Hi again guys, I just got home with this speedster and it looks like it could use a new top, windows and small rear boot. I was told vintage speedsters might be an option, any other recommendations? Also mirrors arent tight and spin is there a way to tighter or once they get like that you need new ones?
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Not Vintage Speedsters, get those things from Vintage Motorcars of California. (562) 584-9018
Look at the back side of the mirrors and you will see a small chrome screw that has small holes in it. Put a small nail in one of those holes and turn it clockwise to tighten the mirror.
You seem to know everything about my car, thank you. I will call them. Also doors do not open from outside anymore only inside is that an adjustment my mechanic will know or do i need to order parts? On the side windows do people usually just have new plexiglass made if they are cracked or do you order them?
Vintage Motorcars of California or Beck - Special Edition in Bremen IN. IMHO dragging your car to a mechanic, your affection for a Speedster will be a frustrating short romance and costly . Do learn to do the work yourself, there is a lot of help here that can walk you through most issues.
Has anyone swapped out those headlights for something brighter? Rough 17 hour drive last night, 8 hours in heavy rains going 30-40mph.
You drove that car for the first time for 17 hours, at night, through heavy rain? WOW! Welcome to the Madness for sure!!!
@John Bungen posted:Has anyone swapped out those headlights for something brighter? Rough 17 hour drive last night, 8 hours in heavy rains going 30-40mph.
I would say your initiation into the madness has been firmly cemented.
As far as the doors not opening from the outside it could be an adjustment or it may mean replacing the door handle assembly. To know for sure you'll need to remove the interior door card so you can inspect the hidden mechanicals of the door handle assembly. You might be able to do this without removing the interior door handle but it would be far easier if you did.
It is easier to remove the door handle first, then the door card. To remove the interior door handle you will need to push in on the door card where it surrounds the interior door handle and push out the pin securing the interior door handle to the spindle. This can be done with a small punch or a nail if that is all you have. To remove the door card you have to undo the screws holding the door sill topper. You will also have to undo the screws that secure the door card. Once everything is removed inspect the interior mechanicals of the exterior door handle and see if you can determine why it isn't operating properly.
@John Bungen posted:Has anyone swapped out those headlights for something brighter? Rough 17 hour drive last night, 8 hours in heavy rains going 30-40mph.
It's possible to upgrade to an H4 bulb without too much additional work. The best bet though is to install relays for the headlights so the relay takes the majority of the electrical load so your wiring doesn't melt. Currently your cheap chinese headlight switch is handling all of the electrical load and won't hold up for long with brighter bulbs as the switch will get hot and burn up. Adding relays might be something you should get help with if your skills aren't at that level.
@John Bungen posted:You seem to know everything about my car, thank you. I will call them. Also doors do not open from outside anymore only inside is that an adjustment my mechanic will know or do i need to order parts? On the side windows do people usually just have new plexiglass made if they are cracked or do you order them?
It would be easiest to have an upholstery shop replace the plastic windows in your side curtains. That is something any upholstery shop can do.
@Troy Sloan posted:You drove that car for the first time for 17 hours, at night, through heavy rain? WOW! Welcome to the Madness for sure!!!
I think he’s got my Bremen-NYC in late September with no top, heat, or windshield wipers record beat!
I saw vintage has the small boot, top, soft cloth windows/pins. Does anyone have the soft cloth windows from them vs the plexiglass ones i have to rebuild? Car also started leaking after i parked in garage was told it might need gaskets on sump plate.
With the 1641cc motor one carb, what is your rpm range you run at usually and heat no the gauge to start watching at? It has four speed, seemed ok at 60-70ish but like there as more but wasnt sure what to do there so figured best to lay low. Plus half the trip was like 30 mph in tennessee. Went from Detroit airport, uber to savannah/ohio then left 11am and arrived in orlando 730 amp this morning. Seems it has like 7 gallon tank if you fill around quarter tank.
Top damage photos
These got really expensive and hard to find for a while, but most online sources have them again for ~$65/light. I got mine from Pelican Parts.
http://www.myhellalights.com/i...conversion-headlamp/
It wouldnt let me upload videos, too large i guess. I stopped at harbor freight and bought duct tape and a bunch of packs of towels to try to stop the bleeding and wear on my head as the top just leaked in various middle areas. A little towel rotation to keep a little sane. It was fun and I survived but im not sure my wife would appreciate such things so I need to bring the level up a bit.
