Just doing some home work. What do you Spyder owners use for a heater when you have a Suby engine ? How many BTU's do you get ??..............Bruce
P.S. I guess I'm gonna have to change my avatar and stuff since I will no longer be "Air-cooled". I liked my avatar too. Subtle and not many people looked at it closely.
Maybe I'll just use "West Coast Bruce".
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Maybe Carey at Special Edition can chime in. I am having him install heat on my speedster while doing the Subaru conversion. I believe they use a heater core and blower just as seen on most water cooled cars. It shouldn't take much heat to fill the small passenger compartment of a Speedster.
You can buy aftermarket heater for hot rods that fit under the seat or under the dash - with radiator and multispeed fan.
https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JE...ers/1697917/10002/-1
Jimmy V. posted:Maybe Carey at Special Edition can chime in. I am having him install heat on my speedster while doing the Subaru conversion. I believe they use a heater core and blower just as seen on most water cooled cars. It shouldn't take much heat to fill the small passenger compartment of a Speedster.
Easy to get heat into the cab area via ducting to the bulkheads on each side near the rear of the door. A better system will include defrost heat too and that takes more work.
Thanks......Didn't think about Jegs.. Seems like a big heater (28000BTU) would be the way to go after seeing how poorly the one in my Speedster worked (VW type). Defrosters are required in most states. It looks like that would not be a fun project in a Spyder................Bruce
I think my heater is like the Jegs pn 555-70601. 260 fpm, 28,000 btu. Plenty of heat even in coolish weather late in the season in Canada.
Bruce, clearly you should use a heater core.
I am still aircooled, and I have heat AND defrost in my Spyder. Carey Hines gave me some really nice waterjet cut aluminum bezels for the dash top behind the windshield. They use them on Speedsters, but they work on a Spyder. I cut 2 of them in, one directly in front of each seat. I used 1.5" shop vac floor attachment bolted to the underside of the dash. Then attach some hi-temp defrost hose. They in turn go to a wye, then to a big T with a flapper in it to shut off defrost flow. So either just floor heat, or heat and defrost.
I run a gasoline powered modern Webasto. 8000 btu in a 5" square package, 12" long and weighing about ten pounds. The air tubes into and out of the heater are about 2.5". It's certainly enough heat in a Spyder, interior is much smaller than a Speedster.
You could run heater hoses in the sides between the interior and exterior rocker panels, then up under the dash. They'd be completely out of sight.
Spyder Man wrote: "It's certainly enough heat in a Spyder, interior is much smaller than a Speedster."
So if my wife calls my Speedster a "Clown Car", does that make your Spyder a "Mini-Clown-Car" or a "Micro-Clown Car"?
Gas heaters really throw a lot of heat, though. Mine extended my driving season by 3-4 months a year, and I run it pretty much on "low-ish".
I'm also running mine as a "flow through" (taking in fresh air from outside) and haven't yet seen the need for a defroster/defogger. But then, I haven't been out in any downpours with the top up, either.
Bruce: If you're looking for for a nice, compact system for your Suby-Spyder, look at the offerings from Vintage Air
Look at their "Builder's Series" I think the "Mini" would fit, but they have a "Compact" version, too. That's the most popular line of heaters used by the Hot Rod set - I think Carey Hines uses them, too. They offer both kits and individual parts, even the dash bezels separately. Good place to start.
Bruce. I have seen the heater core and blower in the Beck suby spyder. It is very well done. Who is supplying your spyder, Beck or Vintage? I don't know if Greg Leach (Vintage) has ever done a spyder with a real heater but I'm sure he could do it. I opted for just heated seats. But I'm really thinking about hooking myself up to a heated suit. Worked on my Ducatis for years.
Phil...I will be using Vintage MC in Hwn. Gdns. Ca. I'll be putting the heater in myself. There are just some mornings in the winter where I like going to an event early and it's cold (yup even here in SoCal) and a good heater with a tonneau cover half open would just be much nicer.. T heck with a top. A nice functional roll bar with a wind barrier connected to it like I had in my Speedster will help too.
