The 10th Annual California Look Special Issue

£3.70 0 2
February 2006
www.volksworld.com 9 770954 016198

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100s
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Resto and Cal
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CLUBBING
The UKs No1
Cal Look Club

Technical: Inside a hot 1970s California Look Engine

contents
p10 p20

“ Two very similar

looking, but very
different Type 3s
p38
”

4 February 2006 www.volksworld.com


Call our quotation hotline now on:
08451 240 240
p46
Regulars
6 On the scene News
16 Mailbox Your stories
24 Walkerbout Back to ‘87
26 Pye’s Eye Corner weights
28 Life of Brian Our 1st show
78 Subscriptions To your door
Features
10 The Shining Top notch Oval
20 Perurian power German ‘66
30 Autunm VW Fair Slough time
34 Greenhearts UK Cal club
38 Double Back Two Squarebacks
42 Leathal Injection Renn Kafer
58 Wise Up Old School perfection
72 Cow Look You’ll get our beef
p72
Classic VW
52 Retro Rally VWs
54 KdF Observer Model changes
64 Lost and Found Type 82E KdF
Type 2 Zone
68 Bus Scene The Ace event
69 Bus News Bus bits
Technical
80 Projects New motor needed
84 How to: Cal Motor 70’s style
90 How to: Brakes Master cylinder
VolksWorld Show
82 Get your show cars in now!
the
team
Editor Ivan McCutcheon
Art Editor Steve Gosling
Staff Writer Jon Gilbert
Tech Editor Matt Keene
Features Editor Mike Pye
Sub Editor The Team
Ed Assistant Carol Linfield
Deputy Ad Manager
Kara Goodwin 020 8726 8334
Telesales
Dave Simmons 020 8726 8335
Group Ad Manager
Kevin Attridge 020 8726 8333
Marketing Executive
Jordana Gavin
Ad Production
Jamie Tester 020 8726 8337
Automotive Design
Eric Black www.eblackdesign.com
Contributors
Kiki de Bois • Brian Burrows • Stefan Bau
Zoë Harrison • Rikki James • Peter Noad
Tony Butler • Bob Shaill • Steve Walker
Publisher Gavin de Carle
General Manager Niall Clarkson
Managing Director Paul Williams
VolksWorld is a Focus Network publication, published by
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Street Croydon, CR9 1HZ
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ISSN 0954-0164
www.volksworld.com February 2006 5
 Send all your news and reviews to:
On the scene, VolksWorld, IPC media, Leon house, 233 High Street, Croydon, CR9 1HZ

Bright Spark
• Who? Street Style and Power or VW Heritage
• How Much? Ignitor I distributor (AC905D186) £169.95
Ignitor II distributor (AC905D180) £199.95
• Contact: 08707 706196
• Web: www.streetstyleandpower.com
Pertronix is proud to announce the availability of its new Volkswagen air cooled
engine billet distributor. CNC machined from 6061 T-6 alloy aluminium billet and
polished to a high lustre, it’s the “must have” for all air-cooled engine owners!
Fitted with either the standard Ignitor or our high performance Ignitor 2, it comes
with a fully adjustable advance curve which can be tailored to suit exact
requirements. The black distributor cap is fitted with HEI style terminals for positive
location of the spark plug wires. A terminal and boot kit is included with the
distributor to aid installation.

The Best VWs Aircooled Vee

New from Trevor Legate and Touchstone
Books Ltd, in association with VolksWorld
magazine, The Very Best of Volkswagen.
Dub Clothing
• Who? Air Head
Drawing on VolksWorld’s extensive • How Much? Start at £13.00
archives of the very best VWs from the UK,
plus P&P
Europe and America, this 128-page book
features over 60 of the best and most • Contact: www.airheadgear.co.uk
interesting Volkswagens that have appeared If you’re looking for something a bit dif-
in VolksWorld magazine in the 20 years it has ferent, Airhead have a tasty range of top
been at the forefront of the European VW quality Vee Dub tee-shirts and accessories
scene. There are beautifully restored stock for men, women and children. Available
classics, racecars, customs and some of the in various original designs and come in a
weirdest and most wonderful VWs ever built. range of sizes and styles, with new designs
Each car featured has a separate full colour added regularly. They supply to customers
spread and is illustrated with stunning worldwide and with simple to use credit/
photographs. An essential debit card payment available it’s a snip!
The site also features a section for non VW
tee-shirts, VW links, news and a general
reference for yourself and a ‘cool links’ section. To see the complete
great gift for the VW lover in range or place an order, get your fingers
your life. tappin’ to www.airheadgear.co.uk
This brand new, hardback
book will debut exclusively
at the VolksWorld show 1-2
April, so be sure not to miss
out on this opportunity.
For more information on
this and other Touchstone
titles, visit
www.touchstone-books.com

6 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Sponsored by Sureterm Direct.
‘Higher Quality Lower Prices’
Call Sureterm Direct on 0845 20 20 230 this
Bug Jam DVD
month
t’s that time again. The annual California
• Who? Santa Pod Raceway
• How much? £14.99
• Contact: 08700 782828
I Look special is here. In fact, it’s our 10th
anniversary Cal Look issue, and we’ve
gone all out to make it the best magazine we
Now that the show season is over for 2005 you could. I don’t know what it is about the annual
may want to reminisce over some of the good special, but it seems to be the issue readers
times. One way to do that is to buy the Bug talk about the most, and from what I gather,
Jam DVD. Packed with VW racing, awesome one that you tend to keep as a reference tool.
music, show cars, Mr and Mrs Bug Jam and The funny thing is, I’ve heard a handful of
fabulous people, there will be plenty to keep people say they are either bored of Cal Look,
you entertained. Bug Jams wining formula has or even that Cal Look is dead. From the quality
been bringing people back to Santa Pod for of cars being built, it’s hard to see how anyone
19 years. So if you want to relive the event or could find them boring, well, not someone
check out what you missed out on, this is the who has the ability to appreciate the hard work
DVD for you. of another VW fan. I don’t think the quality has
ever been higher or the intense passion has
been at such a level in the U.K. And so, I’d
Bud Vases have to argue that California Look is far from
dead, it’s not a trend, it is a massive part of
• Who? VW Vases
our world. I’d agree the style may not fit in with
• How Much? From $19.95 the personal tastes of some, but to many it is
• Web: www.vwvase.com the sole focus.
Here’s one for the New Bug fan; hand made Porcelain When it comes the content of the magazine
bud vases. These used to a popular accessory in the together we always plan ahead, but even so,
air-cooled Bug and have now been redeveloped to fit New we couldn’t get the front cover car into the
Beetles. Made in the USA, each vase goes through a time studio until the day after the deadline for the
consuming process of hand finishing before being glazed in a cover. The reason was all four wings were off
colour matching the New Beetle range. They fit perfectly and add a the car being painted, as they had Robri gravel
nice bit of colour to the dash board. Log on to the website for more info guards fitted which the owner had decided
and different designs. he didn’t like. Rather than have the car on the
cover as it was, he was adamant they had to be
removed before the car could be shot. Well, it

wwweb watch was very much a case of ‘hold the front page’,
but I think you’ll agree, it was well worth it!
The club shoot on The Greenhearts showed
www.volksrods.co.uk you have to suffer if you want to live the dream
Now, here is something that definitely deserves a shout. It is a new website launched by the Volksrod in the U.K. The South Coast in November is
club purely dedicated to the world of Volksrods. And with the trend growing fast, the timing is perfect. So slightly different than the West Coast of the
whether it’s the love for the Beetle that gets your pulse racing or if airbrushing and pin striping is more U.S.A in terms of climate, it doesn’t help
your style, start sharing the passion today by visiting www.volksrods.co.uk where there is always someone when the cars don’t have heating! Still with
out there willing to help with any problems or questions. Remember a problem told is a problem solved. 12 club cars to shoot we had to do it whatever
the weather. My thanks go to Pete Roberts of
Funkenblitz in Portsmouth for arranging ev-
erything, and the club members for braving a
very cold and wet day. You’ll be able to see the
club cars at The VolksWorld Show this year.
I’m running out of space now, so on behalf
of the whole team on the magazine, we hope
you enjoy this issue.
Race Trim Seats VolksWorld show
• Who? Big Boys Toys • When? 1 and 2 April 2006
• Contact: 0845 2300101 • Where? Sandown Park, Surrey
• Web: bigboystoys-uk.com As our show gets closer and closer, more
New from Big Boys Toys in Thurrock are these fantastic of you are sending in photos of your VWs
looking Race Trim high back racing seats that would for a spot in the show. It is still early days
suit any buggy, off roader or hot street VW. Priced at so don’t panic if you intend to apply but
£150 inc VAT per seat, they exhibit all the features please make sure you do not leave it until
you would expect from a proper race seat - fully the last minute. Likewise with club displays.
welded and painted steel frames and an As many of you will know we are limited to
integral weatherproof suspended bladder space in the grandstand area so it is first
for added comfort. They come with a heavy come first served with club stands. Each
duty black vinyl cover and a choice of black club is allowed to bring in a maximum of
or contrasting grey cloth insert. They also five cars. So if you’re in a club and want to
have provision for a standard five-point har- display your top five vehicles get in touch
ness and universal mounting tabs for custom with us on 0208 726 8341 or email
fitting to your own vehicle. michelle_goldsmith@ipcmedia.com
Seats can either be solid mounted or, if you
require adjustability, purpose made mounts and runners
are also available from Big Boys Toys. The mounts raise the seat six inches and bolt di-
rectly to the floorpan, eliminating the standard VW runners completely. These come in two
types - either slider or slide and tilt to allow access to the rear seat area.

EMPI prints
Who? Nostalgia Memorabilia
How much? 125 Euros
Contact: nostalgia.memorabilia@gmail.com
Fancy a bit of nostalgia hanging up on your workshop
wall? How do this silk screened EMPI ‘Sorry ‘bout that’
posters grab you? They measure 50X70cm on 400
grade glossy paper. The first 100 have been
numbered accordingly as a collector’s edition that will come with a complimentary
T-shirt and free shipping. A discount is available if you buy in bulk saving you up to £100 if
you buy five poster / T-shirt packs.

Perfect Designs
Following the successful launch of their
‘hints of veedub’ range, Perftec Designs
have enjoyed a great first year and, judging
by the sales achieved, lots of you have
really liked their new and fresh designs.
Most air-cooled models are covered as
Stock Taking well as some water-cooled including the
Stock and original, just the way VW
popular Type 25 and Golf variants. Now you
intended it to be! This 1965 is a real
can grab an exclusive Perftec Design at a
gem, especially as it was ordered from
bargain price. Their Winter sale has started
new in black with a steel sliding sunroof.
Having been looked after from the day it and continues up until Christmas assum-
was delivered and with very low mileage ing they don’t sell out before then. The
there’s very few left in the world like it, it’s sale includes T-shirts, hoodies and fleece
original and no matter how well a car is blankets; all available at discounted prices.
restored you can’t recreate originality You can order from the website at
www.perftet.com. Look out in 2006 for their
On sale 27 January planned relaunch which will bring a much
larger offering all round.

8 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

Just what is it that drives perfectly
sane people to set about well used 50 year
old Volkswagens and transform them into automotive
equivalents of the crown jewels? No one really knows, but we love
it, applaud it and hope, like us, others will feel inspired by it, too
Words: Mike Pye Pics: Kiki de Bois

s anyone getting into VWs they saw then that made them want to go tion to detail in the areas you did see, few

A in the 1980s in this country I

remember being blown away
by the show cars and amazed
by the drag cars on the strip
at shows like the Spring Championships
and Bug Jam, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone
in this feeling. In fact, many of the people
we here at VolksWorld have come into
contact with over the years since have said
the same thing, and that it was the cars
out and build a car for themselves. But
back then there were very few really fast
street VWs and the standard of many of
the show cars, while excellent for the time,
didn’t bear quite such close scrutiny. Sure,
there were some that really stood out as
exemplary cars - and in many cases these
could claim the level of detail that is now
commonplace throughout in cars that are
used as hard on the street or the strip as
they are polished in the show ‘n’ shine.
Yet today it seems there is no limit to the
lengths people will go to to build their
idea of the perfect ride. But what for? Is it
cars are still revered today as ground solely to impress the judges at a handful of
breaking for their time. show weekends over the year? Somehow
But while many others had great atten- I don’t think so. Is it to impress girlfriends,

10 february 2006 www.volksworld.com

www.volksworld.com February 2006 11
“
So what if all your mates think
you’re certifiable?
boyfriends or wives? Nah, they just smile,
secretly thinking you’ve lost the plot when
you explain why it’s necessary to pol-
ish the inside of your brake drums or the
underside of your petrol tank, or to spend
a month’s food shopping money on stain-
less steel nuts and bolts to replace the per-
fectly good ones the car came with. It has
to come down to pride - pride in your own
workmanship and pride in knowing you’ve
achieved what you set out to do. So what if
all your mates think you’re certifiable.
And so we come to William Pellegrino,
a native of Puerto Rico and erstwhile
inhabitant of California, and someone to
whom it seems polishing and chroming
the underside of your ride is a perfectly
sensible thing to do. Starting out with a
common or garden ‘56 - one that was
more garden than common, by the sound
12 february 2006 www.volksworld.com
”
of things, he set himself a goal. The car
had spent most of its life in and around
San Diego but was far from the cosseted,
one old lady owner find. In short it was
knackered, though it wasn’t so rusty that it
was deemed the wrong place to start. And
it was a Type 117 sunroof model after all.
Having seen the results of trips through
the workshops of Arizona VW nut, Buddy
Hale, William knew he wanted a bit of the
same, so shipped his new purchase from
California to Arizona for Hale to do his
thing, but not before he’d got some miles
under his belt in his car as a stocker.
Hale disassembled the body and pan,
sent the latter off for shot blasting and got
busy sorting out the ravages of the best
part of 50 years on the road. While there
will always be some who complain about
the use of such supposedly rare cars as
the basis for a modified VW, they should
perhaps think about it like this: many of the
current breed of modified VWs are built to a
far higher standard than a lot of “restored”
cars and, as is the case with William’s
car here, aside from the lack of exhaust
cut-outs, this car has stock bodywork and
could relatively easily be returned to stock,
should a later owner desire it. Paint also
ABOVE Standard steering wheel and locking
glovebox handle are a nod to the car’s vintage
BELOW Chromed column and pedals. Ooh yeah!

is so often now a standard colour - here
L351 Coral Red - and with all the trim back
in the traditional location, including around
the window rubbers, it’s still got that
wonderful historic Wolfsburg feel.
Even the interior, whilst not strictly
correct for the year, isn’t far from it. A tan
mohair headliner and matching Stayfast
sunroof cover coming from West Coast
Classic Restoration, tan square weave
carpet from Wolfsburg West and stock
seats, retrimmed by North Hollywood’s
Nacho’s Auto Upholstery in a similar tan
LEFT Full re-trim in tan uses mostly stock materials, but custom door panels are a nice touch
ABOVE The kind of thing that makes people who aren’t into cars just shake their heads in disbelief
coloured perforated vinyl. But start looking
elsewhere in the interior and you’ll start to
see William’s obsessive compulsive disor-
der showing through. How about chromed
pedals, handbrake, steering column and
support, speaker grille backing plate,
ashtray(!), door check stays and even the
base of the Berg shifter for starters? And
what isn’t plated inside is polished, painted
and immaculately detailed.
But that’s the inside, the bit you see
when you sit in the car, so that’s fair
enough, right? Well now look underneath,
or at least underneath the wheelarches…
During the course of the rebuild, Hale
used a Suspensions Unlimited three-inch
narrowed beam and chromed trailing
arms. Between these sit a pair of CB
Performance spindles and CNC wide-5
disc brakes, plumbed in with polished
and braided lines throughout. Similarly out
back, chromed spring plates allow you
to see the shine on the back of William’s
stock brake drums, while all exposed and
non-load bearing fasteners are now stain-
less steel Allen heads. The built gearbox
didn’t escape detailing either, internally or
externally. Built by KCR Transmissions in
Riverside, it is based around a stock 1500
4.12:1 ring and pinion, with welded third
and fourth, a Super-Diff, steel shift forks
and chromoly pinion retainer. Believe us,
it’s sick under there and no mistake.
But William wasn’t content to stop at
that. Next on his hit list was the engine
- and no stock 30 horser was going to
propel him and his wife Noemy into the fu-
ture. So a call was put into engine builder
ABOVE We found it, we found it! Billet
top pulley is held in place by a specially
Made in Taiwan chromed top pulley nut.
Still, at least it isn’t a neon pink one eh?
LEFT Too much, too much!
FAR LEFT Polished CNC front discs and
incredible paintwork everywhere
www.volksworld.com February 2006 13

