Sounds like the kind of guy that would ride his gold wing to a hard core biker bar. Then go inside and tell every one how great it is. And then complain about his hospital stay. If you know its fire keep your ass out of it.
Tell your buddy with the '56 Panel to head over to www.thesamba.com and he will find that type of car to his heart's content. If he has the urge to cut on it (I wouldn't suggest it, to the V********n world it's like chopping an all-steel '32 Vicky low mile original car). If he wants to see what can be done with the lowly Bug, have him head over to www.volksrods.com, www.socalook.com and www.vwstreetrods.com -- You'll find those cars with early Ford front ends, extended wheelbase a la Fiat Altereds, fenderless Highboy Roadsters, all made from a um, er, "non-traditional" body and frame. I'm building one myself, right now, with the Magnum 5-inch drop I-beam axle, Posie's Super Slider spring, hairpin radius rods, early Ford wires (17x3 front, 16x5 back) with Coker wide whites.The engine will put around 150 horsepower to the rear wheels, naturally aspirated with no turbo/N20 or any of that, and the car will weigh around 1,400 pounds... do the math It's Ryan's sandbox, and if he doesn't want non-traditional stuff on here, hey, it's his forum, so his rules. I am a V********n guy all the way, through and through, hell, I work for a magazine that does nothing but air-cooled V*******ns, but I still don't post much about them unless I see someone looking for a Bus steering column or something. I am here to "lurk and learn"-- PM me and I'll give you a list of websites that cater to that car that will boggle your mind.
This does bring up and interesting question, though- How about Anglia/Austin A40 Gassers? How about Austin Bantam/Fiat Topolino Altereds? A/C Cobras? Sunbeam Tigers? Where do these fit in? They aren't American-Made bodies, they were made in England and Italy, but they have American iron in them.. Not trying to stir the pot, just wondering where to draw the line... Sorry if this has been asked before.
Gassers and altereds are one thing, but cobras and such are another. I dont think its where its made is as big a deal as to what it was made for and when.
[ QUOTE ] How about Anglia/Austin A40 Gassers? How about Austin Bantam/Fiat Topolino Altereds? A/C Cobras? Sunbeam Tigers? [/ QUOTE ] Obviously these car have history in the rod custom or racing traditions that fit in the HAMB. VW? Little to none, sorry I would also say that I do like some of the bugs being built. Like the ones with axles - pu beds - chopped - KH wheels....................................
Yeah, I am the guilty party here. I understand that a vw is not a "traditional" hot rod, and I was not looking for technical help in any shape or form. I was just trying to share what I have found, obviously some people cannot handle that. I realize that I am still fairly new to this place, yet like chopped50 said "guess you have to be a veteran to get respect around here". I think that it is rather ironic that other foreign stuff can be posted and receive high praise. Like I said though, my intention was not for tech advice, or trying to waste space on here or anything of the sort. I was just trying to show what I had, and that is all. But as with everything else, life does go on. Oh well I guess there will always be one or two people with some sort of affliction against vw's. And if I pissed anyone off, well I guess there will be no apologies from me.
I think if the guy was just saying that he loves rods and coustoms but can only do up his vw and is proud of what he did, let him post. How many pic and post of bikes have been posted, if I wanted to look at bikes I'll go to the horse. The guy is on the outside looking in, and will get a ride someday, so give a guy props for doing something creative and learing skills that he'll use on his next ride. My 2 cents.
Something like 60-70 percent of the raw materials used in the production of the early VW's came from the United States. Just another useless tidbit. -Jeff
It all depends on two things... One... how long have you been here and how many posts do you have. If you've been here for a while, people know what you are about and know what you normally build... so a VW bus isn't that big of a deal... I mean, look at some of the shit Rocky has bought and shown us. And two, it depends on what this VW bus looks like... if it has a Big Block Chevy in it, mid ship, like this one... and runs 11's... he's probably ok. Sam.
