Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 18:44:27 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Hubcaps - chrome moonies ( not )
In-Reply-To: <003b01c8678e$37610020$6501a8c0@MAINCOMPUTER>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi, hope the rainy/drizzly isn't getting to you too much there.
If I didn't take SAMe I don't know how I'd cope.
Sometimes I'm like 'I should be more depressed than I feel considering my
circumstances and the weather - must be the SAMe." ...........I swear by
that stuff - for mood, brain function, joints, longevity and liver detox it
says on the box.
I thought of Lake Pipes while writing that but I left it out so you could
chime in with that ;-)
And ............if there's music as great as some of the music from that
era, let me know. I don't think there is. NVC here, but that whole southern
California surf and hot rod era and the music connected with it, unsurpassed
to this day.
And if modern type screaming and thrashing and banging on drums and guitars
is music..........I just have to laugh. It's crap and should be labeled as
such.
And I haven't' seen the Worlds' Fastest Indian' yet , but I've read about
it. True story too.
And Bonneville Salt Flats ..........yep, sure would love to go there during
Speed Week.
Oh btw, what it the land speed record for a vanagon, anybody know ?
THAT would be such a fun project.
I read a great story in I think Car & Driver magazine, and this would be
typical for them as they are or were at least, a little whack. A guy wrote
about doing just anything, just anything to have the car ready and get there
for Speed Week. Kiting checks even he said. Another interesting thing was
about ballast weight.
That weight is good for a speed record car, and that you need a lot of it,
and need to be able to move it around or take it out easily, I'm imagining
flywheels bolted down here and there, tho modern times would call for
depleted uranium probably !!
I forget what it is, but they are using something like that for ballast
weight in Formula 1 cars these days, not lead.
And he talked about how long a car spends barely accelerating getting that
last 1 mph of what it'll do. And how it's high continuous load for a long
time without let up, and how much you need to be able to change gearing to
get optimal top speed out of a given car and engine set up.
Ok...........I'm probably in all kinds of trouble for non-vanagon content -
lol.
On my turbovans yahoo group we can talk about anything under the Sun.
And I hope you get some of that soon too !!
You're not too far from the Sunshine Coast after all .
Last question, have you been to the Forbidden Plateau near you on Vancouver
Island ?
I have a gorgeous laminated map of Vancouver Island I bought in Tofino in
about 1990, and it shows that name on the map.
I love just picking out interesting sounding places on a map and just going
there.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
southern Oregon where the winter isn't too bad.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Courtney Hook
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 4:30 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Hubcaps - chrome moonies ( not )
This is where the term "lake pipes" came from too, like in the Beach Boys
line, "And she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar". :-) And yes,
moons covered the whole rim for aerodynamics. I was at Bonneville in the
summer watching the classics rip down the course.
A side view to watching the Bonneville scene is the great movie with Anthony
Hopkins called "Worlds Fastest Indian". About motorcycles, but really shows
the mystique of all the speed scene in the early years. Geez, I miss big
block engines. ;-(
Courtney
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Daniel - Shazam" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: Hubcaps - chrome moonies ( not )
Re " any chrome moon hubcaps for a '71 up bus or beetle will work."
Just for your automotive and cultural historical correctness, 'moon
hubcaps' cover the entire wheel.
I believe the origin is hot rod cars that ran on dry lake beds in southern
California, after WWII and at the start of the hot rod era in the late 40's
and into the 50's...........on those cars for streamlining purposes they
covered the wheels over smoothly with probably aluminum full size hubcaps.
And possibly first used on 'dry lake' cars based on, or build upon, aluminum
surplus aircraft belly tanks.
Some may consider this rambling, if you do, stop reading now
.................
The semi-flat chrome hubcaps come on early vanagons, and all years of Buses
before that starting with the 1971 Bus ..........which is the first year of
the normal 'small center hole ' hole 15 inch steel wheel. Prior to that vw
steel rims had a very large almost 10 inch center hole, and a special
adapter was needed to put those wheels on tire machines.
Bugs I don't know as well. Early bugs had the same large hole wheel until
they came out with a 4 lug, 'small center hole' wheel in ............I think
1968. The 68 Bug was a large departure from all the previous ones in many
ways. If I was answering on a test, I'd say 68 Bug was the first year of
that wheel type, that will take the semi-flat chrome hubcap. . I remember
when the 68 Bug came out even, I was there and I thought the vent window
latches, where you twist a knob, then hold it twisted while you flip the
lever was 'too german' and dumb, but obviously it was an anti-break in
feature, or at least I imagine that was the thinking.
And I just call them 'the chrome metal' hubcaps for Buses and early
vanagons.
I'd trade 4 chrome metal ones for a very good set for a set of what I call
the 'Silver Dome' plastic hubcap seen on many 84 and up gasoline vanagons.
I don't think much of the 'phony wire wheel' plastic hubcaps that come on 82
diesel vanagons, and I imagine 82 DV's came both ways, a GL having the large
plastic hubcaps I'd guess, and L models the chrome metal.
But I'd probably trade 4 chrome metal vanagon hubcaps for 4 good silver
dome ones. Finding a silver dome one that is really ok though is not always
that easy.
They are often either scratched up, or broken in a spot of two on the back
side. I have about 9 of them that have something wrong with them, in one way
or another.
Where I am rusting of the metal hubcaps barely happens.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 8:11 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Hubcaps - chrome moonies
In a message dated 2/4/08 10:29:02 AM Eastern Standard Time,
sandwichhead@YAHOO.COM writes:
> Thinking about replacing my plastic hubcaps on 91GL and was thinking about
> the chrome domes from a beetle or old bus. Thoughts? Anyone have any for
14"?
> Took mine off to clean and ended up painting silver w/1500 degree paint.
> They look pretty good, but I kinda like the black steel rims the way they
are.
> Thanks, Michael
> 91GL Auto 'Gringo' in San Antonio
>
>
>
any chrome moon hubcaps for a '71 up bus or beetle will work.
if you decide to buy some new ones, DONT buy the cheap ones. they will rust
in less than a month.
chris
**************
Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp0030000
0002548)
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