Just joined, saying hi

Hi, I recently purchased a 'barn fresh' older intermecca speedster; with all the pits on the chrome, rust on the wheels and hubcaps, it really has a vintage look (it sat under an open carport for five years). On the plus side, it has a new Dave Barrett chassis under it and since I've got it, I replaced the rotting buckets with some more comfortable buckets from Factory Five Cobra's, redid the carpet, installed duel carbs and put disc brakes on all the corners. I think I'll leave the exterior pretty much the way I found it; so if you see an old speedster cruising either the central valley (CA) or the Pismo Beach area, it may be me.

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porsche5.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porsche3.jpg

Dave

Let me be the first to welcome you to "THE MADNESS"......The car looks good!!!.....Hope you enjoy it as much as much as the rest of us enjoy ours...... Are you planning on attending any of the vents this spring......Good crowd.... Hope to see you, yours and the car ...... Merry Ho-Ho!!!!!!

Thanks Leon; I do plan on attending a few events, a buddy of mine just bought a Vintage Speedster, I might get him to come too. Does anyone have any suggestions for the Central Coast? Dave

Another central valley boy. There are a couple of us here. Welcome. Where was the car and how did you come across it? Is your buddy in the valley too?
Troy

Dave: If you check the 'EVENTS' listing you'll see that there is a West Coast Meet coming up June 3-5 2011 at Pismo Beach. Should be a good time.

Welcome aboard, Dave!

Dave - I like your 'old school' thinking wrt the patina on the car. NICE! There are a few guys in Central Coast who may have already chimed in. Warren White is another SOCer who lives in the Pismo area. Hope that at the very least you join us on our next BIG bash in Pismo. Check the 'Events' thread for West Coast Gathering.

Peace - Out!

Welcome to the madness.

I'm always at Pismo for the car show, I have a few vintage cars; so making the June ralley shouldn't be a problem. I saw that a 356 club meets every third Sat in Pismo, do they frown on replica's?

My car was previously owned by Dave Barrett; anyone familar with dune buggy's will recognize his name. He builds one of the best chassis for them, thus the chassis under my IM. The car really handles well. Dave lives in Sanger, I live in Dinuba, but I have a place at Pismo too.

Jim, mine has the patina, more like 'barn fresh', my chrome is rough, the wheels and hubcaps are pretty rusty, and there is no shine to the body; the leather on the steering wheel is in really rough shape, but I like it. My friend who just bought a Vintage Speedster can't stand it and he's sure I'm going to go through it, but right now, I'm driving it 'as is'. Mechanically, I've went through it, the interior I've fixed up, but otherwise, she's going down the road like she was built in 57 and she just rolled out of the barn. :-)

Dave

Welcome aboard.

The 356 club meets at Scottys every third Saturday at 9:00 a.m. They let anyone in. They let me in with the Beck. Now the Central Coast Porsche Club, well, let's just say that's another story. There is always the Pismo Beach Derelicts every Saturday morning in the parking lot at Orchard Hardware. Let me know when you come down.

Hope to see you in June. I will be there. May not have the Beck, but I will have something interesting.

Hi Warren,

I'll be sure to let you know when I come over, right now, I'm waiting for the rain to stop. I also built a dune buggy for Pismo which I plan on leaving there.

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/tj4OizlsIW9Rc-YyqgtNGQ.jpg

If the weather is okay, I plan on being there the third Sat in January, I just need to make sure it doesn't conflict with the Turlock Swap meet.

Hi Troy, Your car looks awesome, Where do i get a hood badge like that? What model is it from? Thanks

Hi Bob.
It's just the regular old 911 hood badge. You can get it from Sierra Madre or Automotion or lots of other places.

Troy, that is one nice looking Porsche...

Thanks Dave. When it gets a little warmer, maybe we can get together with the other local guys, Bob Eiland, who is on the list and Steve Roberts who is not. There is a monthly gathering of car fanatics in Fresno called EuroSunday. It's a very casual deal and all cars (euro or not) are welcome. They typically meet on the first Sunday of the month from 9:00 to 11:30, but take a break during December and January and will start up again in February. They usually move it around town, so sign up here to find out where it will be in February: http://www.eurosunday.net/authenticate/register.php
Let your buddy with the new VS know about it too!

Troy, that is a sweet picture!

That is a good picture!

Troy I registered for the Fresno Thing; I'll get my buddy to register to, we both also have 450SL's (mine I bought new, it's a 79' and I've only managed to put 19k miles on it), Roger also has a beautiful 57' 190SL.

Troy, I've said it before and I'll say it again....THAT is an awesome picture of your car!

Hi Dave, Troy and I have gotten together a couple of times. Beautiful widebody. Thanks for posting. Hope to see you before June in Pismo. r.eiland44@yahoo.com

If you bought the 2011 SOC calendar that is the picture selected for June.

