbered and stamped letter of authenticity, T-shirt, stickers, invite to the Founders VW Trends 2022 Party, and our heart-felt thanks — you’ve got something that only 900 people in the entire world will have.

It’s a collector’s item, so if that’s the version you’re holding, it will never be available as a back issue … EVER. If you’re holding the first subscription issue, featuring both Shannon Rae and Rick Sadler on the cover, you just might want to hang on to that too.

We’ve got some AMAZING stuff in this issue! Awesome features, great events, tech, and even some other cool stuff you’ll discover within these hallowed pages. So sit back, pop open your favorite beverage, and take a look at how we’re starting off.

The bottom line is VW Trends is dead, long live VW Trends! And here I am, back at the helm of the magazine I helped shape those many years ago. And damn, don’t it feel good!

— Dan Leadbetter Publisher and Editor-in-Chief dan@vwtrendsmagazine.com

PETRO’S PAGE

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

DO YOU LOVE YOUR RIDE?

Collin and Andie Weisenberger are truly enjoying their Double Cab Type 2 and have been to a host of VW events since its completion. Read their story, “Double Your Pleasure,” on page 24.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

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RICK’S PERFECT PANZER

10 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

An homage to the ’67 Beetle that was totaled on his eighteenth birthday, this Type I still defines the DKP California Look.

By DG Leadbetter Photography by Paul Morton

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 11

W

e’ve all wanted to have a time machine at one point or another. You know what I’m talking about: that ability to go back and right the wrongs, or take the missed opportunities we could have had and see a different outcome.

Unless there’s some H.G. Wells time machine tucked away that we don’t know about, not many of us will ever get to relive the past and make it better. Well, Rick Sadler found his time machine in the form of a super-clean 1967 California Look Bug. You see, Rick picked up his first car, a Savannah Beige 1967 Beetle, years ago from a person selling it in Westminster, California. It wasn’t going to stay stock for long, as Rick traded parts for a set of chrome wheels with Porsche nipple hubcaps. He then took it to VEECO and had the stance dropped.

But it needed some oomph. So, a year later, Rick had a neighbor that worked at a body shop paint his Bug Rallye Yellow. Rick had big plans to turn his Volkswagen into a real street killer, but those plans were cut short on his eighteenth birthday, when a drunk driver completely annihilated his dream car.

Not to let a setback like that keep him down, Rick dove headfirst into his VW career. His work resume would be the envy of any VW enthusiast: VEECO, DEE Engineering, SIR, Johnny’s Speed & Chrome, and EMPI. This isn’t even to mention the bevy of race cars he had built, the pinnacle being transforming his 1978 VW Bus into

a wheel-standing, burnout-winning show stopper called “Transporter Room.” And in 1993 he built the Pro Turbo sedan “Indecent Exposure.”

Flash forward to 2006. Rick got the itch to bring his first ride and dream car back to life. And once again, he found another Savannah Beige 1967 Beetle … from a person selling it in — you guessed it — Westminster, California, a mere 60 yards from where he bought his first one! Rick dropped $600 large and took possession of the soon-to-beborn-again beast.

The good people at A&A Paint and Body in Santa Ana, California took on the responsibility of recreating Rick’s dream car. They dechromed the body, filled in the bumper overrider holes, rear-apron exhaust holes, and front turn-signal holes before laying down a beautiful Rallye Yellow L10A single-stage paint job. A set of German BBT running boards and chrome

 Rick’s 2387cc powerplant produces an asphalt-burning 225 horsepower! Feeding this monster is a set of massive 51.5mm Italian Weber carbs, with a Holley 150GPH fuel pump and twin regulators. And it’s so freaking clean you could eat off of it!

12 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 When was the last time you saw a trunk that clean?

blade bumpers tie it all together. Of course, no self-respecting Cal-Looker would be caught dead with stock windows, so onepiece glass was installed on the driver’s and passenger’s sides, along with dechromed rubber all the way around. Keeping things well lit is a set of Hella H-4 headlights.

Having a great exterior is a good thing, especially when it’s paired with an awesome interior. Rick knew exactly what he wanted: a 1970s “Fat Biscuit” style tweed

 The Gene Berg 5 shifter features a custom on-shifter line lock and NOS button.

 Rick’s ‘67 was dechromed before it was finished with Rallye Yellow paint.  Behind detailed Fuchs alloys are CB Performance custom-made removable brakes.

and vinyl interior. So he took it to the place he knew would do it right. West Coast Classic Restorations made Rick’s dream a reality. The black-and-gray upholstery offsets the Rallye Yellow perfectly. Throw in the German square-weave carpet and gray vinyl headliner, and you’ve got an unbeatable old-school interior. Keeping an eye on the happenings in the engine compartment is an Autometer Monster tachometer on a Bugpack billet tach mount, as well as VDO fuel, voltmeter, oil temperature, and oil pressure gauges. An EMPI GTV steering wheel points Rick where he needs to go, while custom hybrid stock pedals control the speed-up and slow-down. The Gene Berg 5-Speed shifter is outfitted with a custom shifter-mounted line lock/NOS switch by Austin Larson. Rick added a Ron Lummus Racing NHRA 6-point roll bar and a set of Crow 4-point harnesses.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 13

 West Coast Classic Restorations created a 1970s “Fat Biscuit” style black-and-gray tweed and vinyl interior. A Ron Lummus Racing 6-point roll bar and Crow 4-point harness were added for extra safety.

German square-weave carpet and gray vinyl headliner rounds out the picture.

Next on the list was to bring the stance down to a proper cruising level. Rick installed a 2" narrowed front beam, added TRW ball joints, Bugpack camber adjusters and shims with Karmann Ghia spindles, and smoothed it all out with Brintech custom-valved Koni shocks. Keeping it tight in the corners is a ¾" Sway-A-Way sway bar with Bugpack urethane bushings.

Out back, Rick updated the stock suspension with Sway-A-Way adjustable spring plates with JayCee spring plate caps, Sway-A-Way 28mm torsion bars, a Gene Berg mid mount, and Koni shocks. Then it was time to focus on the gearbox.

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 15

 Topping the carbs is a set of customscreened DKP covers.

Rick knew that the powerplant he had in mind was going to need something beefy to put the ponies to the pavement. Mike Herbert at Rancho Performance Transaxles created a 1966 transaxle with a 4.12 ring and pinion, 3.78 first gear, 2.25 second gear, 1.58 third gear, and a 1.21 fourth. But something was missing … AN EXTRA GEAR! Rick added a Gene Berg five-speed conversion kit with a 0.82 fifth gear. The transaxle was also fitted with an IMI high-torque starter, dual Bugpack HD side covers, a Bugpack Super-Diff, and Sway-A-Way short axles.

The Bug sits on a set of 15x6" Porsche Fuchs wheels painted and polished by Al Reed.

They’re wrapped in Michelin XZX tires (145/SR15 in the front, 215/65 in the rear).

With the foundation completely laid out the way he wanted, Rick set out to build the perfect beast for his Bug. The car’s 2387cc powerplant features an AS 41 magnesium case bored out to accept the Bugpack flanged 86mm crank with Type IV mains, connected to Bugpack chromoly Chevy journal 5.700-length rods. Bugpack 94mm-long cylinders with Wiseco pistons were added along with JayCee buttons and Z-Gap rings. An Engle FK-87 .561 lift and 320 duration 108-degree lobe center cam was employed, as were Engle lifters, a Bugpack straight-cut cam gear, JayCee pushrod tubes, and Bugpack chromoly pushrods.

A set of Bugpack Street Eliminator heads

 Keeping this beast quiet is a tough job, but the dual Bugpack mufflers handle it with ease.

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 The information center of Rick’s ride is an Autometer Monster tachometer on a Bugpack billet mount. In the dash are VDO fuel, voltmeter, oil temperature, and oil pressure gauges. An EMPI GTV wheel keeps the Bug in a straight line.

was ported by Shawn flywheel and KenMcCarthy and feature nedy Stage II alumiManley Performance num-shoe clutch.

46mm titanium intake This panzer pumps valves and 38mm titaout a whopping 225 nium exhaust valves. horsepower! Going Bugpack 1.40 rocker fast is awesome, but arms were used, along when you top out fifth with K-Motion valve gear it’s good to be able springs and retainers. to stop quickly. CB Keeping things solid is Performance cusa Bugpack rear truss tom-made removable bar and traction bar. brakes allow Rick to How do you feed switch between 5/205 a hungry beast like and 5/130 with ease.  Massive Italian Webers plumbed this? Most people Once the Bug was for nitrous? Yes, please. would just throw a set finished, Rick took the of 48IDA carbs at it. But Rick knew that to opportunity to show it off at some of his loget the full potential out of this screaming cal cruise nights. In 2008, his ’67 caught the yellow monster he was going to need someattention of Jim “Sarge” Edminston of the thing bigger. So he had JayCee modify a set VW car club Der Kleiner Panzers. The DKP of 48mm Italian Weber carbs to 51.5mm. is a very exclusive car club — you can only A set of Holley fuel regulators was added, join by being invited and having a member as was a Holley black billet 150GPH fuel act as your sponsor. Jim thought that Rick’s pump. A Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto with car was a perfect fit for the Panzers, and NGK D7EA spark plugs and Taylor wires Rick has been a member ever since. set fire to the air/fuel mixture, while spent If you’re ever out on the streets of SoCal gases exit by way of a 1 ¾" merged A-1 on a Friday or Saturday night, keep your custom-built exhaust system with Bugeyes peeled for a blinding yellow flash. pack Dual QP mufflers. Helping transmit You might just have had a Perfect Panzer that power to the ground is a 200mm 12-lb sighting!

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FLORIDA’S ALL-VOLKSWAGEN WEEKEND 72 hours of sun, fun, and VWs!

Story and photography by Bob Daniels

2020

wasn’t the ideal year for car shows.

VW-related or not, it was slim pickings. Many places had small pop-up cruise nights, or cars and coffee, but a full-fledged VW show was desperately needed. Florida has long played host to what has become known as Bug Jam Weekend, but everyone was expecting it to be canceled.

But about a week before the show, a few social media posts popped up about people making the trip to the Sunshine State! Not canceled … Hallelujah! Bug Jam is three events packed into one weekend, all close enough together that you can attend all three.

THE RARE AND UNIQUE SLAM Friday afternoon and the first event of

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 VW fans were in desperate need of a car show in 2020, and with three events packed into three days, Florida’s Bug Jam weekend delivered the goods. Saturday’s event was hosted by Quaker Steak and Lube, which makes a perfect backdrop for old Busses.

the weekend: the 16th Annual Rare and Unique Slam! If you haven’t attended the Slam, you’re missing out. For a paltry 20 bucks, you get all the food, beer, and fun you can handle. It’s a laid-back VW party, hosted by Kip Zimmerman at his shop Rare and Unique Restorations in Sarasota. It was a perfect way to start the weekend. The DJ was playing by early afternoon, and a decent crowd was already staking out their spots. The bartenders kept the ice-cold beer flowing all night, and the food was some of the best BBQ you’ll find anywhere outside of Memphis. There was no shortage of stuff to see, as a steady flow of cars filled the lot throughout the early afternoon and the entire evening. Every type of VW was represented, from patina rides to full show cars. Lindy Herrell debuted his

recent build, a 1965 Velvet Green Kombi.

Another standout was Barry Severs’ 1969 Karmann Ghia convertible built by Rare and Unique Restorations (See “I Wanna be Sedated,” page 38). The cars were cool, but this event really is about just hanging out and talking shop. If you’re in Florida for Bug Jam or Bulli, this is where you want to start your weekend!

THE BULLI BRIGADE Many Type II lovers consider Saturday at Bulli the highlight of the weekend, and it’s easy to see why. The event now takes place at Quaker Steak and Lube, which makes for the perfect backdrop.

Much like Kip’s Slam, Bulli is very laidback. The swappers start early looking for deals, and people were there selling directly out of the VWs they traveled in.

A really cool Double Cab with its custompainted camper in tow.

Look closely: All the kids say this Buggy is all Gucci.

Perfect patina on this ‘57 ragtop.

 Check out the interior of Lindy Herrell’s ‘65 Bus, complete with pull-out tool drawers.  Lindy’s Bus was good enough to get prime parking.

The main point of the event is to have a good time, and just to relax in the Florida sun. If you did venture inside, Quaker Steak and Lube was serving up great food and adult beverages all day. While Bulli is mostly about kicking-back — not many would call it a car show — there are still awards handed out. Lindy Herrell’s 1965 Bus took Promoters Choice.

Waldo Bosque’s 1963 Crew Cab took Best Custom. Jon Schwinger and his 1966 Commercial Van traveled 981 miles from Centreville, Maryland and nabbed the Long-Distance award. Things at Bulli tend to end early, with many VW fans caravanning over to Bug Jam to start the party the evening prior to the big show.

FLORIDA BUG JAM The Bug Jam takes place in November at

the Pasco County Fairgrounds. Over the years it’s become the largest show on the East Coast, and one of the biggest shows in the country. Bug Jam is now a two-day event. On Saturday, they offer a Poker Run and VW parade. The Pasco Fair also has an off-road track, so if you have a Baja, a Buggy, or any sort of off-road VW, you’re able to get some track time in.

The Pre-Jam party featured live music and craft beer throughout the day and well into the evening. On Sunday morning, most people started their day perusing the swap meet, and with good reason: Bug Jam has one of the largest anywhere.

Even more amazing than the swap meet is the show itself, with nearly 700 entries this year alone. With that many show cars, it was a big task for the judges.

The Best of Show Trophy went to Mike Unland with his ’65 Notch. John Flynn took first in the Bug Convertible class with his 1959 Bug, and Terence Bertin took home the top honors in the Full Custom category with his radical Gunmetal Grey Buggy. One VW that really stood out (taking second place) was Tom Lawhorne’s 1957 Bug that was built back in the ’80s by the Westmorland racing family. Although the motor has been updated, the car is a true time capsule.

Aside from the great cars, Bug Jam is a true family event, with lots to do for everyone. There are even indoor vendors so you can get a break from the Florida sun.

To be sure, Bug Jam truly is one of those “can’t miss” events, so be sure to put it on your calendar for next year!

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 19

Terence Bertin’s radical Manx took first in Bug Jam’s Full Custom category.

John Flynn’s ‘59 took first in the convertible class at Bug Jam.

Manny Rivera’s full-custom 2015 beetle took first in its class.

This custom 1952 Split owned by Bunny Bedasie took third.

That’s no VW motor — that’s a 700+ horsepower LT4 V8.

Perfect patina on this ‘57 ragtop.

Ismael Otero brought out his dragster and JR TOY drag/street buggy.

Bryan Sharp’s flamed Ghia took home a third-place trophy.

20 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

Second in the Full Custom Bus class went to Gary Crull in his ‘66.

Is that Ronald McDonald? No, just an ‘80s Baja survivor, roof scoop and all.

Perfect Florida car! Chop-top convertible with a white interior to keep your butt cool.

This 1966 Camper sports trucker mirrors and a narrowed beam.

Let’s all go camping in Terri Nosbisch’s first-place-winning ‘76.

At Bug Jam, Mike Unland’s Best-of-Show winning Notch was amazing.

Who needs undercoating when you’ve got stickers? Mark Gordon doesn’t!

Porsche phone dials, checkered roof… he must be ready to race!

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A little ‘90s throwback with the Briz bumpers on this ‘58 Panel.

Line ‘em up! From patina to perfect, all were represented.

Aussie trim and perfect stance on Vanessa Saneewonc’s ‘61.

The Zingers-inspired Buggy of Damion Dery took second.

How cool is the patina on this former cleaning-service van owned by Dan Kilbride?

22 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

Rust? Patina? Paint? Does it matter when it’s cool?

Taking second place at Bug Jam was Tom Lawhorne’s 1957 Bug that was built back in the ’80s by the Westmorland racing family.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 23

Collin Weisenburger’s 12-year Type II Double Cab passion project Story and photography

by Paul Morton

24 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 25

I

t’s a story as old as time: Father and son find a VW project, they fall in love with it, and mom vetoes it. Don’t worry, though. Love always finds a way, and there is a happy ending to this tale. It all started when Collin Weisenburger’s dad, Scott, bought him a 21-window Bus when Collin was 14 years old. The intent was to restore it as his first vehicle. How cool would Collin have been cruising that Bus as a teen? Sadly, but understandably, his mom nixed the idea over safety concerns — you have to respect a mother’s love. Sure, Collin was bummed, but he and his dad shifted gears from a daily driver build to a fullblown showstopper for them both.

