Assembly notes and pictures on my CMC Speedster

George, I sold the red one 1.5 years ago to a nice old lady who leaves it with me 2 months a year (so far) when she goes out of town. I can drive it anytime I like, in return I maintain it so she can enjoy it with out worry.

Just a short update.  I took the gas tank for modification to my welder and it will be ready Aug. 26th.  Fast enough.  Then, used the copy of the assembly manual to figure out exactly what parts I received and which ones are missing.  I will order some glass frame parts from Beck.  Then, have sliders coming in next week, from EMPI.  The seats are on hold as the place which does upholstery work for me are four weeks behind on work.  I am looking for other possible seats, which might work, at least on a temporary basis.  The good news is I am not missing as much as I thought and with my VW collection of parts in my shop, that will save me many dollars in expenses.  I do not understand all the forum notes about how hard it is to install the windshield.  Looks easier than doing one in a Beetle.  I just need more parts for the glass assembly.  I might use my welder to make custom bumpers for my speedster.  I did this on the VW Rat Rod and everyone thinks they give it an old Hot Rod look.  Also, it is steel, not the replica fiberglass bumpers.  Real bumpers to protect the fiberglass body is what I think is needed.  So, some progress but need many parts. 

Build a pipe sub bumper behind the fiberglass bumper.

Going through the pile of parts, found the Porsche looking badge which goes in the hood handle, but it reads " Fiberfab" and looks cool. So, CMC bought out by Fiberfab ? I think it went that way ? Or, Fiberfab bought out my CMC ?

I guess, you mean, from side to side on the bumper steel supports, behind the fiberglass bumpers. I am missing all the bumper steel supports but can make copies of them, as pictured in the assembly manual. Other than the steering column mount and steel pieces for the front hood, missing all the other steel brackets which come with the kits. But, think I can fabricate those from angle iron. 1/8 inch thick should be enough. I will use a 1969 or 1970 VW Beetle steering column with built in turn signal switch, as I have many of them in my shop, with working turn signal switches and ignition switch with keys. Not correct looking for 1956-58, but will work good. I will probably have to cut off the energy absorbing section and have some race car universal joint to be sure the column mates up nicely with the steering box. I will save up my money and later buy a Nardi looking steering wheel.

Lucky me, there is a race car fabrication shop not far from my home/ shop and the man builds up to $500,000 race cars. One of our best kept secrets where I live. The shop can do anything with metal one can think of. People don't think of Texas as a place for custom cars, but locally, within 30 miles from where I live, there are many auto machine shops, power coating places, welding shops, race car fab shops and anything one needs for custom auto parts. We have a race car parts place close by, also. Called Clear Lake Speed Center and three VW EMPI parts retailers, not too far away. Saturday nights, in good weather conditions, there are many "hot rod" meets locally and the VW guys and some with speedsters show up to display their rides. There are custom street cars running upward to 1,000hp engines, around here, to challenge anything made in CA. Check out "Texas Mile" for top speed events. Street legal cars are doing over 200 mph. It's not all about cowboys and cattle and oil in Texas. But, those are still here. The Houston Rodeo is still the biggest one, in the world.

Both Gordon and I are the windshield Go to Guys as we have done a lot and not as easy as the assembly manual depicts. There is a "How To" herein with good tips.... do follow that to the letter and it should not break keeping in mind and telling ALL passengers they are as fragile as a tea cup so to speak.

 

:......I will probably have to cut off the energy absorbing section "

 

I have seen more than a few of those old column cages crack over time and one even snapped in two while I was off loading a speedster from a trailer. I have found that the builder would forced the column up against the underside of the dash creating a lateral load on the cage and over time and due to the age of the column, it would crack / fail.

I don't know how to send a personal message to Gordon. Can you contact him and ask him to phone me at either 409-986-9487 or 409-502-9253. Tks.

I have to remove that part of the steering shaft to shorten it and also with the race quality U-joint, that allows for any angle, needed for the steering to work good. On the glass, I like the way it goes in the rubber channel on the top frame. Looks like there are several different lower frame set ups, and my assembly manual shows one with a metal strip attached to the body, then a rubber gasket. I don't see any possible binding, if one does not over tighten the metal pieces which hold the entire assembly to the body. Now, I can see if mis-aligned, or to tight on those body pieces, that would crack the glass.

Since the glass has some curve to it, it should be stronger than the glass on Beetles and also , the height is shorter, top to bottom. Beetle flat glass is very tricky to install and I also have a customer who does auto glass work, so will have me with experience and my customer to watch the insulation. He does auto windows for part time income.

