two vintage beauties

We didn't hear from you for a minute so I'm assuming the pick-up of your new Speedster and the drive home went well?  Any issues yet?  My wife/right seater bought quite a few new outfits after I got my Speedster, watch out.

 

Have fun Will.

Robert, you got off cheap.  My wife got a 300 SF foot 4-season room after the Vintage and a 150 SF Luxury Dressing room after the IM.

Robert, before I respond about our trip, I want to take this time to thank all of you for the words of wisdom regarding driving our car home the day we picked it up. I listened to you (a remarkable thing, given my stubbornness) and it paid off in spades, thanks!

 

It was a great day picking up the car, meeting Kirk and his crew and touring the shop, but after that, not so great.

 

The next morning, in the parking lot of a classy hotel in Long Beach, I fired her up (the car) and she promptly spit 5 quarts of oil all over the parking lot.

 

Kirk sent a driver and helper to load up the car and take her the 15 miles back to the shop. I went along as the brakes were also extremely soft and it was back-firing to beat the band and...you get the picture.

 

The shop replaced the oil filter which (they said) was the cause of the massive hemmorage. Took off the rear dics, replaced the master cylinder and bled the brakes. Around 5 pm I got a ride back to our hotel.

 

Next morning we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Oxnard, the brakes were solid but the back-firing was annoying and more than a little embarassing.

 

The next morning we got up early (6 am) to beat the heat, it had been over 100 all week long and extremely humid. I fired her up (again, the car) and she promptly donated 4 quarts of oil all over the parking lot, again it looked like the Fram filter was to blame.

 

We had several angels who helped us. One, Lawrence, the hotel handyman, helped us push Whitecloud (yes, she has a name) out of the sun into a shady spot, cleaned up the mess in the lot, loaned me tools and most importantly, some Red Locktite gel, more on why that was so critical.

 

Another angel, Roger, was a Porsche freak and a former owner of an early 911. He took me 6 miles to the closest parts store, an Auto Zone, where I purchased 6 quarts of oil, a Mobile 1 filter and rags, a funnel, etc.

 

When I got back to our hotel, I removed the filter which is where the oil came from, it was loose and I set to work cleaning the filter adapter and 1/2" nipple that the filter screws onto. I noticed as I was meticulously cleaning the threads et/all, that the nipple was loose, not even finger tight!

 

We used to peen these things in place to prevent what had apparently happened twice in 3 days but Lawrence didn't have a pin punch so I opted for the Locktite. We got on the road around noon, stopping every 15 miles for the first few stops, then 30, then 45 and finally home around 6 that evening.

 

We love our car, we are going to have many (happier) trips in it, but I won't be leaving the area until we have it thoroughly gone-through by our local air-cooled shop in SLO, we're on the calendar for next Wednesday.

 

So, that really is the short version, sorry you asked?

 

Happier photos:

She is beautiful.  The contrasting color of the piping, the cream color she's sporting, everything looks great.  Sorry to hear of the rough start and I'm glad that spirit, ahem, madness, has not been dampened.  A trip to the VW shop is probably a good idea.  Most regular motor oil won't have enough zinc in it for these engines and the air-cooled guys will know what to do.

 

Enjoy the car Will. In fact I just got back from a quick trip to dinner with a colleague and a short drive around town.  You've got to love when the weather gets cool in the evenings, there's no better time for cruising.

That's all my budget allows. But she isn't done Marty yet, not even close.

yeah, you get a car she gets a new kitchen

 

nice car, nice passenger mirror.  Ray

Will,

 

Just a suggestion (you can take it if you want to, or not): I'd get some sort of relief device for the "full flow" oil system. A Berg relief cover for the oil pump works, or better yet, a Jaycee relief oil cooler base.

 

You're fortunate all you are blowing is oil filters. You're going to blow something else if this keeps happening. At a minimum, without some sort of relief you need to let the car warm up for 10 or 15 minutes before taking off. Your oil is too thick, and you are developing very high pressure when the oil is cold (and thick). 

 

Forewarned is forearmed.

I blew a couple of oil filter seals early on by not letting the oil warm up enough before hitting higher revs. Let it warm up for about two minutes before taking off and don't rev the engine during the warm up.

> On Sep 1, 2015, at 11:16 PM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

 

Will, congrats on both of your vintage beauties.

 

I think you'll understand why I like how your car looks - here's mine:

 

 

 

 

Stan knows a lot more about this than I ever will, but our new VS had the same problem with blowing out oil filters. It turned out the stock VW pressure relief valve was stuck. The shop said when they ran the car while up on the lift, the oil lines were bulging out like balloons.

