Does anyone own a 356 Coupe? I need advice

SAS builds a beauty but there is a long queue as you probably already know. 

Henry at IM said he would do it if got together like 10 builds.  He said he would do it right and he would need to do retooling.  Said it would be more than just a Speedster with a fiberglass hood slapped on.  I am still enjoying my Roadster but would give this some consideration in the future. 

 

Carey, can chime in but I thinked he stopped the Envemo because of cost and the long build time.

 

Whoa, Bart, down boy down!  If you stick around long enough, you'll get some legitimate insults you can respond to, you won't have to draw inferences.  It happens to all of us sooner or later.

What are you inferring ???.....yo mama

Now you got it!

Bart, whoever you are?  IMHO SAS makes one bad ass coupe every few years,  Beck/SE does not make their awesome Envemo coupe anymore, CCW makes farts in the wind and JPS makes awesome looking California Coupes.  No intent to offend you.

Correct, we are no longer doing any of the old ENVEMO bodied cars.  I did keep a coupe and a cab for myself though.

 

I have not been speaking about our new coupe project, although there are a half-dozen or so guys on this forum that I have been sharing early photos with.  The molds are 100% our own, and taken from an original car.  No roof grafted to a speedster here... (not that there is anything wrong with that)

 

It is also quite a bit different from what others are offering, uses a 2011-2013 donor car for a vast majority of its parts, has a modified version of our 904 suspension (dual a-arm front, bottom mounted a-arm rear), rack and pinion, heat, AC, electric windows, etc, etc...  The prototype chassis with the first body are being tested by Chuck (Beck) in Atlanta and we already have a laundry list of changes that we want to make to the 2nd prototype before production chassis jigs are finalized. 

 

My restoration shop also happens to be in the middle of a full nut and bolt restoration/resto-mod of a '56 A coupe, which has been great for immediate and accurate references...  It wasn't planned that way, and the coupe project started long before the restoration was even a thought, but it has worked out just perfect.

 

We are NOT taking orders or deposits at this time.  I don't need to work with other people's money and I won't release the project (or much more info) until I am completely happy with the end result. I estimate that we have at LEAST another 6 months of testing, probably longer, and quite frankly if it takes a year or two for me to be happy, then "it is what it is".  You'll all see more from me about it when the time comes.

 

We are also tooling some parts for large volume production that seem to be lacking on some of the other replicas (at least the ones I've seen) as well as making special provisions in our molds to make the exterior body the most authentic one available.

Well Marty, whoever you are, I didn't take any offense.  I thought my question was fair minded as I didn't understand your post. I tend to be direct, that offends some people. In any case this isn't about me, it is about the coupes.  I am pleased to hear that there maybe another manufacturer .

Yes you were,  but that's ok.

troublemaker

you rang

Thanks Gerd, duly noted.

ding dong

BART WE ONLY LET MARTY HANG OUT HERE CAUSE OF SANDY

Thats it! Gerd - you are out of the Will.  Vince gets the Italian Gloves.

 

Alrighty then......

I guess that means I get Sandy??? Give the IM to Gerd, it'll piss Vince off!

Hey Danny, Ill do rock/paper/scissor for Sandy loser gets the IM, Gerd gets their Kids, since he likes kids so much.....Marty, you get to keep the gloves and wander aimlessly in downtown Chicago, better yet San Francisco, the gloves will come in handy.....

hey now I couldn't possibly put the Im in the same garage with Vince's Miata

Now that the thread has drifted off the cliff, I need to ask more questions:

 

1. Is the pan-based car have different measurements on the interior than, say, the JPS tube framed version?

 

2.  If a car is advertised as a swing-axle, does that mean that it is built on a VW pan version, and if it has IRS, does that imply a tube-frame car?

 

3.  Are most of the cars now being built on VW pans, and if so, does that imply that SB100 doesn't apply....if.....the VIN (or other ID number that DMV wants) is attached to the pan or other part of the car?

U DONT NEED SB100 WITH JPS CARS

That's funny...I had to go through the whole process with my 2007 Vintage Spyder.