During the restoration of that Bus, Collin fell in love with VWs. He attended local shows in Phoenix, Arizona and in Southern California, scouring swap meets for parts and meeting and learning from other enthusiasts. It became clear to Collin that one day he would need his own Bus to fix up and cruise with all the new friends he had made in the VW community.

Fast forward a few years to 2009, when Collin bought the Double Cab you see here.

He spotted it in the car corral of the AZ Copperstate VW show. The Weisenburgers’ father-and-son-built 21-window took Best of Show, but Collin was more interested in that rusty Double Cab. Just a week later he struck a deal with the previous owner and immediately started enjoying his new Type II, even though the rear seat was, as he puts it, “Fred Flinstone style.” The Bus needed all the typical rust repair: inner/outer rockers, cargo floors, front floors, dog legs, battery trays, lower nose, and much more.

The original plan was to do some minor repairs and drive the Bus as it was. But then things spiraled out of control — another story as old as time.

Once Collin understood he needed to take care of the rust properly, he enlisted help from his good friend Trevor Reis. The duo worked on the Bus in the evenings and on the weekends, with Trevor doing most of the fabrication work and Collin on grinder duty. As the project progressed, more and more of the Bus was cut away and replaced with fresh KlassicFab sheet metal. While in the thick of it all Collin spotted a Type II walk-through section on The Samba message board for only $200 (including the now-hard-to-find seats). He couldn’t resist grafting it into his Bus, and so the team

26 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 An external oil filter, external oil cooler and electronic fans help keep this Bus cool in the Arizona heat. Peeking out below the bumper is an A-1 Sidewinder exhaust.

proceeded to install the walk-through section in the Double Cab as if it was an option from the factory. Just as the original plan for minor rust repair evolved, so did the plan to simply blend new paint with old to make a decent driver. Too much of the original paint was gone, and after the many hours invested in the metal work, it simply made better sense to opt for a complete paint job. Now this was about the time Collin went off to college in San Diego, so his Bus was sent to Trevor Reis (who is now the owner of Rusty Gold Restos) for a fresh coat of L456 Ruby Red paint.

Collin had no workspace in San Diego, so the build really slowed down. He worked on

the Bus when he occasionally traveled back to Phoenix, but he was spending more time trying to figure out where he left off than actually making progress. The engine was built one summer with the help of Collin’s Dad, and the guidance of a good friend, Nels Dutton. Dan Lawson at Competition Engineering provided the parts and machine work for the 1776cc powerplant topped with dual Weber 40IDF carbs. Other upgrades include an electronic ignition, external oil filter, external oil cooler, electronic fans, and an A-1 Sidewinder exhaust. But all that went on the shelf, as Collin had quite a bit more work ahead of him before the Bus would be assembled and ready for the new motor.

 Collin’s ride looks stock, and many people don’t notice all the subtle changes at first. The all-stock safari windows provide a little Arizona air conditioning.  Controls include a stock Barndoor steering wheel and an upgraded stock trip speedometer.

Fast-forward to 2018, when Collin had graduated college and gotten his feet wet in the construction industry. It was time to get serious on the Bus. Collin knew what had to be done, and took a couple weeks off of work, traveled back to Phoenix, and locked himself in the garage. He started with the stock commercial interior stitched by Deutsch Polster and stretched over restored frames at Stuttgart Interiors in Phoenix. It features smooth gray vinyl like you would find in a stock ’63, but Collin opted for white piping from a ’64. Controls include a stock

 Was the squeeze worth the pull? The smile on Collin Weisenburger’s face says it was. With all the hard work behind him, he and fiancé Andie can enjoy cruising the Double Cab to various VW events and making new friends.  Inside is a stock commercial interior featuring smooth gray vinyl with white piping. Wait, is that a walk through? Yes, Collin grafted that in with help from his buddy Trevor.

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 The Ruby Red Type II sits low (but not too low) with a 2” narrowed beam and 2” flipped spindles as well as a Type III transaxle fitted with Type III straight axles.  Collin says the 1776cc helps his Bus keep up with plenty of the 2-Liter Buses out there! It features Dual Weber 40 IDF carbs and an electronic ignition.

Barndoor steering wheel restored by Kosch and an upgraded stock trip speedometer.

The suspension includes a stock Bus beam, which was narrowed 2" before two-inch flipped spindles were bolted in place. Out back is a Type III Freeway Flyer straight axle transmission refreshed by Arizona Transaxle. With everything in place, Collin dropped the Bus off at Dan

28 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

Lawson’s shop so he could it look over. The project had been started and stopped so many times it just made sense to have a pro go through everything.

In November 2018, the Bus was nearly complete with the exception of the rear bumper, rear seat, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Collin’s friends talked him into driving it to the 2018 Busties Bus Club

show. He was reluctant at first, but in the end, the group cruised to the show six VWs deep. Finally, Collin could enjoy his efforts, and he was having a blast before they even made it to the show! Collin and his then-girlfriend, now fiancé Andie (who had never been to a VW event before) had an awesome time, and the couple made some more great friends that day.

At trophy time near the end of the day, when Collin heard his name announced for Best of Show, he was speechless. It was pretty cool that others in the VW scene appreciated his Bus. This was the icing on the cake of an almost-10-year-project.

If you ever meet Collin, you’ll know he really loves his Double Cab. But just like every project, there are some things he would now do differently. He originally set up the suspension to be very low, but he has since raised it slightly to where it sits now. He also points out the 1964 cargo door. He didn’t realize the door was incorrect for a ’63 until after it was painted (cut him some slack ­— the guy was 17 when this Bus got sprayed!)

But overall, Collin loves the outcome, especially the subtle custom parts. It’s slightly lowered, but with stock wheels. And the interior and walk-through section always throw people off. It looks stock, and many people don’t notice the changes at first.

Collin and Andie spent the last two years driving the Bus as much as possible.

“We attended all the OCTO shows in 2019, Phoenix Bugorama, and Buses by the Bridge in ’19 and ’20 and are looking forward to more shows as they start coming back,” says Collin. Since then, the couple moved from San Diego back to Arizona and are totally enjoying the Bus. So, is this it for the Weisenburgers? Not a chance! Collin’s next project is 1959 Porsche 356A Coupe, and he is always on the lookout for a Split Window camper.

“There is a long list of people I need to thank, but first and foremost is my dad,” Collin says, “He got me into VWs, and now Porsches. The rest of my family has been incredibly supportive. The Bus would’ve never gotten done without the help of Trevor Reis — not only through metal work, but he also provided the inspiration that kept me progressing and to finish the build.

I am looking forward to attending more VW events, camp-outs, and building more buses!”

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 29

 Not many people can say they have a hand-built 3-liter supercharged turbo engine.

Sure, it looks like yesterday’s recycling, but the seller assured Dan that the engine was legit, so it simply has to be true.  One trick feature of Dan’s Oval is the multiswivel hood.

Okay, the truth is it isn’t bolted on and would fly off in a stiff breeze.

But let’s let Dan have his dream.

PILE OF THE MONTH

By DG Leadbetter • Photography by Paul Morton Publisher’s note: Look, I know I’m writing this story about me and my Bug in the third person. I’m not crazy, I’m really not. I just thought since I was the one that wrote about myself and the original Pile of the Month way back in 1985 — which is how I actually got on staff at the original VW Trends — it would be only fitting that I do the same for the inaugural issue of the new VW Trends magazine.

Plus, it’s my magazine and I can do what I want. (As long as the other guys say it’s okay.)

T

hey say lightning rarely strikes twice.

Well, you are witnessing a lightning strike for the second time. Dan Leadbetter’s back with a brand-new Pile. Dan had the honor of being the very first Pile of the Month way back in the January 1985 issue of VW Trends. Thirty-six years later, the story remains strangely similar.

You see, Dan’s original Pile got turned into a White Panel wagon with rectangular headlights, wide fenders, and Ronal wheels.

Sadly, it got sold to an unknown party at one of the VW Jamborees in Costa Mesa for an undisclosed amount. Dan didn’t think he’d own another air-cooled VW after that. Well, that changed about 9 months prior to the writing of this article.

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Got a real Pile you think is worthy of this esteemed publication?

Let us be the judge. Send a couple of high-res shots and some details to dan@vwtrendsmagazine.com.

Dan was able to pick up this awesome 1957 Oval Window (a mere two years older than he is) from some guy off Craigslist.

While the actual cost of this car is undisclosed, Dan did say that it was a bargain, and oddly there was no candy in the back of the van the seller was driving. Bad luck right there.

One of the first things you’ll notice is the car’s stripped-down nature. According to the seller, every unnecessary item was removed to cut down the weight for street racing. The bumpers, headlights, windshield, door windows, trim, seats … well, the whole interior, actually, was stripped out to bring this beast down to a reasonable street fighting weight. (Dan has been trying to get down to his fighting weight for 50+ years).

The interior does boast the stock steering wheel, which was left intact because, well, you do have to steer the damn thing. Dan says the lack of a windshield creates an air push inside the vehicle to keep the back firmly planted to the ground.

Note the super-clean fiberglass hood. It can open normally, from the side, Lambodoor-style, or back-to-front. This is because Dan was too lazy to actually mount it to any hinges. He said he didn’t want to limit his options.

Heading to the back of this faded red

beast, you notice what seems to be a lack of any sort of powerplant. Not so! Dan said the guy that sold it to him claimed the entire engine is a one-of-a-kind, 3796cc turbo supercharged asphalt-burning monster hand constructed entirely from transparent unobtainium, which is why it looks like an empty engine compartment cleverly disguised as a recycling bin. Even cooler is the hidden ignition system, which is so hidden Dan still hasn’t been able to find it.

Keeping with the race theme, Dan opted for a set of super-thin Centerline front wheels. When asked why he chose to let them oxidize rather than polish them, Dan replied, “I don’t like to draw a lot of attention to myself.” These lightweight wheels really help bring the front weight down … that is, until Dan gets in the VW. The bottom line is this Pile is a real piece of work. A LOT of work. Bosco the undead wonder dog gives this Pile 3.5 hairballs. Will this ’57 follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and become something cool like a Hebmuller kit car, or will it maybe sport a Rolls Royce hood? Will it have a neon kit underneath? Will it feature a mural of the Last Supper done entirely with cats? All remains to be seen. Stay tuned, kids: Who knows WTH is going to happen with this thing.

What could have been just a typical show-n-shine in a strip-mall parking lot turned out to be a massive event: This is just a portion of the festivities, and there was a good-sized swap meet on top of that. Regular attendees know this is a great show.

BUG BLOOM #3 F

or the past few years, right around April, VW enthusiasts in The Valley of the Sun have looked forward to the Bug Bloom show held in the parking lot of a Phoenix-based shop called Edgefinder VW. Not your typical mom-and-pop VW shop, Edgefinder is part of a bigger family business that started with Grandpa Michael Bailey’s love of VWs way back in the early ’80s. Today, Michael Bailey Jr. runs the Edgefinder Fab Shop at a nearby location while the Edgefinder store/repair shop is headed up by Brody Bailey, a hardcore,

32 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

third-generation VW enthusiast! Brody and his partner in crime Marvie Martinez run the shop and have put on this event for the past three years. The parking lot in front of Edgefinder is pretty big, and this year it was surprisingly packed for what would otherwise be considered a small local car show.

There’s just something special about this event that draws in a variety of VW enthusiasts from all over the greater Phoenix area and beyond. This year, the show was more than just full — attendance was absolutely insane! That large parking lot

Mom-and-pop VW shop’s little show-n-shine makes it BIG! Story and photography by Paul Morton was packed to overflowing with Volkswagens of all types, styles, and levels. Next to that was a well-stocked VW swap meet. To find a parking spot at the show required getting there early, as spectator parking on site was unobtainable. There were over 200 vehicles in the show and well over 300 VWs in attendance. The place was so packed, in fact, that a mechanic from the large auto repair shop in the same parking lot was downright miffed and decided to tell us all about it as we walked by (apparently a VW Trends T-shirt and a camera gives you the

Austin’s perfect patina ’66 is clean from bumper to bumper.

Several rows of vendors covered about a third of the parking lot at the swap meet.

There were several mini bikes buzzing around the event, which made us realize we need an official VW Trends mini bike for future events. (We should have put our name in the drawing for the Honda Z50R!)

Edgefinder VW is at 35th Ave. and Cactus in Phoenix, Arizona. Look for the red and white Type II on the roof. Ask for Brody or Marvie and tell them VW Trends sent you.

Check them out at edgefindervw.com or search for them and Bug Bloom on Facebook.

look of authority. But it really is just a look.)

Despite ruffling feathers of a few non-believers, masses of VW enthusiasts showed up to have fun in the sun. The temperature wasn’t too bad for April in Arizona, and there were even clouds in the sky, which, as locals know, is pretty rare. Between the relatively perfect weather, multitude of vehicles, and scores of spectators, this event felt more like a bigger, more expensive show.

But this was still just a small local car show with a $5 show entry fee and free admission for spectators. Brody, Marvie, the family,

and the crew had everything else a good car attendance and overwhelming popularity show needed, such as event T-shirts and of the show, we think Brody and Marvie stickers, food carts, a might have to seek DJ, and even Jazzlyn, out a larger venue.

BEST OF SHOW TROPHY WINNERS the VW Photo Bus! Regardless, mark (chosen by the crowd): They even gave away your calendars for Andy Marshall, 1963 Beetle a 1992 Honda Z50R next year and check Jay Zarecki, 1971 Baja minibike (Wait, out the next Bug Jason Eckhardt,1955 23-window Bus what?!? Why didn’t Bloom. Until then, we get in on that?). you might want to Bottom line; this was a big, fun VW drop by Edgefinder VW to check out what show! We are already looking forward else they have to offer. to Bug Bloom #4, although based on the

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 33

If the Surf Rat Single Cab owned by Cecil Kuns didn’t grab your attention, nothing would. It just oozed style from the patina to the surf shop logo on the door and its overall surf theme. It was awesome … that’s even a surfboard bench to the right.

There were a number of Baja Bugs in attendance — this is Arizona, after all. This ’69 belongs to Kyle Grabowski.

This fully modded tan ’53 is owned by Levi Weir from Pandraggers.

34 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

Daniel Coria from G Style Volks brought out this ’04 R32.

Bug Bloom trophies are always unique.

One year they were custom skateboards, and this time around they mimicked VW hubcaps. Only three were handed out as Best of Show trophies; winners were chosen by the crowd. (See page 33.)

Jazzlyn is a photo Bus you can rent. This seems like a way cooler idea than an ordinary photo booth, but then we’re a little VW-biased.

The engine in JR Peter’s ’57 Oval was as clean as the exterior of the car and looked incredible with that Porsche-style fan.

This wasn’t a strictly air-cooled show, as several water-cooled VWs were in attendance.

Everything about Andy Marshall’s ’63 custom Bug was incredible, and apparently the masses agreed as he took home one of the three custom Best of Show trophies on offer.

Being bass aficionados, we had to demo his single 8" subwoofer in a vented enclosure that hit harder than most dual 10" sub setups.

Philip Muscat’s 1965 Bug was just right, and the engine bay was immaculate.

On top of all that the hand-painted club logo grabbed our attention — that truly is a lost art.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 35

At first, this looked like Oriented Strand Board, but upon closer inspection we realized it was sun-beaten fiberglass (we’re still itchy from just looking at it). Still, this looks to be a fun project buggy. There was a lot of good stuff and rusty gold to be found in the extensive swap meet.

Ed Kaiser from DHP brought out his right-hand drive ’58 complete with glossy clearcoated patina and detailed Fuchs alloys.

Eric the Electrician’s ’54 convertible was incredibly clean from top to bottom, but it didn’t start out that way … he has a great story that we’ll share with you in an upcoming issue.

The nose seems to say Chuck’s Dragon, but this 1973 sand rail is currently owned

by Kevin Jackson. It looks to be a wellpreserved time capsule. The best part? In Arizona you can register and drive these on the street.

We’re not quite sure what to make of Tom and Brad’s 1966 Marmot, but we can tell you it was incredibly clean and always had a crowd around it. It also had a license plate, which begs the question, “Did they drive this to the show?”

More than just a cool custom Bug, this ’63 is a rolling tribute to Joanne, the mother of Matt from Pandraggers.

The busses in attendance ranged from original patina to show-quality paint, and everything in between.

36 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

These two hooligans are responsible for the disruption, uh, we mean car show. Marvie Martinez and Brody Bailey not only put on Bug Bloom every year, but handle day-to-day operations at Edgefinder VW.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 37

One Ghia That Won’t Put You To Sleep Story and photography By Bob Daniels

W

hen Barry Severs was 15 years old, his father bought his older brother a 1969 Ghia from a local junkyard. That car became a family project. After his brother upgraded to a ’71 Ghia Convertible, Barry inherited the’69 Coupe.

