
VW Buses, Slammed Cars & Decades of Builds with Chad F | VW Garage Talk S2E5
VW Garage Talk Podcast - Classic Volkswagen StoriesShow Notes
Chad says he was basically born into Volkswagens. His mom traveled the country in a Westy, visited the Volkswagen factory in Germany, and even watched a new Beetle go down the assembly line.
Years later, when Chad got out of the Army, one of the first things he did was buy a 1971 Bay Window. That Bus became his introduction to the local VW community, learning how to rebuild an engine, doing bodywork, painting, welding, and eventually restoring and customizing Volkswagens himself.
In this episode of VW Garage Talk, we sit down in Chad’s garage in front of his ’65 Beetle and talk about the VWs he’s owned and built over the years, including multiple split-window Buses, a ’61 Double Cab, his seriously lowered Volkswagen Thing, water-cooled projects, and the Volkswagens he still wants to own.
We also get into his years building custom cars, how Volkswagen ideas still find their way into his American hot rods, the people who helped him along the way, and why giving back to the local car community matters to him.
It’s a conversation about much more than the cars. It’s about learning the craft, the people who helped along the way, and staying connected to the Volkswagen community decades later.
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More from VW Garage Talk Podcast - Classic Volkswagen Stories
Danny Corrigan has been around Volkswagens since he was 16, when a dropped valve led him back to a local VW shop and an offer that changed everything: help tear the engine down and put it back together, and the repair would be free. He ended up working there on and off until he was 25. In Season 2, Episode 7 of VW Garage Talk, Craig sits down with Danny of Northwest Dub Ventures to talk about the Volkswagens, people, trips and projects that have shaped his life in the hobby. At the center of the conversation is Bill, Danny’s 1958 Volkswagen panel Bus. Once the 1996 Jerome Jamboree raffle Bus, Bill has since been transformed into what Danny calls his “Underlander,” a purpose-built VW camper that has traveled roughly 26,000 miles in the past few years. Danny shares how every trip has influenced another modification, from the interior and camping setup to heat, storage, Safari windows and a custom sliding cab divider. We also get into his 1953 ragtop Beetle, his wife’s Oval, VW metalwork, growing up around the Pacific Northwest Volkswagen scene, family camping in a Vanagon, learning from people like Bob Norton and meeting Gary Emery as a teenager. We also talk about Northwest Dub Ventures, why Danny started sharing his VW projects and travels online, Larry the Crow, helping other Volkswagen owners, roadside breakdowns, and why the VW community continues to mean so much to all of us. There’s a lot of Volkswagen history packed into this conversation, but like most episodes of VW Garage Talk, the cars lead us back to the people who helped along the way. Watch VW Garage Talk Season 2 Episode 7 with Danny Corrigan of Northwest Dub Ventures. ...and while you're at it, go follow NW Dub Ventures on YouTube New episodes of VW Garage Talk air every other week.
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Shane and Emilie have shared many Volkswagens over the years, and they’ve got the stories to go with them.
We sat down with our friend Rocky in a garage full of projects, stories, and plenty of plans for what comes next.