Re-building the Speedster again

Well I did not build it in the first place, but it's got so many "details" I am not happy with that I have thought about re-building it from the begining.

My plan is to build a new chasis (that is the part I really dislike the most about my speedster right now) from cero. It is a CMC now sitting on as 1342605*** VW 1303 1974 (Superbeetle).

My question is, if you would build a Speedster right now, what year chassis would you choose for the build? I already have all the parts necessary if I would choose to use a superbeetle again, is it better to do so? or should I go with an older car?

Thanks in advance.

Any chassis after 1969 (to get an IRS rear end. Forget the swing-axle rear - the IRS handles SO much better!!)

You do not want the "Super Beetle" MacPherson Strut front end, so watch out for that, but from 1969 - 1974, VW still built torsion bar front ends so look for one of those.

gn

I used a 74 w/shock towers and normally aspirated engine. Built FF/CMC in 1988, and was fine for 21 years till I found the rusted frame head.

"My question is, if you would build a Speedster right now, what year chassis would you choose for the build?"

What is it you don't like about current chassis. Can't see how going to another year will get you anything you don't have now. I could see going to a tube frame with modern suspension pieces - say to justify a super hot engine upgrade. Tube frame would also give you increased interior room. If you don't like the adapter to go from Super to std - just graft (weld) on the std front pieces. I could see adding 944/924 rear suspension pieces to your as a nice upgrade especially if you wanted 5 lug Porsche wheels.

Althought the older swing axels don't handle as well - they are more authentic to the original 356 design so if you're a purist that would be an approach --- with the wide 5 wheels, of course.

Spend your time and $ on adding disc brakes and sway bars --- and clean up the one you have now. Plus swapping the chassis out invalidates your registration which is most likely based on the chassis code (VIN equivalent).

After the mountain drives I had this weekend, I'm more than happy with my crude, old-fashioned swing axles. The car stuck like a leech on every curve.

"What is it you don't like about current chassis. Can't see how going to another year will get you anything you don't have now. I could see going to a tube frame with modern suspension pieces - say to justify a super hot engine upgrade. Tube frame would also give you increased interior room. If you don't like the adapter to go from Super to std - just graft (weld) on the std front pieces. I could see adding 944/924 rear suspension pieces to your as a nice upgrade especially if you wanted 5 lug Porsche wheels."

Problem with current chassis is that each wheel is facing its own way, whenever I hit a bump, the front tends to go one way and the rear another... not to mention that it is easier to take right turns than left ones... Every time I start driving the car I can hear the wheels "screaming" as they are not parallel to each other. I have taken the car to one of those places where they can fix this and the sensors on the machine could not see each other, they were able to fix somehow the front but they say the rears are not fixable (rear left wheel is in fact touching the body arc sometimes, as I can see the marks in the tyre) They have told me that the rear is not adjustable and that most likely the car has been involved in an accident. I haven't told them that in order to make this chassis it had to be cut and welded again, so my guess is that it was poorly done at the beginning. My thought is that it is probably easier to do everything from the very beginning better than trying to fix the current one.

"Althought the older swing axels don't handle as well - they are more authentic to the original 356 design so if you're a purist that would be an approach --- with the wide 5 wheels, of course.

Spend your time and $ on adding disc brakes and sway bars --- and clean up the one you have now. Plus swapping the chassis out invalidates your registration which is most likely based on the chassis code (VIN equivalent)."

I am not that purist to use swing axles if the IRS handles much better (you have to go underneath the car to notice it). Swapping the chassis won't be a problem as I registered the car with a VIN installed in the trunk area as the original used to have it. I already swapped to front discs but will certeanly add sway bars if it makes the car handles better.

My plan is to build a new chassis while keeping the Speedy with the current one, and as soon as I have the new chassis ready, then swap them during that winter, that way I will always have the car ready for the next spring.

Adding Front and rear sway bars will greatly flatten out your cornering and keep the wheels tracking truer. IRS in rear without creates some interesting handling on high speed corners (as one tire tucks in and other raises up. (Early real Posches including the 911 took totally different techniques than front engine rear drive sports cars).

Although a tire shop probably can't fix rear alignment - a chassis shop that handles wrecks surely could either by pulling and bending it with chains or cutting and welding pieces. CMC recommends using 2 wood 2x4 for thri alignment jig. Results can hardly be expected to be precise.

