About ready to retire

I just retired and afternoon naps are a good thing !  OK so you have the VW knowledge a plus owning these cars .  Not much you can do to increase foot well room in a VS, CMC or FiberFab Speedster., but we learn to live with that by installinga dead pedal on the left kick panel. Higher on the price list is the Beck as it gives you more foot well room as a well as an IM.  Drive a few speedsters and get the feel for what you want then go shopping...if you can wait until May Carlisle is the place to see and drive a good number of speedsters in various " dress". I am not adding this foot note as a commercial but, I have a stock body silver speedster in my home shop in PA. with just 20 miles on it that I bought unfinished and will be done in two weeks as well as a red flared speedster that needs a light fresh up and will be done in 6 weeks... both have smaller motors and are well under $20k

Alan aka Drclock' 38 speedster projects to date.

That sounds great, I almost hesitate to ask...... got any pictures?

I currently have a 2009 Beck for sale with a 2110cc engine 140+ HP with fuel injection. Check my former posting dated 9/26/2015.

Chuck's ... is one nicely sorted ride and a great deal too !

Since this is a Beck, does it have the tube frame?

That's the only way Becks are built.

> On Oct 16, 2015, at 3:17 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

paul you ever been inside one of these or taken a ride? i used to feel like a sardine inside a bug but when i jumped in my speedster and slammed the seat back i had room galore and I'm 5'11. Day to night feeling driving one.

I'll add another endorsement for Chuck's car.  Very nice.  The Beck cars have quite a bit more room in the footwells than pan-based cars.  Here's an early picture of mine before I did some customization.  It'll give you a good idea of the space, though.

 

nobody said: "Welcome to the madness!"  yet Oh . . . is that because he does not have the car yet. Hmmm.  Nevermind, he looks like he's infected, so:

 

WELCOME TO THE MADNESS!!

... and, the inside of a Speedster is pretty roomy.  And with the top down one might say, infinite.  The footwell issue is not serious, IMHO.  But come to Carlisle in May and get an overdose of all things Speedster.  Then you will know.

Thanks for the help guys. Where exactly is Carlisle? I'm 6 foot 2 and don't fit in a Spyder at all. The Vintage Speedster I test drove seemed to have plenty of room though the top was down. I don't really think I'll do much driving with the top up. I think I would prefer the larger, more padded seats I've seen in some of these Speedsters for the comfort factor. That's one of the advantages of it not being an original Speedster, no concerns of changing some things or customizing. I would also prefer the standard body over the wide body though if a wide body was priced right I'd consider it.

 

Carlisle (PA) Performance and replica car show:

 

http://www.carlisleevents.com/...tionals/default.aspx

 

As you can see, 356 Speedsters and coupes are coming onto the market via this site, Craigslist or eBay pretty much all the time.  Be patient, Grasshopper......Go to Carlisle, hang out with us (we're a pretty cool bunch and most are around your age), see and drive various cars from different builders (yes, we might let you drive our cars - how else you gonna learn?) and then make up your mind about which type car you might like.  Only THEN should you seriously look at buying something and THEN I would suggest getting a good used one for your first dabble.  That way, the cost impact will be less as you get that first "learning car".

 

Good luck, and welcome to the madness (we've all got it in varying degrees.)

 

 

The Carlisle show is in Pennsylvania. Being in Arizona you're close to California which typically has the best selection of used Speedsters.  Very early Intermeccanica Speedster's were built on shortened VW pans but are now built on custom frames and chassis.  Beck's are all built on custom frames and chassis as well.  All of the Vintage Speedster built Speedsters are built on a custom steel frame and utilized a shortened and reconditioned VW pan. CMC and Fiberfab are also built on shortened pans and the quality of that work is strictly dependent on who built it and what their skill level was.

 

VW pan based Speedsters are generally registered as a VW according to the year of the frame.  Becks and IM's are generally registered as Special Construction (or similar) vehicle.

 

You might check out Seduction Motorsports in Chandler, Arizona. http://www.seductionmotorsports.com/

 

If the desire isn't burning a hole in the pocket to fast in June 2016 the west coast SOC'ers will be meeting in San Luis Obispo, CA for our annual meet.  There are people here who drive IM's, Beck's, and VS built Speedsters. We even have a couple who come in from Kingston, AZ.

 

Good luck.

Welcome Paul!

