My 356 Cabriolet Latest and Hopefully Final Options

With all due respect to Stave and John and your wonderful cars, and builder, Steve.....

Henry sent pictures, at least weekly, sometimes 2x weekly... he had a time management issue too, so they had 11pm and 1am time/date stamps on them. Midnight E-mails came 2x3 times a week, as did phone calls in the late afternoon..

In no way am I saying your builds or builder are lesser. I've seen Hoss's cool cross-nation Cabrio. All I am saying is that pictures, mail, and calls are part of time management and builder will.

Steve, I hope your Riders come in soon, and that all of us can be at Eureka Springs in August.

He has at least 6 or 7 on the board to be built behind mine. He also still has his list of Hot-rods to build. My problems, are mostly self induced, in that, when someone says they have something and I respond that I'll buy it, I expect them to actually have it.

Steve at SAW has warned me several times that people do this kind of thing and this is the only part I really got bit on. Future orders for overriders on SAW cars should be easy, its just that I'm the first, and I'm the first to make all the conversions to a 56 and I wanted the original single bar in the back, which was only used in the mid 56 to early 57 cars. I am trying to have something very unique built and that can cost time, energy, and money.

I'm just worried about him not sending it next week like he has said he would several times?

Just for clarification, him is the guy I bought the overrider tubes from, I chose to buy a lot of parts myself from a lot of different people. I'm probably lucky I didn't create more problems for myself then I did.

Just to be clear, I haven't had any problem with getting a hold of Steve or him emailing me back or calling me back. In fact sometimes I'm a little bit on the pestering side. I mean really you guys have to notice how much I post on this site alone, can you imagine how much I call about my car? LOL

The reason you don't see photos on the web-site is because, I told Steve not to post pictures of my build, as I know he was getting very busy and is trying to make Carlisle. Frankly, there is only so much time in the day and I didn't want him wasting time posting pictures of my car when we were cutting it so close. My car wasn't suppose to be done until the week of Carlisle. I have always said we should make it as long as nothing goes wrong. Well the overrider tubes went wrong. The guy I originally wanted Steve to buy them from never came through, heck I don't know if he ever did make any? And the guy I decided to buy them from, has told me next week 4, weeks in a row.

I'm not angry or upset, just dissappointed about not making Carlisle, but that is the nature of having a car or a house built in my opinion.

If I can get the tube, then I predict the car will be finished up in about 3 weeks.

As for pictures? I sometimes have trouble downloading from my dial-up, but could anyone ever have too many pictures of the second largest purchase most of us will ever make? Probably not? Heck if he had sent more pictures I probably would have given up posting them anyway, they just don't post easily on dial-up.

Jim, if I'm not ready by August I would lose my mind and not be fit for driving. The closer I get the harder it gets to wait. I think thats the nature of the beast.

I reread my post above, and I need to be clear. The He above is not Steve, its the guy I bought my overrider tubes from. My posts sometimes get a little sloppy....sorry.

Builder will indeed. I think that it was an amazing feat to bring the Subytub from inspiration to fruition. While performing this task and still keeping the balls in the air and plates spinning, he and his staff continued to produce high quality street rods for a large client base. I have learned to control my drooling when I look at these babies.

During my build, I found that telephone calls, e-mails and photos were received with great regularity. I have the advantage of being close enough to visit on a fairly regular basis and was constantly amazed at the productivity of this very small staff in a not too large facility. During my visits, I had a sense of the generosity of these folks, not stinginess in any way, shape or form. For example, I had intended to hook up with Steve at a car show last Saturday, but he was helping a client with an engine problem that an outside vendor apparently caused. Steve gave up his Saturday and any hope of prospecting at the Street Beasts booth to help a fellow out.

All of the photos of Jim

John, after you get to 10, let me know if you will make a late August Eureka Springs Gathering. I will make a web page with info and post it this week. It would be a great time to relax, enjoy the cars and company and I wont even bring up high speed internet or photos!

Steve, I sure hope you will be there as well. I'll get a full package ready for everyone within driving distance.

Jim
I have pics, lots of pics.

Hi Guys,

I can see, re-reading my comment, how it is not obvious that I intended it in a somewhat joking way. I meant my comment on the photos with a good dose of humour as a number of us are living vicariously through the builds of various members and, like Steve, we can probably never get enough. I didn't mean it as a slight to SAW, or to wade in to the which vendor is better argument.

Like most, I'm grateful for the photos and feedback that everyone shares, specifically John, Steve and Jim who as of late have shared tons of info and photos on and off the forum.

So no slight to SAW, I agree they've done an amazing job bringing the Suby Tub to fruition and thanks again to everyone for sharing the details of their projects.

-Jeff

Not your fault John.. I was pegging the fun meter and the scatter shield blew. Fault is mine. Pic below is an old build. Henry (Ford) didn't send many build pics on this. Said the Pony Express Photo Delivery to Okra-homa was a bit expensive and also that I had one choice of colors.. black.