The time spent with his brother and father restoring the car was an experience Barry still treasures to this day.

That 1969 Ghia Coupe is long gone.

Barry is now an anesthesiologist living in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and has sons of his own. When he turned 50, he decided it was time to get that much-loved Ghia back, and share a similar experience with his own sons. Because he had a ’69 coupe and his brother had a ’71 Convertible, Barry decided that a 1969 Ghia Convertible was the best of both worlds, and he set out to find one.

Wanting to start off with a rust-free

38 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

car, Barry located a 1969 Ghia Convertible for sale on The Samba classifieds near Los Angeles, California. After a few phone calls and emails, the deal was done and the car was shipped to Florida.

After the car’s arrival, it felt like old times for Barry. He and his sons, Preston and Parker, dove in headfirst and stripped the car down. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. During bagging and tagging all the disassembled parts, Barry realized the seller had not been exactly 100% honest about the car’s condition. It was going to need some welding and metal work. Barry says, “I’m a good doctor, but not a welder.”

He did some research and tracked down Kip Zimmerman and his team at Rare and Unique VW Restorations in Sarasota, Florida, and asked for help with floor pans and other metal work. You don’t see a snow-

ball in Florida too often, but Barry’s dream project was about to turn into just that.

Questions like, “Do you want us to powder coat the Chassis once the welding is done?” were just the tip of the iceberg. After seeing the initial completed work, and drooling over the other projects in the shop, Barry realized the original scope of the Ghia he thought of building was about to drastically change. He found himself saying yes to everything Kip and his team offered. Loving the car more with each step, Barry made a hard left turn and decided he wanted to build a show winner.

With the pan repair complete and the chassis sent off to powder coat, the body work began. Once the team painstakingly smoothed the body out, the biggest decision in any build needed to be addressed: what color to paint it? Barry knew he wanted the car elegant and classy — a VW he

 Barry’s interior, with blue German square-weave carpet and SCAT Pro-Car seats featuring diamond-stitched leather and French seams, might even make Ferrari owners a bit jealous! Super clean, super tight, and impeccably finished.

 It’s hard to imagine Barry’s Ghia without the three-piece Iozzio Galaxy 17" wheels.

 Barry won’t have trouble merging into traffic with this Powerhaus 2332cc monster pushing him down the road. Ram-Flow air cleaners sit atop the 44 IDF Webers, and a Porsche-style Bergman fan setup helps keep things cool.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 39

Sitting pretty: For the perfect stance, a narrowed beam, adjustable rear spring plates,and 17” Iozzio wheels were used.

could valet park in the front row of a fancy restaurant with all the Bentleys, Ferraris, and other sports cars, and not look out of place. He knew he wanted to go blue … but what shade? After careful consideration, he decided he would pay homage to the older VWs. He started with VW Strato Silver, which already had a blue tint. He added a bit more blue, creating a custom mix for the deep, rich shade he wanted.

The Ghia’s classy and elegant exterior is complemented by its interior. The seats are SCAT Pro-Car models covered in light-brown leather with French seams and diamond stitched with contrasting thread.

The dash cover was wrapped in leather, the woodgrain was removed, and the dash was painted to match the exterior. Blue German square-weave carpet, a stock steering wheel, and a Vintage Speed Black Mamba shifter complete the interior. A blue Haartz canvas top and matching boot were also installed.

With the Ghia now looking the part, it was time to make it run the part. While a super-clean 1600cc may cinch a win at shows,

40 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 A Vintage Speed Black Mamba shifter gets Barry in gear.

 Sheet metal smoothed to perfection and a custom-mixed VW Strato Silver with added blue make for a classy, elegant look for the Ghia.

why stop there? Barry contracted Powerhaus VW in Torrance, California to build a 2332cc street screamer! It’s fitted with an 84mm SCAT crank, Mahle 94mm positions, straight-cut gears, an Engle 120 cam, a fully polished A1 exhaust, and topped off with 44 IDF Webers. Cooling the beast is a Bergman Porsche-style fan system. Stopping power comes from Wilwood calipers and drilled and slotted rotors at all four corners. Completing the package is a set of Iozzio Galaxy LW wheels (17"x5.5" front and 17"x6.5" rear) wrapped in Yokohama rubber (195/40 up front and 205/50 out back).

Barry Severs may put people to sleep at his day job, but nobody will be sedated looking at the final masterpiece that he created with the help of Rare and Unique.

Although the car was completed last year, Barry is looking forward to this new year so he can take his sons and his wife, Sandy, to car shows. And why wouldn’t he?

He can show off his Ghia, make some new friends, and achieve his goal: win some show trophies! We’re pretty confident that he won’t have any trouble with that.

HOW (NOT) TO BUY A BUG Avoiding the emotional pitfalls of buying a vintage VW project: one man’s cautionary tale Story and photography by Paul Morton

A

few years back, I dove in head-first and picked up a mildly-customized Bug to tinker with — I finally got my dream VW project! While I’d love to tell you it was an exceptional score, there were some pros and few too many cons to my purchase.

I wanted to share my experience in hopes of helping you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered. With any luck, this will help you choose the best Bug for your buck.

I got my first Bug in the mid ’80s. It was a $1,200, rough, stock, red/rust/

42 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 Is there any better feeling than buying a new project VW? Possibly, but that doesn’t diminish the exhilaration you feel when finding that perfect project. But we all need to be cautious, because these feelings can cloud our judgment. Be careful not to get so swept up in the excitement that you overlook issues that might cause you frustration down the road.  Smashed-in front ends are extremely common in Bugs. With the hood closed, the front end may not seem so bad. Looking at it from the side like this, however, makes it much more apparent that the car may have deeper issues.

primer-colored 1968 big-body that was perfect for a kid’s first car. I had grand plans to lower and customize it with Porsche alloys, a huge stereo system and an 1835cc topped with dual Dellortos.

Sadly, it was a short-lived project due to typical old Bug reliability issues (my mom had this whole thing about me actually making it to school on time every day).

I regret not making that car what I wanted it to be, and I’ve wanted another one ever since.

Throughout the years I’ve had numerous project vehicles. I read various VW mags, perused VW websites, went to VW shows, and was always searching the classifieds for my next Bug. More recently, as I noticed VW prices starting

 Under the hood, it’s much easier to determine just how bad the front-end damage really is. One look at the sides of the spare tire well, just in from each fender, shows pretty heavy crumple damage. For better or worse, there have been no repairs on the front end of my Bug. In some cases, an entire new front end may have been welded on, or individual patch panels may have been installed. So even if everything looks good, you will want to look and see if the car has had repair work done. You may have noticed the large hole in the panel behind where the spare goes. It appears someone did that to allow easier access the height adjustments on the beam. Sadly, when they cut out that large section of sheet metal they also cut out the VIN badge.  The rear end of this car is a good example of how repairs can make finding the issues more difficult. The rear of the car had been hit at some point, but the damage didn’t jump out like it did up front.

Only after I got the car home did I notice that the ends of the engine compartment side panels were hacked off. After that, I also noticed lumpy welds running up the rear wheelhouse sections, which means the rear apron had been replaced, poorly.

to rise, I figured I’d better make it happen before it was too late.

Recently I stumbled upon what I felt was the perfect VW project: a 1964 Bug! You might say, “What? That looks like a ’65.”

I’ll get to that. It had a lot of what I wanted, it sat right, it even ran (kinda-sorta), and, most importantly, the price was right. It had an aftermarket ragtop, a 2" narrowed beam, and custom wheels with staggered tires. It even had a 1776cc with a progressive Weber!

Sure, she was a little rough around the edges, needed some cough-cough bodywork, a tune-up, and “minor” brake work … but after all, I was looking for a project. Did I mention the price was right?

Before handing over my hard-earned cash, I went over the Bug very carefully, took a lengthy test drive, and asked a lot of questions … the whole time recalling pitfalls of projects past. I was determined to go over this vehicle with a fine-toothed comb and not make the same mistakes I made purchasing previous project vehicles.

After about an hour, I came to the realiza No surprise here: The bottoms of the A-pillars are rusted out. On the up side, the heater channels seem to be in pretty good shape. Rustedout heater channels are one of the most common issues in old Bugs and they are difficult and expensive to replace.

The heater channel runs under the doors from the foot well all the way back next to the transaxle. The channels were capped both inside and outside to keep the water out, which explains why these are still in decent shape.  Rusted-out floor pans are another big issue, but luckily these don’t seem so bad. You can see a few small holes, but these pans don’t need to be replaced any time soon.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 43

tion that this was it … the one … and I had to have it! I looked at my wife and told her I was going to make an offer. She softly said, “Okay,” with this kind yet concerned look, as if to say, “You know you’re nuts, right?”

But that’s not out of the ordinary, so I went to get the owner. Later my wife would tell me that she thought this car was way too rough, but when she saw the look of pure joy in my eyes, she couldn’t say no. As usual, she was right … and, in fairness, I am kinda nuts.

Here’s what I realized before money exchanged hands: I saw how rough the body was; I was told it needed brake work and a tune-up; I could see it needed interior and wiring attention; and I made sure the VIN

 The dreaded battery location always seems to be an issue due to leaking acid. This one’s not perfect, but that spot in the corner isn’t the worst I‘ve seen.

 This one was a surprise. I didn’t see these until I pulled the carpet up. Looks like someone did a little exploratory surgery to repair or replace the clutch or throttle cable tubes. Would have been nice if they had cut only one hole.

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on the pan matched the title. I knew I was buying a rolling project that wasn’t perfect.

I also was sure I would find some surprises when I started working on the car.

BREAKING IT DOWN Here’s what I DIDN’T realize at the time: Remember how I said it was a ’64, but looks like a ’65? Yeah, my first revelation was that this is a ’64 pan with a ’65 body.

Adding insult to injury, there were a lot of changes between 1964 and 1965 that made choosing parts real fun. I later figured out the car was pieced together in a junkyard, which is why no two parts from left to right match. Apparently, this was a “Yeah, that’ll fit” build. As I took the car apart, I found the body damage was far more extensive than I first thought. For example, the rear apron had been hit, then poorly replaced, and the shifter tunnel had been cut open in two places. I also didn’t know it needed the beam rebuilt, new axle boots, a new gas gauge sending unit and gasket, master cylinder, clutch hook and cable, and … well, you get the idea. There were just a lot more of those unforeseen surprises than I thought there might be. That being said, you (and I) have to understand that’s how project vehicles go.

Don’t get me wrong, I really dig my Bug. It’s better to have a rough VW than no VW at all! I think we should all be saving as many VWs as we can at this point, no matter (almost) how far gone they are. But — and this is a big but — we need to be careful of emotional buys that can get us in over our heads. In hindsight, I think I should have held out a little longer for a slightly better Bug and I should have ponied up a little more cash to buy something that would have been less work in the long run. Still, even with all its issues, my Bug makes me happy (which I guess is how my wife feels about me). Now that you know my back story, here are a few tips to help you (and hopefully me in the future) make the best possible decision when buying a project.

PICK A LEVEL I didn’t want a rolling project without an engine, so I searched for a running and driving project. I like to test drive a vehicle to find out as much as possible about what is right or wrong with it before I buy it.

Maybe you want to start with that rolling project or just a body and pan. Or, maybe you need something more complete that you can cruise as-is. Be honest about your skill set and/or credit score. If you can’t do the work yourself or afford to pay someone else to do it, maybe the oh-so-tempting price of a body and pan project isn’t for you.

SET A BUDGET First and foremost, figure out how much you are willing to spend. Set a limit, and spend as much as you can without putting you and/or your family in financial jeopardy. Keep in mind that no vehicle is perfect and you can’t just spend your way out of problems and unforeseen setbacks. Even the cleanest, high-dollar VWs may need work and more money to get them right.

Your budget should include a price for the vehicle, money for repairs and upgrades, as well as a buffer for unforeseen issues. You have to weigh all this out and then decide if the particular vehicle you are looking at is a good deal. If it’s not, keep looking. Remember, the cheapest price is not necessarily the best value. Also, just know you will go over budget. When dealing with a project vehicle, it’s a fact of life. Don’t worry, we won’t tell your better half.

So let’s say you find a Bug for $3,000.

At first glance, it sounds like a good deal, right? But then you discover you’ll have to spend another $4,000 just to get it going.

Was it really that good a deal? Or could you have found a much nicer Bug for $7,000 that required less work? Maybe, maybe not. What if that $7K Bug needed $2K more to get it right? Was $9,000 way over your max budget? It’s a balancing act. Don’t get frustrated, just keep it in mind.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK In the case of my Bug, I did do a lot of research, had some experience, and still made mistakes. If this is your first project, understand it’ll be a learning experience.

But then, I guess it’s always a learning experience! Look, I have been staring at Bugs for decades, and I can tell you what year a Bug is between ’67 and ’70, no problem. And

I know what the ’60s Bugs look like, even though I may not be aware of every little detail. Still, I didn’t realize that ’65-’66 Bugs have windows more in line with the bigbody cars than the ’60s cars. Well, I do now!

Figure out what you like and try to become an expert on the various elements that define that year range. I have really learned a lot since I got into this project, and figured out ’65-’66 Bugs have the majority of the elements I really like.

not buying a commuter car that you really need, this is a passion project.

It can be hard to stay subjective when you are emotionally involved, so take a level-headed friend who will tell it to you straight. Preferably this should be a person who knows about cars in general; ideally they know specifically about Volkswagens. I took my wife (a great option for a reality checker), but even she got caught up in the emotion of it all. Look, it’s complicated. When in doubt, seek the help of a professional.

MATCHING NUMBERS Do matching numbers matter? Yes and no.

The VWs we are talking about are getting old. Most have been through many hands GET AN INSPECTION and many changes were made along the Did you know most local VW shops will way. I’m personally not a purist and wasn’t charge somewhere in the neighborhood of too concerned as I’m building a custom Bug. $100 to go over a VW and give you a report Two things really matter where matchof the good and bad? Prices may vary in ing numbers are concerned. your area. This is a great way to The first is value. If you want to get some unbiased, professionWe should all get top dollar out of your VW al insight into your potential be saving as when you sell it, matching numpurchase. This added step can many VWs as bers really matter, especially be difficult. You have to set the we can, no matif you are restoring something appointment, get the vehicle ter (almost) back to original. Even if you’re there, and maybe deal with the how far gone not in it for the money, it’s fact that the seller doesn’t want they are. But — not a bad idea to get a matchto go through the hassle. Conand this is a big ing-numbers project if you’re sider it a red flag if the owner but — we need looking at investing a lot of your pushes back too hard on getting to be careful of hard-earned cash into restorit inspected. In the end this emotional buys ing or customizing your VW. extra effort could be well worth that can get The second consideration the hassle. us in over our is registration. Different states heads. have different regulations. If RED FLAGS you find a VW where the VIN Look, I know it sounds kind of numbers don’t match, make sure to check obvious: We all know to look for red flags. the rules where you will register the vehiThe real trick is to not disregard them. cle. In a Bug, the VIN can be found under No vehicle is perfect, and there will be the back seat near the shifter access plate. problems that you’ll need to prioritize and There should also be a VIN badge on the address. Are there scratches, dents, dings, body just under the hood in the spare tire leaks, messy wiring, and/or a shredded intewell. Ideally these should match. If they rior? These are just the regular things you’ll don’t, ask more questions. Side note: The find in an old VW. The red flags I’m talking number on the engine case is not a VIN about are bigger issues like a missing title, a number; it’s a case code. There are stories transmission that slips out of gear, or a lack of this number being used as the VIN and of power that may be a sign of major engine appearing on the title. This is an issue that issues. Or maybe what the seller is saying should be corrected before you buy. If the and what you are seeing just isn’t adding numbers don’t match it isn’t necessarily a up. If there are too many red flags, you may deal breaker, especially if you’re looking need to make the tough decision. at an older model. Just know what you are buying before you fork out the cash.

WALK AWAY The best thing you can do in any negotiation PHONE A FRIEND is walk away. This is where emotionally Don’t go into the ring alone! Look, you’re detaching yourself comes in handy, and it

 This one is just plain funny.

