Another IM on ebay.

Nice car and it has a 5-speed. 

“The car was built to the exacting requirements of the original owner with the highest of standards, ”

So was mine, but my standards align more with Billy Joel in his "Ballad of Billy the Kid":

"From a town known as Grafton, Massachusetts
Rode a boy with a six pack in his hand
And his daring life of crime
Made him a legend in his time
East and west of the Rio Grande"

Looks like last time it went for $39k to a non paying bidder - 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsch...mp;item=331855574366

when I was much younger my standards at 2AM were a lot less picky than when I was sober

Nice colors.  The 901 5-speed is a great addition.  Who needs AC.  The way IMs are going up in price $38k wold be a fair deal.  Even without the 5-speed $38k would be good.  Mmmmmmm 5-speed.

Weak Can $ affecting the price ... it's still 16 years old .... I would buy newer ... as too many things to renew.. leather,carpets, etc not the best value for the money in my books .. add up the renewal costs and you'd be surprised where it takes you.  

I'm pretty sure this is George Brown's first car. 2110/901, twin grill, etc. It's the correct vintage as well.

This was George Brown's first car. In the early 2000's it once sold in the low 20's!

Karl Macklin bought it from George and sold it later.

Here we are doing an "on Lot" repair at Carlisle 2005.

~WB

“The car was built to the exacting requirements of the original owner with the highest of standards, ”

Yes, that was old George!  And sometimes he had almost impossible standards that drove builders crazy trying to accomplish what he wanted to do.

The ad actually mentions him by name - Mr. Truman Brown, and states that the car was well known at Intermeccanica.  I know Henry 'loved' building cars for George...

The 5 speed may not be a bonus.
Gene Berg doesn't think so and I tend to agree.
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=13_387

Jeffrey Harnasch posted:

The 5 speed may not be a bonus.
Gene Berg doesn't think so and I tend to agree.
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=13_387

I've got an ear to ear grin going.

George Brown was a Gene Berg disciple generally. But when it comes to the 901, he'd get into a verbal cage-match (as only George really could) with ANYBODY who dared insinuate that the "dog-leg" first, the general weakness, or any other issue made the 901 less than the perfect transaxle for the car. 

As far as Gene Berg: it's ironic that he beat on the 901, then developed a 5-speed conversion that isn't known as the strongest transaxle ever made.

The Berg 5 is fine in 99% of these cars, and so is the 901.

Fine but not a pleasant pattern for sure 915 yes

The 901 dogleg first could be a pain at times, but the H pattern for 2,3,4,5, was nice.

I prefer the 915 that I have in my IM6.  In fact, I hardly ever use fifth gear, so I still get a nice H pattern shift.

I guess your saying 4 gears are enough when you have lots of P power

Jeffrey Harnasch posted:

The 5 speed may not be a bonus.
Gene Berg doesn't think so and I tend to agree.
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=13_387

What do you mean?

The statement..."Our tests have proved conclusively over and over again that a higher overdrive causes the engine to get "less" mileage, and runs much hotter because the fan turns slower, which obviously shortens the life of the engine."
That's what I mean... but if you have a 5 speed and luv it.. good on you but not for me is all.

You have to take into account that Berg designed the 5 speed for a different crowd, Jeff. The main purpose of the Berg 5 was to have close gears (they are so much fun!) and a stock 4th final drive in 5th. Anything ol' Gene recommended was pretty fool-proof and would work for everyone under all situations. He would never say to a customer, "you'll get away with that, but you have to be careful", because sooner or later (probably sooner) it would come back and bite him in the @ss! It took experience to know when you could deviate from Gene's advice.

Yeah, you have to be very careful if you deviate from stock gearing (I'm pretty sure I've said this more than once before). The Beetle's aerodynamics are not great, so you really can't change that final drive much without a major engine revamp, given the highway speeds of today.

