TheSamba.com :: View topic - Who Remembers The 80s CAL-STYLE

Mon Oct 18, 2010 3:56 pm

masterpoop63 wrote: my uncle who gave me my 74' standard was all up in the 80s vw crowd in norcal he had his own club and everything. he has 100s of old shirts from shows back then and i have all his parts that he stached that have been sitting since he got into porches back in the late 80s. i need to show him this thread 8)
Alot of us Vintage VW guys from LA back then naturally progressed to 911 aircooled Porsches is I did. We were building late model cabriolets on early 911 chassis', since we couldn't afford the real late model 911's at the time. Good times back then.

Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:30 pm

Robert V wrote: j8bug wrote: HEY JAKE, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 80S BUT NOT SO CAL . MAYBE THATS EAST COAST OR MIDWEST OR SOMETHING :shock:
Jake the 80's LA and ELA VW's owned by Latinos were all original but "slammed" running Porsche Alloys and a big motor or Whitewalls and a 36hp with "pea shooters". A way different look than the Orange County Cal Look. Exactly, this is not a callook thread...

Mon Oct 25, 2010 12:21 pm

OvalinAz wrote: i wasnt alive then, but heres one ex:

:shock: Youre gonna have to ask the cal lookers for an explanation of that. Our rides were different, for the most part you raise them, take off the alloys and thunderbirds and your back to stock.

Mon Oct 25, 2010 12:31 pm

Ram4Sam wrote: Heck, it goes back a little farther than that. I cal looked a 66' sunroof bug in 1976/77. Ditched the side mouldings, filled the holes, no side mirrors. T- bars replaced the bumpers, front turns signals moved down by the t-bars. Single exhaust replaced the stocker, exhaust cutouts in the apron filled in. Finish off with chrome wheels, Porsche hub caps, a couple inches drop, front and rear. Good times!

Sam No doubt the cal look was around before our time. The neighborhoods i grew up the 70s was all about lowriders. Our generation (80s) didnt like lowriders and what they represented. So we were swayed to partying and VWs. We left our Vws fairly stock except for a few simple treatments that we could afford. its a culture not familiar to the V-Dub world unless you lived or should i say partied in latino sections of L.A .

Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:40 pm

Robert V wrote: masterpoop63 wrote: my uncle who gave me my 74' standard was all up in the 80s vw crowd in norcal he had his own club and everything. he has 100s of old shirts from shows back then and i have all his parts that he stached that have been sitting since he got into porches back in the late 80s. i need to show him this thread 8)
Alot of us Vintage VW guys from LA back then naturally progressed to 911 aircooled Porsches is I did. We were building late model cabriolets on early 911 chassis', since we couldn't afford the real late model 911's at the time. Good times back then. Dude , you are on point :!: 78sc targa updated to a cab w/ 3.2 carrera motor. Talk about bulletproof :!:

ps. it was hell trying to upload my 1st pic. is it just me or am i a r...tard #-o

Tue Oct 26, 2010 11:23 am

Robert V wrote: East LA and Huntington Park had the "OG" Vintage look of all original restored with factory accessories but "slammed" to the floor running big Motors, with 48IDA carbs(I was running NOS on the down low) and Porsche Alloys, Original 5 Spoke Empis, and I was one of the only East LA VW's to have a set of Original BRM's on my 1967 sunroof, All the Orange County White Boys had them Ala' GENE BERG but it was rare to see them in East LA We would cruise Riverside Drive Dodger Stadium, The Original Tommies Burgers at Rampart and 3rd, Whittier Blvd ELA, Pacific blvd HP, Sunset Hollywood, Colorado Pasadena after the Rose Parade, Florence and Main Street Races (with all the Blacks), "Flyer" House parties, Garfield H.S., Salesian H.S. The "Hole",El Rancho H.S. Huntington Park H.S. Hope St Hall, Florentine Gardens, Casa de Espana, Gino's Disco on Santa Monica.
VW Clubs like the Bus Boys, California Dreamers, Lil Maniacs, The Baby Boys, Bugs Buddies, Hitlers Revenge, Ovals Only, were just some of the ELA, LA VW Clubs at the time.
I was fortunate to be a part of that movement and all of the good memories street racing, cruising, and enjoying the 80's LA Disco club scene and culture. We had nicknames back then and I was known as VWKidd, others like LiL Dreamer, Rat, Farmer, "Disco" Crisco, just to name a few. I built and restored well over 15 VW's from a 1955 Vert, 1959 Vert, 1967 KGhia Vert, 1957 Oval, 1966 Sunroof, 1959 Single Cab, 1958 Double Door Van. Last Bug-IN 32 at Orange County Raceway built when only 15 years old a drag only VW with Fiberglass front end(see Picture), were just some of my VW's during that era. Some sold to Japanese Collectors then and I regret it now because I now have the time and resources, now that I'm older and I can't find any decent projects.

