+1 on JL Audio subs, they are the best. I had a single sealed 10" in my Vanagon Westy, under the back seat, maybe 1.5 cu. ft. That thing ROCKED, along with 4 Polk coax mid-tweeters, and a 130 watt Sub amp and a 4 X 60 main.
What? I can't hear you, I'm at ear-bleed volume!
Keep updating us, Brandon, I'm looking forward to the day you say it's 100% road worthy and looking how you want.
We gotta work on convincing him to get it to Carlisle, even if it's on a trailer.
Keep updating us, Brandon, I'm looking forward to the day you say it's 100% road worthy and looking how you want.
Thanks Danny….. I sure will.
We gotta work on convincing him to get it to Carlisle, even if it's on a trailer.
Someone swing by with a trailer and I'll throw it on there. 
As if these cars aren't loud enough already!
Yes but I think we ole fellows really don't entirely get this build. His audio goes with the air suspension, large diameter wheels. This is not our grandfathers speedster (in this case I'm old enough to BE the grandfather) The young folks will GET this while we will not. I think it's a beautiful car and I'd love to see it. OWN it? No way but that's the beauty of our society and our hobby. Go for it man. If an audio system is your bag. Me I'd take the system JPS put in my car and trade it for some worth while instrumentation.
No I won't….I built this car to attend C&C's, meet with some friends and just cruise around town….and sometimes I like to listen to loud music.
If I want to go for a "drive" with the radio turned off I have other cars for that.
Well said John….I actually love a classic look as well and struggled a little with which build to proceed with. In the end I decided to go for something different.
Inquiring mind(s) want to know, what's the music genre, Brandon?
Inquiring mind(s) want to know, what's the music genre, Brandon?
I mostly listen to the "Chill" station on Spotify, older rap (Eazy E, Too Short) and some techno.
I like that !! ….If I was going for a classic look, I'd go all the way just like your doing. 
I mentioned something was rubbing while driving on the lowest setting. Seems one thing led to another.
Heim joints were very loose(finger tight loose- no lock washers, nothing)...this then shifted the base of air suspension in rear...this then made the tires rub against sensor bars and bags themselves. One bag had a hole in it...the other very close.
Tightened heim joints with loctite and lock washers, adjusted the positioning and installed new bags. New bags are smaller in diameter to allow more clearance.
Sounds like a great idea...car guys always have stuff in common.
JPS not noted for careful wiring. Just a mess of white and red wires, and maybe a blue one now and then. And none too much slack there either, so getting instruments in and out is a bit tricky. I could get going on all the stuff that was not done properly on my car and had to be redone one way or the other, but maybe it's too late for that now. Better not to get me started . . .
My John experiences: In 04 and 05, worked for a Auto Shop Program for At Risk Youth where we bought a speedster and a HumVee....they arrived with all sorts of issues.
1)SPEEDSTER Former boss bought a new JPS drove 2900 miles to get it ,
he sat in a hotel and that shop all week while it was worked on and boss had
to return 2 weeks later to get it.
a)Hard top was poorly fit and off by 1.25 "at the right windshield area,
we had to repair that and repaint
b)Type IV motor was so far out of adjustment
c) A/C compressor bracket was a chrome aftermarket GM generator bracket
that provided little support for the compressor and would throw a belt daily.
d)Wiring was a rats nest nightmare, connections loose or pulled out.
e)Rear body to chassis mount bolts loose, shock bolts loose
f) Oil leaks & exhaust leaks and clearance issues.
2)HUMVEE A 3/4 size Hummer replica
a) driver's door had clearance issues with roll bar and wouldn't close correctly
b) Wiring was again a nightmare and rats nest with loose connections, pulled tight,
headlights would not go off unless battery disconnected, E brake handle
was swinging in the breeze, ran poorly with out of adjustment
i.e.clutch slipping & oil leaks, steering wheel and switches were loose.
c) Paint had issues to include a quarter panel that had what appeared to be a
carton set up against it while the paint was still wet and he let it go out the
door like that.
Phone calls if answered went w/o much help and a "Oh you can fix that
yourself" attitude.
Sad that this all continues in one form or another especially if the
Buyer resides a distance from Calif.
Little if any test drive time by builder and poor quality control
There was Bill's famous engine seal trim kit that was trimmed wood grain aluminum siding, followed by the luggage rack I won in a raffle,when it did arrive it had been previously damaged / bent and repaired with a file and emery paper and...went to bat on behalf of more than one owner to get parts that were not shipped.
To be fair, recently,after seeing John Heckman's coupe the quality and workmanship has improved.
Alan, thats quite a list. Thanks for sharing.
Makes me feel better that the quality has improved Alan 
You know in the end we are talking about a car then cost new $36100.00 I don't care how you slice it for that kind of money I think we should be a lot closer to perfection or at the very least tell a guy what to expect. These cars are not advertised as projects in the works are they? And to make matters worse if you complain you pretty much get the door slammed. Or told to ship the car back to Ca to maybe get it fixed at the cost of $4000 round trip. Or am I being unrealistic??
