Ed, I found that I could run the front end lower when the swaybar was installed.
I also have my cooling fan wired hot all the time, it comes on when needed and shuts off when cool enough, like it's supposed to.
Yeah, get it 150% sorted down in the mountains. It will be a real Spyder-fest, Carlos and I are Spydering.
Cheers.
Yeah, what Stan and Danny said. You know you want to. 😬
I do want to, but it is not possible.
@edsnova posted:I do want to, but it is not possible.
Pity, that.
Yesterday I taped 3-inch lengths of yarn to the back deck and the grill openings and pointed my GoPro at them while driving at 30, 40, 50 and 60 mph. Looks like the yarn dives in at low speed, higher RPM but at about 30-35 mph airflow becomes neutral, and the yarn just kind of hangs there, popping up and down into and out of the grill.
At 50 and up it looks like there's more pressure under the grill and the yarn blows out but sort of lays down across as the pressure above the deck acts on it. 
This seems to explain my hot running in early testing: I was running roads on which I barely exceeded 40mph, and usually right around 30—just where the system seems to be moving the least air.
I put a new gasket on the driver's side valve cover this a.m. to cure a drip, and folded over the edges of my exhaust junction covers to prevent their cutting into the axle boots. 
Then I drove the car about 20 miles round the beltway today to the circuit court. It seems to like highway speeds: 3000-3200 RPM is like 70-75 and the temp was steady at 80C.
Fan went on as I pulled up and was off by the time I fed the meter.
A guy in a Honda paced me with his phone for like a mile before I got off my exit.
Stopped for some refreshments on the way home and that caused a scene. Two other dudes just out of the frame, plus the counter guy. I lifted the clam and we noticed a little oil leaking round the filter—probably the sandwich plate needs to be tightened.
Sorting continues.
Excellent, Ed. Thank you so much for doing this. I'll have to do this on mine so we have data for sans-underpan also.
Well I think the TD is going to go now 
@edsnova posted:A guy in a Honda paced me with his phone for like a mile before I got off my exit.
Stopped for some refreshments on the way home and that caused a scene. Two other dudes just out of the frame, plus the counter guy.
And so it began. Ed's reign of terror on the unsuspecting citizens of Baltimore and the surrounding area continued even unto today... Keep 'em both!
@edsnova posted:With 5.5 inches ground clearance (about 3/4-inch more than last test drive) there is no rubbing of the front tires. The sway bar feels like it's working well. No body lean. Tracks straight. Very crisp changing direction still—enough so that I'm going to re-measure my toe and camber.
Ed, if you don't mind. Where did you measure from? I'd like to get a comparison before I start messing with my ride height.
@dlearl476 I put the car on the lift and measure from a piece of angle I lay flat across the ramps, up to the bottom of the floor just behind the front wheel wells and just ahead of the rear wheel wells.
What year is it?
It doesn't much matter, really. And I won't remember what you said ten minutes from now.
It's just that I had to connect. Let you know that I get it. So wish I weren't driving this POS Corolla.
This is how to roll. How I would roll if it weren't for all the stuff life makes you do. If I were really free to choose. Some day.
For now, I take the covers off the steelies on the Corolla. It's about all I can do. And the fart can on the exhaust.
Some day.
@edsnova posted:@dlearl476 I put the car on the lift and measure from a piece of angle I lay flat across the ramps, up to the bottom of the floor just behind the front wheel wells and just ahead of the rear wheel wells.
Thanks Ed. I don't have a lift, but I've got the Spyder out where I normally store the 968 and it has a large concrete pad by the office. I'll check it there. TBH, I think I'm more concerned about L/R matching, but I've got to raise it. I'm tired of dragging bottom.
@Sacto Mitch posted:
What year is it?
It doesn't much matter, really. And I won't remember what you said ten minutes from now.
It's just that I had to connect. Let you know that I get it. So wish I weren't driving this POS Corolla.
This is how to roll. How I would roll if it weren't for all the stuff life makes you do. If I were really free to choose. Some day.
For now, I take the covers off the steelies on the Corolla. It's about all I can do. And the fart can on the exhaust.
Some day.
LOL. I think strangers asking questions added at least an hour to my initial trip home from Bremen to NYC. My gas gauge was working back-asswards so I was stopping every 100-150 miles because I didn't trust it. Never failed to draw a crowd.
Maybe more than the cars themselves, it's this shared experience that seems to pull us together.
The guy waving his cellphone out the window to get a photo as he drives past. The kid pulling at his mom's skirts and pointing. The questions at the gas pump.
Ed has taken a dusty hulk and transformed it into a machine that has The Magic.
Congratulations, Ed!
Welcome to the Madness...again.
@Sacto Mitch posted:
Maybe more than the cars themselves, it's this shared experience that seems to pull us together.