Hi Bob,

If you or Troy are taking a drive south, head for Dinuba, I'd love to show you my cars. That Fresno gathering sounds good too. I hope to take this little guy to Pismo a lot so maybe we can get a few drives set up. Right now, I

Dave, your car looks cool. Big fan of "patina" here. Bought a used-up TD replica someone assembled in 1981. It got resprayed at some point but all the chrome has that nice "aged" look people expect to see. Adds a lot of unearned authenticity, I think. And a big time and money saver too, what with replating prices these days, and the service--or lack of same--so common among venders and service providers of all sorts. So far almost every addition and replacement part I've got off Ebay has come from an original TD & includes patina at no extra charge. Yeah boy!

Enjoy your car. But do kill those spiders. It totally sucks to have your leg swell up like a Christmas ham while feeling like someone's taken the 5-lb sledge to it.

Thanks Ed, on this car I like the petina too...here's a few pictures;

As found:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porscheasfound2.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porscheasfound6.jpg

Steering wheel; I bought a banjo, but I hate to take this one off...

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porscheasfound3.jpg

Coming home:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porschecominghome2.jpg

Installing the carpet at Vintage Speedsters;

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porschefloorboard.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porschecarpet.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porsche12.jpg

installing the duel carbs, note my hood support, channel locks are almost like duct tape :-)

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porsche11.jpg

installing the disc brakes (during and after the bug bombs)...

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/porschediscbrakes.jpg

BTW bleeding the disc's are a bitch, still not happy with the results; I jacked the rear up high, still had trouble. I have about half pedal, so I'll drive it a little, see if I need a proportioner valve, and then re-bleed them again. Trust me, I've tried everything.

Dave, did someone already say "Welcome To The Madness"?

I really like the unique look of the FFR bucket seats .....what do they cost and what did you use for the seat tracks?

4 wheel discs require a 2 lb. in line residual valve in the rear line, also be sure that you have a master cylinder that is compatible for disc brakes as the VW Type 1 master cylinder does not have enough fluid volume ( piston / bore)to properly actuate and maintain good pedal with 4 wheel discs. ~Alan

Socal has a master cylinder designed for 4-wheel disks that Carey recommends. That's what I'll use when I do my conversion.

Back to the seats; the seat portion is hinged in the front, velcro'd in the rear, thus it allows you to lift it up, which helps in mounting. Also, it gives you a place to put things between the metal frame work of the seat. For example; needing a place to put my registration and insurance certificates, I took a piece of plastic pipe, one that was treaded on one end, glue cap'd the other end, screw capped access end, wrapped it in rubber (so it wouldn't rattle) and rolled up my certificates to slip inside. It fits prefect under the seat, safe and dry.

BTW: the seats are 19" wide, I had plenty of room with my chassis, but a stock VW pan it might be tight (I still think they'll fit).

Hi Jim, Yes, I believe it is a madness; I just bought a new Vette but I'm having more fun with the old Porsche. It's been too messy to drive either, but at least I can work on the Porsche.

Dr Clock, I switched Master Cylinders with the one that came with the kit, I'll check out the rest, thanks for the heads up.

Lane, I used a kit offered by Moore but it was made by Empi, not sure if their MC was the same as the one offered by SoCal. It seems that all of the suppliers are fishing out of the same pond.

Dr Clock, I didn't like the little buckets that seem to end up in these cars, but I did want to keep a bucket look. I have a booth at the SEMA Show so while I was there in Nov, I was checking out seats. I found these with Factory Five, they use them in a Cobra they make (as well as a couple of other cars). They are great seats, metal frame; not only do they look good but they're comfortable, especially if you're a big guy (I'm 6'2" and 230 lbs). The cost: $495 for the vinyl or $795 for the leather (that's for a pair). Here's a link to one of their websites:

http://factoryfiveparts.com/product.php?productid=16372&cat=314&page=1

I made my mounts, I used 1" square tubing bolted to the floor with several holes spaced in the tubing, I then bolted two basic sleeves to fit over the square tubing (allowing me to bolt the seat to the tubing at the adjustment that fits best) this allows me to move the seat up if needed (into another set of the above mentioned holes). The sleeves are located on the front of the seat and the rear rests on the tubing (giving me the lean back that I wanted) The frame on the seats allow you to mount them just about anyway you want, my goal was to keep them low.

Dave - I've used that PVC pipe with threaded-end/glued-end to store my registration stuff also. To prevent rattling I used some foam rubber pipe insulation which is split down the middle for application. Had I known, I would have looked you up at SEMA. I love that show!

