VMC Delivery This Month

Sounds exciting Randy ! I picked mine up last week and drove it home to San Jose. Greg made it simple and I had the paperwork done ahead of time. I drove it up the PCH in stop and go traffic to see how the Subaru did in traffic. There were no over heating problems and ran great. My turn signal switch failed in Santa Monica so I turned around and took the freeway back to Greg's, but that was it. I had Greg change the oil and filter and drove it home the following day. My wife followed me home in the stocker just incase something went wrong. The varied my speed between 55mph and 75mph all the way with 3 stops to cycle the motor to cool down. That was the info I got from John the motor builder at Outfront Motors. The motor purred at 3000rpm at 75 mph, perfect. I have close to 1000 miles on the car. Greg sent me a new gas tank sending unit that was failing. All in all I'm happy with my build and it's been a fun car to drive. Wish you the best on your drive home. I did have tools with me but never need them. Enjoy !!

Thank you, BB.  Cool down?  Just a cool down cycle, or overheating?

Just pick a route home that will vary your speed a lot.  If you do a freeway, then just vary your speed there between 55 and 75 (shouldn’t be too hard in typical California traffic).  If Greg changes the oil at 300 miles, then change oil and filter again at 1,000 miles and then at 3,000-5,000 mile intervals and you should be fine for a loooong time.

Spares for a Suby are beyond my experience.  We’ve had a Subaru Outback for 8 years now, and the only thing I’ve had to replace was a headlight bulb and cabin air filters (we get a lot of spring pollen, here).

Thank you.  It’s a 2332 VW.

Subaru... check oil all the time...known issue, oil consumption.

IaM-Ray you are certainly correct about Subaru oil consumption. I was advised by the shop that built my turbo Subaru engine to check my oil level every gas fill up. Having said that, when the engine was installed an IAG air oil separator was also fitted. 2400 km and zero oil consumption.

I wonder if my son should get that AOS for his '09 Leggy GT?

Most Subies don't use oil. Then some do. Seems like you can check it a bunch at the beginning and then you'll know whether you got a user or not.

Mine doesn't.

Mine doesn't either.  2007 Impreza with a lot of miles on it.

Turbos, especially modified ones like my son's, do consume more than a NA car. My wife's NA Impreza doesn't use much at all.

@Teammccalla posted:

Thank you, BB.  Cool down?  Just a cool down cycle, or overheating?

Just a couple of cool downs to let the engine heat cycle from normal to cooling off. Never had any overheating problems. I stopped for lunch in Santa Barbara and again in Paso Robles for a visit, then on the San Jose. That was the builders info as well as not to drive at constant speed.

Glad to hear that your subies ….  do not use any oil but it is a common issue and some have lost their engine due to oil usage I know of two people personally that did have a major failure due to oil usage and subie manu says it’s normal so go figure

My vw and Hondàs previously had no oil consumption issues but it seems boxer engines have that in common.

@ken whellams posted:

IaM-Ray you are certainly correct about Subaru oil consumption. I was advised by the shop that built my turbo Subaru engine to check my oil level every gas fill up. Having said that, when the engine was installed an IAG air oil separator was also fitted. 2400 km and zero oil consumption.

Good for you Ken I will have to look that up… I did and it seems that it works for turbo setups

Let’s not get too far off topic yet guys. Teammccalla needs his questions answered first regarding the break-in miles on his AIR-COOLED Speedster. Don’t be distracted by the shiny Suby Dave just picked up.

@MusbJim might be able to give you some driving recommendations as he’s a local. But I would book a couple nights nearby, pick up the car, get some miles in along the coast or in the coastal mountain range, get the oil changed and valves adjusted, then head on home. Vary the speed, vary the RPMs, keep it away from redline, no short trips; let it heat up fully before stopping to heat cycle it properly and enjoy the drive.

After that every 3K miles adjust the valves when stone cold (loose zero IIRC) warm it up a little and change the oil. Ask Greg about the valves but I believe the motors are built with Chromoly pushrods and they expand a negligible amount when hot which is why you adjust to loose zero.

Robert, thank you. I got lost in the sea of watercooledness. I’m not hearing a lot of concerns about reliability. That’s promising. I just want to be sure not to strand my living, breathing sweetheart (GF) cliff side on Hwy 1.

The 2332 Pat is building for Greg is the new cornerstone of reliability. Not real high on horsepower but it has high torque. And it has it in the lower rpm range so it’s available sooner which makes it feel like it has more hp. It also runs cooler so the motor will be more reliable for a longer period of time. Enjoy the ride.

@Teammccalla

Randy, Congratulations on getting your new ride. If you're like many of us, I'm guessing you'll be sitting in your garage for hours just staring at your new pride & joy!

Here's wishing you many miles of top-down cruising. Safe travels on your way home.

