need help identifying my new speedster

Dash, door panel and passenger's seat look to be VS.  And the hood badge too.  The carpet doesn't but could just be old nd worn.  Check the engine grille - it should not be a cast single piece (used by CMC/FF) but should be made of individual pieces like the OEM grill.  VS usually converted later IRS pans to swing axle but you can convert the other way too.  Weren't the AT models IRS in '68 - it could be converted to 4 speed MT.

The engine back (front of car) wall looks more CMC/FF with the 1/2 moon cooling cut out.  Thought later VS had a round hole with hardware cloth (and early ones no cut outs).  On a CMC that gap would have had a rubber "skirt" piece hanging down on either side.

CMC w/ those gauges. 1969 chassis year    Some added VS interior.

Good score! Welcome to the madness. Are you in Utah? If so, you might want to go to the Draper (main) DMV office and convince them to let you transfer the classic plate. (Most local offices are too lazy or obstinate to figure out how to do it)  

Chassis number 119227119 may be a 1968 build date, but the beginning "119" denotes 1969 model year which came as an IRS.

Trippy's profile says Provo, Utah @dlearl476

Wow, there are obviously some real fanatics on here! Thank you all for the input.

Wolfgang- Yes, my hood badge looks like yours with the "VS". The engine grill is cast, not like the original.

Danny P. makes a good point about the chassis number being issued later 68'. It could, quite possibly, be a 69' model year with IRS from the factory.

dlearl476- It looks like we are both in Provo? I took it to the Provo DMV and with a managers help we got the 57' plate transferred. Thanks.

I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter who's kit I have. I'm going to make it my own anyway.

The chassis, motor, and trans, are all tight, clean, and appear to have less wear than the body and interior. The carpet is worn and the seats are tired. The paint is dull and wasn't very good in the first place.  When I bought the car it drove fine around the block, but with any speed it was all over the place and hard to control. I took the time to give it an alignment (did it myself) and boy was it out! It was so bad I have to wonder if it had ever been aligned.

I have a whole list of things I would like to do to the car, but I am going to enjoy it while I can and wait till winter to tear it apart.

@Trippy  Nice score!

I totally agree with Alan - That's probably a CMC upgraded with some Vintage Speedsters stuff, but it looks to have been well assembled in it's day, like somebody cared about it.

You mention: "The engine appears to be a stock 1600 single port, and it seems to be in good order except for a serious rear main leak."

If it's back between the engine and transaxle, then it's a matter of pulling the engine (roughly a 90 minute job, the first time) clutch and flywheel, popping out the old seal and tapping in a new one.  Try to find an OEM German one from Bugcity.com or some other VW parts house for a 1961 - 1975 engine - they're all the same case (find an Elring, Kaco or Orian, P/N 113105245) - It'll be more expensive (still under $10 bucks) but it should last longer than the asian ones.  Try to avoid EMPI seals.

And don't sweat the air gap at the bottom of the firewall - Some of us do that for better cooling of the engine, bringing in fresh air from around the transaxle.  No one really knows how effective it is, but we DO know that it doesn't hurt anything.

The VS hood emblem is surely unusual.  All seem to go to the same size PORSCHE crest.

CMC ones are still available!

thats one of those Johnny Cash cars that he smuggled out in his lunch box everyday..

Gordon Nichols - You are right, someone did a fair job with the original build, and the car was well taken care of. But, like with most older cars, attention to detail was lacking. It wont take much to make this old girl shine again.

Thanks for the heads up on getting a German seal. Back in the 90s I did a lot of VW work. Then I got married, had kids, and took life way to serious! Now that I am getting back into it, I'm realizing that things have changed! Back then, German parts were plentiful, and we frowned on Brazilian and Mexican parts. Now it seems like Chinese parts have taken over, and they are worse than anything before! Your point is well taken.

Also, thanks for the insight on the gap behind the motor. Right after I got the car I took it down the highway to a friends place. After 15 min of talking to my buddy, I started it up and went about a block when it cut out. No fuel! A little water on the fuel pump fixed my vapor lock, but the engine was obviously hot. My thinking was that hot air from the cylinders and exhaust came up through the back and heat soaked the top side, causing my problem. Im going to have to keep an eye on it.

Wolfgang - I have thought a lot about badging on this car. I like the "Speedster" stuff, but im not trying to pass it off as a Porsche. If anything it should probably be marked "VW". In the end I believe I will leave the "Speedster" stuff, but create badges of my own design.

barncobob- LOL! Dont we all have a "...54', 55', 56', 57', 58', Automobile..."?

Terry Nuckols beat you to it with Penny (now sold) -

@Trippy posted:

Wow, there are obviously some real fanatics on here! Thank you all for the input.

Wolfgang- Yes, my hood badge looks like yours with the "VS". The engine grill is cast, not like the original.

Danny P. makes a good point about the chassis number being issued later 68'. It could, quite possibly, be a 69' model year with IRS from the factory.

dlearl476- It looks like we are both in Provo? I took it to the Provo DMV and with a managers help we got the 57' plate transferred. Thanks.

I suppose in the end it doesn't really matter who's kit I have. I'm going to make it my own anyway.

The chassis, motor, and trans, are all tight, clean, and appear to have less wear than the body and interior. The carpet is worn and the seats are tired. The paint is dull and wasn't very good in the first place.  When I bought the car it drove fine around the block, but with any speed it was all over the place and hard to control. I took the time to give it an alignment (did it myself) and boy was it out! It was so bad I have to wonder if it had ever been aligned.

I have a whole list of things I would like to do to the car, but I am going to enjoy it while I can and wait till winter to tear it apart.

Excellent news!  We’ll have to get together. I know one other person with a wide body that lives out in Salem now. He also owns a Beck GTS and a few “real” Porsches and VWs.

@DannyP posted:

Chassis number 119227119 may be a 1968 build date, but the beginning "119" denotes 1969 model year which came as an IRS.

Trippy's profile says Provo, Utah @dlearl476

IIRC, BITD before VINs were standardized, Porsche and VW model years began in Simmer or Fall, so perhaps it’s possible it was a “69” was sold and titled as a 68 in late 1968.

Even after 17 digit VINs, there was some discrepancy. My “92” 968 was built in 0ctober of 1991. Whether any were ever titled that way, I don’t know. I do know some parts suppliers list 91-95 968s when, in reality they was never a 91 model. (Production commenced in 8/91)

Generally it works the other way round in old vehicles prior to computerized records, 17 digit VINs, and the ubiquitous EPA/DOT: Holdover models with 1-2 year later titles than their year of manufacture.

dlearl476 - Yes, I know Ric. We are not buddies or anything, but I have met him a couple of times.

Even more interesting about your comment is the fact that you own a 968. I love those cars! I have a 951 myself. If only my speedster could drive like that car!

Definitely not a Vintage built Speedster.  The dash trim extends all the way to the edge and Vintage trim stops short by an inch or so.  Also, the hood release is far too low on the pillar.

Most likely a CMC or a FiberFab.

Post a picture of the engine lid.

You got aircooled.net in your home state; very good place for parts. Congrats on the car and your new adventure.