I bought a 2003 Porsche 356 Replica a few days ago at a local auction.
Something came over me
So now I have to learn sooo much about this car.
And I know very little now.
It's a Vintage Speedster from Alaska via Missouri.
The pedals are too close together and the seats are too small and don't recline.
The engine runs rough and is hard to start.
And I think I paid too much.
But is beautiful.
I hope this all works out.
But I'm optimistic.
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giday, Tom. Welcome to the group. You'll get it figured out soon enough.
We were out your way in 2012. Some darn good steaks along the way too.
Hey Tom - 'Welcome to The Madness' known as replica Speedster ownership! You'll find that most of your questions can be answered via the 'Resources' tab at top, or most likely by any one of the many helpful folks on this site. Try posting a few pics of your new ride.
Lots of experts here, so take comments & suggestions with an open mind & grain of salt. Based on your preliminary description, it doesn't sound like anything major to be dealt with!
Soon you'll be on the road enjoying some top-down cruising in your new toy! Best of luck. 
Epitome of THE MADNESS:
The engine runs rough and is hard to start.
And I think I paid too much.
But is beautiful.
Yup pedals are close in a VW pan based car. A nice pair of driving shoes helps.
Speedster seats don't recline and hug your butt. Porsche 914 seat bases can be used to give a 3" or so tilt back.
And not much heat for guy PO in Alaska. We can help you spend even more $$$ too.
Lots of us have "Miata" seats too. These are adjustable and can give you a preferred angle for your back.
Lots of us have "Miata" seats too. These are adjustable and can give you a preferred angle for your back.
Will Miata seats fit a Vintage Speedster?
Any particular years?
Tom, post some images of your new full time hobby. And welcome to the maddness.
Ditto the Big Foot pedal spacer thing. Works great. And you would be surprised at how quickly your feet/legs will adapt to the way the VW pedals are. Miata seats are supposed to be the best upgrades, I am told. If fit a Vintage, I can't say -- but someone here surely will.
Needs some specs on the engine, and as stated above, some pics will help a lot. I am sure that there would be a lot folks here that have "been there, done that" w/ every problem you have. If you are willing to tinker, and aren't afraid to use a wrench, I think you'll be well into the Madness soon enough.. Welcome to it!!
Tom- As other people have said,Welcome to the Madness! And as Kelly said, we need pics and let's hear some specs- engine size, what's in it for camshaft, heads and valve sizes, carburetors (or if you don't have that info, how high does it rev to with power?) Discs all the way around or just in front? Tire sizes? Did I mention we need pics?
These things need to know, Yoda does!
And it sounds like you're already hooked...
... wrt "hooked", as I read the initial post, I thought, Uh-oh, here's a guy w/ serious buyer's remorse, looking to unload. And then at the end of his list came "It's beautiful", and I said, "Nope, he has the Madness."
We will giterdone, one way or the other, and this new devotee will be all SEG up and down the road. Fer sure . . .
Welcome!
A speedster from Alaska, bet it was the only one and has very low miles.
It's a blast once you get it all sorted and running like a top!
Aloha!
You may well find that it has old ethanol gas in it which would gum up carburetor (s?) and cause it to run rough. Drain out old gas and refill with non-ethanol gas - or at least run a bottle of Chevron Techron FI cleaner or SeaFoam thru it to clean carbs. As a precaution I'd replace ALL the flexible fuel lines and clamps (and buy a big fire extinguisher).
Post photo of your seats - VS does make comfort seats. They are listed on their web site and are not that costly when you consider having to source and recover other seats. Some folks like the slotted bucket seats and are looking for them.
Tom---check your dialogs at the top of this page.
How do I post pictures to the thread?
I have a few that not great.
My car's eggshell white with tan interior.
Unfortunately, the black seats would not look good, I'm afraid.
Tom...my speedster used to be eggshell white with tan interior. You can easily change the colour of your black seats with SEM color coat paint.
How do I post pictures to the thread?
I have a few that not great.
My car's eggshell white with tan interior.
