The “after” shot of the CanAm-agon?
January 17th, 20101984 VW Vanagon - $250 LeMons CanAm-agon!
January 8th, 2010
So, the build can finally begin. After a couple false starts, we finally have our platform to build the CanAm-agon. It was cheap ($250, no paperwork, left in a field of a foreclosed house), was designated a gross polluter in 2000 according to CarFax, and still has seats in reasonable condition that we might be able to sell. The engine runs but overheats fairly easily, transmission shifts but somewhat stiffly, and the suspension looks to be in reasonable shape for 250,000 miles. There are no keys, a screwdriver to hold the steering lock up, and fun hot-wiring hijinks to get it started.
We now have to source another engine and start planning and hacking the chassis to support it. I think that we’ll first start with ripping out the interior and scoping out where to stick the driver, how far the engines will lay going forwards, and what kind of supports we will need. Then we can flip the engine and transmission around, figure out a shift linkage, and figure out the best/worst connector between the two engines. We also have to think about what to do with the suspension, but at the moment we’ll just leave it as is, I’m not too sure what all can be done yet.
More to come …
$250 Vanagon procured, runs and drives mostly, no keys
January 8th, 2010Just got our $250 Vanagon delivered, from the property at a foreclosure, lots of leaves, runs pretty well actually, needs new fluids, shifting is a bit tough, but it’s a runner. Time to locate engine number two and start on the bodywork and chassis rearrangement. Pictures coming soon.
1968 Toyota Corona
December 29th, 2009Another fun little addition to the stable, less than $1000! Thanks to Duff who has his own stable of very interesting and quirky cars. Now I get to learn about old Toyotas, something I know nothing about (yet).
Pedal Pushers Rally Nov 2009!
November 19th, 2009Had a lot of fun doing most (but not all) of the Pedal Pushers Rally last weekend. Thanks for a great time, pictures are here. Imagine lots of old slightly crappy but very drivable cars spinning their way merrily along wet, twisty roads in the hills.
The Smurf Returns (to racing)
November 4th, 2009So, awhile ago we sold the Miata that we turbo’ed up for LeMons to some co-conspirators who recently campaigned it in the inaugural ChumpCar race which is similar to LeMons in so many ways that I forgot what the differences are, but I’m sure they think they are cool somehow for it.
It looks like the car has a new paintjob, some new holes in the bodywork and hard-top, and a bunch of go-fast wing-dings and bubbles and graphics. Here is the blog post about it by the guys who raced - nice going dudes, fastest lap!
Latest Addition - 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite
July 11th, 2009LeMons - looking for a Vanagon
June 15th, 2009Hey intertube surfers, we’re looking for a nice, cheap Vanagon for our next LeMons project. We thought we had one sourced, but yours truly forgot to do something very important, like pay the guy a deposit for the piece of junk. Seriously, how much deposit do you pay on a $200 shell?
Anyway, if anybody sees something, we’re looking for a beater Vanagon, a couple engines, and a working transmission.
Peace!
More Porsche patina
May 10th, 2009Caught this on the street in North Berkeley near the BART station. Yes, it runs and moves frequently. I think it’s a 356B based on the back grill and high headlights.
Patina as Art
May 9th, 2009The management of Gordon Biersch in San Jose has indulged us with some gallery space in the mezzanine above the bar. We do our best to rotate the photos every couple of months, and I’ve just hung a set of photos taken around the shop. Now the collection of fine old automobiles at Magnolia Garage is gracing the walls of that fine old Brewery. Well, bits of them anyway.
Peter's VW Single Cab
The 8 prints hanging on the wall in SJ are presented in my gallery, but the beer is better if you see them in person.