Doug Gonzales, with the instructions
being to build a veritable stomper, suited
to the California Look ethos the car was
being built to. Starting with an AS41 case,
Gonzales dropped in a CB 82mm crank, a
set of 5.5-inch Scat rods and an Engle FK8
cam with Magnum straight cut cam gears.
After bolting the case halves together,
some 94mm Cima pistons were slipped
into their corresponding bores and then
buttoned up with a pair of heavily modi-
fied 041 heads. Steve Tims did the work
on them - porting, polishing and opening
them up for 42 and 37.5mm valves. He
also made sure the compression ratio was
kept down to at a sensible 8.5:1.
Autocraft 1.45:1 rockers keep the valve-
train on its toes and dual 48IDA Webers
keeps the traditional Cal Look doctrine
safe for another year. But, like the rest of
the car, it’s in the detailing that this car
really shines (sic). Gloss black tinware is
hard to beat, especially with a 30 horse-
style doghouse fan shroud framing the
engine. But how about those black painted
IDA bodies? Topped and tailed with pol-
RIGHT That unmistakable Cal Look stance
BELOW William Pellegrino, the man with the
vision and sore fingers from too much polishing
14 february 2006 www.volksworld.com
ished stacks and manifolds and operated
by a chromed and detailed Berg linkage
they’re an awesome sight. Add into the
mix a fully polished Don Zig magneto with
Heads Up Performance drilled support
and you’re touching on the perverse. But
again, it didn’t stop there - the alternator
and support strap were also polished, as
was the Berg 356-style breather box, while
the entire A1 exhaust system was ceramic
coated and the three-inch muffler polished.
With the engine plumbed in with -8AN
aluminium fuel fittings and braided lines,
as well as a remote Fram HP1 and Kymco
external oil cooler, William was ready to
blow the cobwebs out of grandma’s Oval.
When Buddy Hale first assembled the
car for William, he sorted him out with a
set of chromed reproduction five-spokes -
fitted up with 145 Michelin ZXs and 205/50
meats out back. Feeling that these weren’t
Tech spec:
2276cc IDA motor
AS41 case - full flow, shuffle pinned, sand seal
82mm CB Performance counterweighted crank
94 Cima barrels and pistons
Scat 5.5-inch I-beam rods, VW journal
Engle FK8 camshaft (.534in lift and 298º duration)
VW 041 cylinder heads, ported and polished by Steve
Tims, Manley 42mm intake / 37.5mm exhaust valves
Compression ratio 8.5:1
Autocraft 1.45:1 ratio rockers
Twin 48IDA Weber carbs, painted black and detailed
Don Zig magneto, Heads Up Performance bracket
1 3/4-inch Berg header with 3-inch A1 muffler
12.5lb lightened flywheel, 8-dowelled
Kennedy Stage 2 clutch, Daiken disc
Extras: Gene Berg 30mm oil pump, doghouse
cooler, Fram HP1, Kymco remote super cooler, chro-
moly pushrods, CB intake manifolds, Berg linkage and
breather, billet crank pulley and top pulley, detailed
and polished to the max
Gearbox: Swing axle, 4.12:1 ring and pinion, 3.78
1st, 2.06 2nd, 1.26 3rd, 0.82 4th, Super-Diff, welded
3rd and 4th, chromoly pinion retainer, steel shift forks
quite Cal Look enough for him though
William later changed these out for repro
BRMs instead, this time rolling on 145
Firestones up front and the same 205s.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that
this car started scooping first place awards
as soon as it was unleashed on the public
eye. But it’s a measure of the quality of
cars generally now that on its debut at VW
Classic in California it could only manage
a third place in the Cal Look line-up. The
question you have to start to ask now
though is, how does anyone go about
topping this kind of car? You’d think it
might put some people off but it seems to
be having the opposite effect as more and
more people strive to attain cars as good
as this. Must be that old pride thing again,
and long may it continue to drive others
to seek their own ideas of perfection,
whatever they may be.
 volksworld@ipcmedia.com
Have you got something to say? Email us or send your letters to:
Carol Linfield, Mailbox, VolksWorld, IPC media, Leon house, 233 High Street, Croydon, CR9 1HZ

Wedding Prep
After meeting in our Beetles on a garage forecourt 11 years ago,
Vanessa and I decided to get married. With just two weeks to go
before the wedding we found ourselves a ‘72 flat screen Bug and
decided to convert it to a cabriolet for the big day.
With a mad man, an angle grinder, a Paris conversion kit and one
hernia later, it was finished. Luckily the sun shone on our wedding day.
Terry and Vanessa Reed-Butcher
Oxon

Sand Bug Bonnet Emblem

Just thought I’d show you what we got up to at Run To The Sun this year. The lack of I wanted to let you know how we love your
waves forced us to seek alternative entertainment (whilst nursing our hangovers). magazine, always a fight over the new
We would love it if you could print one of our pictures in your next mag. The mission issue when it comes to the house.
for next year is to sculpt a Split Screen Crew Cab, yikes! I’ve sent you a picture of my ‘59 Rat
Keep up the good work, Look Bug. The head ornaments name is
Dale, Chris, Tom, Toni and Scott. Jack, he loves all air-cooled VWs and one
of the Herbie films is always in the DVD
player. I’d love to see his face in the mag.
Thanks
Matt Vernon
Essex

Shade Seeker
Howdy Vee Dubbers. I just wanted to
share this picture of my daughter seeking
some shade whilst we were polishing the
Bug for Run To The Sun last year. She is
now 18 months and her favourite words
are bitty, Bug and Bay. I’d like to thanks
VolksWorld for the great magazine. And
thanks to everyone who makes the scene
what it is.
Cheers, Dan

16 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Sponsored by Sureterm Direct.
‘Higher Quality Lower Prices’
Call Sureterm Direct on 0845 20 20 230

letter of the month Birthday Boy

I thought your readers might like to see the
I have been reading VolksWorld for over a year now and thought it was time I sent in cake my wife made for my 30th Birthday
some pictures of my VW collection. party. It’s a replica of ‘Dev’, our ‘66 LHD Split.
I’ve been collecting VWs for ages now and have paid anything from nothing to forty Everything at the party was going really well
pounds for each piece. I have around 800 VWs in my collection and I’m very proud to until, for some reason, I decided to take the
own all these wonderful models. cake outside with a spoon - a very bad idea.
Robert Allard (aged 14) Someone found me 20 minutes later
Notts laughing in the bushes with a bumper hang-
ing out of my mouth.
That is quite some collection Robert. Never again!
Because we like it so much, we made it Nathan Spacey
letter of the month. Now seeing as Lancashire
you probably have no need for polish,
we are putting in a few toy VWs to add to
your collection as well.

Furry Bug
Recently on a visit in South Africa a friend of
my father came to visit him and I just had to
take a picture of his car to share with other
VolksWorld readers. So instead of washing
his car he now gives it a good vacuum.
Charl van Heerden

SUBSCRIBE NOW
Receive a FREE Meguiars
polishing kit and Save 10% when
you subscribe to VolksWorld
Check out pages 78-79 for more info.

0845 676 7778

www.volksworld.com February 2006 17

P e r u v i a n
ng marchi power

20 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

Nose down, tail high, one colour, t-bars, 48IDAs
and a neat set of rims can only mean one thing.
It’s California Look time of year again
Words: Mike Pye Pics: Stefan Bau

here still seems to be some debate as to what exactly

T constitutes a California Look car. Apparently, there

has even been some “reckless journalism” confus-
ing people by referring to particular cars or particular
trends as, or not as, California Look. But, whatever
your personal opinions, California Look as a genre is here to stay.
To some, this may mean a strict adherence to a very particular
set of ‘rules’, to others it means building a car that they like that
owes something to a style that is now over 30 years old. Whether
that person chooses to keep the chrome trim or de-chrome the
car, for example, is a personal expression. Likewise, if that same
person chooses to seek out rare, original wheels to emulate
those cars seen in early photographs or just go with off-the-shelf
wheels is up to them. This VW thing is supposed to be a hobby,
not a life sentence.
One thing’s for sure though, if the Look has done one thing it
has united the VW scene across the world. Where back in the old
days, at shows like VW Action, it was reasonably easy to spot
which country cars came from by the way they had been
modified, take the number plates off contemporary Cal Lookers
and you’d be hard pushed to tell their origins.
22-year old Marc Hellmann from Germany is one for whom the
nose down, tail up, high performance look is where it’s at, and his
Peru Green ‘66 is a tough looking ride for sure.
Hang on though, if this is a ‘66, how come it has a folding
sunroof? The answer is because it has been retro-fitted to the car.
Whilst canvas sunroofs were officially deleted in August ‘63, in
favour of the new steel slider, they were still available on base-
model Standards up until August ‘67 but are extremely uncom-
mon, for the reason that if people chose to save money and buy

www.volksworld.com February 2006 21

a standard model, it was most unlikely
they’d then pay a heap extra for a sunroof
in it. In fact, I’ve personally only ever seen
one ‘67 that had a factory canvas sunroof
in all my years of intensive VW buffing.
Unlike the Arizona car featured else-
where in this issue, the bodywork of Marc’s
Beetle needed a fair amount of work when
he bought the car for just 1300DM (ap-
prox £500) in 2001 and needed the usual
replacement panels all round - heartening
news for anyone in the UK who has had
to restore a Beetle from the ground up
and deal with the aftermath of a lifetime of
European weather! The restoration work
was ably taken care of by the Beetle Fac-
tory in Wuppertal, including repainting the
‘shell inside and out in Peru Green, a ‘68
only colour not dissimilar to the ‘66 colour,
Java Green. The only modifications done
to the body were the deletion of the stock
wing-top indicators and the rear exhaust
cut-outs, though a desirable Cabriolet
decklid was also sourced and found its
way onto the car during the process.
The Beetle Factory also helped Marc out
when it came to putting together the strong
running 2110cc motor that is claimed to
produce something in the region of 186ps
(that’s just over 180bhp in real money).
The heart of this powerhouse is a very de-
sirable 82mm Okrasa crank, bolted up to
an 8-dowelled and lightened flywheel with
Mahle 90.5mm pistons hanging onto a set
of Porsche 912 rods for dear life - these
having the 53mm journal size for the crank.
The stock VW head castings didn’t
stay that way for long, being welded up
to ensure adequate mounting surface
was available for the short IDA pattern
manifolds and ported and polished to
make the most of the 42 and 37.5mm
Manley inlet and exhaust valves. These are
opened and closed by a Pauter Machine
camshaft via Scat 1.25:1 ratio rockers. The
crowning glory is of course the original
Italian 48IDA Webers with open ram pipes,
just ready to suck all the goodness out of
the surrounding atmosphere. The engine’s
thirst for fuel is satiated by a new 8mm fuel
line, running through a Mezuba fuel pump
plumbed in beneath the stock tank.
Ignition is by way of the full complement
of MSD products, while exhaust duties are
taken care of by a Berg merged header
that exits through a special cut-out in the
rear valance and a polished turbo muffler.
One area where Marc has remained
conservative on the car so far is with the
gearbox, this still being the stock unit the
‘66 came with, albeit freshened up with
new seals and a lick of gloss black paint to
match the rest of the floorpan.
Unlike here in the UK, where you can get
away with modifying your engine as much

RIGHT Mota Lita wheel, Autometers and Berg

shifter. Haven’t we heard this somewhere before?

22 February 2006 www.volksworld.com


as you like, even if it’s in a cable-braked
Split, in Germany the law take things a little
more seriously and insist that cars with
engines above standard output also have
brakes above standard, too. To comply
with the regulations Marc added a set of
drilled, four-bolt discs up front and wider
Type 3 drums on the rear (why is it you can
never find a decent set of these when you
want them?).
Rim shot
Onto these went the car’s defining feature
- the polished and detailed Mahle wheels.
These were a factory option on ‘73-’76
Porsche 914s (colour coded to the trim
on special edition cars) but we won’t hold
that against them. They’re a great looking,
high quality, four-bolt wheel that shouldn’t
be confused with the visually very similar
Pedrini. For wheel pervs, the way to tell
the two apart is the Mahles have bigger
‘windows’ and all the ribs are the same
length. On Pedrinis four of the cast-in ribs
intersect at the centre cap hole. Okay, I’ll
get my coat... Tyres are 145s and 205/70s,
both from the Firestone catalogue.
With the rear at stock height and an ad-
justable front beam set for the maximum
drop, long travel ball joints, an anti-roll bar
and Bilstein shocks, the car sits just right.
Likewise the interior, Marc sits just how
LEFT Ragtop sunroof is a retro-fit, as is genuine
Karmann Cabriolet Beetle decklid
ABOVE 2110cc powerhouse is based around
a desirable Okrasa crank and is said to make
185bhp at the flywheel. So far Marc has netted
an 8.06 second tim ing slip on the 1/8th mile
BELOW RIGHT Super detailed cabin paintwork
and floorpan shows Marc’s ride means business.
Also that he can hear the roar of the carbs better!
he wants to on stock ‘66 leatherette seats
with a Mota Lita wheel, a Berg shifter and
a manual line lock to hand. Rather than
mess with the dash, the Autometer gauge
collection has been slung below - revs,
oil temp and pressure and cylinder head
temperature now being visible at a glance.
Having taken a first place in the Cal
Look class at Budel in Holland and also
having run an 8.06 on the 1/8th mile,
Marc’s car is a great interpretation of
the California Look doctrine - it runs
strong, looks tough and, with those open
mouthed firebreathers out back, roars
when he stomps the loud pedal. What
more could you ask for in a hot VW?
Tech spec:
2110cc IDA motor
AS41 case - modified for full flow oiling
82mm Okrasa counterweighted crank
90.5 Mahle barrels and pistons, Porsche 912 rods
Pauter Machine camshaft (undisclosed lift and duration)
VW 041 cylinder heads, ported and polished
Manley 42mm intake and 37.5mm exhaust s/s valves
Scat 1.25:1 ratio rockers
Twin 48IDA Weber carbs
MSD 6AL ignition module, billet distributor, coil and leads
1 5/8-inch Berg merged header with stainless turbo muffler
12.5lb lightened flywheel, 8-dowelled
Kennedy 1700lb Street Sport clutch
Extras: 30 horse-style doghouse fan shroud, deep sump,
remote oil filter, Beetle Factory degreed lower pulley
Approx power: 180bhp
www.volksworld.com February 2006 23
 Steve Walker – VolksWorld’s roving reporter
on the VW scene

ABOVE Rad ride! Hanging loose in a Targa top.

