here ya go Ted

Bump, Ted

Where'd that come from!

 

Nice. I'll shoot them a message.

Thanks,

Ted

"no rust in the pen"?!

Yeesh!  That looks pretty rough for $15k.

So do I.

Thanks for the lead. I love it.

 

I called the guy.  The car is in Huston, Texas with a Kansas title. I asked why the ad read 'Santa Ana'? He said "It was made in Santa Ana, CA... that's why I put that."

 

He's going to send me some more info. We'll see where this one takes us.

 

Thanks again for the shout out! Totally appreciate it.

Ted

How much for the stainless steel fridge in the back of that one pic?

Lots of patina there. Catch the crusty door foam seal.  1977 that's an early IM for sure - according to Prancing Bull book 1976 was first year.

Oh look, there is a fridge. I thought you were talking about the gas tank.

 

 

25 gallons of gas and 2 x-tra batteries to hold the nose down during those hole shots.  If you go to check it out bring back up and no cash.

 

It looks VERY unloved. If it is an early IM it could be a solid platform.

 

David the bird man has an older IM and has driven it trans-continental more than once. Don't give up now

Ted,

Anxious for your take  when you eyeball it who knows could be a real sleeper simply in dire need of a thorough detailing. Hope it's the one ! 

yep never underestimate what's under a think layer of crud I bought this early IM 2 years ago in New York and when It was delivered it looked very similar to this one along with a lot of surprises low resolution pictures don't reveal but it turned out with a new top and side curtains and a thorough cleaning this is what was revealed not the best but not too bad either.

 

http://www.use.com/editset.pl?...bd9ca18324a16be4fcc7

Waiting on info from the seller. We will see where this road takes me.

My phone call didn't leave me with a lot of confidence with making a long distance purchase.

Judge not. I kind of like the rustic look.

Ted

Pom,

That IM is beautiful! You should be very proud.

Ted

thanks Ted, gone now ugh Buuut not forgotten lol.  I hear ya on the rustic look I like a gel coat finish when it's not baked from the sun has a nice vintage look in fact I added a front high style overider bar and got it plated with nickel instead of chrome to match the toned down look.  keep the faith the one is out there. 

The "made in Santa Ana" remark is the head scratcher.

I am only about 70 miles from the east side of Houston.  Do you know where the car is located?  I would be happy to make a trip over if you need a set of eyes.

 

I am definitely not as versed in Speedsters as most of these other guys, but I do know quite a bit about VWs and vehicles in general. My Speedster is still in pieces, scattered all around my shop!  

Hey James - Totally appreciate the offer! He's 50miles North East of Huston. Does that put him closer or further from you?

 

T

 

That should be a little closer.  Do you have the name of the town?

He's (an I'm quoting him, so bear with me) - "50 Miles north east of Houston, going towards Cleveland off the 59 and FM 1960 where the tour 18 hole golf course is at"

 

Does that mean anything to you? It's gibberish to me.

 

Let me know what you're thinking. He's saying the weather in the area is horrible until at least Sunday.

 

 

I will say this, of all the cars I've looked at this is the ONLY one which had the rear motor "H" seal installed properly!

 

Ted

 

It's just east of a little town called Humble, about 2-3 miles to the golf course.

Yes, I know exactly where you are talking about.  About an hour and a half away. 

 

The weather is freezing and icy currently, should start getting better by Sunday.

 

If the car was originally built by IM, it should have been nice.  That probably explains the completed engine compartment.  However, it looks like its in sorta rough shape now.

Ted,  What is the rear motor H seal?

Rich,

This white early IM was one of the first  speedsters  built in Santa Anna  after Henry's father started the speedster projects in the
US in the mid to late 70's i think there were only about 600 made before he sold out  to his then partner which became CMC.  That's when Frank R. moved the factory to Canada. I've only come to learn this because my light yellow IM speedster which  I posted a link to was one of these early builds between 76-79 and it had a pretty rare badge on the lower passenger side saying carrozzeria which I was curious about  so I got some history from talking to Henry.  

I always wanted to see what production number the speedster was because i would think the badge was left over from the Italian plant and only used on the very early speedsters.

Hey James et al.

 

Please understand that I wouldn't ask anyone to risk driving in that weather. Be it 10 minutes or 90  minutes, it's not worth it to see anyone get hurt over. Add to that, and hour and a half in great weather is also more than I'm comfortable asking anyone to do for me. I appreciate the thought, but that's half a day tied up in something you have no real vested interest - I'm not sure I'm comfortable asking anyone to do that.

 

I agree, she's a rough girl at this point. I wouldn't be comfortable buying it without more detailed photos or someone laying eyes on it. Without driving it, I'd have to assume it was a complete rebuild mechanically. At that point, it's down to a basic decision, based on what I do know, what would I pay for it.