My Bug has two passenger seats. It doesn’t seem like a big issue until you try to get the driver’s seat out. The seatback lock release hits the shifter tunnel and makes it pretty difficult to remove the seat. (Anyone have a driver’s side low back seat they want to trade for a passenger side?)

gives you time to clear your mind. It also sends a message to the seller that you aren’t just going to throw a pile of cash at him or her. This can work exceptionally well, or it can backfire completely. Like I said, this is emotional. Not just for you, but for the seller. Vintage VWs are in demand and not as readily available as they used to be. You could very well miss out on the vehicle you want if you don’t jump on it … and you could also pay too much for the project everyone else was passing over if you make too hasty a decision. Again, it’s a balancing act. Be cool, be respectful (remember, this was most likely a passion project for the seller too), and step away if you need to. But don’t hesitate to make the purchase when you find what you want or need. And if you don’t want to buy, tell the seller. They would much rather hear a “no” directly from you than get ghosted.

CHECK OUT MULTIPLE VEHICLES It’s a good idea to look at as many cars as you can before you pick one. While wrapping this story up, I got the roof of my house redone. I got five quotes and the company I picked easily stood out among the rest. As they say, “The cream rises to the top,” and I feel this applies to buying project vehicles too. It helps you better understand pricing in the market and what you will and won’t get for the money. Ultimately, one should stand out as the best value and best choice for your needs and desires.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 45

 Here are some specific things to look for when buying a Type I: BODY Check the front and rear end for damage.

Has the car been rear-ended, or has it done the rear-ending … or both (like mine)?

Heater channels are another big one. They run down each side of the car, just inside the doors, and end near the transaxle.

They’re notorious for holding water and rusting out, and they are a big job to replace.

They aren’t something you can ignore because they’re a structural part of the car. From the bottom up, especially at the bottom of the door jamb and in the fender wells, look for any obvious rust and/or bubbling paint (which is a sign of hidden rust).

Look over the body for obvious signs of bad bodywork. Some buyers will go as far as using a magnet to check for excessive body filler — if the magnet doesn’t stick, the filler is too thick! Don’t forget the panel gaps and fitment. Are the hood, deck lid and fenders lined up properly? Do the doors have even gaps and do they close properly? Sure, most of this can be easily adjusted, but if a lot of these things are off, why? Has the car been in a severe accident, or was it just poorly put together? Either way, look deeper.

PAN Get under the VW … jack it up if you have to. Look for damage and rust, specifically holes. A common problem area is the battery location under the rear seat where acid leads to rust and creates big holes. Have the pans been partially or completely replaced?

If so, does it look like a competent job was done? This next one was new to me: Check the transmission tunnel for holes. There are two large-ish sections cut open in mine, most likely to access the clutch and throttle cable tubes. I had no idea before I bought my Bug, and all I had to do was lift up the carpet to find these.

DRIVETRAIN In some instances, you might want to check the case code and see if it correlates with the VIN. VW used separate numbering systems for the VIN and case code. The case code dates the engine build, which can help you determine if the engine might be original to the car. At this point it probably won’t be, but that really only matters if

46 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

you are building an era-correct, matchINTERIOR AND WIRING ing-numbers VW. Expect to pay more The interior is pretty subjective. It’s easy to if everything matches. In my case (pun see if you like it or not and how much work intended), I didn’t care at all. In fact, I was it will need. And it’s one of the easiest and thrilled to find my Bug was outfitted with cheapest DIY projects, unless you need a a later-model dual-port engine that I was headliner. Is the interior all there and is it all told is a 1776cc. Is it? There was no paperfrom the correct year (if you care about that work to back that up, but that wasn’t a deal sort of thing)? Both my seats are passenbreaker for me. Check the oil, look for leaks ger-side seats and finding a driver’s-side (there will be leaks, but how bad?), and replacement has been difficult. Wiring can make note of anything else that stands out. be a little trickier, and in a Bug it’s usually If you can, take the car on a test drive. This messy! But it’s pretty accessible and fairly is one of the reasons I wanted a running easy to work on. That being said, many and driving project. You can tell a lot on a people are terrified of wiring. The best you test drive. For example, mine doesn’t idle can do is look it over and see if there are when it’s cold but runs pretty any disconnected wires and/ well once it warms up. This or odd-looking connections.

Figure out was in line with what the seller Are the fuses correct and in how much you told me. Also, look for leaks in place? Missing fuses could mean are willing the transaxle, especially at the there are issues on that circuit. to spend. Set axle boots. Make sure the car Are any of the wires charred a limit, and shifts smoothly, doesn’t pop out or missing insulation? Once spend as much of gear, and goes into reverse you’ve looked the wiring over, as you can okay. Does the clutch slip? Decheck all the various electrical without putpending on how mechanically functions like lights, turn sigting you and/ inclined you are, the drivetrain nals, headlights, horn, ignition, or your family might be the biggest reason to etc. If it all works, great! But in financial take the car in for an inspection even then, you might need to jeopardy. Keep before you buy. put in some time on the wiring. in mind that Realize that if several things no vehicle is SUSPENSION AND BRAKES aren’t working, there are probperfect and you Does the VW sit like it should? ably more electrical issues to can’t just spend Is it even left to right? If you can come. Troubleshooting wiring, your way out of jack it up, check for play in the especially old VW wiring, can problems. link pins or ball joints. Does it be difficult and frustrating, but drive straight down the road it can be done. Luckily, rewiring when you let go of the steering wheel? My a Bug isn’t as hard or scary as it sounds. And suspension is pretty good, but the link pin if you’re handy, you can do it with one of the in the upper passenger side control arm many kits on the market. Personally, I just is bad, which will ultimately lead me to a cleaned up my wiring and fixed a few elecfull beam rebuild. Does it need shocks? trical issues as best I could. But this is just Brakes are harder to check out on a rolling temporary: I’ll rewire the car so it’s not only project. If you can drive the car, check for a clean, but also so I know that everything is solid pedal feel and the obvious: reasonable new and working properly. Just like with stopping performance for a Bug. And look the brakes, I’d rather have new wiring that I for leaks in the lines, at the master cylinder know is done right. and especially on the backing plates if the car has drum brakes. A pool of mystery goo GOOD LUCK! in the driver’s footwell is a sure sign the Our hope is that there’s a nugget or two of master cylinder is leaking. While you’re at wisdom in here that’ll help you make the it, feel out the steering. Luckily, brakes are best buy possible. Please feel free to share one of the easier DIY projects and they’re your purchasing tips, tricks, and horror not too pricey. I don’t mind if a project stories at our blog on vwtrendsmagazine. needs brakes. I always like to replace every- com or on any of our various social media thing myself anyway, because, you know, groups — just search VW Trends magazine. stopping and stuff.

Good luck with your purchase!

p e r f o r m a n c e a n d r e s to r at i o n

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VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 47

Dean Kirsten’s long-time love affair with the 1967 Beetle

By Lee Hedges Photography by Paul Morton

W

hat’s the best model year VW Beetle? Some will claim the Splits and Ovals are tops while others love the 1958s with their larger rear windows and still others claim those with disc brakes are best. In the mind of a sixteen-year-old kid in the mid-1960s who is ready to build a street racer it will always be the 1967.

So what made the ’67 so special? Well, a new 1500cc engine that blew away the 36hp and 40hp cars before it, 12-volt electrics with better lighting and accessories, and most importantly, 1967 was the last year for the early-style bumpers and painted dash. 1967 models are exceedingly difficult to restore correctly because there are so many “one year only” parts. Dean Kirsten has been a writer, photographer, and tech editor of another VW magazine for more

48 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

years than he’d care to remember, and he has owned and driven 1967 VWs — from modified street racers to bone-stock preservations — for more than 48 years.

Post-retirement, Dean’s vehicle of choice is this well-preserved L19K Yukon Yellow 1967 Beetle Cabriolet.

Southern California in the early ’60s was VW heaven. Dean’s older brother had a 40hp 1963 Beetle that he learned how

 In 1972 $800 bought Dean’s first 1967 Beetle, and all these years later a ’67 is still his VW of choice.

to modify and tune to get the most of on the streets. At school, his German teacher drove an Oval Window and shared VW factory films in class, touting the excellence of German engineering in this little car. When the new 1500cc motor was introduced in 1967, the two brothers saw firsthand how fast a modified 1500cc could be. In the summer of 1967, they went to a dealership to buy a new 1968 but were turned off by the modern design changes. So they decided 1967 was best.

In 1972 a mere $800 bought Dean’s first 1967 Beetle, which he quickly upgraded with the Auto-Haus special street kit (then priced at $129). A souped-up Volkswagen in the hands of a 21-year-old was the E-ticket ride to freedom. Dean met Der Kleiner Panzers’ Jim Edmiston and was invited to their Sunday meet. The club members gave him some advice and suggestions to get the most out of his ride. By the mid-70s, Southern California police were giving owners of modified VWs a lot of hassle for equipment

 1967 was the first year for the single-unit vertical SB12 headlights. Among the other changes for 1967 were a redesigned decklid, a front bumper with slight bend in the middle, sloping tubes on the rear bumpers, and dual reverse lamps.

violations for excessive noise, no bumpers, and lowered suspensions. Dean shifted gears into sand buggies and built one with a 2074cc engine. In the late ’90s the Cal-Look scene was strong, and Dean found his way back to street VWs with an original Savannah Beige 1967 Sedan to build.

As Dean hit the big six-zero, he longed for the comfortable and reliable performance of a stock Beetle Cabriolet.

Dean’s Cabriolet So he spent the was built on next two years June 8, 1967. in search of the It was sold by perfect ’67. He had a the Pray VW list: It needed to be dealership in Greenwich, original, low-mileConnecticut. The age, unmodified, original owner’s unrusty, and ready manual reveals to drive. Dean was the first 10K serious. He racked miles in service visits. up a bunch of frequent flyer miles on multiple flights to inspect ten Cabrios, all which failed his inspection. His good friend Randy Carlson knew about his quest and was ready to post a clean 1967 from an elderly Florida owner on his OldBug site. Randy sent a message: “Hey Dean! I think I’ve found your 1967 Cabriolet!” That was all it took. Dean called the owner in Florida, spoke with him for over an hour, saw photos, and considered

it for three days. When the owner finally made Dean an offer he couldn’t refuse, the Cabrio was transported across the country to California.

Exposed to literally hundreds of early VWs and having closely inspected and driven so many, Dean can see and feel things most other buyers miss: Door closure, steering, shifting, carpet and rubber pad wear, suspension movement and engine smoothness. One in one hundred cars have that special feeling of low mileage and years of ownership care.

Dean had rolled the dice and bought the car based on images alone. But when it arrived in Southern California, he knew it was the right one. One whiff of that special aroma of original jute, vinyl, and squareweave carpet, and he knew this Cabriolet hit all his checkpoints.

Even so, Dean’s first drive in the car was continued on page 52 •  File under Attention to Detail: One of the most difficult parts for Dean to find was an original SAE DP66 front signal lens to match the other side — reproduction lenses are marked SAE DP63.  Dean spent two years in search of the perfect 1967 Cabriolet. He wanted one that was original, low-mileage, unmodified, not rusty, and ready to drive. He inspected ten different cars — and turned down all ten — before scoring this one.

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50 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 51

 Inside are the correct door locks on the rear edges of the doors, round black dash knobs and window winder knobs, black gearshift knob, hazard switch, and front ashtray design.

a bit of a disappointment. It was too harsh due to aftermarket Bilstein shocks and two bent rims. Boge shocks and NOS rims solved those issues quickly.

The team at West Coast Classics replaced the aging carpet sides to match the existing carpet, replaced the front seat covers, and added new elastic in the original map pockets. The aftermarket wood shift knob was replaced with an NOS black gear selector. The original vinyl convertible top is in amazingly preserved condition with only minor blemishes. Dean keeps it up to prevent any unnecessary stress on the 53-year-old materials.

A little bit of sleuthing revealed that this Cabriolet was built in the Karmann factory of Osnabrück, Germany on June 8, 1967.

Less than three weeks later, on June 26 1967, it was sold to the Reverend Michael Kendall by the Pray VW dealership in Greenwich, Connecticut. The original owner’s manual reveals the first 10K miles in service visits.

It’s pretty cool to be able to fully document the previous owners and locations as well as all the shops that have had a hand in the preservation work.

The stock engine had recently been serviced by Monkey Nut in North Carolina and ran really well. Dean quickly detailed the engine with a short black coil, correct Bosch copper plug wires with 40hp white plug holders, a bakelite distributor cap, and an authentic air cleaner decal.

Dean enlisted the talents of Buddy Hale to paint and age the two NOS front fenders to match the existing Yukon Yellow paint.

52 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 Dean detailed his engine with a short black coil, correct Bosch copper plug wires and plug holders, bakelite distributor cap, and an authentic air cleaner decal.

Dean spent countless hours cleaning and detailing the wiring harness and every corner of the convertible. One of the most difficult parts he had to find was an original SAE DP66 front signal lens to match the other side (reproduction lenses are marked SAE DP63). Now that’s attention to detail!

1967 Beetles have more than a handful

 West Coast Classics replaced the aging carpet sides to match the existing carpet, replaced the front seat covers (the rear seat is original), and added new elastic in the original map pockets. Up front, the fuel tank, jack, and fluid reservoirs look good despite being more than 50 years old.

of unique parts to complicate the restoration process. Exterior features include a new decklid shape, a front bumper with a slight bend in the middle, sloping tubes on the rear bumpers, and dual reverse lamps.

And 1967 was the first year for the vertical SB12 headlights. Looking inside you’ll find unique door locks on the rear edges of the doors, round black dash knobs and window winder knobs, a black gearshift knob, hazard switch, and a redesigned ashtray.

In the engine compartment it’s easy to spy the unique air cleaner and support bracket, K distributor, 30 PICT 1 105 with 12-volt choke, and generator with push-on connectors. Hard to find for 1967 Cabriolets is the one-year-only rain tray hidden underneath the decklid and the special rear-view mirror design. Imagine trying to locate that long list of unique parts! Fortunately, Dean’s 1967 was incredibly well preserved and few replacement parts were needed.

Dean’s journey is one shared by many young VW owners: We start out seeking power, speed, and thrills, and want to go faster and quicker. Then, as we mature, speed and power become less important and comfort and reliability become more important. This 1967 Cabrio has taken Dean to events all over Southern California, Arizona, and even Texas. And he absolutely loves the feeling he gets cruising in it.

Dean has spent his whole life around VWs, working in the industry and making friends with the biggest names, and now he’s enjoying the ride in his “last of the old” Yukon Gold 1967 Cabriolet.

You can’t miss Josh Linburg’s 250-horsepower Corrado!

By Rich Crafton Photography by Paul Morton

54 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 55

How low can you go? This low. Josh Linburg’s ’90 Corrado G60 is grounded by way of a notched frame for front-axle clearance, an Airlift V2 slam series front suspension, EuroSport upper and lower strut supports, and Fabless Manufacturing control arms.

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ith sales of the Scirocco diminishing in the American market during the mid-80s, Volkswagen had a bold new plan to introduce something sleeker and more daring — enter the Corrado G60. With its G-shaped supercharger pumping a highly compressed air/fuel mixture into a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, it boasted 158 horsepower with a top speed of 140 mph and a promised 0 to 60 time of 7 seconds.

1988 was the year the Corrado was introduced — the same year the owner of this impeccable ’90 G60 was born. Coincidence? Maybe, but one thing is certain: Josh Linburg was deliberate in restoring and taking this ride to the next level. In 2006, Josh (who was in his late teens, slinging pizza) spotted a car he had never seen before — and that’s when he got hooked.

Ten years later, Josh finally found what he always wanted: a 1990 VW Corrado. It was the perfect “fix-it” car: The previous owner had tucked away the bone-stock, Nugget

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Yellow VW for a decade and never got around to doing anything with it. But Josh knew what to do. After the owner aired up the tires and charged up the battery, Josh took it for a test drive around the block, and that, my friends, sealed the deal.

Once the $3K selling price was agreed upon, Josh romped around in his new driver for a couple weeks, then decided to tear into it. It only took five months to

Owner Josh Linburg and wife Desiree proud of their Corrado G60, soon to be outfitted with a new baby car seat!

finish the first rebuild. But that would be just the beginning. Josh rebuilt the inline four-cylinder to somewhat stock specs, with the exception of a slight port and polish to the cylinder head, BBM hydraulic lifters, a Kolbenschmidt HD 36mm oil pump, and a Sprintex R5-300 twin-screw supercharger. Cooling duties are aptly handled by a Euro-spec non-AC aluminum radiator. Keeping everything secure is a BBM solid front mount, a Vibra-Technicks engine mount, and a poly transmission mount. As the owner and mechanic at J’s Speed Shop in Kearny Mesa, California, Josh makes his living on street-bike, sideby-side, and small-watercraft engines. That made building the Corrado engine just another day at the office.