Barry,

 

There have been many threads on the types of replica registrations in California.  SB100 is one example, the main benefit being no future smog worries for the life of the car.  Not sure how DMV treated you when you registered.  My expectations were so low that I wasn't surprised.  It took me 2 visits, but I got it done.  If you Google SB100 California vehicle registration, you will get more info than you will need.  Best of luck. 

Barry simply put:

 

If you buy a pan based car with California title and registration that has a title of a pre 1974 beetle it seems you'll have an easier registration process as it sidesteps SB100. Although this process is really not legal, Cal builders have been doing it and getting away with it for a long time. It was my understanding that JPS builds their coupes on a vw chassis.

 

If you buy a tube chassis in CA such as your Spyder then you must go through the SB100 process as you well know by now. If you have receipts for all the individual parts and can claim that you put the car together in your garage then the SB100 process is easy once the certificate has been granted.

 

If you buy any car outside of California and you bring it in to register it then there are some things to note:

 

       a) If the car is a tube chassis and appears to be made by a known manufacturer then the car MAY make it through the SB100 process if the mileage is over 7500 but it's iffy at best as the SB100 rule clearly states that the car cannot be made by a car manufacturer.

 

       b) If you buy a vw chassis based car make sure the reported mileage is again over 7500. You won't have to go through the SB100 process with a car like this.

 

Hope this helps. Larry Jowdy I believe is ex CHP and most likely has the inside scoop on all of this. Give him a shout. As for me I have been through the process and asked many questions so as to pass on the info to you folks.

Thanks Rusty. I have known Larry since around 2005, when I bought my first Spyder (a Beck). Larry has done some very nice work on both that car and the Vintage I just sold. I wrote a couple of articles on how to go through the SB100 process when I had to get the Vintage registered, so I know the ropes---at least as they were in 2007.

 

My wife and I hated to sell the Vintage, but for several reasons we found that we needed something with more comfort and that was more practical. We are now scouring the internet for a nice coupe....preferably a JPS. I don't particularly want to have one built from scratch, and I don't know if I want to go with a swing-axle if IRS would give a better ride, handling etc.

 

I will have to go through the entire learning process again, including the minimum engine size. It will be quite a step down from a very fast Spyder to a less-powerful coupe, but we would like something to use as a daily driver, so there is a definite trade-off here. Our old Beck had a 2185cc engine, and it was entirely adequate. I remember talking to Stan Galat when he had his Speedster for sale around 2005. He suggested that the 1,760cc engine might be a bit short on power and that I should consider something larger....at least 1,915cc, fed by a pair of 40 Webers or something similar.

 

I am going to be asking for help and input from Speedsterowners members regarding:

 

1.   Minimum engine size

2.   Type of suspension (IRS vs. swing-axle; front suspension options, if any)

3.   Air conditioning options

4.   Wheel type (wide fives/5-bolt, etc)

5.   Seat types (racing vs. original cushioned seats)

 

I will check out all the comments in the archives having to do with these five points, so I well know that the stuff may have been covered.

 

Rusty, you mentioned the 7,500 mileage to bypass SB100. Does this imply that if I purchase a used car in California, the odo must read at least 7,500, even if the car is purchased from California? I know the 7,500 rule used to apply with cars being brought in from out of state, but does this sill apply to cars already registered in California?

 

I know that John at JPS offers both the pan-based and the costlier tube version, but taking all things in to consideration, including SB100, would it be worth plunking out more money for the higher-priced tube-framed car?

 

If I can't find a decent pre-owned coupe, here is what I may have to consider:

 

http://www.jps-motorsports.com/Coupes.html

 

http://www.jps-motorsports.com/Acoupeoptions.html

 

ANY advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Barry

One more thing: what's the deal with "high-bow" vs. "low-bow" tops on Speedsters? And are the cloth tops tight enough so that they don't flop around in the wind?

Barry, I can speak for MY Beck, which is a high bow, the top stays very taught with no flopping around. However, I have driven less than 5 miles with my side curtains on and hated every minute.

FWIW, I searched the webz for about 6 months for a coupe....nada!