I think you've captured it. We drive cars that make other people happy in addition to ourselves.
@Sacto Mitch posted:
What year is it?
It doesn't much matter, really. And I won't remember what you said ten minutes from now.
It's just that I had to connect. Let you know that I get it. So wish I weren't driving this POS Corolla.
This is how to roll. How I would roll if it weren't for all the stuff life makes you do. If I were really free to choose. Some day.
For now, I take the covers off the steelies on the Corolla. It's about all I can do. And the fart can on the exhaust.
Some day.
I can't tell you how much I connect with this little bit of prose, Mitch.
Grinding. Sleeping in my truck after the last call of the night, because starting time is only 3 hours away and I can't miss the shift. Holding my wife's hand as she delivers our son, knowing that I'll be taking both of them home in an hour or two because we can't afford a room in the hospital. Mowing my dad's lawn, because 10 bucks an hour doesn't pay for a wife and three kids.
Hustling. Taking every shift. Getting up 4 times a night to drive to a chemical plant to change vacuum pump oil. Getting 10 hours of sleep in an entire week. Working 36 hrs. straight. Borrowing money to buy a 8 year old sedan. Dragging a $50 car home, spending $500 on it, and abandoning it as a lost cause.
Getting subscriptions to car magazines as birthday and Christmas gifts. Looking at cars I couldn't dream of affording. Wondering how my kids were ever going to go to college, to reach their potential. Wondering how I was ever going to reach anything close to my potential.
Seeing an "older" guy at a gas station in his 'vette/911/Jag, and wondering how he got to that point-- asking myself what part of his soul he needed to sell to swing it.
... and then, having life change in a day. Stepping through a door into opportunity, grabbing the chance and running with it-- hard and fast. Working every bit as hard as before, but for 4x the money. Buying a modest toy, then a nicer one, then eventually not worrying about the money the toy cost at all.
Slowing. Coasting to some extent. Enjoying life (maybe for the first time, but probably not).
An 11 year old kid was riding his bike past my house Saturday. I was building some steps into the garage apartment, and the kid wheeled his bike in. He had not a shy bone in his body, and he was shooting questions rapid-fire. He started with the limo, then worked his way through all my stuff. I told him to browse the shop for as long as he wished. He asked about the set-up-- the benches, the tools, the lifts. He looked at the stuff I had on the walls. But mostly, he was just making conversation so he could get close to the Speedster-- to be pulled into it's orbit, to gaze longingly at every curve, every swath of leather, every mechanical bit.
I spent 20 minutes I didn't have, just talking to him like an adult. If the car hadn't been landlocked behind eleventy-billion tools and piles of lumber, I would have taken him for a ride. I invited him back "any time", for just such a thing.
That kid was me. That kid was me more than once in my life-- wondering how this grizzled old dude pulled this whole thing off, how he played his hand into perfection. I could see all of it in his eyes, in his wonderment that men could own such things.
I'll never forget where I've been, and I try to never take where I am for granted.
We're blessed, gentlemen. Make no mistake about it.
Loved it, Stan. That's one of the things I love about your approach to life - your generosity and your ability to see yourself in others.
Totally agree, Mike. I think Stan may have missed his real calling: writer/author/wordsmith.
It's interesting to see how this thread about Ed's journey to create a piece of mobil art has evolved into a treatise on life and how we're blessed - and how to encourage others to work to achieve similar blessings. Thanks guys. You made my morning.
So the oil leak turned out to be the valve cover. I've changed those gaskets twice now.
They weren't leaking before, but on the way home yesterday I revved the car up over 5k in 2nd and 3rd when getting on the highway.
Looks like the gasket got sucked in a little and that caused the leak.
So that's interesting. Obviously the engine wants to go over 5k. We all want that. That's where the fun is. I have breathers on both valve covers and the breather feeds a big open tank. It's not positively vented into an air cleaner yet, but still.
Now, also...I did pull this cover a few weeks ago to check the valve lash, and I just snapped it back on without changing the gasket. Maybe that was bad tradecraft?
This time I glued a new gasket on the pan with Permatex Ultra Grey and snapped it back on. Maybe it's fine. But wondering if there's a better valve cover system (or breather?)
Are the bolt-on C-channel ones any good?
Ed, I'm glad the engine wants to run. That's a great feeling. I switched from some leaky EMPI bolt-ons to some stainless SCATs with tabs:
SCAT Stainless Steel Valve Covers with 5-Tab Gasket Securing, Pair (#80240T) around $30.
They seem to work better with cork gaskets than rubber. So far the leaking has stopped.
Be careful when putting them on. They're tight and have sharp edges unless you round them off.
i had to replace the metal springs that hold tension against the valve cover..they lose their spring after awhile
Ahhhh, the dreaded gasket-suck. Lots of people get it at high rpm.....