Inspirational
his months’ point of contention is from America (concentrating on the new
BELOW Ivan got the book in ‘87 and this was
his favourite photo. One day, out of the blue, he
noticed there was a passenger in the car!
There can be no other explanation as to

T something that carries both affec-

tion and loathing in almost equal
measure throughout the VW scene.
It is something the vast majority of us have
experienced and possibly done, it is also
something many of us would often deny
doing, yet, if it happens out of context: say
on a routine journey, rather than en route to
a VW event it can be both rewarding, and
well received. Confused? All will become
Passat and Pierburg carb issues). All of a
sudden the far off West Coast dream was
presented in dramatic form, when the notion
of a lowered Beetle was almost whimsical
- along comes Air Cooled Volkswagens with
page after page of the things! Of course,
the legacy this book has left can be very
personal, yet, I know for a fact I am not the
only person able to quote the phrases word
for word and picture by picture!
why a surfing gesture has been adopted as
the VW sign in the UK and across Europe,
small kids do it, grown adults do it, many
of us find it cringe worthy on one hand, but
when I am sitting in my VW, on a mundane
journey, it never fails to lift my spirits when an
otherwise unnoticeable vehicle passes with
the hang loose gesture on display.
I suppose it means I am one of you and
I appreciate your ride. When the local kids
around Woolaston and the other towns near

“
Santa Pod hang loose I guess it means you
I suppose it means I am one of you guys are cool? As a legacy initially it may

and I appreciate your ride
clear. Last month I mentioned the
excellent Air Cooled Volkswagens: by Colin
Burnham, which argueably kick started the
UK VW scene as we know it. The book (by
Osprey Publishing - who we thank for the
permission to show you these images as
an idea of the content) is a biopic glimpse
into mid ‘80s Californian VW following.
While a few notable pioneers championed
the ‘Cal Look’ format here in the UK, it was
almost a quasi-underground movement, with
ideas and enthusiasm spreading without the
widespread magazine and internet resourses
we now take for granted. Although increasing
VW content within Custom Car and Street
Machine was eagerly received, the
traditional VW press at the time largely
ignored the exciting new ‘customised ‘ VWs
”
seem a tad naff, but there can’t be many
hobbies or lifestyles that have their own hand
signal to show camaraderie and affiliation?
Inspiration, at exactly the right time If you are new to the scene, now you know
ensured many of the defining characteris- who is responsible for the friendlier two
tics found within our scene today could be fingered symbol flashed at us VW driver.
attributed to this book, yet as the styles have To many of us, Colin Burnham’s book
changed over the years one particular legacy started it all and we love it!
lives on, its origins within the UK scene
firmly embedded amongst the pages.
The innoccuous picture on page
41 showing a blue targa topped bug
may have inspired a car or two in itself,
however, our legacy concerns the ges-
tures made by its occupants ; ‘the two
fingered symbol means hang loose’ pro-
claimed the text, and with those seven
words, coupled with the aforementioned
picture, and another of a slammed early
fastback and the same gesture on page
98 , Colin Burnham set the tone!

24 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 What Mike Pye, VolksWorld’s Features Editor,
has been up to this month

ABOVE In an ideal world corner weight figures should be the same side by side i.e.
across the front axle and across the rear axle. Take measurements with fluid levels full,
half a tank of petrol and the most common driver/passenger configuration in the car

Weight for it
Corner weight scales may be the preserve of racecar mechanics
but they offer the potential to optimise the performance of
radically modified VWs, too
ollowing on from last month’s brief RIGHT A less accurate DIY method of corner

F insight into aerodynamics, this

month I’ve been looking in more
depth at corner weighting, with help
from Chris Tweed and Shaun Hollamby at
Big Boys Toys Racing in Thurrock. Again,
weighting is with four bathroom scales. Car and
scales must be on perfectly level ground though

plumbing a simple brake proportioning valve

this is not something that many of you
will have had cause to think about with
your VWs but, like the wind tunnel testing,
it highlighted some situations where this
could be a helpful area to consider.
into the system with a bias toward the rear
might be worth considering. Alternatively,
uprating either the front or the rear brake
systems to provide a more balanced
stopping action.

“
In basic terms, corner weight scales are
used to weigh racecars and to determine
Considering the cause and effect of altering

where heavy items such as batteries and fuel
tanks should be placed to optimise weight
chassis dynamics is a good move
distribution. Now this subject (and that of Corner weighting will give you four indi-
adjusting a car’s suspension to optimise it) vidual figures and a total weight. Add two
fills many books but there are some basic corner weights to get an axle weight, then di-
principles here that make sense, whatever vide by the total weight to give a front or rear
the application. axle percentage. You’re not looking for 50/50
One common VW-based example that necessarily, but something close to 60/40,
comes to mind is a lightweight beach buggy, with the higher value being the engine end, is
particularly one with a rear mounted fuel tank, generally considered a good starting point.
which suffers from front brakes locking up While MoT brake test rollers can check
because so much weight has been taken out your braking performance, without access
of the front of the car. to test equipment you’re looking at a quiet,
Likewise, any VW with an alternative engine
in the back, or a radically altered chassis like
a Volksrod, will have different characteristics Dr Gonzo weight
to how the factory designed it and this will Overall 668kg
most obviously be manifested in handling Front left 115.5kg
and braking potential. Considering the cause Front right 124.5kg
Front percentage 36%
and effect of altering chassis dynamics in
Rear left 210.5lg
these kind of situations is a good move. For Rear right 217.5kg
example, if a car is 100kg lighter at the front Rear percentage 64%
than a stock version but has stock brakes,
”
straight piece of road and a few low speed
brake tests. A friend watching will be able
to tell you which wheel(s) is locking up first
and you can adjust accordingly until all four
begin to lock up together, or whatever you
personally feel comfortable with.
It goes without saying that any work on
brake systems should be carried out by
professionals unless you’re sure of your
abilities. Even then, get someone to check
your work carefully before driving the car.
Stock Beetle weights
Early 1200 Beetle 730kg
Late 1200 Beetle 760kg
1970’s 1300 Beetle 820kg
1500 Beetle 870kg
1303 Beetle 890kg
(Cabrios are considerably heavier still, +40kg if
a 1303, for example)

26 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Brian Burrows – VW event organiser and
host of www.volkszone.com
BELOW RIGHT New Waves from South East
London/North Surrey was the best known club
in 1992 BELOW Andy Parrott took Best of Show.
An amazingly detailed car for the time
The 1st VolksWorld Show
n my opinion, 1992 was another of
I those ‘seminal’ years. 1989 had been
one, when UK show cars came of age.
1992 would see VW Drag Racing events
blossom and progress and with it many
new racers and racecars.
For me, the year started with loads of
rushing around trying to get Outrage II built
and detailed as soon as possible. A new
event had been announced - The VolksWorld
Show - promoted on VolksWorld’s behalf by
Andrew Cook and Keith Jackson (of current
“
Proteus III VW Dragster fame) at the Rex
Centre in the centre of Birmingham.
By the time the show came around in
March, we had already tested Outrage II (in
primer) at Santa Pod on a cold Wednesday
afternoon. It had alerted us to a couple of
minor ‘design faults’ which were put right
before the final paintjob and detailing were
carried out. I had secured a modest
sponsorship deal with URO Automotive who
wanted to promote their new ‘VW Dream
Machine’ franchise network and their logos
had to be incorporated. In the end, I stuck
with my company colours of Silver and Pink
(with a white ‘rip’). Once painted, I airbrushed
the headlights, tail-lights and horn-grilles to
help give the stretched GRP body the look of
a real Beetle.
The car debuted at the Rex Centre and
people seemed genuinely blown away. The
show was awesome, very different to ‘regular’
28 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
VW shows. It was indoors, for a start, very
similar to the old Custom Car shows and the
display vehicles were over three floors. Simon
and Shane at The Paintbox had badgered
their clientelle to bring along their showcars
(a tradition that is carried on to this day) and
by the time all the displays were in place, the
cream of the UK VW world were all present.
‘Home’ built Cal-Lookers, Buggies and Type
Threes rubbed shoulders with ‘Pro’ built Cus-
toms and Buses. The traders supported the
What I actually donated was some tyre
rubber as I beat a hasty exit
show too, with every major, and less major,
name displaying and/or selling at the event.
I remember the show vividly, for many
reasons - seeing all those beautiful cars
in one building, the Can-Can girl dancers,
the ‘Film Studio’ make-up artists putting
bullet-holes and scars on folks’ faces, Keith
Seume’s trophy presentation speach, the
really tall (read: GIANT) VW Dream Girl giving
out the trophies and the snogs and sadly I
remember several cars being broken into in
the streets outside. Luckily my brand new 964
Carrera wasn’t amongst them.
I spent the Saturday night at a central
Birmingham hotel and had dinner as a guest
of URO Automotive boss Tony Cannon. I
had parked my car in a church car park
nearby. When I checked out the following
morning and was loading up my car, I was
approached by the vicar who started ranting
at me for parking there. I mean really ‘losing
it’, I thought he was going to get violent.
Then he suddenly stopped and suggested I
donate some cash to the church fund - very
Christian! What I actually donated was some
tyre rubber as I beat a hasty exit.
Despite the local scallies’ best efforts the
”
show was deemed a success and I even
took home the ‘Best Racecar’ trophy. Brett
Hawksbee had just created his new video
magazine ‘Channel VW’ on VHS and the
cameras were there to record everything for
posterity. Sadly, he only produced two issues
as production costs far outweighed income.
Both issues are now available through Stu
Betty’s ‘Back To ‘89 Nostalgia’ at www.
backto89uknostalgia.com. Well worth a look,
whether you were there, or not. The first time
Outrage II turned a wheel in anger would be
at the VW Spring Championships at Santa
Pod - next issue.
The VolksWorld Show had a year out before
moving to the current venue in 1994.
 LEFT The Montem Sports Centre was fairly quiet
at this point. It had been heaving earlier in the day!
ABOVE A trio of DDK Outlaw Porkers flew in to
blitzkrieg Slough - a surprise which drew a crowd

Autumn VW fair
The end of the year, well for VW events, is heralded annually by the Autumn VW fair in Slough,
Berkshire. The 2005 event was a belter and busy would be a mild way of putting it!
Words & Pics: Steve Walker
utumn VW fair? Or slough also the last opportunity to catch up with literature, toys, period performace parts or

A swapmeet? Which ever way

you address it, the annual parts
gathering at the Montem sports
centre never fails to draw the crowds.
This event signals the drawing to a close
of yet another busy Volkswagen show
season, and perhaps that is one of the
reasons why it remains so popular.
Not only is it the last chance to grab an
elusive part or accessory for your ride, it is
VW friends and acquaintances from far
and wide before winter takes hold, and the
VW show season hibernates until spring-
time. This is not just a swapmeet, it’s a real
social occassion in the scene.
Whether you spent the day chatting,or
like many of us, scouring the tables for
specific parts (You couldn’t help be im-
pressed at the sheer variation and choice
available. Whether you coolect VW related
standard or service parts, there was sure
to be something to make you reach in to
your pocket for your wallet.
Low light Karmann Ghia parts are not
high on the ‘fed up of tripping over’ list,
but I managed to find everything needed
to put life back into a ‘59 currently in my
workshop. And, the best news was that the
parts I took home were all sensibly priced.
Literature fans were spoilt for choice

ABOVE The tailgate on this Split tells you it is a factory VW Ambulance. Car park
trading is not something permitted and spells trouble for the organisers!
RIGHT Kobus Cantraine from Belgium had some really desirable kit on offer

30 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 ABOVE Oval dash grille clock frenzy! RIGHT
Cars that the grilles fit in! BELOW Someone
must be working on a rusty or smashed 356
as several stall holders were displaying
catalogues,documents and manuals that
are amongst the most sought after within
VW circles. A lot of people mention the
bargains they find at slough, and a lot of
those stories get repeated year after year.
This can give the impression the chances
of finding those folklore items for sale are
long gone, but not from what I saw!
Ultra rare wheels, period accesorries to
befit the most pedantic of collectors and
the aforementioned literature, are to be
found alongside the vast array of parts,toys
and memorabilia - in short something for
every one.
The miniutes silence to remember
those lost in the conflicts our country has
been invloved in was again respectfully
honoured by all present, and a poignant
reminder that even a hobby cannot be
taken for granted.
If anyone doubts the diversity of our VW
scene, a quick glance round the car park
at the Montem centre should give a good
indication of health, as the photos show,
VWs of all types and ages rub shoulders
with vintage Porsches, and Customs yet
all display an air of cool often overlooked
at other events. Car park watching also
unveils many differing styles throughout
the vehicles in attendance. This diversity
bodes well for the year ahead, and shows
how creative you all are.
As curtain calls go ,the VW Autumn
Fair is a hard act to follow, from parts, to
catching up with friends or simply checking
out the car park for fresh ideas it is a great
way to spend a Sunday.
ABOVE LEFT Alan Mann replica Mk 1 Escort and Oval racer.
great eye candy! ABOVE Mike Pye was tempted to have a
spend-up on this stand, but was not wealthy enough...
LEFT The Generation Game - Type 2 style!
www.volksworld.com February 2006 31
Green Hearts
Winners of The Best Club at the 2005 VolksWorld Show, The Green Hearts is a hardcore Old School
VW Club
California Look club based on the South Coast of England which lives on a diet of high performance
Words: Ivan McCutcheon and Max Jamieson Pics: Chris Such

he Green Hearts VW Club, or the with fast, clean California Look cars fully the premises of the club’s engine builder,

T JG54 Grünherz was originally

formed in 1996 by a trio of like-
minded friends in the Portsmouth,
Hants area. The three were Pete Roberts,
Tom Silsbury and James De’ath. The
capable of being street driven. Period
performance parts are combined with
modern hi-po motors to give the best
of both worlds. Many of the cars have
evolved over a long period to their current
Pete Roberts. The members always try
to arrive en-masse. Regular gatherings
include monthly meets at the Hampshire
Owners Club at Ruscrete Business Park,
Southampton a short trip to Poole’s own
Green Hearts logo was the insignia of the spec. With the popularity of the mighty ‘Beetles on the quay’, and long trips to test
Staffel 9 Group 3, who were amongst the Weber IDA carb, the practicality of disc and tune days at Santa Pod. They also try
highest scoring flying access in World brakes, drop spindles and narrowed to attend shows including BeachBuggin
War II. Inspiration came from the super beams, club cars are becoming quicker and the Canford/Holton Classics in Poole.
fast Messerschmitts they flew, combined and more drivable at the time. Where You can see The Green Hearts at the
with the incredibly quick and clean cars possible close-ratio gearboxes are fitted VolksWorld Show this April. Where they will
from the Der Kleiner Panzers car club. for traffic light action! be debuting some fighting machines. This
Instead of little tanks, Green Hearts are Meetings and show cruises often start is without a doubt the only club like it in the
low flying fighter aircraft! In 2003 the bulk from the Hilsea workshop of Funkenblitz, U.K. They are on the loud pedal!
of the members joined the ranks thanks
to some subtle recruiting and they now
number around 18 people. The main club
emphasis is on actually driving the cars
and members can be divided into full or
prospect status. To obtain full status the
car must have (or be able to) run a 15.99
or quicker in the 1/4 mile. A prospect is
a member whose car is in progress or
has yet had the chance to run 1/4. After a
short probationary period there is a vote,
currently are 8 members and 8 prospects.
The Green Hearts is currently invite only
membership.
Club rules are in the spirit of the DKP 3,

34 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

Andy Jewell’s ‘63 “Doom
and Gloom”
Andy’s car was featured in VolksWorld
many years ago. He’s owned it for over
ten years and has kept it in top condition
whilst still managing to evolve its look.
Various engines have made way for a hot
1914cc unit, a real Old School ripper with
it’s lairy 125 cam, straight cut gears, IDAs
and 3-inch muffler. A Pro Street 1500 ratio
box allows easily illegal cruising speeds.
With its powder coated black original Sprint
Stars, black T-bars and beard seats this car
is super stealthy. A narrowed 2-inch beam
is the latest addition. It also has an original
EMPI steering wheel, period dash plaque
collection and original EMPI oil sender all of
which make up the club’s ‘staff car’.
and Cal Look rubbers tip a subtle nod to
tyres, he can flex the 1.04/3.88 pro comp
Tim Cooper’s white ‘63 the 70’s. It’ll pull a 14 second quarter.
box on any given occasion. Traction is
“Grand Tourer” ‘Big’ Pete Holloway’s aided by CDS tubing to the frame forks with
With its 2165cc Street Eliminator headed solid mounts and pre-load is helped by
IDF motor, combined with a long ratio white ‘66 Rocket modified handbrake/launch control set up
uprated gearbox, Tim’s car is a real long- A 4-inch narrowed front beam, 6-inch linked to the Mallory ignition. 10.3.1 comp
distance cruiser. Tim attended Das Drag Fuchs gets this ‘66 sitting nicely in the club ratio and a 3-inch muffler keep it thumping!
Day in 2005, a round trip of 1000 miles or line-up. Watch out for it at the next set of
so, then the next weekend did it all again lights when Pete nails the 2332cc it rocks! Neal Anderson’s ‘56 Oval
for SPA. White paintwork, Enkei five, T-bars With a current 1/4 time of 13.0 on M/H
“The Black Bomber”
Another VolksWorld featured car, this RHD
sunroof has roaring IDAs when it rolls.
Sporting polished hex T-bars, Pro Drag box
and 2276cc motor this award winning ‘56
still looks fresh 10 years later. Scratch built
4-inch narrowed beam, 6-inch Fuchs all
round and short axles all help the classic
stance. Interior features stock style retrim,
Berg locker and full Autometer gauge set
up. Konis, AVO coil overs, F&R roll bars155
front and 205/65 tyres, keep it on the
tarmac!

