Ep 148 SEMA 2021 and VWs that were there.

Transaxles have always been a shifty subject. With less and less people rebuilding them it seems the world is getting smaller in the world of transaxles. Ben Berniklau is a second generation transactional builder. His father was half owner of one of the largest transaxle rebuilding shops in Riverside. He learned how to build tranny mostly on his own after not listening to his dad and following his heart and being in the VW industry. Working for several different shops and learning how to build transaxles because he was always good with his hands. We always hear their VW stories and we get to hear the trail as how he learned to build trans axles. Now today he's the owner of Benco transaxles in Riverside California. He personally has built hundreds of transmissions over the years. His years of experience in dealing with parts alone give him the insight as to what parts work and what parts don't. With an industry leading five year, unlimited mileage warranty on his trans axles we peel back the layers and a him lots of questions specifically pertaining to your transaxle needs. from diff covers to shift forks bearing covers and axle tube and castings. We talk about it all. What are some of his favorite trans axle combinations for gearing and what he thinks about five speeds. He'll also change your gears for free for the life of your transaxel. https://bencotransaxles.com www.letstalkdubs.com www.rosswulf.com www.vwtrends.com George's Youtube channel LTD Youtube Channel    

Rusty Lee Pickering started in the Volkswagen hobby with a bright pink beetle. He couldn't have been more proud to drive that pink beetle in the early 90s. That led to a succession of different Volkswagens to own and always looking to make friends with other VW enthusiasts. When his neighbors owned buses and he wanted to meet him, an opportunity came where they could use his skill set. After leaving school, he learned to become a welder fabricator. When his new friend needed help with a rock 'n' roll bed, he looked at it and thought he could make a better version. That begins Rusty Lee's rock 'n' roll beds. At first he was just making them to presold orders by word-of-mouth before long. He was missing shows for an entire weekend because he never made it out of the car park from delivering pre-sold rock 'n' roll beds. With the help of a supportive wife who told him to bet on himself, he decided to go full-time and into making rock 'n' roll beds. He now has eight people helping build those beds in their workshop he's never been busier, a hard-core VW enthusiast from the beginning and a love for all things. Volkswagen is clear when you talk to him. Betting on yourself to win. Check out his website below.  https://www.vwrustylee.com www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com www.kompressorhaus.uk use code LTD for a discount.

Rick Mortensen has been a VW enthusiast for over 50 years. His love started in northern California in the late 60s. Building his first cow look car in the early 70s. He has a love for all things early style col-look.  on this episode we discussed his history moving from Northern California to Phoenix, Arizona. Starting the Phoenix Bug o rama. The original Bug o rama in Sacramento, He used to fill-in when Dyno Don wasn’t available as an announcer. We discuss the varied vehicles that he’s had and his cover car from 1996 Cal-look edition Hot VW‘s magazine. His Chop Top Bug and Numerous other cars he’s had throughout the hobby. Cool stories about driving his 2276 from Arizona to Michigan to the VW factory and his friendship with Gene Berg and much more.

Roundtable! On this podcast, Bill and George discuss YouTube channels, Instagram followers, upcoming events and much much more.   Also, Bill finds his Vin number for his original 1963 ragtop beetle that he would like to buy back any help would be much appreciated.    We talk about the problem with, il the VW scene is larger than just southern California. Why do some people not pay attention to that. People that post on Instagram just to be posting. The problem some people have with car shows today. Motivation to build cars where it comes from and what gives cars sentimental value.   www.letstalkdubs.com www.rosswulf.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.thewagen.com

1990's UK VW Scene. Thump thump is a name synonymous with wild custom out of the park builds from the 90s. Jay Townsend's on this weeks podcast. His eye for style and creativity was exuded in the cars that were built through thump thump. Whether it was custom script where the rear air vents used to be. To reverse intake, manifolds and carburetors hidden behind the fan shroud. His ideas were definitely ahead of their time and style was the most important part of the build. It wasn't always good times on the road to build in custom cars at thump thump. Friends, family, and lots of different avenues of your life get impacted when you're immersed in working on cars seven days a. Sometimes the site gets lost when you're so focused on building something new and cool for the hobby. The creativeness in the ideas still show in some of the things that Jay does to this day whether it's his unique bubble man suit that he wore a Volk world or trophies, he custom designs, always marches on a beat of his own. And find out which custom car builder that's in the UK today was given some tough love and went back to the drawing board when given some constructive criticism by Jay. A great podcast and a great guy one thing you can always say is Jay tells it like he sees it.    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10005758638360 https://kompressorhaus.co.uk Use Lets talk dubs for $100 discount  www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com        