I know to be careful and not bind anything. I wish they had the same type of metal with rubber channel on the bottom of the glass, but rain would get in, under the windshield, but I don't plan to drive in rain, if possible. I designed a windshield on a street legal sand rail and while not 100% rain proof, I drove that back and forth to work, some 40 miles, one way, every day for one year. Interesting challenge, due to light weight car, in the rain. Mostly, it was hard to stop on wet roads, with so little weight.

Thank you for your help. I need Gordon's 914 seats. Like NOW.

Not sure why you are having to shorten the VW steering column. With stock front suspension (even with beam adjusters and caster shims), it should fit perfectly without cutting it.   

 

 

It's easier to remove the collapsible part as I know the angle is not the same on the steering shaft as on the stock Beetle suspension, so going with the race U-joint and figured I would cut off the part , I don't like. Maybe, the length will remain the same, but I know the angle of the shaft would put a bind on the stock rubber coupler. I see this problem on many VW kit cars I work on, with sooner or later, the best quality rubber steering box to shaft coupler will crack and break, which would be serious, if it gets to a point where one cannot control where the car is going. And, I know they make urethane couplers , but they crack also, with age. It's a race quality approved steering shaft U-joint, which will leave off the stock or aftermarket coupler, so steel bolted to steel with grade 8 bolts. This will never break or need attention. www.swracecars.com sells the steering shaft u-joints. They show a needle bearing set up for street use, but mine is drag race design and as the speedster has so little weight on the front suspension, I don' t think this one will ever break. VW used two u-joints with small needle bearings on their Super Beetles, due to the angle from the steering shaft inside the column to the steering box, so what I am doing is nothing new.

You are probably correct about the length. Also, someone cut way too much of the fiberglass from the body , which the steering column goes through and I want a small shaft, not that part of the steering column tube, in that area, to enclose it with new fiberglass, to keep out dirt and water. Sealing this car body to keep out rain will take some extra steps on the assembly process. I have industrial strength RTV sealant to go between the floor pan and the metal on the body. On the metal structure , part of the body, as this body must have sat outside or in high humidity areas too long, I have to sand and/or wire brush all the exposed metal frame on the body, then going with thin undercoating on all that frame, to prevent future rust problems. I would think with a new speedster kit and body one could just use some quality black paint, but mine needs more attention. While it is still apart, doing what I can to insure a long lasting finished car. Thanks for the tips.

I've have great luck with a rust treatment product called NAPASCO Enrustreat.  No need to sand/wire brush (but I would use wire brush on a drill/grinder).  It turns rust to a black surface that can be primed and painted the next day.  Not nearly as expensive as POR-15.  

 

I used Lowes clear silicon sealer in tubes when joining the body to chassis.  I also followed the build manual and fiberglassed the body to pan floor seam.  I lined the floor and firewall with dynamat.  Others have used the ice dam bituminous roof stuff from Lowes as a sound deadener --- it's much cheaper but you have to buy large roll.

 

 

Thanks, for the product information to stop the rust. The wire brush on a drill works fast. I don't know if I will do the fiberglass from body to floor pan. The floor pan is hand painted, once is was cleaned good, with a thick black rust preventive paint. It is on really good, so if I do a fair job on the seal between the body frame and floor pan, I think that is all that is needed.

I am not a big fan of carpet and/or insulation. My engines are usually so loud, so why put in insulation. Quiet running tires make a big difference on noise levels. Also, I do plan to drive this speedster as often as possible and until I get money for the convertible top to be replaced, I will have to watch the weather reports. But, no heater system as engines run better without heater boxes and where I live, we only have two to three months below 50 degrees, so it's not a big deal to drive a convertible in our winter time.

Insulation, on the floor, where I live, collects moisture and we have over 60% humidity, all year long. The wet insulation will cause rust on the floor pans. VW went to removable rubber floor mats during the 1970's and I liked that factory idea. It is so easy to remove the rubber mats and let the metal dry out, if it gets wet. In the mornings, the grass is wet with dew and it gets on your shoes and if not raining, that moisture finds it's way into the car and either on the rubber mats or on carpet. Once the convertible top is replaced I will have someone make up Lexan side windows and already have all the hardware to mount side windows. I really want to make this more of a daily driver , all weather car. We have no snow where I live. Last time was one day in 2004. On Christmas Eve, go figure ?

