The Creation of my MassIVe engine, behind the scenes with Jake Raby

Anyone else have any smart ass responses/ comments?

Jack and I made a mutual decision to wait for pick up of the car. The weather here has been so horrible that I could barely even test drive the car 180 miles. On top of that I am not happy with the way the brakes are functioning and I simply want more time to spend with the car. Then we are closing down on Wednesday and won't return till 4 January, like most of the rest of the world.

Last time I checked, Jack was my client and no one else here. He dropped the car off after his last event of the year back in October. When he did that he told me that if we could keep the schedule as it was that would be great, but if it took longer than so be it.

Three days after that my Dad passed away and to say the least Jack's car quickly became a secondary priority for me and my team. Since then we have been working weekends to get back on top of the schedule as we lost the better part of two weeks to the loss of my Dad who was a member of my team. I won't rush and I won't allow anyone to rush me. Given my Dad's loss and the impact it has had on all of us here Jack is lucky the engine is even built right now, he is appreciative that we prioritized his job during such a difficult time.

I also won't allow any car to leave my hands that isn't meeting my expectations. Jack hasn't been paying for any of my efforts over the past two weeks, so the extra time hasn't isn't and won't be costing him anything extra. His car will stay indoors in a heated area with security over the christmas break. In his words "I wouldn't be using the car even if I had it, Jake."

We've had to overcome a lot of issues that we didn't suspect would occur as its not every day that you see a Speedster thats built from a chassis comprised of two different year chassis with different suspension types. This wasn't a simple engine installation. The engine it's self hasn't given us any issues at all.

My post was not intended to be construed as a "wise ass remark" but to convey a bit of light hearted humor.....sorry if it raised as few small hairs. At the time of this thread inception, I posted positive remarks on 7/3/2009 " Rocky and I installed Jake's type IV's in two speedsters a few years back. We are witness to an excellent product design as well as customer support.
Jack... you have made an excellent choice " ..........And that statement still stands to be fact.
We did two of the Raby Type IV installations inclusive of installing matched transmissions and fabricating our own powder coated aluminum engine to body shields. Both installations were completed in four nine hour days while doing hands on teaching with our auto shop students.
This Type IV thread was initiated to share in the build and installation experience and you know that in most circumstances, time lines almost always go astray. Your statement: "As far as Jack being your only client here", you are misguided as I too am self employed and consider each and every reader, phone call or casual meeting a potential customer client and they all require being treated as such. I look forward to hearing Jack rave about your Type IV product as I have done .....happy holiday's ~Alan

I think most everybody who frequents this site quickly realizes ya gotta to take comments on this site with a grain of salt. Jake, the engines your shop puts out speaks volumes about your high work ethic and journeyman reputation.

I suppose I am a bit on edge after dealing with this scenario..

I can generally complete a complete conversion in one work week to include the oil system, surround tin and sub-systems to include the chassis dyno work.

The weather, parts suppliers and shipping companies haven't been our friends during all of this.

Jake .... we have all been following the seemingly unending adventures you have encountered with this project.....I think it's safe to say each of us has run into this situation(s) ourselves and understand your situation......Your reputation is SOLID......Stuff happens.......Keep On Truckin.......

I do believe the phrase "WTF" was actualy coined by a speedster owner way back in the infancy of this forum, while he stared up in in frustration at a chassis mod employed by some previous owner and upon which his very existence has depended for these many miles.

Naa I coined WTF back in the mid 70's, I painted a Beetle without a single run (an accomplishment as there is no flat surface on a Beetle) as I closed the shop door a piece of the ceiling fell down onto the the hood. That's when WTF was first uttered ....

I thought the game of golf was called 'Golf' because WTF was already taken!

Jake,

Has anony told you

"Welcome to the Madness!!"

Richard--WTF are you doing up at 4:30 in the morning?? Those are Raby hours, not Pascale hours!