Pat Downs Has been building perfromance motors for the last 35 years. He was the main engine  builde rat CB Performance for 30 years. On this episode we discuss what was the reason he left his last emolyer. What life has been like starting your new career in your mid-50s. What his expectation was and how it's turned out so far. We also discuss several new product lines. He's bringing to market the problem with main bearings and the solution. And we can't have this conversation without talking about drag racing. Pat also owns the ECPRA Pro Stock record at 5.90 seconds. 1/8th  mile. That's right 5.9 seconds all motor no power adders that's very impressive. We also discussed the challenges and building performance motors today . Pat also went down to Texas versus the world and we talk about what happened that weekend. https://patdownsperformance.com www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com www.vwnos.com use code LTD need a supercharger click https://kompressorhaus.co.uk  "lets talk dubs" for discount     

Russel Ludwig is the owner operator of Oldspeed out of Paramount California. His shop has been in business since the late 80s. Starting as a source of income to get through college it turned into a business that filled a need in the Volkswagen scene. From buying and flipping cars at Pomona and giving them the "Oldspeed "look. Starting in the early 80s he seen it all in the Vw scene from days of the street races to building engines and cars for drag racers and gang members alike. His shop in Long Beach was neutral territory. His best friend Roland made for his first employee and they were together until Roland passed away. We get an insight to his early upbringing, his parents wanting him to be an accountant, and the draw that Volkswagens had on his desire to pursue his passion. Through the ups and downs oldspeed has been a constant. If you know Russel you know he give you the shirt off his back. A genuine guy and a great friend. A wealth of knowledge and always willing to share. https://www.instagram.com/oldspeedusa/ www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com www.vwnos.com discount code LTD https://www.youtube.com/@the_Wagen https://www.youtube.com/@letstalkdubspodcast9361  

If you've read any issues of Volks World over the past 20 years I'm certain you know the name Paul Medhurst from his early days with the square back they gave him the nickname "Puppy". Setting off early in his days to roam the world his experience was cut short due to lack of funds. After he spent some money buying a lot of type three parts posting them for sale in the magazine advert Paul came back to an answering machine full of request for parts. Asking his friend Ivan to use the name type three detectives Paul then kicked off a successful business supplying NOS type three parts in the early days of his career. Seeing the change evolve into lots of buses being put back on the road it was only natural that the transition was made to type two detectives. It's good to hear the stories from the enthusiast that turn their hobby into a career and the path he took to do it. Now he's got a YouTube channel out where they're starting to film a lot of the work that they're doing at their shop. Subscribe to their channel today and check out what the lot over there at TD2 is up to! https://www.youtube.com/@t2detectives www.type2detectives.com www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrends.com www.rosswulf.com  

It doesn't always take tons of money to make a showstopper. Alex Boughen and his father are proof of this. Alex having a desire for an air cooled beetle picks up at 1975 1200. The seller says it needs just a little bit of work on a few weekends to get it on the road. Removing the carpet revealed that the nails holding the carpet down to the wood screwed to the holy floor pan meant trouble. Luckily Alex's dad is a welder by trade and they took on the rebuild of this project and it turned out way better than expected. In 2022 Alex won the builders choice award that's given by the top builders in the UK to their favorite car. This car is loaded with air suspension custom three-piece 17 inch wheels a 1641 cc engine and tons of custom brass pieces built by Alex and his dad. This just goes to show it's not always about money it's more about determination. You're just in luck Alex is currently working on a 1968 Beetle to debut at Volksworld 2025 and we are looking forward to seeing that debut.  Follow alex here  https://www.instagram.com/harlekin.alex/ www.letstalkdubs.com www.vwtrendsmagazine.com www.rosswulf.com   Video of Alex's Beetle