@Stan Galat posted:I like the black neoporene jackets and a stocking cap, but it's the same idea.
X2 on heated seats, a good hat and for those really cold days a heated jacket.
When I asked for sage advice I was thinking more of add ons and upgrades. My list includes
Berg dip stick thermometer
welded and balanced fan
serpantine fan belt (Greg says no)
thicker sway bars
transmission brace
3or 4 point seat belts
twin plug heads
case breather systems (Vintage Speed)
upgraded gas pedal (Vintage Speed)
2 post lift
new garage
no specific order
"Dip stick thermometer" -hmmm, have to think about that. Right on the 3-4 point harness. The crotchy strap that makes it a five point can cause discomfort (not the good kind).
Of course the summer has come and gone and I STILL haven't bolted my drivers seat down OR put in the belts. Being mindful about being launched over the windshield one night.
Gene Berg has been making this fail safe dipstick thermometer for must be 40 years, a must for any VW based engine.
Boothie get this its the best money you will ever spend on an air cooled engine
"I await your sage advice. Cheers." - @R Thorpe
Rich, the only bit of advice missing from the first few responses was the word 'Flux Capacitor'! Every auto forum in existence always has at least one person offering up the lame suggestion of a 'Flux Capacitor'. 
You have experience with aircooled VW/Porsches, live in a temperate climate zone and live amongst MILLIONS of unattentive drivers. From the universe of Musbjim where everything is reduced to it's simplest form, I have 3 bits of advise:
1. Keep your AAA club card (with the free 200 mile tow package) in your wallet.
2. Keep your standard 'beep beep' horn button on the steering wheel for those "Hi, how are ya" or "Thanks, it's a replica" scenarios. 
3. Install an 'Air Horn' on a separate circuit with the horn button just under the dash. Use this for those "HEEEYYY, WTF?" or "LOOK OUT, I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU, YOU A$$-HAT!" scenarios. Being in SoCal. area, this will happen more than the "Hi, how are ya" scenarios. 
I'll be sure to give you a shout when we (SoCal SOCers) plan our next cruise through Muholland Hwy or Tuna Canyon! Hope our paths cross down the road.
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My advice - drive it. 🙂
Berg dip stick thermometer: Yeah, it's nice, but all it does is make your oil pressure light come on at 225 degrees or so - it doesn't actually tell you what the temperature really is. For that, get a decent candy thermometer with an 8"+ long probe, instant read is a bonus, and use that to calibrate your dash gauge.
welded and balanced fan - Absolutely
serpentine fan belt (Greg says no) No. Just no. Even if Stan has one, no.
Thicker sway bars - Yes, but if you have a swing arm rear end you'll need a camber compensator instead. 3/8" up front is nice. 3/4" up front is kinda stiff.
transmission brace - If this is a mid-brace, then yes. I have one and it helps to stiffen things up back there nicely. Add a Kafer Truss Bar and it gets even stiffer. Don't forget to upgrade the transaxle front mount to a Rhino version.
3 or 4 point seat belts - Sure. Self retracting is a bonus.
twin plug heads - Only if you have Stan's budget. Remember that this is the tip of a very, VERY large cash flow iceberg.
case breather systems (Vintage Speed) - Berg has a really good one, too, that looks more like a 912 breather.
upgraded gas pedal (Vintage Speed) - Meh.
2 post lift - Yes, if you have the room
New garage - Yes, if you have the room - Does the budget for this come out of the car budget? Mine did. 
No specific order - Well, your cash flow budget might have something to say about this.
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@R Thorpe , that's quite a list of goodies, so let's start with just one, which may be more important than it sounds - the Gene Berg dipstick thermometer.
This gadget was designed for VW's, which had no temp gauge on the dash. It's supposed to alert the driver of impending doom while the doom is still impending.
Technically it's unnecessary in our cars, but something similar (and cheaper) sort of is.
As a seasoned VW dude, you know the importance of monitoring oil temp in our engines. Well, more so in a car with an engine compartment originally designed to handle the cooling requirements of a 70 hp engine. Generate 150 hp in that same space, and things can get toasty in a hurry.
Luckily, your car will have those neat VDO gauges, with a quality temp gauge. The only twist is learning how to read that gauge - whose face is unmarked with actual degree readings. And, it's a generic gauge that's hasn't been calibrated to your temp sender or to where that sender has been located on your engine. It's very likely that you will need to be concerned long before the needle reaches the red zone at the end of the scale.
But not to worry. The fix is simple. Instead of dropping $35 or $50 on the Gene Berg thing, find a 'candy' thermometer on the kitchen stuff website of your choice. You want one that reads accurately in the 150 - 250 degree range (fahrenheit). It also needs a probe that's long enough to reach the oil level, plus some (some thermometers claim accuracy only if the last inch or two is covererd by the liquid you're trying to measure). Finally, the dial needs to be small enough in diameter so that you can fit the thing into the dipstick hole (on most VW engines, the fill tube is pretty close to the dipstick hole).