I don't see any advantage of using the front fender panels. And, the manual said to fiberglass them and bolt them on the car. I don't know how one can service the master cylinder with all that fiberglass in the way. On the Beetles and other VW air cooled cars, the factory left that area open. I have not looked close enough and perhaps it only covers from the front suspension opening to the body by the door pillar, an inner fender panel ? I do not see any open body , under the front fenders, so again, why the added front panels ?

Panels do add some strength to the forward body section along with the trunk floor to top of beam metal brace. If I use the panels I just cut out an access area for the M/Cyl.

 

 

Got the front turn signals mounted and spent most of the day to figure out what size they used on the screw in studs, on those grilles.  Never figured it out, a first for me, to not figure out a screw size.  So, used 3mm nuts and tapped them out to 3-40 SAE size.  Going easy on the start on the small nuts, they did tighten down on the grilles. 

 

Putting on the tail lights, license plate mount and reverse light was much easier. 

I have the glass parts ordered and on their way and some 914 seats. Wonder if the welding shop finished my gas tank .  So, working fast on the body parts. I have to fabricate braces for the deck lid supports and one to support the front of the body.  I think some angle iron pieces will work, in lieu of having the factory made parts.

 

Cutting fiberglass, I forgot about it making me itch.  Fun, fun ! 

Can't add much support, as mine are thin panels. That front brace from the top of the torsion beam to the body is critical. ---George K. ----

When properly installed the front wheel well panels acts a a gusset plate.

I realize what you are telling me, but my fiberglass panels are really thin, so mine can only keep water and dirt from getting up under the vehicle. I cannot see any added strength with them acting as gussets. The thickness of the body ranges from 1/4 to 3/8 inch. The panels , which go under the front fenders are only 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick, at most. They certainly look like they are correct for his replica kit and cut correctly. I am not disagreeing with you, only saying the panels I have will not add to the strength of the body.

The well built metal brace, which fits between the top of the torsion front beam and the body looks very important to keep the front body from flexing and getting cracked. It will also help to support the 60 pounds of gasoline in the 10.5 gallon stock VW gas tank and the 35 pound battery, up front. That is about 100 pounds plus the weight of the body and sub-frame.

Someone mentioned they only had seven or eight gallon gas tank. I have no idea what gas tank they used. It calls for a modified VW stock Beetle gas tank, well, at least, in my speedster. Maybe, the 550's use smaller gas tanks ? I don't know. I would want at least a 10 gallon tank in any vehicle I drive on the street. With a modified engine, one should still get at least 20 plus MPG or more. I have 120hp in my Rat Rod, and weight of the Bug with me in it is 1800 lbs. I get right at 25mpg @ 60 mph, on the highway. If it was stock engine, should see 28-30 mpg.

My speedster uses a modified gas tank from a 1967 bug. It is an 8 gallon tank. I think there are some larger 12 gallon tanks out there, but 8 gallons seems to be about average.

Literally - your mileage may vary.

VW manual says a stock '69 gas tank is 10.6 gallons - in practice it could be less since it gets flipped in Speedster application. I'm using the larger 12.5 gallon tank from CIP1.

 

https://www2.cip1.com/ProductD...uctCode=ACC-C10-2510

 

An egg shell isn't thick but when intact is quite strong.  I used the front inner wheel liners bonded to body shell and screwed to the front bumper supports.  Tap on it and it is very solid.  I roughed them and mounting surface up and applied resin and fiberglass cloth to make them seamless.  I don't have any difficulty accessing the master cylinder or rag joint on steering column (once tire is off). 

 

There are similar gusset pieces that go over the rear exhaust.  They get bonded to body and bolted to rear steel body member.  Adds support to rear and keeps hot exhaust from engine compartment.  I'm a proponent of the manf wouldn't supply parts if they weren't needed (they'd save the couple $).

What I was saying was, the beam to under body is a spacer support , the bonded in panels will " help " in decreasing any chance of lateral movement.....as thin as they are it works.

Have not heard of any eight gallon gas tanks. I guess someone makes them, but I only see the stock size or 10.5 gallons or aftermarket ones with 9 gallons. Never seen the eight gallon tanks. I did not like the nine gallon fuel tank, so checked measurements on this latest one I bought for my speedster project. It should allow for 10 plus gallons.

I know, fuel mileage varies, even with my own cars. I live where there are no hills , so that helps on gas mileage.

Guessing I was off that 1/10 of a gallon on the stock tank. My bad !

