TheSamba.com :: View topic - building old school cal-lookers

Sun Apr 14, 2002 1:29 am

i'm wondering how many people out there are building, or are interested in seeing old school cal-lookers built. i really like the old style with shaved chrome, custom dash, huge engine, you get the idea. let me know what you guys think, i'm planning to build a 66 beetle in old school, and then i'm getting a 62 that will eventually be a chop-top old schooler.
NICK

Sun Apr 14, 2002 2:24 pm

If you mean the cars looking just like they did back in the beginnings of Cal Look yes. I think retro is cool!

Sun Apr 14, 2002 8:16 pm

lm with you Drew.

Sun Apr 14, 2002 9:12 pm

Do-it! Its yours. Yeah old tin is getting hard to find, but if you want OG, you have the desire. Just do it. I've a '67 vert that is going resto but it won't be stock, and for the time being it will be a rat rod as I'm aquiring parts. IF it pisses off the vintage freaks SO WHAT!!!! It mine, I can do what ever I damn well please. I too want a chop but I'm looking to do it to a superbeetle and they are a bit more plentiful.

Mon Apr 15, 2002 2:30 pm

Cut up all the stuperbeetles you want, but stay away from anything older than '63! Chopped, shaved is not attractive! You ask so what? You de-value the car when you chop it, cut in rags when it isn't stock, lower it, put incorrect engine's in them, etc, etc. That's what. Do what you want, you are right, you have that luxery, but think about the limited supply of old vintage cars before you go cut the top off a split.

Mon Apr 15, 2002 2:45 pm

I agree with Ryan and Andrew. Why would you want to permanently mutilate a good VW? This just reduces the supply of good, restorable vintage cars for others. If you decide to sell it later, there is no easy way to get it back to stock.

If you want a chop top split, buy yourself a superbeetle and cut the hell out of it. They make great fiberglass split sections available for this purpose. I disagree with any modification that can't be removed in less than a weekend.

Mon Apr 15, 2002 6:28 pm

I'm not chopping up a split window here guys! This 62 is very much a project, that needs bodywork. I am not going to go cut a rag section out of some good car to do any of this either. I am taking what is right now a junk 62 beetle, and make an old school cal looker out of it. I am 16 and don't like the messy retro-cal that all these guys build now. They need to be shaved clean, raked low, painted smooth, and cookin the slicks with a 2 liter!
NICK

Sun Apr 21, 2002 10:14 pm

Messy? What is messy about popping molding strips on? If you are building old school, doesn't that mean stock with a big engine and lowered? Look, do whatever you want I guess, but if you run accross an oval or anything older and have plans to shave it, don't expect to get out what you put into the car. Defacing historic vehicles does not raise the value of anything. Don't cook your slicks in my kitchen, that's all I ask.

Fri Jun 07, 2002 6:36 pm

This is slightly off topic but worth saying. When I was 16 (1985) I got a 64 bug, complete and running but cosmetically ugly. I had it dechromed, door handles shaved, one piece windows, cal look rubber, lowered 3", no bumpers, no license light, filled dash, billet guage panel, 914 tach, giant speaker box instead of a back seat, early taillights. White over white. Probably sounds awful now, but it was actually really cool.
It cost me 6500 to get it mostly done. I worked my ass off every evening and weekend all through high school putting money and time into it. No time for after school sports because I needed money for the bug! I turned 18 ready to go to college. Guess what? Terrible college car. Unfinished, I let it go for $1200.

My advice? Spend your high school years building friendships, drinking beer and trying to get laid. Don't waste the golden years twisting rusty bolts on a car you'll just take a bath on when you go to sell it. Chicks don't dig guys with grease under their fingernails, and you'll never meet them anyway because you'll be working on your car (no chicks in the trunk, last I checked). Anyway I wish somebody had taken me aside and told me all this before I spent some of the best years of my life obsessing over a car that I would lose $5k on.

A well done cal looker costs about 7k minimum to build right. You got that kinda money handy, AND an extra set of wheels to drive all the time while your 62 is all torn apart in the garage???

Good luck (really), whatever you decide to do!!

