I thought the decision was made 15 posts back. I had a post up this AM, but took it down when I saw yours Longfellow.
Since you seem to be wavering: blue and red may have been a "German" combination. Aside from classical music, Germans are not really known for their artistic choices.
Tan.
All.
The.
Way.
Carl;
Some of the better canvas manufactures, sunbrella comes to mind, treat the canvas with UV protection. This makes for dyeing a tough task.
But I haven't used dye since the 60's, so maybe it has gotten better.
Art
Tan
What a day... what a day! I had the opportunity to spend the day at Vintage Motorcars/Spyders. Crazy cool guys all around!
I also got to meet Rusty, a fellow SOC'r, who was picking up his BEAUTIFUL Speedster. Vintage Motorcars repaired the rear-end damage. It turned out great! I'm also jealous he gets to sport a certain custom rim by a certain shop during a certain road trip and gathering... need I say more? LOL! And he has windows that roll up and down? What?!?
Greg, Alex, and Team did an AWESOME job mounting the body and ensuring EVERYTHING was perfect and lined up correctly. The custom hinges are beautiful (see pic). The alignment of the front and rear wheels within the wheel wells are spot on. The gaps on all doors, hood, and rear deck lid are spot on. I should note, the body I got was NOT, by any means, built to match any shorten pan. I was surprised, but I was more surprised on how off it was. Greg's Team did a great job aligning and making custom mounts so the body was secured and straight.
I also replaced the lugs with proper studs and bolts (see pic). The OEM ones I had were not safe (not a lot of thread was being used to secure the rim).
Another piece Greg is adding is the turn signal housing (mounts on the steering column) mod he does. I tried and failed on my attempt at using an older beetle one. Alex and Greg showed me a custom one they make that still has the vintage look... Me likey... so I bought one and will pick it up next week.
As any good customer should do, I brought over a few 12 packs and got several pizza pies for lunch for the shop guys (you ALL know they work their a@ off). I hope they enjoyed the cold ones at the end of the day 
Alright, enough of me talking... time for speedster pic p@rn. Eleanor is home and a HUGE step closer to being complete 
Beautiful! This is coming together nicely. 
Looking great Brian!
I should also note that Greg and Team will be doing a "final" detail and buff of the paint once the Speedster is complete. They did a great job on the first pass, but since I will still be working on and around the body, he didn't want to do a complete job since I could possible ding the paint. He wants me to finish the car and bring it back for it's final mirror finish. I wouldn't have thought of that, so that is pretty cool on their part and just adds to how great the shop is
And I have to say again, those new rims he is making are freaking awesome in person! Add the chrome moon caps... it looks great!
I don't think I posted this pic, but here are my custom license plates I ordered several months ago when I registered the Speedster. Can anyone guess what it means? 
195 lb crossdresser?
Us software geeks would say Binary-Coded Decimal 195, which is not possible since the highest a digit can be in BCD is 7, so I'm stumped.
Will Hesch posted:195 lb crossdresser?
Winner! LOL!
It's my initials and the year I'm replicating for the Speedster...
That's so funny, I never clicked on the photo and the thumbnail you posted only says: CD 195...
I've had an opportunity to look over everything Vintage Motorcars did yesterday. I'm impressed. Gaps on the doors, hood, and rear deck lid are spot on. Once I get everything up and running, I will get a final buff/detail by VIntage Motorcars... and then I'll seal it with Opti-Coat Pro (a must!)
The custom hinges they did are AWESOME!
One thing I really don't like and will change, the chrome rims. It is to much "bling" on a car that has a flat pant. If I went with the Aquamarine Blue Metallic paint I think it would work. IMO.
Clearly, someone has a sense of humor at Vintage Motorcars... LOL! At least it is proof I helped
...I think this was at the end of the day when all the guys where off the clock enjoying the beers I brought as thank you...
No new updates on my end. I have it positioned nicely in the garage on jack stands ready for more work. She gets the entire garage to herself 
We noticed when installing the body the gaps in the rear were terrible. The body wasn't exactly a match to the pan. So, I'll be spending time this weekend sealing everything underneath, sanding the trunk and engine compartment (prep for paint), and cleaning up the interior to add another round of sound deadening material (inside doors, footwell, rear seat area).
I figured once I get through all that, I'll work with Kirk on the interior color/options so his Team can mount the window and dash pad - I'm not messing with the windshield... LOL!
Very nice...I don't do this all that often but I am affixing my good friends.............. .......Seal Of Approval ! 
*LongFella posted:I don't think I posted this pic, but here are my custom license plates I ordered several months ago when I registered the Speedster. Can anyone guess what it means?
I would have guessed "Best Creation Date 1957"
WNGD posted:*LongFella posted:I don't think I posted this pic, but here are my custom license plates I ordered several months ago when I registered the Speedster. Can anyone guess what it means?
I would have guessed "Best Creation Date 1957"
I might have to use that one
Alan Merklin posted:Very nice...I don't do this all that often but I am affixing my good friends.............. .......Seal Of Approval !
Woohooooo! The seal of approval!!
By the way, I really like that trailer you posted in the "new project" thread you started... might need to research one since I will be taking her back and forth to Vintage Speedsters and Vintage Motorcars before it can be driven...
Trailer was built in a weekend out of a $300 used car dolly, hence no suspension but if you use tire basket straps the vehicle can still utilize it's suspension. Extended the front yoke, welded up a frame, reused the dolly fenders and ramps, new LED lighting, new tires -wheels, total investment $1,000
Alright, alright, alright...
