Good suggestion. Getting tons of positive comments on the 914 seats you sold me. I really, really like them. Looking at your speedster and is that purple carpet ? Really ? Not negative comment, but wonder if I am seeing the correct color .
It's only about 10:30 here, so early. I will call it quits on the web site for a day or so, unless I get some good results on my speedster project and that would only be positive stuff. You guys are like my NEW family as I have no dog, no cat, no girlfriend, no wife and everyone in my family is dead, so I bet you love me calling you "family". How lucky can you all get ?
---George K. ----
Gordon's interior is now port or burgundy. The 914 seats were covered with sheepskins.
The doors are just like that. One day I'll split the outer shell from inner on my CMC and correct the joining of the 2 sections. Remember that header bow is 30 years old!
Yup, my interior is Burgundy. I was lucky to find my present seats in a junk yard - in a convertible that had the top and windows up! They sat in an attic since 1996, when I bought them, and would probably STILL be in that attic if my son hadn't sold the house...
Here's the new interior, a little washed out in the flash, but definitely NOT purple:
Here's a shot with no flash, for that "Cabernet" look:
Those 914 seats were great seats for 17 years, just the wrong color.
Attachments
Great looking speedster. Berg Enterprises shifter ? Is it their locking shifter base ? I see you also used the 914 gauges, like I have used in my speedster.
Your car should be fast with the big engine. I read Beck Speedsters show a weight of 1600 dry pounds. That is less than a standard old Beetle. I was into drag racing and with driver, my last Bug race car, with fat me in it, had a certified scale weight of 1820 pounds with a modified 1776cc. I was able to get that down to 12.5 seconds @ 102mph in a 1/4 mile. Street legal, with only a modified 1641cc in a full weight 1972 Bug, got down to 14.3 seconds.
I read someone with a Raby special built 190hp engine in a Spyder did 13.8 seconds. Interesting to compare performance. With a 2110cc in one heavy race Bug, I had, that one pulled the front wheels on launch ( using slicks) and ran a best of 12.9 seconds @ 103 mph. It only had stock gearing in the transmission and only used 1-2-3 gears in the 1/4 mile. Same engine, in a fiberglass dune buggy, which was 100% street legal ran down to 12.8 seconds with street tires. The engine only had a 120 Engle cam, rather mild CR.
My point is the speedster weight, say 1600 lbs. per Beck's web page, with any engine with about 120 hp or more should be fast. I believe they advertised a top speed of 130mph on some web site .
That is faster than I expect to drive. Again, like your speedster. Someone called the color "port" for wine color. I have a medium dark brown carpet, so the brown seats look good. I am going with a tan convertible top on my red color body. I think that combination will look good . Take care--- George K.--
Your car should be fast with the big engine. I read Beck Speedsters show a weight of 1600 dry pounds. That is less than a standard old Beetle. I was into drag racing and with driver, my last Bug race car, with fat me in it, had a certified scale weight of 1820 pounds with a modified 1776cc. I was able to get that down to 12.5 seconds @ 102mph in a 1/4 mile. Street legal, with only a modified 1641cc in a full weight 1972 Bug, got down to 14.3 seconds.
I read someone with a Raby special built 190hp engine in a Spyder did 13.8 seconds. Interesting to compare performance. With a 2110cc in one heavy race Bug, I had, that one pulled the front wheels on launch ( using slicks) and ran a best of 12.9 seconds @ 103 mph. It only had stock gearing in the transmission and only used 1-2-3 gears in the 1/4 mile. Same engine, in a fiberglass dune buggy, which was 100% street legal ran down to 12.8 seconds with street tires. The engine only had a 120 Engle cam, rather mild CR.
My point is the speedster weight, say 1600 lbs. per Beck's web page, with any engine with about 120 hp or more should be fast. I believe they advertised a top speed of 130mph on some web site .
That is faster than I expect to drive. Again, like your speedster. Someone called the color "port" for wine color. I have a medium dark brown carpet, so the brown seats look good. I am going with a tan convertible top on my red color body. I think that combination will look good . Take care--- George K.--
I have a Beck (1700 pounds wet) with somewhere around 120-130hp, and Gordon's car will easily leave me behind. 
