TheSamba.com :: View topic - Vice Grip Garage finally tries on a VW Beetle!

Sat Apr 26, 2025 8:23 am

One of the internet's most successful and entertaining "will it run?" automotive adventure guys is Derek Bieri, and his Vice Grip Garage series. However, his interests and his featured cars have always been 99.999% "American" iron, usually a pickup truck or a derelict muscle something or other.

I think he tinkered on a 80's Honda once, outside of his 'Merican-car comfort zone.. Imagine the shock of his first encounter ever with a VW - when he acquired a 1974 Beetle parked for nearly 40 years! He says he's never even touched or sat in one before! :shock: I found myself "helping" him by talking to the TV..lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiZ-XsR1gnM

Sat Apr 26, 2025 1:49 pm

He looked clueless in that video. He should have done some research before making the video. Part 2 shows the engine running on 2 cylinders.

Sun Apr 27, 2025 7:02 am

I think he was purposely going in blind. Or some of it was faking. I hope he gets “the bug”. There will be a part two.

Sun Apr 27, 2025 11:11 am

Typical of someone that's never had a carburetor before, just crank and crank to try to start it. I am not saying he does not have the knowledge or experience but he made himself look like a fool.

Mon Apr 28, 2025 7:24 am

halfassleatherworks wrote: Typical of someone that's never had a carburetor before, just crank and crank to try to start it. I am not saying he does not have the knowledge or experience but he made himself look like a fool.

Derek is a superb entertainer.......he knows precisely what he is doing....... :)

Mon Apr 28, 2025 7:32 am

Yeah, he's a pretty knowledgeable guy, but he was definitely ragging on the beetle for most of the first episode. He's a MOPAR guy through and through, so a little foreign job like that isn't in a guy's repertoir.

Mon Apr 28, 2025 8:12 am

APPLEGREENVW wrote: He looked clueless in that video.

That is his charm!
:lol:

Mon Apr 28, 2025 9:23 am

Just watched those videos.... Not impressed...
When it comes to engines, there's probably nothing more simple and straightforward than a VW engine..
Shouldn't be so much trouble to get it to run.

On many of these "parked x yrs..will it run ?" videos the guys will mess around with the old breaker points, cleaning/filing them, or trying to get it to run without even cleaning the carb..

When I got a used engine for my bug, before even trying to start it, I replaced plugs, wires, breaker points, and rebuilt the carb.
I mean, all that stuff costs next to nothing, so why bother with all the old crap ?

And I laughed out loud when I saw him trying to loosen the axle nut with vise grip....
I guess he had to try that because of the name of the channel...

Fri May 02, 2025 1:12 pm

Say what you may, I watched both of the videos and enjoyed 'em.
Derek is, indeed, and entertainer. No swearing, no drinking, no drugs, how can ya beat that? Seems like a family man too. Hehehe He reminds me of my childhood/high school friend Rand, who is no longer with us, so I suppose I MAY be a little biased...
I always enjoy his work, and with the VW I especially enjoyed it.
Kudos to you Darryl, and rest in peace Rand.

Sun May 04, 2025 1:37 pm

He definitely knows what he’s doing with a Chevy!
The foreign cars not so much.
I’ve been watching him since his beginning. He’s great entertainment. Especially the older videos.
I’m not surprised to hear he had trouble with a VW. I’ve not had a chance to watch yet.
It seems 80% of his videos are old square bodies.
He’s kinda lost some of his charm now that he’s mainstream. He’s got a big fancy shop now. It was more relatable when he was working out of a two car garage.
I still watch him from time to time.

Fri May 09, 2025 11:44 am

Watched a few of his episodes and liked them so far. VW Part 1 & 2 were pretty good. He's entertaining and some of his finds are certainly cool and interesting.

Fri May 09, 2025 12:50 pm

Just watched part 2. I watch pretty much all his videos. I hope he takes the beetle further and doesn’t sell it. Maybe he’ll catch the “bug” like so many of us.