Unfortunately, the black seats would not look good, I'm afraid.
Tom - click on the 'Help' tab at top of page, then scroll down to 'Sharing Photo'.
driver's seat reclines too much.
damage around emblem connector.
If front seat reclines, you may want to check the bolts that attach the seat to the sliding rails! or the bolts that attache the rails to the floor boards. They may have come loose.
These seats should have a little flex, but they should not recline!
Beautiful car!
Lever next to the gear shifter? Or do you mean the lever next to the ebrake? The lever next to the ebrake opens the heater flaps.
Thermostat never moved? Are you sure it was fully warmed up? They can run cold (and not provide heat or a bump on the thermostat) if the engine thermosat flaps have been removed from the fan shroud.
Fuel Gauge that could be a product of how the sending unit is mounted. You'll need to open up the sending unit and see how the little float is performing. The tank sits at a slightly different angle than when it's in the donor car. It may not be able to register 'full'. I'd be more worried about it reading 'empty'.
Tach should be a simple fix. Check that it's wired up properly up under the dash and back in the engine compartment. There are some wires which go to the coil and what not. Check the resources tab for the owners manual. The CMC one should have a section on tach wiring.
Turn Signal: So there is a sweeper arm that should cancel out the signal from each direction. Check that the arm is on the back of the wheel/hub on the banjo wheel hub. If it's there then you will have to check to make sure your turn signal switch is assembled properly. There are two little cams that flip / rotate into place as you actuate the signal arm. These cams are what the sweeper arm hits to cancel the signal. The cams can sometimes get out of sync or not extend all the way. If the hub can't hit the cam, it doesn't cancel the signal.
Oil pressure light is normal.
Ted
They do indeed have an owner's manual - only 14 pages but some info there.
https://www.speedsterowners.com...7/VSOwnersManual.pdf
Do you have dual carbs? Probably NO chokes then and car has to warm up before they perform well. Blip gas a few times to warm up engine. If single carb? tTen it probably has a choke - if its wired up.
I've seen 914 seats with the head rest removed in a speedster before. They look great.
Ted
Ghia seats would sit too high and if mounted lower would be too wide for a VW pan based car. You only have 18-22" between center tunnel and door sills. The seats you have are darn near 914 seats. Tan ones are VS and the black are 914 with head rest cut off but old OEM covering. There are comfort style VS seats available.
Look for a VW T1 Bentley service manual for engine and suspension info.
I've seen 914 seats with the head rest removed in a speedster before. They look great.
Ted
Why cut the head rests off?
Wouldn't the head rests be safer?
That's one of 'em. The Muir book (http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Vol...p-Step/dp/1566913101) is the other one you'll want. If you have Weber carbs you'll want http://www.amazon.com/The-Webe...une-up/dp/B000KRDBWC.
regarding the 914 seats, it's really personal preference.
With the headrests removed the seats look like really well updated speedster seats. With the headrests on the seats, the car starts to look like your running updated dune buggy seats.
If you're worried about safety, you may want to get a Volvo. All kidding aside, the safety issue comes up a lot. Again, that goes back to personal preference. When a buddy and I started flying acrobatics back in early 2000, my buddies wife bought him a nice parachute. My wife upped my life insurance.
Enjoy the car, it's a beauty.
Ted
Ditto the Big Foot pedal spacer thing. Works great.
I've searched the forum for "big foot pedals" and have not found anything.
Can you point to a thread or a link?
Tan ones are VS .... There are comfort style VS seats available.
These are different than my VS seats.
Are they the Comfy Seat?
Are they actually more comfy than the slotted seats in my car?
http://www.ompamerica.com/category.php?cPath=24_45
I bought these and with all of those holes, it allowed me to mount spaced for feet.
The bolt-on billet cover (like Art pictured) are better that the chrome/black rubber clip on ones VS use but not the "big foot" fix which changes the pedel shaft for a wider one.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...etail.php?id=1340666
Txs Greg -- that's what I got. Very clever.
Ordered today.
Thanks.