BTW - On the Central Coast, I believe Hwy 1 is still closed for landslide repair just north of Ragged Point, 20 miles north of San Simeon / Hearst Castle. The ride on Hwy 1 to that point is fun but you'll have to back-track back to Hwy 46 (just South of Cambria) and head East to Hwy 101.   

@Robert M posted:

The 2332 Pat is building for Greg is the new cornerstone of reliability. Not real high on horsepower but it has high torque. And it has it in the lower rpm range so it’s available sooner which makes it feel like it has more hp. It also runs cooler so the motor will be more reliable for a longer period of time. Enjoy the ride.

That’s exactly the kind of engine I’d like. I got spoiled to it by my 968. Not a ton of HP, but it’s got torque out the ying-yang.  So much so that until you have to come to a complete stop, you can drive it like an automatic in 3rd gear. From 25-60 mph.

Congratulations Randy. Greg has really been putting out some beautiful cars. I see his posts weekly on Facebook. I have been informed that I’m officially in the next queue. Car should be ready by spring. Trying to curb my enthusiasm but posts like yours make it tough. BTW the car really doesn’t exist at least to us without pictures.

It’s getting close now. I will post photos as soon as I get them. I’m curious how it will drive. I drive a 1915 in Maui and it was sporty. I haven’t had a brand new car for 25 years. I am thinking of joining PCA to get some touring events.

By the way, does anyone have an extra set of the headlight bar grills that fit over the glass lenses?  Greg says the sources for them have dried up. They can’t even get the mesh ones. I found some on the web at Aircooled Accessories. Does anyone know their work?

@MusbJim posted:

BTW - On the Central Coast, I believe Hwy 1 is still closed for landslide repair just north of Ragged Point, 20 miles north of San Simeon / Hearst Castle. The ride on Hwy 1 to that point is fun but you'll have to back-track back to Hwy 46 (just South of Cambria) and head East to Hwy 101.  

In my head that sounded like an episode of "The Californians"

The Californians, SNL

Typically, the bar grilles require the glass removal to fit properly.  They also require somewhat expensive gaskets. I found some nice plastic pieces that fit behind them. I don't remember off hand where I got them.

The bar grilles are available from the usual sources for Porsche parts.

Maybe I’ll go without for awhile. Have you folks broken many lenses? I might put the $ toward rock chip protection instead?

@Teammccalla posted:

Maybe I’ll go without for awhile. Have you folks broken many lenses. I might put the $ toward rock chip protection instead?

Eight years and 20K miles never broke one. And if you do they're cheap enough to replace.

Glass covers are inexpensive BUT if you break one you may have to buy 2 if you want them to match.  I have old OEM VW HELLA clear ones- new ones are TAIWAN. So like $18 to $80 (for old OEM ones). You want ones for a '54-66 bug (buses too) -- same with stone guards.

TheSamba.com :: VW Classifieds - Vintage Headlamp Grille Rally Race mesh grills

The EMPI stone guards are available - but not sure of fitment-

I’ve been driving my black 911 with concours paint around and don’t have any rock chips.  IDK whether to get the clear stuff or skip it.  I love the look of plain paint.  Maybe I’ll just play by ear on that too.

What color cocomats for oatmeal square weave carpet?  My seats are tan with red piping.  Red with white dots might be a bit much.  Is there a tan that will match?  I don’t trust the website colors and figure you all have already been through this.

From their site.  My car is Signal Red, BTW.  What do you all think?

Everyone who drives a 356 gets stone chips…..  It’s not like you have a metal grill out front to absorb the impacts.

Except for those who spring for a nose bra, either removable or a clear film version.  Those really work, whether you have “Concours Paint” or something from Maaco.

I put my car on the road in 2001 and have never broken a headlight lens in 30,000+ miles.  I did break a Marchal driving light lens (no idea how) and had to buy two on eBay Motors to get a pair that matched, but never a headlight lens.  They’re just VW lenses, after all, so relatively cheap.  That said, I have had a pair of mesh headlight stone guards that are OEM antiques for the past 15 years, too.  

I cannot offer suggestions on Coco mats, sorry.

I had a vinyl bra for my first 911.  That was a mistake.  It left marks after years of use.  I will look into the clear film.

I think I decided on that tan / beige set of cocomats.  There was another thread on this and everyone downvoted the red.  GF says the same.  

@Teammccalla If you can narrow your choices from their website, the Coco Mats folks will send you a couple of samples.  Don’t fret about getting them in-hand before you drive your car home, Greg lays down clear plastic protection film in the footwell areas.  You can drive the car with the film in place if you wish.

(Do you plan to drive up the 5, or take a coastal route, or the 101?  Depending on the day you drive home, and the city and time you plan to stop and stretch your legs, eat and refuel, maybe a member nearby would want to briefly meet you and check out your car.)

