Calif Red Speedster $13k on SAMBA

 

Did John get the starting issue resolved?  I know I read in some very old posts that it had starting issues.   I thought I saw posts from both Mickey and the guy he sold it it to. It looks like Mickey doesn't recall that, so maybe it was just the new owner.  Either way, it sounded like the exact same problem, but I can't imagine that it can't easily be solved.
It's a nice looking car.
Troy

John replaced the distributor cap and coil. I've had NO problems starting the Speedster! There are some minor problems to work out but nothing too serious. Certainly less annoying then when I started restoring my 58 356a Coupe! The Speedster is like old shoes you lost and found years later, your shocked how comfortable they were and are! For me it was 1984 when I sold my last of three prior Speedsters( a 58 for hold your breath $8,000!) it's nice to have an old friend back!

Sorry.  It's coming back to me now.  The problem was that it would all of a sudden die and then he would have problems getting it started.  Read all of John's, Mickey's and the guy in between's posts.

John made me aware of that issue but fortunately I have NOT experienced that at all!

This car is a CMC and not IM.
All CMC cars had that rear sag issue when they made them.
I've owned 4-Speedsters and all 4 were IM without that issue.
The only reason that the car may have IM rear engine kid hinges is because IM sold their mold and other parts left over to CMC.
Problem was that somewhere along the building process CMC just couldn't get things correct.
Along with cutting the wrong gauges in the dash.
I'd stay away from a CMC car unless it's 10K
Just sharing my knowledge

Nothing wrong with CMC speedster providing the proper modification have been addressed, they actually are, great cars when assembled in a Craftsman like manner.

My car had extensive modifications made and seems to be well done and well thought out!

Yeah I agree.
They are not bad cars after some work has been done.
The sagging part was kind of bummer to see on their builds. :-/

       
       

Wow! From the camp of wide sweeping generalizations!!

Fixing ass droop is one of the first issues I do...drill out the rivets, install 8 

5/16 bolts, fender washers, Nyloc nuts and a decent adhesive between the fiberglass and 2 x 2 framework.

Manxman,

Congrats on your car!!! 

I appreciate your comments on the attention to the details, I take them as a compliment. I went to great lengths to do everything I could to make it look as original as possible, with regard to the interior. From the turn signal stalk to the "dummy" knobs to the wide fives, etc....

As for the motor, I did not build it, I left that to the VERY capable Pat Downs at CB Performance. 

The other issues mentioned above by others, well.... I went through just about every inch of that car fixing and sorting as much as I could, and as it is with many things, a fix here causes an issue there. By the time I sold it it was tip top with no issues mechanically, and very few aesthetically. If I'd of kept the car I would have eventually done something about the e brake, but only because I never liked it on the tunnel. 

IM? I guess some of the more seasoned replica owners are good enough to tell from photos of a 30-40 year old car, I'm not. The car had absolutely no badging, plates, markings etc of any kind, except maybe, if I recall, an ID plate on the driver door post  from some state, but I can't remember. It was suggested to me that it was an IM by the guy I bought it from and I had no reason to dispute it. All I know is it has gone through a few owners and every one of them seems to leave it better than when they got it, no doubt you will continue that based on your love for 356's. Enjoy the car!!!

Thanks Mickey, I'm with you on the e break issue! Long ago there was a Poster of a Red 59 356 Carrera for sale and I used to wish My Speedsters were it! Your car fit the bill being as close to the car in that Poster as a Replica can get! As your no doubt aware REAL Speedsters let alone Carrera Speedsters have hit astronomical numbers! I bought my first Speedster a 55 in 1970 for $1,100 my second in 1974 for $3,000 and my last in 1984 a 58 for $8,000! So for me $250,000 and up is insane! By the way the sticker on the door post was from Illinois! Keep in touch I'd like to pick your brain! Thanks for building my Dream car! By the way I have a 1958 356A original Super Coupe in Euro spec( bought in Paris ), a 2013 Boxster S and a 1982 928. Guess which car I drive most? Your Speedster!

Anything you need Manxman. Most of its history is right here on this site but I'm more than happy to answer any questions I can.

I do miss that little car, so much fun.  I'm an analog guy, even though it's considered old, I enjoy my 2002 996, but not near as much as the speedster. 

 

Mickey, You documented a lot on the site here but until you replied just now I wasn't sure where the engine was built. Not sure what the "Pro Street" tranny was all about? First gear is a stump puller and generally I'm in 3rd or 4th. Then again the Original Speedster trans was a BBAB and pretty much the same! John (the last owner) actually had your paperwork for the engine & trans but lost it recently. Rog

Hello Mman,

Pro street transmissions generally refer to a series of modifications to make them more beefy to handle the extra torque the larger motors produce. Typically the modifications include:
Super Diff
Aluminum Side Cover
Welded 3-4 Hubs
Hardened Keys

Hope that helps,
Ted

Thanks Ted, I get it now!

