All posts by JL

John’s Stylin’ Bug and Testimonial

John Mofidi's Stylin Bug and Great Testimonial

Let me first start off by saying I’m not one to write reviews, but I feel this one is necessary for all the VW enthusiasts out there. I have a 1967 full custom Cal Look VW which I’ve spent countless hours on, to make it reliable and comfortable to drive. The products that Classic Bug parts sells, such as the Big Boy Pedal Extender*, have helped tremendously with my comfort in the drivers seat! Along with comfort, I want reliability, and the Clutch Pedal Shaft Upgrade did this… I never have to worry about my clutch pedal hook snapping on me ever again!  Peace of mind when driving a Classic VW is important.

Soon to be installed will be the Pistol Wheel for my accelerator. I’m certain this will meet all expectations, as my previous two purchases from Classic Bug parts have. Thanks for the awesome products for the VW community! Keep up the great work guys! I absolutely love the parts I’ve installed thus far.  Soooooo much better than stock!!
– John Mofidi

*Note:  The Big Boy Pedal Extender kit incorporates the Clutch Pedal Shaft upgrade while adding space between your clutch and brake pedals.

Danny Harrel’s 1960 Bug

danny_harrell

Here is my 1960 Beetle. I’ve built this car over the course of the last 5 years. A few years ago I upgraded my accelerator pedal to the Classic Bug Parts Pistol Wheel, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a very well made, high quality part. A pedal might not seem like a huge upgrade, but it made a world of difference compared to the original. No more pedal wobble, and it’s super smooth. I plan on eventually upgrading to the Big Boy Pedal Extender Clutch Shaft too.

My son Oliver loves to play in the bug and my 65 bus, looks like a early start for a love of bugs. When I build another early bug, I’ll definitely be ordering a pedal for it.  A+ parts.  – Danny Harrell

Old Roller Ball vs. Pistol Wheel from Classic Bug Parts

Many people ask us “What’s the difference between the Roller ball and the Pistol Wheel from ClassicBugParts?

old_vs_new_pistolwheel
The issue with the Roller ball is that it uses a single accelerator arm, which allows the arm to wobble from side to side, creating friction. This can put strain on the accelerator cable, which is prone to break at that point. On the Pistol Wheel, we use a double-reinforced arm. It operates like a door hinge that eliminates the wobble, plus we have tailored the arm into the tunnel for proper alignment of the throttle cable to the accelerator arm. This further reduces the strain on the cable.

The Pistol wheel rides on a precision-machined stainless steel pin for far less friction in movement. The wheel has been reduced in size for better clearance to the bulkhead and for better carburation. Yes, it has been redesigned for a more comfortable ride and to add a measure of safety to the vehicle.

Please visit the Pistol Wheel page for more details on upgrades for your VWs.

“Keep on buggin.”

The ClassicBugParts Team

Ernie Flores and Ernie Jr.’s Project

ernie_flores_layout

Father & son Ernie Flores and Ernie Jr. are in the beginning stages of their new project VW. Attending shows and swaps, this dynamic duo are on the lookout to accomplish their vision of a VW restoration, bringing this 1970 bug back to shining condition. This project began as a true diamond in the rough. To start, they rescued the little bug from the harder side of Fresno CA. Within the last four months and well into 2016, they have logged in over 314 man hours and counting into this resurrection, which is Ernie Jr.’s first car. Dad recalls that they cleaned up over 40 years of What were they thinking type things, like household wiring held together with twist connectors…  The previous owners even cut 6×9 speaker holes out from under the dash!

This build has come along very well with the help of 81 year old VW living legend Bruce Bewarder, or as Ernie calls him My German Mr. Miyagi. Also helping out are his other son Isaiah and friends Bobby and Zito. Thanks to them, Ernie Jr. is learning how to work on these German treasures. First thing for the rebuild was the initial cleaning, and that’s when a master plan came about–along with a never ending checklist of what they needed in order to finish his car by the end of summer.

From the oatmeal-colored tweed headliner and carpet kit from Sewfine, to all the body and door parts that will replace the purple spray-painted and ill-fitting chrome aftermarket stuff, a serious transformation is underway. And don’t forget the original old-school Empi Sprintstar wheels Bruce gave them! The beetle was called Oatmeal once as a joke, and the name just stuck. The plan is to drop Oatmeal really low–a funky clean attitude is what they are going for. A cool college commuter for Little Ernie.

The previous owner had installed a cheap and wobbly roller ball pedal and his foot would constantly slip off or below. Ernie planned to replace it but procrastinated, and then he found out the hard and dangerous way just how bad that plastic roller ball pedal really was. The throttle cable broke as he was entering the freeway in rush hour. The pedal hit the metal and never came back up! He lost all power and found himself cussing and praying at the same time, hoping that he would have enough momentum to reach the side of the crazy rush hour freeway. He pulled over as much as he could, and it still didn’t feel far enough. He felt like the giant trucks were going to blow him away! Or worse just plow right into him! Ernie then stopped panicking and made a quick fix.

freeway_pedal_fixAn extra wire he found in the trunk and a thousand knots later, and he was on his way. All he could think about on that ride home was, what if his son Ernie Jr. would’ve been stuck out there in the same situation? Lacking the experience, what would he have done, or not done? He knew then what his next fix would be!