 

I'm 6'2" and have no problem fitting into Speedsters or Roadsters!

 

Take your time and find the right car. Then grin through a long happy retirement!

You sound like a number of guys on here with a lot of VW experience through the years. And I've also done a couple of kitchen table rebuilds ! I'm of the understanding that Vintage's 1915's are built with stock heads, an Engle W110 cam and could also use a little more compression. Coupled with a 3.88 ring & pinioned transaxle, I can see why you "weren't impressed". Anything 2 liter or over with some ported 40x35 heads, 9:1 and the cam/rocker combo with enough lift to make use of the heads and rev to 6,000 rpm with power will be a blast in these cars.

My son and I share the same birthday. He'll be 21 and I'll be 60 this weekend. I can't believe it..... 60, how did that happen? We built his 63 rag from the ground up and because of the Herbie thing, we painted it L87 Pearl and but the stickers on it to create his dream car. We built a strong 2332 with Wedgeports and IDAs. It ran 14s with a stock trans at Bugorama. Year before last, we drove it from here to Vegas for the Bugorama about 300 miles. It ran cool and didn't drip a drop of oil. That was October and we didn't want to race it because we needed to drive it home. The following March, he raced it at the Bugo here. Of course he wanted to go faster so we pulled the engine for a freshen up lowered the compression to go blow trough turbo. We got it ready for the Vegas Bugo which we thought was on Sunday the 11th. Saturday the 10th we got up and started loading the trailer up and I decided I'd better check the internet to make sure it hadn't been canceled or anything. That's when we found out the Vegas Bugo was actually on Saturday. It was already 8 am and Vegas is 5 hour away... There were a lot of long faces at my house when I told them we'd blown it. Anyway, we think it'll run in the 11s. It's scary fast.

 

With that said, I think a mild 2276 would be great in a Speedster. Perhaps a turbo, not sure. I can hardly wait though. I know I need to take my time and pick the right car. The guy at vintage said he could have a car completely built, minus the engine for something like 23K. It's tempting, very tempting. Sorry for being so long winded but it great talking to like minded people.

" 60, how did this happen? well you have a son so we'll assume you figured it out bwaahahahaa!

Paul is the the right kind of guy, asking the right kind of questions. You'll be a good fit.

 

Regarding your height: if you have a pan-based car built, consider dropped pans. Getting behind the windshield, rather than looking at the top frame, will make a world of difference in comfort.

 

Regarding your running gear choices- I think buying a turn-key Vintage (less engine) is a good way to go.

 

Regarding tube frames- if you can register a Beck or post-1985 IM (full tube frame car), there are advantages (foot space being one of them). Some states just shove you into using a VW title by their onerous registration laws-- but if you live in a SEMA state, I always advocate titling it correctly, no matter what it is.

 

Come on in, the water's fine.

I just spotted this Beck in my neck of the woods.

1956 Porsche 356 speedster

Doesn't hurt to look if it's close enough.  Low ball him and see where it ends up.  Having it titled as a Porsche is of no advantage.  It can actually have severe drawbacks depending on where you live.  That might require some investigating.

That is not a Beck....It does not have the foot room on the driver's floor area..... Top and top frame, gauges, dash and other features indicate an early home grown CMC -Fiberfab speedster.

Yeah, that is definitely NOT a Beck.  If the builder is selling a car after 100 miles, and with a few, ahem, compromises (stance, dash) it is likely not one you want to invest in.  As a home-built CMC with unknown build quality it is priced at probably twice market.

Geez, kind of scary. Glad you guys are there for me

This site is the best resource you could have, but if you can wait until after Carlisle you can get a great education there.  Plenty of folks can give you rides or even some stick time, and several of the manufacturers show up for you to talk to.  Besides that it's just a lot of fun.

Paul,

 

6'-2" is a height that may sway you towards a Beck or IM ( Intermeccanica ). You say you'd like larger, more padded seats for comfort. Roadster seats.

 

" I can hardly wait though. I know I need to take my time and pick the right car."

 

Your are wise after 60 years. This process can make you a 5 year old on Xmas morning. Patience & homework will pay off. Drive & compare all that you can

6'2". Is that in the legs or the torso?
If in the torso one could have his head above the windshield never mind the issue getting into with the top up.  I know a 6'4" that gets into an IM and fits roadster seats beautifully ..., he's all legs not for me I have a long torso and have custom seats
No fun to have your hair follicles cry after every ride with your head above the windshield
Ray

Hair, who needs it?