Yeah, I'm guilty of posting photos of furrin stuff with Traditional [?] American power. While I know I was in the minority associating with non-American iron, I'd hate to see the board saturated with any non traditional, non American iron. I don't think a single photo once in awhile hurts tho... But then, it's not my board, either. With that, I post a photo of my brother's Anglia....Hilborn injected small block chevy and PG....all home built.
[ QUOTE ] How about Anglia/Austin A40 Gassers? How about Austin Bantam/Fiat Topolino Altereds? A/C Cobras? Sunbeam Tigers? [/ QUOTE ] For those who weren't around in the 50's and early 60's I suggest studying some of the old car mags of the time. Acceptable/"traditional" isn't defined by the country of origin of the vehicle, it was the availability of the "fringe" vehicle to gearheads in the 50's,60's. Take the English bikes for example. Triumphs were available in large numbers in the 50's and 60's. Gear heads of the time often started out with one of these cycles before moving onto their first cars. The ultimate setup was a car with custom paint, and along side it, a Triumph with matching custom paint. Bantams, etc. were part of that history on the strip, like 296 V8 said. I don't recall used VW's available in large numbers to gearheads in the 50's. If they were, history might have been different.
I like VWs. I used to own several. I don't mind seeing VW posts here on the HAMB. In fact, I usually enjoy them. However, there is no question that VWs are off topic for this board. So, when a newcomer decides to post about VWs, it's kind of like hanging a big KICK ME! sign on their back. They've gotta expect to catch a good bit of shit.
Gawd damn that brother of yours can build them! That car is gonna be bitchen! (needs to be raised up in the rear a tad though... but a little too late for that) Hey Rocky, I hope you know I was joking about you and what you post... it was sort of a play on all the projects you've had over the years. Sam.
I am not offended, Sam...you speak truth, Kemo Sabe.. ........and with that, I post yet another photo of English sheetmetal around good ol' American power..again, my brother's..Hell, I even helped him with this one...I did the chassis.2X4, 0.125" box tubing with an 8.75 Mopar rear, 406 chevy, P.G. and {gulp} an Opel GT front crossmember with suspension and rack&pinion...
[ QUOTE ] and {gulp} an Opel GT front crossmember with suspension and rack&pinion... [/ QUOTE ] That used to be the hot setup - fairly rugged, very simple, & relatively easy mounting. Great for a small or narrow car - saw a few on drag cars in the past. Opel GTs are cool - I put a 302/5spd out of an 85 Mustang GT in one once w/8" rear - very quick!
Everybody talks about this Traditional this and Traditional that but no one really seems to back it up. A newbie named Alicia I think talked about a p/u with 4 wheel disc brakes and crap. Seen lots of other cars, some without fenders running discs. Is that Trad.? No. Oh sure, someone will say that some old car had em but the rodders then weren't using em. Alot of chevelles and other musclecars have been spotted on here as well. I'd much rather see a 56 VW panel than some of the other CRAP people put up here!
Both of those english cars are built in the mid 60's tradition. The Morris has a few consessions to help make it competetive and safe, like a full cage, 5 point harnesses [yup, there's 2 of 'em in there] and a driveshaft loop etc etc...all mandated by NHRA. The 59 Anglia is all 60's but uses a chrome-moly frame..thryin to get light to bust into the 8's, hopefully. My other brother is really into VW's to the max! I mean, he's so VW that he even works for VW...manages a VW parts dept. All his kids have at least one VW, the wife drives one and he even got my mother a red late model Bug...[in the background of the Morris shot] He lives, eats and breathes VW's all day long and thinks I'm nuts for not having one. But he likes traditional stuff...I promise I will not post this photo ever again. See? It's even in writing. I just wanted you'se guys to see what a guy that loves traditional stuff, but is trapped in a VW funk will do when he builds his version of a traditional ride. I give you my Brother's chopped [Arghhhhh] Vee Dubbleyou bugg... [Lord, forgive me for I have sinned...] Let the egging begin.