Start your engine from cold, insert the thermometer, and compare the gauge on your dash to the dipstick thermometer readings as the engine warms up. Then, go for a drive and stop every so often to read the candy thermometer as the engine continues to warm up.
After a while, driving in different conditions, you'll learn what the gauge on the dash is actually telling you and you won't need the candy thermometer any more.
Now, looking back at the length of this post, aren't you glad I chose to rant on about just one of the things on your list?
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Part of this purchase for me is the abundance of cheap parts, the simplicity of the VW platform, and the fun of adding item and upgrades. If it were only about driving I would purchase a new Porsche turbo. I’m a ham radio operator, the guys who just “drive” get on the air, go to the store and purchase the latest ham gear that’s fine. Then there are those of us who are not “ appliance operators” who like to build and modify our radios, it’s part of the fun. For me it’s a broader hobby than just driving. Cheers.
Richard
To me the Berg device is a security blanket. The best part is that it’s an idiot light, no muss no fuss. It saved an engine in my 66 going up a hill in Woodland Hills in 1971. I believe for 35 bucks it’s a no brainer for me. Yikes reading that kitchen thermometer from a moving car sounds dangerous, and I wouldn’t cut my baby’s dash for som VDO gauge.
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Richard, no cutting necessary!
I'm pretty sure that VM is now installing as standard equipment the new VDO replica-style gauges. They're made by VDO to resemble the old VDO gauges that were in the original 356.
So, you'll have a quality VDO gauge connected to a VDO temp sensor mounted on your engine. It's just a question of learning what the gauge is telling you about your engine's temperature for various positions of the needle.
Cheers!
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@R Thorpe posted:Part of this purchase for me is the abundance of cheap parts, the simplicity of the VW platform, and the fun of adding item and upgrades. If it were only about driving I would purchase a new Porsche turbo. I’m a ham radio operator, the guys who just “drive” get on the air, go to the store and purchase the latest ham gear that’s fine. Then there are those of us who are not “ appliance operators” who like to build and modify our radios, it’s part of the fun. For me it’s a broader hobby than just driving. Cheers.
Richard
I mostly agree with those sentiments and do the same with my toys. My comment was directed at the fact you do not have the car yet and haven’t driven it. When you get it, I would just drive it for a bit. From there you will pinpoint what you want to tinker with and what modifications will be worthwhile.
As far as monitoring the engine temp, I think you are missing what some of the guys here are trying to lay out there. Our cars will come with temp gauges. Use a candy type thermometer at various pit stops after getting the engine warmed up to get an idea of what the readout on the temp gauge is indicating temperature wise.
Exactly, that’s why I asked what people are doing after they get to know their cars.
Is this what a ham radio is?
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Yup, that’s me honey baked, sweet.
@R Thorpe posted:This looks interesting and the price is right.
The spec on Amazon says that extinguisher triggers ≥170 degrees. Although most of the heat remains under the car, these little air-cooled engines get pretty warm on the topside. I'd be worried about it triggering on a hot day. The price is tempting, but Blaze Cut is probably safer.
Eric,
Thats 170 C about 325 F I think I was worried it was too high.
170C=338F
Eric as far as I can determine they both work on the same principal with the same active ingredient. More research is needed😀
@R Thorpe posted:Part of this purchase for me is the abundance of cheap parts, the simplicity of the VW platform, and the fun of adding item and upgrades. If it were only about driving I would purchase a new Porsche turbo. I’m a ham radio operator, the guys who just “drive” get on the air, go to the store and purchase the latest ham gear that’s fine. Then there are those of us who are not “ appliance operators” who like to build and modify our radios, it’s part of the fun. For me it’s a broader hobby than just driving.
Look out boys, it looks like God made two of us.
Richard... it's not on your list, but allow me to opine regarding why you really want to dry-sump your engine...
@R Thorpe posted:When I asked for sage advice I was thinking more of add ons and upgrades. My list includes
twin plug heads
If you are serious about this, be advised that the ignition is the hard part. I've done it, and can save you many thousands of dollars and probably at least a year of trial and error. When you're ready-- I'm available to point you in the right direction.
Thank you, at this point I’m just curious and I noticed on the Willhoit site he is now selling a twin plug setup with what looks like a Pertronix dizzy for 4 cylinder Porsches. Also I found a place that sells various twin plug heads at reasonable prices,Mofoco.Just looking
@R Thorpe posted:Eric as far as I can determine they both work on the same principal with the same active ingredient. More research is needed😀
Au contraire mon ami. The active ingredient in a BlazeCut is HFC-236FA (Hexafluoropropane), an organic compound that has replaced Halon 1211 in fire extinguishers. On the other hand, KNECOM states its EBCO extinguisher's "main oxidant and component" is 50-58% Strontium Nitrate, an inorganic compound used in RR flares and pyrotechnics as a red pigment colorant. Some states (eg., New Jersey) classify it as a Hazardous Substance, and when NJ does that it must be really something nasty!