While Josh is handy with a wrench, he left the transmission build to Bahn Brenner Motorsports in Monroe, Washington, who freshened everything up and added a Quaife limited-slip differential with ARP bolt kit, MK4 025 shift tower,

the build sPECS

MODEL: 1990 VW Corrado ENGINE: 1.8-liter G-Lader supercharged inline 4-cylinder, Sprintex R5-300 twinscrew supercharger with 55mm pulley, BBM 268/260 race asymmetrical cam, adjustable Kent power cam gear, BBM hydraulic lifters, BBM valve springs, Schrick valve cover, 19-row Mishimoto oil cooler, and MSD coil.

EXHAUST: TT Race 4-into-1 race header, custom 2.5" pipe, and Borla muffler.

 Out back is a Spoon-Fed Tuning extended carbon fiber active rear wing. The body features widened rear fenders and ABT side skirts.

TRANSMISSION: Bahn Brenner Motorsports custom-built with 14-lb BBM flywheel, ACT stage 2 clutch, Quaife limited-slip differential with ARP bolt kit, MK4 025 shift tower, Polo shift box, an Audi TT counterweight, heat-treated gears, and a .744 fifth gear.

POWER: Estimated 250hp

 A top-notch rebuild with enhancements means more power and a work of art under the hood, which is pretty much seethrough anyways.

 The hatch is outfitted in black suede, while an Auto Power roll cage keeps everyone safe.

 Nothing out of place and everything ready for speed. From the Sprintex R5-300 twinscrew supercharger to the Bahn Brenner Motorsports transmission, this screamer pumps out an estimated 250hp … bumped up from the original 158. A mechanic by trade, Josh was able to do all the engine work himself.

CHASSIS/SUSPENSION: Notched frame for front-axle clearance, Airlift V2 slam series front suspension, EuroSport upper and lower strut supports, Fabless Mfg. control arms, Wilwood 4-piston caliper brakes with Hawk pads, 280mm rotors, Airlift shocks, VRB poly upper bushings, Neuspeed 25mm sway bars, and MK4 aluminum calipers. Staggered Borbet Type A wheels at 16x7.5 front/16x9 rear with Yokohama S-Drive tires all the way around.

BODY: Widened rear fenders, ABT side skirts, chopped Sparks Welding and Performance hood, Spoon-Fed Tuning extended carbon fiber active rear wing.

PPG Laguna Sea Blue paint by J&A Body and Paint in San Diego.

INTERIOR: White/black leather seats and door panels, custom airline tank setup in trunk, Braum race seats, Sportline 280mm steering wheel, BFI shift knob, Momo pedals, VDO gauges, Clarion C2505 with Infinity Kappa 1,200-watt amp, and JL audio speakers.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 57

 Braum 2019 race seats with five-point harnesses keep everyone secure in the tight turns.

Polo shift box, an Audi TT counterweight, heat-treated gears, and a .744 fifth gear.

With the engine and transmission up to snuff, Josh turned his attention to the body. With all those drivetrain upgrades, the exterior simply 1988 was the year the Corrado was couldn’t remain introduced — the stock, so Josh same year the widened the owner of this ’90 rear fenders G60 was born. and added ABT Coincidence? side skirts and a Maybe, but one chopped Sparks thing is certain: Welding and Josh Linburg Performance was deliberate in hood. To be sure, taking this ride to that hood is a the next level. real eye catcher, and is the perfect frame to showcase the Corrado’s heart! Laying down the many coats of PPG Laguna Sea Blue paint was J&A Body and Paint in San Diego. Not content with stock, Josh

58 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

swapped out the OEM lighting with E-code to push his tunes. It starts with a Clarion housings, French yellow bulb covers, and Cz250S head unit. An Infinity Kappa LED bulbs.

1200-watt amp pushes power to a pair of JL Josh took on the daunting task of Audio 4x7" dash speakers, 6" JL door speakturning the outdated interior into a real ers, and a set of 5.25" JL Audio speakers in showpiece. Braum seats wrapped in the rear panels. A pair of 8" JL Audio W7 black and white leather really offset the subwoofers handles all the low frequencies. blue paint. The door panels received the Yeah, that should pretty much take care of same treatment, while the headliner was any tunes you throw at it. replaced with black fleece and black suede The amount of effort Josh put in can easpillars. Other interior mods include a ily be seen. This Corrado is a showstopper Sportline 280mm and has won Best of suede steering Show in numerous wheel, BFI suede events and outings.

Momo pedals, Euro That makes for under-dash parcel some awesome trays, and VDO bragging rights, gauges. since Josh himself No self-respectcompleted nearly ing water-cooled every aspect of this VW would be machine. One thing caught dead withis for sure: There out a kick-ass sound won’t be any pizzas system. So Josh put being delivered in  Borbet Type A wheels are mounted over together a 1,200this blue beauty!

Wilwood 4-piston calipers with Hawk pads watt powerhouse that clamp onto 280mm rotors.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 59

60 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

QUICKSAND Las Vegas local gambles on a big bad Bus Build

By Shawn McClelland • Photography by Alex Arredondo

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 61

W

e’ve all been there. You’re just gonna get her running … well, maybe lower it a little. You know, possibly upgrade the motor ... Next thing you know, you’re in way over your head. The to-do list is doubled, tripled, the parts pile keeps growing, and you’re sinking! Sinking time, sinking money … it really is like quicksand. Well, that’s how it all started for Rich DeWitte.

He bought this ’66 13-Window Deluxe to be his driver while his 1973 Fridolin was being built. Rich’s “quickie” Bus build turned into a full-blown, over-restored project that he’d be sinking tons of money into.

The journey started six years ago when Rich acquired an extremely rare ’73 VW Fridolin from a friend. Since Rich runs his own landscaping company, he just didn’t have time to do the build on the ’73 himself.

He took it to a place he trusted — The Wagen, owned by George Tsagrinos — to turn his dream into a reality. The Fridolin was a mess, to say the least, but The Wagen was more than excited to work on such a rare VW. It was more than a little rusty, so Rich tapped Rusty Volks Restorations in Colorado to handle the metal work. While dropping off parts to Rusty Volks, Rich noticed a clean-looking 13-Window Bus. After a little bit of persuading and a lot of cash, Rich left the parts for the ’73 in Colorado and drove home with this 1966 13-Window Type II. Well, it wasn’t long before Rich’s new project was nicknamed “The Back to the Future Bus,” as it had more illuminated rocker switches than Doc Brown’s DeLorean. It featured two additional blade-type fuse panels, side markers at all four corners, and lighting everywhere. The dash was wrapped in baby blue vinyl, and the Bus sat on matching baby blue EMPI 5-spoke wheels.

But this was supposed to be a driver, right? A quick wiring replacement, a few holes welded shut, and she’d be ready to roll. Not so fast! Once the vinyl was removed from the dash Rich realized that the dash and parcel tray were perforated with rust holes. The previous owner had removed the stock defroster louver for some sort of fancy bolt-on aluminum version.

Seeing all the rust in the dash, and in some other questionable areas, Rick decided to nuke it by media blasting the entire Bus.

62 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

Bringing the Bus down to Earth is 4" narrowed Wagenswest beam with 4" welded drop spindles and Wilwood 5x130 brakes. Rear suspension features an Artigas Transaxle gearbox mated to Wagenswest offset adjustable drop plates with an Old Speed AC industries 5x130 disc brake kit that was painted to match the front brakes.

A local upholstery supplier matched the Titan Red exterior trim to a vinyl named Carmine Red Sierra Series for the interior upholstery. Smooth and perforated materials were mixed for a subtle accent.

Brettly from Clean Works Mobile Media Blasting came to the rescue. But the blasting revealed tons of poorly repaired rust. There were replacement panels made of galvanized 22-gauge metal held in place with rivets and silicone topped with excessive amounts of body filler. These were just some of the atrocities Rich discovered.

At this point, the game plan was still just to do the minimum amount to make the Bus

drivable. But anyone who’s started down the long and winding road of VW Bus metal replacement knows it’s difficult. This is where the sinking really started. Rick called in bodywork specialist Bill Coen to deep-dive for rust. Bill spent over a year replacing metal and working the Bus body to a very high standard. Another Wagen crew member, Virgil Boyer, set the gaps on the front-door doglegs and on the A and B pillars.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 63

Rich’s original color choice, from a Toyota Tacoma, was the appropriately named Quicksand. Several other colors were in the running — Dove Blue was a top contender, as was Agave Green — since by now the Bus was actually getting the full restoration treatment. But ultimately Quicksand was to be the color adorning this Bus. It’s solid, non-metallic, and not very flashy.

Once the Bus had been block-sanded, George at The Wagen proceeded to apply the single-stage Quicksand paint. Every nook and cranny is Quicksand. The only areas not glossed out are the front and rear wheel wells; those were sprayed in color-matched U-Pol Raptor. Rich liked how the paint was laid down so much that he asked to leave areas normally covered by upholstery completely exposed.

After the painting, color sanding, and polishing, George started the assembly.

The undercarriage was first, starting with a complete 4" narrowed Wagenswest beam with 4" welded drop spindles and Wilwood 5x130 brakes. The rear suspension features an Artigas Transaxle gearbox mated to Wagenswest offset adjustable drop plates with an Old Speed AC industries 5x130 disc brake kit painted to match the front brakes.

Attached to the 4-wheel disc brakes are a set of one-off EMPI 17" Fuchs. The front wheels were cut, narrowed, and welded back together by Chris Broswell. With the custom work complete, Fuchs specialist Al Reed gave them a full chrome and detail job. Wrapping the wheels are Federal Evolutionz tires (185/45/17 in front and 205/50/17 out back).

The 2076cc powerplant was built by Vegas’ own Ron Jones and features an FK7 cam and 9.5:1 compression. Feeding the beast the air/fuel mixture is an original set of 45 DRLA Dellortos with a Gene Berg linkage. Exhaust exits by way of a Vintage Speed 32mm extra-low Bus header. Oil runs through a Setrab 4" cooler and all oil lines are black push-lock dash 8 with XRP fittings.

All wiring chores were handled by The Wagen. Zack Clark and Erik de Jong hooked up all the extras, like a Carter electric fuel pump, Setrab oil cooler thermostat-switched fan, front bench-seat heaters, and LED lights in the engine compartment.

Grumpy’s provided the exterior deluxe trim, while the Titan Red accent was supplied by Wolfsburg West and installed by

64 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

The 2076cc powerplant features an FK7 cam and 9.5:1 compression. Feeding the beast the air/fuel mixture is an original set of 45 DRLA Dellortos with a Gene Berg linkage.

Zack Clark. Bulli Driver Steel Works provided the beautiful stainless mirror arms, pop-out latches, wiper arms and blades, along with plenty of polished goodies throughout. The VW emblem is original, restored to its former glory.

Front and rear Safari windows are from Creative Engineering in the UK and popout frames (all eight of them) are from Steve at Wolfgang International. Door glass was provided by ISP West; Erik Black of Sunkist Graphics handled all the other glass, which has proper Sekurit logos in place.

Bumper blades are Wolfsburg West reproductions with full European deluxe trim for the smooth look. All brackets and splash pans are powder-coated in gloss black.

The Titan Red trim accent stripe was the inspiration for the interior color. A local upholstery supplier matched the Titan Red trim to a vinyl named Carmine Red Sierra Series, and mixed smooth and perforated materials for a subtle accent. The middle and rear seat frames and early-style grab handles came from Gary at Der Bus House.

To tuck those 17" Fuchs comfortably, Bill Coen raised the front wheel wells 2" and installed Cage66 tubs. He even extended an original factory dimple to make the tubs look factory.

The freshly powder-coated seat frames

were delivered to Matt Miller of Miller Auto Upholstery in Huntington Beach, California. Matt stitched the seats with a tailored look that came out crisp and tight.

The door panels were built by The Wagen’s Zack Clark and wrapped in the same smooth/perforated vinyl with Wolfsburg West Deluxe panel trim. The front door panels feature modern VW GTI panel lighting actuated by early Bug door switches.

The custom-made, one-piece headliner was stitched and installed by Daniel Huerta, who also made the German wool squareweave carpet kit bound in Carmine Red vinyl.

Both the speedometer and fuel gauge are factory originals brought back to life

by Ryan from Orange Empire Speedometer. The clock is a reproduction from ISP West, and the Bus features an Autometer tachometer and oil-pressure gauge hung from the steering column by twin Aircooled Accessories gauge pods.

Rich’s vision was always to build a Bus that VW would approve of. Keep it clean, upgrade where necessary, but hold to the original design and style that Volkswagen was built on. Instead of sinking into a quicksand of debt, Rich can now spend his time sinking into that driver’s seat, living his dream in this beautiful 1966 Quicksand 13-Window Deluxe.

DUEL IN THE DESERT Slash-X Ranch hosts Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusiasts ProAm Championship Series Story and photography by Jason Stilgebouer

H

undreds gathered just outside of Barstow, California for the Slash X Ranch Duel in the Desert, this year’s first race of the ProAm Championship Series presented by Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusiasts (MORE). The event included class-specific sub-series such as the Weddle Shootout and the EMPI Triple Crown. The Slash-X-Ranch Duel in the Desert is considered one of the most popular and fun races of the series, and with over 170 cars in attendance, the urge for those who missed out in 2020 to get back to racing was

66 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

very apparent. Drivers from all levels entered the race, from first-time Class 11 drivers to veteran drivers in unlimited trucks. It was a race that everyone could enjoy.

Barstow can make or break your day racing; it is a force to be reckoned with.

Sharp, jagged rocks on top of massive whoops aren’t for the faint of heart. Strong winds and an incredible amount of dust make the isolated desert of Southern California a proving ground for any race car.

It’s the real deal, the test between man and machine.

 Barstow can make or break your day.

EMPI driver Cory Rider would not finish the race due to a transmission failure.

The course consisted of a 30-mile loop behind Slash X Ranch, with the number of laps racers would complete determined by class. Class 11 and Class 9 were required to complete three laps, while other classes, such as 1, 6100, 10, and 5, had to finish as many as six laps. The course took racers through silt beds, long high-speed straightaways, and even up and down rocky trails overlooking the Mojave Desert.

The race started with a morning heat for all limited vehicles in classes 9, 5/16, 3000, 2000, and 1300. The afternoon race was for

 Class 9 race cars ready to tackle the Weddle Industries Swingers Ball Challenge.

classes 1, 6100, 10, 1400, 5, 1600, 7200, 1350, and 1400. (Putting an unlimited truck on the same thirty-mile course as a stock Bug would not be the best idea.)

The limited cars battled it out all morning long, and minimal accidents made for good clean desert racing. The competition was fierce, with the largest classes being 9 and 11. Class 9 had 24 entries for the Weddle Swingers Ball with over $10,000 in prize money up for grabs — possibly the biggest payout ever for Class 9. Where else could you win a race and profit off of your car?

It doesn’t happen often. Brandon Heald placed first and walked away with $8,000.

The morning’s Class 11 EMPI Triple Crown Series had 23 entries, some of whom were in their first-ever off-road race. The factory EMPI driver Blake Wilkey placed first and went home with his fourth consecutive win in a row.

5/16 is known as a driver’s class, and surprisingly they were racing with the big boys, making it apparent that it was a technical course rather than a fast one. As long

68 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 MORE race director and president Cody Jeffers drops the green flag for the 5/16 class.

 5/16 driver Raul Solano dropping into the valley at race mile 28. He would end up claiming first in his class.

 Jorge Ventura #1121 had the fastest Class 11 lap of the day in class at 50 minutes — 3 minutes faster than Blake Wilkey.

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as there weren’t too many straightaways, 5/16 drivers were able to hold their own in the jagged rocks. Raul Solano had an average lap time of 40 minutes, which put him up against the top five drivers of 1600.

The most surprising of all was Class 11; they could hold a lap time that was nearly on pace with 5/16 and 9. With all the recent attention this class has gotten, it was only a matter of time until we started to see more and more good drivers enter it.

MORE threw a spectacular event in Barstow, and as they continue to grow as an organization, we’ll keep seeing more and more people show up to the race. It was refreshing to see the VWs turn out in such strong numbers. We’ll be watching and rooting for them. This is grassroots desert racing at its finest, and we can’t wait to see how it evolves from here.

For more, check out Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusiasts at moreracing.net and Slash-X-Ranch at slashxoffroad.com.  Blake Wilkey takes the checkered flag for his fourth consecutive Class 11 win.

70 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

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A special invitational display of Over 100 historic, trendsetting and unique vintage Volkswagen Race Cars, Cal Look, Customs, Bajas, Dune Buggies, Kit cars, Magazine cars and much, much more.