Sat Aug 24, 2002 2:00 pm

Greetings from Southern California,
I think when we are young, we don't have the respect for vintage vehicles, and the history that they carry with them,
back in 1982, my first car was a 63 bug, i was already to cut the dash, drill holes where i wanted, paint it a god awfull color, and so forth, it looked good so i thought, but when i see a vintage bug today, with nothing cut, the beauty and all it entales is just so right.(just a matter of taste) Now I was completely involved in the whole california look, I grew up in southern california, and i'm still there today.
I traded that 63 bug for a 63 single cab, the guy i traded it for sold me a set of original empi 5 spokes form the 60's, i had them polished & installed on the single cab, they looked bad ass, then my friend and i got the stupidist idea to turn the truck into a vert.,so we cut the roof off, i got more people yelling at me in traffic, manily older guys, shouting at me, you wrecked a classic, i flipped them off and kept on smiling. but you know i regretted it ever since, now being older and wiser, and having a respect for the early Vw's, i see things in a much better light, and i understand now what those guys were so angry about, lots of people owned vw's back when they were new, everyone has a story of when they took a trip in a vw, they had a lot of pride in their vw, so when they see a vw all cut up, it's like their history of the car is being forgotten, disrespected & trashed. Recently in the past 2 months, I got so sick of things breaking down with new cars, and smog and all that other b.s. that cars of today have, i made up my mind to find a vehicle that has just the basics, and the bug is it. So i found a 1964 bug, uncut, straight, perfect dash, etc. now one side of the car has been shaved, it looks good, but the chrome trim looks better on than off, And as far as the rear bumper, the stock one with the overriders look very cool, but as far as the interior goes, keeing it as stock as possible looks very clean, anything vintage just makes it that much better, so i guess for my own taste, i like the stock look with a touch of california to it, tastefully done.
Now i live in costa mesa, CA, which is in southern california, where it all started, the california look, lately i have noticed more bugs on the road, full vintage, stock but lowered, not too many all cut up, which is a good thing.:)
So for all you people who are getting into vw's, if you ever want to sell your pride and joy, "you want get anywhere near what it's $$$$$worth today if you cut it up, and the disrespect you will get for doing it in the first place will leave a bit of sting for the years to come. but these are just my views.

Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:56 pm

chlln21@hotmail.com wrote: Greetings from Southern California,
I think when we are young, we don't have the respect for vintage vehicles, and the history that they carry with them,
back in 1982, my first car was a 63 bug, i was already to cut the dash, drill holes where i wanted, paint it a god awfull color, and so forth, it looked good so i thought, but when i see a vintage bug today, with nothing cut, the beauty and all it entales is just so right.(just a matter of taste) Now I was completely involved in the whole california look, I grew up in southern california, and i'm still there today.
I traded that 63 bug for a 63 single cab, the guy i traded it for sold me a set of original empi 5 spokes form the 60's, i had them polished & installed on the single cab, they looked bad ass, then my friend and i got the stupidist idea to turn the truck into a vert.,so we cut the roof off, i got more people yelling at me in traffic, manily older guys, shouting at me, you wrecked a classic, i flipped them off and kept on smiling. but you know i regretted it ever since, now being older and wiser, and having a respect for the early Vw's, i see things in a much better light, and i understand now what those guys were so angry about, lots of people owned vw's back when they were new, everyone has a story of when they took a trip in a vw, they had a lot of pride in their vw, so when they see a vw all cut up, it's like their history of the car is being forgotten, disrespected & trashed. Recently in the past 2 months, I got so sick of things breaking down with new cars, and smog and all that other b.s. that cars of today have, i made up my mind to find a vehicle that has just the basics, and the bug is it. So i found a 1964 bug, uncut, straight, perfect dash, etc. now one side of the car has been shaved, it looks good, but the chrome trim looks better on than off, And as far as the rear bumper, the stock one with the overriders look very cool, but as far as the interior goes, keeing it as stock as possible looks very clean, anything vintage just makes it that much better, so i guess for my own taste, i like the stock look with a touch of california to it, tastefully done.
Now i live in costa mesa, CA, which is in southern california, where it all started, the california look, lately i have noticed more bugs on the road, full vintage, stock but lowered, not too many all cut up, which is a good thing.:)
So for all you people who are getting into vw's, if you ever want to sell your pride and joy, "you want get anywhere near what it's $$$$$worth today if you cut it up, and the disrespect you will get for doing it in the first place will leave a bit of sting for the years to come. but these are just my views. do what you want its your car have fun , enjoy it its not always about how much its worth , most of us that got into VW 's are getting back or have gotten back into them because they used to be affordable and easy to fix , most of us look at the cars differently now , but alot of you guys forget that Cal bugs wre cool and now that its not politcally correct are totally against them , I personally would not do a Cal look car now , but to each car there is an owner of that car and that owner can do whatever the hell he feels like to his (or her) car . So do what you want and don't worry about what all the " correct people " are doing , Erick The Electrician

Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:30 pm

I think it all depends on the car. If you have a 100% stock Beetle,sell it! If you have a basket case destined for the scrap yard(like mine were),do what you want;I'm currently knee deep in two projects,a street/strip '58 euro rag(complete with smoothed dash) and a resto-Cal oval rag(stock paint and chrome but with a built tranny,IDA engine,dropped front end, and old school Torq thrusts 8)

Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:06 pm

I have 2 Oval rags 1 Euro and 1 american and a 56 vert that should be completed in February 1 of my ovals will be stock on wide white walls all correct car the other will be lowered but will have have a stock paint and interior with the O.G 36 horse , my vert will be lowered as well all will be sporting cloth interior Perohaus 8 day clocks and accessory steering wheels and Petri horn rings and a few other cool accessories but not over the top , I guess what I am getting at is I have got a lot of crap for doing the vert lowered as well as one of the ovals , if I want to put back to stock I will put the O.G beam back on and raise the ass end , as far as what this kid wants to do with a 62 there wer a lot of 62's produced it's not that big of a deal , and for all of the people worried about how much their car is worth this will make your value go up since there will be 1 less car that will be stock and will make all the others more rare you can't save them all, if they were plentiful and all nice they wouldn't be worth as much when restored

Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:21 pm

I don't think you need to look very hard for a car that's already de-chromed with one piece windows. Those are usually the best deals because they look so dated. If your '62 is all there, then sell it to someone that will treat her right.

For what it's worth, there are a lot of cars on Callook.com with all the chrome, vent windows and towel bars. The stance, wheels and motor can make a car plenty "Cal Look" without going too radical.

Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:15 pm

OG 70's Cal-look...Cool!

80's billet, louvers, shaved, etc...not so much.

Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:07 pm

I say do with it what you want, it's your car. I was raised with volkswagens and I still think they look the best lowered. I still have my car from when I was 18 in 1979 living in whittier. It is still turquoise with alloys, 1 piece windows and lowered. In fact I had it repainted the same color and am putting better brakes etc. on it this time around. I like the cal look style much better than stock, in fact I could never drive a stock bug. Anyone can build a stock bug, show some creativity and build it the way you want. If your looking for an investment don't buy a car.

Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:04 pm

low oval wrote: I say do with it what you want, it's your car. I was raised with volkswagens and I still think they look the best lowered. I still have my car from when I was 18 in 1979 living in whittier. It is still turquoise with alloys, 1 piece windows and lowered. In fact I had it repainted the same color and am putting better brakes etc. on it this time around. I like the cal look style much better than stock, in fact I could never drive a stock bug. Anyone can build a stock bug, show some creativity and build it the way you want. If your looking for an investment don't buy a car. I agree

Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:54 pm

chlln21@hotmail.com wrote:
Now i live in costa mesa, CA, which is in southern california, where it all started, the california look, lately i have noticed more bugs on the road, full vintage, stock but lowered, not too many all cut up, which is a good thing.:)
So for all you people who are getting into vw's, if you ever want to sell your pride and joy, "you want get anywhere near what it's $$$$$worth today if you cut it up, and the disrespect you will get for doing it in the first place will leave a bit of sting for the years to comhttp://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/
Forumse. but these are just my views.

Great place to have an aircooled vintage VW.

Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:16 pm

:shock: This is a 2002 thread...............

Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:53 pm

Hi everyone,..I been luking around for awhile and finally decided to post. I have been into Vw's for awhile and found this thread.
I just aquired and bug,...well look at the pictures and see what I mean,..
I baught this car froma man who moved here (Texas) from California about 20 yrs ago and parked this bug in his garage till I baught about 2 months ago.
Enjoy