Feedback & Pic's west coast meet 2015

Pic's from the weekend...

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IcOGrRy2ctTe

Vinny,

 

Great photos..  

 

Stephen

Nancy and I returned this afternoon and I'd like to offer my most sincere thanks to Scott "slofuzz" Cramer and his wife marlene and the others who organized this weekend's events.  Being first timers to the event we were a little apprehensive coming in as the newbies but everyone made us feel welcome.

 

We had a great time and met some of the neatest people.  We met and talked with Dan "tub4stu" and his wife Shannon, Blake and Jen, Cuzn Vinny and his wife Terri, UK Chris from Emeryville, Larry "labull", Ron McIntyre, Gerd and his wife Carol, Ted "TRP" Pearson and his wife Alexis, Doug and his wife Carlina (Unsure on spelling) sorry if I butchered it, Jim "musbjim" and his wife Ginny, the Nuckles Bros Terry and Kevin, Mitch "sactomitch" and his wife, Dave "speedster d" Galvan, John (who drove the stone grey VS built speedster with the burgundy racing stripe) and his wife, and many others.  My apologies if I've left someone off (I know I am) and for not remembering everyone's names. And of course hanging out with the other Fresno folks Teby, Troy, and Sally. Troy helped usher me into this and I'm glad he did.  We donated to the raffle and won some neat prizes at the raffle, especially the money.  Gonna buy something for the Speedster.

 

We had a great time and just wanted to thank everyone for making us feel welcomed.

 

Glad to be a part of "The Madness".

We got home about 5:00...  Looks like I need to clean my idle jets... The car ran great until Santa Barbara then started popping at low speed. Thanks Blake and Jen for the company and enjoying a great lunch in Ventura.. Thanks Scott for oganizing this rag tag bunch of loons and always staying mellow..It's nice we don't take ourselves so seriously..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhonda and are so glad we decided to make this at the last minuite.. We had a great time, the weather was perfect and the people were fantastic!.. It was really nice to see some old faces and meet new ones. What I love about this group is we go out and explore California.. We see things that most only dream about. Motoring around the country side in theses little cars seems to pull me back to a different era... simple things and care free maddness... Thank you all!  Markos

Great pics, Vince.  Looks like a good time was had by all.  Some day... sigh...

Thanks Scott and all the other organizers for a great weekend. I can't speak highly enough of the warm welcome that was extended to me as a newbie, what a wonderful group this is. I'm now looking forward to the Tour de Hoe in September! Best, Chris

THANK U SCOTT AND MARLENE.

Nice meeting you all at Lunch, what a Welcoming Group! Sorry I couldn't follow you all to SLO! 

Great time as always. I was looking at the pics & videos I took and it looks like its mostly pictures of all of us PARTYING and not so many driving pics! LOL!

 

I'm working on the video for SOC @ SLO 2015. I'd like to incorporate member photos in this video, so those of you attending this year's West Coast SLO Cruise please email me some pics for this production.

 

Email your pics to musbjim AT cox DOT net. 

Larry Bull, Greg and I stayed over on Sunday and cruised up the coast for a leisurely lunch at Moonstone Beach.  On our return to the hotel a group of Japanese tourist crowded around us in great excitement.  One of them thrusted his copy of "The Nuckels Method" at me but to his great disappointment I informed him he had missed seeing the great author by a few short hours.  However, I was able to share a photo which he instantly recognized from his manual.  See the attached of the Neckels tire change method. 

This last pic of Terry Knuckle's under a tub, illustrates that although it is not a common site on the "Best Coast", it can happen on rare occasions.....

We eventually had to sacrifice the tub, it is now turned upside down and used as a giant flower pot at the nursery next door to the hotel.....

 

   

Actually that photo is from my book on detailing, illustrating the use of dental floss to remove dirt from the sump fins...

"The Nuckels Method"? I did a little googling to learn more and came up with this:

 

http://www.slarsenentreprenor....ask=user&id=2336

 

It was most certainly no help.

 

 

 

It's perfectly opaque from this postule, Richie!

@ Terry

 

Are you posting from home base in Auburn? Or are you still in SLO under Dan's tub? Hopefully Dan and Shannon made it home on time.

 

 

So, which was it, clutch adjustment or accel. cable?

Thank you Scott for planning another wonderful event. Alexis and I had a GREAT time. Thanks for getting me home on Saturday. I can't thank you enough for that.

 

What's the story with Dan's car? How'd he get home?

 

For my car, I had to order a new 'ghost pin' they only sell them 4 at a time. $18.00 for the part and 10.00 shipping plus 15.00 handling. Gotta love SoCal imports shipping charges.

 

I'll have the ole girl back on the road in no time.

 

Ted

It was the clutch cable. It snapped. As luck would have it, we had two replacements and no shortage of people willing to help. Truth be told I was too hung over to be of any use in changing the cable. I spent 10 minutes under the car trying to get the nut off the threaded end. I had to tap in Terry to have him finish up under the car. I think I stunk up the interior of Dan's car by sweating out all the single malt under Dan's dash while helping to install the pedal cluster. (sorry buddy!)

 

The bummer was that the one on his car had some oddball extension threaded onto the end of the clutch cable. Without the extension the cable was too short. With it? too long. If we had a cut off wheel we could have trimmed down the threaded end of the clutch cable to effectively shorten the cable enough to be used with the extension. We all needed to get home. We ran out of time and options. I think Scott was going to lend him a car trailer. It will be interesting to hear the end of that story.

 

Ted

OH!

Terry/Dan/etc. - This is the part I was trying to explain in my hung over stupor. it replaces the wing nut.

 

 

http://www.airkewld.com/Six-Sh...ment-Nutz-p/2820.htm

 

It makes adjusting the clutch very easy.

