These are Dusty Johnson's straps on my car. I like the look, but yes, it adds a couple of steps (literally) to open and close the hood:
1. Undo the straps, 2. Pull the hood cable, 3. Open the hood, 4. Close the hood, 5. Push in the hood cable, 6. Buckle the straps.
Awesome!!! What color is that?thx!!!!
A VW engine only hold 2.5 quarts of oil. That is not much compared to the T4 914 at 4 quarts and the air cooled 911 at 12 quarts (it's dry sump so virtually none in engine sump). You get down a quart at 2.5 to 1.5 and that doesn't leave much to suck up for lubrication and cooling (heat dissipation). Hard cornering (probably not expected by VW for a T1 in 1968) further exacerbates a low oil level. Then look at the stock fly screen used for filtering oil - catches bug size chunks not microns like a real spin on filter. Anything to increased oil capacity to a more reasonable 4 quarts helps extend oils lubricating capability.
"Doctor Bob" wrote: " It adds a couple of steps (literally) to open and close the hood:
A.1 Get outa the car
1. Undo the straps,
A.2 Get back into the car
2. Pull the hood cable,
A.3 Get back outa the car
3. Open the hood,
4. Close the hood,
A.4 Get back into the car
5. Push in the hood cable,
A.5 Get back outa the car
6. Buckle the straps
A.6 Get back into the car"
I have the attention span of a gnat's eyebrow, even at this slightly advanced age when I'm supposed to be mellowing. There is no friggin way I could ever stand for all that, just to get a gas fill-up.
Come smokin' into the gas pump, Pop the hood, jump out, mess with the pump screen, pump the gas (being careful not to get any onya...or the car), button up and drop the hood, blast on outa there. At the BP station, with it's fast credit card screen, less than 2 minutes....
Doctor Bob from the Muppets:
Hi Gordon . I've had several Speedsters with hood straps and none of them required the additional steps of unfastening and refastening the straps before and after pulling the hood release. I guess that maybe I just don't install them so they are so tight that the hood can't pop slightly when the release is pulled.
So in my case, the only extra steps are undoing and redoing the straps. I've never experienced a car where the release needs to be pushed back in.
Gordon - all while humming:
You put your right hand out, You put your right hand in, And you shake it all about
Same here, Troy. No matter how much play is in the straps when you install them, they stretch slightly if they get wet, so it's simple to strap and unstrap with no extra steps. I drive in the rain, so getting them wet is inevitable. YMMV.
Gordon, if you have to get in your car to pull the hood cable as opposed to reaching over the door sill and pulling it then you're shorter than I thought.
Robert M posted:Gordon, if you have to get in your car to pull the hood cable as opposed to reaching over the door sill and pulling it then you're shorter than I thought.
Ok, Robert, that's really funny! And that's coming from a short guy...
Lee posted:Awesome!!! What color is that?thx!!!!
Jaguar British Racing Green.
Thanks!
I guess my straps are tight. It's really no bother, though.
And I can pull the hood knob and then undo the straps, but I prefer to undo them first.
Yes, I do reach over the door to open the hood. 
Yup......Wicked short!
But at least I easily fit all Speedsters!
Jaguar has some nice colours, british racing green, Ultimate black is a really deep black very nice and lunar grey (hint hint mine) 
Jaguar: Ultimate Black is metallic, Ebony is plain gloss black. Best deep black I have found is 1999 - 2003 GM... Onyx black
yes it is metallic I had forgot about the metal flakes in it. Lets just picking a colour can take a while to find the one you like.
Gordon Nichols posted:Yup......Wicked short!
But at least I easily fit all Speedsters!
I think Gordon's height is just perfect. We fellows may be short in height, but certainly not in stature...
I want to go back to the wheels. if we're spending Lee's money, why are we suggesting the knockoff of the original? Lee, if you're going outlaw you should get a set of Technomagnesio wheels. 
And yes, black. I'm more preferential to a licorice black.
Jim has a very nice black outlaw.
Best of luck, Lee.
Technomagnesios?!!! I just priced em out I'll be on suicide watch at that point ��
tons of great ideas thanks folks!!!!
Lee posted:Technomagnesios?!!! I just priced em out I'll be on suicide watch at that point ��
tons of great ideas thanks folks!!!!
The thing is, Lee, they are really, really light, and any time you can cut unsprung weight off of your car it's a big deal. And yeah, I know they're expensive. Makes the aluminum wheels look very affordable.
But the Technomagnesio's are just so cool...
Bob: IM S6 posted:Gordon Nichols posted:Yup......Wicked short!
But at least I easily fit all Speedsters!
I think Gordon's height is just perfect. We fellows may be short in height, but certainly not in stature...
Here, here, agreed
