Jason Dunkles super clean 1961 Rag

I first saw this car at First Friday. I wanted to feature it before the classic, but between camera problems & time issues. I can only post these images for now. Hopefully I will get the chance to get some better pics but for now. This is the kind of car that gets people in the hobby. Here are some details in Jasons own words

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This 1961 Ragtop was originally purchased out of the southern California area. When I got the car is was a stock sea foam blue with no motor. I wasn't happy with the color but I always wanted a ragtop so I bought it anyway. Although I didn’t like the sea foam blue I still wanted to stay with a VW color scheme. So I did a little research using the samba and matched the paint code to an interior color. Since the car was already in So Cal I tracked down a VW familiar painter in the area and had the car painted Strato Silver (code L-227). Vdub Styles in La Habra Ca did the painting. After paint I tracked down some cool EMPI logo Items and placed them on the car.
Now it was time for the interior. After trying to do the interior in my 1954 Oval unsuccessfully I decided I would leave this car to the professionals. The best interior I have ever seen was done at Octavio's Kustom interiors in Anaheim Ca and since the car was already in So Cal I choose to use Octavio. The seats and panels were done using a slate blue color (code 52) along with the matching ragtop. The headliner is all moe hair and carpets are square weave. The headliner and carpet use all German material.
Now with the paint and interior done I was running out of money fast and wasn’t sure I had enough money in the budget to finish the car.

So I started to panic and listed it for sale with no motor. I thought the story of this car would end there, but then I contacted my good friend Japhet Cintron of Volkyboy customs in Deltona Florida. Japhet was very helpful at tracking down parts at very good prices. The car was now back off the market and the restoration was back on and could still fit the budget.
After tracking down all the motor items Japhet and I were going to use, it was time to fly him out from Florida for the install and design. We spent a few days throwing around some ideas and how to design the motor and came up with this configuration.
The engine in this car started as a factory case bore for 94mm mahle pistons and cylinders assembled with total seal piston rings for better blow by resistance. Pistons are attached to the 69mm counterweighted and 8 doweled crankshaft via scat I-beam rods. Camshaft duties are handled by a w130 Engle with straight cut gears pushing new stock lifters. Heads have 40mm intake valves and 35 exhaust valves, the ports have been massaged and slightly modified. Heads are topped off with port matched intakes that have been acid edged and clear coated for good looks and heavily modified and detailed D’ellortos 40mm carbs. Carb linkage is a Gene Berg that was completely disassembled chrome and polished upper section and links, semi-flat wrinkle finish black paint, acid edge and clear coated pull section and all hardware and springs replaced with chrome acorn nuts, allen bolts, nuts and washers. Finally all gases exit to a ceramic coated merged header and hide away muffler.
The case has been painted blue and all the case nuts have been replaced with chrome washers and acorn style nuts. A chrome 009 body is held in place by a billet clamp and chrome hardware and topped off by a pertronix distributorless system. The wiring has been hidden and the coil pack is out of sight for a cleaner look. Also an electric unit under the vehicle has replaced the fuel pump. Aftermarket 36HP shroud for dog house cooler and cylinder covers have been powder coated silver and attached to the engine with allen head chrome bolts and washers. Alternator stand studs were removed and replaced also by chrome allen head bolts holding a chrome stand and billet filler neck with blue anodized fittings holding a breather filter.
The usual wiring that goes into the engine compartment has been relocated and the only visible wiring are the two wires coming out of the Alternator directly into the fan housing

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Other details include polished and anodized blue fittings holding a VDO oil pressure gauge and replacing the oil sending unit that has been installed in a hidden location. Full flow oil system includes an HP1 oil filter and oil cooler. There are dual breather boxes under the vehicle. All the filters have also been modified and painted to match.
Transmission is a pro street unit with heavy duty side covers attached to a Kennedy stage 1 pressure plate and solid center disc and 12lb flywheel.
The design and install of this motor only cost me 1 round trip ticket form Orlando to Vegas, 3 cases of beer, 14 trips to Roberto’s taco shop and a liter bottle of Kettle one. Not bad.