 

Only place I ever saw one was South Atlanta Motorsports....the one they had wasnt what I wanted though.....heres the site....apparently they order new ones routinely from JPS and then sell them.

 

http://www.southatlantamotorsports.com/

 

 

So I got tired of waiting and just ordered one from JPS.

 Barry, early last month I was driving my Beck back from Orlando on the Florida turnpike....top up (high bow)...no side curtains....top stayed snug with no flapping.

 

 As an aside, I ran into one of those  extreme Florida downpours for a good hour.  Heavy traffic kept me at ave 70 mph....scary.  Very surprisingly the amount of water that came in was minimal, mostly dribbling in from around the side of the windshield.  A towel strategically placed on driver side and passenger side easily took care of it.

Beverly Hills Motors in San Diego also has them on occasion...like you , I got tired of looking and ordered one...now I am tired of waiting...

Barry, This add is always on Hemmings.  Not sure if its just to bait to take orders though.

 

http://www.hemmings.com/classi...che/356a/716659.html

 

Or you can have the best of both worlds.

 

 

 

http://intermeccanica.com/athi...cooled-roadster.html 

 

Thanks for the help on the tops, guys. Looks like I may well join you by choosing a Speedster instead of trying to jump through the hoops by going through the order/wait process for a coupe. Besides, I like the idea of getting to drive and PPI a car before buying it, and there are far more many Speedsters for sale than coupes.

 

Marty, the car in your picture doesn't appear in Hemmings, or at least I couldn't find it. I set up an online account with Hemmings yesterday. Great site. Beverly Hills Motors has some nice cars for sale, but like the place in Atlanta, they have a hefty markup.

 

As long as I am able to drive a car with something over my head, I see no problem with a Speedster. I have never driven in one with the top up, and only once in a car with the top down....and that was in 2005. The coupe really attracted my interest mainly because I had seen one with air conditioning, but I would imagine that unless it is 100 degrees outside, a top-up Speedster would work as well as a coupe with no A/C. Plus, my current research shows that the A/C does require kind of a complicated setup in the engine compartment and that the engine HP must require probably a 2-liter engine due to the power sapped by the A/C.

 

I talked to one of the members on the phone this morning (he owns a JPS coupe) and learned that the only air intake to the coupe's cabin is through the door windows. No fan, etc., is available to bring in air through any type of vent in or under the dash.

 

 

Trahn and Rich: what is the advantage of a high over a low-bow? More head room?

For what it's worth, I have been happy with the hard top Kirk built fr my vintage. Keeps me dry, and little water comes in.   its not my first, as I unowned a used one I purchased in Europe, but this one i had him build earlier this year.  Im on my iPad, so I hope the link gets you to the pictures.

 

https://www.speedsterowners.com...or-vintage-speedster

 

i posted in response to some Qs.  Happy to answer any Qs or send more pics.

 

cheers

luis

 

Thanks, Luis. I'll consider the hardtop.

 

 

 

 

 

Me (on the left) and the new owner of the Spyder, right before he trailered it away late this afternoon, hoping to beat the angry looking clouds that were just beginning to drop some light rain. We covered the interior of the cabin with a plastic tarp (hope it worked) to protect the leather seats, etc.

 

I'm smiling, but I now know what a woman must go through when she suffers from post-partum depression. The new owner is a terrific guy who will now enjoy the car as my wife and I have for the last six years.

 

Ending our test run, I finally got to ride in the passenger seat when the buyer drove the car back to the house. He goosed the accelerator, and I never realized how much power the Subaru engine pumps out. I was immediately glued to the back of the passenger seat in 2nd and 3rd gears. Driving the car isn't quite the same as riding shotgun, and my wife is too short to reach the pedals, so the seat-slamming acceleration isn't nearly as evident as it is in the passenger seat.

It was a yeeeeee-hawww  wooooo-hoooo moment.  

Barry, you missed Marty's link to the sweet IM photo in his post, where he says best of both worlds (and roll up windows too!):

 

http://intermeccanica.com/athi...cooled-roadster.html

 

And for some reason I can't view your photo of the yoo-hoo moment.

Thanks, Art. I was doing some editing. I'll check out the link. Did the photo come through?