My name is Steve, and I'm a... (sob!)... VW customizer/corrupter/destroyer/(insert your personal favorite here).
(This is where everyone chimes in...HELLO STEVE!)
I stumbled onto the original Volksrodder forum on the STF, when I was chased off of the other "custom" sites like the Cal look forum and the German look forum, where I was told I didn't fit in. I think it was Steve who suggested I wander over to the Volksrodder forum, where there were other misfits that didn't fit in too.
I live in San Jose CA, were I work as a Sr. Test Engineer for M/A-COM, designing and programming computer controlled automated test stations for many of the microwave component assemblies that go into missles and radar warning systems for fighter planes (keepin' our boys out of harms way). I'm 45 years old, married with three kids the oldest of which is 23. I used to hang glide (built my own rigid wing tailless biplane hang glider), and I have a private pilots license. I belong to the local chapter of the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America, the Golden Gate chapter, same one that put on the Kelly Park and Solvang shows. There I'm known as that heretical bastard that ruined a perfectly servicable Volkswagen, even if it was one of those worthless "late models", and I do my best to be a professional thorn-in-the-side and piss off the self-righteous, VW purists that currently run the club.
This is my car:
I suppose technically it's not a VROD, but so what. I will bet that some people will claim that I "ricerized" it. Fact is this style existed long before there even were ricers. So actually they ripped off the look from Volkswagens.
This is my first and (so far) only attempt at customizing a car. People either love it or hate it. VW purists hate this car, in their minds I have destroyed it. FUCK 'EM! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/fingerclear.gif[/img] This is my car and I did it the way I wanted, virtually every aspect of the car was planned and executed by me, and for me. It's my daily driver. It started out as a '74 sunbug, that I bought about three years ago, at that time it was in decent shape and virtually stock. The interior was trashed and at some point it was the victim of an engine fire (hence the salvage title). I started out with visions of making it a Cal looker, and put on a set of EMPI style 8 spoke wheels with the requisite 135 tires up front and 195's in back. Deciding that the handling with those tires SUCKED. I decided that I needed some serious rubber on the car, and started looking for a way to put some really WIDE tires on it. In researching fenders that could accomodate the kind of tires I wanted I found the Creative Car Craft website, and saw shots of some of the Mulholland Look cars. I fell in love with such an over the top look, and set about building one of my own. After a year and a half of work, (all the while continuong to drive it to work every day) it is pretty much finished. I did all the mechanical work on it, including rebuilding and upgrading the engine myself. Rebuilding the entire brake system, steering, suspension, installing a rear sway bar, etc. I did all the body work myself, learning fiberglassing techniques along the way. I stripped and redid the interior, including all new tweed cloth headliner, new padding and carpets, and made my own custom interior panels. I installed custom upolstered seats, arm rests and visors made by Sewfine. The only part of the job I didn't do myself was actually shooting the paint. But I did do all the prep work. I've entered it into a couple of shows and so far it has won a first place and a second place trophy. I also take it out autocrossing on occasion, and it holds it's own against most cars.
Specs go something like this:
Engine: 1776cc, counterweighted crank, semi-hemi heads, total seal rings, 12.5 lb flywheel, Kennedy clutch and 1700lb pressure plate. Headers and dual quietpak mufflers. Currently running a stock 34-pict3 carb.
Body: "Mulholland" kit by Creative Car Craft. With 2.5" wider front and 3" wider rear fenders, airdam, fiberglass front hood and deck lid, running boards, whaletail, and VeeRossa side panels. Dupont Porsche Guards Red two stage paint.
Wheels/tires: Front: 7" Centerline Autodrags with 225/50-15 BF Goodrich euro T/A's
Rear: 8.5" with 265/50-15 BF Goodrich T/A's
Suspension/brakes: KYB gas shocks, heavy duty front and rear sway bars, stock drums
For more shots of the car go to
http://www.sounddomain.com/member_pages/vi...?page_id=216911 or
http://www.onlineshowoff.com/index.asp?sec...sername=abug2nv
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