 

The stock relief valve is a very simple spring-loaded piston that should be easy for a VW mechanic to check.

 

We also had backfiring problems. This is most often caused by carb tuning issues, but could be other things, too - like exhaust system or intake manifold leaks.

 

It turns out our carbs hadn't been touched at all, and brand new ones definitely need to be touched quite a bit before they're dialed in. I would have a competent VW dude - preferably one with gray hair - thoroughly check the whole car out from one end to the other.

 

On balance, I think I've enjoyed this more than any other car I've ever had. But if you think of it as an adventure rather than a car, both you and your wife will probably be happier at the end of the day.

 

Happy motoring.

 

 

 

Mitch,

 

We joke around a lot. I'm not kidding here: that's an amazing shot. Quintessential California.

 

There's a lot of people and politics to screw it up, and you've got fires and earthquakes, and drought-- but I love that state. I've had the privilege of driving out twice in my little car-- and I've got to say, CA really is "the Golden State". I can think of nowhere I'd rather be than behind the wheel of my speedster, cruising up (or down... either is just fine) CA1-- unless it's sawing through CA70 in the Plumas National Forest, or 28/89/50 around Tahoe, or rolling into Yosemite Valley on 140 through the south gate, and seeing Rivendell open up in front of me as I come out of the tunnel. I haven't seen it all, but I've seen enough to know that you guys are truly blessed.

 

I've never done "wine country" (unless you count the vineyards outside San Luis Obispo/Cambria/Paso Robles), but I hope to one day (assuming I don't have to sell my fillings to do it).

 

Enjoy what you've got.

 

There's a lot to be thankful for.

6 quarts of oil is a lot for an air cooled VW engine - did you add it all?  Without sump, remote cooler, and filter, OEM capacity is only 2.5 quarts.  Be careful not to overfill. 

 

Let's hope that those 2 massive venting of oil will satisfy it's future marking of its territory.

Robert, love your car, and the setting, looks like where we live, a few miles south of Paso Robles, wonderful shot!

 

Ray, funny story about the passenger mirror. Kirk sanded the mirror adjusting flange but sanded the upper portion so the mirror shows low-flying birds perfectly. I explained to him the vision problem was seeing things at car-level. He laughed when he realized what he had done and is sending a new mirror...for me to screw up.

 

Stan, the filter was "blowing" because it couldn't stay tight to the adapter because the shop didn't lock the nipple in place. That's been done, by me and all is well.

 

Stan/Tom, she's going to VPA, a fine shop in SLO next Wednesday for a thorough going-through: valve adjust, oil change (the 3rd one in 300 miles!), carb adjust, timing adjust, a stem to stern physical. I'll mention the pressure relief valve at that time.

 

Wolfie, I picked up 6 quarts not knowing for sure how much she had dumped on the parking lot or what she was supposed to hold. She took 3 1/2 and I'm sure there was at least one (or more) inside her. The new Mobile 1 filter took one quart, the cooler/filter lines would account for at least one more, and stock, she holds 2 1/2 (as mentioned), that's 4 1/2 not counting whatever was left in her.

 

I mention the Mobile 1 filter because the rubber gasket on the Frams (x2) was blown out of index when they were removed. Of course it could be argued that it wasn't their fault, and it wasn't, the loose nipple was to blame, or more to the point, the installer was to blame! That said, at Auto Zone, I checked 4 major brands of the PH8A size and only one has a positive method of indexing and holding the rubber washer that is so important. Fram, Autolite and the Auto Zone filters all had 3 or 4 peens on the ID of the washer which allowed me to easily pull them off. The Mobile 1 has a machined flange on the ID and OD which not only indexes the washer in place but holds it (perhaps assisted with glue) in place. I tried to pull it out of it's nesting spot and couldn't, that's what I want on my car!

 

 

Oh, another thing. Several of us use Wix 51515R filters from Napa. They handle the pressure better.

> On Sep 2, 2015, at 10:35 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Several years ago (2008) there was an oil filter evaluation (google it) that rated over 30 filters.  At that time FRAM was listed as to be avoided.  Ithad lots of cardboard hot glued together.  I like the black wrinkle paint added for grip to bottom but that seems to be its only virtue.

 

Here's new study -

http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/.../oilfilterstudy.html

 

sacto mitch- that is truly a beautiful picture,well done!