James “Alfie the Monster”

Dore’s Red ‘61 stomper
Starting with a nice original car, James
added a 4-inch narrowed beam (requiring

www.volksworld.com February 2006 35

petrol tank and inner wing mods) CB drop
spindles and a wide 5 disc brake kit. Erco
wheels, 4.5 fronts and 6-inch rears have
a 145 & 205/65 tyre combo. 2109 on the
number plate and in the engine bay too.
041 heads, close ratio box and 48s gath-
ered Alfie a 14.0 on street treads, warmed
up by a Berg shifter mounted line-loc but-
ton. He is the club’s burnout specialist!
Steve “Movie Star”
Mortimer’s ‘54 Cab
Thanks to being on the cover of VolksWorld
Jan 2001 and many magazine features,
Steve’s ex-DKP 54 Oval must be the best
known cab in Cal Look history. Still sitting
pretty (now with a 2-inch narrower beam)
and running hard with the Old School
1835 motor racks up the miles at
European shows like Super VW and DAS
Drag Day, usually at warp speed.
Paul “Scratchy” Tomlin’s
Gulf Blue ‘63
Paul re-built and re-painted his ‘63 himself.
Utilizing a 1.5-narrowed beam/drop
spindles and Ercos Paul won best Cal
Look at Stoner Park 2005. Super straight
36 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
paintwork and an awesome diamond
stitched headliner, with matching platinum
harnesses no doubt helped. Detailed
throughout and blasting a 2276 wedge
port headed IDA motor. This car is the
complete package, even taking him to the
church for his big day.
Simon “Cider” Jones’
metallic grey ‘67
This car will define the term “full-on”. With
a nut and bolt rebuild, up and under Audi
grey paint job and whopping motor. Simon
is looking for a low 12 in 2006. A flange
cranked 2332 with Comp Eliminators, 11.1
and a super short Pro Drag box sit under
the original ‘67 Cab decklid. A 4-inch
narrowed ball joint beam, Porsche pattern
discs will enable Simon to choose between
3 sets of rare original Porsche alloys.
Paul “Hair Bear” Howard
Another ‘63 this time Sea Blue with Flat 4
BRMs and huge Jaycee 51.5 IDAs. They
fuel the 44/37 oval port heads in the 2276
engine. 10.5.1 comp ratio and a 1.14
fourth Pro Drag box will make the drive
from Kettering to Portsmouth.... noisy!
At least it’s comfortable with a stock style
interior, and safe thanks to a Berg locker.
Mark Cross’s Beige Oval
This beautifully restored former Bug-Run
Best of Show winner is soon to be trans-
formed from a stocker to a hot VW JG54
style. Plans include a 2332 CB 2289 (FK87
equivalent) cam, IDAs, Pro Comp box with
a 3.88 R&P for fast street/strip action.
Paula Mooney’s Ghia
This lovely metallic Trout Blue low light
combines stock looks with upgraded me-
chanicals such as the Pro Street box, 2200
motor with 44 carbs and 044 CNC heads.
Being kept rubber mounted, this car with
its 2-inch narrowed beam, discs, 4 and
5.5-inch original sprint stars with real driver.
Alex “67 Mafia” Taylor
Alex found his orginal ‘67 in Austria, added
some classic style in the form of a lowered
stock width beam, anodised and self-
detailed 2 Litre Fuchs. He kept the lovely
stock brown interior, fitted a DDS shifter,
‘67 Cab lid and VDM steering wheel then
drove it straight back over the pond to
DDD 3. Currently this is his daily driver
ABOV Tim Cooper is the first club member to run
Enkei alloys from Flat 4 in Japan. His ‘63 has got
it all going on. A strong runner on the street and
strip - he’s rightly happy with it... For the minute!
LEFT These graphs show exactly what has gone
into each of the club cars

because Alex is busy down at his Defcon
3 workshop in Poole building another ‘67,
this time a no hold tradition Cal Look with a
2276 and Weber 48s on DDS manifolds.
Max “Stance Police”
Jamieson’s trio...
The other Cab is a ‘64 Cal import car. Rake
is achieved with a 2-inch narrowed beam.
Wheels are original Gas Burners mounted
with 145 & 205/70 tyres. Inside there’s a
VDM wheel, Berg locker and black vinyl
seats. Black t-bars, a stainless dual quiet
pack and original hood trim mix well with
the 2110/freeway flyer mechanicals.
His Coral red ‘54 rag was featured in
VolksWorld Sept ‘96. But has changed a
fair bit since! It went to Das Drag Day in
2005 in its new guise. The 1835 now has
a full stainless VW Speed Shop muffler
& header set up and is monitored by
Autometer Ultra-Lite 2 stage rev counter
with matching oil and temp gauges, all
mounted below the dash. With IRS, 4 inch
narrowed ball joint beam, detailed late
Fuchs and roll bars, it really corners!
The Blue ‘63 is a real ripper running a
12.05 in the 1/4 mile. A flange cranked
2332 mega cam and Ultra Mag 44/37
heads with a long valve conversion. Stand
offs help ram air into the IDAs and the
manifolds mix the fuel and nitrous together
with the stainless annular discharge pro-
foggers. Full MSD linking launch and rev
controls, progressive nitrous controller
adds to the wiring. Race axles, braces and
solid mounts get the power down with the
fourth topping out at 8, 000 rpm. Sparse
interior with cage, harnesses and multiple
warning lights all mean business.
Paul “Hebmullered”
Taylor’s Ghia
Although not at the shoot, this low light will
be debuted at Sandown. Original Sprint
Stars, original Empi Eliminator shifter and
a very non-original 2165 lump with FK8
cam! It is running a Peloquin built gearbox.
LEFT Neal Anderson’s ragtop doing the old
booty-la-la on the street. Naughty, naughty,
naughty! BELOW Green Hearts fly-past alert!
BELOW LEFT Paula’s Ghia at Funkenblitz
Unwelded and proud, this Ghia is highly
detailed underneath - but OG on top.
Joe “Patient” Patel
Another Portsmouth regular Joe’s late
model Ghia is a ground up rebuilt car 2332
power again, this one cammed by an 86b,
44 IDFs and a 0.89 rancho box which will
probably snap the speedo needle clean
off! Joe was sadly not at the photoshoot.
Chris Lincoln
Prospective member Chris recently bought
his restored Beryl Green ‘63 and has big
plans. Original Gas Burners, a narrow
beam and discs will do nicely! A 2276 and
close ratio gearbox are already built and
once fitted should see Chris getting to
grips with some serious horsepower.
Thanks to Pete Roberts,
Max Jamieson and the Green
Hearts members
www.volksworld.com February 2006 37
Double
Back

38 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

The Type 3 Squareback was a great car for
the VW fan who needed a bit more space
than the VW Beetle offered. In fact, make
that a lot more space, as the Squareback
has a front luggage area under the bonnet
and a huge carrying area in the back. This
doesn’t mean a Square has to be square!
Words: Ivan McCutcheon Pics: Tony Butler

he stars of this feature are the cars as they

T are both great lookers. However as the

owners of the cars are well known in the UK
VW world, they take equal ‘top billing’ on
this feature. Brian Burrows the owner of the
Resto Cal styled ‘69 Squareback is the most prolific
event organiser in the U.K., and one of VolksWorld’s
monthly columnists. The California Look ‘62 Square-
back belongs to Paul Medhurst, a man who has been
at the helm of the leading Type 3 specialists in the U.K.
for over 10 years now. We’d hazard a guess and say if
there’s a Type 3 in this country that hasn’t been fitted
with a replacement part of some description or other
from T3D, then it’s in the minority.
Between them Brian and Paul have owned a lot of
VWs, well into three figures. Many of the cars have been
VolksWorld feature cars, award winners and, inspira-
tional in their time. Brian and Paul worked together on a
number of projects. I suppose the easiest way of putting
it is that Paul has the job of making Brian’s ideas come
to life. As ‘project manager’ Paul has built a multi-award
winning Resto Cal Notchback for Brian and what rates
as the most full-on Type 3 built in Europe, the Volk-
sWorld Show ‘Best of Show’ winning Porsche powered
Squareback. Paul also managed the build of Brian’s
21 window Samba featured last year, and it was at the
photoshoot for this that this story began. Paul and Brian

www.volksworld.com February 2006 39


LEFT Red basket weave vinyl interior seat covers
with matching door panels from T3D look superb
against the pearl white paintwork. Steering wheel
is by Speedwell
BELOW LEFT 1776 twin carb motor by GWAL
were chatting away in the studio about
a customer’s car Paul was working on.
It was a Squareback and Paul had a few
photos on a digital camera that he showed
Brian. I overheard Brian say to Paul ‘Build
me one like that and you can have the
Square’ and thought that perhaps I had
missed a vital piece of the conversation.
Thinking this I said ‘What did you just say?’
before I got a reply Paul had agreed to
the deal with Brian. The deal was to supply
a completed Resto Cal Squareback on
Fuchs alloys at the 2005 VolksWorld Show,
it’d be white with a red interior and have a
1776cc motor. Paul would get the Porsche
powered Squareback which had taken
40 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
Best of Show. I was concerned, had Brian
totally lost the plot? I wondered! I didn’t
think it was my place to spell things out, for
one Paul would be having what can only
be classed as the deal of his life and from
where I was standing, Brian would be get-
ting the shitty end of the stick! Brian later
explained his feelings out to me by saying
he wanted a car he could jump in a drive,
not have to worry about too much and not
have to spend a week cleaning after an
hour’s driving. Fair enough, I suppose.
I probably spent the next hour wishing
I had a nice Resto Square in my garage I
could swap with Brian, sadly I didn’t!
So, now we know a bit of the back-
ground and that Paul kept his side of the
deal. He built the car in just ten weeks from
start to finish. The first hurdle was to find
a good base car - Brian had stipulated it
had to be a good car; he wasn’t accepting
any crap.
Paul knew of a 1969 Squareback, which
had been fully restored in 1997 by ex-Type
3 Detectives employee, Soft Alan, or Alan
Clarke, as his family know him. The car
was painted Porsche blood orange and
had been imported from California by Paul
for Alan. He did the full restoration whilst
working at T3D in the late 90’s. He sold the
car on in 2001 and from what Paul tells us
it sat neglected for the next five years. This
was the best base car candidate, as, in
basic terms, it just needed stripping down,
painting and reassembly.
Work on the car had to be completed
very quickly to meet the deadline, so Paul,
Andy and Alex at T3D really steamed into
it. The car was stripped to a bare floorpan,
which was sandblasted, and then painted.
The ‘pan was then built up with restored
or new components. The suspension was
lowered by three inner splines at front and
one inner spline at the rear. The shocks are
KYB front and rear. Paul fitted Porsche pat-
tern VW discs at the front and a Porsche
pattern CB performance rear disc brake
kit at the rear. The brake lines were all re-
placed too. Well, you would wouldn’t you?
The wheels are original Porsche six by
fifteen Fuchs fully restored and anodised ABOVE The interior was
by Diamond Styling. They’re fitted with trimmed by VolksWagen.
145/65x15 and 165x15 tyres. That’s right, the seats
The drive train includes a stock IRS Type and panels are the
3 gearbox that has been detailed and fitted originals from 1962! Cool
with a new nosecone. Andy Marriott of or what?
GWAL VW performance engines built the
new engine. It’s a 1776cc engine based RIGHT The ‘62 runs a
around a Scat 69mm crankshaft. The rebuilt 1493cc single
crankcase was drilled and tapped for full- carb motor, Paul plans to
flow oiling. Internals include balanced VW fit a Gene Berg Mustard
311B connecting rods, an Engle 110 cam- Cutting kit soon...
shaft, a lightened flywheel and uprated oil
pump. The twin port cylinder heads were it was fitted with one of the T3D Danish taste. The bodywork had to be stripped
ported and polished by Andy to give the made stock style Type 3 mufflers. down to a bare shell and repainted in VW
engine a little more grunt. The heads were The bodywork was in good shape, but Pearl white, this work being done by the
fitted with Custom & Speed Parts mani- one of the front wings still needed to be T3D’s own body and paint guru, Terry from
folds on top of which you’ll find a pair of replaced. Paul wasn’t about to cut any Bury. When the paintwork was dry and the
40mm Weber IDF carbs and Bugpack air corners, so he fitted a New Old Stock wing body and chassis were back together the
filters. This package is produces around from his stockpile. The only change on rebuild could really start. The car is painted
80bhp. The engine was fully detailed to the bodywork was to fit an earlier tailgate, to show standard throughout, under the
show standards and to finish things off; and this was purely down to personal bonnet, inside the wings and in the engine

www.volksworld.com February 2006 41

ABOVE Note: fuel filler door in the front wing.
This Squareback is loaded with goodies.
BELOW Under the front of Brian’s ‘69. Is it clean
enough for you?
42 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
bay, so care had to be taken not to chip
any of the paintwork during the rebuild.
Paul also fitted clear front indicator lenses,
all red flat rear lenses, front and rear gravel
guards, the side trim, re-chromed bumpers
and a wood slat roof rack.
The interior was completely re-trimmed
by Paul Medhurst. He fitted red basket
weave vinyl seat covers a full set of car-
pets, a new headliner, the works. The red
interior works very well with the white ex-
terior paintwork; it’s a classic combo! The
rest of the interior includes an Alpine CD
and cassette player, an original Speedwell
steering wheel from the 60s. The ‘wheel
was fitting on by using a new Flat 4 boss.
The restored car was ready in time for
the 2005 VolksWorld Show and looked so
good we decided to invite Brian to display
it on the VolksWorld Stand. Needless to
say it went down very well with the visitors.
Back to Square Two
Paul Medhurst’s own Squareback is based
on a very original and clean 1962 1500
model. He told us ‘We imported the rust
free car from Norway, did a full mechani-
cal rebuild, lowered the car and fitted
Porsche Fuchs wheels before selling the
car to Simon Ghoulsden from Tamworth
in Staffordshire. Simon drove the car for a
few months before getting it painted by a
local paint and body shop and refitting the
car with a package of new parts supplied
by us. He then sold the car back to us
in October ‘05. We changed the wheels,
lowered it some more and did some minor
detail work mainly to the engine bay.’ The
engine department was fairly easy to work
on mainly due to the fact the engine had
blown an oil seal and had to be taken out
and rebuilt, again by Andy Marriott. This
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 L e t h a l
Inje c tio n
46 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