You can weld little tabs to your stock valve covers. Or buy the Scat's, and heed Mike's warning, the Scat tabs are razor sharp!
Ed, you shouldn't have to change gaskets every time, or even every other. I think I used one set for a few years and at least three valve adjustments.
For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of silicone for gasket adhesive. I've had very good luck with contact adhesive on my cast aluminum fake-4-cam covers. Brush a coat on the gasket and the valve cover, wait ten minutes, and stick them in place. Zero chance of gasket suck. FYI, my redline is 6500.
You do have a Raby motor, Ed......
The rubber-impregnated cork gaskets are the bomb. Forgot where I got them though.
This works: Clean the gasket surfaces on the valve cover and head with lacquer thinner. I use red RTV sparingly on the sides and bottom surface of the valve cover only (not the head is it's a machined smooth surface) there is no need to apply it to the top of the valve cover. Make sure that you have wiped away any excess. Set the valve covers back on the engine and wait over night ....before firing up the engine. Some are not fans of RTV but it works well for me.
There's an easier fix.
Since you're getting 'the dreaded gasket suck' only over 5000 rpm, you should really eliminate the problem at its source.
It's easy to keep revs comfortably under 5000 with proper gearing. A close ratio five-speed transaxle is the way to go. You'll be able to effortlessly merge with high-speed traffic and shift at 4500 or less.
The cost of the five-speed conversion will quickly pay for itself in all of those valve cover gaskets you won't have to replace.
These are simple VW-based cars. Try to look for the simplest solution to any problem.
That's funny, Mitch.
However, good luck getting a 5 speed in a Spyder.......believe me, I've been trying to figure out how.
I did a Berg 5 speed in a Spyder, Required cutting and replacing the rearmost crossbar to accommodate the added 1" in length (measurement is from memory), and then I made the matching changes to the shifter mechanism to fit. Quite frankly I was less than impressed... Maybe we could have gone back through the box and done some regearing to make it better, but the gear ratios were spec'd by the client. It was essentially a 2nd overdrive and IMHO useless, especially for the money involved in making the change. I think the client was into the box around $10K, plus the labor to change the chassis/shifter. (Suby spec (pro-drag) box built for a turbo STi motor, plus LSD with all Weddle gears and HD everything, plus Berg conversion)
On gaskets, all of the suggestions above are valid and as much as I hate to even do it, we also use a gasket sealant on cover gaskets anymore (gask-a-sinch is my "go-to" and high temp RTV or permitex aero gasket sealer) when we have a hard time getting the gask-a-sinch.
Yeah, he should have left 4th alone, and put that final ration in fifth. Then spaced 3rd and 4th shorter and longer than the original 3rd. That would be more better LOL!
And to add to my previous post, "I've been trying to figure out how" without losing a kidney, a testicle, and a lung......$$$$$$
I have the dreaded bolt-on CB valve covers. I never use RTV. I make O-Rings for the two bolts per cover out of 5/16" ID rubber hose 'cuz I'm too cheap to source and buy the correct O-Rings. So far (20 years) the bolts don't leak.
I have used both composite and cork cover gaskets. I don't really see much difference, but I prefer the cork. Regardless of cork or composite, I smear a consistent spread of automotive grease onto both sides of the gasket just before I get under there to check the valves - before I even pull the valve covers - and then let them sit to absorb some of the grease. Regular automotive grease from my grease gun. don't remember the brand. It's green but my last tube was black Molybdenum. Either is fine.
Once the valves are checked and the gaskets have been sitting for 15-30 minutes, I use a paper towel to gently wipe away any excess grease, pop them into the valve cover (they always seem to be slightly too big) and gently put them on with new hose-made o-rings on the bolts.
Once in a Blue Moon I get a cover weep and once, like 15 years back, I had a pucker in one that I should have caught when I put the covers on but didn't. Now I know what to check for and keep them nice and straight.
@chines1 a loooong time ago I used "Gas-K-Cinch Aircraft Dope" on a valve cover on a 350 GM truck engine that had developed a bad lifter. Never again (I know - you're stuff is slightly different, thank God). We mis-diagnosed which lifter was bad and we had to pull the cover again the next day.
Thought I was gonna have to use dynamite.
Tried prying from 15 different places around the cover to no avail. Finally, in desperation, we called Bill Haynes, an ex-Navy CB and local heavy equipment mechanic and asked for his insight.
He said, "Aircraft Dope! What the hell did yah use THAT $#!+ for? It's a F-ing CAR motor!"
He then told us to use a couple of propane torches and heat the pi$$ out of the cover all along the edge where the gasket sits to soften it up, while having a third guy start prying the cover off. Must have taken an hour to remove it and by then the edge was toast from all the prying. We ended up getting a new cover.