Does your Speedster have standard VDO reproduction gauges? Running temp should be 12:00 high. Pulling a grade in 4th it will start towards the top. If it approaches the left side of the solid white kind before the red you need to slow down, speed up, or shift to a lower gear. If it hits that line, you need to figure out what’s wrong, keeping in mind that once you turn the engine off it will get hotter due to the absence of airflow.
Cruising range on my motor is 3750-4250.
VW, like Triumphs, “mark their territory.” Like my Porsche mechanic used to tell me, “$10K rebuild or $8qt of oil. You decide.”
Flattened cardboard boxes make excellent drip pans. Worry about your gaskets next time you change your oil. And DON’T waste time with the copper washers and crown nuts you have now. THOW THEM AWAY. A new set is like $10. And don’t use regular nuts. Oil will migrate down the threads as there is no copper washer to stop it.
It has circle ones say reproduction. I was running 210 to 230 i think but wasnt sure if i could rpm about 3500 so good to know you go to 4250 i could get 75-80 on those highways then vs everyone passing me but people are staring either way. Yeah, i put a cardboard box. I dont know about the copper washers and nuts I just bought it. I will have the shop do oil and valves every 3k or whatever i do not have any equipment for that and its good they lay eyes on it a couple times a year and look for anything out of place. I didnt use any oil in the 1170 miles yesterday either but then the little oil on the floor.
I used a couple bluetooth speakers i used on my ebikes when i demo the bikes to my customers but they got drowned out with top down so I was thinking just a bluetooth boom box bigger one for behind seats before getting all surgical with the doors and dash and everything.
@John Bungen posted:I used a couple bluetooth speakers i used on my ebikes when i demo the bikes to my customers but they got drowned out with top down so I was thinking just a bluetooth boom box bigger one for behind seats before getting all surgical with the doors and dash and everything.
Just wear earplugs. Believe me, after 30 years of riding motorcycles, the tinnitus ain’t worth it.
@John Bungen posted:It has circle ones say reproduction. I was running 210 to 230 i think but wasnt sure if i could rpm about 3500 so good to know you go to 4250 i could get 75-80 on those highways then vs everyone passing me but people are staring either way. Yeah, i put a cardboard box. I dont know about the copper washers and nuts I just bought it. I will have the shop do oil and valves every 3k or whatever i do not have any equipment for that and its good they lay eyes on it a couple times a year and look for anything out of place. I didnt use any oil in the 1170 miles yesterday either but then the little oil on the floor.
I have no idea what those gauges would read. I was assuming normal VDO/VDO repro gauges.
If they’re accurate, you’d want your oil between 220-260. Maybe as high as 280. Most oil starts to fail around 300, I wouldn’t want an air cooled motor to run anywhere near that.
FWIW, you can get a cheaper IR thermometer at Harbor Freight ir Amazon and see how your gauge relates to external temperature on your engine.
@dlearl476 posted:Just wear earplugs. Believe me, after 30 years of riding motorcycles, the tinnitus ain’t worth it.
Preach brother....me too
@dlearl476 when you switched to those headlights did you have to change wiring or relays or just change bulbs?
@John Bungen posted:@dlearl476 when you switched to those headlights did you have to change wiring or relays or just change bulbs?
No. The H4 bulb plug is the same 3 prong plug as a sealed beam. The conversation is just a sealed beam headlight with a place for a replaceable H4 bulb in the back.
In case you didn’t know, don’t touch the H4 bulb with your bare hand. The oils from your fingers will cause the bulb to burn out.
And if you’ve never changed a VW headlight before, pay close attention to the orientation of the clips before you take it apart. It’s a little fiddly, but pretty easy once you understand how it all goes together. And I’d advise working on a soft towel on a bench. It’s really easy to drop the headlight or the cover and if it hits the ground, it’s back to the drawing board. (Or Amazon, really)
I couldn’t get the rubber seal to fit properly under the plug, so I just cut it out with a razor knife.
When Beck built my Coupe I asked Carey to make all of the lights LED, which he did. They are BRIGHT!!! That's the expensive but most effective way to go. H4s are better than sealed beams for sure, as well as much cheaper than LEDs, but you might also want to check the wiring. If the switch is directly wired to the lights I believe that can reduce effectiveness as well. Putting in a really can help, and will certainly extend the life of your switch.