A project VW seemed like the
perfect way for a dad to spend
some quality time with his
son, but little did either of them
know what they were getting
themselves into, or just how far
they would end up going with it
Words: Mike Pye Pics: Kiki de Bois
ver the years we’ve lost
O track of the number of
people who have asked
us what it is about VWs or
asked why and how we
got into them in the first place. Of course
everyone has their own reasons but, for
those of us in the scene of, er, more ma-
ture persuasion, one of the main answers
is because they were available, affordable
and were a car you could work on yourself.
Not many kids at my school had VWs,
but a lot of people liked them and the
attraction was more than just their cute
looks. That attraction is infectious, too, a
fact that’s backed up by father and son
Leyder and Chris Ness from Glendale,
Arizona. Leyder’s wife Marty had always
driven VWs and even though Leyder was a
V8 guy through and through (who
currently crews for a nitro burning fuel
altered dragster), she slowly but surely
started to work her VW mojo on him.
Leyder never did get round to building
that hot yank for himself and when their
son Chris turned driving age, a perfect
opportunity for a bit of father / son bonding
presented itself. Everyone needs a project
in their lives and what better project than
an old VW that the boys could get their
hands dirty on in the garage together? Like
so many kids these days Chris was taken
in by the massive front-wheel drive tuner
www.volksworld.com February 2006 47
scene and yearned for a go-faster Honda,
so Leyder had to act fast. As luck would
have it, just around the corner from where
they lived was a driving but unloved ‘62
Beetle for sale at the right money.
Once they had the car home, the excite-
ment of the project that lay ahead really
kicked in, and during conversations with
friends, offers of help and previously
“
unknown skills started
coming out of the wood-
work. One friend in par-
It’s in the induction department that
ticular, Jeremy Jacobson, this car really breaks from the norm
would prove to be a real
gold mine as he’d been into VWs for years
and his dad had bought out a couple of
old VW dealerships in the past, complete
with all their NOS parts - some of which
found themselves onto the Ness ‘62.
Leyder is clearly an organised kind
of guy and so approached the project
sensibly and methodically, stripping the
car down to every last nut and bolt and
cataloguing everything as they went
48 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
along - a great idea if, like us, you have
a memory like a special needs goldfish.
The duo then split into the body and paint
team and the mechanical team, dad
Leyder captaining the latter. What Leyder
didn’t realise when he got into the project
was that his then business partner, Randy
Asheim, had done a bit of bodywork in
the past so he took Chris under his wing
and got him started on bare metalling the
body. Randy then blew off his old spray
gun and laid some Zolotone stone chip on
the under bonnet area and the engine bay,
as well as on the underside of the pan,
after new pan halves were installed. He
drew the line at doing the finish paintwork
though and so the team drafted in a local
crash repair specialist in nearby Phoenix to
lay on the Dodge Intense Metallic Blue.
While this was all being taken care of,
Leyder was busy fitting up the freshly
painted floorpan. Knowing that this was
a car his son was going to be spending
plenty of time behind the wheel of, he
didn’t take any chances when it came
to the basic mechanical components.
Where they could be bought new they
were, where NOS pars were available, they
were fitted, plus a few extra
tweaks were included to
bring the 44-year old design
”
up to date.
The one thing that had
put Chris off VWs in the first place was
how slow they were compared to the tuner
cars, but the sight of a few full tilt California
Look Beetles running in the Renn Kafer
Cup at the local shows convinced him
things didn’t have to be that way.
With plans formulating for a seriously
hot motor, the undercarriage had to be
up to the task of handling it. To this end,
a new, adjustable and narrowed king and

ABOVE Wheels are now standard repro BRMs,
here with 145 Nankang and 205/70 Yokohamas
LEFT Kurt Kniggle (great name!) came up with a
load of NOS parts and an Oval decklid for the ‘62
BELOW Unusually for a car destined for some
strip action there’s also a top quality stereo inside
link pin beam went on, equipped with
dropped spindles, CB Performance wide 5
disc brakes, stainless brake lines through-
out and all new steering and damping
equipment. At the back end things get a
bit more serious. A strong Rancho Pro
Comp street gearbox with a 4.12 ring and
pinion, super diff, welded third and fourth
and steel shift forks transmits the power
through Sway-A-Way race axles and is
held in place by a custom made interme-
diate mount, padded transaxle straps and
heavy duty rubber gearbox mounts. Sway-
A-Way spring plates replace the standard
VW items and a pair of desirable Type 3
rear drum brakes add a bit of useful extra
beef in the stopping department.
With all this work gone into the chassis,
it was only right that the engine get just as
much attention. And they sure didn’t skimp
on this area, no siree. Starting with a new,
Rimco machined AS41 case, Dan Lawson
at Competition Engineering in Tempe,
Arizona started to assemble a killer long
block, based around a CB 82mm forged
crank, 94mm Mahle barrels and pistons
and CB 5.5-inch rods. For the mathemati-
cally challenged, this little lot adds up to
a not inconsiderable 2276cc. While a big
capacity VW motor will give you plenty
of grunt, if you want to make serious top
end power you gotta get good heads, too.
CB 044 Magnums have been doing good
work for a while now and they get even
better when given a thorough port and
polish job. In this case, it was Mike Fischer,
also of Competition Engineering, that
wielded the die grinder, opening up the
combustion chambers to CE’s stage three
spec and making sure all the combustion
chambers were a nice, even 60cc hemi
cut. 44 and 37.5mm Manley stainless steel
valves are opened and shut by a combina-
tion of Pauter Machine’s 1.5:1 billet roller
rockers and a Web Cam 86A camshaft.
Up until now the engine spec is pretty
much what we’ve come to expect from the
latest generation California Lookers but it’s
in the induction department that this motor
www.volksworld.com February 2006 49

really breaks from the norm and when you
hear the estimated power output, it might
make you think differently about search-
ing out that pair of 48IDA dinosaurs. The
nature of the beast meant it was always
going to be a development process that
started out with a single, two-inch throttle
body. Engine builder Dan Lawson fabbed
up the intake manifold, plumbed in the fuel
delivery system and set up the Competition
Engineering MEFI-3 ECU. Ably assisted by
a full complement of MSD ignition prod-
ucts, the engine made a solid 190bhp at
6500rpm, but this was just the beginning...
What started out on the route to being
a pretty standard California Look Bug has
evolved into something very special indeed
and the family Ness have now become
regular competitors in the American
Renn-Kafer Cup show ‘n’ go series (see
www.bugin.com) and, in their first year,
took a very creditable fourth place overall.
Together with Mike Fischer at Competition
Engineering the engine has been
constantly developing, with three different
throttle bodies tried up to a huge 1050cfm
billet version. Still not enough, these were
then swapped out for a pair of dual port 48
throttle bodies, machined out to 51.5mm.
These draw air through siamesed IDA
stacks, smoothed into the throttle bodies
for cleaner airflow. A step up to a MEFI-4
ECU and a few dyno pulls to optimise the
fuel and ignition settings saw the already
impressive figures rise to a massive
219bhp at the rear wheels, with 180ft.lbs of
torque to back it up.
With the new ECU the laptop can be
RIGHT The road to the current injection set-up
started with this single throttle body on a custom
fabbed manifold. Flow just wasn’t enough though
50 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
ABOVE In this spec with dual 51.5mm throttle
bodies the engine makes 219bhp at the back
wheels - enough for mid 12s. A change of gear
ratios should see this drop deeper into the 12s
plugged in at the track and the settings
optimised to the conditions. Best time so
far is 12.59 at 109.85mph.
However, with street cars both in the
USA and here in Europe now regularly
running down into the 10s, we’ll wait to
see how long Leyder and Chris are happy
with this kind of performance. Judging by
the way the car has progressed so far, we
don’t think it will be long before they’re
aiming for the 11s, then after that the 10s.
The question is though, how much does
Chris get to drive ‘his’ car any more?
Tech spec:
Fuel injected 2276cc motor
Rimco AS41 case - shuffle pinned, welded behind no.3
cylinder, full flow oiling
82mm forged CB crank
94 Mahle barrels and pistons
Total Seal rings
CB 5.5-inch I-beam rods
Web Cam 86A camshaft (.502in lift, 290O duration)
CE straight cut cam gear
CB 044 Magnum heads, ported and polished
Manley 44mm intake and 37.5mm exhaust s/s valves
What is Der Renn-Kafer Cup?
Now in its fourth year, Der Renn-Kafer
Cup is an American VW drag racing class
run at several of the West Coast events.
It was conceived to add a new attraction
to the VW drag racing schedule - one that
spectators can more easily relate to - and
to answer the age-old question, “ does she
run as good as she looks?”
All the cars in the Der Renn-Kafer Cup
are full-on show cars which score 85 or
better out of 100 in the show ‘n’ shine and
should run at least in the 13s. The current
points leaders usually score in the high 90s
and run in the high 11s. All cars must be
fully street legal and have current registra-
tion and insurance certificates. They must
also pass a rigid safety inspection.
The DRKC class is for old school Cal
Look-style VWs (their words, not ours!).
Engines must be normally aspirated and
VW cased. Nitrous is not allowed. Each
entry gets two or three passes and the
best two ETs are averaged. These are
amalgamated with the show judging points
to produce a set of results based half on
looks and half on speed.
Deano dual valve springs, titanuium retainers, Pauter
Machine 1.5:1 roller rockers
9.0:1 compresion ratio
Competition Engineering 48mm throttle bodies, bored to
51.5mm
CE MEFI-4 engine management
Bosch fuel injectors
MSD 6AL ignition module, billet distributor, coil and plug
leads
1 7/8-inch Bugpack merged header with 2 1/4-inch
Flowmaster muffler
12.5lb lightened flywheel
Kennedy 1700lb clutch and CE clutch disc
Extras: Puma doghouse fan shroud (now 30-horse instead),
Rev Master h/d oil pump, deep sump, copper head
gaskets, auxilliary remote oil cooler and filter, welded and
balanced fan,
Power: 219bhp (at the wheels!)
Torque: 180ft.lbs
Gearbox: Rancho Pro Comp swing axle street gearbox
3.78 1st, 2.062nd, 1.48 3rd, 1.14 4th
4.12:1 ring and pinion,
Super diff
Welded third and fourth
Steel shift forks
Heavy duty side plate
Sway-A-Way race axles
 VolksWorld’s Peter Noad looks back at the very popular choice of steed
for the Irish rally driver, the Volkswagen Beetle

Rally Around
ABOVE Kevin Sherry in action. He won the Irish
Driving Tests Championship twice and was a
class winner on the RAC Rally in ‘59. Don’t try
this in Tesco’s carpark. (Photo by Brian Foley).
The Volkswagen Beetle proved to be a very competent rally car thanks to its rear engine, rear
wheel drive format, as this gave excellent traction. This was proven time and again in Ireland.
riting about Robert McBurney Sevens, and Hillman Minxes, most of In 1951, an Irish businessman, Stephen

W for last month’s Retro got me

thinking about the early history
of VWs in Irish motorsport. If
you were reading VolksWorld in the year
2000, you might remember my story about
which were extinct by the time the Beetle
still had another 15 million to go.
I can’t personally remember the early
fifties, but my love of VWs in motorsport
and all things Irish (actually, that’s a lie
O’Flaherty, started importing VWs and
then he formed a company to assemble
VWs in Dublin. VWs quickly became very
popular In Ireland; they were well suited to
the rough Irish roads, most of which were
Paddy Hopkirk driving Vee Dubs in the ‘cos I don’t like Guinness) led me to trawl steep and slippery, and Volkswagens were
1950s. Paddy (who went on to win the through archives and do a ton of research reliable. A car had to do what a donkey
Monte Carlo rally in a Mini Cooper) was in order to trace some of the first-ever could do (but faster) and a car that broke
the most famous, but he was not the first appearances of VWs in trails and rallies. down or got stuck on a muddy hill was as
of the Irish VW rally drivers, and he did not
stay with VW for very long.
We are going back to 1951-pre rock ‘n’
roll, pre LP records (they only had easily
breakable 78s then), pre TV (ok, I believe it
had been invented but hardly anybody had
it), pre jeans (unless you were a working
cowboy), pre burgers, pre drink-drive laws,
pre motorways, pre practically everything
we recognise today except, of course, the
good ol’ Beetle. Other cars around at the
time were upright Ford Anglia’s, Austin

RIGHT Kevin Sherry was Ireland’s top VW driver

in the mid-50s; winner of the Donegal Rally, the
Circuit of Clare, the Circuit of Munster, and the
big one, the international Circuit of Ireland, all in
1200 Beetles. (Photo courtesy of K. Sherry).

52 February 2006 www.volksworld.com


useless as a dead donkey. When other
cars did their impression of a dead donkey,
the VW kept going.
Saloon cars were not much used in
motorsport at that time. Most competitors
used open sports cars and specials, like
MGs, Dellows, Morgans, Allards, HRGs
and Singers. When you think about it,
motor ‘sport’ must have been invented
for sports cars (or was it the other way
round?) and ‘sport’ normally meant being
outdoors-getting cold, wet and muddy
was all part of sport. Sports cars were, by
definition, open-top two seaters.
Sports cars did not have roofs. They
didn’t have heaters, either, except for
the heat generated by the exhaust and
gearbox, which could be felt through the
gaps in the floor. The best way of keeping
warm (so I’m told) was to keep a flask of
brandy in your pocket. Sports car drivers
wore sheepskin jackets, leather gloves,
and hats that covered their ears. The
Beetle must have changed the whole way
of life for the motorsport competitor in
1951.
Joe O’Mahoney (don’t you just love
these Irish names!) became a Volkswagen
dealer in Cork in Southern Ireland. He
drove a Beetle in the Munster trial in 1951
and won an award. This is one of the first
appearances of a Beetle in motorsport
outside Germany that I can trace.
O’Mahoney went on to win the Munster
Trial outright in1953. In 1952, Brendan
O’Hara and Michael O’Flaherty (Stephen’s
son) both drove Volkswagens on the circuit
of Ireland rally.
Within a few years, VW Beetle was
winning big time in rallies in Ireland. T.P.
O’Connell won the Irish Motor Racing
Club’s 900-mile rally outright in his VW
in 1956. T.P. also scored outright wins on
RIGHT Was this the first-ever VW Buggy? This
artist’s impression shows the trials special with
Alf Potter built in Ireland in 1952, based on a
shortened VW chassis. (Drawing by Melodie
Nightingale, based on archive images).
events such as Irish experts Trial and the
Circuit of Munster. In 1959, Kevin Sherry
won the International Circuit of Ireland
Rally outright in his Beetle, beating the
factory team of Triumph sports cars, with
Joe O’Mahoney in second place and third,
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh places all
being taken by more VWs. Declan O’Leary,
who had also won a lot of rallies in Ireland,
brought his VW over for the RAC rally in
1956 and won the 1300 cc touring car
“
Kevin Sherry beat the factory team of
Triumph in outright 1959
class. He was eighth overall, out of 213
entries, and the cars ahead of the VW
included an Aston Martin, two Jaguars, a
2-litre Morgan, and a works-entered Austin
A90 with a 2.6-litre Austin Healey 100
engine.
Do you know that the VW Buggy was
invented in Ireland? Alf Potter built a trials
special in 1952 that was based on a
shortened VW chassis. It had no doors or
bonnet; there was a sloping metal panel
beneath the steering column, ending at
the torsion bar tubes, which covered the
LEFT Noel Gleeson competed in trials in Ireland
in 1951 in this chopped open top beetle. Good
all-round vision was essential on tests that
involved stopping and starting from marked lines,
tight turns around cones, and reversing. (Draw-
ing by Melodie Nightingale).
driver’s feet. There was a box-like bit of
bodywork behind the seat that enclosed
the engine and (presumably) the fuel tank.
I assume it had a VW engine although the
rear wheels didn’t look like VW wheels.
Even before Potter’s Buggy, a certain
Noel Gleeson did a tin-opener job to make
an open-top Beetle, which he drove on the
Irish Inter-Club (that was South v North)
Trial in 1951. The car was cut right down
to the waistline with no windscreen frame
(just a couple plastic aero screens) and a
tonneau cover over the rear seat space.
Did he chop the roof off a new car?
It was only 1951 and the car was right-
hand drive. Was it a car that had been in
a rollover crash, perhaps? It is clear from
the photo that the paint was two-tone, with
just the wings a dark colour and the rest,
including the bonnet, a light colour.
I can appreciate Gleeson’s reason for
wanting an open-top VW. It wasn’t just to
”
prove he was a macho sports car driver
who enjoyed being cold, wet and muddy.
For the sort of tests that were the basis of
trials and rallies in Ireland at the time, you
need good all-round vision, particularly
when reversing, which was not the Vee
Dub’s best feature, especially during the
split-window era. Less weight was also an
advantage. Combining the sports car’s
advantages with the VW’s traction, rough
road capability and reliability certainly
seemed like a idea, even if it did mean you
had to wear gloves and a silly hat.
www.volksworld.com February 2006 53