But wait, there will also be special VIP parking for all clubs and independents so everyone can be part of the fun!

© 2021 RodShows.com

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT • JOHNNY JALOPY

WANNA DRAW AND SCROLL ALL NIGHT AND PAINT EVERY DAY?

JOIN THE JALOPY ARMY!

 Johnny Jalopy, his wife Elizabeth, his Volksrod #Kona5, and some of the automotive artwork that has helped to build his rep.

JJ: I started drawing as a young boy. I was always doodling

By Paul Morton • Art and photography courtesy of Johnny Jalopy and drawing with my dad, who was an aspiring f you’ve ever been on some form of solandscape artist. I started drawing cars cial media, or ever watched Full Custom after watching TV shows like Batman, The Garage, you’ve no doubt seen his work.

Munsters, and Speed Racer, where I’d try It’s a fun and funky mix of cars, cartoons, to duplicate the cars I was seeing in those art, and style that isn’t easily confused with shows. My dad did a painting for me when other people’s work. Our first-ever artist in I was little of a funny car, all flamed out the spotlight has a strong focus on automoand in bright red, white and blue colors, tive art — and a good portion is VW-related. and that’s when I really started getting Johnny Jalopy agreed to sit and chat with into automotive art — things just escalated us about his art. Here’s what went down. from there. The more TV shows with cars in them that I watched, the more I kept on VWT: Johnny, I have been a fan of your drawing cars. Then I found CARtoons magartwork ever since I found you on social azine, and was immediately hooked! media. I really dig and was drawn in (no VWT: You seem to cover a lot of differpun intended) by the Hot Rod stuff, and ent genres within the custom-car commuthen I started noticing all the cool VW art nity. Tell us more about what drew (I swear, you create. When and how did you get into I’m not doing it on purpose) you to VWs, drawing? specifically?

I

72 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

JJ: Growing up in California, there was a pretty big VW Bug scene and I always thought they were super cool. It wasn’t until much later in life, after I started my art business, that I was an art vendor in a show at Quaker Steak and Lube here in Florida, and I was parked next to a VW Bus. The owner and I started talking, turned out he was an artist as well — Brent Gill — and I thought, “Wow, this guy is so down to earth and really just loves his car.” I found most of the other VW owners felt the same way, it was such a laid back group of car guys.

VWT: So, do you have a VW now; did you have one in the past; or do you have plans to get one?

JJ: I do have a VW now; it’s a 1966 Volksrod. It’s orange and black with a pinstriped flamed hood I did myself. I’m running a 1641 with a stinger and it sits on steel wheels and wide whites. I’ve got a surf rack with a cooler, vintage luggage, and surfboard. There are tons of stickers on the inside of the doors and on the interior of the roof. Plus, it has a 10 ½" stretch on the

 Johnny 5 is alive! Master fabricator Ian Roussel from the MAVTV show Full Custom Garage built Johnny Jalopy’s rendering into a fully functioning vehicle that owner Mark Hayward can drive. Find the Johnny 5 episodes of Full Custom Garage on Hulu and YouTube.

front end. I’ve got it customized with a tiki/ island theme and, of course, the trademark painted #5, on the door — her name is #Kona5.

VWT: Oh dude, that’s awesome! I love that you carried your art directly over to your car. Do you have a non-VW custom or project car? Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you!

JJ: Yes, I absolutely do: She’s a 1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe, four-door, lowered on 15" Cragars, skinny whitewalls, and she’s rockin’ a rattle-can-and-patina finish with a custom drawer-knob grille, which of course I did myself. She’s been parked and needs some body work but we’ll get her there. She’s running a 216 engine, all original stock running gear, and has a Budweiser beer tap shifter. We call her Rockhell.

VWT: Based on your subject matter I always figured you to be a car guy! So besides the hands-on art you do, do you also get down and dirty to wrench on your own vehicles?

JJ: I love working on my rides, but sometimes finding the time is a challenge.

Sometimes the issues may exceed my scope

of understanding so I need to seek outside help, which is okay. I have some great contacts who are always willing to help.

VWT: What medium do you use most often to create your art? Is it pencils on paper, or paint on canvas; is it all digital?

JJ: Right now, I tend to do a lot of digital art, mostly because I’m doing it this way for my live sketching show every Monday, and the majority of my customer-ordered rendering work and logo work is digital. That being said, the digital art is still freehand.

I’m using a drawing tablet which allows me to use a stylus, much like a pen, to do the actual drawing, but I do continue to do art with pencils/ink on paper and I still paint using acrylics and enamels. I am also getting ready to get back into airbrushing again, which I used to do a lot of a few years ago.

VWT: What you do seems to be more than just really well-drawn cars. Each one of your works seem to have a theme and tell a story; tell us more about that.

JJ: I’m glad you noticed that! In my head, before I start to draw, I see the car in motion. I see it headed for a destination

or parked with a purpose. To me, there is a story behind it. I need to know where the light is coming from, what colors will reflect in my chrome, what stance the car needs to take. If I’m going to draw a background, I have that thought through as well. If the car is in motion … where is it going? Where is it coming from? Is it moving fast? Is it in the air? Do I add a driver? Do you see the driver? Are there flames? Maybe smoke? Maybe kicked up sand? There’s a lot in my head.

VWT: Where do you find inspiration for your images and where do you come up with the themes?

JJ: Image inspiration varies. Sometimes I just know what I want to draw; sometimes I take requests; sometimes I’m doing a custom rendering in my signature style. Most times, I ask myself, How do I take a popular or well-known car and draw this in my style? How do I put a Johnny Jalopy spin on it, uniquely done by me? I want someone to look at it and say, “That’s a Johnny Jalopy rendering!”

VWT: I think you have achieved that!

I can spot a Johnny Jalopy original from

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 73

mile away. I have stopped on a drawing as I quickly scrolled through social media, and without seeing who posted it, or a signature I knew it was one of yours. So besides using real-life cars as your canvas, do you do any other type of art?

JJ: Yes, again, the air-brushing. I want to get back to doing that. I paint on mugs, wine glasses; I’ve done art on metal; I’ve done wood cut-outs, abstract art on canvas.

I do holiday art — my wife and I usually do a craft for the family or people in our fellowship for Christmas. I have painted signs for my tiki-bar decor. I’ve done murals and have created art for my retail job.

VWT: When I see the bubble-top hot rods you draw I am reminded of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Was he an inspiration, or do these cars speak to the overall ’60s custom car scene?

JJ: Big Daddy is a HUGE influence and inspiration. I love his work and his art. That era of custom cars is my all-time favorite!

That dude created a complete culture that’s still around today. I could stare at those cars for hours.

VWT: Who are some of your favorite custom car designers/builders present and/or past, from any genre?

JJ: Definitely “Big Daddy” Ed Roth, George Barris, Dean Jeffries, Dick Dean, Daryl Starbird, Gene Winfield, and Bill Hines — those are guys from the past. My favorite current builder and customizer, and also a West Coast Kustoms Hall of Fame inductee, is Ian Roussel. That dude is

74 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

the master of metal. I am thankful to call him my friend.

VWT: Ian is awesome! I love his show and I appreciate the level of creativity in his resourcefulness, on top of the incredible art he creates. I was a regular viewer of Full Custom Garage and kind of shocked when Ian started building one of your drawings.

Tell us about that experience.

JJ: I was also shocked! It was almost seven full years ago. I had a few Facebook followers of mine contact me and tell me that my artwork was posted on Ian Roussel’s Facebook page. I immediately went to the page, since we weren’t yet

Facebook friends (I had requested him but he hadn’t accepted my request), and saw my rendering of the Johnny 5, which was a wild and cartoony VW bus/T-bucket show-car mash-up. The caption said “You gotta give the people what they want.” That drawing was something I had posted four years prior on my page. A guy in Canada, Mark Hayward, and a regular client of Ian’s, had seen the rendering somewhere on the internet and sent it to Ian and he asked him to build something like it for him. Ian liked it so much, he decided to build it just like my drawing. Within ten minutes, I received a message through Facebook from Ian asking if it was okay for him to build the car I drew — if it was okay to use my artwork for his build. Of course I was like, “HECK YEAH!” VWT: And now Ian is bringing another one of your creations to life, right?

JJ: We have actually done two more collaborations since that first car. After the Johnny 5, there was the Space Junkie 2.0, which was a redo of a custom car that Ian had spent years of his life building and perfecting. The car had become a show winner

and an icon itself that Ian wanted to completely rebuild. He asked for my help with the design and wanted to ensure it looked nothing like the old one. This car is now an iconic bubble-top hot-rod that just sold at Barrett Jackson last year. The next was the 3FV or Funky Futura from Ventura, which is another cool VW show-car/dune buggy.

VWT: Where do you see yourself and your artwork in the future?

JJ: I’d love to be doing art full-time.

Many of my dreams and goals have already come true. I have a great following (we call them the Jalopy Army). I have established a growing apparel business. I’m continuing to do commission work and do some freelance graphic design. I’d love the opportunity to do more collaborations with Ian — he and I work well together. I would love to work with other builders as well. It would be great to continue to grow the live sketching show on Mondays that I do with my wife and gain a bigger following for that podcast. And I would love to travel around the U.S., and even the world, attending car shows and meeting folks in the culture.

VWT: Considering all you have achieved, and your mad skills, I suspect you’re well on your way! Something tells me our readers will dig your work as much as I do and can help out. Tell us more about your merch and where we can get it!

JJ: Yes, I do offer prints and T-shirts — quite a few of them, actually. I wanted to be sure to offer a selection so there are many to choose from. I have a few stickers and a couple trucker hats as well. People have been diggin’ them. Everything I have can be found at johnnyjalopy.com. We have recently added the ability to click and purchase so that makes it easier for the buyer and for us.

VWT: And to see your artwork, where is the best place to find you?

JJ: Again, johnnyjalopy.com. I am also JohnnyJalopy on Instagram, Johnny Jalopy Art on Facebook, or my personal page at Johnny Jalopy Wood. We also have a Johnny Jalopy YouTube channel.

VWT: Well that should cover it so everyone can get their Johnny Jalopy fix. Thanks again, Johnny! This was a pleasure and I look forward to seeing more and more of your incredible artwork.

JJ: Hey man, thank you! It’s been fun. I appreciate the opportunity to share about what I do. I wish you continued success as well!

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 75

One fast, full-custom convertible built with a personal touch Story and photography by Paul Morton

76 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 77

I

f you ever get a chance to peek inside Cameron Atchison’s extensive garage, you’ll find three stunning Bugs: a ’67, a ’56 Ragtop, and this ’61 ’Vert. All of them are fast, full-custom, show-ready, and the same shade of Porsche Guards Red. Looking at the level of detail in his collection, it’s pretty evident Cameron is no newcomer to the VW scene. Like many, it started for him back in the late ’70s when he was 16 and got his first Bug, a 1970 that he quickly customized and raced at Southern California Bug-Ins through 1980. By 1981, Cameron had built his first race car, based on a 1966 Bug aptly named “No Profit.” Just a year after that, he built a full-custom, show-winning, 1960 convertible that, like many popular show cars of the time, wound up in Japan.

As life would have it, Cameron moved on to other endeavors and didn’t own another VW until 2010, when he started compiling the three he owns now. We asked what brought him back after all these years, and Cameron said, “I built the new cars because I missed the fun that I had with all the people in the VW scene.”

We found Cameron and his V-Dub trio as we were in search of a red convertible.

Our plan was to recreate the VW Trends magazine cover Shannon Rae is holding on our Special Edition variant cover issue. Unfortunately, Cameron’s cars were in Arizona and didn’t work out for that shoot. But that didn’t stop us from wanting to feature his 1961 convertible! It’s a fast, clean custom that Cameron completed in a mere two and a half years. He bought it in 2016, stripped it down and sandblasted it before doing minimal bodywork, since the metal was in good shape. The Porsche Guards Red paint job was done by Cameron in his own garage. But you’d never guess that, as it looks like it was done by a high-end professional body shop!

Next, Cameron gave the same refresh treatment to the pan. He stripped it, did the necessary metal repair, then had it coated in bed liner spray. Once he had the pan up to show-quality standards, he dropped the stance to a new low by way of a 4" narrowed Stage 2 PRObuilt Air Ride Beam with custom hardware all the way around to accommodate a complete Airkewld airbag setup at each corner. For stopping power, a set of four Wilwood 4-piston disc brakes were installed. Cameron then added 15" Porsche alloys wrapped in Falken 195/50/ R15 rubber up front and 17" alloys with

78 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 Bringing the ‘Vert down to Earth is a complete airbag setup from Airkewld. It starts with a Stage2 PRObuilt Air Ride Beam that was narrowed 4" and includes all the custom hardware for an airbag at each corner of the car.

 For stopping power, a set of four Wilwood 4-piston disc brakes was installed.

Cameron then added 15" Porsche alloys wrapped in Falken 195/50/R15 rubber up front and 17" alloys with Sumitomo 205/40/17 rubber in the rear.

 Cameron not only did the lion’s share of the work when building his convertible, but he also made short work of it, completing the job in just two and a half years.

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Sumitomo 205/40/17 rubber in the rear.

Once the body was married to the pan, it was time for an interior. Again, you might think Cameron outsourced the work. That would be a no, as Cameron tackled the interior install himself, keeping the overall stock look with Sewfine tan upholstery, carpet and a locally-sourced Mercedes Benz tan canvas top. Keeping tabs on the engine is a set of VDO gauges including tach, oil temp, and oil pressure in the dash.

Controls for the airbag system were stashed in the glove box and tunes are provided by a RetroSound stereo system.

Under the decklid is where Cameron’s Bug really shines … literally, as everything is drowned in chrome! Cameron called on SCAT to build the race-ready, balanced 2387cc engine complete with MSD billet distributor, MSD Blaster coil, and MSD 6AL ignition controller with rev limiter. Feeding the air-fuel mixture are a couple of sizable Weber 48 IDA carbs sitting on matchported intake manifolds. Exhalation is handled through a ceramic-coated Sidewinder exhaust system. Also from SCAT is the Pro Street transaxle with heavy duty side covers and a super diff.

Cameron says he is thankful for his VW friends including Donny Smith who motivated him and helped out along the way. To date, the clean convertible has won eight first-place trophies, and Cameron is looking forward to grabbing more in the very near future.

80 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 SCAT created this balanced 2387cc complete with MSD billet distributor, MSD Blaster coil and MSD 6AL ignition controller with rev limiter. Under the car is a ceramic-coated Sidewinder exhaust system.

Massive Weber 48 IDA carbs sit on matchported intake manifolds.  Keeping the overall stock look, Cameron installed tan upholstery from Sewfine, carpet, and a tan top. In the dash are VDO gauges including tach, oil temp and oil pressure. The controls for the airbag system were relocated to the glove box.

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SHOP TOUR • COOLRYDES CUSTOMS

 The CoolRydes crew (from left to right): Chris, Nathan (Kevin’s oldest son), Kevin, Demetrio (Kevin’s younger son), and Danny.

Behind the curtain of San Diego’s premier custom VW shop with a diverse lineup of custom cars, parts and style!

Story and photography by Paul Morton

I

n San Diego, down near the very bottom of California (if you hit Mexico, you’ve gone too far) is an unassuming industrial building. You might drive right by if you don’t notice the 1955 Cabriolet or the Monster Bug out front, though the latter is hard to miss. What’s inside this building doesn’t rely on a flashy neon sign or anything else superficial to attract customers. If you want what they’ve got, you’ll find them … they are CoolRydes Customs.

Kevin Zagar runs the show at CoolRydes and is a designer, machinist, the CEO, and more. He has worked hard to achieve his goals, and like many who started from nothing and scraped their way

82 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 Holding down the fort outside CoolRydes Customs’ world headquarters is the Monster Bug that sits on 39" tires. Kevin built this car as a prototype after a client requested a Bug on huge tires. Kevin wanted to make sure he could do the job right before he built one for his customer. The car is designed and built so that it can put back to stock.

to the top, Kevin wasn’t handed anything.

When he was growing up back in the 80s — “piss poor,” as he puts it — Kevin wanted a nice bike like the other kids. So he did odd jobs to make money to buy one himself. He

put a coveted $80 Redline frame on layaway at his local mom-and-pop shop until he paid it off and then traded parts with friends until he built one sweet bike — and so it began! This can-do, make-it-happen

 For a cleaner look, Kevin wanted to do away with the speedometer hole in the dust cap. So he designed a solid cap for Cool Stop brakes that still accommodates the speedo cable.

