10 Mins. with D3 - OldFart
Welcome to “10 minutes with D3”. We thought it might be kind of cool to run a monthly Q&A Session with members of the Daily Driven Dubz community and learn a little bit about what makes the community tick. We'll select one community member monthly and have them provide us a little information about themselves and their involvement with D3 and the community at large.
This month our featured guest is one of our resident “Elder Statesmen” from down Sierra Vista way, Oldfart. He's in the middle of getting his ride running so he can terrorize that quiet little community.
D3: Who are you?
Oldfart: Oldfart. AK.A. “Bapaw” to 7 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.
D3: What does the government think you do for a living?
Oldfart: Warehousing/receiving for the US Army.
D3: What's your outlook on life? (what do you want to be/do when you grow up?)
Oldfart: I take it one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting the hardships as a pathway to peace.
D3: Do you have a Family?
Oldfart: 4 sons, 1 daughter, 8 grandkids and a very patient wife.
D3: How long have you been involved in the scene?
Oldfart: I've been in and out since 1967. First memory of VW's was my Dad's new '57 oval.
D3:What was the cheapest price you remember paying for a gallon of gas?
Oldfart: I personally paid... 19 cents around '70 or so. We usually paid 23-27 cents a gallon. I recall seeing it during "gas wars" for 10.9 around '67.
D3: What were your influences growing up?
Oldfart: Beach Boys. LeRoi "Tex" Smith, Pat Ganahl. Rod and Custom, car wise.
Non-car related....any book I could get my hands on. The denomination(church)I was raised in, but not in a positive way. Any music, rock, classical, country, religious.
D3: How many VW's have you owned?
Oldfart: Around 40 give or take a few. Actual running/I drove 'ems...about 20-25. Daryll beats me bigtime.
(NB: Daryll of BugZyla Fabrication / bugzyla.com fame)
D3: How did you end up with your first VW?
Oldfart:We built a dune buggie in '67. I "got it" to drive in '69.
D3: Of the VW's you've owned, which was your favorite, and why?
Oldfart: '64 Sundial Camper. It'd go anywhere in the Colorado Rockies I dared to go. That's tied with a raggedy '62 sunroof, rusty, smoker. But it had karma, dude.
D3: Any other cars you want to talk about?
Oldfart:'38 Chevy coupe.
'62 Chevy II wagon. 327, .060 over, LT1 cam, fender well headers, 4speed and 3.73 posi.
'55 Chevy 4door Bel Air, 6 and a 'glide. hauled a lot of grass in it.
D3: What do you do when you're not playing with your dub(s)? (IE other hobbies, etc)
Oldfart: Work on the house remodel, read, listen to talk radio and classical music.
Occasionally I'll put together a model car or custom hotwheels, but not as much now.
D3: How'd you get involved with D3?
Oldfart: I lurked for months via AZBAJA and LLVW origional site. And I'm blown away to be a 10minute D3 selection. True honor, thanks guys.
D3: Describe your perfect VW
Oldfart:67 Westy, dark green, plaid cloth interior.
D3: Is that your “Dream Ride”? If not, describe it.
Oldfart: '55 Chevy Bel Air 2 door post. reversed spindles( the other way)in front, axle under the leafs in the rear. Shoot for at least 30" from the bumper edge to the ground. 5 spoke Americans, 15x6 on blackwall 9.00x15's all around. Stock paint, 2 tone coral and grey. bench seat, column shift. 283 power pack with a 'glide and dual exhaust.
D3: So, where is your fuel filter?
Oldfart: In a box, in the shed.
D3: Do you carry a fire extinguisher?
Oldfart: Sometimes.
D3: What is the best thing you've done to your current ride?
Oldfart: Drive it like I stole it.
D3: Someone hands you a million dollars tax free. How would you spend it?
Oldfart: Buy a modest home in Ohio, another in Phoenix. Take 100,000 and secretly give it to people who least expect it but need it the most.
D3: Do you like your cars stock or modified/customized?
Oldfart: All 3. I like them more stock/modified than customized.
D3: What's the longest drive you have been on in a dub? Why'd you make that trip?
Oldfart: 1,000 miles, twice. Once in a baja, 6point cage and 6" widened beam. the second time in a stock '66 panel. Plus several 700 mile trips, again in bajas and busses. Just visiting some of the time, moving from Phx to Idaho and back the others.
D3: What's the stupidest thing you have ever done to a dub? (ie. ruined your first engine by
taking it apart, added tons of fiberglass to the dash, etc..)
Oldfart: Pulling a really nice '58 convertible body off the pan and giving it to the junkyard to make our dunebuggie in '67. or rolling a one owner mango 11 window with less than 60,000 miles on it, over on it's side 'cause it was easier to get the transaxle out that way.
OR, my personal fav....honing the cylinders too much on my '67 baja, putting in rings and wondering why they never seemed to "seat"...
D3: Where do you see the VW scene headed in 5 years?
Oldfart: IF we have a economy healthy enough to carry on the automotive hobby...more high end restorations getting into fatchicks and supers. Reproduction sheet metal including complete bodies within the next 10 years. Late bays are going to reach 10-30,000 at auctions, especially Westies. Hopefully more publications via the 'net. HVW's has always been a disappointment to me, they could be such a leader. Instead they seem to enjoy mediocrity.
Thanks Oldfart!
--fatalifeaten 1/6/2009
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