Redding Area Volkswagen Association Rides

RAVA Members' Rides

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From Troy Marks (Member):	My 1967 bug was built to race in a 13.90 index class at the Bug-O-Rama shows. It has a close ratio race transmission. The engine is a 1776 it has 11:1 compression big valve heads lost of porting (by my dad) 44 idf webbers. The best pass I made was a 14.0 @ 97 mph at the 2005 Labor Day Bug-O-Rama. I raced in the sportsman class and went all the way to the finals to get a second place finish!!! Oh yeah, and the color is 1990 vw golf tornado red.
From Janie Cooper (Treasurer):	I have had my 67 Bug since 1994. I found her in Coos Bay, Oregon. Jack and I were on a trip in our motorhome, towing our '72 bug we had at the time. We were driving around Coos Bay and I saw this little white Bug parked in a parking lot with a "For Sale" sign on it. So just for fun, we stopped and looked it over. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. We contacted the owners, drove her and decided to buy her. We had just started out on our trip so we gave them a deposit and continued on. All the time we were gone on our trip, I could think of nothing else but that little Bug. About 2 weeks later when we got home, we took the El Camino and drove to Coos Bay to tow her home. I didn't want to drive her that far without knowing for sure how she was going to run. At the time we bought her, I had a new 1993 Honda that I was driving. But when I got my bug, I stopped driving the Honda and so finally we sold it. Since I have owned her, I changed engines and have a 2007 engine built for her by George at Wolfgang. I love the power that engine has. I will probably never sell my bug. --Janie Cooper
From Jack Cooper (Senior Member):	I bought this 66 Bug in 1997 from a friend that we met at Eagle Lake while camping. He saw Janie's VW driving around and talked to us about his Bug. He said he was thinking of selling it so I told him if he ever decides to sell it let me know. So a year later he called and said he was ready to sell. He sent pictures of it, inside and out. I called him and told him I would buy it. We met him halfway between Oakland and Redding and bought it. He bought the bug new and covered it, put it up on blocks and stored it in his garage for 12 years. It only had 80,000 miles on it when I got it. Everything on it is original, not restored. The engine has never been out and everything in the interior is just as it was when the guy bought it new. --Jack Cooper
From Joey Ortez (Secretary/Webmaster):	I met this little old man in Morrison's Warehouse in 2003 who was looking for a "For Sale" sign for his PURE stock red 68 bug. He was the first owner and he had purchased it locally in Redding from Bingham Motors in 1968. I sold the bug I was driving and borrowed some money from my Dad to buy his bug. I have had 5 bugs previously, and this was the most well cared for bug I had ever come across. He gave me the original key with the dealer's stamp in it, the manual that he received from the dealership and also a book of service records from day 1. I really wanted to do something special with this bug, so I got my friend Gabe Latten (http://gaberdidit.com) to paint it for me. He paints show cars for a living, so I figured he could handle my little bug. We went crazy with the flames, because I asked him to put as many colors as possible on it. I put up a picture of the headliner that I hand-sewed and installed on the original hang-rods all by myself. The fur was pretty easy to work with considering it's thickness! I've done a lot of work to this car in the lines of restoration, and instead of replacing the chrome moulding on the side panels, I put metal spikes in the holes instead (like the kind you would put on a leather jacket). I get a lot of comments on it, thats for sure! In April of 2005 I flipped this bug on it's side and landed in a ditch. Not pretty, so it's currently sitting in my garage whilst I drive my new 2000 Beetle around. I plan to do all the repairs necessary to get it back on the road. My goal is to show old and new side by side. I put up a picture of both my bugs. --Joey Ortez
From John Kolak (Member):	The Thing is a German Army surplus model, so it has lots of extras you can read about at the importer's web site: http://members.aol.com/KFJC/ They are a bit pricey there, but I got a bargain when the restorer lost interest when his daughter was born. I nearly have it street ready. Just need to put the seats back together, install the rear fenders, and put on the rear blackout markers. It will be my daily driver when finished. The bus is a rare cargo van with double doors on both sides. It was rescued from Shasta Lake City where it sat since blowing the motor. I had a hunch it would be okay since it had made a coast tour, but I didn't realize how clean it was until I cleaned it up. Thanks to Paul Eddy at Auto Tech for helping me build a big motor with a mild cam. Carbs thanks to Gary. It was my first time assembling a motor since high school auto shop. Thanks again to all. --John Kolak
From Dannie Rodrigue (Member):	Black Bug: I discovered that my brother in law had a volkswagen that he bought from his friend for $900.00. It was running but he tried to fix something and messed up the wiring. He then went into the Air Force, so his Dad had it towed to this big field out where he works. The volkswagen sat there for 3 years and my fiance' told me the story about how her dad had this bug towed. I got interested because I had always wanted to get a volkswagen, so the next day I called her dad and asked him about it, he told me that it had no wiring and needed all new interior, and a paint job. I asked him if I could go out and look at it, I liked it... and he sold it to me for $300. Blue Bug: I drove by this house that had a '71 VW sitting out in their back yard. I talked to the people that lived there, and he told me to make an offer-- I said $100... He told me "o.k."! It took me a couple of days, but I finally towed it to a friends house, then paid $12 for a carburetor rebuild kit, and it runs! I also got a set of chrome wheels for it. There has only been one owner since me, and I'm going to keep it that way. --Dannie Rodrigue
From Gary Beck (Founding Member):	This car still has the original paint, interior and has only 21,000 miles on it since new. I just bought this 12-06-04, and looks like it just drove off the show room floor. I can�t wait to take it to some car shows. Thanks R.A.V.A. you�re the best Volkswagen car club in California. --Founding member Gary Beck

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