 

Ted

A little drift, or addition to your SoCal comment.  I have emailed SoCal twice with a question  about a part. TWO weeks ago. NO Fnnn   answer.  They have lost this customer FOREVER.  Vote with your feet.  Back to regularly scheduled programming

 

Cheers, Art

Ted

Scott and I went to his house, brought back more tools, floor jack, jacks stands etc. and were able to cut the threads with a hacksaw, put the adapter and bolt back on in about an hour. Car shifted OK until we hit bumper to bumper traffic on the way home. I could tell it was getting worse. Limped into Santa Barbara, bought a couple of wrenches, tightened up the cable a little more so I could shift a little, sat in more bumper to bumper traffic (not good) and made it to Oxnard (about a mile from my parent's house) went to shift to third hear a pop and the clutch pedal never came back up. It was flopping around like a fish out of water!! Had it towed to my dad's house and there it sits. Found out from Carey that the cable that was in there was not one of his as he custom makes his cables (without any adapters) and does include a wing nut  He also said it should have had lot of grease on it as well. New cable is on its way!! 

Be aware that the Beck has a series of access panels under the tunnel.  Removing the front one allows you to swap the clutch cable without removing the pedals, making the job muuuuuuch easier.  Ask me how I know.  It may be fiberglassed in as I am not sure when they decided to leave that one easily removable, but it's still easier and a lot less messy on the carpet to go in from the bottom.  Ask me how I know that, too.

Lane, I thought of you while we were working on the car as it was the first Beck I've worked on.

I'll make sure to have your number for next year. It would have saved a lot of time knowing about the access panels.

Besides the bogus cable I believe that the bowden tube is not OEM Beck either...

Cable operated clutches blow.  There are always people who jump to defend them, but time and time again they fail.  Switching to hydraulic was one of the best things I've done.

?

 

Well... if you say so, Tom.

 

I've had not one single problem in 10 years on my original clutch cable. But in the event that I do, I'll probably suffer through the 15 minutes or so it'll take me to pull my spare up the tube.

 

It's hard to imagine even a chronic tinkerer like me fixing something so completely unbroken... but if a guy wants a whole 'nuther hydraulic system to rebuild every few years, then I completely get that. It'd be pretty hypocritical of me to cast stones.

Dan, so I am guessing at some point when you were sitting in traffic in Santa Barbara

on the 101 (always heavy traffic in that area) that you might have had thoughts of leaving the tub in SLO at the nursery as I stated above....

Glad you and your beautiful wife Shannon made it to your parents house....

remember its the "adventure".....

Millions upon millions of Beetles lasted a long...long time, speedster related issues are: incorrect shortening and alignment of cable tubes, no grease where it should be In all my Speedters, I have yet to have a single clutch cable go south.

Vinny, what's the worst that could have happened...I could have been stuck in Santa Barbara with my beautiful wife. Not a bad place to be stuck if you ask me  We had a great time and already look forward to next year!!

Rolled into down town Escondido at 2PM. Thanks Scott for organizing another banner year. It was great to see old and new friends.

 

I truely enjoyed the run back to SLO via Old Country road and Cost highway with Chris, Scott and Terry. I scream twice a mile now with the new suspension.

 

Thanks to Greg who did a final fix on throttle/idle problem.

 

Good to see everyone and look forward to next year.

 

Larry

So, Larry...better than sex?

I was writing out a post but it started looking like an overly long acceptance speach for the Oscar.

Let me just say thanks to Scott and Marlene for this shindig. I really love all you guys and gals, even though you like my brother more. You're all very special people. But Vince, he's a national treasure. 

Can't wait for next year!

 

Of course, y'all can come up my way in September for Tour d'Hoe! Stay tuned for details coming soon!

Larry, what was the final issue?

Terry,

What a launch point for a screen writers career.....Vince as a national treasure.

The cast of supporting characters is already built in.  Easypeasy.  Just to see him going up to collect his oscar and thanking T.N. for making him even more famous than he already is. And, the skinny guy running across the stage to grab it from him.  Endless Priceless possibilities and no need for a laugh track.

 

Thanks again Scott for riding herd.

Great time as always. I was looking at the pics & videos I took and it looks like its mostly pictures of all of us PARTYING and not so many driving pics! LOL!

 

I'm working on the video for SOC @ SLO 2015. I'd like to incorporate member photos in this video, so those of you attending this year's West Coast SLO Cruise please email me some pics for this production.

 

Email your pics to musbjim AT cox DOT net. 

 

Hey!...In that photo of someone scrunched under the silver speedster...

Isn't that black t-shirt an authentic and very rare memento of Gary Bloom's first "Replica-a-Palooza" event in Pretoria South Africa?

 

Wow!...That's a valuable collectors item and shouldn't be worn in the sun.

Carl, you recognize a cool shirt when you see it don't you!!  I may have to frame it and put it on the wall in my garage. 

Dan, there's ONLY THREE of those Pretoria shirts that made it across the Atlantic from South Africa!

 

I've only worn mine to very formal upscale Cars & Coffee gatherings!...and only if it's a low humidity overcast day.

 

Eventually framing it as a collectible memento is a good idea.

I'll hang it alongside Drewek's poster...artwork of a profiled speedster superimposed against an odd, multicolored, mushroom cloud.

Only 3!?  I had no idea. Mine has the logo on the back.  

 

Ted

Ted,

That is so when you are face down, holding a clutch pedal in everyone can still see it 

       
       
Or when he's face down on the floor sleeping off a night of drinking after an awesome day of cruising, sightseeing, wine tasting, and hanging out with like minded friends, you'll know he's one of your's. Then you'll put a blanket over him and a pillow under his head and wish him a good night.