Wait until next year Lane ;-)
> On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:14 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
> On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:14 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
It's the Burgundy interior, not Gordon's engine. Just kidding.
Size of engine does not matter that much. Gearing and the combination of engine parts and how good it was assembled can make up for less size in an engine. Proper race balanced parts are like adding more cc to the engine size. The right exhaust also helps. Too big and you do not have enough back pressure. Too small exhaust and that restricts the air flow through the engine.
Porsche produced 125HP from their dual overhead cam Carrera race engines, I think were only 1600cc in size. My 1776cc produces 120hp, in street form. When designed for only racing, it dyno tested at 200 hp. Lots of rpm range, shifted at 9500.
I think I read Gordon has a 2110cc, if my memory is correct. That is a really good combination for street use. Good power and torque. I really like the 90.5mm bore kit more than the 94mm.
Engine piston weight is less, so the engine responds faster and will rev quicker. --- George K.---
Size of engine does not matter that much. Gearing and the combination of engine parts and how good it was assembled can make up for less size in an engine. Proper race balanced parts are like adding more cc to the engine size. The right exhaust also helps. Too big and you do not have enough back pressure. Too small exhaust and that restricts the air flow through the engine.
Porsche produced 125HP from their dual overhead cam Carrera race engines, I think were only 1600cc in size. My 1776cc produces 120hp, in street form. When designed for only racing, it dyno tested at 200 hp. Lots of rpm range, shifted at 9500.
I think I read Gordon has a 2110cc, if my memory is correct. That is a really good combination for street use. Good power and torque. I really like the 90.5mm bore kit more than the 94mm.
Engine piston weight is less, so the engine responds faster and will rev quicker. --- George K.---
Originally Posted by Tom Blankinship-2010 Beck-Dearborn, MI:
Wait until next year Lane ;-)
> On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:14 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
> On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:14 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>
Yes, let's.
Just got my windshield bow from VS. Fits like a glove and I may have to do some grinding myself.
Gordon I love those seats in your car... I know they are from a P car, I have something similar but a newer Recaro model. They are way more comfortable for my body style 
Ray;
I won't spoil Gordon's reply, but you'll be surprised at the seat's heritage.
Art
I'll spoil it, no problem. Gordon narrowed a set of Chrysler Lebaron seats to fit in his Speedster. They look great in person, but I didn't sit in them. Gordon likes them. A lot.
George, RE your last post above: you trying to take us to school? Most of us here are actually knowledgeable, just saying.
I wish I could drag this out like Jeremy Clarkson does when announcing some celebrity's track lap times, but no.....I'm not that churlish.
Those seats..................are NOT AT ALL from a Porsche, although the Naugas used to make their NaugaHide might have come from Europe.
No, those seats, as Porsche-Looking as they might be, came from..........
Are you ready for this??
a 1992 Chrysler TC by Maserati convertible.
In other words, a '92 Chrysler LeBaron GT with some added trim bits from the Maserati folks (long after the Maserati brothers were no longer involved in their namesake company and had gone off to found OSCA).
It looked just like this one, even sitting in the junkyard with a tree-looking depression in the front end! It's amazing, what you can do with a Replica and not worry about it!
Ha, K car not P car!
Ah, rich Corinthian leather.
Originally Posted by Chuck Martin 2009 Beck Speedster:
Ah, rich Corinthian leather.
Ordered my new bow from VS today, so hope my luck is as good as yours. ---George K. ---
Some are not as knowledgeable. I get some replies from those who liked my post. So, maybe, they have not read this stuff before. Just saying. I am doing a new post in technical later tonight and wonder if it will help anyone. That is the idea behind my post. If you read something you already know, stop, delete it from your in box and move to the next email. Simple enough.
I was an auto tech instructor in a local community college, so like to teach others. ---George K.---
I was an auto tech instructor in a local community college, so like to teach others. ---George K.---