Yikes, good work, that must be why it’s so cheap. They say on the Amazon page that the ingredients are “green”, turns you green I guess.
Copied this form Amazon page
- This hot aerosol automatic fire extinguishing sticker is small in size, has no residue when sprayed, is green and environmentally friendly, is easy to use, has strong fire extinguishing capacity, and is suitable for many places.
@R Thorpe posted:Eric as far as I can determine they both work on the same principal with the same active ingredient. More research is needed😀
I missed the Celsius spec. Amazon didn't specify, so I mistakenly assumed Fahrenheit.
Yeh me too. I though 170 was a little low for our cars so I looked further. Others have found out that apparently the active ingredient is bad but the website says it’s safe for humans and environmentaly green. Who knows.
@R Thorpe posted:I’m a ham radio operator, the guys who just “drive” get on the air, go to the store and purchase the latest ham gear that’s fine. Then there are those of us who are not “ appliance operators” who like to build and modify our radios, it’s part of the fun. For me it’s a broader hobby than just driving. Cheers.
Richard
Rich,
As am I, de WV3E. While I do own a couple of "appliance" rigs, my go-to on HF is a K3. I also restore old tube radios in my spare time. Sadly, there's not enough of that. 4-1/2 more years before I pull the handle.
I'm curious how many other members here are hams. Perhaps I should start a separate thread.
Eric
Cool, I’m K6CG I have a K3 and a few boat anchors. Collins 75S3, couple of Hammerlunds, Yaesu 736R sat rig.
@R Thorpe posted:Yeh me too. I though 170 was a little low for our cars so I looked further. Others have found out that apparently the active ingredient is bad but the website says it’s safe for humans and environmentaly green. Who knows.
I guess the only way you'd be able to confirm whether or not a 3.07" X 2.01" X 1.14" EBCO Fire Extinguisher will put out a fire in your approx. 13,800 cu. inch engine compartment while being "safe for humans and environmentally green"...would be to contact the manufacturer, seller, and exporter/shipper and ask the question. Here's who EBCO is:
Guangzhou Yinglue E-Commerce Co., LTD. B210 Mingzhu Road Baiyunqu Guangzhou Guangdong 510410 CN (People's Republic of China)
I know I'd sleep much better using this fire extinguisher, if its manufacturer stands by what Amazon says about it.
Back in the 60's and 70's I was K1FRV in Massachusetts and HR1GSN in Honduras.
The rig back then was the Hallicrafters HT-44/SX117 twins and a surplus and re-purposed Navy shipboard transmitter as a linear amplifier with (3) 4-1000's in the final, all pumped into a home-brew 5-element 20 meter beam at 50', all cut for 14.305. Ran military phone patches out of southeast Asia (from several carriers, Danang, Cam Ranh Bay, China Beach and a couple of the FOB's) and the South Pole (KC4USB at Williams Field, KC4USX at Bird Base) back into New England and the mid-upper East Coast from 1968 - 1974, then got married, got a job and let my ticket lapse. Just gave away the Hallicrafters twins a few years back. I think the guy thinks they're museum pieces. 
Hey Napa Paul,
Isn’t the stuff in that fire extinguisher the same stuff those Ruskies put in that doomsday bomb in Dr Strangelove? Gota love those Chinese recycling it an selling it to us in fire extinguishers. Cool 😉
I can tell there are a lot of “hams “ on this site. My first rigs were from Benton Harbor and put together in my bedroom, Those we halcyon days never to be seen again. Sh*t I’m getting a little misty. My first receiver was a deaf BNC 348 out of a B17. Yikes...
Gordon your the real McCoy, he’ll I’m just a piker. BTW I photographed the TV show China Beach
Jeez I just realized I started with kit radios and now I’m getting a kit car 55 years later
Yes great person too, hard to photograph big round face always used a half light on her even if it was not justified.
@R Thorpe posted:Thank you, at this point I’m just curious and I noticed on the Willhoit site he is now selling a twin plug setup with what looks like a Pertronix dizzy for 4 cylinder Porsches. Also I found a place that sells various twin plug heads at reasonable prices,Mofoco.Just looking
I wouldn't put those heads in my actual lawn mower.
Dry sump? Hehehehehehehehehehe! What a dangerous road you are on, Richard. It's one I went down, but am very happy with the outcome. It's not for everyone, but I never worry about running out of oil.
Yikes I don’t even remember mentioning dry sump, works for 911’s though I have an oil tank in the garage somewhere