I have had a Manhatten and a good night's sleep (in spite of Alibi's snoring). My jets are now cooled back down. Down boy, down. Everything's cool.
"his crabbiness"
John as in Hoss
BTW...what number does ten come after? My teacher, the Rev. Billy Ray Irving Smoot don't seem ta know

Ok, I finally got a piece of software to convert a lot of my pictures so that I can more easily post them!!! I'm going to start by adding the options and special pieces that I have for the car.

Some of these may be boring, so please forgive me.

Here are some pictures of the radio I bought on ebay. Also an example of what the inside looks like after having the PLL Am/Fm Conversion with Aux input.

And here is my satellite radio that goes into the Aux input. I had them make one of the push buttons on the radio the Aux input select so it is really easy to go to satellite radio.

The other picture is from the speaker grills I purchased from NLA. You can get them cheaper direct, from www.koenigs-klassik.de/Shop/shop.html, but I got them from NLA.

And here is a picture of my fog lights purchase on ebay they are Bosch 50's NOS. Also some Stainless Steel wire mesh guards I am putting over the fog lights.

This is the Mid America Motorsports Dansk 356 exhaust. This is what were planning to use with chrome tips. It has yet to be installed on a SAW so will have to wait and see if it works, but it looks like it will work just fine.

Here is a picture of my steering column and my steering wheel. I ordered the straight polished with no writing on the center, so the only thing left to decide is if we want to paint the center to match an original banjo or leave it as a chrome and polished piece? I included a picture of an original with the black center to show what I'm talking about.

Steve,
The chrome/polished center may reflect badly into your eyes when you drive. I'd paint it to match the banjo. The pic you show of the painted banjo shows the ivory wheel with a black center, I think color matching the wheel would be a more aesthetic choice on your car. angela

Thanks angela...its something to think about?

Steve: I have been reading a lot about your build and think you have a nice car being built. Based on my experience with a Beck and my current IM (and a IM being built), I would recommend considering a better exhaust system. It is not just a muffler, but headers and sound are 90% of it. I previously had a muffler sort of like the one you picked out, but it did not do the engine justice. Look at the 2110 cc IM engines exhaust and that is a great system. Think about getting a entire exhaust system..I know that may be hard being a SAW and so few builds so far...but the end sound of the system is so important to overall finished product...you want it to growl...

I think we all want to get a sound that pleases each of us. Some want a throaty growl while others are happy with an almost silent operation. There are certainly ways to get either or something in between. However, I would not think that a muffler that works well with an air-cooled VW-type engine would be the best choice for a water-cooled Subaru engine. I would think that mufflers tuned for a Subaru application would be a better place to start.

I will have the stock headers. They are actually Stainless Steel and pretty nice. Borla does make an aftermarket replacement for these thats suppose to be able to give a little more hp, but its not worth it to me. Then it will go through the custom tubing and factory catalytic converters then some custom tube and right in to the Dansk 356 sport exhaust.

I know the Dansk will give it a bit less growl. But I like the look and I don't really want quite as much growl. Charles hit it on the head, I'm not one of those guys who is so interested in a loud growl from the exhaust. I think it will actually be just right, but only time will tell? John's car has nothing after the cats and I could actually live with it, so adding the Dansk should make it just about right for me?

The flow charecteristics of the Dansk are actually just about the same as what is offered out there for sport exhaust for the Suby engine. I just don't want some modern looking tuner style muffler.

I'm also going to have the heat shields over the headers jet-hot coated and then after the headers the rest of the system will be jet-hot coated as well.

I like the sound that my car makes. It is certainly not particularly quiet in town or driving through the "hood" and going through the gears, but settles down nicely on the highway. Believe me, after something in excess of 4K miles on the way to Knotts, the reasonably quiet exhaust came to be most appreciated. Last night, for example, we drove to a minor league ball game through the country with a return trip on I-40. Sarah and I could talk to each other and hear the radio. Sweet!

While Steve is still looking at exhaust options, depending on customer requirements, mine is the first off production example. From the headers, which are joined together, the exhaust passes through two in line catalytic converters and then into a tip which has a mini glass pack for some noise supression. It works well and yields a pleasant exhaust note.

So, what does it sound like? You will find out at Carlisle, but I would describe the sound as more of a howl than a growl. I can't put my finger on it, but it brings to mind the GT racers from England in the fifties and sixties. I think it's neat.

I don't know if the current configuration is the final iteration for me, but I'm pleased.
John H

I know that my IM is only a little loud when I do a hard acceleration, otherwise the howl/growl is perfect. If you drive it easy, then you here it but it isn't loud.

Good luck on the new SAW.

My front overrider tube is being delivered via Fedex on Monday. The car is also starting final paint prep by the painter and the front tube will be fitted just in time!!!!

Should all be downhill from here?

Excellent news Steve. Congrats. We're all looking forward to seeing the finished product and hearing your reviews. Exciting times.