Going down to Outfront Motorsports to pay for the Suby engine tomorrow. I believe you have one of their engines ? How do you like it so far ? Enough power ? Haven't made up my mind about the transaxle yet. I'm all over the place on that still. I haven't ruled out using a Subaru Automatic even. Don't know how Greg would react to doing that yet. Maybe just a polished Rhino VW case with all the HD guts n gears
What do you think your real final horsepower value is ? Is it 230 HP ? Naturally Aspirated ? Do you need to use 91 octane ? John at Outfront says he has a 2.6 ltr (read mild stroker here) DOHC that puts our a little more HP and a decent increase in torque...................Bruce
I have the slightly tweaked EJ25. Think it’s an honest 200hp at the crank. I’m running a Rancho 4 speed with ratios supplied by Greg. I really think the car is well balanced. Wickedly quick but taching at 4000 rpms at 70mph. Not a highway cruiser. Greg is anxious to put a suby 5 speed in one of his cars. This will require repositioning the engine and shortening the axels. I just wanted the vintage feel and sound of an old gear box. My car is perfect for me. I still have the old stinger ECU. Takes a while to warm up but once it’s over 150 degrees the car runs great. Talk to John about the ECU. He wanted me to be the first to use his new ECU set up. I’m sure he will eventually sort it out but I didn’t have time to be the guinea pig.
Phil.. .WOW 4K at 70 mph ! You musta made a powerful little street machine ! The 0 to 70 time must be awesome !
I live about a mile from Irwindale Drag-strip and its easy to go over there on any Thursday night to put my car thru the 1/8th mile. Heck, I even drove my new GMC Canyon thru the lights a few weeks back. It was fun working on my reaction times.
I saw your car when it was still out here at Gregs. It's beautiful !
I will talk to Greg about the feasibility of a Suby 5 speed.............Bruce
Vintage Air, custom rod system make all kinds of units you could use and get both heat and AC but I am not sure how much room you need or have. Even floor outputs would allow you to be cool on the body in high heat.
I'm getting the Suby engine from Cary' my wife says. "Why not, you don't do anything else with your money...like take me to Europe or anything...". I sent the deposit and I'm getting the heater also, another $500.00. Anyone need a nice 1915 air cooled?
Congrats, You won't be disappointed by going with Carey, mike and the guys at Special Edition. They have the Suby thing figured out!
550 Phil posted:I’m running a Rancho 4 speed with ratios supplied by Greg. I really think the car is well balanced. Wickedly quick but taching at 4000 rpms at 70mph. Not a highway cruiser. Greg is anxious to put a suby 5 speed in one of his cars. This will require repositioning the engine and shortening the axels. I just wanted the vintage feel and sound of an old gear box. My car is perfect for me.
Are you sure your tachometer is accurate? I ask because (assuming a 205/60 15, which is almost 24 3/4" tall) there's no combination of VW gears that has you 70mph at 4,000 rpm. Closest is a 4.375 r&p with a late 0.93 4th (which you can't do because the 4.37 is keyed and the gear is splined) and it's still only at 3800. You'd have to go to an aftermarket 4th (and if they were smart they'd shorten up 3rd a bit as well) to do what you have. Do you know what gears are in the trans? Is there a specific reason you had it geared that way? Was the trans built before the Subie conversion? Can you tell me a little more about the car- my apologies, but I think you have a Spyder, but I don't think anyone has done an irs in a Spyder yet, but Greg is talking about a Subie 5 speed so I gather it's actually a Speedster?
I'm so confused...
Angela Rose-Lane's Spyder had, I believe, and IRS rear.
Of course, it also had that Porsche 6-cylinder in it....
Prarit's ( @thetango 
Seduction Subi-Spyder has an IRS rear, too, I think.
Not a lot of them out there, though.