The Beetle's final drive (with 4.125 r&p x .89 4th gear) = 3.67. When VW went to the 3.88 r&p in the bug they changed 4th to .93 (3.60 final drive), which  is almost exactly the same as earlier. As you know, in a 1600cc powered Beetle you can't lower the final drive # without creating hotter running conditions (and shortening engine life) at the same highway speeds. Running much faster doesn't work so well, either, given the stock engine's low power output and the fact that effort to move the car is cubed as the speed increases.

With the Karmann Ghia's more slippery shape they were able to keep the .89 4th gear and increase highway speeds slightly with the change to the 3.88 (3.45 f.d.), and this is one of the things in our favor. Increasing engine size substantially (2 liters and larger) so the engine runs more of the time on the idle circuits when highway travelling (and creating less heat than when making more power on the mains) also contributes to being able to run at slightly higher ( and ok, maybe a wee bit illegal) speeds, and if one is ever careful, cruise at slightly lower engine speeds as well. It's not for the inexperienced, and knowing oil and head temps is essential for one to be successful.

Al

IaM-Ray posted:

 add up the renewal costs and you'd be surprised where it takes you.  

Been their.....done that.

Re: The gospel according to Gene Berg, regarding engine speed and cooling.

I too lived in terror of "slowing the engine speed down so far it won't cool". It's all a figment of 'ol Gene's fevered mind (at least with a speedster and a 2L+ engine). I've had about 852305948587119485475739 different gear-sets in my car.

Here's what I've seen: if you spin past 3700 RPM (+/-) for long enough on a hot(ish) day, the engine gets hot.

Every.

Single.

Time.

The fan stops moving additional air at about 3500 RPM or so. Spinning a flat-tappet engine like a little top creates a lot of friction heat-- heat that continues to increase long past the point where the fan has ceased moving more air.

What I find is that at engine speeds lower than 3000 RPM, I'm creating so little heat that no matter what, I run cooler. It might be true that if you live at the base of the Matterhorn, and want to drive up on the hottest day of the century, with your 1600 cc cap-gun engine, and you've lost 2nd and 3rd gear, the engine might run hotter. But I doubt it.

So, I'm as good as anybody to gore this sacred cow. I've got nothing to lose and nothing to gain from people running whatever they'd like. The thing is: a 356 engine is really just a Type 1 dressed up for prom. Ferry thought the 901 gears were good for an air-cooled pancake engine with about 130 hp. I'm pretty sure he knew what he was doing. 

Gene was a smart man, but he had some funny ideas about compression ratios and cooling in general.

well maybe some of his books should be looked at apocryphally

My engine runs cooler when it's not working hard.

Which may sound obvious, but it's something easily forgotten driving modern cars, where gear ratios, spark advance, fuel mixture, and even valve timing are constantly being adjusted automatically to make life easier on the engine.

Part of driving used to be watching the gauges and listening to how hard the engine was working and responding accordingly. You had to pay attention - stay in the right gear, keep the revs in a 'comfortable' range, and watch for high-load conditions.

The engines in my modern cars never seem to complain, even when my old bones tell me I'm probably lugging or running the revs up too high. None of them even has a temperature gauge for me to watch.

The VW engine in my Speedster seems happy only in a very narrow range. Its builder tells me it's safe to 6500, but I've never had it over 5000 because I don't like what it's telling me beyond that. Even at 4000, it's obviously stressed, and 3000 is better than 3500. At 2500, on a flat road, it just purrs - and the temp gauge relaxes a little, too.

If you're paying attention, your ears and your bones should tell you when the engine's going to heat up.

You (and others on here), Stan, get away with running lower engine speeds than what VW recommended because of 2 factors- larger than 2 liter engines (especially combos that only make power to 6,000 or 6500rpm) make ungodly amounts of torque in that lower midrange band (2,000-3500), and are very efficient at those engine speeds. This means that a lot of the time you are cruising on the idle circuits of the carbs, where not a lot of fuel is used and the engine is just loping along, not creating a lot of heat. A bigger engine combined with the better aerodynamics of a Speedster body allows you to bend those rules somewhat. A good example is the gearing when VW went to the 3.88 r&p; the Beetle got a new (.93) 4th gear, as it's shape didn't allow the faster highway speeds with the lowly 1600, while the more aerodynamic Karmann Ghia, which doesn't need as much power to run the faster speeds, was able to keep the longer (.89) 4th.