Not saying now I will not use those panels, but I think they mostly keep out water and dirt. Compare the thickness on the body to those panels and I think you will agree, the panels cannot help much. I like your comments about exhaust heat, staying away from the fiberglass, but other than heat enough to bubble up some cheap paint, I think again, it is only there to keep out water and dirt and add to the appearance of the original Porsche speedster.

Structure wise, I showed this to a friend with a mechanical engineering degree and he also said the thin fiberglass panels offer very little increased support to the body. We do a lot of boating where I live and fiberglass boats are most popular. Ever look at how thick the fiberglass is on the boats ? The speedster bodies were sprayed with fiberglass into a mold. It is hard to copy the strength you get with the manufactured process, compared to hand laying fiberglass from one panel to the original body. With several layers of cloth fiberglass, one would never have the same strength with hand laid as with blown fiberglass methods.
Will someone debate that fact ? I think the intention of the manufacturer is to have the car look closer to the original Porsche, and keep out water and dirt , using the fiberglass as sealing material.

Another good example of this, on the body, if you are doing one from the ground UP, like I am, you find a small "box" like fiberglass piece, which, once the hood hinges and supports are installed, the assembly manual tells me to fiberglass that thin "box" like piece around the hood hinge or supports and they do that , for looks and for keeping out dirt from inside the car's interior. There are two of these "boxes" one for each hood hinge or support. And, they also want some rubber pieces around those hood supports, again, for looks, mostly as those are located inside the front trunk and should not be subject to dirt and/or rain.

On exhaust heat, as you mentioned this, I use systems which are some distance away from any body parts and also wrap the pipes with "exhaust wrap", insulation and that really keeps the heat in the exhaust pipe and adds horsepower to the engine. I am not a fan of mufflers installed under number 1-2 cylinders, but that company does build quality systems, just bad idea on the location of the muffler. It puts heat into that side of the engine and into the returning oil in the close by push rod tubes.

I hope all my mistakes are 1/10 ONLY off on numbers.

Okay, understand !

I think the confusion here is because 8 Imperial gallons converts to 9.6 U.S. gals. Having grown up with the British measurement systems in Canada (and some 40 years ago getting used to liters) we've always called it an 8 gal. tank, knowing that when travelling in the US and filling up your gallons are slightly smaller. I'm pretty sure that (in Canada) VW literature listed a bug's tank capacity at 8 (Imperial) gals. I would guess that an American bug owner's manual would call it 9 1/2 or 10 gals. Al

 

 

PS- It's a rough comparison, but if you think of 4.5 US quarts being the same as 1 imp. gal., it's close enough (it's actually .95 imp gal.). A US quart is almost as big as a liter (.95).

I wonder where the "imperial" name came from ? No Queen in America, until we elect Hillary. Ha,ha. Tks for the foreign knowledge. I am afraid to leave Hitchcock, Tx. There are crazy people outside my city.

I have a 14 US Gallon tank or 11.66 Canadian or Imperial Gallons still not big enouhg at times Ray

 

http://www.convertunits.com/fr...gallon/to/US+gallons

The inner panels are there to further support the body of the car. Without them, you might get paint cracks from the extra body flexing from vibration, lateral movement, and over bumps. Further, by leaving the front ones out, you increase the stress that the trunk mount has to withstand which could potentially cause that area of the fiberglass to eventually fail. The rear ones also serving as airflow barrier so you aren't sucking hot air back into the top side of the engine and overheating it. And though they look thin, you shouldn't discount the added strength of the 3-dimentional structure they create.

The old British empire used "English Units". The "US units" are based on those old English Units. However, the British later changed to what is known as "Imperial Units" that are based on different standards from English units, hence the difference in values. The US stayed on their own system that was also altered through the years, so current US and Imperial have different values for the same unit. But this whole discussion is just another reason everything should get changed to metric.

..........thank you Justin.

George, if you don't use them I'll take them. I don't have them and I am seeing the effects...I have fiberglass bumpers if interested.

Anyone old enough to remember when the US was going to convert to the metric system (1975) used other 95% of the world.  Govt actually posted speed limit in both MPH and KMH.  Sure would mess up builders and their 2x4's (argh which are 1.5x3.5"). At least American cars converted mechanicals to metric.

Interstate 19 south of Tuscon AZ is teh only US highway signed in meters and kilometers.

 

http://www.cnn.com/interactive...road-american-story/

"But this whole discussion is just another reason everything should get changed to metric."

 

Up here in Canada we went metric years ago, but I still can't tell a metre from a kilogram.  I think and act in the old Imperial system (inch, foot, yard, etc.) and will do so until I can no longer think and act.