The older I get the less I sleep
Remember West Coast time on this site so I was late not early

Well, I'll just say congrats to both Jake and Jack for a job well done, no doubt about it. If it's worth doin', it's worth doin' right. Sounds like a good business plan to me. And I will start now praying that Jack can be bribed w/ a little extra Oban, or other distilled/fermented spirits, come the Carlisle meet, and I'll get a chance behind the wheel of this little Type 4 terror. How sweet that would be.

Kelly--thanks for what you posted. Absolutely I'll drive this car to Carisle and that'll be right after the Morrow Bay event which we also plane to drive.

Jake is in South Florida hunting wild boar this week but we'll get the bows on this project next week after his return.

I'll enjoy the Oban, but no bribe to drive is necessary--you and the soc'ers are welcome to drive this. Maybe we can generate some additional business for Jake--not that his wait list is short or anything.

Kelly--you need to think about attending Morro Bay--we need some easterners over on the Left Coast for the Morro Bay gathering.

Hunting "Wild Boar" in South Florida?

I thought all they had down there were alligators, illegal immigrants and friends of that great, drug-addled Gas bag, Rush Limbaugh.

Oops.....sorry!

Didn't mean to offend any Boar lovers out there!

Gordo--I like your comments on things mechanical a whole lot better.

Nah.....I'm just pissed because one of those eight people killed in Afghanistan yesterday was someone we knew....Left a young wife and a couple of infants (twins).

Sorry for the boar slight, everyone...and sorry for the thread Hijack.

I'm gonna be quiet for a while.

gordon

Gordon - Come on down - got some good hog hunting in FL! Just gotta have the right dawg to retrieve them once ya shoot one.

sorry to hear Gordon.

we lost 5 yesterday too.

Jack, Per Morrow Bay: I am officially on the record as thinking very seriously about joining this adventure -- via airplane. I think I can frequent-flyer my way out there for afew days, and hope to bum a ride or two to the various events. What a hoot.

Kelly---you should do it. I am hoping to be part of a caravan accross the country but I'll drive solo if I have to. I believe we will have 5 or so and should start a thread about this elsewhere. Then up to Carlisle shortly after that. Ain't it good!

This is a Hog Hunt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiHmYsyVniE&feature=related

I bagged two yesterday... They'll be good eating but nothing worth hanging on the wall. Going back tomorrow before I head home to finish Jack's speedy

I'd rather have some Farmer John bacon and a Honey baked ham

Wash it all down with eggnog made from farm fresh eggs and hand-picked nogs.....

Will,

Is that what MUSB and Vince did in VN? "Population control", uh-huh. Does not look very sporting to me, but very effective.

OK. Jake called today and he is virtually finished with the car. His hog hunting vacation is over and I think the only ham he saw was the Honeybaked ham I sent with him to Florida because I sure haven't heard any stories from him about game in the freezer! Also he is over the awful flu he came home with. Onward and onward--right?

I fly to Atlanta and make my way to Cleveland, GA next Wednesday---have my airplane ticket and am ready to get over there and drive that bad boy home to Hot Springs.

The weather for the drive back is 47 degrees with clear skies and zero chance of precip. Today at Jake's it is freezing with snow flurries and Jake is doing the last test drive. The carbs will have certain jets for a cold drive home and I expect I'll be switching them next summer for max performance in hot weather.

Soon----very soon.

Wow, I am excited too. I can imagine how you must be feeling. I look forward to seeing it at Carlisle.

Kelley, since I am such a bleeding heart PETA supporter, I am thinking about arming the Ferral Hogs of Texas with Stingers. Charlie Wilson says he is onboard!

Michael--Absolutely on Carlisle---wouldn't miss it for anything even if it is a pretty quick turn around after Morro Bay.

Wil--stingers--that's a good one. That heli hunt wasn't very sporting. I was sorta cheering for the wild pigs.

I am finally done.

Learned a lot from this one- it tested my patience, knowledge and ability to problem solve.

Jake's probably busy chasinng the polar bears off the lawn this morning.......;>) I'm just saying......

