tommy-turtle - Cut-Weld-Drive Forums

tommy-turtle · December 17th, 2002, 08:54 PM

Ok
Well my name is Chris. I go by the call name of tommy-turtle on here and many other forums. I have been into Volkswagens since I was 13. My first VW was a Bradley GT 1 kit car (yes those crappy ones with the plexi glass gul-wings doors). It was on a 65 pan and I thought I was KING SH*T with that car. But before that car ran I bought a 1960 Karmann Ghia. I did not drive it home first, I stopped by orchard supply and bought a paychecks worth of spray paint drove to the walnut field by the house and painted the car so my dad would not kill me. I drove that car home with the paint still wet and dust collecting in the paint. (Sorry the paint was semi gloss it was the only that they had enough to paint the car with) that car ended up being taken apart and being sold for about what I bought it for.
Then I acquired my sisters 70 bug and drove that around for 3 months till she took the fender off with a lawyer BMW. I ended up taking the car to a junkyard and getting 20 bucks for it after I took the engine out of it.
Some where between then an their I got a 68 Ghia, that got trashed Dammed ford owners. And also had a 73 thing trade that for a 56-beater oval (dumb move on my part). But at 17 (that was some where between the Bradley and the 70 bug) I goy my first boat anchor. I got a 72 Karmann Ghia Convertible. I still have this car to this day. It was the best car I had till I was about 20 when I hit a Dautsin B-210 and crunched the head light bucket and some of the front nose. I have done some collecting parts for it for almost 13 years so I can put this car back together. Some day I want my little girl (only 14 months now) to be able to cruise to school with the top down and waving as she goes to school. SOME day.

A few years ago1992 I bought MY oval that I drive every day. It is a 1956 oval hard top. This car is the reason the I go by tommy-turtle. This car was purchased in 1956 buy a couple in san Francisco. They loved this car. The woman used to writ letter to this car and would send them to this car though the USPS. They named this car Tommy Turtle in 1962. The car had an accident and had to have the front ¼ panel had to be fixed and was fixed at the dealership. When it was fixed it was repainted green when they got it back it was from then on called Tommy turtle and was known as a member of the family. It had a few Flower stickers added to the car when it was going though the 60’s period. In 1972 the car was rested in the garage due to a dead battery. The car stayed in the garage resting un till 1989. My buddy and former boss Ray Schubert had a Buddy Gary Clark who knew the owners on the 56 bug. Gary and Ray made a deal to buy the car. Ray bought half the car to get the ton of extra parts that came with the car and Gary bough the car to have the car. Well Gary did not have a place to work on the car so he sold it to Ray who then sold it to a guy named JP. JP was the first person to have THIEFS steel some thing from it. The deck lid and the chrome molding were stolen from the car. Well time went by and Believe it or not Thief’s are stupid. Wile working at bugformance the Morons brought the deck lid in and asked if any one wanted to buy it. Well let say the cops were not called and the deck lid came back to the car. Well JP sold the car back to Gary when he had a place to work on it. Well Gary had some hard times and had to let Tommy Turtle go. And I was the first person he called. I ended up buying the car 4 years after it was purchased for the same $400.00 that the car was purchased out of San Francisco.
So the car has been in my possession for almost 11 years now. I have had the deck lid stolen again and had the head light stolen (that bums me out the most) and the rear window and the ARS HOLES broke my front windshield. When that happened I parked the car for 2 years in a barn and started to search for parts. I was able to collect a set of front fender and headlights and rear window. A friend of mine was able to get me a windshield for free. And since June/July for 2000 I have been driving this car on a regular basis. And as a daily driver since august on this year, I gave back my New Bug from the lease. Ok enough about the car

I have worked in automotive since I started my working carrier. Started as a kid in the shop that cleaned the shop and cleaned cars. I got my first set of Kardons there for free. After I got laid off I went to work for a VW shop called Peninsula Automotive. I worked at the Campbell store and Mostly at the San Jose store Use to be called Bug’s Only I worked their and learned a lot about what not to do as a cal BUGGER. It was at the end of the florescent green and pink era. After 2 years I got tired of Just being a parts Pusher and wanted to work at a Machine shop that also sold VW parts it was called FEX or FOREIN ENGINE EXCHANGE. I worked for Cory for around 3 years, and I though the grass would be greener on the other side. Can say it was But it was a learning experience.
I then went to work for Ray Schubert when he started Volks Authority. I could go on for hours talking about here but I am getting tired and need to finish this up later.

Ok here is the list of cars I remember having.
65 bradley gt 1
60 Karmann Ghia cope
72 Karmann Ghia convertible (still in my possession)
65 Singel cab
64 roofless Baja
73 thing
60 bug
62 bug
66 bus
70 Karmann Ghia
54 oval Project
70 bug
56 Oval (still in my possession)
60 vert to some day become a Volks rod
84 gti's
82 caddy
81 caddy
82 caddy parts
82 cabby
00 nb gone
70 karmann ghia autostick

85 GTI