As for the side windows, the plexiglas/lexan/acrylic windows are fiddly to fit and seal, but can be a LOT better than the soft side curtains. The hard windows provide much better visibility and can be made to seal much better as well. You can add a round aircraft vent to them to allow some airflow when you run with them installed. This is all my opinion, of course.
I have these Hella 
euro lights I like the curvature of the light it matches the bodies curve and I use H4 bulbs 70/100 or 80/100
now You could get a good LED bulb that duplicates the H4 light pattern and still use these buckets to focus the light ahead.
Remember that not all LED’s are built well or in relation to the reflector and the focus of the bucket and of course you need relays and proper wiring.
Oops! I meant to type "Putting in a relay can help..."
DOH!
@Troy Sloan thanks for vintage info, just ordered new top, boot, lock something fasteners and some other stuff, good deal it seams, nice people.
Umm, on the oil temperature, I wouldn't go over 220F, 240 TOPS. 180F is just hot enough to burn off water and impurities. I have a 190 oil thermostat on mine FYI. Ideally, I'd want it to run 190-200.
I really don't care if the manufacturers say it's good to 300.
After the oil hits 220, the cylinder head temp is probably up there too. There comes a point with oil temperature where you won't be able to hold it down, it will run away hotter and hotter. You don't want to cook your motor.
Do you guys notice the hood front and rear pop latch pull knobs are super hard to pull? Is there a trick there or just man up and pull to purple finger levels?
@Lane Anderson posted:When Beck built my Coupe I asked Carey to make all of the lights LED, which he did. They are BRIGHT!!! That's the expensive but most effective way to go. H4s are better than sealed beams for sure, as well as much cheaper than LEDs, but you might also want to check the wiring. If the switch is directly wired to the lights I believe that can reduce effectiveness as well. Putting in a really RELAY can help, and will certainly extend the life of your switch.
As for the side windows, the plexiglas/lexan/acrylic windows are fiddly to fit and seal, but can be a LOT better than the soft side curtains. The hard windows provide much better visibility and can be made to seal much better as well. You can add a round aircraft vent to them to allow some airflow when you run with them installed. This is all my opinion, of course.
Fixed it.
@John Bungen posted:Do you guys notice the hood front and rear pop latch pull knobs are super hard to pull? Is there a trick there or just man up and pull to purple finger levels?
Some have had success with removing the cables and lubricating everything up real nice and reassembling. Otherwise by a hand exerciser and get busy strengthening that grip. LOL
Cool dash plaque!
230F is high oil temp for a VW but your gauge is probably just reading high. A long stem candy thermometer or similar can tell you if that's the case. Buy one, calibrate it in a pan of boiling water then run your car up to temp and replace the dipstick with the thermometer. Check the reading there against the gauge on your dash.
@John Bungen posted:Do you guys notice the hood front and rear pop latch pull knobs are super hard to pull? Is there a trick there or just man up and pull to purple finger levels?
When I was doing the rebuild on my IM, I replaced both the hood and deck lid releases with something like this:
@John Bungen posted:Has anyone swapped out those headlights for something brighter? Rough 17 hour drive last night, 8 hours in heavy rains going 30-40mph.
@John Bungen posted:I didnt use any oil in the 1170 miles yesterday
I really, really like this guy. You go, John Bungen!
Stud. Muffin.
.
John, congratulations on the new car, and on surviving your first long distance endurance test. It sounds like neither rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay you from the completion of your appointed task.
Which is a healthy attitude if you're ever going to make peace with a Speedster.
You've got your plate full with repairs and upgrades, but nothing you've mentioned so far sounds serious - or even unusual on an older car. Take them one at a time and eventually they will all get resolved.
You're getting good advice, but I think Ed's suggestion about the candy thermometer may be the first thing to do. You first need to know what that oil temp gauge on the dash is really telling you, and sticking a calibrated thermometer directly down into the sump is a pretty simple way to go. If your oil does actually turn out to be running hot, there are fixes for that.
The hood and trunk releases can be a LITTLE stiff, but they should move pretty easily. Sometimes the cables bind up, but start by checking the latches themselves to make sure they're moving freely. They need to be greased periodically. If the front cable fails, you can still pop the latch from under the car - but NOT the engine deck lid, so make sure that's working smoothly. You should be able to figure out how just by looking at it.