Gooooddddddddd pics Robert V!!

Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:34 pm

Thats right unless you were from Latino neighborhoods from that Era. We had a lowrider influence and thats why are VW's were slammed and keeped the chrome and accessories that OG look. Here is another example: friends Ragtop from Echo Park j8bug wrote: Ram4Sam wrote: Heck, it goes back a little farther than that. I cal looked a 66' sunroof bug in 1976/77. Ditched the side mouldings, filled the holes, no side mirrors. T- bars replaced the bumpers, front turns signals moved down by the t-bars. Single exhaust replaced the stocker, exhaust cutouts in the apron filled in. Finish off with chrome wheels, Porsche hub caps, a couple inches drop, front and rear. Good times!

Sam No doubt the cal look was around before our time. The neighborhoods i grew up the 70s was all about lowriders. Our generation (80s) didnt like lowriders and what they represented. So we were swayed to partying and VWs. We left our Vws fairly stock except for a few simple treatments that we could afford. its a culture not familiar to the V-Dub world unless you lived or should i say partied in latino sections of L.A . [img][/img]

Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:45 am

Sun Oct 16, 2011 6:22 am

Dang guys!!! Where you been??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...highlight=

Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:23 pm

VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: Dang guys!!! Where you been??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...highlight=
VOLKSWAGNUT thanks for the input. This was not intended to be a 80s/90s Custom or Cal-look thread though. I was trying to reach out to a specific generation that grew up in L.A. somewhere between 1982-1988. We attended high schools like Roosevelt, Garfield, Manual Arts, Jeff, H.P., Bell etc. and we hung out at some of the same venues (Tommys on Rampart, The Casa, Don Quixote ie DQs, Stadium Way etc.) The VDubs that we called Cal-Style and the party scene back then was unreal. That is what almost everyone drove back then, but the VDub scene as we knew it was 99% dead by 1989 though. Everyone it seemed was moving on to so many different things. I moved on to updating older Porsches others moved on to GSXRs, Samurais, IROCs, 510s, Mini Trucks and some of the best I knew sadly wound up dead or in prison. I always kept a Vdub of some sort around but it was no match to the rush and the tookie :wink: I could get driving my updated 3.2L Cabriolet.

Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:39 am

I hear ya. You Cally guys have it lucky. You still have a good VW scene plus good parts availability.
During the 80's I kept a VW Trends in my back pocket. I was able to build a "Callook" 64 by 1987. It was one of only a few in the area. People still talk about my "Bugs" (had many...still do). The right coast lagged behind the left coast as far as VW....trends. Dare to be different. Most of the cars and people I hung out with moved on to....yes to the "mini trucks" and Mustangs. I held strong with no a/c and crappy heat. My last one (last year) I reconditioned, a 1967, I call it the CaroCally look. Its a combo of a few things... Strong 80's influence of course.

Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:29 am

j8bug wrote: VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: Dang guys!!! Where you been??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...highlight=
VOLKSWAGNUT thanks for the input. This was not intended to be a 80s/90s Custom or Cal-look thread though. I was trying to reach out to a specific generation that grew up in L.A. somewhere between 1982-1988. We attended high schools like Roosevelt, Garfield, Manual Arts, Jeff, H.P., Bell etc. and we hung out at some of the same venues (Tommys on Rampart, The Casa, Don Quixote ie DQs, Stadium Way etc.) The VDubs that we called Cal-Style and the party scene back then was unreal. That is what almost everyone drove back then, but the VDub scene as we knew it was 99% dead by 1989 though. Everyone it seemed was moving on to so many different things. I moved on to updating older Porsches others moved on to GSXRs, Samurais, IROCs, 510s, Mini Trucks and some of the best I knew sadly wound up dead or in prison. I always kept a Vdub of some sort around but it was no match to the rush and the tookie :wink: I could get driving my updated 3.2L Cabriolet.

