All dressed up for prom and no where to go

Me:
Friday 12/29 at 2:30. The car is done. My problem, 2 days of rain ahead, I can't take it to get it inspected. Everything is closed on Monday, and I am out of town until Friday.

PS - You all were wrong for the Allen Tx. message. Just wrong.

Congrats, Todd!

Now the next week will be excruciatingly slow because you'll be waiting for the first opportunity to take that bad-boy for inspection and then a shake-down cruise!!

It'll all be worth it when you're behind the wheel of your Speedy grinning that grin!!

Peace - Out!

pack a set of tools and make sure a pair of vice grips are included... damn things saved me again!!! sliced bread can kiss my a$$

Funny enough, I have a story about the vice grips.

The first time I test drove the speedster, I got half a mile from the house and the accelerator cable came loose from the gas pedal. I was stuck, so I left the car on the side of the road and ran home. Grabbed the needle nose vice grips and ran back. I clamped the cable to gas pedal and ran the car for 3 weeks before I fixed it.

Todd

Good deal! Post some photos...

I was inspecting a commercial tractor/trailer. While was underneath inspecting the brake system, I found one of the service side airlines had ruptured. The service side airlines have air only when you apply the brakes, the rest of the time there is no pressure in the line.

To "fix" it, the shop had clamped on a set of vice grips to the airline and zip-tied the assembly in place. The driver actually owned the truck and was PO'd because he had paid a "pro-fessional" shop to fix the air leak.

I was upset because the repair had occured in Louisiana and the inspection was being performed in Oregon... The fellow had to have it properly repaired at the inspection facility.

By the way Todd, congrats on your car. You're also right - we are really truly a bubble of plumb. But you're one of us now....

angela

"a bubble of plumb"? It took me a couple of minutes to figger out what you meant.

I give up, what's a bubble of plumb?

My website will be coming soon.

I kneed two learn too spell... A bubble off plumb is what I meant. You know, when you use a level and the bubble is outside of the little lines? That's a bubble off plumb. 'Course, I probably misspelled "plumb" as well. At any rate, I believe that accurately describes most of us on this site...

angela

Todd, my advice to you, sir, is to drive it anyway -- at least once. Take it out to your favorite stretch of road while it's raining and see what leaks. Then you'll have something else to do while you're waiting for the weather to break.
And fooey on the website; post a couple photos here!

Angela, as the drunken BBQ attendee most likely to put out the porch, I must say your particular sight-glass is BROKEN. Bubble off plumb, my hiney.

I kinda like "a bubble of plumb". We may have our new catchphrase here.

I raise this question...

To get the car inspected, certain items have to work. Like the speedometer. How can you inspect the speedometer if you don't drive it?

I've been driving it for a while now on a few back roads by my house. I got stopped by an officer the 3rd time out. I explain that I was testing the car. He let me roll on. I think he just wanted to look at the car.

If you're a by-the-book type and don't want to risk it, you can probably investigate the trip-pass option from the DMV.
I have had a loooong series of bombers, and most every one has had a trip-ticket in the back window at one time or another. It's a strip-calendar (most I've had, anyway) where they -- or you -- punch out the three days you intend to drive the car on.
There's a fee involved, natch'rally, but it lets you drive the car without legit inspection forms until the car will pass. I usually use them to get the cars home (1), to get them to the inspection station (2) and to get them to the DMV after I fix whatever they find (3).
The most I ever paid was $35.

Todd,
When I got my Speedster inspected for the first time last year, I just headed down Richmond Avenue, just outside of 610, until I found the most lax looking inspection shop I could find. The guys inside were so fascinated by the car they barely made me start it up before they slapped a sticker on the windshield. Congrats on finishing the car - now we need to go for a drive! When do you get back in town?

Brian

Todd and Brian,

There are about 4 Spyder owners that get together on ocassion around here. 3 of us are "North" and one is "West" in Katy. We perhaps should get together for some intros and a fun run someplace when the weather is a bit more predictable?