How is your front lowered? This affects handling too. Preferred choices are dropped spindles and double beam adjuster --- with oil shocks.

What your seeing with the fiberglass closer on one side is really due to the body not being symetrical from one side to the other. Urban myth is that a wrecked Speedster was used to flash the first mold - not sure how true that is but of course the original wasn't produced like unibody cars are now days with computer controlled robotic welders. It was Hans welding and leading pieces of steel together.

In the states there are some modern frames made for dune buggies and kit cars. Some use coil springs and new suspension pieces. Couple folks surely have them here. I'd go that route for sure.

What about a Berrien style tube chassis as an alternative? I believe they are shortened the correct amount.

http://www.berrienbuggy.com/id63.htm

"What about a Berrien style tube chassis as an alternative? I believe they are shortened the correct amount.

http://www.berrienbuggy.com/id63.htm "

Thanks for the input, that chassis really looks like something else, but I am guessing I would have problems of some sort to put the CMC body on it and at that price + Shipping to Spain it is not cheap either, not to talk of the problems I would have to give a stock VW torsion in exchange...

What I want is a nice chassis to be able to go for a nice week-end drive, I am not going to race the car in any way.

"Although a tire shop probably can't fix rear alignment - a chassis shop that handles wrecks surely could either by pulling and bending it with chains or cutting and welding pieces. CMC recommends using 2 wood 2x4 for thri alignment jig. Results can hardly be expected to be precise."

I have already talked to a chassis repair shop that I know locally and they have told me to bring the car over, but I thought they were just gonna take a look at it and if it is easier to do a new chassis they would told me to do so, but they told me they will need 2+ hours to look at it, they want to measure and if they need, dismantle some parts to keep looking, which scares me a bit as I don't want to spend to much money on something I already know it's wrong... I have told them I'll bring the car over next week for a look, I'll print the CMC manual to show them how the car is supposed to be built. I'll let you know how it goes but what I don't want is to have the car dismantled during the only time it can be used (spring-summer-autumn)

"How is your front lowered? This affects handling too. Preferred choices are dropped spindles and double beam adjuster --- with oil shocks."

Don't have any idea, I think it is lowered the way explained in the CMC build instructions, but I can't really tell as I did not do it in the first place.

"What your seeing with the fiberglass closer on one side is really due to the body not being symetrical from one side to the other. Urban myth is that a wrecked Speedster was used to flash the first mold - not sure how true that is but of course the original wasn't produced like unibody cars are now days with computer controlled robotic welders. It was Hans welding and leading pieces of steel together. "

I am aware of that and in fact I asked about it around a year ago or so, but do you guys with CMCs all have the same problem of the tyre touching the body? I mean the tyres in the car are 165 not that wide, and I have read some people have wider tyres...

The Berrien Buggy chassis is aptly named Nostalgia - saves chopping up a good VW T1 Bug but it is still old 30 year suspension. Plus its shortend 14.5" and you need more like 10.5"

One of the builders actually has wheel rims with a different offset for the rear - to get it away from the fender fiberglass. After market 5.5 rims (Mangels) don't proper offset for the rear -- and could use more in the front.

Metal Craft was old chassis builder I was thinking of.

They were located only a few miles from me. I visited them and kind of wish I had gotten one of their chassis.

Make sure your body is centerd on the chassis. I have one with an inch more on one side (1/2" off)then the other.

Ignacio:

I believe that you are on the right track.

Get rid of the chassis that you have. It's surely junk, from your description, and not worth the time to save it when better others are still around for short money. Check out the new one thoroughly to make sure it hasn't been hit in any way. Pay someone knowlegeable to look at it if you're not comfortable knowing whether it is good or not.

Find another 1969 - 1974 torsion bar sedan chassis and shorten it yourself so you'll know how well it has been done. Then recondition everything on it to new and you should be happy with it. You don't need a fancy tube frame unless you'll be putting 200+ horsepower under the body.

When you put the body back on the new pan, make sure that everything is centered and lined up and you'll have a totally new car - with nothing amiss, as it seems to be now.

Start looking for the new pan, and let us know what you find.

Gordon

Thanks a lot Gordon!

I guess that was what I wanted to hear, I surely don't want more than 80-90 hp in my car, I'll let you guys know what pans I find before buying anything.

Ignacio

Yes, only especially crazy folks want 200HP! BWAHAHAHA!