Future Beck owner with questions

Hello to all of you! I have been lurking around SOC for a while absorbing as much information as possible while I await the completion of my Beck. As many of you can probably relate, I have been losing sleep over the decisions regarding the car.....most notably, the engine. I went through the same loss of sleep in 2001 when I was configuring my order for a Boxster S.

My initial inclination was to go with the 1915cc "Super 90" engine as I have heard that it is low maintenance / highly reliable but I feared that it would not have the power that I (think I) need. So....I pulled the trigger and am have them dropping in a 2054cc /approx. 145 hp. I accept the fact that I will have some carb issues from time to time but Kevin Hines has assured me that he can train me to be able to fix those in 30-40 minutes. I am happy to do this to have the added excitement of the 145 hp engine.

Now I have been reading about blown oil filter seals. Is this a common problem?? Do I really need to let my car idle for a while before driving? If so, how long should it idle? Obviously, it will be dependent on outside temperature but I am a little impatient....I kinda like to fire up the engine and go! Any information on this will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the madness fellow Michigan Beck owner. You're probably referring to me :-). It's always a good idea to let it warm up for 3 minutes before taking off. You will find it idles rough until then. I use this time to dust my car off with the California car duster. If you don't have an external oil filter, you won't have the seal issue, regardless. Good call on the 2054. I love mine. This is my 3rd summer and I have not had a clogged idle jet yet. I had Carey put in jet doctors to help prevent this. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I am the self-declared Beck registration expert in MI. You can learn from my mistakes. 313-467-5078.

On an engine that size I would DEFINITELY go with a full-flow set up - external filter and cooler with thermostatically-controlled fan. I use the WIX 51515R (the 'R' is important) filter and have never had a problem in >30k miles.

Tom and Lane, Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Tom, I did see your post about your recent blown seal. Is the warm up time still necessary in warmer weather (like we will have this weekend) or is it more of a cool weather issue. I will look into the jet doctors too....Thanks for the tip on that.

Power is a good thing.

The warmer it is, the better, but still needed. I agree with Lane completely on the free flow and oil cooler. I ran my first summer without the oil cooler and regretted it. At least free flow the engine. It will make adding the oil cooler later much easier. The 44 webers have what I consider to be a design flaw. The idle jets breathe unfiltered air from below the air filter. The jet doctors are little towers that vent into the air cleaner. A really cheap fix to an annoying problem. I'm switching to the Wix next oil change. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Tom, I was hoping to run without the oil cooler as a cost saving measure, at least initially. Kevin Hines told me that I could probably get away with it living in Michigan (where it will be 95 degrees in a couple of days). How is the engine performance effected by the oil cooler? I have a lot to learn.

Well, my oil cooler is thermostatically controlled & it comes on a lot. I was planning to move south, but my plans were thwarted. You can give it a try. Hot weather stop & go is the worst. At least free-flow the oil filter so that you're set up to add the oil cooler later. The engine runs cooler which means more HP. Too hot & the lubricating properties of the oil start breaking down & then bad things happen.

I think skipping the extra cooler and filter is a false economy on that large of a motor. They're not that pricey, and you might find another spot to save money that is less strongly linked to your engine's survival.

Remember though, I live in a much hotter climate, so your mileage may vary.

Dave, in all honesty and without meaning any disrespect to you I think that if you are configuring a new Beck build and aren't sure that you can always allow your engine some warmup time then I think you ought to be talking to the Beck folks about one of their Subaru engine packages. They're as able to use a Subaru as they are a VW now - I'm not sure that they are still even offering a VW engine in their Spyder model.

These VW aircooled engines, no matter how much modern technology is applied to them, are a 1937 era design with tolerances that change more dramatically than do those in any modern liquid cooled engine. They don't last when being put under loads before they can reach operating temperature for near as long as they can last if babied in their first few minutes of run time.

The Subaru with fuel injection can be driven near as soon as it fires up with little danger of a choked washing of it's cylinder walls with the consequent premature wear.

Thanks to all for the ongoing input. I spoke at some length with Kevin Hines this afternoon and now understand the purpose and need for proper warm up of the engine. I am 53 years old and grew up with two brothers who drove VW Beetles. There was never a thought of warming up before take off so I falsely assumed that I could get away with similar behavior in my upcoming Speedster. I think that I will takeTom's approach......fire up the engine and take a few minutes to dust her off before blast off. If I cannot control my urges, my next Speedster will be Subie powered.

Did someone say Subie? My librarian approves:-)

Right you are, Marty. Our 5,000 mile trial by fire proof of concept on my el cheapo $2,500 conversion proves to me that a Soob is a good alternative. A full pro setup like yours puts the alternative right over the top in the right direction IMHO. Your car rocks...LARGE !!

It's all a matter of taste. I think Marty's car is awesome. I think that Jack's Type iV is awesome. I totally get why they did what they did and it's their vision. For me, the sound of that air-cooled type I engine with valves clacking is part of the experience. My car isn't as civilized, but when you step on the gas, it growls & kicks you in the a**. There's no right or wrong. It's what works for you. That's the beauty of this hobby. I haven't met a Speedster yet that I didn't like, from Jim Ignacio's mostly stock, to Gerd's coupe, to Bruce's with the stinger & meatballs, to Cory's hoopty. The ride becomes an extension of the person and I think that that is really cool.

Even though it is a "new" car,you have to treat it like a "1957" car with no choke and no automatic higher idle speed to warm up.
I start my car up and hold the gas so the idle speed is 1200-1400K so that the engine has good oil pressure and can warm up quicker. YOu don;t want to start the car and let it idle at 600rpm/barely running,this is bad for lubrication upon startup/warmup.
I let mine run for atleast 3-5 minutes before I drive and then drive it gently,shifting at 3500-4k rpms until I drive for atleast 5 minutes/2-3 miles or so before I get on it. Most here do not have the factory thermostatic flaps and that makes warmup take longer than on a factory VW. I do not have the thermostatic flaps and that is why I am careful to warm it up,not to mention dual Weber carbs do not start to idle well until the car is warmed up,be prepared for that,and realistically,of you are going to own a machine like this,a basic knowledge of Weber carbs is a must,you will need to clean & balance these carbs from time to time and it can be a exercise in frustration if you have to depend on "someone" to always adjust your carbs for you.
If you do not like to do carb/valve/timing adjustments,put a Suby motor in there,these are really more like owning a classic VW/MG/Alfa,than anything,

The bigger motor will be a blast to drive! You'll be glad you went with it. Make sure the air cleaner bases fit properly on the carbs (they're flat and the carb tops have the right gasket) and the filters themselves seal to the cleaner tops and bottoms (if you think they're not sealing properly, K&N makes a grease for this purpose) and you won't have problems.

As others have said, go with the full flow oil filter; your motor will love you for it. I like the idea of letting the thing warm up for a couple of minutes (after it will idle on it's own) by wiping the car down before you take off- great idea Tom! And yes, don't stand on it until it's fully warmed up. Before you add an extra cooler, see if it needs it. Overheating at highway speeds can be caused by the engine compartment not supplying enough air to the motor (the carbs will steal air from the fan). Using a length of aquarium air tubing, tape one end to the fan shroud and have a helper hold the other end in a glass of water while sitting in the passenger seat. Note the level of the water in the tube while the car is sitting. Now go for a drive. If at highway speeds, the water level is further up the tube, you have a negative pressure situation (not enough air intake) in the engine compartment. Ducting air from under the car through the firewall or front (flywheel side- front of the car) breastplate is the answer. Adding a cooler will cool the oil but not fix the problem; not enough cooling air is going to the heads and the motor in this state will die an early death.