We usually don't go much further South than say Keema....we have been down for the Wheels and Keels show there a couple of times....as I imagine you are well aware, driving through Houston is not all that much fun in anything these days....

We are off to Katy today for a jaunt, weather allowing....at least a couple or 3 of us.....you can usually reach me on my cell 936-827-3337.

Jim

Todd,

My Texas inspection was pretty simple and straight forward. It might have been because the kid doing the inspection had no idea what he was looking at. At one piont he stood in front of the car and asked me to open the hood. I asked him if he wanted to see the trunk or the engine. He said the engine. I pointed over my shoulder. He must have blushed three shades of red.

Getting the registration was pretty straightforward. It's registerd as a special construction vehicle (1967 VW rebodied as a 1957 Porsche Speedster). It just took a while for the registration clerks at the DMV to figure out what to do. At one point, the one I was working with asked for help, and all four of the clerks went into a back room and had a meeting to discuss what to do with my car.

From the looks I got from everyone standing in line I thought I might not get out of there alive!

Rod

I have registered 2 Speedsters and 1 Spyder in Texas. It is always a shot in the dark when you go to the license branch....the first Speedster I made 4 trips to the license branch, I had an MSO for the chassis, a VW title, bills of sale, an inspection completed by a representative of the state police, etc etc.....on the 4th visit I had an entirely different person than the last 3 visits, she looked at the MSO and the bill of sale, and approved the entire mess without looking at anything else at all. I had title application done in about 3 minutes after having spent litterally hours previously.

On the second Speedster it was previously titled as a 57 VW Convertible, so that is what it stayed.

The Spyder was a new build, I originally submitted it as "Porsche Spyder, 1955, Replica". It came back to me as a Porsche Spyder, 1955. It is licensed as a Porsche Coupe, 1955. When I enquired "why" on both points the best explaination I got was the manual did not cover anything but a coupe in 1955 and that was the "best" way to license the car. As to the title, the car did have a 1955 pre "A" 356 Porsche engine in it when I first titled it and according to the title people, they indicate it can be titled as to "what it looks like" legally....as long as it is not represented to be "original" as to resale....and the engine was sufficent to title it also.

All these 3 storys really have to say is the law is not understood, may be enforced differently, or may be un-enforced, depending upon the dilligence of the clerk, how they read the statutes, and what mood they are in.

I am not compfortable that any one of these 3 cars is or was ever correctly titled or licensed. I have read the various statues on more than one ocassion, and I can't clearly say what should be done... however, my insurance company is happy, the inspection station is happy, the local law enforcement people are happy, the state of Texas got their legal sale taxes, and the cars are all on the road...so I am happy too....

Just don't get pushy with the folks at the license branch, make certain you pay the appropriate sales taxes, and try to get it titled under the "looks like" rules, as those may well not require emission inspections....you don't want emission inspections on these things as a modern car, never pass.....the other option may well be licensing as a "collector car" in Texas. By the way, don't confuse title with licensing.....

Jim,

I would really like to join you on your next cruise! I keep my cell phone with me at all times - 409-939-0332.

Thanks,
Brian

Brian,

We will keep you in the loop. Send me your email address as we frequently will set these up that way, at least when there are several parties...

jdubois at houston dot rr dot com

See now I have something to live for.

I have thought about this for a year. I want to make the Hwy 35 run from Katy up through 290. It is a 45 Mile trip on country roads. We took it when we evacuated for Hurricane Rita. It was beautiful. The only thing more beautiful was the weather we had when Rita decided to go up to LA. :)

As for the inspection, I have a buddy down the street who has already said he would pass me.

LET'S RIDE!

Todd and Jim - you have mail. Todd, I haven't forgot about the seats we discussed - I've just been busy. Do you still have them?

I do. Give me a week or so and I and I will drive them to you :)

Todd