JPS Coupe

Only a few regular posters on this Site and they live where it hardly ever rains.  

I seem to be striking out with my choices.  Perhaps I should move.

While we live in Pennsylvania and own a JPS Coupe, we have yet to realy drive it in heavy rain.

Thanks for the reply.  Good to hear that there is one east of the Mississippi!  I would love to hear your experience if you ever do brave the weather.

Show him a picture, Chuck.  That's a really nice car.

I think after the East Coast Pit Crew work on Ton Dewalt's green coupe they remedied the leaks.  I attribute it to teething problems for the coupe design.  

That's great news, thanks!

Club de Mer,

 

   Here are some pictures of my wife's JPS coupe. While we haven't driven it in heavy rain, we have washed countless times and it hasen't taken on any water that way.

[imagine a smiley face with its tongue hanging out, drooling]
Are you kidding me!?  That's not a car, it's a dream come true!
Thanks for posting the pics. Mind if I show them to people and lie that it's mine?

club de mer

i used a hose for 20 minutes drenching it from every angle and it never leaked. during raining days its was my daily driver because my rubicon leaks

 

Gerd

Thanks for the information!  Sounds like leaks were indeed simply prototype woes.

Isn't it unfortunate that the original tale of woe outlasts the actual problem.  I wonder who else is unnecessarily wary of the JPS coupe due to it.

 

Your car is such a desirable artifact!  I think if I owned it, my grin would be too large to fit in it.  

The biggest leak problem for JPS and Vintage cars is actually behind the seats.

Water kicks up from the tires and enters where the body meets the pan in front of the rear wheels. The fix for my car was to seal that joint with expandable foam or silicone as well as install fender well shields to cover that area. I made them out sheet aluminum. Still have the template if anyone is interested.

I believe John Steele installs shields on his newer builds but have not confirmed this.

It's an easy fix, nonetheless.

Gerd sold his coupe and is now driving Miata.  Just sayin'.

Guess I missed my chance!

Thanks, Terry!

THIS WAS ON THE SPEEDSTERS NOT THE COUPES

AW BUT THE NEW ONE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME

GERD,

The early coupes (Tom Dewalt's) did not have the fender well shields

Cory installed them during the pit stop renovation.

I don't know if Eddy has them or if John installed them at a later date.

As I said, I believe JPS does install them in the newer builds. Perhaps you can check with John to see if that's the case.

Good for you with the Miata. It's a great choice for those who want a sporty car with less maintenance requirements.

Did it come with the rainbow bumper sticker?

You're a bad man, Mr. Nuckels.

CPlanePilot:

Did you ever get enough heat to use your coupe on colder days?  I see you are in PA-- would you be amenable to a visit to drool, er, look over your fine automobile?  

 

Michael

ILL ASK HIM NEXT TIME I SEE HIM, NO RAINBOW BUMPER STICKERS JUST A RAINBOW BUMPER, FLAG AND HEADLINER

Currently have new heater boxes on order from John Steele, he says that these are true original German heater boxes. I'm hoping they get here soon. Your welcome to visit.

I have had my JPS coupe since May 2011 and I have driven it in the rain with no problems.  There are fender well shields in the rear but not the front.  Heat from a Type 1 engine in cold climates is always going to be a problem.  I installed a quartz heater in my coupe and it works great.  Do a search on this site for quartz heaters and you will find pictures and a discussion of the installation.  It is inexpensive and out of site but works well.  I was able to drive comfortably in mid 20s weather last winter in MD.

Cplane:

Excellent!  I would love to see your coupe first hand.  My wife and I could drive out your way anytime that is covenient.  When might you be available for a visit?

 

Michael

Puffinator:

Thanks!  Good to know someone has braved a real winter in one.  Will check your the heater you suggest.

What a great resource the people on this site are!  Looks like I am checking off my concerns one by one.  Are there any others I should be looking into while considering a JPS Coupe?

"Club de Mer" (how about a real name, here, please?):

 

I know this is going to sound really over-the-top-- but when you get close to choosing a builder, schedule a visit to his shop. You might want to schedule a visit to various shops (Vintage Speedsters, Thunder-Ranch, JPS) located in the same general area at the same time. Make a long weekend of it.

 

You'll learn so much more seeing things for yourself, than you'll ever find out cruising this site. I know we're cool and all that, but most folks really want to justify their own decisions, and have a tendency to try to keep the value of their own vehicle high by not publicly outing their issues. That's perfectly normal, but you want to be aware of it.

 

Seeing something for yourself is a good idea. SoCal is a nice place to visit in the winter anyhow.

Thanks, Stan. Sounds like good advice.  At the moment I'm just trying to see a few live ones of interest.

 

Michael

 

p.s. just for the record didn't say you we're cool, just helpful 

Club de Mer

Where are you located?

Puffinator: Connecticut

My coupe is #3 after Tom's car. It was retrofitted with the fender splash guard by John after he found out out the water came in from the wheels splashing to the inside the car through the gaps behind the seats. I believe all new coupes have that splash guard. Even though I live in the La.. la land, we get some rain from time to time and I have driven through pretty decent rain and I don't have leaking problem, more fogging problem if there is anything due the old style air circulation.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Eddy

Just curious - how many coupes have been produced by JPS so far?  Is a sun roof - perhaps like the '57 VW canvas slide back one an option?

I have to say.. I REALLY like the coupes and wouldn't mind one sitting right next to my VS Speedster.

I beleive mine is #45, I have nothing to prove that, but I think that is what John told me when we bought it.

john is building more coupes than speedsters as of late.

yes a sun roof is possible as i almost had one installed in my coupe.

 

Roll up windows AND a sunroof.....that could be the ticket!

They are certainly attractive.  With a 2332, IRS, and four wheel disc brakes, that would be a nice driver.

 

I wonder what the ventilation is like in them?

 

I just found an interesting thread discussing these coupes, and 'replicas' in general.  Some interesting comments, both pro and con.

 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com...-coupe-replicas.html

How much was your bad boy from JPS?

 

And how on earth you went from a JPS coupe to a Miata is beyond me