Who Remembers The 80s CAL-STYLE

[j8bug]

In L.A. we called it "CAL-STYLE" We'd take a stock 60s vdub (bug,ghia,squareback,bus) with U.S. bumpers and all, lower it, add alloys, thunderbird duals, hurst shifter and a formula france steering wheel and you were in.
If you had it long enough without it getting stolen youd paint it, supra seats and a larger motor (1835,2180.. uugh) but what did we know back then, i had a split window and sold it cause i thought it was odd that it had an oval dash.

They were everywhere,Tommy's, Don Quixote, Stadium Way, Boyle Heights, Bell, Huntington Park, South Gate, Montebello, Monterey Park, Pico Rivera, West Covina etc, etc,etc,etc.
They came out of the woodwork. Most guys would be in their 40s now, moved on, had kids and probably scattered around the western states.

From my perspective the scene started to die out in the late 80s. The cops, Mini-trucks, gsxr, ninja and a newer more daring or should i say stupid generation that felt gunplay and violence meant a good time out in the city and the cops had no choice but to put a stop to the fun.
First thing out of an old buddy from Jr high or high school (yes, we drove in Jr high, anything to get behind the wheel of a bug) is their old bugs or ghias. Now that the kids are grown and we are professionals, managers, business owners, lets get more guys out their who idolized these little cars to keep the fire burning.

The scene will never be the same but the memories will never fadeaway!
Class of 86' (Roosevelt, Huntington Park)

[EA57RHD]

Oh I do remember those days, and all those spots . Cruising up and down Whittier Blvd. Not only through LA, but through the city of Whittier to. The city of Whittier was more the "surfer type", hot rods custome mini trucks etc. ELA was more the Cholo gagster types, but it was Cool anyways. Often times it would be complete gridlock, and Whittier Blvd would be a big parking lot.

I had a couple cars (VW's) and a motorcycle (Ninja) so I would make my rounds on both sides of the fence.

I also used to belong to a VW Bus club called the "Bus Boys" there was probably 10-15 members all with 67 and earlier type II's. If you were part of the 80's scene, you probably remember us. We would hang out more around the Pico Rivera Area. Fast cars, fast girls

Class of 82' (Pioneer High, Whittier)
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----VW's in my garage----
March 1959 Mango Standard
November 1958 Single Cab
********WANTED********
Whittier Lee Wood VW dealer license plate frame

[j8bug]

WOW, Im surprised more people havent chimed in on this topic?

The scene was HHUUUUGE!!! It touched an entire generation that came of age in th 80s.
While Orange County had the "cal-look", L.A. county had "cal-style".

I try to explain to younger folks what it was like in those early years and it doesnt even sound real. who can forget radical rag, suicide solution, bad temper, the bus boys with those busses full of girls, and that's just tickling the surface.

[wcfvw69]

Oh yes..I do remember those days. I was a bit more south in Escondido, California. I graduated in 83' and it hard to believe it's coming up on 30 plus years ago that I started cruising my first bug in 81! YIKES! Our H.S. parking lot was full of every hand me down, aircooled VW you could think of. The popular street to cruise was Valley Parkway. Several friends had VW's and we all dreamed of bigger engines, better paint jobs and of course cooler rims! H.S. funds were always lacking! I went to one of the last bug-ins in 83'. What fun it was to watch those drag races.

I had a cal-look 68' bug with an 1835 w/dual kadrons. It was always fun to race the early rice burners of the day on the back streets away from Valley Pkwy. We had our usual park and hang out corner too. Right at the Chevron station at Rose and Valley. Fun times for sure.

I totalled my 68 later that year then bought a 71 standard and gave it the full cal-look. I rolled it one year later. (Had to love those teen years!).
I got out of the hobie when I bought a used 84' supra. It was so nice to not have to constantly fix, adjust or pamper a VW. The Escondido police also clamped down on the cruisers putting an end to the era. Today, I understand the have a cruise night on Grand Ave. I don't live there anymore but they say it's popular.

After getting married, having kids and growing up, I got back into the hobbie again in 98'. Had times and prices changed!
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[Mr'72Special]

[j8bug]

hey mr72special, those days were unreal. i would have to say their was the 50s then their was the 80s. ill post my story when i come back after the weekend...