[ QUOTE ] I'd rather see a hot rodded 50s or 60s VW then a honda chopper......Shiny [/ QUOTE ] how about if we see neither of them, ever again....
You are quite right. In the 50's when the VW was a puny 11-1200cc? 36-40 horse engine, with a top speed of 63 mph with a good tail wind, it wasn't much for rod material especially since no one had figured out how or cared to adapt anything to the floor pan, but in the 60's, (we do do traditional 60's don't we?) The EMPI VW was on the cover of HOTROD magazine and I distinctly remember riding shotgun in a friends new 396 Chevelle in '66 and getting shut down at three lights in a row by a small window VW. (At the fourth light he opened the passenger door and showed us the mid engine hemi on a tube frame. No, I never saw it again and I wasn't halucinating..) I think if we are going to accept 4 door sedans as being "just as cool as 2 doors for customs" and air bags, and CD players hid in the trunk, then we have already compromised the "authenticity of the era", and the occasional MODIFIED VW should get to sneak in once in a while. Sure beats the hell out of thinking you're looking at show pics of cars only to be confronted with a bunch of dumb pictures of red faced overweight drunk fags posing like they're hot shit.
[ QUOTE ] I think I remember Dean Jefferies(sp) having a killer chopped bug in early 60s?...........OLDBEET [/ QUOTE ] Wasn't that a cusomised Porsche?
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I'd rather see a hot rodded 50s or 60s VW then a honda chopper......Shiny [/ QUOTE ] how about if we see neither of them, ever again.... [/ QUOTE ] I AGREE! We should ban bikes like this one:
That EMPI car you refer to was called the Inch Pincher. Before it was that, it was the very car that Dan Gurney drove to victory in the 1962 Nassau Gran Prix. When that V*******n spanked all the Porsche's Jags, MG's, Triumphs, and etc, they(the factory-sponsored teams) got pissed off and disqualified Gurney for running "non stock valve springs" (even though later on, it was proven that the factory teams had cheated a HELLUVA lot worse)so the EMPI guys shipped the car back to the States (interesting point of fact, Gurney DROVE that car from Riverside, CA, all the way to Florida, to get it shipped to Nassau for the race)and made the Inch Pincher drag car out of it. That little car surprised a LOT of people, way back in the '64-'65 drag racing years, by winning the NHRA H/Gas record. So, yes, hot rod parts WERE available to the average guy back in the early 1960's, and YES that little V*******n tore the asses out of more than a few V-8's. I've got photos of the car waaay out on a 1950 Ford, a 1964 Galaxy, and a Mustang, too. Sorry, gents, but it's pure facts, no bullshit, do your research and look it up. I fully expect the whiners to come back with "yeah, but it's still a fuckin' VW" but, I wanted to set the record straight, and I did, like it or not, I don't give a shit.If the truth hurts then you are cordially invited to go forth and procreate... with yourself.
I did not refer to the EMPI car, Doc did... [ QUOTE ] That EMPI car you refer to was called the Inch Pincher. Before it was that, it was the very car that Dan Gurney drove to victory in the 1962 Nassau Gran Prix. When that V*******n spanked all the Porsche's Jags, MG's, Triumphs, and etc [/ QUOTE ] Maybe it did, but not in that race. That was a VW only race. Gurney beat AJ Foyt, got disqualified, so AJ won... And it wasn't '62 but '64 or '65. [ QUOTE ] I wanted to set the record straight [/ QUOTE ] Me too...
I can call Joe Vittone, the founder of EMPI tomorrow, it's too late tonite as he is 3 hrs ahead of me, and at age 80 he tends to hit the sack early ...He's 80, but his mind is still as sharp as the come. BTW Okrasa dual-carb kits and Judson belt-driven blowers were available back in 1956, Motor Trend did a road test on a (at the time) new Karmann Ghia with both the dual carb kit and the blower kit.
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