I don't think you're being unrealistic at all. Unless his contract (Ha!) specifically states that the cars will need significant tweaking to make them road worthy; you have every right to expect the cars to be built correctly and otherwise complete.
John Steele sounds like a real piece of work.
I've got to agree with John if I'm paying $36K+ to have a car built I expect to have very few build issues with it...I know there will always be 'something' that is off that is just the nature of the builds, it happens, yet to have a builder give the client a run around about repairing some item/items that should have been addressed during the build or before delivery or expect the client to ship the car back to the builder to address the issue is nuts.
If this is the way Speedster builders in general do business I'm amazed their clients put up with it and 'word of mouth' has not had an impact upon their business.
I've never priced a 'turn-key +' Speedster from any of the builders but I do know if $36K+ is the going rate for one, assuming it is Suby powered??, I think I'd seriously look for something else to have built...
For $36K+ one can have a pretty well sorted Cobra, Daytona Coupe, GT-40, 'M' car from FF replica built from several top notch builders/mfgs and have few after delivery problems...
I had my first Cobra, a 427SC, built for me by Superformance, it was a 'turn-key minus'(no engine or trans). I paid $31.5K for it in '99 then spent about $12K for a custom 4-wheel frame alignment and the BB 428 engine and top-loader 4-spd trans build, which I installed with help from a couple friends. I had only two builder related problem, one of the horns was not bolted down tight and fell off and the tonneau cover zipper broke after about 3 uses(they sent me a new replacement cover, no charge), other than that there were no electrical issues, no fit/finish issues, everything I ordered as optional was completed. I could have spent way less on the drivetrain by going with a 'crate' engine and used trans to the tune of about $5-6K ...I sold it in '00 for $52.5K w/8K miles on it and began the search for a 289 F.I.A. Cobra, at the time there were very few 289's for sale or even built. I've owned the 289 I have now for 15 years, paid $14K for the project car and have probably put another $20K+ into it over the years.
G.R. - I priced Cobras before I bought my Beck Speedster in '06, and I didn't find any that could be bought turnkey for under about $45k - waaay out of my budget. The well-made Speedsters are still a relative bargain, but they ain't cheap.
G.R. - I priced Cobras before I bought my Beck Speedster in '06, and I didn't find any that could be bought turnkey for under about $45k - waaay out of my budget. The well-made Speedsters are still a relative bargain, but they ain't cheap.
Two of my Cobra owning friends each bought a Cobra in early '06. Dennis paid $36K for his from Backdraft out of Texas w/ 351 and Tremec 4-spd and American Torque thrust wheels and Sonny paid I think $33K for his 302 sb powered, Tremec 5-spd w/Trigo Cobra knock-off wheels from Mid-States out of NE. I know when I bought my Superformance I dealt with 3 different dealers, one in Seattle, one in SF and finally bought it from the Reno dealership for about $10k less than the other two were asking for the same equipped car...go figure
I really haven't kept up with Cobra pricing other than what's on the used market. I do know you can get a new 'roller' from Factory Five to finish out on your own or have someone do it for you if not mechanically inclined, for around $15k...I know some guys who have gone that route and with about another $15K invested have a pretty decent Cobra.
I hold myself 50% responsible for spending before doing my do diligence. I am trying to forgive the other parties. Seems as if the car will be going back to Ca to a third owner who may find it to be the car of his or her dreams and at the very least it will be more serviceable out there.
I'll get over it and do better. I am not going to say any thing more about any of the persons involved. The horse is down and dually kicked.
"The horse is down and duly kicked."
G.R.
Between my 2 spyders I looked very hard at getting a Cobra. Visited 4 or 5 manufacturers. Obviously I couldn't visit Superformance since they are built elsewhere (South Africa?). But I can say without a doubt the Superformance had the best build quality of any replica I have seen and that includes Intermeccanica. It was built like a Honda. Very impressive. By the way I also visited Chuck Beck in Cali to check out his Lister. Just remembering the ride that Chuck took me on in that Lister makes me want to wet my pants.
Wow!
NICE! Your coupe is going to RULE at the next Cars & Coffee event you take it to!
And people thought my system was a bit much. That makes mine look like the opening act for the main event. I like it!!!
Wow! Nice, Brandon!
Thanks Guys!
So she's pretty well sorted out now....however I think I'm going to need an oil cooler if I want to run the AC consistently. Yesterday after about an hour (AC on entire time) the oil temp got pretty high. Today ran No AC and seemed fine. Does this sound right to you guys?
Did I miss it...what was the issue with the fuses? Did you get that sorted?
Brandon- I can see that; what size is the engine, and how hot is hot?
Most VW a/c mechanics will tell you that up to 230F is acceptable for oil temp, even though modern oils won't shear until the high 300's. High 200's for oil temp are not uncommon for circle track guys. If you really want to dial it in, laser temp guns are pretty cheap online, and cylinder head temp gauges are always a good idea. In that way, the guess work is reduced, as you can check the before and after temp changes when you install the oil cooler. A decent oil temp gauge is a good starting point. Run the same course with the same ambient air temp before and after the oil cooler addition, both with and without a/c on. Data logging is becoming easier and more important as the cost of modified engines continues to go up.