Sat May 10, 2025 8:11 am

NJ John wrote: Just watched part 2. I watch pretty much all his videos. I hope he takes the beetle further and doesn’t sell it. Maybe he’ll catch the “bug” like so many of us.

He did the vw Beetle videos ,for the money. Looking clueless in the videos helped too. You didn't see the short video, he did about vw's folks. The video has been deleted already. VGG doesn't like vw's. I'm done watching VGG.

Sat May 10, 2025 8:22 am

MTT3107 wrote: Just watched those videos.... Not impressed...
When it comes to engines, there's probably nothing more simple and straightforward than a VW engine..
Shouldn't be so much trouble to get it to run.

On many of these "parked x yrs..will it run ?" videos the guys will mess around with the oil breaker points, cleaning/filing them, or trying to get it to run without even cleaning the carb..

When I got a used engine for my bug, before even trying to start it, I replaced plugs, wires, breaker points, and rebuilt the carb.
I mean, all that stuff costs next to nothing, so why bother with all the old crap ?

And I laughed out loud when I saw him trying to loosen the axle nut with vise grip....
I guess he had to try that because of the name of the channel...
He should have asked someone local to him, like you, to guide him. It would made the videos a lot better to watch.

Sat May 10, 2025 8:24 am

KTPhil wrote: APPLEGREENVW wrote: He looked clueless in that video.

That is his charm!
:lol:
He could have put his charm on hold, and done a better video.

Sun May 11, 2025 8:53 pm

APPLEGREENVW wrote:

He did the vw Beetle videos ,for the money. Looking clueless in the videos helped too. You didn't see the short video, he did about vw's folks. The video has been deleted already. VGG doesn't like vw's. I'm done watching VGG.

Derek does ALL his videos for the money! The guy is running a lucrative business…….have you seen the current give-away contest he is running where the winner gets a prize worth who knows how many dozens of thousands of dollars?

The channel is for entertainment not education, this is plainly stated at the beginning of each episode. Those who take the channel too seriously don’t see the cleverness of what he is doing.

Mon May 12, 2025 7:16 am

sambuc wrote: The channel is for entertainment not education, this is plainly stated at the beginning of each episode. Those who take the channel too seriously don’t see the cleverness of what he is doing.
I don't see cleverness, nor entertainment, and his shtick gets very stale very fast. There are better channels to watch that can both entertain and educate.

Mon May 12, 2025 7:40 am

His best videos are when he first started doing them out of his 2 car garage. He was genuinely funny to watch.
I still watch from time to time. He's living his dream, can't hound a guy for making it happen.
We'd be doing the same if we had his personality and guts to quit your day job and go for it.
As with a lot of these guy that hit it big, they sell out. I could care less for his TV show Road Worthy Rescue.
I am proud of him for doing what he loves for a living.

Mon May 12, 2025 4:17 pm

mukluk wrote: sambuc wrote: The channel is for entertainment not education, this is plainly stated at the beginning of each episode. Those who take the channel too seriously don’t see the cleverness of what he is doing.
I don't see cleverness, nor entertainment, and his shtick gets very stale very fast. There are better channels to watch that can both entertain and educate.

It's good that we have options. It is interesting that this thread is discussing Vice Grip instead of those other channels.......that's pretty clever. :)

Mon May 12, 2025 4:51 pm

I was thrilled that Derek got a bug. It reminded me that I've always wanted another bug. My first one was a 72 super that my wife "modified" by getting T-boned in a parking lot. Had to put in a steering box and made it the most ugly looking thing, Cut the front fenders back (they were both mangled) and sort of made a baja looking thing. With bigger tires. Put a header and mufller on it. Did the brakes. Had a guy help me put a clutch in. Put accelerator cable, clutch cable in it. Never could get the carb right.

Now Derek has reminded me why I have always wanted one.

I'm older now, a lot older, but I think I might try again if I can find something with decent pans and heater channels - that I can afford of course.

I love VGG. I have learned and relearned so much.