Orange speedster, gorgeous!

Well, our Speedster started it's life last Friday with a coat or two of VW-Audi Harvest Moon Beige paint. Kirk sent us photos Monday of the pan with 4-wheel disc brakes and our 4:12 tranny and one of the boys starting the upholstery. He called this morning (Wednesday) letting me know they'd finish the upholstery today and start on the motor-build today. Then he told me it might be done by the weekend!

 

Waiting to book our train from SLO to Anaheim where Kirk said they'd pick Kathy and I up, it sounds like it could be as soon as next Monday, wow!

 

Our plan is to drive west from the factory/shop and take Highway 1 up the coast to Santa Barbara where we'll spend the night before a leisurely putt home to Atascadero.

I wouldn't rush him.  You want the new paint to dry thoroughly (it used to take 30 days unless heat lamps were used to bake it).  Unless they put 50 or more miles on it, I'd stick close by for the week.  There's are always adjustments that can easily be made by them at their shop. Whoohoo - and best of luck with it.  Be sure to capture that first SEG!

I was just in their shop. I think that was the car that got hit with the forklift. They are patching it up now.

Such a nice guy...

Wolfgang (can I call you Wolfie? Not in a weird way!), I'm just going off what Kirk told me this morning,of course,if Rusty can be trusted, and I don't think he can, they'll have to 're-paint it...ORANGE!!!

Oh, BTW what's an SEG?
TSM

(Thanks so much)

Look out for that Rusty character; he probably did it himself! I've also heard he's generous to a fault; if you ask him nicely, he may even pay for the color change...

 

SEG- Sh!t Eating Grin

SEG = smile.  Darn if it had been Orange - the fork lift driver would have easily seen it and not run into it!

You guys are too much, this is why I enjoy this forum so much...that and the main subject-matter: fast little cars!

I would certainly do a few days of driving then go back and get the issues sorted out. And, you will have issues even if small that they can fix in a jiffy rather than you try to sort it out. my 2 shekels.

Looking forward to seeing the final color...  

Caretech (Jim?),we live 200+miles north so just popping back in is a major undertaking.That said, if there are issues, I will definitely drive back down if they warrant that.

Devin, me too, the photos Kirk has sent so far (2) make it look like an art deco refrigerator laying on it's back...dazzling Kenmore white.

All will agree - These are custom hand built cars.  As soon as they are complete the builder wants then out of the shop and paid for in full.  Many of the component parts come from different sources and those sources may vary from build to build.  There are some crappy parts out there (most lambast EMPI - although they make a few quality parts).  Some have actually asked to have 100 miles put on their car - only to have them delivered with 20 or so.  So many don't get much of a shake down test before being delivered!  Imagine the difficulty returning a car on the East Coast for warranty work!  At least at 200 miles, you can attach to tow bar and haul it back in 1/2 a day. I'd drive it around town for few days - checking for squeaks, leaks and smells - leave yourself Thursday or Friday to have those tended to - then head home Saturday. 

Wolfie, there's wisdom in your words, maybe we'll force ourselves to ingest a couple days of Bejing-like air so as to wring out any problems. We'll be the couple in a white speedster wearing respirators...

Will, your nearly next door compared to my distance from my builder.  I still would take a few days to sort things out... put on as many miles as you can in the city and on the highway. .... Ray 

 

Will, when I got my VS two years ago, I had the romantic notion of picking up the car of my dreams, with my bride of 30 years by my side, and heading off into the sunset, up the Pacific Coast Highway, through Santa Barbara, Big Sur, and Monterey, on a 400-mile journey back home.

 

But then I started thinking that this was a hand-built car, made of thousands of replica parts, and hastily assembled by the lowest bidder. I opted to have the car shipped home.

 

In retrospect, it was a decision that may have saved my marriage.

 

 

Sacto Mitch, Impressive, most impressive... 

Will,

 

Words of wisdom indeed from Greg, Ray, Sacto Mitch, and everyone on this forum that concurs...and that's everyone!

 

Past history on the forum has heart breaking stories that range from disappointment to totally shattered dreams of new builds delivered thousands of miles away... and in desperate needs of sorting. 

Looking good, Will! Do you know the make/model and size of the tires? Love the tread pattern. Al

Good advice here, based on past experiences with many of these cars.  Do a couple hundred miles close to the shop, then have any small or large issues fixed.

 

Any one of these cars that gets started on a Monday, then finished the next Monday, is likely to have some issues that have not been rectified.

 

Best of luck, and enjoy that vehicle, but get it sorted out before you head home.

 

I've built quite a few cars over the years, from streetrods to gassers and I can say ditto to what was posted above.

Every car I've built has taken time to do the 'new build shakedown' to work out the bugs and I've never had one that didn't have some bugs and never taken any of them on a long cruise until I'm sure everything, and I mean everything, works as it should and I've put a couple of hundred miles on it. Believe me there will always be something on a new car build, no matter the builder, that for one reason or another will crap out on you and usually it will be at the most inopportune moment...there is nothing worse than to have a breakdown miles from home or  immediate help, especially with a new build Speedster as they are rather rare and their drivetrain is rather specialized in that they use vintage VW components...where I live in NO Co there is not a vintage VW repair shop within 85 miles...imagine having a breakdown near Nowheresville and not being able to get your car fixed... 

We've decided to spend 2 days in Los Angeles to hopefully wring-out any bugs in the Speedster. My brother recommended Highway 2 up into the San Gabriel mountains as a nice drive. Do any of you locals have other roads/drives you can recommend? Also, can you recommend any nearby motels/hotels, maybe on the coast or out near the mountains?

