Let The Games Begin!

You have to jet & adjust the carbs when the engine is at full operating temp. It may need to be re-timed/carbs adjusted/synched/float levels checked,etc ,etc.

Nice looking car.  Let's hope you get it sorted out, but - of course - this should have been done at VS before the car was turned over to you.

Who would sell a product that is defective from the get-go?

Here we go again?

Out of curiosity... How many miles were on the odometer when it was delivered from Kirk?

Good luck, Chris. You have a great attitude, and I wish you the best. I'm glad you live in a place where professional "sorting" is possible. For large swaths of North America, this is not the case.

The oil temp gauges on these VDO clones are not accurate. You'll need a dipstick thermometer or a quality oil temp gauge installed.

Sounds like a plugged idle jet, among other things. I'm sure the carbs were just bolted on without cleaning and sorting. Plus the linkage was probably adjusted when the engine was cool. The metals expand and the engine will lean out as it heats up to normal operating temps.

Lot's to learn, grasshopper. Whether you plan on doing the work yourself or having a qualified ACVW mechanic do it, it's best that you, at least, understand the workings. Look at the Mark Harney articles in the knowledge section. They'll explain, in detail, how the carburetors function.

For Terry Nuckles

Hi Terry, Would you kindly email the address  and other pertinent info on your beautiful fire extinguisher. Please include mounting ideas.

I hope weather up there is a bit cooler than the valley floor. r.eiland44@yahoo.com

Regards, Bob

Remember this car was built at sea level plus or minus a few inches.  My 1999 was but it runs at 5400 feet.  I had to totally redo the carbs because of the altitude change.  My 71 Bug 1776, stage 2 Cam, Freeway Flyer Tranny, Discs in front, 2 BBl Progressive Weber runs like a top in Tejas at 850 feet ASL.  80 MPH is 3000 RPM and singing like a bird.  Tejas 40 mpg on the road and 35 in city traffic.  Albuquerque 19-20 MPG in Traffic, 22-24 on the Road.

With same carb setting coughs, sputters and Backfires like my diet is solely frijoles in Albuquerque, 5400 feet ASL or so.  The short story is carbs need to be adjusted to your altitude.  Good luck and enjoy your VS.  Jim

Went for another drive this morning and my vapor lock theory may have some merit.

With the fuel lines wrapped in pipe insulation, the car ran better and coughed
only once or twice - much less than before. It never stalled - something it's
done on every drive before this. It was still down on power in the upper range,
though, and refused to pull at full throttle when warm. Backing off a little
restored power, opening up again made it stumble. So, maybe the main jets are
wrong?

The exhaust from this car does smell really strong. I don't know whether to call
it 'rich' or not, but it's strong. It's been a long time since I drove a car with
no smog controls, but this smells stronger than the cars I remember from the
early 60s. Just backing into the garage and shutting right down fills the garage
with fumes for hours. And it's exhaust, not raw fuel, which, luckily, I haven't
smelled yet.

Would it idle OK with a plugged idle jet? Would a plugged idle jet get unplugged
and plug up again over a short time? Once warm, the idle sometimes drops until
the alternator light starts to glow, but a blip of the throttle usually brings
the idle back up to around 900-1000 again and it steadies out.

It's into the VW shop on Wednesday.

Mitch, check your plug wires and make sure they're firmly connected on both ends. It could be you're running intermittently on less than four cylinders. 

If your main jets are less than .135 they could reduce your upper acceleration.

Where's your fuel filter? If it's in the engine compartment it could be getting too hot and boiling the fuel.

Plugged idles, improper float settings, improperly sync'd carbs, among a host of other things, will cause popping and uneven idle.

When you take it to the mechanic, see if you can spend time with him while he checks everything. A world of caution, going to a mechanic is like going to a new barber - he'll have a lot of complaints about your previous barber. In the case, Vintage. Try to filter that out and glean as much info as you can.

Bob! Sorry about that! I forgot that you wanted that info. I'll email Fred and see if he can still get them.

Terry, I haven't found the fuel filter yet, but it's not in the engine room. I haven't gotten under the car up front yet to look. Where's a likely spot - one of the front wheel wells?

I'm paying the VW dude for a full inspection and for some time when he can go over the whole car with me and point out stuff he likes and doesn't.

And - hold the phone - here's another data point. I've just gone through four gallons of gas in 54 miles! An impressive 13.5 mpg! So maybe it's set just a tad rich after all.