> On Oct 17, 2015, at 8:38 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Exactly...

 

 

While you may want to wait to buy - NOW is the time to buy from a Northern owner.  Many don't want to winterize and store over the harsh winter months PLUS you aren't getting any younger (I'm tad older - and know how procrastination goes).  Sounds like you have ability to refurb a used/abused one.  Many buy new and find the new one isn't sorted out or just not for them - they take a beating on selling it.  You can fit in a FF/CMC as the seats go back quite a bit. Prices do jump in the spring.

Paul,

 

Keep an eye on the events section for events and runs in southern California you could see the cars and get a chance to drive a couple. Also if you are coming to san Diego or LA let us know and the crowd here could organize something for you.

 

Larry Bull

Happy Birthday Paul. I know how you feel, as I turn 59 on Monday...- And that's "holy sh*t, where did the time go?"

Ray brings up a great point. I'm only 6 ft tall, but am built like a gorilla. If my legs were normal length, I'd be 6'4" easily.

 

Anyhow, getting behind the windshield is job #1 to enjoying the car. Intermeccanica's roadster seats do a great job of dropping your butt very low in the car. They look like they'd sit high, but they don't-- they're lower than most speedster seats.

 

I went to great lengths to get my butt correspondingly low, and ended up with Fibersteel buckets with his "spyder" foam package, sitting tipped back, with the base touching the floor. I'm "in" the car, not "on" it, as I've seen with more than a few replicas. Incidentally, the seats in an original are quite low.

 

The downside is that Mrs. Galat can barely see over the dash, so I need to make some adjustments to the passenger seating. In a pan-based car, getting dropped floorpans is just a good idea. You can always raise the seat up if it's too low, you can't always drop it down if it's too high.

 

That's my opinion. This is the internet, so everybody is entitled to my opinion. 

Thanks guys, that gives me a lot to think about. I'm long waisted and don't want to have my head above the windshield. But it sounds like everything is pretty much adjustable from seats to floor pan. Are the tube chassis better than VW pan? And can a pan based car have the peddle area enlarged? Someone mentioned having a foot rest, I assume for the left foot.

 

Obviously, I'm much closer to the west coast. Had I found this cite earlier, I would have reached out to the west coast Speedster owners to see what you guys have. San Diego is only 5 or 6 hours away though.

Stan's post are always entertaining ooooo. Oooo oooo.( swinging my arms)  my wife is complaining if not seeing as well.
I had my builder do a bunch of stuff to get myself as low as I could and allow the seat to go as far back and even have the rake of the back of the seat go further.
All this was done because of my body style...
So yes it can be done but easier if your building it first hand.
Ray

I couldn't find a "search by map" option.

Paul,

 

Top part of the page is the row of topics i.e Newest, Forums, Files/Clips, etc.  Towards the right side of this list is the "Members" link, click on that and when the new page opens you'll see a box in the upper right corner that reads "Sort By Display Name", click on that and a drop down box will open that will allow you to select "View As A map". When the map opens click on North America.  Move the map so you can see Arizona and as you zoom in you will see where the members in your area are located.

 

You will see numbers first which represents how many members in that area.  When you click on the number individual tear drops open up. Click on the tear drop and it will tell you that member's name.  If you click on the member it will open their profile.  In the top right side of the page you'll see a link titled "Start Dialog".  Click on that and you'll start a private dialog with that person.

 

Understand though that not everyone is an active member on the site.  Their profile will show when they last logged in and if it was several years ago they may not respond.  Some of the members have their email addresses listed and you could try contacting them that way.

 

One member near you that is very friendly is Doug Kingston and he has an IM.  If you contact him I'm sure he'd meet with you and let you see an IM (Intermeccanica)

https://www.speedsterowners.com...6#457434583541260736

 

https://www.speedsterowners.com.../2009-beck-speedster

Probably can't increase foot well in pan based - its the same as a bug though.  You can mod pedals to move clutch further from brake a bit.  A dropped/lower pan can keep your head from going over the windshield.

 

Toss up on pan vs tube.  Easier to register pan as year of VW chassis (so makes emissions often easier too).  You're just limited by VW suspension (pretty much).  IRS is modern chassis but swing axle more like original 356.  

Paul, where are you located in Phoenix?