Tom (and others):

 

It was mentioned on the shop Talk Forums as well as on a MOPAR forum a friend hangs out on, that the WIX 51515R is considered a lessor-restriction filter (compared to the WIX 51515) due to two factors:

 

1.  It has less filter surface area

 

2.  It filters down to 30 microns (20 microns once it gets a little dirty)

 

If you were running a full-blown race engine and running 20W-50 oil in it, then the reduced restriction of the filter is a good thing since it would be less prone to blowing out at the oil pressure seen at engine speeds above 6 Grand.  It also moves a lot more oil at that speed/pressure, and that's a good thing for a racing engine.  It is NOT recommended for street use, however.

 

The "regular" WIX 51515 so-called "Street" version is probably a better filter for our  engines, since it is one of the 5 most effective at filtering down to 5 microns, PLUS it has that stronger can that can take oil pressure though the filter of 125 pounds or greater (which we see when it's cold and we're running too-thick oil).

 

You can get this exact filter at NAPA with the WIX name on it, or for a little less money just get a NAPA Gold equivalent - it's the same filter.

 

Anyway, that's my two cents......    gn

Wix and Napa #s are the same except Wix puts the #5 in front, same filter though

Mitch, I gave the credit to Robert for your car and beautiful photo sorry and...wow, gorgeous!

(Robert, I'm sure yours is a beauty too!)

Stan, I just picked up this bypass cover from Neil on the Samba.

 

 

 

Stan, Tom, and Will, thanks much.

 

I think the Speedster has helped us discover and appreciate California's back roads more than any car we had before it.

 

That photo was taken near Coloma, about a mile from the original gold discovery site, but there is country like that stretching for hundreds of miles through the Sierra foothills and along the coast. Driving the Speedster down those roads, you could easily be on the narrow Bavarian roads where the first Porsches were developed.

 

Maybe that's why the car seems at home here. There's a certain rhythm to its shifts and the power band of the engine that seems just right at this scale. Somehow, modern cars built for cruising the autobahn at 130 mph in insulated quiet just don't let you taste the wine country in the same way.

 

Hang in there, Will. Work through the teething issues one by one. And soon, you may be rediscovering a state you thought you knew pretty well, too.

 

 

Will: 

First welcome to the club...  We have all had our issues, TRUST ME, but once you get that car into shape OH MY  you will be loving every minute and counting minutes until the next drive..  Fresno Is just starting to cool down and its perfect weather for a night drive here. Robert will attest!! 

 

Will you be joining us for Tahoe?     ALSO: Please feel free to ask any of us anytime for advice, we are all happy to help...

 

 

MITCH:  THAT'S AN AWESOME SHOT!!  I would like to employ you for a photo shoot while in Tahoe.  $$$ black jack money..

 

BY THE WAY...  When I bought my car I didn't have to by my wife anything..  I Don't have one of those!! But they sound great to have.. Ill keep my eyes open for one.  

 

Best Regards,

TEBS

 

To expand on what Gordon said above- the 51515R filters down to 60 microns and has a maximum flow rate of 28 gpm; it's a filter for racing engines with larger bearing clearances running constant higher rpm's and heavier oil. Quote from the Wix site- "High Performance Racing Filter w/ T-71 Racing Media That Lowers Restriction & Increases Horsepower - Not for street use" 

 

The 51515 filters to 21 microns and is rated at 7-9 gpm, which is more than enough for our engines. It also has a 290psi burst pressure rating.

Al, at this point I'm more worried about the remote cooler than the filter, seems Kirk runs the oil from the pump (full flow/no relief) first to the remote cooler and then through the filter and back to the engine, poor little cooler!

 

Ordered a pressure relief pump cover which I'll install when it arrives.

Mitch, Kathy and I took Whitecloud up to Paso yesterday, my water-jet cutter and powder-coater are there and I had some of my products to deliver so what a great excuse for a drive. We took the same circuitous back-roads I ride my Vespa on, I have a great route which totally eliminates traffic and maximizes views.

 

At one point, Kathy asked me if my Vespa was jealous, I replied:"She hasn't seen Whitecloud yet, but she definitely knows somethings up." So, when we returned from our delivery, I took my faithful scooter on a grocery run. I was thinking as I rode: "I've got the two most bitchen rides in the world!"

 

My neighbor yells across the street yesterday morning:"Will, that is the sexiest car I've ever seen!" I ask him if he'd like to see it up close, "Oh yeah!" he says. He spent 20 minutes gushing on about the curves, the color, the interior...and this is a Camaro guy, a Chevy freak...he leaves saying:"Nothing I've ever owned even touches this thing."

 

Yup!

