Nuts missing?

There are captive threads cut into the heavy steel rear shock support arms.  Looks like someone just used longer bolts to pull the cap back on after adjusting the torsion spring bars.

Ok good, was a bit worried. Thanks!!!

Better safe than sorry.

Severe case of Charlie Brown pantophobia!

Talked to Kirk today at VS. He sold his business to Vintage Motor Cars out of Phoenix.  Is this old news and I'm just catching up ?    Kirk said they will be staying in Hawaiian Gardens Ca and will have all the same employees. He said he's only working 2 hrs a day now. Does anyone have anything to add to this info ?   For me this is a sad departure. I have known Kirk for a long time and will miss him when the torch totally passes. He has been in the business for a long time and turned out thousands of Speedsters over the years. Starting with a hobby and a passion and moving upward and onward to a way of life with prosperous results all along the way. He had a vision that was ambitious and rewarding....Our "Madness" will not be the same in the future. I know that there are some out there that may have negative memories about their experiences with Vintage Speedsters in general but overall, I think he did an honorable job in producing a great and fun car which many of us are and will continue to enjoy for years to come...............Respectfully............Aircooled Bruce

Hey Bruce, I spoke to Justin when I first got my car about a month ago and he mentioned that Kirk was retiring and I believe he would be taking over. Never met Kirk but Justin is an awesome guy to work with and 100% believe the company is in great hands!

Thank you for that James. Are you saying that Justin will be one of the new owners ? Is Justin a long time member of this site ? I wonder if Justin is the guy who, in the past, has responded to some of my comments/questions with an engineer-like demeanor which impressed me to think he was someone who is very well informed.......Bruce

Not sure Bruce, but based on my conversation with him it sounded like he was taking over. I am sure there are more educated folks on this site that know more details. Justin certainly knows his stuff and is a stand up guy in my book. 

A few months ago when I ordered a bunch of parts Kirk mentioned that the deal was being hammered but I decided not to mention it so as not to let the cat out of the bag.  I can't believe I've been buying speedster parts for 19 years from VS.                    I do wish Kirk and Mary well as well as conveying to Justin much success in continuing the Vintage Speedster product. 

Alan Merklin posted:

A few months ago when I ordered a bunch of parts Kirk mentioned that the deal was being hammered but I decided not to mention it so as not to let the cat out of the bag.  I can't believe I've been buying speedster parts for 19 years from VS.                    I do wish Kirk and Mary well as well as conveying to Justin much success in continuing the Vintage Speedster product. 

Same boat as Alan... I heard about this deal and it's completion a while ago, but decided not to mention it until Kirk and/or Justin felt comfortable to share...

WOLFGANG posted:

There are captive threads cut into the heavy steel rear shock support arms.  Looks like someone just used longer bolts to pull the cap back on after adjusting the torsion spring bars.

Kirk likes to use the black OEM bushings which do not fit the adjustable spring plate properly. He HATES the red urethane bushing people typically use with the adjustable spring plates. His guys use the longer bolts to help pull the cover and bushing in place.

I had a HELL of a time using the OEM bushing and stock length bolts when building my Speedster because I was adamant on NOT using the red urethane bushings... didn't think to use longer bolts until AFTER I finished and talked to Kirk... LOL! The things we learn...

Bruce, you get the December award for thread-drift!

and here I thought we lost some of our members as the post title alluded to...

The longer end cap bolts are a mechanic's trick from back in the '60's.  I have a set of longer bolts kicking around, all taped together with "Long Torsion Bar Cap Bolts" written on the masking tape, just so I can find them when I need them.  Once you got the end cap on with the longer bolts (assuming you're using the black rubber torsion bar bushings and needed to pull the cap in) you would usually replace them, one at time, with the normal-length bolts.  Leaving the longer bolts in there was perfectly acceptable, except that they stuck out beyond the threaded casting and no respectable German mechanic would ever allow that.

...but Nichols isn't German so leave the long ones in...

(that's what she said)...

I've known for several months, but was told there would be an official announcement about it so I didn't mention it.

I spoke to Justin at length about it in October and he's a very straight up guy.  We spoke about all the things that people like and dislike about Vintage and he definitely has his finger on the pulse of what needs to change at Vintage.  One of the BIG concerns that he mentioned was to do two cold start test drives of every car prior to leaving the factory.

I'm sure you will be hearing more from him very soon.

@Justin

And, yes he is the same person who was reported to have purchased Vintage a few years ago.

Best wishes for the new owner. A few tweaks to the QC process, and 95% of the problems with buying a car from Vintage Speedsters would evaporate overnight. 

Alice and I had lunch with Kirk and Mary on a quick stopover at LAX this  past fall and learned of their sale to Justin.  If you call Vintage today Justin answers in Phoenix.