Just don't chase 'em into Tennessee.

If I saw a Polar Bear in my yard, this far south it wouldn't need to be chased!

So what was done to resolve the torsion bar problems-did you end up cutting out the torsion bar housing and installing a new one or something else?

For the problems to be completely corrected the entire body would have to be removed from the chassis. We did the best we could compensating the new combination for the "issues" that existed as the car was handling fine before, and was so "masked" that Jack had driven the car thousands of miles and didn't even know the issues existed.

There are still a few aspects that keep this from being the "perfect" project, but its clear that my level of perfection will never be reached with this vehicle, I tried for over a month to reach it and of that time Jack wasn't being charged for more than one week of effort.

Jack insists that the car is a constant evolutionary process and is never completed and that even though I have not been 1,000% pleased with the vehicle as a whole that he'll be more than happy with it and thats all that matters.

The car is entirely transformed from it's old version, even though the gripes from it's prior history could not be erased.

Jake's level of perfection transcends that of mere mortals and I mean that 100% as a sincere compliment. My car will be the benefactor of such off-the-top care and concern.

There was a wierd issue with the rear disc brakes slightly pulling to one side. It took some hours but after disasasembling the brakes on one side as well as removing the new C. B. Performance master cylinder used for discs, Jake discovered and repaired a casting flaw that was preventing proper flow of the brake fluid. While he was going about solving this I researched and read every Samba post about pulling brakes and there was not a single one that recommended checking the master cylinder for casting flaws. Jake found and fixed this issue and the brakes work perfectly now. I say this just as an example of every facet of this project that Jake has dealt with.

There was one issue he posted about earlier and this one made him crazy as somehow the car got out of the factory with shock towers that were from different year cars. To me this was cosmetic with one shock being extended 1 1/2 " more than the other. In my 11,000+ miles the car has driven super and goes absolutely staight hands off with a ride that is uber-comfortable. The tires look brand new with zero signs of any abnormal wear. So to me it was "g--- e-----" ( I dare not write those words!)

The shock tower thing caused the engine to sit slightly canted which Jake compensated for as best he could with a German CSP torque bar from Cip1 which helped plus gave the Type IV engine and new specially geared tranny good support from the extra 20# weight and much more torque off the line. This is a simplification but gives you the jist of it.


Jake emailed me yesterday with some final thoughts about the project and said that after test driving it and dialing the carbs in that it "has great power, stops great and performs---just not with the prescision of an orchestra. That is a fine report as far as I'm concerned and I like bluegrass bands better than orchestras so if it performs with the prescision of a bluegrass band I'm good to go.

Next Tuesday, 1/13, I'll drive the Speedster 643 miles from "Aircooled Heaven" to home in Hot Springs. 10 hours of driving will let me write some driving impressions and how a Speedster on MassIVe steroids drives compared to stock. The wx forecast is 47 degrees, blue skies and zero chance of precip all along the route; Cleveland, GA, Atlanta, Birmimgham, Menmphis, Little Rock and Hot Springs, AR.

This project has been fun and instructive. I have really enjoyed it and highly recommend this experience to others.

I am sure you will enjoy your roadtrip and adventure in your "new" car next week. I am looking forward to seeing the photos and reading about your experience. We all know that Jake takes pride in his work and goes to great lengths to satisfy not only his customers but also himself, and I am sure you will enjoy what Jake has done to improve your vehicle.

Thanks, Brandon--I plan to take quite a few photos while I'm at Jake's Wednesday. Some of the surprisingly large facility, Engine assembly rooms that resemble operating theaters, Jake and some of his people,and me with a very large SEG. Maybe a mini-tour with the classroom where various seminars are conducted and Jake's office that looks sorta like the one the chairman of the pharmaceutical company I worked for in NYC had. We'll see.

Coming home I'll take some photos along the route.

Jack will be here within the hour to pick the car up... Its going to be a cold morning but will warm up this afternoon for his drive.