My home is spittin' distant from some of the most expensive homes in my city and along with them are some of the most expensive cars you can buy.  McLarens, Teslas, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, original Cobras, Ford GT40s, a lot of nice vinatge cars, and etc.  When I'm pulling onto my street THOSE guys give me a thumbs up.  Yesterday I had a guy rolling in front of me with a vintage Jaguar E-Type and he slows down to about 30 mph in a 50 mph zone and starts waving me up next to him.  I had to turn right at the next light so I got in the lane behind him and he immediately changed lanes to be next to me.  At the next red light he gushes about how nice my car is.  I thank him, and he asks if it's an original or a replica.  I responded it was a replica and he still said he wished he had it because it looked so nice.  It's that kind of stuff that puts a SEG (Shi# Eating Grin) on the face.

 

Enjoy it!

wow, this story shows we are all human and these cars all have issues that need to be worked out.

 

Proud JPS owner!

 

 

...and then...I drive 3 miles across town to pick up my friend for coffee, we usually mountain bike a trail near my house to coffee but I screwed-up my back this week so we took the new car.

 

Oil light came on the way to his house. We check the oil, nothing on the dipstick. I checked it before firing up the motor and had also checked the filter to make sure it was tight (I now do that every time I start the car).

 

Poured 2 1/2 quarts of oil in which indicated full. Started it and drove home. Saw my oil trail as I neared my house, it went for almost a mile, started a block from my house. Engine compartment is sprayed with oil from stem to stern, top to bottom, best guess...doghouse cooler let loose.

 

Well, this is the third catastrophic oil leak in a week of ownership, not a good portent of things to come. It's going to an air-cooled shop in S.L.O. on Wednesday and I'm going to have them run a compression check as I'm not sure what happened to the bearings in my 6 mile jaunt.

 

Kirk is paying for all of it which is only fair. $29,000 for a "new car" and almost $2,000 in travel expenses and all I have to show for it is 3 major oil spills, a disappointed wife, a case of very low confidence in the car and builder and a bad taste in my mouth.

 

I'm starting to think about all the other ways I could've blown 30 Large that would've been more satisfying...

Will, there is a bit of risk with all cars but sometimes with Custom built cars, you simply get a lot more work to do in the R&D process to get things sorted out. Not a pleasant experience at times but even buying an old antique car usually amounts to the same thing until you rebuild everything to your satisfaction which in of itself is a challenge. IN your case your expecting new parts to be that... NEW, but sometimes even good builders get faulty supplies and your stuck with the work. It does get better but it is no fun at times and all I you can think about is the song... you know like Get off the bus Gus, and make a new plan Stan, .etc etc... drop off the key Lee and set yourself free...  but then that is why you chose the madness. Ray 

Where is it leaking, Will?  If the filter was tight and didn't blow, did a fitting leak?

That's the big problem with two particular builders in Cali. They only mass assemble but do very little or no breaking in and sorting of their cars. The QC also suffers somewhat! I've seen many cars sold with less than 1000 miles on them because of this problem.

 

~WB

True story Bill.  I bought mine with just 800 miles on it!  Had to stay under 35 MPH driving the thing home---all 270 miles of it.  The teething issues were significant but I was so eaten up with the madness I stuck with it and now have a Speedster I wouldn't trade for any thing.

 

Well---maybe Ruby or Marty's turbo or an Im Porsche---you guys want to swap?

 

I don't think I've made a deal but the work was worth everything because the car is killer now and we will make our 9th Carlisle in a row next spring.  From 800 miles to 44,000 today with never a case of "unscheduled maintenance" as Jake calls a breakdown.

 

I think I have gotten 4 Speedsters sold for Kirk to date. One gets delivered to a new owner this week in Hot Springs, AR.  Only a satisfied customer will do that, even after the teething and sorting.

I just don't get it...or maybe missing something. How come Kirk is too lazy / busy / or slackarsed to take a new product out for a 100 mile spin to check out a new product he just sold ?

 

On the other hand, Will says he took delivery, went to a classy hotel and on startup the next morning, the oil came out all over the parking lot. 15 miles from Kirks place. It would appear that neither the seller/builder or the new owner bothered to take it for a test drive.

 

What are we missing here? I hear what you're saying, Jack and you've got a very impressive car and a driving history which is the envy of many.... But I can't imagine why Kirk will shovel out untried stuff and get his a$$ exposed like this on an ongoing basis.

