Fuller-Brizio - Speedway volksrod

Back in the early 70's, Kent Fuller built the first Volksrod. It was a unique T bucket with a full hood and a slighly longer pickup box as it hid the engine-a slightly O/T VW.

Kent sold his tooling to Brizio, who I am told built between 20 and 50 of these rods.

Bill Smith ( Speedy) of Speedway mototors bought all Andy's tooling and sold a mere 20 of these beore mothballing the tooling.

Does anybody know where I could find one of these cars? I have ordered a set of frame plans. I have also sent an email to Speedway offering to buy the tooling and or a kit, but have had no response. These were very old schooling looking but in light of today's fuel prices and my desire to drive....it seems to make sense.

Thanks

Kermit

 

have you tryed to contact andy brizio to see if he knows where one may be,or maybe his son roy brizio? [email protected]

-danny

-danny

 

Check your PMs.

Mike

 

Lots of luck...............I've heard from many people over the years about the impossibility of buying any one off personal items (non-catalog) from Speedy Bill.
I see one for sale on E-bay every so often.

 

Where are frame plans available? I've got an old issue of R&C that has alot of info, but I'd be interested in some larger diagrams if available.

I also know where there is a Fuller bed for one of these that I fully intend to purchase if/when it becomes available.

Thanks,
Ben

 

anyone have pics ?

 

This is what it looks like today . . .



Mike

 

This one was on ebay a couple of months ago.

 

Bruce Crower may have a Dragmaster V-Rod frame stashed in the back room in Chula Vista. When you call down there, ask for Reed.

 

I've never seen one of those before...that's smooth as hell...I bet it'd trip people out to lift the "hood" and see nothing there...or to just drive around with an open frontend...a REALLY open frontend...damn that's slick...

 

AV8. I'm sure you've seen Walt Letherman's Volksrod in Santa Rosa, as well, with the Dick Landy (yes, THAT "Dandy" Dick Landy) blower sticking out of the pickup bed..You figure power to weight ratio, and the fact that most of the weight is in the back, right where you need it for traction, and that little yellow T-bucket can give all but the most potent, well-suspended cars, fits...
I know the Speedway people still have the frame jigs and the molds for their "VX-23" as they called it, as I talked with Jeff Calkins there at Speedway about the possibility of re-introducing the kit, now that there are front wheel braking systems available for them. At the time, Mr. Calkins said it wasn't in the cards, but I imagine if enough people expressed enough interest, and Speedway thought they could make a few bucks off them..
The maroon car either does, or used to, belong to Bo Bertillson, longtime contributor to Rod & Custom magazine. He found it here in the US, bought it for a price that still makes me cry ('cause I didn't hear about it first) and scarfed it up.
So, let's see... a naturally-aspirated,no N20, reliable, cool-running 200 horsepower, in an 1,100 pound car... or what the hell, stick a small TO-3 turbo on it, and get 350 ponies...

 

Heck, I'd buy one! Nice styling, great power to weight ratio, and 45mpg to boot!

 

You may find a pic or two at the Photobucket site for Causey Designs Volksrod Collection. Not sure if this link will work or not:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v218/causeydesigns/Volksrod%20Collection.

If the link doesn't work, try a Google search of Volksrods and you can probably find the working link. IN addition, the very car you seek is able to be brought up in a search of Volksrod, I seem to remember. I think the magazine VW Trends also shows an article on it and how to make a Volksrod. I saw several that looked like what you were looking for, but not sure if they were pictured at the Photobucket site or some other one I have viewed recently. I have visited several sites lately on the Volksrod, as it looks like a fun project to check into making at a later date. I really enjoyed looking at the VW's that had been converted into coupes. Man, if I had those sort of body working skills.....

Personally, I think they are a great project and wish more folks here would discuss them a bit more in the future. "Traditional" becomes pure crap if it only means the opinions of a few are what rodding is supposed to be all about! This sort of modification to any stock vehicle is really hot rodding at heart by being creative and using what is available.