 

The seller is going to let me know if the VW vin is still on the rear tunnel. If it's still there, that would dramatically improve the chances of getting it registered in California. As it stands now it's listed as a 78-79 Speedster on the Kansas title.  Many members have warned me a VW vin# on the title makes a lot of difference between pain free vs a painful California registration. At the current price point, with shipping and everything - this sort of purchase stops making sense really quickly. Unless you can get it right.

 

One step at a time...

Ted

That might not be the right name for it. I just looked it up. It's called the "Engine compartment seal". Maybe the profile looks like an H?

Effectively, there is a rubber seal which wraps around the back of motor & completely around cooling tins. The rubber flap inserts into a channel in the body and seals the inside of motor compartment from the hot air generated from the exhaust/heater boxes. As I understand the design, it keeps the fan from pulling hot air from under the engine, back into the engine compartment to cool the already hot engine.  When this is missing the cooling of the engine is greatly compromised.

I think I have that right - anyone, correct me where I've gone off the rails.

Ted

It is in the shape of an H and I think it is usually listed for a vw bus under parts.  It is acta thick thick foam...not rubber.  Does the job nicelynandncery easy to use.  I picked mine up at an old school vw shop and it was about 50 bucks for I think 3-6 ft which was more than enough.

Cool. Sounds like that's what I was talkin' bout.

 

here is an image of the 'engine seal':

 

and yeah.. the cross section looks NOTHING like an H! 

 

 

They should call that the "Saxophone seal"! 

 

Thanks for the clarification.

 

Always learning,

Ted

 

Thanks guys I was pretty sure that is what it was. I couldn't wrap my head around a "H".  I have seen speedsters that used pipe insulation foam.  If the concept is to block the heat from the headers, wouldn't that stuff melt and get all over everything down below?

 

Anyhow, I have to first get tins, before I can worry about the seal trim pieces.

I haven't seen the bus engine seal but I've heard (probably from here, as it's easier to use) that it's thicker, has an "H" cross section and is much different than the beetle rear engine seal.

A lot of people use the engine seal for a mid 70s bus because it works, closes up large and small gaps, is heat resistant, and is easy to install. Here's an example:

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDe...WC%2D411%2D813%2D225

 

 

 

 

 

I think the shiny side of the seal is supposed to face towards the ground/exhaust.

That's the one!!! Way different than the beetle piece- you don't need the engine compartment piece to hold it in place.

Hey Gang,

The white IM listed on the samba has some shady underpinnings. I was contacted via dialog by someone claiming to own the car, and it's not the guy selling the car on the samba.  Best I can tell, Steve (from the Samba ad) is trying to buy the car from the current seller and make a quick flip. Nothing wrong with that sort of deal I suppose, but it's kind of shady to try and sell a car before you actually own it.

When I told the guy from the samba (Steve) I was no longer interested in the car, he proceeded to cuss me out and call me q fake, etc. (Stay classy Steve!)

As it stands now, I don't know who owns the car, but it's clear that's not the kind of drama I want to be involved with.

Thanks, James for your offer to look at the car, but please steer clear of that thing. It felt shady the first time I called about it, but I couldn't pin down what was wrong. Now we know. Who knew my 'gut instinct' actually worked?!

And the search goes on.
Ted

Well thanks Ted I totally appreciate you basically giving my car the kiss of death. I contacted you to let you know that James would be making a trip for no reason, and that I am the owner and was still in possession of the vehicle. I asked you not to say anything to the guy on samba  because I wasn't sure what his intentions were maybe he was just feeling the waters. I assure you and everyone on this site there is no drama with this car and I will be glad to take any pics or answer any question about this vehicle. thank you and I hope you find what you are looking for Ted 

 

p.s. fridge isn't for sale LOL

 

HA! The fridge would make a good beer firdge.

I didn't mean to give your car the 'kiss of death'. I should have been more clear. 

The original SAMBA ad and seller (Steve) - they were shady, not the car itself. I literally know nothing about the car itself.

 

You deserve a huge debt of gratitude for pinging me to let me know what was going on. For that, I am grateful. I could easily have been burned in that situation. I should have noted how thankful I was earlier. 

 

I'm sure the car will be a great deal for someone, but with an official Kansas title, listing the car as a 1978 Speedster, I'm afraid it would be counter productive for a guy to try and register it in California. 

 

I encourage you to re-list the car here on the site and/or in your local area craigslist. You should have no problem selling that car (and possibly the fridge .) It's a great project for someone. Should sell fast. 

 

Hope this clears the air here,
Ted

 

So, you own the car, Billy, but somebody else posted the ad? Or you own the car and you posted the ad? 

 

Ted, were you in contact with two different people claiming to own the car?

 

Obviously I don't have a dog in this fight, but at this point if there is some clarity it might get the stink off the car and make it easier to sell. Maybe everybody can then be happy.

 

Bought another fridge.

Ted: We must have been posting at exactly the same time.