SEMA's a great show, too bad they don't have more VW/Porsche stuff; I think one of these Speedster manufacturers could do well there. I'm always in Hot Rod Alley, I own American-Retro, we make the old style pedal cars that you may have seen in stores, old coke machines and I also make smaller steering wheels for 55 through 60 Chevys, 15" instead of the stock 18". Look me up at the next show.

I used the same type of black foam on my plastic pipe too, it works great, I sprayed the pipe with some carpet glue first, a little over-kill but it was raining and I was bored.

Dave, go with Alan (Dr. Clock) on everything about assembling and maintaining these beauties. He's built quite a few, I hear. But just had to chime in re your "half pedal" situation. I had the same in a car with stock drum brakes. Bled 'em, bled 'em again, changed the shoes and wheel cylinders and those all-important soft lines, which apparently swell up inside and deteriorate after a couple decades. Nothing worked. Finally fixed it by . . . adjusting the pedal free play.

This was no small matter on the TD kit, as the adjuster rod was buried under glass bodywork. Had to cut an access panel under the fender. You won't have to with your car, and I suspect you're knowledgable enough that you already did it. But there it is, just in case.

Thanks Ed, I appreciate your input, I did adjust the pedal and I changed the 'soft' lines as well, in fact, I'm thinking about replacing them with custom made 'hard' lines. I had plenty of pedal if I bypass the rear rotors, which leads me to believe their is a problem in bleeding through them, hence taking them off to get the pedal I do have. The brakes work fantastic, it's just that I feel more comfortable with a bit more pedal; this is why I think driving it a little and readdressing the bleeding may help, I may revisit those lines too.

Here's a couple of pictures I just took of the seat bottom frames and my home-made mounting system.

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/050-1.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/051-1.jpg

and some of the 'patina' on my car...

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/054-1.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/060-1.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/045-1.jpg

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww347/dinubadave/052-1.jpg

.... I had plenty of pedal if I bypass the rear rotors"

inho, almost confirms my suggestion to install a 2 lb in line residual valve. I think, that will resolve the pedal travel issue. ~Alan

Thanks Alan,

That sounds like a plan to me. I'll do it once I get it back from my uphostery guy; I drove it to his house (about an hour drive, which I loved) today; I got plenty of thumbs up, it was about 50 degrees but the sun was out! He's going to make the tonneau cover for me and probably install some new door panels (I don't want to fix too much, I like it looking like it just came out of a barn, but I do want the inside nice). It does handle great, which I credit a lot of that to the chassis (it is extremely tight and solid). I'm not sure of the motor size, the PO can't remember (it sat for five years), he thought it was a 1600, but he said it could be 1800 something (without knowing the bore or the stroke, who knows) it does sound like it has a cam, I installed duel 34's and I'm impressed with it. Just going through the gears, not necessarily getting on it, I'm hitting mid 70's in third and it feels snappy all the way through. Bottomline, this little guy puts a smile on my face!

So Dave, how did you happen to find this car? I monitor this area on Craigslist and eBay pretty heavily, but missed it if that was where you found it.
Troy

Hi Troy,

It was never listed for sale; I know the previous owner, he had it sitting under his carport adding a great deal of patina :-) (a nice way of saying - going to pot!) I asked him if he would sale it and he said he would never sale it. Months, almost a year, went by and one day he asked if I was still interested. He builds chassis for dune buggies and I consider his workmanship as some of the best. He owned this car for probably 20 years and about seven years ago, he installed one of his chassis only he altered it especially for the Porsche. Seeing his chassis sitting under this little guy is what really turned me on, for me, it separated this Speedster from most I see. When I say that, I'm talking about the 'barn fresh' look with something that handled really well. BTW, the barn fresh look is a broad step away from what I usually do, I usually 'over' restore something to the point I lose interest in driving it; My friends are all taking bets on how long it will take me to completely restore this one; but I don't want that to happen to this guy, something about this car makes me want to keep it as it is. At anyrate, I jumped on the chance of purchasing it.

Dave

Interesting story Dave. I will take the bet along with your friends. I'll give you a few weeks after you see all these cars at Pismo in June.
Do you know Scott in Sanger? Builds trannys and works on buggys.

Hi Troy,

Smart money would be on your side, as far as me restoring this little guy and painting it green, but I think I'm going to hold out and enjoy it as it is. I kind of like having one car that I don't have to worry about it.

I don't know Scott, maybe we'll meet someday, I built a buggy last year, it was a lot of fun.

Dave Barrett is my friend in Sanger that I purchased the Speedster from. He's building a fantastic 'Kubel' that you can see here;

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=766513

He also has a website on his chassis' here;

http://www.manxchassis.com/

If you check out the two sites above, you'll know why I was impressed with buying his personal Speedster with his chassis under it.