dune buggies and hotVWs July 2018

Dear Readers, Advertisers, and Fans of hotVWs magazine from all over the World, Would you believe it has been already one year since OCI Media took over hotVWs Magazine’s operation, publishing its first issue in May 2017? As you might expect, it’s been a non-stop rollercoaster ride for me; thankfully, the enormous support from our team, talented and amazing contributors, along with my dear friends got us pumped up, allowing hotVWs Magazine to continue rolling. And indeed, we could never have achieved this challenge without your support and encouragement! hotVWs wants to thank you again for your positive reactions at Volkswagen shows and through the social network – they became major motivating factors that pushed hotVWs Magazine to move forward! Without the support of our loyal readers and advertisers, we would have…

Alternator Strap Broke Recently, I had an issue with our ‘74 Super Beetle. I replaced the oil cooler seals, and replaced the cooling fan. It had cracked around the shaft. After reassembling and driving seven miles, the car ran great! But on the return trip home, the alternator strap broke in half. I didn’t realize that it had broken until I inspected the scraping noise closely at home. It started to make noise not far from where I live, so I just finished my trip and drove the car very slowly. I replaced the strap, and then set everything back up, but the car would not run right. I rebuilt the carb, and found a lot of items plugged. Everything was cleaned out and readjusted, but the fuel mixture and idle still…

Part 7 (Finale) Continue from June Issue Compression Ratio: Here is another one you’re going to get 1000 opinions on; here is mine. I shoot for 7.7 on all Bus motors. I might go a little higher on others, but usually not over 8.3. Keep in mind, where I come from, it’s hot as hell, plus I want to run on the cheapest gas I can. You can go higher, but then you’d have to be smart about your octane. Compression is horsepower, horsepower is energy, energy is heat. It’s a fine balancing act when you don’t have a radiator to shed the heat. I do build Friday/Saturday night cars with 9.5 to one, but they only run premium and you must always watch the temp gauge. What I’m trying to say…

On a trip to Virginia this past Easter, we drove by the old Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly plant in Pennsylvania, and it got us wondering whatever happened to it. Located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, the area back then was known as New Stanton. Chrysler saw the potential of the rural 1,200 acres near the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and began construction of an auto plant in 1968. However, due to an industry slow-down, they delayed opening indefinitely and never finished construction. The shell sat idle for years. In 1976, with nearly $100 million in government assistance, highway and rail improvements, and a property tax exemption for the nation’s first foreign-owned auto assembly plant, Volkswagen of America moved in, and invested over $250 million into the building to manufacture its Rabbit. Of…

I imagine that many of you out there reading this are a lot like me. If I’m not out in the garage working on my car, wherever I am, you can bet I’m at least thinking about cars. I spend perhaps far more time than I dare to admit, staring at my computer screen or the television soaking up any car stuff that is out there. It’s an addiction through and through and I get my fix wherever and however I can. There are a ton of car shows on TV these days and I watch them all. I have my favorites, as I am sure you do, as well as those that I don’t bother to set the DVR for. There is something for everybody there on the “telly” and…

Who needs clubs nowadays? If you have questions regarding your old Vee-Dub, ask the internet. Facebook. Or maybe a forum, even though they seem to die, too. And then there are still books and magazines. So, no clubs needed? Well, it used to be different back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And even in the ‘90s. I grew up in a rather rural area and I had no idea if there was a VW club around or not. The only information I could get about the old Volkswagens was from books. And sometimes magazines. Custom car mags. VW magazines? We had no such thing until 1989. I remember when my buddy Götz and I drove to the Frankfurt airport in his Razor Edge Ghia, just to get a copy of hot-VWs…