Photos : Coachbuilt VW Club, Phil Weiner, Carlo Bosch, and sources
On 30 July ‘63 saw the introduction of the 1963 year model VW.
The same day saw the introduction of the new 200mm clutch unit.
Bodywork.
The first change was the introduction of the
new Type 3 Karmann-Ghia sunroof model,
[Type 345]. This model began from 13 July
from chassis 0 050 282.
Now follows the improvements from 30
July for the 1963 year model vehicles.
The rear window of the Karmann Cab-
riolet was enlarged by 30%. On the same
day from chassis the sliding roof handle
on Beetle sun-roof models was now flat-
ter and came with a hinge, also the door
window guide channel was now made of
plastic replacing the woollen material.
On all Type 1 models new thicker Bitu-
men insulation was added to the chassis
floors. Models involved are as follows:-
Type 113, 114, 117, 118, 151, and 152.
The Type 2 models had the following
improvements. From chassis 971 550 the
spare wheel recess in the front partition
was now deeper. Also the drivers seat was
now separate replacing the bench seat
setup. Another Type 2 improvement was
made to the wheel arches. Both front and
rear arches were enlarged, also the rear
arches were now provided with a rib for
extra strength. As for the Type 2 model
Pick-ups, the spare wheel now came with a
bracket in a locker under the rear platform.
For the first time a new VW badge was
introduced with the word; Volkswagen.
From 1 August new paintwork colours
were introduced for the Karmann-Ghia
RIGHT This happy couple have just purchased
their brand new 1962 Type 3 1500cc Notchback
saloon. Note the lady is being given flowers
54 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
VolksWorld’s Bob Shaill looks at changes in 1963
unknown.
models. Four new colours were on offer;
Polar blue, Terra brown, Manila yellow, and
Emerald green. The colours still avail-
able where; Black, Pearl white, Ruby red,
Anthracite grey, Sea blue, and Pacific blue.
Paprika red, Lavender, Pampas green, and
Sierra beige were discontinued.
On 7 August from Type 3 chassis 0 070
533 the left and right water drainers pipes
for the steel sliding roof were shortened.
Later on the 13 August Birch green was
introduced for the Type 3 models.
From 24 August further Type 3 improve-
ments were made. Records show from
chassis 0 064 317 the dash ventilation
mounting point for the fresh air box was re-
positioned, also a two piece fresh air flaps
were included. On 24 August from chassis
0 066 012 the Type 3 body to chassis fixing
bolts on the rear cross member were now
screwed in from outside the vehicle.
On 20 September from chassis 0 087
LEFT The reg number of this Beetle will appeal to
any enthusiast. Sadly, the whereabouts of it are
unknown. Rust looks as though it has taken hold
of the Pearl white paintwork.
078 the door vent window frame and wind
up window was repositioned by 2mm
towards the rear, also the window glass
was now 2mm shorter.
Engine.
The following engine improvements
involved all ‘63 model VWs produced from
30 July. Records show the first engine
involved for the Type 1 and Type 2 1192cc
34bhp engine from number 6 916 251.
From chassis 4 846 836 [Type 1] and
from chassis 970 990 [ Type 2 ], the oil
cooler now had a metal perforated plate
welded to the fan side of the cooler. Also
the intake manifold was improved with
a larger pre-heating pipe. The diameter
on the connecting flange at the cylinder
head was now 27mm. Formerly 25mm
diameter. The cylinder head intake port
was also enlarged to suit with the same
diameter of 27mm. The engine fanhousing
was improved with a modified shape that
increased the cooling air throughput. The
outside diameter of the sealing area was
increased from 32mm to 34mm.
The clutch plate on the Type 2 and 3
models was also improved. A new 200mm
heat resistant pressure springs clutch was
fitted from chassis 971 532, with engine 6
908 640 [Type 2], also from chassis 0 064
916, with engine 0 066 740 [Type 3].
Improvements continued for Type 3 from
chassis 0 066 740, with engine 0 065 746
the exhaust valves head was increased
from 31mm to 32mm. Also a new valve for
the regulation of the flow of the pre-heated
air was introduced. The compression ratio
was increased from 7,2 to 7,8.
There were many fuel system improve-
ments for the Type 3. The first was a
sensitive accelerator that was made
 LEFT This Swedish owned Single cab pick-up
looks to be very sound. It’s a shame someone
has nicked the metal front panel VW logo.
ABOVE This 6-volt RPM dial is not considered
to be a hot item for your average 1200 Beetle,
but some enthusiasts would fit one just for fun.

through modifications sq.cs, to 880 sq.cs.

to the accelerator lever, and the lever on
the operating shaft. The 32 PHN carburet-
tor had the following improvements; the
power fuel operation at the throttle valve
now had an angle of 35 to 39 degrees,
replacing the 55 to 60 degrees angle. The
pump spacer washer was now discontin-
ued. The plunger for the pump diaphragm
now came with a longer point. The amount
injected by the accelerator pump was now
1.35 + 0.15 cc/stroke. This replaced the
0.9 to 1.2 cc/stoke.
The gasket under the sealing plate in
the carb cover was now a cutaway gasket,
also the pilot airbleed drilling was now
1.3mm diameter. Formerly 1.2mm.
Gearbox and rear axle.
There were no note worthy improvements
to the front axle and steering on any of the
1963
production VWs. However as for the rear
axle and gearbox the following improve-
ments were untaken. On 1 August a new
transmission case was introduced to
accept the new and larger 200mm clutch.
Records show the following vehicles were
involved; chassis 973 736 [Type 2] with
gearbox 5 060 639. The Type 1 and Type
3 models began the following day from
chassis 4 847 970 [Type 1], with gearbox
5 087 355 and chassis 0 065 567 [Type 3]
with gearbox 0 066 926.
From 14 September new Type 3 rear
wheel suspension auxiliary springs were
on offer with the accessory code M-267.
From 16 August the Type 3 oil seal for
the main drive shaft was improved with
a Neoprene oil seal that was coloured
black. This seal replaced the rubber seal
coloured blue and brown. The first vehicle
involved was chassis 0 074 533, with gear-
The brake fluid reservoir now had a
screw top, replacing the rubber stopper.
This began from Type 3 with chassis 0 086
122 from 10 September. The same change
was past over to the Type 2 range eight
days later starting from chassis 4 978 442.
Another interesting point from the records,
show on 14 September the Type 3 models
were now fitted with 6.00 x 15 6 PR tyres,
replacing the 6.00 x 15 size tyres. [VW
M267].
Electrical system.
The first electrical change involved the
Type 343 from chassis 0 050 139. On 12
July the indicator switch mounting now
had rubber packing with two lips also a
mounting plate was cemented on. All VW
6-volt flasher units were now secured by
built in tapping screw. This began from
30 July from chassis 4 846 836 [Type 1],

Chassis numbers Type 1. box 0 075 050. chassis 971 662 [Type 2], and the follow-
July 4 835 210 - 4 854 999 On 21 August the Type 3 rear axle shaft ing day from chassis 0 067 350 Type 3.
August 4 855 000 - 4 932 385 and brake drums were improved. From On 30 July the Beetle windscreen plastic
Sept 4 932 386 - 5 007 072 chassis 0 076 300 [311], and from chassis washer tubing was replaced with the
0 077 047 [361], the pilot of the rear axle Pioneer tubing. This began from chassis 4
Chassis numbers Type 2. shaft hub of the brake drum was length- 846 836 and was past over to the Type 2
July 969 409 - 978 018 ened by 16mm. range on 8 Oct from chassis 099 411.
August 978 019 - 989 985
The hub also had a new oil thrower, An important item for all early Type 3
Sept 989 986 - 1 004 496
replacing the oil deflector. The rear wheel owners. From 1 August the ignition timing
bearing cover and brake back plate had a was changed from 10 degrees before
Chassis numbers Type 3.
July 0 063 405 - 0 068 303
hole for the oil drain. A welded seam was TDC, to 12.5 degrees TDC. However, it
August 0 068 304 - 0 081 998 added at the junction of the reinforcement was reverted back to the 10 degrees
Sept 0 081 999 - 0 094 813 of the brake back plate. before TDC on 11th September from
chassis 0 084 752 with engine 0 087 417.
Engine numbers Type 1 [ 30 bhp] Brake system. The former setting of 12.5 degrees must
July 3 942 539 - 3 942 914 There were three brake improvements have been problematic?
August 3 942 915 - 3 944 599 within this period, the first took place on 14 On 17 September from Type 1 chas-
Sept 3 944 600 - 3 946 175 Aug and involved the Type 2 vehicles from sis 4 981 020, with engine 3 945 210 the
chassis 980 721. Their brake linings were vacuum pipe from distributor to carburettor
Engine numbers Type 1 [34bhp] changed from the Jurid type 828 and K3 was lengthened from 310mm to 375mm.
July 6 904 002 - 6 935 203 to, again by Jurid (Code 120). Finally, the accessory reversing light
August 6 935 204 - 7 032 385
The next change involved the Type 3 had the automatic switch fitted to the
Sept 7 032 386 - 7 116 931
range from chassis 0 076 300. From 21 gearshift rod. This was now replaced with
August the rear brake shoes brake lining an automatic barrel switch fitted between
Engine numbers Type 3. [1500cc]
July 0 068 070 - 0 072 164
surface was widened from 40mm to 45mm the speedometer and speedometer cable.
August 0 072 164 - 0 085 054 wide. For the record, the effective brake This changed began on 27 September.
Sept 0 085 055 - 0 098 085 lining surface was increased from 830 This VW accessory was made by either

www.volksworld.com February 2006 55

www.volksworld.com
W i s e u p
Words: Ivan McCutcheon Pics: Chris Taylor
W
hen you spend a little
time checking a restored
Volkswagen out you
either come away
wondering how you could
possibly build a car to such a high quality,
or feel that it was a good effort, but sadly
fell at the final hurdle. This car would come
under the first of these categories, as it
is truly stunning in every single area. The
deeper you go, the better it gets.
However, before we go any further we
have to set the record straight - this car
was bought, not built. Whilst to some the
very thought of buying someone else’s
car is ridiculous, to others it makes perfect
sense. For a start you don’t have to do
the dirty work, spend a couple of years
of your life on the project before you can
get your backside trackside, or spend a
small fortune along the way. That’s the
plus points covered. The minus points are
that you don’t have the same relationship
with your car, it’s never really ‘your’ car
apart from in the legal sense, as
you haven’t been together
throughout the build.
You’ve not
60 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
planted the seeds, nurtured them and
watched them grow. You’ve just turned up
at harvest time and got the goods.
This all makes perfect sense until
someone tells you that if you are shrewd
you can buy a car like this one for peanuts!
Then all that old codswallop goes straight
out of the window and you start thinking
what a brilliant way of getting what you
want without all the hassle! Adam Wise
from Farnham, Surrey, who I make no
bones about knowing very well, did exactly
what I’ve just mentioned. He spotted this
amazingly good Oval on the website www.
thesamba.com for $13500 and after
reading the spec and looking at
the photographs he realised
it worked out to less than
£8000, and more to
the point he couldn’t
build the engine
and gearbox
The car you see here
is the winner of Best
California Look VW at
the 2004 VolksWorld
Show and Best Type 1
at the 2005 Show. To win
at Sandown Park a car
needs to be something
special, this 1957 Oval is!
for that money in this country. Two and two
being four, there’s no prizes for guessing
he bought it. By the time the car was back
in the U.K. it still didn’t owe him £9000 all
in. From where we’re sitting this has to rate
as a once in a lifetime result. To build a car
like this here would easily cost twice that,
in fact, probably a fair bit more.
The weird thing is Adam bought the
car from another old friend of mine, who
is now happily married with children
and lives in San Diego, California rather
than Surrey. The man in question is Pip
RIGHT This ‘57 shows that you can have the best elements
of Vintage and high performance Volkswagens. That engine is
stunning, isn’t it? BOTTOM There’s no doubt this Oval is built
properly, every area screams one word. The word is quality

Hancox and has been into VWs since

the early 80’s. He is more famous in the
music industry for being the lead singer of
a band called The Guana Batz (see www.
guanabatz.com for more.). It’s a small
world, isn’t it? Anyway, Pip had bought
the car from the guy who originally built
it, a guy called Bill Frost from Las Vegas.
Bill had built the car to compete in a new
drag race series for high quality street
VWs, Der Renn Kafer Cup. The series
went on to become one of the highlights
of the West Coast VW events and has
seen some truly amazing VWs compete.
The car that Bill built has to rate as one of
the best ‘Old School’ California Look cars
built to date. The thing about this car that
really strikes you is that it is easily as good
as any standard restoration to original
specification. The interior is absolutely
stunning - if it wasn’t for the rev counter and
gear shifter, it’d be stock. But in the same
breath stock to the highest standards!
The wool-cloth headliner, carpets,
mats, and paint, are all perfect.
Then there’s that Petri Banjo
steering wheel with Greek
lady horn push, lush!
The exterior body
and trim is just the
same, and so the
story continues un-
der the front lid it’s

www.volksworld.com February 2006 61

ABOVE We tried to show you as much of the
interior as possible - note the parcel net above
the windscreen. BELOW Hardcore!
stock and to the highest standards. The
colour scheme is without a doubt the best
of them all VW Polar Silver with a red inte-
rior - we need say noth-
“
ing more, oh except that Without the hi-po element this Oval
we should mention the
paintwork was done by would probably win a stock concours
Carlos Brajas. If Bill had
not added the high performance element
of the project, this could have easily been
a pipe-and-slippers concours car, and one
which would win its class, too. The thing
is though, he did add the hi-po side to the
project, and that’s when it became one of
the best all-round VWs you could wish
to see. The engine is a supreme-
ly detailed 2276cc unit.
It’s based on AS21
VW crankcase
62 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
that has been full-flowed, welded behind
number three cylinder and shuffled pinned.
The crank is a forged CB performance
82mm with Porsche journals. The con-
necting rods are from a Porsche 912 and
have been balanced along with the pistons
which are 94mm. The camshaft is an Engle
FK10 and features straight cut cam gears.
From what Adam has been informed the
heads are CB Performance Street Elimina-
tors which have been ported and polished
and are fitted with stainless steel valves -
42mm x 37mm. The top end also features
CB forged high ratio rockers and match
ported manifolds that are home to a pair of
Weber 44IDF carbs.
The engine is kept alive by a Gene Berg
30mm oil pump, super-sized oil capacity
is thanks to a 1.5 quart Gene Berg deep
sump. The cooling system is enhanced
with an external Mesa
cooler and features a Gene
”
Berg welded and balanced
fan - a must for a high-rev-
ving engine. The ignition set
up is a full MSD 6AL control box with Soft
Touch rev control, MSD Billet distributor,
Blaster 2 coil and Super Conductor spark
plug leads. Something not often seen in
the UK is the BMD Santana serpentine
pulley kit, although you can buy them here
now from VW Heriatge Part Centre.
Since buying the car Adam has changed
the muffler to a top of the range stainless
steel turbo unit from A1 stainless muffler
in Santa Ana, California. This came
 LEFT Today we will be looking through the pop-out window. We had
to use this pic as it’s just that little bit out of the ordinary
ABOVE Petri steering wheel with ‘Greek lady’ horn push... Ooh yeah!