I agree that Gene didn't keep up with the times as gas formulations changed and people slowly realized what you could (and couldn't) do for compression, but you have to remember that he was quite often selling speed parts to and advising newbies of the VW world how to drive these cars (do you know how many people come from the V8 and waterpumper worlds not understanding how lugging a VW engine spells death?). If one took his advice it was pretty hard to not get the expected results and longevity. Again, remember that he was selling sometimes pretty hot engine combinations to guys that expected near stock life expectancy for their drivers (not leisure time play cars) that had to a lot of the time run every day reliably, and if you followed his recommendations you got it. This is not something a lot of other companies and engine builders could claim at the time. And as you gained experience, you learned where you could push the boundaries.

As far as his thoughts on cooling- in a Beetle, they're pretty spot on. Deviate much and you're in trouble fairly quickly. As I said earlier (and have said before), the 2 cars (bug and Speedster) are completely different cars, and some things that are possible in a Speedster just ain't gonna happen in a bug. The trick is to be paying attention and know how far you can go....

And Ray- When you consider that Gene's technical articles and newsletters were intended (and important information) for those new to the world of VW performance, there's more good stuff in there than you initially think. Yeah, time has proven a couple of his ideas as out-dated, but it's still a good place to start for the newbie.

 Stan- I know what you mean about higher rpm's and the summer heat; the only time we ever got away with substantially higher than 3500 rpm on the highway was once on the way (to? from?) Eugene, Oregon in the rain. An hour or so at 4,000 and then 2? 3? hours at 44 and 4500rpm; close ratio gears (1.14 4th with a 4.375 r&p and 185/70 rear tires) will do that to you (figure out how fast we were going and you'll get why! ). And to think oil temps (iIrc) never got above 210'F.... 

                                                                                                                               Al

I was just playing off Stan's note ... Gene had A tremendous amount of experience and helped a lot of people. Today he might have a few differing opinions to his earlier tech notes himself

He proclaimed no synthetic oil use due to cylinder head temp, before a lot of us at least me,  knew of the older oil additives that were now mising from newer oils.

I know it's not recommended by many, but like Mitch I usually cruise along in my IM at around 2800-3000 rpm.  I don't like the sound of the engine when it's reving at 3700+ rpm and my oil temperature starts to go up when the revs get close to 4000.  Of course high rpms can't be helped when driving on the freeway at higher speeds.

I admit that if I could get away with it (didn't cause the heads to overheat) I'd drive around in the 2400 to 2800 rpm range. 

This site is awesome for the wealth of information available from cool people willing to share. That's what friends are for.

I know I sound like an old record, but these kind of details (oil type, RPMs, gearing, head temps, speedometer accuracy, etc.) reinforce my reasons for keeping it simple and simply enjoy driving the Speedster (most every day, any destination).

Don't let  'tree-fitty-six-a-phobia' (the fear of improper gear-ratios, dread of insufficient phosphor in your oil, angst over cooling-fan speed, etc.) detract from your enjoyment of the open road that beckons you.

And finally...you know I'm just busting your balls!!! 

MusbJim posted:

I know I sound like an old record, but these kind of details (oil type, RPMs, gearing, head temps, speedometer accuracy, etc.) reinforce my reasons for keeping it simple and simply enjoy driving the Speedster (most every day, any destination).

Funny you should mention that, Jim.  When I had Henry reinstall my engine (and take off the troublesome CB fuel injection kit and replace it with carbs) he didn't reinstall my cylinder head gauge.  When I asked him why he said I didn't need a CHT gauge.  He said, "Just drive and enjoy the car".

MusbJim posted:

Don't let  'tree-fitty-six-a-phobia' (the fear of improper gear-ratios, dread of insufficient phosphor in your oil, angst over cooling-fan speed, etc.) detract from your enjoyment of the open road that beckons you.