Carl & Bob, Thanks.

The car had about 25 miles when delivered.

My theory about Vintage is that, to meet the price point they do, they'd rather pay someone else to do the fine tuning after the sale and keep their staff working on cranking out new cars.

With a very small crew, they make about 100 cars a year, and, in the middle of their busy season, delivered my car when promised. And this when Kirk had to go into the hospital for open heart surgery!

Order date to delivered car was about a month, and I've got no complaints about the level of fit and finish. The car looks good, things like paint, gap lines, carpeting, and interior are good, and installations look clean inside, out, and underneath.

Kirk has been easy to work with, honest, easily accessible, and seems to be dealing with these sorting issues with no hassle. My take is that he just has a different business model than IM or some of the other shops and caters to a different customer.

Compared to the IM customer, I've still got about $20K in my pocket to spend on new idle jets.

At first I wondered why on earth Kirk wasn't on this website.

Now I know...  I'm a bit disappointed to be honest.  Sounds like it's almost worth it to buy a used/sorted VS for thousands less than a new one.

Hope you get it taken care of.

"Compared to the IM customer, I've still got about $20K in my pocket to spend on new idle jets."

Well, to each his own...I'd rather be driving.

All the best in getting your car sorted out.

My IM ran similar to yours when received.  The problem of no power at full throttle then restored when backed off....I consulted with a 911 expert on this.  He said that it sounded like too rich.  When on full throttle, too much fuel was basically putting out the fire in the combustion chamber.  Pull your plugs for a look.  Solution was rejetting and adjusting the amount of fuel delivered via the enrichment pump (proper name?). There.s a lever that operates a pump that delivers a squirt of additional fuel on hard acceleration.  This has to be adjusted to deliver the right amount of fuel.  

Yep. Idle jets. That's the only difference.

Party on, Wayne.

I like my VS, but it ain't an IM or a Beck. Crawl around under all three of those cars and the differences become pretty apparent.

But, for now, my VS is just fine for the kind of driving and goofing off that I am doing. I am working feverishly to avoid the itch that Beck and IM give me though.

Christian.  What makes you think Kirk is not on the SOC?  He is and he even attends SOC events!

The fuel filter is probably in the driver's side rear wheel well, shortly before the firewall. 

I agree with the sentiment that it needs to have carburetor voodoo done to it after the engine and linkage are warmed up. 

Sacto Mitch,

I have a VS and my fuel filter is also behind the rear driver's wheel next to the firewall...probably the same with all VS's. It's transparent and positioned sideways so any gunk is easily visable.

I thought that might raise some hackles.

Yeah, I know the IM is a whole other animal, but like BobG, the VS scratches where I itch for now and I just couldn't justify the cost of an IM.

I tried finding a used, sorted VS for some time, but couldn't find a local car that was a match. I came very close to buying the ivory car that Troy sold about a year ago, but it had a 1600 motor and I wanted at least a 1915.

Kirk is committed to getting this car running right, so I'm not too worried. Yet.

No blood, no foul, Mitch. Once upon a time, I said the same kind of stuff. As long as I go on record as pointing out that there is indeed a substantive difference, it's all good.

For the record, I like Vintage Speedsters. I'm not wild about the engine/transaxle selection. If I were watching every dime, I'd spec the car I wanted, and buy it without an engine or transaxle. I'd rather have the money to apply towards something I could rely on.

Everybody's story is a bit different, and everybody wants their own thing. I've had a belly full of Type 1s built by the lowest bidder.

I once owned a JPS with a 1776 you see...

Come to the dark side, Bob. You too can be an elitist pig.

STAN! You're hilarious. Absolutely awesome.

All of us have a bit of snobbishness in us, don't we?  Naturally, I include myself in that judgment.  Some seem to revel in the rarified air that they believe surrounds them (PCA, period correct only, zank yu), while others try to be inclusive to one and all.  The vast majority of us are somewhere in the middle.

My line in the sand works for me.  I have no Porsche badges, emblems, stickers or geegaws of any type.  Just a couple of grill badges that say "outlaw".  I bought a cast bronze grill badge that says: "Arizona outlaws" from a sculptor/artist on line.  On my first attempt at purchase, he asked what model Porsche I had.  When I told him it was an SAS replica, he apologized, but said he couldn't sell me the badge, since my car was a replica.

