Speedster project 50

Bugger...I knew it...

It would be easier to be in a big market like the USA there just seems to be so much more choice.  Good on you Alan. 

Speedster # 50: I did one person interested in me building it to their specs,  he bounced around thoughts & figures for three weeks, another person is in the UK now working on MOT requirements so that scenario will get too involved so with that in mind I decided to build it,  my way yet to be decided ... for Carlisle in May. Rolled the speedster into the garage Friday , with the help of a couple of neighbors, friends and my step son David Saturday AM, we lifted the FG body onto a pair of saw horses I had made and as per past speedster gatherings ( our Pennsylvania Pumpkin Runs) Connie made a great French Toast breakfast for everyone. I've cleaned the shortened chassis that has new floors, suspension and brakes in place, painted it "Henry Ford" black today. Tomorrow,  I'll replace shift rod bushing, check and repack the wheel bearings, hook up the E' brake cables and run a steel fuel line.

...and the hits just keep on comin'...

Hopefully that motor gets internally balanced and a nice FORGED and counter-weighted crank.

Has counterweight crank balanced rods and light flywheel as a rotational unit, mild port on the heads etc. I get the long block  back from the builder next week. Should scoot just fine.

Small cc engines are cool, I say, and so does this guy. 

While there is no replacement for displacement, one can massage quite a bit of scoot out of a smaller cc engine  " In goes the good air, out goes the bad " 

As long as your patient  

Alan Merklin posted:

While there is no replacement for displacement, one can massage quite a bit of scoot out of a smaller cc engine  " In goes the good air, out goes the bad " 

Yes, it's amazing, with a little bit of hotrodding (cam, carbs, exhaust, a little more compression), how much fun even a 1600, 1641 or 1688 cc engine can be. But everything that small engine does, a bigger engine does just that much better...

Speedster build update: Decided to build an Outlaw version idea that have been in my head for some time and additionally a combination of two Emory builds.  Picked up the freshly rebuilt & balanced 1641cc today .  Tomorrow morning the local crew stops by to set the body from the saw horses back onto the completed chassis then we'll  feed them Connie's famous Breakfast French Toast Casserole and Quiche' 

Speedster project # 50 update: Body is bolted on the chassis, caulked and sealed, column installed and windshield was dry fitted leaving the bottom aluminum cowl strip in place . OK  I have changed my mind from the Outlaw build. …. to better appeal to a larger market it will be a classic Speedster in Porsche Seal Grey, black carpet and a nice shade of red seats and door panels.   I still use my painter Tom in PA because he is crazy reasonable and does a two week turn around.  Snow forecast here is for 5" - 8" so to get there and back before the snow ..I was up at 4AM and on the road by 5AM dragging the Speedster with a VW tow bar for the first two hours in thick fog on a single lane mountainous road then a constant 75 mph on the interstate to PA. a minor 9 hour - 420 mile round trip saved me over half the other painters quoted me here. While the car is at paint I'll do final assembly on the fresh engine and a lot of misc. prepping Then I get to do another long day to go get it with a trailer.

The Outlaw build sounded interesting, hope you get to do it one day

Yeah, Alan....  You certainly have had enough “practice”!

How is it possible to loose a type 1 oil cooler in a 2.5 car garage? I've looked in, on below, above in between and behind everything.....it's officially declared as MIA . I 've come to the conclusion the trash men took it for a one way ride. I've gathered some funds A-gain...and as a last ditch effort I've called in the Brain Trust. 

Alan:

I checked my garage. It isn't here either. I did find a bumper I didn't know I still had though.

If you find it I'll bet there's a brass thingy nearby.

Lane I actually thought of just that !

Ed Erickson has it. 

Not this time, Robert. I do seem to have more master cylinders than I'll ever need though—after having lost one in the shop several years ago.

Alan, wait around a year or two. If my theory is right you'll have like six spare oil coolers.

Speedster project #50 has Porsche Seal Grey paint !

What are the seat and interior colours Alan?

IaM-Ray posted:

What are the seat and interior colours Alan?

Decided to go with black carpet and accent the black and grey exterior with red seating, dash, door panels. Nardi style wheel. 

Beautiful color!... 