Nice, I remember all that and more having Graduated from Franklin High school in 86` in the heart of it all Highland park. That was my stomping ground even tho I had friends from all over, Lincoln hights, El Serino , Cypress park and beyond!
I was lucky enough to watch all those cars back then and be part of it too. I am now in the process of resurrecting a car from back in those days that was very popular around East LA. Every now and then I still get somebody asking if I remember them from back then (Much older now) and start talking about who they knew and all the time we probably had the same friends.

Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:19 am

twinwindows wrote: j8bug wrote: VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: Dang guys!!! Where you been??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...highlight=
VOLKSWAGNUT thanks for the input. This was not intended to be a 80s/90s Custom or Cal-look thread though. I was trying to reach out to a specific generation that grew up in L.A. somewhere between 1982-1988. We attended high schools like Roosevelt, Garfield, Manual Arts, Jeff, H.P., Bell etc. and we hung out at some of the same venues (Tommys on Rampart, The Casa, Don Quixote ie DQs, Stadium Way etc.) The VDubs that we called Cal-Style and the party scene back then was unreal. That is what almost everyone drove back then, but the VDub scene as we knew it was 99% dead by 1989 though. Everyone it seemed was moving on to so many different things. I moved on to updating older Porsches others moved on to GSXRs, Samurais, IROCs, 510s, Mini Trucks and some of the best I knew sadly wound up dead or in prison. I always kept a Vdub of some sort around but it was no match to the rush and the tookie :wink: I could get driving my updated 3.2L Cabriolet.

Nice, I remember all that and more having Graduated from Franklin High school in 86` in the heart of it all Highland park. That was my stomping ground even tho I had friends from all over, Lincoln hights, El Serino , Cypress park and beyond!
I was lucky enough to watch all those cars back then and be part of it too. I am now in the process of resurrecting a car from back in those days that was very popular around East LA. Every now and then I still get somebody asking if I remember them from back then (Much older now) and start talking about who they knew and all the time we probably had the same friends. A couple of popular rides that I wonder if they are rotting in some back yard under a tree needing to be revived are Radical Rag and Suicide Solution. I remember being a 10th grader in 1983 at Roosevelt and during lunch by the exercise yard a bug (Suicide Solution) was cruising down the street and out of nowhere just popped a big ass wheelie =P~. Radical Rag was a sweet looking bug. It was always parked outside a little market on Main and 54street during the mid 80s..

Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:25 pm

I remember Radical Rag and Suicide Solution and all the other logo'd VW's in East LA. Those were great times for the LA VW aircooled scene. I got to see them all cruising, steet racing, house partys. I was in the thick of it working for VW parts retailers like Jerry's VW heaven, Unique Performance-Latest Rage, building motors for them and for many local racers in Huntington Park, South Gate, Bell area of LA. I have been out of the scene for a bit but I hope to finish my 57 Ragtop soon & a 1955 beveled door vert project ......can't wait to hit the streets and cruise again!!
j8bug wrote: twinwindows wrote: j8bug wrote: VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: Dang guys!!! Where you been??

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1...highlight=
VOLKSWAGNUT thanks for the input. This was not intended to be a 80s/90s Custom or Cal-look thread though. I was trying to reach out to a specific generation that grew up in L.A. somewhere between 1982-1988. We attended high schools like Roosevelt, Garfield, Manual Arts, Jeff, H.P., Bell etc. and we hung out at some of the same venues (Tommys on Rampart, The Casa, Don Quixote ie DQs, Stadium Way etc.) The VDubs that we called Cal-Style and the party scene back then was unreal. That is what almost everyone drove back then, but the VDub scene as we knew it was 99% dead by 1989 though. Everyone it seemed was moving on to so many different things. I moved on to updating older Porsches others moved on to GSXRs, Samurais, IROCs, 510s, Mini Trucks and some of the best I knew sadly wound up dead or in prison. I always kept a Vdub of some sort around but it was no match to the rush and the tookie :wink: I could get driving my updated 3.2L Cabriolet.