The first long drive in a Speedster is usually the worst. If you're still smiling after that, you're probably going to make it.
Cheers!
.
@John Bungen posted:Do you guys notice the hood front and rear pop latch pull knobs are super hard to pull? Is there a trick there or just man up and pull to purple finger levels?
Every time I think of it (2-3 times a year) I blast a little Tri-Flow in the end of my cable. After two years, it’s probably 50% easier to operate than when I bought my car.
Kind of sucks but without removing it from the car, you’re kind of forced to settle for osmosis.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.The first long drive in a Speedster is usually the worst. If you're still smiling after that, you're probably going to make it.
This. I lost the belt driving 150mi home through California’s central valley heat. I didn’t know at the time how close I was to disaster. Somehow I made it, but I’ve thought about how that first experience could’ve gone so wrong. Here’s to many more miles of smiles for all of us in our little cars. Congratulations John!
@John Bungen posted:@DannyP i ran that trip last night 3k to 3500 and saw the heat get up to line below 230 up hills but never higher as i wasnt sure my parameters
Aftermarket gauges are not known for their accuracy- have you calibrated your gauge/sender? As Ed mentioned, a candy thermometer will tell you exactly how hot the oil (and engine) is getting, and you can dip the sender in boiling water to see where 212° reads on the gauge. Out on the road, a couple drops of water (and I do mean small drops) on the case tells a lot- if they sizzle your engine's too hot! A hand on the cylinder cover will tell the same thing- if you can't leave it there for more than a second or 2 you have overheating problems.
As @DannyP mentioned above, 220- 225° is about the limit, and you certainly don't want your oil to be going past 230° (ever). The sweet spot is 190-200 or 205°. The oil may handle 260, 280 or even 300° but- Gene Berg, after reading up on magnesium's technical design parameters "was surprised at how fragile the magnesium used for case material is", and stated that "running an engine this hot, even occasionally will seriously compromise case strength- these temps are simply beyond the material's capabilities. An engine case that's been overheated more than just once or twice will often not hold it's dimensions after line boring and should not be put back into service, and if used again will be down on power, run hot and the engine will have a very short life." I've seriously paraphrased here, but that's the gist of it.
You could get around this by using an aftermarket aluminum case which will not lose it's shape at these temps, but as Danny also mentioned, these conditions usually indicate high head temps- high oil/case temps are often just a symptom. Back in the early '80's someone i knew built a really nice 2 liter for his Beetle- Engle W125, 44 IDF's and properly ported 40x35 heads with 10:1 compression with a clean, low miles dual relief case. He said it ran a little warm but "went like stink". Again, it was the early '80's; unleaded gas formulations hadn't been perfected yet, the engine always ran hot and after 9800 miles valves were stretching, guides were loose in the heads and the engine wouldn't hold oil pressure. He turned a great engine into junk in less than 10,000 miles, all because he wouldn't listen to what it was trying to tell him.
People forget that these engines' primary cooling medium is air, and most Speedster engine compartments are somewhat restrictive. I think a lot of people's cooling problems could be solved with more airflow into (and through, to carry away the radiated heat from the shroud, cylinder covers, alternator and case) the engine compartment. If you think your engine runs a little too warm (even sometimes) put a remote thermometer on the fan shroud- temps more than a few degrees higher than ambient indicate more airflow into the engine compartment could be beneficial. Try driving around on a known route with the engine lid propped open 2-3"- a noticeable drop in temps indicates work is needed. A water manometer (clear aquarium tubing into a glass of water) tested at idle (engine lid closed and then open) and then at speed (with an assistant in the passenger seat) will also tell you what's going on, as noticeably low pressure in the engine compartment is also a sign the engine isn't getting enough air. Al
@ALB wrote: “ Gene Berg, after reading up on magnesium's technical design parameters "was surprised at how fragile the magnesium used for case material is", and stated that "running an engine this hot, even occasionally will seriously compromise case strength- these temps are simply beyond the material's capabilities.“
And that ^^ is why it is so hard, these days, to find a used case for an engine rebuild that is actually useable. Most of them are SO warped from overheating and stress that they’re junk.
I totally agree on the candy thermometer to test oil temp. Get one with a probe about as long as your regular dipstick below the stop cap. Right now, you have no clue how accurate your dash gauge is.
@John Bungen, if you become a supporting member you will be able to upload bigger image files.
