Hey all, another FNG here, longtime lurker and first post here. I found out about the HAMB thru a co-worker who became a friend, and is also an old hand on the board. My background is almost exclusively muscle cars and of course V'dubs, my rod history is almost non-existent. My first car was a 69 Dodge Super Bee, and being a typical broke kid going into the military I sold it in the '80's before the values went into space. After that for years I went through several domestic brands from the '60's and '70's, Pontiac, Chevy, 1 Ford briefly, before comming back to a Mopar as my last American ride. Typical military kid with a family I had no time or money to do many mods or Go Big on motors so I did what I could. I had a 69 Ply Valiant (that I still miss) and I ended up taking the paint down and covering the whole thing in black primer - just over 10 years ago before it became the thing to do! After I blew up my last small block, and around that time, got divorced, I decided to take a break from the whole scene and just drive a commuter. Enter a longtime friend that was into VW's that became a roommate and I got sucked into helping him and his buddies work on their bugs (I had a Dodge cargo van parts hauler, 'nuff said). I started reading VW magazines and realized this was a brand of auto that didn't require much $ to own and operate so my fate was set. Fast forward to just last year and I meet hip, whom many of you know. He pegged me for someone who needed mentorship, direction, and most of all, connections. He has listened to my ideas patently and he has the skills I lack so with his help I want to build a hybrid VW/Chevy creation. The project "as envisioned" is where I get my name from, and I hope to be able to complete it for the next Rat Fink......or the one after that, I know myself too well. For those that are still reading and are interested, I am using an old Corvair engine/trans into VW pan conversion kit mixed with a fiberglass Berry Mini-T body to do up a "middle ground" hybrid - vw pan and suspension, American powertrain and bodystyle. This will be using stuff I already have laying around and help from buddy's so I am trying to do this on the cheep, whatever that means, and follow the low buck road. Hope to talk with all of you on the boards. Thank you for reading this far even if you are a moderator looking for newbie violations, the attention is appreciated. Oh, last thing, my dream domestic project is a '33 Plymouth coupe WITH fenders.
Oh yeah, guess pics would help to visualize everything! EDIT: Ok, pics showing up fine now! Front view: Back: Donor bug:
Welcome Mighty Mouse (Finally!) I think it really sounds like a cool project and will enjoy giving you a hand on it. I think you probably put the Moderators to sleep with your lengthy intro so i wouldnt be afraid of any retaliation if any. just kidding. . Gotta tell you something about Mighty though. He constantly amazes me at all the little car facts he has jammed in his mellon. He calls it "a lot of useless information" but the fact of the matter is somebody needs those tid bits of knowlege and i know he'll be of help here on the H.A.M.B., not to mention he's a funny guy!
Thanks for the welcome guys! I am proud to be a 'dubber but I also plan on being like the (many) other VW fans here, keeping it on the "low down". MM
Welcome aboard MM, all cars are cool.I've had alot of vdubs myself,bugs,vans,a ghia all fun years ago,but now like the old rods & your car sounds like it'll be nice too. Bob
Helped ya out with the paragraphs as it made it much easier for me to read. That body looks way cool. I'm not a VW fan but I'm looking forward to watching your project come together. Keep us posted with lots of photos. Welcome to the HAMB
Might Mouse, Welcome!!! I suspect that many of us on here have spent time with a VW or 2, or 3; myself included. Good place to learn and get some experience. In fact I'm working out the details of houw I can use VW jugs and internals to build my own V-tWin motocycle engine. I can't do things the easy way - no I gotta do it my way. The project looks cool and keep the pics coming, it saves me the trouble of having to read. Welcome!!
Welcome Mighty! I love those old bugs CHOPPED! If you get just the right chop they are cool! keep us posted!
I'm a VW fan too, I've always wanted a baja bug to play with in the mud. I check out www.volksrods.com often to see some cool bugs and I want to biuld a car that looks like the one below but has a Flathead V8 in the front.
I saw the one pictured above at a show in Cincinnati in September.. he and his dad run a place called: www.droppedaxleproductions.com that is an interesting website, for American Hot Rods. That VW, though, had a custom made 2x3 rectangular frame, and a Toyota steering box, and a lot of other innovative stuff on it... I used to work for both of the US-based VW magazines the "extinct" one before it went extinct, and the other one that's still in business, up until last June, when I semi-retired (semi-retarded?) up in the redwoods of NorCal, bought a Model T Tudor Sedan, and remembered what radiators are for... Keep the VW stuff down low, and you'll get along fine. There's a lot of folks that either have/used to have/learned on/got 1st lay in/etc a VW, but they keep it kinda quiet in here.. this for a traditional rods site, and while some may argue that a VW is as much a part of the traditional rod scene as anything else, the owner of this here place, doesn't like them, and will delete you in a heartbeat, if the VW content starts to get out of hand...
Welcome from a fellow FNG! For some reason there's some anti-bug sentiment here. Would anybody bust my balls for having a altered-style Topolino? Or a gasser Anglia? They aren't domestic. Not that I actually have either one; just wish I did. Anyway, at the risk of getting trashed by all and sundry, I'll admit to one of my favorite cars having been a '61 type I w/ a bone-stock 40HP. Sat 4" off the ground, had stock steelies, and was a kick in the ass to drive. Well, was my favorite until it burned. Cheers, Bill
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