dune buggies and hotVWs March 2021

Four months ago in California, Governor Newsom announced that he issued an executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035, and additional measures to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector. What does the governor’s executive order mean? Is he just talking about new car sales? Do we have to worry about the future of our beloved air-cooled rides? And is this only regarding California, or will other states start following California’s idea, phasing out gasoline-powered cars? Could the government start a heavier tax on vehicles running fossil fuels, thus affecting our classic cars? Many questions came up right after I saw this news. While still able to drive an automobile, will the day come when I have to stop or give up driving a…

Ideal daily with people who are selling their VWs, and have been doing so for over 20 years now, but there are certain situations that seem to take on a very special meaning to me. Every now and then, I get a call or an email from an original owner of an air-cooled VW (or a relative of an original owner) with the news of them selling their beloved car. With the very newest air-cooled VWs being decades old [except for some Mexican/Brazilian models – Ed.], there is something really special about a car that lasts that long and an owner that keeps it. I know I don’t need to tell you all how the VW becomes a part of the family; if you are reading these words, I can…

It’s summer 1969 and I’m not sure what we were thinking, as I was one of the pushers on Don Crane’s red 1967 Cal Look Bug! Let me explain. Don was one of the first “Panzers” [DKP member – Ed.] to have a dual-carb street car and it ran very well until he shifted into third gear – it needed third and fourth gears with different ratios. Thanks to Gene Berg’s early development, there was that option. But let me return to being a VW pusher… Don’s parents, as understanding as they were, would not allow his car up on jack stands in their driveway! One day, we needed to take the red ’67 to Renfree Motors – the authorized VW dealer in Orange – so that they could pull…

Tight Steering Box I have a ’73 Ghia equipped with 2-1/2-inch lowered spindles. I also installed a new steering box and had the ball joints replaced with ones for the lowered spindles. The steering is really tight. When I disconnect the steering, the steering wheel turns freely. With the front jacked up, the front end still feels tight. On the ground it is really, I mean, really tight. Is there any way to loosen it up without driving it a bunch? Bruce Campbell Troy, OH Bruce, since new steering boxes are rarely tight, I’m sure that your problem is with the ball joints. Pressing in ball joints is sort of an art form, and unless you measure the knurling diameter versus the trailing arm hole, you may be in for trouble. Too tight a…

In this article, I would like to talk about batteries for your VW. It’s not so much about the battery, but more specifically, whether you have it installed in the car safely. Bugs and Type 3s have the battery under the rear seat, and if you have one of these, then you really should do something. There are two areas of concern here. First of all, is the battery held down? Most of you are going to say “No”. How do I know this? Because I’ve been guilty of this as well for many years. Next: Is the top of the battery protected from the seat springs hitting the posts of the battery? You might say: “Who cares? I have been driving this car for years and nothing has happened.” Yeah,…

Type 4 engines, as used in VW Porsche 914s, VW 411/412s and Bay Window Buses, never played a major role in the USA, besides some off-road applications. The same is actually true for every other country in the world – except Germany. A “VW big block” conversion in street legal Beetles, Ghias and Buses has a long tradition over here. The biggest advantage of the Type 4 is its large displacement and its high-performance level straight from the factory, especially when compared to the Bug’s engine, which had a maximum of 1600cc and 50 hp. The 1700cc Type 4 produced 68hp; the large 2-liter engine 100 horses, twice as much as the strongest factory Type 1. Performance numbers which Bug drivers could only dream of! Especially since the TÜV, the technical…