 You don’t find a 1951 Split Window — especially not one this clean — in many showrooms. It features CRC T-1 suspension, CoolStop brakes, a Porsche 911 five-speed, and a turbo-injected 2165cc that puts down over 300hp at the wheels. This car earned Grand National Roadster show class wins and the 2017 Mothers Choice award at SEMA.

 Ready for any build is a stash of vintage Italian Weber 48 IDAs and Dellorto Carbs.

 Kevin has begun phasing out the Mendeola name on the suspension he designed for that company in favor of his CRC moniker.  On the other side of the showroom is the other extreme — what Kevin calls “Show Stopper Outrageous” — in the form of the Topgun Drag Bus. It’s a 1957 Bus body on a 1969 Bug pan with CRC Suspension, a Rancho Pro Street trans, CoolStop Disc Brakes with Wilwood calipers, and 10.5" drag slicks. The engine includes an ARPM case, Deano Dyno-Soar Super Flo heads, a turbo, and a Holley 650 double-pumper. The CoolRydes crew built this Bus in 15 days because Kevin promised a promoter that it would be at his show.

 Kevin’s personal Porsche Speedster is an R&D car for the company. It features full CRC suspension, Cool Stop brakes, a Porsche 911 transaxle, and a 2165 turbo-injected VW mill putting out 306hp at the wheels.

mentality continued throughout Kevin’s childhood, as he raced BMX at local tracks and paid his own way through side jobs and horse trading.

Just before Kevin got his driver’s license, his mother acquired his greatgrandfather’s 1965 Oldsmobile 442. Kevin was thrilled with the prospect of driving one of the first muscle cars, but cash was

in short supply, and the 442 became a driveway relic. At the grand age of 15, armed with a Chilton’s repair manual donated to him by a neighbor, Kevin got his hands dirty and embarked on his first automotive repairs. We all know it didn’t stop there. Next came the customizing, because people like Kevin (and like most of you reading this) can’t leave anything

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 83

 This 1961 Beetle was a complete CoolRydes build with CRC suspension and Cool Stop brakes. Inside it features a CRC SS shifter and Speed Hole pedals.  Not satisfied with anything ordinary, Kevin has a ‘35 Ford full-custom car hauler project that will actually be used for transporting vehicles. The Bug on the hauler is receiving a full rolling chassis and a Subaru conversion. The brown VW kit car, known as a Bradley, is also slated for a full chassis job.

 Under the decklid is a 2110 that features “The Tube” spark plug wire tubes as well as some one-off parts made to give this engine bay that CoolRydes signature look.

 Kevin with one of the last 2003 Beetles ever built in Mexico. CoolRydes is fitting the car with a complete CRC suspension setup including a Stiffy kit, Cool Stop brakes, and a Porsche 911 transmission.

stock. He not only liked working on bikes and cars, he was good at it. So good in fact, that it led him to his first job at a bike shop called Zumwalts.

During his stint at the bike shop, Kevin helped a friend with the motor on his 1972 VW Super Beetle. That experience changed the entire trajectory of Kevin’s life. After that, one of Kevin’s good friends started a job as an automotive mechanic. Once Kevin heard how much money his friend made, his life path became much clearer.

Within a couple years Kevin earned a position with Lusti Motors, a shop that started out in the 1950s working on

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Porsches and VWs. When he signed on with them in 1994 they were a small VW, Audi, and Porsche repair shop. By the time he left, they had become the largest independent European repair shop in San Diego.

Not content with the status quo, Kevin set a goal to become an ASE-certified master technician and got there far quicker than he imagined. The owners of Lusti motors appreciated Kevin’s work ethic and taught him a lot about running a business and what it takes to be successful, as their father Rudi Lusti (who emigrated from Europe) had taught them. After thirteen years with Lusti, Kevin had worked his way up to

head of the service department.

It was around that time that Mike Mendeola of Mendeola Transaxle (well known for their industry-changing Volkswagen-type performance transaxles) called and wanted to talk about a project he’d been toying with. Mike knew that Kevin had been building custom cars privately for years and wanted to build his own line of cars with the Mendeola name on them.

The goal was a Meyers Manx-type car with excessive horsepower for the street. The original Manxter SS by Mendeola was a 330-horsepower, 1900-pound “projectile.”

Kevin specifically called it that because while the car did great in a straight line, cornering was not its strong suit. After trying many things to improve the VW suspension’s handling, Mike, a long-time Mendeola engineer, and Kevin set out to design a completely new suspension. Before any fabrication began, they consulted a couple of the top road-course chassis engineers along with a Mitchel suspension analyzer for virtual testing. A few months later the first Mendeola Suspension was born.

When the economy took a downward

 CRC suspension parts in production.

These are links for the Stiffy kit.

 The Zagar boys: Kevin, Demetrio, and Nathan. Not pictured: the Zagar ladies, including mother Maggie and youngest daughter Monel. As you can tell, Kevin is all about family.

 These are laser-cut shock brackets in production for the Stiffy kafer bar kits.

turn in 2007, Mendeola Transaxle struggled. It was then that Mike decided to let go of the Manxter line and Mendeola suspension business and consolidate its resources in favor of the parent company, Mendeola Transaxle. He gave Kevin the chance to purchase the suspension portion of the business. Seeing the potential, and no stranger to hard work, Kevin took the leap.

With his lengthy experience, the tools he needed under his belt, and the Mendeola suspension name, Kevin set out to create CoolRydes Customs. Right away he started expanding the product line. Many of his early products were ideas that Kevin had while working for Mike. Some of CoolRydes’ new products, as well as the suspension, continued to carry the Mendeola name due to a gentlemen’s agreement between Mike and Kevin. But as the CoolRydes name gained momentum in the industry, Kevin started phasing out the Mendeola name.

Some of the current trademarked names now include CRC, CoolStop Brakes, and of course “CoolRydes Customs.”

The parent company currently offers a complete line of True Performance suspension kits, industry-leading CoolStop Brakes, SS (Sure Shift) shifters, UTF (Under The Fender) oil cooler kits and brackets, Stiffy kafer bar kits, CRC mid-mounts, CRC billet spring plate retainers, CoolRydes

Customs Signature series pedals, Laid you”re the guy to build what I’m thinking Back seat recliner plates, and a number of,” his response is always, “What do you of other products in an ever-expanding have in mind?” lineup. Honestly, there are too many parts After all that we saw during our time at to list — check out CoolRydes Products at CoolRydes we can’t even comprehend what coolrydescustoms.com to see them all. might be next, so we asked the one guy who In addition to designing and fabricatwould know. Kevin told us, “CoolRydes ing a host of custom automotive parts, Customs will continue to design and build CoolRydes also builds complete custom high-quality products and expand our cars, making their clients’ visions come to product lineup while accepting a select life. One example is The Monster Bug, the few custom builds. Since I’m a builder/ result of the dream customizer/conof a client from sumer first, I will coolrydescustoms.com Chicago. “We build continue to focus 6960 Camino Maquiladora, Suite L from show-stopper on quality prodSan Diego, CA 92154 outrageous to showucts like I always (619) 710-4946 car top honors,” have. The custom Kevin says. A prime builds we do are a example of the great research and latter resides in the CoolRydes showroom. development platform. I strive to push the In 2016 a client commissioned Kevin to limits and industry standards as I develop build a running chassis for his wife’s 1967 things that have not been attempted before. beetle. It featured full CRC T-1 suspension, Building vehicles keeps me in touch with CoolStop’s massive 12.5" front and 11.5" the ever-changing needs of the industry rear brakes, a Porsche 911 five-speed transand modifications that are possible. I live mission, a 2165cc turbo-injected VW mill, in a world where anything is possible, and I Audi TT seats, and 17"x7" front and 18"x9" enjoy a challenge.” rear wheels. The build received a 1951 origIt’s clear that CoolRydes is one of the inal three-fold Split Oval ragtop body. It best-kept secrets around. Whether you’re went on to win many top awards, including looking to upgrade your VW with some of Grand National Roadster show class wins, their incredible parts, or looking for someand the 2017 Mothers Choice award at one to turn your dream into a reality, you’d SEMA. Pictures do not do the car justice. be hard-pressed to find someone with more Builds like this are the type of challenge skill, vision, and creativity than Kevin Kevin enjoys. When a client comes to Kevin Zagar and the rest of the crew at CoolRydes and says, “I’ve seen what you do, and think Customs.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 85

DIY fuel tank restoration Story and photography by Paul Morton

V

intage VWs require a lot of TLC — especially when you’re starting with a fairly rough one. Amongst all the tweaking, tuning, and upgrading, it can be easy to overlook the inside of your fuel tank. It’s definitely an “out of sight, out of mind” thing — in part because it’s hard to see inside and really tell how bad it might be. The reality is that the inside of your tank could very well be a rusty mess. So what do you do? You can: 1. Replace it; 2. Have a shop restore it; or 3. Restore it yourself. ’61 to ’67 Bug tanks like ours cost around $150 to $200 new. A local shop quoted $170 to clean and seal the inside of ours, and even offered to paint the outside. So what about those do-it-yourself kits?

86 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

The search for the right product led us to our friends at Eastwood. They offer two kits. The first is an Eastwood brand kit ($49.99) that will even seal small holes in the tank. This kit requires the additional purchase of muriatic acid and acetone.

Eastwood also offers a kit from POR-15 ($89.99) which includes all the chemicals you need to clean, strip, prep, and seal your tank. Although they’re both great options, we opted for the POR-15 kit.

The results were exceptional! We’re not gonna lie, though: It was a lot of work.

It took a whole day to do the job right, and it was a workout! We suggest waiting until you have a full day free, and start early.

Here’s what the process looks like …

 1. The POR-15 Fuel Tank Repair kit from Eastwood costs $89.99 and has all the chemicals you need to clean, strip, etch, and seal the inside of your tank.

PRO TIP: The kit also comes with detailed instructions … and we suggest reading them! Yes, we’re showing you the process, but it’s still a good idea to read the directions because these products need to be applied and handled carefully for the best and safest result.

PRO TIP: Do this when there’s very little gas in your tank. You’ll need to pump, drain, or siphon it into a fuelsafe container.

PRO TIP: Either disconnect the rubber fuel line at the tank outlet underneath the car now, or do it in step 7 if there’s enough slack in the line to allow you to lift the tank. (Either way, have a container ready to catch any fuel when you remove the rubber line.)

 2. Next, pop the cap off the top of the sending unit and remove the cable.

 6. Did we mention that the tank might look like a rusty mess inside?

 3. Unscrew and remove the sending unit.

 7. Once it’s out of the car, flip the tank over and remove the tank outlet. After your tank restoration is complete, at least replace the filter, but replacing the entire assembly is a great idea. We found the whole assembly at Wolfsburg West for $12.50.

 9. Tape off the sending-unit hole and the vent tube at the top of the filler neck. Next, rinse the tank out. This is also a good time to fill the tank with water and let it sit for a while to help find leaks.

 4. Remove the four bolts and retainer tabs.

 5. Now remove the tank from the car.

 8. Seal off the gas outlet hole. We used a few layers of duct tape. It wasn’t as watertight as we’d hoped, but it worked. Retape as necessary.

 10. In addition to the kit, you’ll need a couple of buckets, rubber gloves, safety glasses, a face mask or respirator, a plastic drop cloth, a stir stick, some rags, and a funnel. Once you have all the goods, start by mixing the first quart of POR-15 Cleaner Degreaser with one quart of warm water.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 87

 11. To really knock the junk out of your tank you can add a length of chain or some old nuts … Hey, Chock Full o’ Nuts!

Seriously, we didn’t even plan that.  14. Once the time is up, drain the degreaser into a bucket and rinse the tank with clean water. This entire process needs to be done twice, so you will need to start over from step 10. Yeah, sorry about that.

 12. Now pour the mixture into the empty tank. Pro tip: If you’re working alone, taping the funnel down keeps it from falling out the second the liquid hits it. Also, we’re going to paint the exterior of this tank. But if yours in good condition and you don’t plan to paint it, have a couple of rags ready to wipe off any chemicals you might spill on it.

 13. This is where the exercise comes in.

Flip the tank around so the cleaner coats the entire inside of the tank, and agitate it as much as possible. Keep flipping the tank around — top, bottom, both ends, front, and back — so the cleaner has time to do its job. You want the Cleaner Degreaser to be in the tank for at least 30 minutes.

88 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 15. Congratulations! The Cleaner Degreaser part is done; the tank is rinsed out and empty (it doesn’t need to be completely dry at this point); and you can now pour the entire bottle of POR-15 Metal Prep into the tank. Before you do, it’s a good idea to double-check and perhaps replace those duct-tape seals. Again, you’ll need to move the tank around to coat the entire interior surface. Top, bottom, front, back, both sides … you get the idea.  16. Once you feel you have the inside of the tank completely coated, position it so the Metal Prep is in contact with each side of the tank for 30 minutes — that’s three hours total. Beetle gas tanks are pretty easy to position on each side without having them fall over, but if you need to, use buckets or whatever you have lying around to keep the tank in the desired position.

 17. After the 3-hour flip-fest is up, drain the Metal Prep back into its bottle and dispose of it properly. (Don’t pour the Metal Prep or Cleaner Degreaser down the drain! Instead, search for “Household Hazardous Waste Disposal” in your area for a drop-off location.) Now rinse the tank thoroughly with warm water a few times.

We filled our bucket from the kitchen sink, but you can hook a garden hose to your water heater if you want.

 18. It may not be as clean as the day it was manufactured, but this tank is looking way cleaner than when we started.

 21. Before the next step, the inside of the tank needs to be bone dry. And the only way to achieve that is with forced air — the tank will not completely dry inside on its own. You can’t use unfiltered air compressor air either. You can use a hair dryer or a heat gun, but we came up with this solution: Set up a small fan to blow into the filler neck and out the sending unit hole. Even though you want to coat the tank as soon as possible after using the Metal Prep, we let this setup run for a couple hours to make sure the tank was totally dry inside so the sealer would adhere properly.

 24. It’s important to keep threads and small openings clean as you work. You do NOT want the sealer to harden on the tank outlet threads or on these threads for the sending-unit screws! We installed the old screws and twisted them in and out a few times throughout the process so the sealer wouldn’t clog the threads. Once the entire inside of your tank is coated for the required time, drain the sealer back into its original can. It cannot be used again and you cannot put the lid back on. Put a little water in the can with the remaining sealer and let it sit outside (away from children and animals) so it can dry out completely.

 26. Our tank’s exterior needed a little TLC. The old paint was flaking off, which made it fairly easy to remove with a fresh razor blade. With all the loose paint off, we used 220-grit sandpaper on a random-orbit sander to remove the remaining paint and surface rust. The sander made short work of smoothing out the layers of old paint and slightly roughing up the surface. This will make the new paint adhere better, and help make the end result look better, too.

 22. Now comes the messy part (well, it was for us, anyway). Lay out some plastic and get some fresh rubber gloves, then stir the POR-15 Fuel Tank Sealer thoroughly. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the can to bring all the solids up.

 25. The payoff for all your hard work: a sealed, clean, shiny, like-new gas tank. Well, inside, anyway. Remember that you need to wait 96 hours before using the tank.

 23. Once you’re satisfied that the sealer can’t be stirred any more, pour the entire can into the tank. We created a makeshift funnel out of duct tape that we could throw away afterwards. Make sure not to get the sealer on anything other than the inside of the tank, and if you do, wipe it up as soon as possible. Roll the tank around slowly to coat the entire inside on all sides. Then position the tank on each side for another 30 minutes per side — yes, another 3 hours. Now you know why we suggested you have a full day and start early!

 28. Once the paint had dried, we installed the new gas outlet and screen before setting the tank into place. Finally, we installed fresh mounting hardware, then a new sending unit with a fresh gasket and hardware. After all that hard work, you’re ready to fill your clean tank with fresh gas and go for a drive!

90 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

 27. You could rattle-can the exterior of the tank, but if you have a halfway decent spray gun it seems faster and easier to use something like this Rust-Oleum enamel.

With the exterior of the tank properly scuffed and cleaned and the holes taped up, we sprayed both top and bottom of the tank.

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 91

THE VW TRENDS INTERVIEW:

By DG Leadbetter SHANNON RAE Photography by Paul Morton

VWT: The first time I met you was probably 1985 at a Johnny’s Speed and Chrome event. That’s when I first started working with the magazine … I barely knew how to use a camera. I knew how to spell camera, but I never used one. I remember you being in the bikini contest back then, and one of the things I loved about you was, not only were you gorgeous (and you still are), but you were always so nice and so approachable. You had this way of connecting with the people who came up, and you were always very gracious. Tell me some of your memories about those events and all the stuff that went on.