-Jeff

Steve, any other pictures of the car on the way to the paint booth?... Anticipation is killing you but isn't it a neat feeling?

I have been so busy lately with Weddings and Graduations, I haven't really had much time to think about it, except getting the overrider tube. I did get my Hazet "Tourist" spare tire tool kit bought though and I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival!!

Hey Steve, I was checking out the pictures of your build and just realized that your exhaust system is basically a Tri-Mil unit for VW engines that was retrofitted for use with the Subaru powerplant. It looks cool. Do you guys know if it would be appropriate to take the full brunt of the Subaru engine? I guess if it works fine for it that means it's not restrictive and could work well for a mildly modded VW engine.

Thanks Ricardo, I think it would work just fine for VW applications?

It is basically a "bullet" style glass pack with dual tips...I think they are around 2.25 diameter chrome tips? They should be fairly free flowing, but give a lower tone to the exhaust

With the added bonus of looking very much like the exhaust system on an original 356.

actually looking at it...I wonder where I can get one and maybe modify it to work with my rotary engine. My exhaust now is a canister type muffler with an inline "cherry bomb". It makes for a very wild sound...

Michael

When I get the information, I will post it. Hopefully, we won't upset John Leader, he gets a little tired of such detail....LOL

Body Style 356A Cabriolet Mid 1956 replica of around SN 61064
Subaru 165hp 2.5 liter engine option with the Single Overhead Cam
Exhaust Dansk style 356 sport with dual tips
Automatic Transmission 4 speed with overdrive
Air-conditioning
Cruise Control
Black Exterior with Black Top and Black Tonneau/Boot Cover
Back window to be the smaller option
Leather Interior option in Gm Bone/Ivory number
German Square Weave in Oatmeal 500
Juliano's Ivory Banjo Steering Wheel
Ivory pull Knobs and accessories
3

Steve. How much is this baby going to weigh? With that frame with the bullet proof barrier and all these options. LOL.

Ricardo.... I thought the same thing... that looks tri-mil and a little restrictive. Are those new brake lines and CV boots at the hubs??????? Or are they still waiting to be replaced. What all is refurbished or replaced on that whole used engine transaxle unit?

This thread is actually approaching the length of time it's taking to build Steven's car.

Did I miss it in an earlier post, or has Steven found the original 356 Porsche valve-stem covers he was looking for?

Rather then get into a lengthy post about what is new, remanufactured, or used, I would like to answer with this link. All the work to answer this question has already been done, so I'm going to use it rather then print it here?

The calipers are Remanufactured units, everything else except the engine itself, the transmission, and the original headers are NEW. Some of the parts I went out and bought that are accessories are used, like the radio, compass, and such.


www.specialtyauto.com/used_parts_.htm

Well, the engine and tranny are used and everything on them to make them run is what came from the donor ie; the ignition, fuel system and accessories. The axles are special built in Rockford, ILL. and are not even the same as the original car. CV Joints are new.

John L. this thread is getting too long, especially for us dial up guys. Maybe I should start a new one!!!!! Is that what you meant, LOL

When the thread for Jim's car got longer then this, it drove me crazy, but only because I couldn't get it to load up without waiting forever.

Weight, I'm guessing, but it should come in around 2100LBS. Yes, too heavy to be a sports car anymore. Well at least the way Porsche originally intended. Of course they ran with about half the horsepower so I should be ok. Its the bullet proof glass that really, put me over the top...LOL

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7984038680&category=33747&sspagename=WDVW


John L.
I may use these or I may use plain chrome valve stems, what do you think I shoud use?

I have to comment regarding various manufactures representing that almost all the components used in a VW based speedster replica build are used and in less than excellent condition. I just went to a link and compared their stated new items and what actually gets done on a VW based speedster, not even close.
I'm sure in some the shade tree CMC FiberFab builds that being the worst case scenario builds were done in a less than craftsman like manner using many used VW components (CMC did said 40 hour build time!)when the early kits came out, their were many VW Beetles still on the roads and in good condition.
The VW based speedster manufactures, other builders, as well as myself (I build strictly as a hobby) use only the VW center tunnel section aka the "backbone", forward frame head and rear trailing arms are utilized all of which are media blasted, inspected in great detail and refurbished.
Most all other chassis and suspension components are new and a chosen few are remanufactured. With a newly refurbished chassis and the 2x4 steel box frame bonded within the fiberglass body, it is a very solid combination ....
Ahh, and the "Jack Test" that being jacking up the center of a CMC FiberFab speedster and checking to see if the doors will open or the door gaps change, if an experienced builder takes the time to replace the rear section body rivets with a quality adhesive and bolts the rear body section to the 2x2 steel frame members with five 5/16" bolts and nylocs on each side ......
jack away !
Sure it looks great represent "their" product as superior but seriously, if you are building a VW based speedster,you'll place safety as a first priority at all times without exception.