from UK agent, Bernard Newbury. It has
to be said, having checked it out in detail,
you can see why these systems are rated
as the best you can get. The A1 muffler is
bolted to a ceramic-coated Phoenix 1 5/8
merged header.
Looking underneath the car the level of
quality is very high indeed, a testament
to the hard work Bill Frost invested in
the build. The underside of the engine is
spotless; work your way forward and you’ll
come to a very well detailed swing axle
transmission, cradled into the chassis with
all the right hardware. What you can’t see
is what’s inside and that’s a Super Beetle
main shaft, welded 3rd and 4th gears, a
super diff and aluminium side cover.
The attention to detail continues
through to the suspension, which includes
upgraded Koni shocks at the rear. The
brakes are CB Performance Porsche pat-
tern discs front and rear. The front end has
been changed since the car has been in
the U.K. Adam wanted to change the fully
detailed Fuchs alloy wheels that came
on the car to fully detailed Porsche Gas
Burners. The Gas Burners were stripped
back, painted and polished by Biagio
Chrzanowski in Rushden, Northants.
Anyway, Adam wanted the new wheels to
sit nicely inside the arches so contacted
Colin Tidman who makes scratch built
narrowed front beams from CDS tubing
with built-in adjusters. The beams feature
unique 10mm thick laser cut shock towers
which run ball joint shock absorbers and,
in the case of the one on this car, give
a three and a half inch narrower track.
Have a good look at this product www.
deluxemotorwerks.co.uk, I think you’ll be
impressed. For our readers with a rubber
fetish the tyres are Michellin 145 XZX on
the front and 205/70 Bridgestone Duelers
on the rear wheels.
The only other additions Adam has
made to date are a original Bug In dash
plaque and the New Old Stock ‘Keep On
Buggin’ licence plate frame with a display
number plate which reads 1957. Mind you
when a car is as close to perfection as
this Oval, it’s hard to make it much better.
There’s no doubt this car was a wise buy,
but considering Adam’s surname is Wise
what do you expect?

Tech spec:
2276cc IDA motor
AS21 case - full flow, shuffle pinned, welded
82mm CB Performance forged and counter-
weighted crank
94mm Cima barrels and pistons
Porsche 912 connecting rods
Engle FK10 camshaft (.536in lift and 306º
duration)
CB Performance Street Eliminator cylinder heads,
ported and polished, 42mm intake / 37.5mm
stainless exhaust valves
Compression ratio 8.5:1
Twin 44IDF Weber carbs
MSD 6AL ignition control box, billet distributor,
blaster coil
1 5/8-inch Pheonix merged header with stainless
steel A1 muffler
Extras: Gene Berg 30mm oil pump, doghouse
cooler, BMD Santana serpentine pulley kit (www.
bmdpulleys.com), Gene Berg welded and bal-
anced fan, Berg one and a half quart deep sump.
Colour coded Polar Silver tinware

www.volksworld.com February 2006 63

 VolksWorld’s Bob Shaill looks at the extremely rare wartime Kdf Beetle based on
the Kübelwagen chassis, the Type 82E

Photos : Bruce Braun

A truly rare vintage

This highly collectable Type 82E is one of three KdF-Wagens delivered to Hermann Goring’s offices in
Berlin during the second World War. That it survives to this day is a truly amazing feat
ruce Braun is my American cor- shall, Commander in Chief of the German Air ABOVE This is probably the only surviving

B respondent for the Coachbuilt

VW Club. Bruce has been a long
standing VW enthusiast, and owns
several early Coachbuilt and military VWs.
Here is a story about just one of his vehicles.
Force, the Luftwaffa, and the second most
powerful leader of Nazi Germany. Goring
committed suicide in his jail cell prior to
being sentenced as a war criminal during the
Nuremberg Trials.
KdF-Wagen delivered to the offices of Hermann
Goring in Berlin. The chromed items would not
have been originally fitted.

Austrian KdF Beetle expert, Dieter Krebernik

In November 2002, Bruce received an The initial asking price for the car and to Kübelwagen/Schwimmwagen expert,
email from British VW collector and friend, precluded him from making a deal. However, Dave Compton. Bruce spoke regularly with
Richard Cotton. Richard had received an he continued to investigate a possible future friends, like Jon Lane, Richard Cotton, and
unsolicited email from the headmaster of a purchase and sent pictures of the car to Simon Mitchell about possible stigmas
school in Zurich Switzerland who offered to
sell him a 1944 Beetle. Richard declined the
offer, but forwarded the message to Bruce.
Bruce immediately contacted the seller and
requested pictures and chassis number.
The pictures were poor because the car was
stored in a dark, dingy underground garage.
Bruce promptly ordered a birth certificate
from Stiftung Auto Museum, who confirmed
this Beetle, largely original and unrestored,
is one of three Type 82E Beetles built for
the office of Hermann Wilhelm Goring. It is
very unlikely Goring ever sat in this particular
Beetle as he was large man and preferred to
be chauffeur driven in Mercedes limousines.
Hermann Goring was a German Field Mar-

64 February 2006 www.volksworld.com


associated with owning a Nazi Beetle. Their
positive opinion helped solidify his desire
to own the car. When the opportunity was
right to make the buyer an offer, he sold his
valued 1956 Porsche Speedster and agreed
to buy the Beetle in Zurich.
In late February 2003, the car arrived
at Bruce’s home in Kansas City aboard a
twenty-foot cargo container. After unloading
and a thorough cleaning in the light of day,
he inspected the car very carefully. The body
was solid for a Beetle of its age but was
rusted inside the driver-side heater channel
and door corners. Regardless of the condi-
tion, it is very rare to find a complete KdF
Beetle with mostly original parts. The exterior
paint was a quick and dirty re-spray, but the
luggage and engine compartment appeared
to be original paint. The longer Bruce looked
at this rare Beetle in his garage, the more he
appreciated his investment.
Bruce’s next priority was to get the car
running and driving. The original engine and
tin-ware was removed. The tin-ware was
sand-blasted and painted by LPF
Automotive in Kansas City. Vee Village
Service Bruce’s VW engine builder in Kansas
City, recommended he should not seperate
the engine case. Instead, he filled with case
with solvents and let it soak to insure that the
oil sludge was dissolved.
Afterwards, he purged the oil passage-
ways with compressed air and solvents.
Bruce’s friend and factory-trained VW me-
chanic, David Miller, helped rebuild the car-
LEFT The interior seating and
panelling is interesting, but not
original. This black vinyl was
added much later in its life. Note
the cog wheel logo horn button
in the centre of the steering
wheel. A very nice item!
BELOW The original engine
doing what it does best,
running like a well oiled sewing
machine. Note the engine has
been tidied up, and painted,
but the engine bay remains
unrestored. Also note the
original, and very rare long
armed per-heat tube manifold
and the raised HT coil lead
distributor cap.
burettor, distributor and fuel pump. Together,
they installed the freshly painted tin-ware and
components, started and tuned the engine. It
ran very well and showed acceptable piston
compression. He let the car sit a few months
while Bruce contemplated his next move.
Later, it was decided not to restore his
82E. The original W.W. 2 patina was too
valuable to destroy.
According to papers, faxes and emails
Bruce received from Jacky Morel, publisher
of French magazine, Super VW, his Type
82E was reported stolen and driver killed in
1944 by the French Resistance near Arc de
Triomphe [Paris], near where Goring kept
an International business office. According
to French records it was first registered as
a civilian vehicle in Paris 1946. Bruce has
often wondered if the first registered owner,
a Roger Georges Schamel, was the same
person who had stolen the car less than two
years earlier. Bruce later heard that Schamel ABOVE The original round KdF-Wagen petrol
died in 1991. This car, discovered in his ga- tank, held in place buy two straps. Also note the
rage, and had been auctioned off as a 1946 engine starting handle, and could that be tucked
Beetle. It turned out to be far more than that! away in small bag a wooden petrol gauge stick?
www.volksworld.com February 2006 65
 Rikki James – Resident Bus specialist and
SSVC Special Display Organiser

The SSVC meet at The Ace Café was busy from the word go!
This year even saw some French traders selling parts. The
surrounding streets were lined with Volkswagens!

SSVC’s Swap Meet

s it me or has this show season just The gates officially open at 10:00 am their sponsorship of the event and to the Ace

I flown buy! The reason I say this is

because I generally consider the end
of the season with this swap meet. The
however I arrived just before 9:00 and the car
park was nearly full already, by 10:00 am the
Café for hosting it. Also congratulations to
Ed Skellett, Paul Patina and Gareth Jones on

“
European (White socks and Birkenstocks)
VW shows seem like they were only By 10.00am the car park was totally rammed.

yesterday but in reality I guess it is mid
winter. As they say, ‘how time fly’s when
you’re having fun’.
Anyway moving swiftly on the Split Screen
Van Club’s Autumn Swap Meet, held at the
Ace Café, London was blessed with the
weather and as you can see from the photo’s
it was very well attended.
If you want to trade at this event arrive early!
car park was totally rammed with a lot of not
so happy punters trading in the street! Moral
of the story, arrive early if you want to trade in
the car park at this event.
Special thanks to Karmann Konnection for
”
winning ‘the peoples choice’ trophies that we
gave out that day.
See you at the next Split Screen Van Club’s
Swap Meet, again held at the Ace Café in the
spring of 2006.
Richard King of Karmann Konnection
sponsored the event and presented
the ‘peoples choice’ awards. Two
DJs played funky house tunes all day
long. In all, it was a great day out

68 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Sponsored by:

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Special winter discounts are now being offered by VW Camper Curtains, so check out the company’s
website or feel free to call for samples.

Cool Air Bus Station

Cool Air have not only opened it’s brand new Showroom but they have
just secured a deal to buy ‘The Bus Station’ parts business. Mark
at the Bus Station is going to still keep the business name and the
VolksWorld
website as he is going to continue his vehicle sales from it, but they are Camper & Bus 3
no longer going to be selling the parts. Cool Air has now bought the We have great news for fans of our sister mag Volk-
rights to all the great products that Bus Station has been selling for the sWorld Camper & Bus. Issue 3 is set to be published
past four years. Parts include beams, brake disc conversion kits, spring on the 2 February 2006 and will become a bi-monthly
plates, dropped spindles, doors, deck lids, heated front screens and a magazine. This issue is packed full of news and prod-
whole load more. ucts, history on various
The new showroom is located at Unit 6, Bilton Road, Erith, Kent, models and a
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www.volksworld.com February 2006 69

 As the Cows looked on wondering what the hell we
were doing outside their barn we begun our photo
shoot and found out the story of how Rob Hogg
restored this gorgeous ‘67 Westy.
Words: Jon Gilbert Pics: Zoë Harrison

very now and then you come across a true car fanatic.

E You know the type, enthusiastic, knows his or hers stuff,

does all the work themselves, has owned umpteen
vehicles and generally loves playing around behind
the steering wheel. I guess we are all like that to some
degree, or you wouldn’t be reading this and I wouldn’t be writing it.
Rob Hogg, however, is one of those guys who fit all of the above
perfectly. Being a main dealer VW mechanic, it’s no surprise that he
knows the ins and outs of cars and that he owns a VW himself. His
fanaticism didn’t begin with Volkswagen though; his story started
with Mini’s. Not just one or two, oh no. We are talking in the region of
18 of the nimble little cars! ‘I had every model including a Cooper S
which won in concourse a few times. My first Mini came when I was
16 and I paid £600 for it” explained Rob.
‘Eventually the speeding points began to tot up so I sold the
Cooper and bought a 1200cc Cal Look ‘65 Bug. I slammed it and
put in a psychedelic interior - it was wicked!’ And thus the VW
infection spread through Rob’s veins and there was no turning back.
‘My friend Chris Yates and I went on to build a super cool ‘73

72 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Sponsored by:

www.volksworld.com February 2006 73

Cal Look for my ex-girlfriend. It was yellow
with white sides and very low. She showed
it at Bug Jam when I finished it. Then came
a ‘58 Bug with a 1776cc engine and then
a ‘72 Bay Window Bus. I didn’t finish that
one though as I went off snowboarding
to the Alps and didn’t come back for five
years. Well I did come back now and then
to see my parents and to go
“ A bungee strap was holding
to Bug Jam’.
In June 2001 Rob finally
found himself behind the wheel the clutch pedal up
of this 1967 Westfalia SO42
(read Pop-top Camper with rear roof rack,
awning, electric hook up and walk through
interior). It wasn’t in the best condition as
you are about to find out but seeing as
Rob was on a budget and just wanted
to drive it he didn’t really mind. Rob
continued the story. ‘You could see the
sky through the roof and the road through
the floor. A bungee strap was holding the
clutch pedal up and there was another one
to slip over the gear stick when you shifted
into fourth to prevent it popping back out.
I drove it like that for a year. It may have
74 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
been a wreck but it was certainly cool!’
‘The plan was to just tart it up a little bit
and use it, but you know how it is, these
things always end up undergoing a full
resto with lots of shinny bits.’
Chris and Rob decided that the Bus was
in need of some lovin’ so they rented out a
garage and started to tackle the bodywork.
”
‘We changed all the jacking points, cross
members, front cab steps, inner and
outer sills and the front lower panels’, Rob
continued, ‘we then made a start on the
front window area. Only 3-inches of the
split section was there so we opted to
make a new one and weld it in. Once in
place we repaired all around the window
apertures before moving our attention
to the roof. The front section had been
silicone sealed to the screen area and the
vents were sitting about an inch off centre.
We took out all the filler and found a part
of the roof that had been welded in. We
cut that out and welded everything back
in properly. It was a complete nightmare.
Next up we re-built all the missing roof
gutter sections before making a start on
straightening the panels’. Apparently this
was quite a strenuous task Rob informed
us ‘There was no need to go to the gym.
Just get a piece of 2x3 and try
flatting the side of a Bus’. They
also replaced the doors, tailgate,
engine lid and one cargo door.
These were rust free items
sourced from California but still needed
work to get the dents out.
Finally satisfied with their achievements
the guys proceeded to lay on three coats
of 2K primer before putting on the final
colour choice, all 14 litres of it, in a make-
shift spray booth consisting of a shed and
plastic sheets. Rob won’t tell us its actual
colour as he keeps it secret. He did tell us
it was by Masons though. Apparently the
most asked question he gets approached
with at shows is about the colour, but still
he doesn’t let on. The final coat has never