 

We'll certainly have the oil and filter changed at 100 or 200 miles, any shop recommendations? I know there are many VW motor builders and hot-rodders in the area. That would be a good time for a third party assessment of the running gear et/all.

 

Kirk sent us this picture this morning.

Al, I have no idea which brand of tire, nor the size, width or height of them, leaving that up to Kirk. Assuming they're on 15" 5-bolt rims...

Make SURE you get a 4 wheel alignment and check the brakes out really well.  I know this from experience. Also check thoroughly for oil leaks.

Looks like 4 lug chrome rims in front - hopefully same in rear. Hope you don't get the Wide-5 strain of the Madness --- its costly.

 

Buy extra fan belt, white fire extinguisher and flat-fix (unless it comes with spare) - check for jack.  I'd have extra can of oil too. Safe trip home with it!

@ Wolfgang

 

Not to get off topic from Will's beautiful Speedster but why a white fire extinguisher? Is it a different type of agent?

when did VW switch from 5 lug to 4? I forgot when that happened...

 

...oil leaks, since when did a Type 1 engine ever leak?...

 

good suggestion on the flat fixer, just used the wifey's on my daughter-in-law's van last week, worked great on the hole an 8 penny nail left in her tire

 

alignment, if it needs an alignment, I will have Kirk pay for that as it damn well better be aligned perfectly when I take delivery (do I hear snickering in the background?)

 

And yes, why the "white" fire extinguisher? Though it might go with the "decor" well.

careful on route 2 that is where Bill flipped his speedster

1968 was the first year for the 4x130mm wheel bolt pattern in beetles

Al, funny, as I asked that question, 1968 came into my mind. I built an 1800cc for a tan '68 which was a smokin' great car and had 4 bolt rims...ahh the good old days (daze!)

Gerd, ...flip a Speedster?! You gotta be tryin'!

 

Will,

 

Hwy 2 may not be your best bet to shake things out. From Kirks place just get on the 605 North to the 210 West and take a drive through Pasadena, CA. Take a look at a map and stay close to civilization. The 2 will be close by if you want to take that.

 

If the car is doing well... uhm ... I have low expectations... then try taking the 210 to the 134 (Stay away from the 2 - go past!) to the 101 North. From here you can go to the 405 South to the 10 West and hit Santa Monica and the beach! Before you do that though look for the Laurel Canyon exit off of the 101 and take a short drive over the top and down to The Canyon Store. Jim Morrison and many 60's rock stars hung out there as do many of todays celebs. You can get a sandwich and something cold to drink, check the oil and other things. Just look at a map there is so much to do. You will find more economical lodging inland away from the beach.

 

Before you come out here create a topic on this site and check in letting us know what you are doing. If you run into trouble you can log onto this site and ask for help. There's a bunch of us here in SOCAL that could possibly help you if you get into trouble.

 

...If you are confident in your car then take the drive up the 2 and into the mountains (it may be a bit cooler)but go slow your first time out. We did lose somebody who hit a guard rail up there.

Also... I would ask Kirk to pack a lunch, some parts and tools, and follow you the whole way on Saturday. He has always done that for every customer on the weekends - he's such a great guy! Make sure you ask him and tell him I said so!

       
       

Actually... Gerd is telling the truth. Sad truth. It was well before my time around here, but from what I understand I was a freak accident which cost a good man and long time member his life.

Be safe out there.
Ted

 

As Ted says, there is some sad truth to this.

 

Swing axles - on any car - are notorious for this. Our VS Speedsters leave the shop with swing axles, no matter what year the original VW pan was. Kirk converts even IRS pans back to swing axles.

 

Our cars have been lowered and stiffened from the stock VW setup, making them feel flat through the corners up to the limit. But at the limit, things can let go in a hurry, beyond a driver's ability to 'catch' the drift with the steering. 

 

The situation is made worse if you're still braking going into the corner or on a rough surface that gets the rear end bouncing up and down. Then, as you can see in this photo, it's all too easy for the rear wheels to tuck under the car, and once that happens, a flip is very likely.

 

There's much that can be done to improve things, but out of the box, VS handling is state of the art for 1958. 

 

When you're new to the Speedster, take it very easy until you learn where the limits are - both yours and the car's.

 

 

 

 

 

You might consider having VS install a front anti-sway bar and rear camber compensator while they are in the assembly stage.  Not very expensive, but money well spent.  It is something you would want to do in the near future anyway.

 

 

You guys bring up a very valid point, especially for those that are new to the VW/Porsche rear engine'd lay out. As Tom mentioned, a front sway bar and a rear camber compensator will civilize the handling of a swingaxle car. And learn to brake before the corner, and then accelerate through! Your foot being still on the brake as you're entering the corner is the first part of this recipe for disaster. When in the above situation, 9 times out of 10 the car will swap ends once or twice, hopefully you didn't hit anything, you check the seat underneath you (at least you do if you spin around a couple of times around a mountain corner, come to a stop and you haven't hit the mountain or fallen off the edge! And don't ask...) and go on your merry way. But there's always that 1 time, and without a solid roof or roll bar, it will be ugly. The camber compensator doesn't let the rear suspension unload that far. Al

I know the purist who want an exact replica might go with a swing axle but in reality IRS is so much better and you can put sway bars on the front and rear as well. 

I don't know why your builder doesn't offer you that option. my 2 shekels