Now, that's some major league snobbery, eh?  As a parting shot, I reminded him that the Emorys coined the term "outlaw" as a thumb in the eye of the toothbrush-cleaning OCD owners who seem to rule portions of the PCA.   The badge does say OUTLAW, not Porsche, not even Speedster.  It seems incongruous to withhold the sale of an outlaw badge for the perceived failure of the buyer to pass some mythical authenticity test that is actually antithetical to the term.   

Even though I felt perturbed by the snub, I arranged for a straw buyer to get one of the badges for me.  They're just that cool.  Too cool for pride to get in the way.  Someone kick me in my rosy red Irish ass if I ever pull crap like that.  

some of you guys sound like a bunch of elitest whiners....I am so glad I weened myself

off this site....

If it wasn't for Vintage, I (and a whole bunch of others) would NOT be driving & enjoying

these little jewels....I'm not about to spend 30 large (or much more in many cases),

on a plastic car that has no way to go but down in value.....

Kirk has made it possible for many of us to enjoy the experience & friendships we have made

driving his cars, I thank him often (& Mary also).....

I think some of you should start another site where you can mentally masterbate each other

about how great your Beck's & IM's are.....You should be ashamed of yourselves....

Jim: please to identify that "Outlaw" badge vender more completely. This I gotta see!

Is it better to be an elitist whiner than just a whiner?

Vince, I luv you man. But, you totally missed on this one.  Stan's comment is very funny.  Its a reversal of tounge & cheek for all the overpriced IM and Beck comments that people throw around on this site.  I had the pleasure of meeting Stan at Corn Daze and I understand his humor and sarcasm better now.  What you are saying is that It's cool to buy a plastic car as long as its wrapped around a VW Beetle, but its not cool or ok to buy one that purpose built & engineered to be something better?  I also don't get the re-sale value statement.  Who ever purchased a IM or Beck thinking that they are going up in value? We may be a little crazy but we are not Stupid.

BTW, We all think Kirk is great at what he does.  Especially for the $$        

I did not, and would not diminish Vintage as a builder, or my car in particular. As I said, for the way I drive and my expectations of a car like this, I am perfectly happy. 

I bought it third hand, for a great price, with an engine in it that never saw Hawaiian Gardens. 

I see different advantages in different builders products. I'd also love to have a coupe some day and if it came from Vintage, though I guess they don't build them, based on my experience with my Speedster, they would be in the running for my money.

Vinny, for a guy who has "weened" himself off this site, you spend a lot of time on it complaining.

Yeah, Vince.

Quit being an a$$hole.

Wait...what am I saying?

That's why we love you!

I am loving this thread.   A lot.

Vince, I don't look here much anymore either.  Just not much of interest...for me.  However, the site does provide a lot of info for others.

yep, I have an IM.  Sorry guys and gals.  Is my car better than yours?  Doubt it.  I constantly have to fiddle with it, constantly.  It's almost, almost I say, like a British sports car.  Heaven forbid!  Some day, some day soon...I will likely get rid of it.   There are a lot of modern cars that provide more comfort thornless $ than this.

Ed,

The badge is made by a guy named Jeff Gamble.  He's a sculptor and a car guy.  He does lots of small castings of 1950's race cars, including 356's.  You can see the badge at his site: gambleartdotcom.  Go to the sculpture button, then scroll down.  It looks even better in person.

**** I'm glad I have a Spyder and don't have to deal with all your elitist CRAP!

LOL! 

For the record....

1. I am an A$$hole

2. My comment wasn't directed at Stan (necessarily) but I did not get the same reverse "tongue & Cheek" aspect of his post...But I do like a good laugh...

3. The thread  still sounds a little whiny to me....

4. Oh, Marty, I love you to....(but mostly Sandy).....Please explain how you got the VW Beetle coolness from my post....

5. Jack, glad you are being entertained...that was the motive behind my post, but  of course, some forget that I am a ballbuster....

6. If I offended anyone......I feel just a little better

*cough*

Raby motor

*cough*

I like chicken pot pie! 

I like this thread as well and really want a pony in this race.  Can someone please start whining on how much better the old site was, you know, before I sold out so I can live big on the income from all this banter?

-=theron

Theron that was funny.  Vince, I hope my IM looks as good as this real German when its turns 40 . Heidi still Hot!