We picked up the car in Hawaiian Gardens, at Vintage Speedsters on Tuesday late afternoon. There was nowhere nearby that looked appealing online so we had reservations at a Hilton in Long Beach which is 23 miles from Kirk's shop. The trip to our hotel was our test-drive. The plan was to stay in the area the next day and drive the car down the coast and make sure all was well.

 

The next morning on start-up, the oil filter spewed 4+ quarts of oil so our plans for a day of test-driving was down the toilet. Kirk had the car picked up and trucked back to the shop. They replaced the filter and spent long hours trying to get the pedal firmed-up with the front and rear disc brakes. Replacing the master-cylinder and bleeding didn't do the trick so I was told if I wanted a firm brake pedal, rear drums were the only way to get that, so be it.

 

The next day we were picked up at our hotel and driven to the shop. Kirk said they put 20 miles on it and all was well. We drove it back to hotel where we spent another (unscheduled) night.

 

Thursday we drove up the PCH to Oxnard and all seemed fine. Until the next morning when we tried to leave early to beat the 100+ degree heat the day was forecast to be. Upon start-up it dumped another 4 quarts of oil on the parking lot.

Kirk didn't return my calls so I fixed it myself, the problem all along was a finger-tight oil filter nipple, the piece that holds the filter on the adapter.

 

We made it home after a harrowing drive, stopping every 15 miles, then every 30 until finally, with 70+ miles to home, we just drove non-stop.

 

We drove 10 miles to Paso Robles and back the next Wednesday and all seemed fine. There was a small oil leak all along, since new, from somewhere on the upper part of the motor but I couldn't find it. I scheduled it for a valve-adjust, oil change and general check-up this coming Wednesday (Sept. 9th) and figured they'd find the leak then.

 

Thursday morning drove to my friends and on the way the oil light was flickering. Checked the oil at my buddies and nothing on the dipstick. Put 2 1/2 quarts in and limped home.

 

Now I'm worried that bearings were galled, rings perhaps ruined, who knows? It appears the doghouse oil cooler gasket/s blew because oil (once again) is all over the place.

 

I will take no fault for the experience we've had,none! I did my research, paid $29,000 and received a car that is pretty to look at but that's about as far as it goes. Cast blame somewhere if you want guys, but don't you dare cast it in my direction, I've done nothing wrong.

Sounds to me that the situation was and is beyond your control, and you have been saving that engine from the get go. The engine is obviously in need of a good going over and at a minimum some form of written guarantee for dependability and replacement should it need it.  AAA seems like a needed plan. 

Will, you've got every right to be chuffed.

 

I'll never understand the general tolerance for what we call "teething" but what is in actuality just a colossal QC failure on the part of the California builders. I'm not sure if they're just in a big hurry to get down to the surf shack for shrimp tacos after work (at say, 3:30 or so), or if they think people aren't going to notice when they can't go, turn, or stop their shiny new ride. Either way, it's really bad for the hobby, and gives a LOT of guys the impression that air-cooled cars are about as reliable as a Soyuz spacecraft from the 50s (which is hogwash).

 

All it would take is raising the price $2K and specing decent air-cooled engines, rather than farming them out to the lowest bidder available. We're talking GEX-level engines here. Neither VS nor JPS seems to be having any trouble whatsoever finding buyers at their current price point-- perhaps another couple grand would tip the scales away from these cars, but I doubt it. I think it would actually increase sales and profits to have a reputation for reliability somewhat better than an early-80s Yugo.

 

Jack,

 

Would you agree that it's possible that your trouble-free mileage may have more to do with your RAT engine and transaxle (and everything else Jake did for your car) than the wholesome goodness of the car as delivered? Putting in a new engine and transaxle, re-doing the brakes, and trying to straighten a pan that was welded together out of square (if I recall correctly) is not really what most people are bargaining for when they buy a "turn-key" car.

 

I love what you've done to your car, but it's what you've done to your car that makes it great, IMHO.

If aluminum, the oil pump steel gears will cut into this bypass oil pump cover.  VW used only steel oil pump covers, to prevent this problem.  Berg Enterprises makes a bypass pump oil cover which is steel.  Even a good grade of aluminum will not hold up long to the steel gears pushing on it.  Most oil pump bypass covers only save the oil cooler from blowing out, as they do not reduce the oil pressure until about 90psi.  Another point is once engine has had oil in it, the stock VW type one engine used 2.8 qts.  I have had up to nine quart capacity with external oil coolers, hoses, filter and 3.5 qt. low designed oil sumps.  Berg part number is GB239B, but this is also used with full flow oil systems.  If yours is Steel, it's a good one.