@DannyP posted:Yeah, he should have left 4th alone, and put that final ration in fifth. Then spaced 3rd and 4th shorter and longer than the original 3rd. That would be more better LOL!
And to add to my previous post, "I've been trying to figure out how" without losing a kidney, a testicle, and a lung......$$$$$$
I think Danny, that is the main issue, as getting the right gearing is kind of difficult for the common guy where can he try it out to know if version 1 will be ok. He should have custom made the whole 4 gears to duplicate an original 356 with a long second and closer spaced 3rd and fourth and finally the OD fifth.
In any case if he was looking to quiet the engine noise he missed it as 3K is the sweet spot for ACooled as we all know for longetivity.
+1 on the regular Gasgacinch. I use it wherever I think I might have a leak.
Gordon, thanks for sharing your experience with the aviation version - wow.
Amazon carries the regular Gasgacinch now (although they won't ship it to me - Maui problems...).
Oh, I was under the impression it was AC, must have misread that one
@DannyP posted:You can weld little tabs to your stock valve covers. Or buy the Scat's, and heed Mike's warning, the Scat tabs are razor sharp!
I have the EMPI cast aluminum snap-on covers. My gaskets kept moving, so I made up tabs from aluminum bar stock and pop-riveted them in. Sealed the inside of the rivets with high-temperature RTV. Working good so far.
I have a set of those laying around. Seems like they need their own bails though, as the stock ones won't clear the edges...
I would not leave any RTV exposed in the engine where it can get picked up by the oil and moved elsewhere possibly clogging an oil galley, bearing etc.
I'm not a participant in this game, but a careful observer, so here are some observations.
@Anthony , a VW mechanic with about 35 years experience, does my valves. I watched him do it the first time and decided I'd rather have him do it than do it myself.
It wasn't that you have to jack up the car and get under (if you don't have a lift). It wasn't that you have two sides to do separately. It wasn't that you had to be really careful about sealing the valve covers. I think it was all of that combined.
Anthony will often spend more time working on the valve covers than setting the valves. He's meticulous about examining the channel where the gasket sits and making sure it's free of all the old gunk and perfectly clean. I've seen him take a drill with a wire brush to it to make sure it is perfectly smooth. He uses the cork gaskets and some simple grease to seal it, but it's more in the how than in the what.
Years ago, I always did the valves on my old 2002. One valve cover, an upright inline four, adjusters easily accessible and all in a line. You did the whole thing standing up. Nothing dripped in your face. But most important, the oil naturally drained away from the gasket in normal operation. There was no pool of oil lying against it.
A new cardboard gasket was recommended for every adjustment, but I soon learned I could re-use the same one over and over, without any sealant at all, and the thing never leaked. Twenty-three years, and the damned thing never leaked.
The VW valve covers are a whole other animal in this regard. They take some finesse to get right.
@Alan Merklin posted:I would not leave any RTV exposed in the engine where it can get picked up by the oil and moved elsewhere possibly clogging an oil galley, bearing etc.
Meh. I have a strainer, which is perennially full of bits of Aviation Permatex, but no RTV bits, and a full-flow oil filter.
@Sacto Mitch posted:
I'm not a participant in this game, but a careful observer, so here are some observations.
@Anthony , a VW mechanic with about 35 years experience, does my valves. I watched him do it the first time and decided I'd rather have him do it than do it myself.
It wasn't that you have to jack up the car and get under (if you don't have a lift). It wasn't that you have two sides to do separately. It wasn't that you had to be really careful about sealing the valve covers. I think it was all of that combined.
Anthony will often spend more time working on the valve covers than setting the valves. He's meticulous about examining the channel where the gasket sits and making sure it's free of all the old gunk and perfectly clean. I've seen him take a drill with a wire brush to it to make sure it is perfectly smooth. He uses the cork gaskets and some simple grease to seal it, but it's more in the how than in the what.
Years ago, I always did the valves on my old 2002. One valve cover, an upright inline four, adjusters easily accessible and all in a line. You did the whole thing standing up. Nothing dripped in your face. But most important, the oil naturally drained away from the gasket in normal operation. There was no pool of oil lying against it.
A new cardboard gasket was recommended for every adjustment, but I soon learned I could re-use the same one over and over, without any sealant at all, and the thing never leaked. Twenty-three years, and the damned thing never leaked.
The VW valve covers are a whole other animal in this regard. They take some finesse to get right.
The nice thing is that he is in your neck of the woods so you can have him do it
@Eric (McGruff) posted:Meh. I have a strainer, which is perennially full of bits of Aviation Permatex, but no RTV bits, and a full-flow oil filter.
So whoever assembled your engine used a whole can of Aviation/case sealant?
You really don't need much to seal the case halves. I think I've had the same 4 oz. plastic can for 30 years. It's still good, and there's plenty left.
I've never had chunks of anything. Just dirty oil.