Did a little work to the dream build this weekend. I didn't have much time, but I think I got a good amount done.
After seeing some decent gaps after the body was mounted (I didn't know this, but they never line up unless you go with a tubular chassis and not a pan - yes I'm a noob to all this), I went to town on sealing it all. And I mean I spent an entire day looking for gaps, cracks, holes, bowls, moles, more holes, spaces, etc... Even busted out the foam can to fill in, seal, and sound proof. I've learned to put the foam can down...
Greg and Team trimmed away a piece of the body to access the shifter coupling - I kept it and attached a hinge to it so I don't lose the "shape" of the rear seat...and I still can get access to the coupling. I believe Kirks Team glasses over that to seal it off??? That entire area will eventually be covered in dyno mat like the chassis...so there shouldn't be any noticeable bumps.
I also made an attempt at painting the trunk. Not sure if I like it. My wifey wants it to be a gloss black and not a textured mate black. What do you guys think???? The originals didn't have carpet, right?
Looking good!
I went and did this yesterday. Got a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Denali. I've always wanted a full size pick-up. I remember as a kid in high school wanting a Chevy Silverado. My parents knew I couldn't afford it, but they took me to the Dealer anyways. It sucked not being able to take it home, but it was a good lesson learned. Things are a little different now and I was finally able to get her. It's a LOT different then my 2015 Golf R that does a 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. I told my wife to get ready for camping trips, road trips to the mountains, etc. Baby Natalie is at a good age to start taking her out to get a little (a LOT) dirty. My daughter will learn how to navigate the stars before she can navigate the mall!
Tom Blankinship posted:Congrats on the new truck, but a reminder to all on here, I work for Ford & can get you a discount.....
>
I looked at a Ford F-150, but decided on the GMC as the price point couldn't be passed up.
I also worked (no longer do) for Toyota Corp in Torrance, CA for 10 years - still get my employee discount. But they need to do a lot of work on the Tundra before I would get one (IMO).
Your last sentence says a lot about your priorities !
How would one go about using your employee discount, Tom?
Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:How would one go about using your employee discount, Tom?
If it's like anything I've done, he would get a certificate or code that is presented to the Dealer. You pick out a car in their stock, they provide the invoice with employee pricing and that is your final sale price...
Finished up the trunk yesterday. Went a little more glossy and textured. I like it! And I think I am sold on not having carpet in the truck and having a gas tank that is painted to match the car.
I also started the sounding deadening process on the body. It is a LONG and SLOW process...
So far so good! This poopiehead is rolling!
I like the look then again I would think a nice carpet might deaden road noise and any thing else in the trunk
Here's a crazy idea from an armchair observer.
Now that you've got access (sort of), why not check the condition of the welds supporting the clutch cable tube and maybe do the Dr. Clock hose clamp thing even though it may not be needed yet?
OK, I'll shut up now.
IaM-Ray posted:I like the look then again I would think a nice carpet might deaden road noise and any thing else in the trunk
The stuff I used is pretty thick and nasty. In fact, after two coats I'm sure it's thinking then the sound deadening stuff I'm using... LOL!
Sacto Mitch posted:
Here's a crazy idea from an armchair observer.
Now that you've got access (sort of), why not check the condition of the welds supporting the clutch cable tube and maybe do the Dr. Clock hose clamp thing even though it may not be needed yet?
OK, I'll shut up now.
Hmmm... Not a bad idea!
Quick little update...
I stopped by Kirk's to finalize everything for my kit. I'll get everything I need (minus some small stuff I'll pick up myself) next Saturday. Kirk's Team will do some installation I dare not try (I'll break it - I'm not that good at this stuff). I also picked the interior color. Well, my wife finalized the choice and Greg and Alex at Vintage Motorcars helped too.
The interior will be tan - won by a margin.
The pic has a sample of the seats/door panel/dash pad. Twine is the color and it's the tiny small piece. The interior carpet was between two - the normal nylon "tan" used by Kirk (right side of the photo) and the traditional "tan" german square weave (left side of the photo). I was torn between the two, but my wifey finalized and picked the traditional german square weave. I know, when it gets wet it stinks... well... my interior is not going to get wet... it won't be driven in the rain... I live in SoCal... we have a drought... Plus, it's my Speedster and I'll do what I want (stomping foot down now = poophead). There is also a sample of the canvas top (center of pic), which is the typical tan top Kirk uses.
My wifey and I put everything next to the Aquamarine Blue paint and the interior off-white paint I've been using and it works - it's going to look awesome!
Secret ninja edit: I also ordered a set of Greg's custom made silver 15" 5-wide rims to replace the chrome 5-wides. Never was a huge chrome fan and the silver ones Greg has in his shop look amazing!
+1 on the German weave. It's WAY nicer!!
Excellent choices all around.
Really smart way to build a car, IMHO.
Got some work done this weekend in prep for next Saturday. I'll be taking her up to Kirk's shop for the windshield, dish pad, and both bumper installed. All the interior should be ready for pick-up and I'l grab the remaining items for the kit.
This weekend I spent finishing the sound deadening material. I also painted the engine compartment and all four wheel wells. Making progress!
For someone that has never dabbled in Speedster builds, you do one nice job .....perhaps a sideline vocation doing fixer uppers down the road !
Seeing pictures like those, makes me wish I had built my car with my own hands.
Alan Merklin posted:For someone that has never dabbled in Speedster builds, you do one nice job .....perhaps a sideline vocation doing fixer uppers down the road !
Thanks! I'm sure the next build I do will take half the time and cost a little less. There have been some lessons learned and added cost I could avoid next time