ClassicBugParts has an upgrade kit called The X-Celerator Speed Wheel, and this, along with the Clutch Pedal Upgrade kit, was a no brainier. Ernie is now confident that by taking care of Oatmeal with these upgrades, it will most certainly take care of Little Ernie and whoever else may be with him in the years to come. Peace of mind is a really good thing. Ernie Flores totally recommends Classic Bug Parts and our products to all his V-Dub friends. (Thank you, Ernie!)

What an amazing story to learn from… Sad to say, those of us at Classic Bug Parts hear so many stories of similar dangers faced by bug owners. This is one of the main reasons why the designers at Classic Bug Parts came up with these wonderful upgrades, precisely because of the great need for safety and smoother rides in these VW treasures.

Ron, Jane, and the team at ClassicBugParts.com look forward to hearing about great successes from Ernie, Ernie Jr., and company!

ernie_flores_and_ernie_jr

John Vulich is Thankful!

john_vulich_vw2

Attending VWcar shows, we met John Vulich and could see his enthusiastic love for his 1970 bug. John has owned this beauty for 23 years, and he has been driving it since he got his drivers license in 1994. Originally it was an auto stick car, but that was all changed when Bruce of Eyeball Engineering (now retired), who is looked up to by many VW owners, converted it to a 4 speed in 1999.

John’s good friend bought an extra Clutch Pedal Shaft Upgrade from Classic Bug Parts and gave it to him.  John then figured that he should do the gas pedal upgrade at the same time, also from Classic Bug Parts, so an order for the X-Celerator Speed Wheel Kit 2 was made, which he received quickly. He tore into it on his next Saturday off with excitement. When John started working on the pedal cluster in his bug, he found the old pedal and arm twisted. Wow, he wasn’t getting full throttle! A few hours later, it was back together for a test drive, and he noticed a huge difference in how much smoother the new throttle and clutch pedals operate. John is now a firm believer in recommending these upgrades to any and all of his air-cooled friends. John is thankful for the great products at Classic Bug Parts!

John Vulich,
a thankful Classic Bug Parts Customer

Stovepipe and Eva Love These Pedals

stovepipe_layout_sm

“Greatest Pedal Assembly EVER!”

About 5 or 6 years ago, as I was getting my baby back in top running order, my buddy Larry walked over to the Classic Bug Parts booth at Rich Kimball’s Drag Day. “You really want to do something good for your bug? Buy one of Ron’s pedal assemblies!” So, after a brief conversation to make sure it would fit into my ’58, I bought the whole kit! New X-Celerator Pedal assembly and the “Big Boy” Clutch Pedal Extender, the whole nine yards!

Well, Larry and I got it all installed. Let me say right now, I’ve put a lot of miles on my little “Betta than Eva” ’58 bug, and every mile has been a pleasure with these pedals! Until you feel the difference, its really hard to explain, but the pedal became smooth. It reacted to my foot, and with the wider “Big Boy” Clutch Pedal kit I can now get my big fat feet to sit comfortably on both the clutch and brake when I get caught in bumper to bumper traffic. Even better than all that, in the past 5-6 years I haven’t lost a single cable on my ride! Now if you’re a daily driver like me, you can expect to lose a clutch cable from time to time. I mean, we all know they wear out! Well, the way the Classic Bug Parts assembly works, it puts far less tension on the cable, and the eyelet doesn’t ride back and forth in the old “hook” on your standard pedal.

I took ol’ Eva in to my local VW mechanic Bela (who is pretty famous in the little town of Burbank) for something unrelated, and a few days later when I picked her up, Bela pulled me aside and said “Hey! Where’d you get that pedal? That’s the best thing I’ve ever seen!” Now for a guy who has been building VW’s since the 1960’s and who is dead set on keeping everything “original”, that is one Hell of a compliment!

So let me close by saying this, The Rusty VW.com travels to a lot of VW shows all over the American Southwest and points beyond.
In all of our bugs and buses you’ll find Classic Bug Parts pedal assemblies, because when you’re putting on the big miles, you need to know that you have something that works.
This assembly does the job. I’m waiting anxiously for the brand new Bay Window Assembly that has been in the works for some time…because I’m tired of the door hinge holding mine together!

Buy a product that you’ll love from the minute you try it, and that will last as long as your love affair with your ride! Classic Bug Parts Pedals! The BEST!

See you down the road,

Stovepipe
The Artist behind
The Rusty VW.com

(Thank you, Stovepipe!)

stovepipe_thumbsup_sm

Announcing the ***NEW*** Pistol Wheel Kit!

pistol_wheel_aluminum_mounted1_featured_smAfter much discussion and feedback from clients and VW fans, we are pleased to introduce the new Pistol Wheel Kit!

The Pistol Wheel is built on the same accelerator lever design found in our X-Celerator kits, only with the quick and smooth action of the new machined wheel, available in delrin or aluminum.

THERE IS NO FLAT PEDAL HERE!  Your foot is in direct contact with the pistol wheel…

Learn more HERE.