The Beck Boys - Going that extra mile for unknown customers!

I agree, we have a real treasure in the Special Edition/ Beck gang and Carey Hines is the driving force. I just had an issue driving my Suby powered FF speedster yesterday and asked Carey a question about it via email. He replied promptly and gave me great support. I ran my fuel tank near empty ( gauge needs work) while on my way home yesterday on the expressway. The engine went into a what felt like a limp mode. It wasn't over heated and I didn't realize the tank was as low as it was. I was able to nurse it home the last 10 miles and pulled into a gas station. The tank took a full 9 gallons to fill. I was under the impression my tank held 12 gallons but Carey informed me the aftermarket tank in my Speedster is sold as a 10 gallon tank but on average they hold about 8.8 gallons. So I was near dead empty. I am now going to work on the fuel gauge and also be mindful my cruising distance isn't what I thought it was. I just arrived home from vacation and thought I had filled the tank after my last time out. I now know I didn't. I will say it again that Carey and Special Edition gang provide incredible service to our community. The work they did on my Speedster converting it to Subaru power is amazing. The car is a joy to drive. Thanks again Carey!

Lol. That's why I've taken to keeping a 2.5 gas can as "reserve" in my Spyder. Fits perfectly between the passenger frame rail and the front Wheel well.  Between an iffy gauge and a tank that's "empty" when there's 1/2 gallon still in the tank,* I've run out of gas more times in the Spyder than every one of my other cars combined!

*My new aluminum tank will fix this, and add ~2 gal of capacity. 

Maybe someone needs to borrow an old motorcycle trick and add a small reserve to the tank  .... or yah, get a fuel gauge that works

My first time in 2 years and 4000 miles of driving and I only partially ran out of gas, limping home 10 miles was a miracle in my book.

 I once ran out of gas in a V8 powered 71 beetle on the 64 bridge crossing the Ohio River with no pull over lane. I had  thought quick and popped the auto trans into neutral not touching the brake and was able to coast over 2 miles getting across the bridge off the New Albany Indiana exit through a green light and down two blocks into a gas station and up to the pump. Boy did I feel blessed. Back when I was young just moving into my first apartment I was hauling a new living room set in an open pick up truck. I saw it starting to rain and began to pray to not let my new couch get drowned. I lie to you not, it was raining on one side of the street and not the other where I was. I got the furniture safely into my new apartment while watching a wall of water from the full on down pour a mere 20 yards from where I stood. I know the rain has to end someplace in a storm but I have never been in the place where it was raining on one side of the street and not the other. I believe God heard my prayer and saved my new furniture from being soaked and possibly ruined. True story.

@Jimmy V. posted:

I agree, we have a real treasure in the Special Edition/ Beck gang and Carey Hines is the driving force. I just had an issue driving my Suby powered FF speedster yesterday and asked Carey a question about it via email. He replied promptly and gave me great support. I ran my fuel tank near empty ( gauge needs work) while on my way home yesterday on the expressway. The engine went into a what felt like a limp mode. It wasn't over heated and I didn't realize the tank was as low as it was. I was able to nurse it home the last 10 miles and pulled into a gas station. The tank took a full 9 gallons to fill. I was under the impression my tank held 12 gallons but Carey informed me the aftermarket tank in my Speedster is sold as a 10 gallon tank but on average they hold about 8.8 gallons. So I was near dead empty. I am now going to work on the fuel gauge and also be mindful my cruising distance isn't what I thought it was. I just arrived home from vacation and thought I had filled the tank after my last time out. I now know I didn't. I will say it again that Carey and Special Edition gang provide incredible service to our community. The work they did on my Speedster converting it to Subaru power is amazing. The car is a joy to drive. Thanks again Carey!

Any chance you had reset the trip odometer when you last filled the tank? Did you check the number of miles you went on your nine galloons of gas? I always reset my trip odometer at each fill up so I can monitor the number of miles driven because the gauge is still not very accurate. I need to tweak it before my next fill up.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

Whilst rummaging through my shop last week I uncovered a set of engine cover bumper buttons that I had ordered from Carey Hines at Beck maybe four years ago. I decided that it was high time to install them on my CMC (which now has parts on it from just about every maker, it seems) because for the past 20 years I have been running a length of Frost King Door weather strip around the opening.  It looked cool - It's white, the car is white, it sealed well and didn't rattle, so?........

So I measure the bumper stud and decide that the stub on the bottom wants a 1/4" hole but, just to make sure, I thought I'd text Carey and get his input.  We went back and forth a few times until I finally got the holes drilled and got them installed.

Here are a few texts after he confirmed the hole size.  The end is a chuckle:

Me:  Super.  Still measuring for placement.  Just finished looking at photos and think I have them at about 4-1/2” up from bottom and down from top.  As long as both sides look equal I’m all set.  Thanks, Carey!

Carey: We place ours more “in the corners” which is not original.  The original are as you mentioned.  Its not critical, as they are just for anti vibration.

Got it.  I came to the same conclusion and already moved them a bit.  1 hole done, so now I’m committed!

Success!   No rattles, too!   Thanks again!

Then, at 9pm last night, out of the blue I get this:

Carey: By the way, who is this?

Got’cha guessing, huh?   This is Gordon Nichols from over near “Bahsten”. 😉

Hey Gordon. Added your name to contacts. Lol. Previously your photo looked beige. Now I see it’s pearl. Should have guessed. :-) 

@Gordon Nichols you are correct, Carey is one of a kind!  My car is just a home built, entry level CMC, but every time I contacted Carey about parts he was most helpful.  I have bought a louvered decklid and grille, front parking lights, new VDO gauge set and door pulls from Beck.  One of the door pulls arrived with really bad chrome.  I contacted Carey and he shipped a replacement immediately.  He also helped with wiring instructions on the gauge set.  Carey Hines and the guys at Beck are awesome.  I wish customer service was that important to all types of businesses.

heres a kicker, my 60 VW didnt have a gauge, u had a lever in the floorboard U moved and gave U another 1/2 gallon..works good unless U forget to change lever when filling up..used mileage from full for a good indicator..

@Jimmy V. posted:

My first time in 2 years and 4000 miles of driving and I only partially ran out of gas, limping home 10 miles was a miracle in my book.

 I once ran out of gas in a V8 powered 71 beetle on the 64 bridge crossing the Ohio River with no pull over lane. I had  thought quick and popped the auto trans into neutral not touching the brake and was able to coast over 2 miles getting across the bridge off the New Albany Indiana exit through a green light and down two blocks into a gas station and up to the pump. Boy did I feel blessed. Back when I was young just moving into my first apartment I was hauling a new living room set in an open pick up truck. I saw it starting to rain and began to pray to not let my new couch get drowned. I lie to you not, it was raining on one side of the street and not the other where I was. I got the furniture safely into my new apartment while watching a wall of water from the full on down pour a mere 20 yards from where I stood. I know the rain has to end someplace in a storm but I have never been in the place where it was raining on one side of the street and not the other. I believe God heard my prayer and saved my new furniture from being soaked and possibly ruined. True story.

What a guy eh, he does those thinks... well... just because...

Jimmy, with that tank on my IM, as soon as I saw the guage move I stopped. .... I found the bottom once and I needed someone to bring me a gas can full.  My new IM has a 15 gallons tank.