SR: Well, thank you for that, it makes want to cry a little bit …

VWT: Well, don’t cry, please.

SR: I just have good memories of the people being nice to me. My parents raised me to appreciate when people were nice to you. I felt like I was raised very well; I mean, if you’re going to be there, be there.

VWT: Right. Be in the moment.

SR: Be in the moment. I love that people were passionate about their cars, I have a lot of friends that were into cars, and my life kinda evolved into that. And it was just really fun and people were friendly and very gracious to me, so I was gracious back.

I did see some girls not be so gracious, but I was like well, that’s just them … that’s the people they are and where they come from.

VWT: Working for VW Trends for the period I did, I’d run into some girls, I’d get them on the shoot and 10 minutes into the

shoot, they’d be like, “Is it time to go? Are we done?”

SR: The one thing I can say is, I never thought of myself as a model. I mean, I did it and that was my living, but that wasn’t my identity. I always thought, “Well, I’ll do this job, but that might be the end of it tomorrow.” I was just happy to be there in that moment. And I still live that way.

VWT: I saw where you were in a conversation with someone on Facebook, and you mentioned that your parents had no idea you were doing the contests.

SR: (giggles) No idea … I’m blushing now.

VWT: So let’s go back now before your parents disown you, and find out how you got into doing the contests. Did someone just come up to you and say, “Hey, you could do this and make $100,” or …?

SR: Well, I had a boyfriend in high school, and his dad had a lot of hot rods; he was into the older cars. And he always put his car in the RG Canning car shows. And he said, “Hey, I know you’ve got aspirations (of being a model), but he would always knock me and say, “…but you’ll never make it (laughs).”

VWT: Why? Why would he say something like that? That’s horrible.

SR: (laughs) That was just how he was.

Darrell, he loved me, but he was a smart aleck that way. But he said, “They’re shooting the RG Canning program, do you want to go shoot it? It doesn’t pay anything, but you

 “I never thought of myself as a model.

I mean, I did it and that was my living, but that wasn’t my identity. I always thought, ‘Well, I’ll do this job, but that might be the end of it tomorrow.’ I was just happy to be there in that moment.”

 “I did 25 weekends a year going to car shows. I would leave Friday, come home Monday, leave Friday, come home Monday.

They would give me a plane ticket, a car reservation, and a hotel reservation and say, ‘Go.’ ”

 [We asked about her work after modeling.] “I sold cars. I actually sold Volkswagens … in Long Beach at the traffic circle … Circle Volkswagen. You wanna hear the funny story? I sold cars, but I had to ride my bike there to sell cars.”

W

ithout question, when your mind wanders about the 1980s/1990s VW scene in Southern California, you not only think of all the cool Bugs, Busses, Type IIIs, and every other VW under the sun, you also think about the amazing VW shows. And if you were to dive a little deeper into that thought, you would remember the bikini contests. More often than not, some girls stood out more than others. Not only for their beauty and their ability to rile up the crowds, but because they were just really great people. One contestant and cover model in particular stands out, and we’re so glad to have her not only for the premiere issue of the new VW Trends magazine, but for a great sit-down to play catch-up. So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, the lovely and talented Shannon Rae!

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can go.” So we went into Knott’s Berry Farm VWT: Oh yeah, or “Skin to win.” when it was empty, and shot the RG CanSR: And I said, “I’m not doing that.” So ning car show program. So they said, “Why what I would do is lift my leg up and grab don’t you come to the RG Canning Car Show my ankle.

Bikini Contest?” and I was like, “Well, I’ve VWT: Very good … good workaround! never been in a bikini contest before.” So SR: It was just so cheesy, and you can do that was like my first experience in that, and this and be pretty without being cheesy.

I was like a deer in the headlights the whole VWT: When did your parents find out? time. I was like, “Hiiiiiiii…”

SR: After I came home and had body VWT: Were you totally nervous? glitter on. My mom and dad were divorced, SR: Oh … so nervous. It was funny, but my mom was like, “What is that?” And because there were girls there also the … who were the regulars and VWT: Ironically, that’s how “The VW stuff has always been near who were experienced, and my parents found out, when I and dear to my they kinda took me under their came home with body glitter heart. … When wing, and showed me … on …

Facebook first VWT: Oh, how nice!

SR: (laughs) … also the came along, [VW SR: And then I won the Miss Junior Chamber of Commerce fans] were the people who really were like, “No more of that,” Long Beach Pageant, and from reached out to there, I got into the VW scene. when I was Miss Long Beach. me and touched I went to Small Car Specialties VWT: Really? Was that like me with stories. and Johnny’s Speed & Chrome, a morality stipulation in your They said such and then to all of the Jambocontract? nice things. And I was just living rees and to Famosa Drag Strip.

SR: Yeah, you had to be a in the moment Those are good memories. I goody-goody to be a pageant and didn’t think won a car stereo there (laughs). queen. I made it through my that I made a A hundred dollars and a car year; I did a few more contests. difference to stereo.

So then I signed with a couple them.”

VWT: Wow, that was big agencies and away I went. money back then, though …

VWT: You also repped for a lot of prodSR: It was big money. I did a ton of bikini ucts as well. Correct? contests making money. And they don’t do SR: Yes. One of the biggest jobs I got those today. was with McLene Wheels, the wire wheel VWT: You know what, that’s very true. company. And they had a picture of me in At my other job (Director of Marketing at profile driving a car with a little white dress Lifestyle Cycles Used Harley Dealership), blowing in the wind. I was actually sitting we tried to put on a swimsuit contest. You on a milk crate … my feet were on phone can’t get anybody to show up unless you books … say, “I’ll pay you money up front.”

VWT: I remember that!

SR: There has to be money and you SR: … and my arms are out like that, know, the one thing I’ve found is, I felt like I and they had a blow dryer blowing my hair hit it in the golden moment. because the fan was too much. And I was VWT: Well, you did. like, “How are they going to do this?” BeSR: Life was so easy and fun, and people cause this was before Photoshop. But they weren’t rude and crude, and they had manhad two computers, I don’t remember what ners. I mean, there’s guys telling certain they were called … one on the East Coast things … but the thing that I found when and one on the West Coast, and they were I was doing it was, people were just doing able to take out everything. This was back it. There was no rude, crude behind-thein the horse-and-buggy days. scenes thing.

VWT: Yes, when the Internet was handVWT: It wasn’t sleazy and weird…. cranked.

SR: But as it got later in my career, I got SR: So they had this poster and I went see it going down a path where I said, “I’m to the SEMA show, and I would sign 2,500 done with this.” Because girls started doing posters per day. things and I said, “I’m not doing that.” They VWT: Good Lord, talk about hand would say things like, “Grab your ankles!” cramps …

SR: You couldn’t read my name toward the end. They were like, “You need to write better.”

VWT: Kind of like a doctor’s signature toward the end.

SR: Yeah. So I did three posters for them, and also at the SEMA show I met John Diana, from Peterson Publishing. I ended up signing with him to be Miss Hot Rod Magazine for three years. And I did a poster for Hot Rod magazine, Car Craft, and Sport Truck. I did 25 weekends a year going to car shows. I would leave Friday, come home Monday, leave Friday, come home Monday.

They would give me a plane ticket, a car reservation, and a hotel reservation and say, “Go.” So I’d show up and have posters to sign and I met a lot of people over that, that I’ve connected with on Facebook. I wrote to a lot of boys (on the poster), “Call me when you’re 18.” And they’ve been calling!

VWT: How funny that they’d remember, but they probably had it tacked up on the wall, so …

SR: That was really fun, but I have to say that the VW stuff has always been near and dear to my heart. Because those fans have been … like when Facebook first came along, those were the people who really reached out to me and touched me with stories. They said such nice things. And I was just living in the moment and didn’t think that I made a difference to them. But they go, “You were always so nice, and you posed with my car,” and they sent me pictures on that (Facebook) group of the ’80s and ’90s, and it’s so fun to see pictures that I’ve never seen … and some of them I’d rather not (chuckles).

VWT: Was modeling your main gig, or did you have something else? Were you a secretary? Were you welding?

SR: I was going to college for fashion design, and in that college they had a modeling course, then I decided that I wanted to do that.

VWT: Oh really?

SR: Yeah, it was taught by this really famous runway model. So I did that.

VWT: Wait, so, can you say the name?

SR: I don’t remember.

VWT: You don’t remember?

SR: But she was so pretty, I can picture her. She was so sleek and beautiful. But I had a job in a clothing store called It’s A Dilly (laughs). And then I got a job at the Sports

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 93

Connection, being a front-desk receptionist. And then I sold cars.

VWT: WHAT? SR: Yep, I sold cars (laughs). I actually sold Volkswagens.

VWT: You sold Volkswagens? Oh, that’s awesome!

SR: In Long Beach at the traffic circle … Circle Volkswagen. You wanna hear the funny story?

VWT: Please, please!

SR: I sold cars, but I had to ride my bike there to sell cars.

VWT: You didn’t have a car?

SR: I didn’t have a car.

VWT: You rode … a 10-speed?

SR: I rode a 10-speed bike.

VWT: Oh, that’s hilarious.

SR: I rode my bike there and sold cars, but when I wore my light pink leather mini skirt, I sold a lot of cars.

VWT: Well, I can imagine that, yes.

SR: I sold a lot of Jettas, Passats, and a lot of Golfs. And then I bought an old Buick Skylark there, and that was my first car. It was green … metallic green. It had a hole in the radiator, but it was only $500. And I had to carry milk jugs of water to pour into the radiator. When that broke down, I told my dad, I need help buying a car, so he gave me the money, and I was able to buy a ’68 Bug. A white ’68 Bug with low-back ’67 seats in it.

VWT: Very cool!

SR: So here’s another funny story: That Bug ended up pulling to the right a whole bunch, so I took it into the dealership, and they said, “You have a cracked axle.” They said, “Go trade it in. Don’t even bother because it’ll cost you more to fix it.” So I go trade it in. I’m down here at the 22 [freeway], at the Honda dealer, and I go to trade it in for a Toyota Tercel, with air conditioning.

So I’m in there and I’m buying this car by myself, and they’re trying to pressure me and then all of a sudden, this guy goes, “Just a minute.” And he goes out to the parts department, and goes to get this guy, and he brings him back in and he goes, “That’s her!” So he takes me out back to his van … and I was kinda scared …

VWT: Did it say “FREE CANDY” on the side of his van?

SR: He pops open his van and there’s my autographed McLene Wheels poster inside of his van! And they gave me the most rockin’ deal (laughs).

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 “I miss the simpler time, and I think we all do. We miss this (gestures at VW Trends magazines and event flyers) you know, the Jamborees, and just getting together. I mean, as humans we need to be together.”

VWT: Wow. See? You just never know.

SR: And he was like, “I met you at SEMA and you were so nice.”

VWT: That was awesome! So you got air conditioning.

SR: I did.

VWT: So that was an upgrade from having a radiator with a hole in it.

SR: I still wish I had my Bug. VWT: Well, no kidding. I mean now that Bug would be worth about 8 or 10K. SR: I’ve been looking for a VW Bus … an older one.

VWT: So let’s talk about what you’ve been doing now. So it’s very exciting, I know you’ve been into music and love music.

SR: I LOVE music …

VWT: So give me the “Here’s where I am, and here’s how it started” story.

SR: I’ve always been a singer. I’ve always sung. I’ve always done that and always wanted to be in a band, but the modeling was always the meal ticket, so I could never get into a band, because I was always off doing modeling. They’d be like, “Can you come to rehearsal?”, and I’d be like, “No, I have a job.” So I just never did it. So when that [modeling] kinda ended, I was like, “Now I’m going to get into it.” So I got into a couple of cover bands, then I got into a tribute band, as a backup singer actually,

in a Benatar tribute. And people go, “Why do you want to sing backup?” And its all the high harmonies that Pat Benatar did, which are so fun. And I could still work and be a backup singer, so that was great. And I’m still in a Benatar tribute band called Best Shot: The Benatar Experience. But out of my Benatar band, I met the keyboard player. He and I became songwriters together, so that band became Shannon Rae and 100 Proof. And you can check it out at shannonrae.com.

VWT: Well, there you go!

SR: So I have that, and I’m also the lead singer in a Linda Ronstadt tribute called Ronstadt Revival. You can go to ronstadtrevival.com; you can see both my bands on Facebook, Instagram … everywhere.

VWT: Now they can go buy your music online … see videos …

SR: It’s on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify … everywhere. I have a new album coming out in January. It’s our third album, and it’s called Number 3.

VWT: Ironically titled; I think that’s great.

SR: I always promised myself with this band I’d put out three albums, and this is the third.

VWT: But it’s not the end, right?

SR: No, not that it’ll end, but I promised

myself that with this particular band I’ll make three albums.

VWT: So let’s talk about your music career. How did you get into it? Did someone ask you to join a band?

SR: I’ve always loved music. When we were younger, we didn’t have phones, games, nothing like that and …

VWT: And thank god for that, I would never have been able to be a Supreme Court Justice if there were…

SR: So I had divorced parents, and I had my record player, and me. And Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits was the first album I ever bought with my own money. Then I really got into Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes; my sister had that album and she didn’t want it anymore, so she gave it to me. Then I went through a metal phase, had some Motley Crue in there. I snuck in to see them when I was 16. But I’ve always, always, always wanted to be a musician, you know, and now is the time.

VWT: Do you play any instrument?

SR: I do not. I’m just a singer.

VWT: Well I’m a drummer, I’ve been a drummer for 40-some years. I’ve toured,

and if you need an extra drummer …

SR: My husband is a drummer.

VWT: Well, I guess, I’m out of that.

SR: I have a 12-year-old daughter, and she plays guitar, viola, and piano. And she’s a really good singer, so it’s in the family.

VWT: In this odd pandemic time, with all the shutdowns, are you planning on doing more touring when things open up?

SR: Yeah, we have shows booked for 2021, so I’m hoping it’ll all … go away.

VWT: Exactly.

SR: You mention these times, and this is like filling my heart. I miss the simpler time, and I think we all do. We miss this (gestures at VW Trends magazines and event flyers), you know, the Jamborees, and just getting together. I mean, as humans we need to be together.

VWT: We are. We’re meant to be social creatures.

SR: When I look on social media, and look on the VW clubs, and I hear all you guys and girls saying that we’re all connecting over our memories and the nostalgia of it all … It’s a really great thing to be here with you and I love what you’re doing.

VWT: Well, we are super excited, and thank you … It’s been such an honor to have you on our first cover …

SR: I was so excited about that.

VWT: There was no other model we wanted, and thank you too for taking the time to sit down and talking with us, it’s been great.

SR: Yeah, the shoot was great! It was really like walking back into time.

VWT: It did — it felt like a time warp, or something.

SR: It was great.

VWT: Well thank you guys for listening in. We’re gonna do this again with some other heroes and legends in our industry, so check vwtrendsmagazine.com or the Facebook page, or the Instagram page, or the YouTube page, or probably TikTok or 800,000 of the other social media outlets.

SR: All of them!

VWT: All of them. All the things.

SR: VW Trends, all the time … everywhere!  Watch this interview on YouTube: Just search for “VW Trends Interview with Shannon Rae.”

VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21 95

To quote the Grateful Dead, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” Even though it’s been less than a year since the Core Four came together to form the new VW Trends magazine, it feels in some ways like it’s been longer (in a good sense, of course). But the one constant that we’ve held to is that we wanted to make this a community effort by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.

And without any reservations, you, dear readers, are the ones that made VW Trends happen.

Had it not been for

96 VW TRENDS • SPRING ’21

your belief, your excitement, your those who have helped us through the enthusiasm, and of course your financial blood, sweat, and gears: Tory Alonzo, support, this magazine you’re holding Alex Arredondo, Dave Cormack, Elijah would never have existed. We do not Craig, Bob Daniels, Colin Frost, Arturo take your generosity lightly, and we Fuente, Lee Hedges, Larry and Mike will continue our pursuit in making this Hole, Shannon Rae, Rick Sadler, Glen publication even better than it was Scotia, Jason Stilgebouer, Bill Tsagrinos, before. So, from the bottom, middle, Kristi Williamson, Miguel Vasquez Jr., and top of our hearts, THANK YOU! the Good Lord above, Lucy Crafton, We’d like to give a special thanks to Stacy Morton, Beckyjo Ohlendorf, Carol Petro, and, last but definitely not least, Jason Smith for stepping in at the eleventh hour and knocking the ball out of the park!

 Left to right: Paul Morton, Dan Leadbetter, cover model Shannon Rae, ’67 Panzer owner Rick Sadler, and Rich Crafton. Not pictured: Ron Petro.

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