Thanks, Jon.  I will probably take Hwy 1 up through Malibu, lunch in Cambria, then east over 46 to 101.  I-5 is just too boring.  Maybe I will cut over Hwy 68 at Salinas to Monterey and back up 1.  If time is short I can just cut over Hwy 183 to Castroville and up.  I live between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz so the coast road is good.

There is the Saturday Night Live skit for @JMM (Michael) 

On mats I will have them sent to my home because they wouldn’t get to Greg in time anyway.  I was pretty sure I wanted beige anyway, and the other thread helped steer me clear of red.  

Overall, oatmeal wool carpet scares me, so I appreciate the guidance regarding the plastic on the carpet!  But, I’ll probably just go raw and risk it.  You only live once!

@Teammccalla

- Grille set (2 grilles, $114 for both):  https://sierramadrecollection....4&pr_seq=uniform

- Required Gasket (sold individually, $192 each): https://sierramadrecollection....eal-all-356-s-p17421

Yeah. You’re looking at $498, before tax.

And yes, they require removing the glass. If you’re using them for breakage protection, you’d be better off just buying new glass if it ever breaks - you’ll likely never get your money back. I have a set waiting to put in my car, but it’s 100% for aesthetics.

As for fitment, I’m willing to make any modifications because I like the look so much.

@Teammccalla posted:

I’ve been driving my black 911 with concours paint around and don’t have any rock chips.  IDK whether to get the clear stuff or skip it.  I love the look of plain paint.  Maybe I’ll just play by ear on that too.

What color cocomats for oatmeal square weave carpet?  My seats are tan with red piping.  Red with white dots might be a bit much.  Is there a tan that will match?  I don’t trust the website colors and figure you all have already been through this.

Personally, I wouldn’t go with light colored mats. Red/Tan? I’d probably go with a brown. If they make brown with red flecks, all the better.

eta: they don’t. I think these would be my top choice.

FWIW, after negative experiences with cheap coco mats in my youth, I’d never do coco. I prefer sisal mats. (Although I realize “coco mats” is kind of a generic term like Kleenex and KoolAid) It’s a much tighter/finer weave, and a much more durable fiber.

@JoelP posted:

@Teammccalla

- Grille set (2 grilles, $114 for both):  https://sierramadrecollection....4&pr_seq=uniform

- Required Gasket (sold individually, $192 each): https://sierramadrecollection....eal-all-356-s-p17421

Yeah. You’re looking at $498, before tax.

And yes, they require removing the glass. If you’re using them for breakage protection, you’d be better off just buying new glass if it ever breaks - you’ll likely never get your money back. I have a set waiting to put in my car, but it’s 100% for aesthetics.

As for fitment, I’m willing to make any modifications because I like the look so much.

I prefer the wire mesh style. Cheaper and you don’t have to remove the glass.

@JoelP posted:

@Teammccalla

- Grille set (2 grilles, $114 for both):  https://sierramadrecollection....4&pr_seq=uniform

- Required Gasket (sold individually, $192 each): https://sierramadrecollection....eal-all-356-s-p17421

Yeah. You’re looking at $498, before tax.

And yes, they require removing the glass. If you’re using them for breakage protection, you’d be better off just buying new glass if it ever breaks - you’ll likely never get your money back. I have a set waiting to put in my car, but it’s 100% for aesthetics.

As for fitment, I’m willing to make any modifications because I like the look so much.

Thank you. This is helpful. I will just replace them as I break them!  I like the look without any protection better anyway.

@dlearl476 posted:

Personally, I wouldn’t go with light colored mats. Red/Tan? I’d probably go with a brown. If they make brown with red flecks, all the better.

eta: they don’t. I think these would be my top choice.

FWIW, after negative experiences with cheap coco mats in my youth, I’d never do coco. I prefer sisal mats. (Although I realize “coco mats” is kind of a generic term like Kleenex and KoolAid) It’s a much tighter/finer weave, and a much more durable fiber.

Thank you for the help. I like the brown, and the sisal looks nice. Those really do look good. I’ve gotten used to the coco look as a kind of standard, but it’s not necessarily. I’ll think about it some more.

I had oatmeal square-weave carpet in my coupe and something slightly yellower in my Speedster.  In both cases I went with the Jaspe (#91) cocomats and they looked great (IMHO).

I decided to order samples. I will get the beige, the Jasper, red/natural, and especially that sisal tan. I’ll look and get any others. I’ll post some photos too for others to use in the future. I’d love to have a photo of my car!!!!  I asked Anna to get some from Greg.

@Teammccalla posted:

Thank you for the help. I like the brown, and the sisal looks nice. Those really do look good. I’ve gotten used to the coco look as a kind of standard, but it’s not necessarily. I’ll think about it some more.

I forgot to link it. It’s, surprise, surprise, cocomats.com.  They’re pretty pricey, but AFAIK, they’re among theh best there are.