[Jake Martinez]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/medium/3049710.jpg .... very 80's i would say
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58 euro vert
63 bug ruby
64 sunroof notch
65 bug
67 standard

[vic]

The scene will never be the same but the memories will never fadeaway!
Class of 86' (Roosevelt, Huntington Park)[/quote]
i grew up in the boyle heights area right by roosevelt high school, i was born in 83 so i was kinda young to even notice the craze back then, my dad and uncles being from lowrider clubs like amigos and lifestyle i was always around the lowrider scene, but i remember my dad and i were driving down atlantic blvd and their was a vw repair shop on a corner and their was "cal bugs" and "baja bugs out front, my dad asked me what do i like the baja or cal style, as young as i was of course i said baja .. all i remember from that day on i noticed every bug on the street, my dad said i was hooked, i lived off breed st and 4th and the area got real bad so we moved to fontana in 93, and i didnt see very many bugs in fontana area after the move, but nonetheless i still had vws pumping through my veins. with 15 vws under my belt i guess i can thank my dad, But those were the days!!
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The Original German Folks!

[j8bug]

HEY JAKE, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 80S BUT NOT SO CAL . MAYBE THATS EAST COAST OR MIDWEST OR SOMETHING

[j8bug]

I sympathize with Vic, my love affair also began at a shop. My dad was a mechanic so i'd been around chevys and fords but the first time i saw a bug motor sitting on a engine stand with dual carbs and all, i was . I didnt know what to think of it. i didnt know if it was some kind of ufo or what. I stared at it for days that i ended up falling in love with it. I was hooked! From then on i couldnt wait to drive. Then the 80s hit and everyone had a bug or some kind of v-dub.
How hard did i fall in love???
i didnt get married till i was 35 and have never had kids. Nothing will get in my way of way of telling me i cant have a few v-dubs because we have other priorities. It sounds selfish but isnt that what eternal love is all about?

[ALLWAGONS]

Who can forget!
Arroyo Seco, Paramount Blvd, Whittier, DQ's, Brandy's, Elysian Park. Way Fun. I cruised on my '65 sunroof squareback. I remember it had a perfect red interior, I yanked the perfect panels for aluminium door panels and the stock wheel for a wooden steering wheel. Also pulled the perfect chrome mirrors for baby tornados and a wink mirror. I also had a '63 notch.

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I'd be UNSTOPPABLE if not for Law Enforcement and PHYSICS.

I recycle old cars and parts, other than when I rot, that's as Green as I am going to get.

Thanks to my Tesla driving neighbors, I feel more relaxed driving my SUBURBAN and old VW's.

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[j8bug]

OH YES, BRANDYS!!! The babes, the music, the outdoor party. I left behind a small piece of my heart at that joint when it closed down

[fuelrags]

I'm an ol' Cha-Cho from the 80'S Disco days....I remember cruizn' House Party's,Whittier Blvd.,Elysian Park,El Sereno,The "Hole",Whittier Narrows,DQ's Downtown, in my friend's Bugs,Squarebacks,Notchbacks,and Buses with my Pompador,Cha-Cha's and a can of Aqua Net!!!!ooh,ooh!...AHHHH MEMORIES!!!!

[Ram4Sam]

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
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'56 oval resto/mild mod in progress

[rustfree1967bug]

I have always thought being around in the vw scene in the late '70'-early '80s would have been so cool. Only problem is i was born about 25 years to late.
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'70 ghia
'69 ghia
'65 singlecab
'66 sunroof beetle
'74 bus
'67 so-42


IDA's...well... they talk dirty -MURZI

[Ram4Sam]

[j8bug]

No doubt the cal-look was around sooner than that but in the neighborhoods I grew up in, the 70s was all about lowriders. My generation came next in the 80s and we were all flat broke. We could afford V-Dubs but we couldnt afford Ida motors and extensive dechroming so we left all the chrome on and called it Cal-Style. Its a culture not familiar to the V-Dub world unless you lived in latino sections of L.A. in the 80s. And boy was it fun

[vwkidd]

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.

[vwkidd]

[masterpoop63]

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