Man, I like that color a lot!

Whoa! Those colors aren't just gonna "pop"....they're gonna friggin' EXPLODE! 

I hope it pops with the black carpet and red seats etc .I built this Speedster for Carlisle last year in the same Porsche Seal Grey color....this year's color combo was selected by my wife .

Wow... add bee hive lights,  whitewalls with silver rims and a Reutter luggage rack and that would be a BEYOND cool euro Sunday cruiser IMHO.  

Speedster Project 50. I heard from my paint guy Tommy this afternoon " It's Done "   I leave at 5:00 AM for the 4 hour drive into PA tomorrow, load and 4 - 1/2 hours back home . Tools, snacks, beverages, TP and extra 10 gallons of gas just in case the Governor aka Wizard of PA, decides to suddenly limit access to Petro. This gives me only weeks to complete this build for the Carlisle week.  I'll post better photos on Monday ~

It should be 4 hours BOTH WAYS.

Sure, you have an extra car on a trailer on the way back, but it's down hill, right?

(at least it is downhill on the map!)

Gordon Nichols posted:

It should be 4 hours BOTH WAYS.

Sure, you have an extra car on a trailer on the way back, but it's down hill, right?

(at least it is downhill on the map!)

From my home it's a two trip on a single lane winding mountain RT 219 road just to get out to Interstate (Rt. 68) of course it's up hill both ways ~)

.Just spend a miserable 5 -1/5 hours getting two doors to align correctly on Speedster #50.  this venture almost fell into the classification of Don't Ask Don't Tell... but then I remembered I had one Intermeccanica  door hinge shim left over from Jake's IM resto project so that was the template to made a few in different thickness those did the trick and finally came out right.   

Glad that's behind you Alan---that's hanging in there until an issue is solved.  We all want the quick fix" to avoid what you just went through with those doors---I'm guilty of that myself.  You are an inspiration---I know you get immense pleasure when you solve a challenging problem.  I hope some of our viral researchers possess your kind of determination. 

Jack Crosby posted:

Glad that's behind you Alan---that's hanging in there until an issue is solved.  We all want the quick fix" to avoid what you just went through with those doors---I'm guilty of that myself.  You are an inspiration---I know you get immense pleasure when you solve a challenging problem.  I hope some of our viral researchers possess your kind of determination. 

Jack... I too want the quick fix when possible but sometimes it's better to disassemble and reinstall discovering what someone else considered correct . My determination today was not to have the neighbors hear me muttering every four letter word known to man. This is all starting to get old as I am too ~

Jack Crosby posted:

Glad that's behind you Alan---that'shanging in there until an issue is solved.  We all want the quick fix" to avoid what you just went through with those doors---I'm guilty of that myself.  You are an inspiration---I know you get immense pleasure when you solve a challenging problem.  I hope some of our viral researchers possess your kind of determination. 

Subtle, but I like what you did there, Jack.

Go Alan!!!

Speedster project #50 soon will reside in Virginia !  I still some of the wiring to do, gauges and switches too. The engine needs to go back in after I change the J' tubes over the heater boxes and put on new set of dual 34 carbs with chokes,  also install the windshield, column, seats, door panels, carpet, top , full tonneau,  mirrors and make custom Lexan full view side curtains.   " Marshall " the new owner  came out today to see the progress on the build...I'll be delivering it to his home in VA on or about June 6th.  ...........Where has the years gone,  50 Speedsters to date.

Alan. A treat and an honor to meet you yesterday. I will likely not get a lot of sleep til I take delivery of your new speedster. 

FWIW, maybe fifty years but a good fifty years. 

@Alan Merklin posted:

Speedster project #50 soon will reside in Virginia !  I still some of the wiring to do, gauges and switches too. The engine needs to go back in after I change the J' tubes over the heater boxes and put on new set of dual 34 carbs with chokes,  also install the windshield, column, seats, door panels, carpet, top , full tonneau,  mirrors and make custom Lexan full view side curtains.   " Marshall " the new owner  came out today to see the progress on the build...I'll be delivering it to his home in VA on or about June 6th.  ...........Where has the years gone,  50 Speedsters to date.

Congrats Alan and Marshall!