Nice, I remember all that and more having Graduated from Franklin High school in 86` in the heart of it all Highland park. That was my stomping ground even tho I had friends from all over, Lincoln hights, El Serino , Cypress park and beyond!
I was lucky enough to watch all those cars back then and be part of it too. I am now in the process of resurrecting a car from back in those days that was very popular around East LA. Every now and then I still get somebody asking if I remember them from back then (Much older now) and start talking about who they knew and all the time we probably had the same friends. A couple of popular rides that I wonder if they are rotting in some back yard under a tree needing to be revived are Radical Rag and Suicide Solution. I remember being a 10th grader in 1983 at Roosevelt and during lunch by the exercise yard a bug (Suicide Solution) was cruising down the street and out of nowhere just popped a big ass wheelie =P~. Radical Rag was a sweet looking bug. It was always parked outside a little market on Main and 54street during the mid 80s..

Tue Oct 25, 2011 7:55 am

And I thought I was the only one on Samba in these modern times who still reminiscence those days.. This is one of those Vochos that was rolling around back then that I have now and will once again roll the same streets blasting that Old school house party mix.
In East L.A. Circa 1986

Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:31 pm

twinwindows wrote: And I thought I was the only one on Samba in these modern times who still reminiscence those days.. This is one of those Vochos that was rolling around back then that I have now and will once again roll the same streets blasting that Old school house party mix.
In East L.A. Circa 1986
VERY, VERY NICE!!! Cant wait to see the resurrection!!! Those years were like nothing else, our buckets, our childhood friends, parties, girls, street football and Tommys on Rampart ...

Sat Nov 12, 2011 4:55 pm

j8bug wrote: twinwindows wrote: And I thought I was the only one on Samba in these modern times who still reminiscence those days.. This is one of those Vochos that was rolling around back then that I have now and will once again roll the same streets blasting that Old school house party mix.
In East L.A. Circa 1986
VERY, VERY NICE!!! Cant wait to see the resurrection!!! Those years were like nothing else, our buckets, our childhood friends, parties, girls, street football and Tommys on Rampart ...

Man! The Original Tommys on Rampart & Beverly....That's when I could eat 2 double chili burgers at 3AM after partying and cruising all night and not feel it the next day...

Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:10 pm

vwkidd wrote: j8bug wrote: twinwindows wrote: And I thought I was the only one on Samba in these modern times who still reminiscence those days.. This is one of those Vochos that was rolling around back then that I have now and will once again roll the same streets blasting that Old school house party mix.
In East L.A. Circa 1986
VERY, VERY NICE!!! Cant wait to see the resurrection!!! Those years were like nothing else, our buckets, our childhood friends, parties, girls, street football and Tommys on Rampart ...

Man! The Original Tommys on Rampart & Beverly....That's when I could eat 2 double chili burgers at 3AM after partying and cruising all night and not feel it the next day... Hey kidd, would you happen to have any photos of Tommys from those days???

Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:57 pm

I wasn't in LA, but I got my '63 ragtop bug in 1978 and did the Cal Style, it took a while to get up north (I'm near Sacramento, and was then too). Still own the car. :)

I just posted some pics of Bugorama 5 and 9, also video from XV (15) on this thread above here:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5725479#5725479

Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:44 pm

j8bug wrote: vwkidd wrote: j8bug wrote: twinwindows wrote: And I thought I was the only one on Samba in these modern times who still reminiscence those days.. This is one of those Vochos that was rolling around back then that I have now and will once again roll the same streets blasting that Old school house party mix.
In East L.A. Circa 1986
VERY, VERY NICE!!! Cant wait to see the resurrection!!! Those years were like nothing else, our buckets, our childhood friends, parties, girls, street football and Tommys on Rampart ...

Man! The Original Tommys on Rampart & Beverly....That's when I could eat 2 double chili burgers at 3AM after partying and cruising all night and not feel it the next day... Hey kidd, would you happen to have any photos of Tommys from those days???

@ J8Bug....I had a lot of pics & Albums of that era, but one of my "ChaCha" girlfriends at that time from El Rancho H.S. kept them & wouldn't give them back.....Man!! We lost contact over the years, I got married/family......Man!!! I wish I had those pics back & I hope she still has them. The ones in my album are the only ones that I have left.