Good luck in finding what you seek,
Huey

 

actually i could be wrong but the info i found was that kent built his in '67/'68 and sold everything to brizio who built one for his wife in '68/'69. there are pics of the brizio one in the back of Hot Rods and Customs of the 60s. i've considered finding a cheap glass bucket and just building one up from it. i'd probably keep the spindle mounts up front since it looks good and run disc brakes in the rear. there's another vw guy here in western nc that has run a ghia and a bug with spindle mounts with that set up and never had any problem. said just disc in the rear stopped about as good as drums all around. could be fun but then again i love aircooled shit funny it's not "traditional" but people have been hot rodding aircooled vw's in MANY, MANY forms pretty much since they came out. you wanna talk about rare try finding vintage speed equipment for a 36hp vw, besides a judson supercharger...ken....

 

personally from wht i have seen done with vws, i dont think it be that hard to fab up yourslef with a glass body and bed. you could build frame from 2 x 3 tubing. either weldinig on stock vw cradle or just study the mounts and design yuor own. etither way it would be a pretty sweet ride and good on gas just my thuoghts jake

 

That one looks nice but i saw one real nice with a truck cab on it and the front hood area was actual leg room..VW's were here in the 60's...I dont see why we cant talk about em.especialy when American companies like Claudes Buggies(CB performance) builds hop up kits that will make em blow away alot of the average V8's

I like seeing rods built with 4 cyls and straight 6's...shows craftsmanship and in some cases...unbelievable speed!

 

Great Link to all kinds of VW stuff.

Thanks

 

I always wanted to build one of the 'Stake-bed' versions that had the '40-Ford front on it back in my High-School days ( '71-'75).

After looking at the link, I see where were they were looking at doing it with a Fiat Topolino body, and to think I had one of those for years .

 

Where did you find the frame plans ????????

 

Yeah?

 

Just graft the back end of a dune rail frame to the front of a FadT and ya got it...
There was a company in WA I believe making mid engine VW '27 T's for a long time too.
They were super sleeper because the proportions were right on.

A machinist could build a front engine front wheel drive with a Miller or Cord style solid axle in front with a VW or Corvair engine & trans.
With today's choices of CV joints shold make it easier than it was in the '60's , or '30's...

 

There was a Yellow Fuller Volksrod shipped to England a few months ago.

 

The place in Washington that had the track-style 27 T roadsters, with a mid-engine VW engine (pretty much like a mid-engine sandrail, except for the 4 inch dropped Magnum, Hairpins, Corvair or Vega steering, etc etc) was called Averre's. That particular car was on the cover of HotVWs Magazine back in the late 80's/early 90's.
F.Y.I.
P.S. A few months ago, a Fuller or Brizio Volksrod was uncovered in Modesto, CA, and was on the dreaded internet auction site, or Craigslist, or something, for $10k as a turn-key runner.

 

Does anyone have a pic of Billy Belmonts Blue 27 "T" with a turtle deck, a somewhat altered wheelbase, and a V.W. engine in the back. It started as a kit from a company out east called VWT corp. He modified the kit and put a ford beam axle front end on it .......I always liked it. He used to drive it around all day, at the NSRA nats. It was a great fairgrounds cruiser, and he brought it for several years to the nats, in the mid 70's

 

Ok I have no pictures of it,but my buddy Billy belmont owns the Tom Medley volksrod.

 

I wish I had some pictures,I know Billy has a ton of pictures of that car,I road in that car when I was little,lots of fun.

 

I think Tom Medley's (aka Stroker McGurk)'s Volksrod was constructed by Dragmaster, in Carlsbad CA, wasn't it? I seem to recall a photo of Tom and either Jim "Jazzy" Nelson, or Dode Martin, with the chassis....
There's one of those hiding in a body shop in San Marcos, CA, but it has a Corvair and Powerglide now, and the wheelbase got stretched about 3 feet, so it looks like a cross between a Volksrod and a FED...

 

No VWs or Volksrods allowed on the HAMB you bandwagon jumpers....save that crap for the Samba.



Aahahahahahha!!!

 

Yes, it was a Dragmaster chassis...

CC