been flatted or mopped but still looks fan-
tastic for a gun finish. Rob refers to Chris’
as a genius when it comes to his spraying
skills and we would have to agree.
Inside the Camper, Rob has retained
the original Westfalia conversion. ‘It’s in
excellent condition’ put Rob, ‘the only bit
missing was the buddy seat and front
seats. My mate Neil bought a Westy and
had an unwanted buddy seat cover. I had
that off him and made a seat. The front
ones are from a Bay Window, which I think
look OK; I couldn’t find some walk through
Split ones at the right price; the cheapest
being £600!’
A friend of Robs, known as Noza the
Carpet King, tiled the floor in the Camper.
He is apparently a god when it comes to
things like this and since finishing Robs
floor he has had a lot of orders from his
mates. ‘There’s now a lot of tiled floor
Splitties cruising around Brum now thanks
to Noza’ said Rob.
You will also find some entertainment in
the Van in the form of a Sony CD head unit
feeding two Kenwood speakers in the front
Sponsored by:
cab and two JVC speakers in boxes under
the rock and roll bed. Rob also installed
a split charger and spare battery in the
engine bay. ‘It’s for those late night parties
at shows’ said a Rob, ‘this Van has seen
plenty of them’.
In the engine department the Bus runs
a 1600cc with twin Kadrons ‘for a bit more
umpf up hills’ pointed out Rob. He had put
1600 barrels, pistons and heads on so he
could use these carbs. He made his own
exhaust so it didn’t knock the rear bumper.
Handling wise Rob says the Van has a
really nice ride. It runs a cut and turned
front beam with KYB shocks all round. Rob
also put in Creative Engineering chassis
legs with ‘68 Bay arms, hubs and drums
and lowered the rear by two splines. The
Van has a nice stance and sits well on the
EMPI 5-spokes. These came with the Van
ABOVE & BELOW Custom tiled floor works well
but were painted white wearing 145/15
and has become a hit with Split owners in Brum
rubber on the front and 195/65/15 on the
rear. Rob was quick to paint the EMPIs to
his taste as a quick fix but ultimately he is
going to put a set of Rader wheels on the
Westy. Rob also rebuilt the steering box
BELOW The original Westfalia interior is in very
good conition; in fact is hardly looks used
www.volksworld.com February 2006 75
 ABOVE A nice stock 1600cc engine with twin
40mm Kadron Carb’s for that bit of extra grunt
and put on a new steering damper, ‘It feels
loads better for it now’ Rob elucidated.
Drum brakes are still used all round, SSP
front discs are on the cards though, and all
the brake lines were replaced.
Rob has created a lovely Camper
and has spent a lot of time using it for
camping trips and shows but it seems
that his favourite part of Bus ownership
would be the parties he has in it. ‘I would
76 February 2006 www.volksworld.com
like to thank all those people who have
partied in my Bus till dawn. We’ve had
some mad ones; these Buses are serious
party wagons. While I’m thanking people,
I would like to thank Chris for his help
and hard graft, Noza for the floor, Hugh
for renting me the garage and lastly a big
thanks to the transit van full of girls who
flashed their headlamps (that’s putting
it nicely) at me on the M5 last summer. I
nearly fell out of the Safari’s’.
The Westy has now been sold and has
started a new life in Hertfordshire.
 What we’ve been up to in the workshop this month

Steve Goslin
g
Car: 64 Sq
uare
Jobs this mon
th:
Fit second
han
take squar d engine,
ef
new clutch or MOT, fit
cable and
light switch fix

ith the Squareback in almost

W one piece the hunt was on for

a good cheep second hand
Type 3 engine.
I phoned everyone I knew who might
have something suitable kicking around
Now I must have had my lucky pants ABOVE Back on the road after almost 2
years. And what a joy it is. The best driving
on that day because the gland nut I had
and came up with nothing, so I hit the Volkswagen ever? I’d have to agree
just snapped off in my new engine simply
Internet. Finally coming good on the
unwound with my fingers! There’s an I’ve daily driven it for a couple of weeks
Type 3/4 owners club forum (http://www.
important lesson here, buy the right tools (how good is the heating in a Type 3?!!)
vwtype3and4club.org.uk/forum/). Mike
for the job; we’ve now invested in a proper and even managed to get it to the first
Dempster owner of a cool white and Nutria
torque multiplier. show since I’ve owned it, the VW Autumn
brown Notch had a late 1600 engine that
With the engine in and running sweetly Fair in Slough.
was almost complete and the asking price?
I might add, it was time to think about the The only problems I’ve had so far are a
A very reasonable £120. Can’t say fairer
MoT. Now lets face it no one likes taking snapped clutch cable (thanks T3D 01638
than that. So a quick trip to Toddington
their car for an MoT, but she passed with 743211) and a self-destructing light switch
services on the M1 to pick the engine up
nothing but a note to put a nut on the that I repaired. Future plans included
and I was a very happy boy.
bottom of one of the front shocks, don’t getting a couple of bits of paint work done
Once back in the garage, everything
know where that went! and just drive the thing whenever I can.
seemed to check out ok, I needed to swap
Since then I’ve used the Square a lot, Type 3’s are the future! Heat on tap and a
the 12-Volt flywheel for the 6-Volt one off
the original engine, install a generator and ride that doesn’t break your back. I must
swap the carbs for the 34mm Delortos I be getting old, as that’s what the older Vee
had. Easy I hear you say. Well no. Dubbers used to say to me!
While switching the flywheels I managed
to snap the gland nut in half! Now, I’m only a
little lad, but even 10 stone, when
hanging off an 8-foot scaffold bar exerts a
lot of force. End result, me on the floor in
pain while Mike Pye and mate Darren looked
on in shocked and amused amazement.
ABOVE Fiddly? I don’t
know what you’re talking
about. New clutch cable
is not a five minute job.
Left Second-hand engine
seems to be a good’un
ABOVE Snapped
gland nut! I didn’t
realise i was that
strong. Or was it
the 8 foot scaffold
bar i was using?
LEFT Second-
hand engine was
bought off the Type
3/4 owners club
website for £120
almost complete.
result!

80 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Matt Keene takes us on Things to d
a guided tour inside the o
strip down
bowels of a hot IDA motor vintage mo
tor
lurking ben
Words and pics: Matt eath work
bench...

Anatomy of a hot
Cal Look motor
As this month’s issue is a Cal Look special we thought you might like to see a timewarp motor that
has been stashed beneath a work bench for a decade or two. Matt takes on a nostalgia trip

1970s Performance Package

During the seventies the VW performance industry mushroomed
as the humble flat four became notorious on the drag strips of
Southern California. The likes of Gene Berg, Dean Lowry, Scat
Enterprises, Fleming, Aronson and Thurber (FAT Performance)
were already well established in the business of supplying per-
formance products for a power-hungry following of Volkswagen
enthusiasts. Early performance equipment consisted of simple
bolt-on goodies such as carburettors, high-ratio rockers shafts
and extractor exhausts, but within a very short period of time the
aftermarket boomed and it was soon possible to purchase just
about everything from a performance camshaft to exotica such
as a brand new three piece crankcase. The sound of howling 48
IDAs was to become ubiquitous on the the streets of So-Cal.
Typical hot motors of the era, and certainly those belonging
to the high profile club members of the time, are conservative
in terms of cubic capacity when juxtaposed to today’s bunch of
raceway refugees. In the ‘day’ an 88x82 mm motor (1994cc) was
considered to be the hot ticket and a 2180cc motor (92x82mm)
was pretty much the business. Naturally, these motors would be
crowned with Webers, with 42 DCNFs and 48 IDAs pretty much
standard issue. Greg Aronson’s 1963 ragtop, the car that was to
become synonymous with the phrase ‘Cal Look’, sported at its
peak an 88x78mm IDA motor (1897cc) capable of propelling it
The Main Ingredients down the quarter mile in 12.73 seconds!
All in all when you consider that this happened thirty years
The motor featured in our little tech tour is one that came with a
ago it is quite an achievement, as a twelve second quarter mile
car that I purchased a while back. The Bug had been built in the
is a feat not to be sniffed at even by today’s standards.
1980’s and was sadly never finished by its owner. The engine
had been purchased second hand from the United States and
was a refugee from the 1970s, albeit with the odd spice of 1980s
upgrades such as the Gene Berg pulley and Mallory distributor.
However, the main components such as the crankcase,
crankshaft, cylinder heads and carburettors are the real deal
and are in remarkably good condition. The plan is to build it up
again as a genuine, authentic Cal Look era motor and run it in a
hot street Bug.
Starting at the bottom we have a standard magnesium VW
crankcase that has been machine clearanced for the long throw
of the 82mm stroke SPG roller bearing crankshaft. Nestling
next to the crank is a long duration/highlift camshaft that to this
day is still a mystery as to who manufactured it. Bolt up rocker
shafts were hot property thirty years ago, as indeed they are
today, and these sport a ratio of 1.25:1. Cylinder heads are
worked aftermarket castings based on the original VW design,
but lack any identifying numbers or letters. They sport a heavy
fly-cut, mild porting and 42x35.5mm inlet and exhaust valves,
respectively. Lastly, genuine Italian IDA carburettors.

84 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

 Sponsored by Big Boys Toys www.bigboystoys-uk.com Tel: 0845 2300101

Weber IDA Carburettors

The Weber IDA carburettor was originally developed for the
V8 race cars of the 1960’s such as the Ford GT40 (48 IDA)
and the Porsche Carrera 2 liter Four Cam motor (46 IDA).
Incredibly successful as an out and out race carb, the IDA
carburetor soon found its way onto the Volkswagen flat
four motor. Being a racing carb, it lacks a sophisticated
progression circuit but who cares when you are blasting up
to 8,000 RPM? After all, it ticks over nicely and screams all
the way up to the redline so that will be quarter mile racing,
then! Weber Italy stopped making this beauty over twenty
years ago, but reincarnations from Weber of Spain have
been re-popped over the years. Today’s nostalgia fans love
to see the words ‘Made in Italy’ cast onto the bodies of their
induction systems so genuine Italian carbs will always be
in demand for those seriously into their cars. Manifolds are
readily available today, but genuine 1970’s items have been
commanding good prices lately. Purple DDS? Yes please!

Cylinder Heads
The cylinder heads featured here are reworked stock type castings.
Aftermarket heads such as 044 heads were a long way off in the
future when these were ‘tickled’ so it was either stock type or
hugely expensive exotica. Sporting 42x35.5mm valves, they were
pretty much state of the art back then for a stock type head. A
modest flow and porting job has been carried out by someone well
in the know as the ports mike up spot on when compared to one
another. Who the head porter was is a mystery, but it’s nice to think
that maybe some legend from back in the day such as Fumio
Fukaya might have had a hand in there somewhere. Notice the
heavy fly-cutting for extra compression and the modified combus-
tion chamber work. Stainless steel Manley valves are present and
they’re held in shape by dual valve springs and chromoly retainers.

Port and Chamber work

The secret to high flowing heads lies in the ability of the
head porter to really know his onions. Massive ports are
not always the key to power as they can in fact reduce
flow if incorrectly hogged out. Ultimate flow is the ability
of the incoming gases to actually accelerate through the
ports and if a port is too large at critical points the air and
fuel mixture will slow down as it tries to navigate ungainly
42x35.5 stainless valves
ported canals. The heads on this motor are indeed con-
reside in these ancient
servative by modern standards, but a lot of care has been
heads, which have been
taken to make the port as efficient as possible, without
flycut for a high C.R.
resorting to drastic port shapes and expensive welding.

Gas flowing heads is not always ‘bigger Combustion chambers have been re- The exhaust ports have been opened up
equals better’. A good deal of time has worked to unshroud valves and head has nicely to increase flow. The radius beneath
been spent by somebody in the know been flycut to increase the compression the valve seat has a beautiful flow path

www.volksworld.com Febraury 2006 85

 Cams and Rockers
The name Engle has been around for almost as long as the word Volkswagen and is
probably the most reputed of all cam makers for the flat four. The camshaft on this engine
is a bit of a mystery as numerous internet searches and chats to those in the know have
drawn a blank. Notice how the cam is machined between
the lobes to remove all of the casting marks. A nice blue-
printing touch! Also, the camshaft has been notched to
clearance it against the throw of the crankshaft and conrods.
The rocker gear is made by Autocraft and is perhaps of
1980s vintage. Sporting a ratio of 1.25:1 and swivel feet, it
appears to be in very serviceable condition. The pushrods
are naturally chromoly. A nice little rocker package.

82mm SPG Roller Bearing Crankshaft

The heart of this motor and perhaps its single most interesting asset is the SPG
roller bearing crankshaft. A true piece of 1970s memorabilia, this German made
crankshaft cost an arm and a leg back then. The crank features full-circle webs that
are pressed together under enormous pressure. Check out the locating dowels or
pins (arrowed) in the picture below. These are essentially what hold the crankshaft
together due to their tight press fit. Also, check out the roller bearings on the
connecting rods and notice how the rods are one piece with no end cap. They
are assembled onto each crank web prior to the separate pieces being pressed
together. Not an easy task to replace! The roller bearings have no individual oil feed
and are splash fed by modified bearings such as these below. Notice the grooves
ground into the bearings to direct jets of oils somewhere in the region of the rollers.

Barrels and Pistons

Nowadays we tend to steer away from 92mm barrels and pistons because
of a lot of old Wives’ tales about 92mm barrels being to thin and prone to
warping. True, they are thinner wall than 90.5mm items and even most 94mm
barrels, but, treated with care and respect, there is no reason why they can’t
give good mileage. You probably wouldn’t want to fit them into your heavily
laden Type 2 with stock oil cooling (probably the single greatest reason why
92’s got a bad name), but for a hi-po street motor in a Bug, they are just fine.
The barrels and pistons pictured here are in good condition and have been
balanced to within one gram of each other. Notice the numbering to keep each
piston to its respective bore. Very important when re-using pistons and barrels.

Ancillaries
The name Gene Berg is synonymous with performance air cooled VWs
so you probably wont be surprised to see a Berg pulley being used
on this motor. Not an original 1970s item, but it is only a decade or so
younger. Still, a top quality pulley that will be reused. On the right we
have a Mallory distributor, probably also of 1980s vintage. Still running
points and condenser just like back in the day.

86 February 2006 www.volksworld.com

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4 Both grommets will need to be pushed fully

home to ensure that they wont pop back
out again. A firm hand push is necessary
5
With both grommets fully home, pour a little
brake fluid down each grommet to help the
reservoir slip into grommets
6
Your new reservoir is a dual circuit jobbie
that has two chambers within, feeding fluid
to front and rear brakes, respectively

7 Push the reservoir firmly home and ensure

that it’s seated correctly. Rubber can be a
little tricky to seat so take your time
8 You will need to jack up and support the
front of your Bus. Rember to use at least
two axle stands. A jack can fail, so beware!
9 The first task is to disconnect the brake
pipes. Soak them in WD40 first to ensure
that they free off easily. All pipes are reused

Don’t forget to remove your brake light Undo the two securing bolts. Replace Removing the master cylinder is a
10 sender switch from your old master
cylinder. This needs to be fitted to new item
11 them if they are corroded as they are
very important. You don’t want them failing!
12 simple task. Be ready for a little grime
and possible brake fluid spillage. Yuck!

With the pushrod freed off, remove it Refit the pushrod and ensure that it
13 You need to free of the pushrod in order
for it to adjust correctly against the new
master cylinder. Undo with spanner and grips
14 and coat the threaded part of it with
anti-seize grease such as copper slip
15 rotates freely along the full length of its
thread. It may get a little tight so use grips

www.volksworld.com February 2006 91

16 Offer up the new master cylinder and reservoir combo and
make sure you fit the supplied aluminum spacer ring 17 Losely fit the nuts and bolts that attach the master cylinder to the
chassis bracket. Losely attach all brake pipes. Don’t tighten yet

18 Only once all brake pipes are hand tight on the new master
cylinder should you tighten the securing bolts. 19 The new master cylinder requires the pushrod to have 1mm of
freeplay. This meant that I had to cut a little off of my pushrod

20 Naturally, I reground the ball type taper back onto the end of
the pushrod. You may not need to shorten yours, but I did 21 With the master cylinde tightened up on the chassis tighten all
of your brake pipes with an 11mm spanner. Don’t over tighten!

22 The correct placing of the brake light switch is shown here. It

has a taper thread which is self sealing. Reconnect wires 23 Naturally, the brakes will need a full bleeding. Start at the
wheel furthest away from master cylinder. Enjoy safer brakes!

92 February 2006 www.volksworld.com