 

We still call a 2x4 a 2x4, and I buy wood by the foot, 'cause they still sell it that way. 

 

No one consulted me on the switch; so I am under no obligation to follow suit.

 

Signed, one grumpy old man.

 

Some businesses like butchers had to upgrade all their equipment to be able to sell, some even sold their business,  then they changed the rules to allow them to convert DUH... go figure.   While the metric system is user friendly all old timers know the imperial way better and have an idea or reference for distance and weight, they usually have to convert metric to imperial... 

 

I'm just glad were off the sun dial  

Justin wrote (in part): "The old British empire used "English Units". (blah, blah, blah, blah)...just another reason everything should get changed to metric.

 

I got caught up in the middle of that insanity during a stint at one of my computer company sojourns.....   We were in the middle of designing the "next big thing", all of it dimensioned in English units (inches, etc.) and, all of a sudden, upper management (which will always be written in lower case in my posts) decides;

 

"The rest of the World has gone Metric....We should, too!"  

 

Mass Pandemonium ensued.  75% of the mechanical design had to be re-dimensioned and a lot of the dimensions had to change to meet standard tooling needs of the suppliers - A MAJOR PITA.  

 

The head of mechanical design went to upper management and said; "Do you a$$-holes know what this is gonna cost us?"  (Really....I was there......That is exactly what he said.)  Yes, we know, he was told, but our customers had already converted and it will be much easier for them if our products were Metric, not English.

 

So we converted.  We created 12,000 new part numbers across all of our mini-computer products and then we were told we would go from blue-and-white color scheme to "Earth Tones" of 8 different "shades".  That got us to 127,000 new part numbers.  Cost an arm and both legs.

 

You know what?  Not a single customer ever came to us and said anything like "Gee..I'm so glad that you guys converted to Metric equipment."  Nobody, as far as I could tell, gave a Rat's Pitoutie whether our equipment was measured in inches, centimeters or cubits.

 

I also don't think that a color change ever sold more stuff......Faster computer speeds or I/O transfer speeds, definitely yes.....specific colors?  NO!

 

Any of you computer geeks ever see an IBM data center in "Garnet Rose"???????  (I saw one......in Italy......With HUGE windows for the sightless equipment to gaze out at the beautiful sight of the Aegean Sea out the data center windows.

I love that story.

Every work story I've got is just like that.... only in 1/10 scale. "None of us are as stupid as all of us".

I was just out of high school at that time, Bob (1975? we might even have been introduced to it in grade 12), so I'm pretty fluent in both.

 

Bob, it's comforting to know you've discovered a universal constant.

 

One grumpy old man is one grumpy old man in any measurement system.

 

 

 

 

Before I arrived (to great fanfare, I might add (just kidding)) at Data General, I worked for a couple of years at Northrup Corp. making teeny-tiny gyroscopes to be used in tri-axial accelerometers - now they put that stuff on a microchip.

 

Anyway, I worked with an Irishman named Emmet Turley.  Pretty cool guy and a GREAT mechanical designer with a pleasant sense of humor.  upper management there sent around a memo (it was around 1977 or so) reminding everyone that they were a defense contractor and security was of the utmost importance (indeed.....It had the most "Ut").

 

Emmet got that memo and took it to heart.  He set about designing his next product feature and dimensioning everything as he went along as he always did, including weights (very important when designing balanced Gyroscopes).  We got his first set of drawings at the release review board and quickly noticed that these were some of the weirdest dimensions we had ever seen - out to 5 or 6 places after the decimal and all seemed very wrong compared to other products.  My boss, Pete (Pete was a screamer and THE reason I left there after 20 months), screams "Get friggin Turley in here!", so off I trot to find Emmet.  Emmet arrives and calmly explains that he was inspired by the memo from upper management on enhanced security, and dimensioned all of his stuff in Irish troighid (not Imperial) feet and weights in Irish Stones (about 14.7 pounds to the stone).

 

I thought Pete was gonna hit the roof.  He had a scar diagonally across his forehead and left eye from a motorcycle accident as a teen, and it would pulse red when he got excited - THIS time it was really pronounced and pulsing purple.  "Get the hell out of here and do those drawings right!!", he screams (I actually cleaned up his utterance a bit for this audience).  We had to restrain Pete from jumping over the table, but Emmet calmly left and went back to work - point made, but maybe to the wrong management group........   

 

Great story, Gordon.

 

And thanks for sheltering this group's delicate sensibilities.