Rancho offers a special Pro Suby trans that is built using a Rhino case and special Gearing matched to the Subaru power band. If this is what you have the R&P is a 3.88 with a .82 4th gear. This turns 3100rpm at 70 mph in my car. I have 225/50/15 tires.
A Subie engine has enough torque to change the needs of the tranny.
I can literally start in any gear except 5th in my Roadster. I do feel if I had to do it again... there goes the issue with these cars, can one ever get it right? 
I would drop the fifth to a cruising gear so that the rpm at 780mph, oh rather 70mph, I think I was doing a @Cory McCloskey thing is 2500rpm rather than 3100-3200rpm. So far I did some reading and I could get it to 2700rpm with changing fifth and dropping the R&P to 3.91 but of course you have to pull everything out and drop the engine and then have it all opened up. Phew no fun.
Meade posted:I'm getting the Suby engine from Cary' my wife says. "Why not, you don't do anything else with your money...like take me to Europe or anything...". I sent the deposit and I'm getting the heater also, another $500.00. Anyone need a nice 1915 air cooled?
Nice wife You will like it a lot, now may be the time to go for the 5 speed tranny
@Jimmy V. being at 3100rpm at 70mph the car is always responsive at that rpm. Your sitting in the torque band and you can pass without downshifting at all. It is very nice but I just feel it would make the tranny even quieter at 2500rpm. I think Once you have a quiet engine your ears start to hear the tranny. Just saying.
IaM-Ray posted:A Subie engine has enough torque to change the needs of the tranny.
I can literally start in any gear except 5th in my Roadster. I do feel if I had to do it again... there goes the issue with these cars, can one ever get it right?
I would drop the fifth to a cruising gear so that the rpm at 780mph, oh rather 70mph, I think I was doing a @Cory McCloskey thing is 2500rpm rather than 3100-3200rpm. So far I did some reading and I could get it to 2700rpm with changing fifth and dropping the R&P to 3.91 but of course you have to pull everything out and drop the engine and then have it all opened up. Phew no fun.
Do you know the r&p and gears that are in it now, and what size rear tires are you running?
OK build sheet is 4.1 R&P final drive. tyres are 24.88 inches ( 16 inch wheels. )
Subie TY758 donor (2009 onwards)
1st gear 3.454 2nd gear 2.062 3rd gear 1.448 4th gear 1.088 5th gear 0.78
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE WANT THE FOLLOWING
Change to the R&P 3.9 and the fifth gear to 0.73.5 5th gear
This would give you 2700 rpm at 70mph.
1st gear 3.454
2nd gear 2.062
3rd gear 1.448
4th gear 1.088
5th gear 0.78 change to 0.735
tyres are 24.88 inches
So whenever the engine comes out I will do both ... would take a day to do.
http://www.teammfactory.com/ca...35/0/3600/3600/1/0/2
Yeah, I can see where you're going with it, Ray; to change the r&p does require a full trans teardown, though. Sounds like it's winter project time!
PS- is this a Subaru trans?
Going lower on 5th makes it a pretty big jump from 4th now, although, with not having to worry about fan speed it's probably not a big deal...
Yes it is the car is full subie for powertrain. Actually there lies the problem AL, it is really hard to find a similar setup to try before you jump.
As to Gordon's comment above, Angela's car does indeed have a 911 engine and a Porsche 5 speed(901 or 915 can't remember). However, it has De Dion tube rear end which is not a true IRS setup.
True IRS in a Spyder is a rare thing indeed. ACI used to do a 4 bar IRS rear end and a coilover A-arm front end before the molds and jigs were purchased by Greg at Vintage Spyders(1995 or so?). Now Vintage Motorcars anyway.
The 4 bar(2 trailing and 2 lateral links per side) is nice but doesn't leave a whole lot of room for exhaust, which tends to go up and over the trans when using this suspension.
I know Greg is and has been working on a solution for modern 4 wheel coilover suspension in a Spyder. Perhaps some day I'll have the opportunity to get a third car with this. And a 5 speed!