And finally...you know I'm just busting your balls!!! 

Jim I have that very phobia and it is ruining me. I have deep anxietal issues. I'm not sleeping at night. I'm on the very edge man. Those cogs and gears are turning in my head with very little lubrication and things are overheating. Not only that - the gear ratios aren't efficient and I can't stand it. It has to be perfect. There can be no room for error - NONE! I need help. Lots of help.

I find that a fine Irish Whiskey like Clontarf or Morrigan's serves as a good lubricant for those gears, Rusty.

Lane Anderson posted:

I find that a fine Irish Whiskey like Clontarf or Morrigan's serves as a good lubricant for those gears, Rusty.

There's another point of anxiety Lane - My steering wheel! It's never ending! As many times as I have talked to Mike L. on the phone or by email he can't remember me or what I ordered. I think something may be slipping there.

Now that I can believe

I like Jim's approach.   He seems to be at one with his car and just drives it to his hearts content.  I'm a bit of a 50/50 person with my car:  I like to drive and I like to fiddle with it.  New this new that always looking to do something and spend some money here and there.  Lately, though , I seem to want to spend more time driving and less fiddling. Age?? Maybe.  Shorter season here in the Northeast? Surely.  Just getting around to installing my "new" VDO Carey Hines gauges in my dash now that I bought two years ago.   Driving has become more important.  Just get out there and get some sun.

me too,  Jim is plugged directly into his car I found this pict of Jim without his T-shirt.

That's so he can plug right in to his Shiatzu back massager in the seat.

Plus, if he falls asleep while driving, it shakes the living snot right out of him.

Ignorance may me bliss, but knowledge is power. Just sayin'.

Yeah?  Well, there were MILLIONS of ignorant, blissful VW drivers zipping around in the 1950's - 1980's, then.  

Jim's just a man of the '60's, living in the new millennium.  

Just like "Gallagher".  

Getting hit by a tracer while patching up someone in a rice-field. That's something to worry about. After surviving that, I figured "What do I REALLY need to worry about".

I'm grateful for what I have, and don't worry about what I don't have. That's the knowledge that gives me the power to enjoy each day (on the road in a Speedster) as a gift. 

On a daily basis, I'm driving a car (Speedster) that most everyone on the road WISHES they had. Might not enough for some people. That's not a bad thing, but explains why there are 31 flavors at Baskin Robins. 

Gee all this time I thought we were driving Heinz 57's

I don't equate knowing stuff with "worrying about it". 

For me anyhow-- not knowing what's going on inside the engine is what "worries" me (at least to the extent that anything related to this clown-car can worry me, which it doesn't). Ignorance is almost never a blissful state inside my head. I'd love to be able to happily motor along, being in tune with my car through intuition and some sort've Zen-like oneness with the car... but I'm just not that guy.

The truth is, my particular borderline-autistic inability to focus on much besides the task at hand makes me singularly bad at Jim's excellent hakuna matata method of speedstering. I know myself pretty well at this point, and what I know is that I'm probably not going to notice things going sideways in the periphery, unless I have a gauge telling me so. 

My happy-place comes from being able to forget about trying to intuit something from the car's "vibe" that I'll never pick up anyhow. My WIFE can hear and sense stuff changing in the car, for crying out loud-- why it eludes me is kind've a mystery. When I'm focused on it, I can mine all kinds of information out of the little ticks and sighs of the engine. But when I'm driving... I'm driving (unless I'm doing something else, which is an entirely different issue), and I'm not going to take in much information besides what I'm focused on-- which is the road, hopefully. We should all be hopeful of that.

I could obsess over my particular handicap, or I could just put some gauges on my hopped up golf-cart and enjoy the drive, secure in the knowledge that the engine will tell the gauges, which will tell me when there's something amiss. Those little dials are my window into the guts of my happy little motor. It gives me one less thing to "worry" about.

Besides, I think they look cool.