Mickey, Here is that exact Poster, still available! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsch...9f4ef23e&vxp=mtr
So here are some questions for you: 1, Not sure what the rev limit is on that engine? 2, John said he removed the rear sway bar as he was told here (on this site) it conflicted with the IRS, any suggestions? 3, Not sure you set up the suspension as it now is, but there is ample give in the rear but NO give in the front! My idea is to replace the front shocks with softer ones, release the tension on the select a drop? 4, Did you construct the rear IRS consoles yourself? Looks pretty professional, like 911 Bananas! 5, the front rotors are scored up pretty badly are they the CB units? If so I can just replace them, or get them cut down. Thanks in advance Mickey. Looking at your posted photos I was amazed how well you documented what you did with the Speedster! It REALLY helps! Rog

Roger (do I have that right?)- As Ted said, the term pro street (when referring to VW transaxles) describes upgrades done to enable it to survive a more "spirited" driving style. The "stump puller" first gear is typical of just about all VW aircooled transaxles, and was needed to get the car moving with a smaller, low power engine. Your engine probably puts out 2 1/2 times the power of a stock 1600 and could quite easily handle a longer 1st and 2nd gear; the only issue is cost, as an aftermarket 1st/2nd mainshaft assembly (one piece mainshaft, 1st and 2nd idler gears, and hub) runs a little over $1,000, and then the trans has to be torn down and re-assembled to install it. Count on the better part of $2,000 when finished. The couple guys here who have gone the longer 1st gear route really like it. And for another 3500 (or so) smackers you can have a 5 speed! (people really like those, as the longer 1st, closer gearing for acceleration and a decent highway gear do make the car just that much more FUN!) We can help you with ratios if you are interested.

 

Oh- Welcome To The Madness! Al

Thanks Al, reminds me of the "Good Ol Days" when Speedster Owners mixed and matched the Porsche gear sets to achieve that "Perfect" gear set for a certain Track!

Mickey, one more question: did you ZERO the odometer when you put in the CB Engine? Right now it's at 20671.

Since you got such a deal on a dynomite car and understanding what gearing can do, you'll appreciate the benefits of a 5 speed on the street. Trying to re-gear a 4 speed is always a compromise; if you install close ratio 3rd and 4th gears for drag race like performance then highway cruising suffers, and going longer in 4th means changing 1st through 4th, which is expensive, and you lose the explosiveness off the line the car previously had. You may find this thread interesting- https://www.speedsterowners.com...c/3-88-rp-vs-4-12-rp click on the links and you will see several different examples and you can change the ratios and see the effects.

 

For 2 different 5 speed configurations, have a look at these- the 1st I'll call the "street racer" and the 2nd would be the "highway cruiser". A 2 liter or larger would be the best suited for both. I really like the 1st example when a 3.44 r&p is substituted for the 3.88, and the 2nd becomes Stan's dream cross country trans with the 3.44!

 

http://www.teammfactory.com/ge...Transmission+1+%26+2

Thanks Al, I'll check those out! I've only got about a week driving my Speedster so I'm just getting used to the gearing difference between it and my 356A Coupe ! The Speedster does 65 Mph at around 3,000 RPM or so. That seems about right. I remember a Porsche 356 with Speedster gearing BBAB would be near Grand more at 65! That's no fun.

I'm a ltl behind on acronyms. What is BBAB.

Porsche gearing was by Letters A, B & C if I remember correctly A was a lower gear and C a longer gear. In My 356A it came with "Speedster Gears" which were BBAB where the final 4th gear was pretty low and you'd find yourself pulling 4,500 RPM at about 65 MPH and if you had a "Normal" (60 Hp engine, rev limited to 5,500 RPM)) that's reving pretty far. With the "Super" (88 Hp) it was still not fun. I replaced my 4th to a C and it's good for a grand drop at 70 MPH.

Robert- Porsche designated letters for each of the gears; iIrc A is short and C is long, so 1A would be the shortest and 1C would be the longest 1st gear made for that transaxle and so on 2nd through 4th. You would use short gears for a hillclimb or slalom course, and longer for roadracing. In another thread recently, I think it was Gordon posted the ratios available for the 356 in 1961(?). 

Found the chart- https://www.speedsterowners.com...c/3-88-rp-vs-4-12-rp

Sorry guys, in my previous post with the 5 speed comparison it should have been this- http://www.teammfactory.com/ge...Transmission+1+%26+2

 

Thanks.

 

I thought BBAB was an acronym.  I had to look up IIRC to find it meant If I Remember Correctly and I had to look up a couple of others recently as well. So when I looked up BBAB, thinking it was an acronym, the only thing I could find was British Biscuit Advisory Board, Bed Bath And Beyond, or Bewitched Bewildered And Bothered and even I figured out none of those applied.

Hey Manx,

looks like you got all the info you need on the trans. I don't know the exact sizes of the gears. I consulted with Pat on my driving needs before he even started on the motor and asked him to choose the transmission that best suited my needs with the engine he built. Mostly around town driving, some "Sunday driving" and the occasional highway road trip. 

Rev limit? What's a rev limit? Just kidding, never asked Pat, I shifted mostly by feel. never really beat it up to much. 

No idea why he removed the rear sway bar, or why anyone would suggest it. Before I redid the suspension the car always felt soft. I lowered it, added the sway bars and put the new shocks on and it was noticeably firmer and seemed to stay more planted in turns. The control arms I bought to narrow the rear up so I could fit the wide fives on. They are waaaayyyy overkill, pretty sure they were designed for sand buggy.

Rotors were from Cip1, nothing special about them. You can have someone turn them or replace them for fairly cheap. 

I bought the gauges from JPS or Vintage, don't remember but they went in before the engine did, again I don't really remember how long before. 

Im almost positive I gave the gentleman I sold it to all the info on everything regarding work, mileage etc....and once I put something on paper it seems to go bye-bye in the memory bank I can't imagine that motor has 20k on it yet but its possible. I don't think the guy I sold it to drove it much and I think I only put a few thousand on it before selling.

 

i can't believe that's the poster you were referring to! That is the exact photo I used as inspiration for the car. I even acquired a roll bar for it from a really nice guy on here (name is gone, but he lived very close to Carlisle) I never got around to installing it but I included it in the sale. Makes me very happy to know the car made its way to someone who loved the 59 Carrera as much as me

Robert- Glad we're keeping you on your toes!

Thanks Mickey, REALLY appreciate your kind response. Maybe John will come up with the paperwork he lost. It's nice to know the History of the car and appreciate the care and considerations that went into building it! Rog