The Duncans have done what no one else will ever be able to do which is the sheer volume of units delivered.  Although I bought my Speedster from a previous buyer who put only a couple hundred miles on it, I have been treated like royalty by Kirk and Mary who were super helpful and supportive through the really multi-year sorting and improvement process.  Advice, tips, help with parts and troubleshooting and great friendship were always forthcoming.  The fact that this will be our eleventh Carlisle in a row --a 2,500 mile round trip, attests to the ability of the car to go without what Jake calls "unscheduled maintenance".  Not speaking for Jimmy but his first VS was a daily driver with over 50-60k miles on it until it was wrecked and what did he spring for after that but his second VS and he drives it every day.  I now have had my VS for 12 years and it looks and runs better than the day it was built.  I really love my Speedster---too much, I think.  After 12 years I still slip into the 3rd garage bay and just sneak a little peek like I know  every one of you crazy SOC friends do the same thing too!

Yes, from many years reading SOC posts and personal experience. some test drives and sorting before delivery should be done.  No way I'd pick one up at the factory and drive it to AR before I knew the car, but one other high dollar brand Speedster that was picked up at the factory, broke down on the way from Knoxville to CA and failed to complete the trip. No doubt every brand at one time or another has had a ride on a flatbed to get it back on the road.  You have to know a car to be able to trust it and driving it away from the seller is not "knowing " it.

We all wish Justin the very best with the business going forward---Kirk will stay there for a  transition period, which tells me a lot about Justin being a very smart businessman.   I don't know Justin's plans and am very excited and looking forward to hear the official announcement, but I'm betting that QC will be instituted and pre-sorting will be done as a priority as Stan suggests and Justin already knows because he was first a Vintage Speedster owner himself.  Personally, I'd love to see the intro of a coupe, and maybe even some Suby power for the VS brand.  Maybe a waterproof Speedster.  (I can dream. can't I?)

God speed to Kirk and Mary and Justin--we are all in your corner.  Best of success going forward!!  The economy is already at a 3.2?  growth rate after years of being stuck in the 2's, and the economy will surge even more as of January 1, 2018 so Justin's timing could not be better.  

The only thing Kirk could have done better is to get me to broker the sale of his business!

My 2 cents.  

Justin told me he answers calls to one number and Kirk answers to the other number, but that may have changed.  He also said that there are no plans to move the shop.

I think adding Gordon's New Car Pickup Check List - with VS staff initialing next to each that it was indeed checked would help significantly in approving there product.  Then someone sign off on that card. Those with no recalls - get year end bonus!

Also follow Edward Deming's 1980 philosophy (put a poster on wall to start). It pushed the Japanese to forefront in car reliability. Deming’s 14 Points are as follows:

1. Create constancy of purpose for improving products and services.
2. Adopt the new philosophy.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality.
4. End the practice of awarding business on price alone; instead, minimize total cost by working with a single supplier.
5. Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production and service.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Adopt and institute leadership.
8. Drive out fear.
9. Break down barriers between staff areas.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the workforce.
11. Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for management.
12. Remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship, and eliminate the annual rating or merit system.
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone.
14. Put everybody in the company to work accomplishing the transformation.

Justin in AZ  562 402 4334 .............( old VS phone #)

Kirk, Mary, Cathy @VS in CA   562 865 2814

@Theron

Theron.  You might want to move the Vintage discussion to whole new thread with an appropriate title.  It's pretty significant information that is buried in this thread and may not be seen by many of the members who aren't concerned about their nuts being missing. 

Don't discount the fact if your nuts are missing

An important fact that every man should be aware of

Troy Sloan posted:

@Theron

Theron.  You might want to move the Vintage discussion to whole new thread with an appropriate title.  It's pretty significant information that is buried in this thread and may not be seen by many of the members who aren't concerned about their nuts being missing. 

Thanks Troy, I moved the initial reply to a new thread here. https://www.speedsterowners.co...ers-ownership-change

Unfortunately I can't move the replies to join them.  
Please reply to "nuts" thread here and VS thread accordingly.
thanks
-=theron

And don't get your Nuts cross-threaded on your VS thread (or something like that).

I was honestly waiting for someone to mention James removing his 36mm castellated nuts on his other brake thread!

F that nut.  Stupid thing cost be half a day and 100 bucks. But that torque multiplier will come in handy in the future I suppose. 

I like those Torque Multipliers. Where did you pick it up?

T

I got mine from a local VW place , but it is an EMPI one. You do have to supply 12mm 1.5 pitch bolts x 30mm long if you have a 5 stud wheel. The lugnuts aren't long enough. 

David---I believe your point was that the Japanese fully embraced the Deming philosophy and made it their guideline while the Detroit  bosses didn't.  The bosses, who had only a short time before they could bail out and collect their golden parachutes,  were far too easy to give in to union demands for higher and higher wages and at the same time, lower and lower hourly work weeks  because they were 'short timers" with only the goal of collecting their adios money.  The unions of course "won" victory after victory and concession after concession and that winning streak finally killed the goose who laid the golden eggs.  If you can call that "winning".   They won the demise of Detroit---just look at the place today.  The name should be changed to "Union City".

Shudda listened to Deming,  wouldda  done better, couldda saved Detroit.

I THINK THAT ALL OF US ARE PRETTY MUCH A "WING NUT" QITH NO CONNECTION BUT HERE ON SOC.........BRUCE

What's for breakfast?

Grapenuts.......