VS (Arizona) Delivery

Very happy to hear of your buy and delivery. A very nice combo of colour choices too. Always liked the Banjo wheel. Nice one, Amigo....now go out and enjoy it.

beautiful.

Congratulations!!! 

Very nice!  A color-coordinated set of cocomats to replace the plastic film and it'd be perfect.  Love the color combination.

Nice to see another builder delievering on time and on budget. Make sure to update us through your break in and sorting periods. 

If I were to go to the trouble of getting the e-brake though, I think I'd seek out a decorative handle to really highlight it, not hide it 

Great job.

Very nice Brent. I too really like the color combo. I really like the look of the shifter without the boot as well and the banjo wheel accents the color of the car quite nicely. The fit and finish look top notch. Happy motoring.

Now that you've received your car we need to hear of your driving adventures.

Congrats, Brent---that is a fine looking Speedster.  Good to see some changes in the build too;

1. The tell-tale curly-cue wire is gone---good.

2. Rubber moldings are added to the parking light unit.  I had to buy mine from Sierra Madre. Excellent new touch.

3. The small reflectors have been added under the tail lights.  Don't know if they were extra cost but better to get 'em on up front.

Where is the handbrake? For mine I ordered a new center hand brake cover. They are now made without the slits that accommodated those VW levers on the left side for adjusting the head.  Smart.

I know other build improvements have been added too, and the great report on your experience matched my own ordering parts from Vintage/AZ.  

Thanks for the report.  Hope you will give us a driving report later as you get used to it.  Prepare for many conversations at the gas pump from impressed citizens!

I love the looks of your dashboard.  Very minimalist.

That car has "the Look" it's just right, congrats!

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

And yes, after waffling and being as indecisive as my daughters trying to decide what to wear to the high school dance, I finally made a color choice for Coco mats and they are on their way!

@WNGD totally agree! I’m trying to source a chrome (brushed stainless?) period correct e-brake handle from Stoddard or Sierra Madre - just trying to make sure that the new handle will fit the threads.

@JackCrosby - I appreciate your observations and totally agree! 

- the reflectors are ‘optioned’, and like sway bars, I thought it best to just go ahead and add them during the build. 

- totally agree regarding the rubber mountings (gaskets) , and as I think I mentioned earlier I added the rubber gaskets for the engine grill and horn grills after delivery (seem to make it look more ‘finished’, maybe?). Had to swap out the short threaded studs in the horn grills for longer ones to account for the added depth, but no biggie.

- the brake is under the dash to left of the steering wheel. I think that you can maybe make it out in one of the closeup pics. Unfortunately, the handle is black, and as WNGD pointed out, a proper chromed or stainless handle will be a nice touch.

@Jethro I ordered, then deleted, a radio for that very reason. Plus, the symphonic sound of the flat four is just something that I can’t get enough of!

Lots of smiles, lots of waves and ‘thumbs up’, a muscle car maniac neighbor made it a point to come over to tell me that every time he hears me drive by he “can’t help but smile” (how awesome is THAT???), and at the local coffee place a dude with a brand new Ferrari couldn’t stop talking about the little Speedster!! Priceless!

Thanks everyone!

Chrome is more visible for sure...  Congrats it looks great. 

I think some would recommend another shifter, Vintage..  

@IaM-Ray can you elaborate? What would you suggest? I had a similar thought but didn’t know what direction to go. The current shifter is actually very comfortable to drive with, though . . . . . 

Sorry, some are using a vintage shifter instead of an original shifter due to its smoothness and shorter throw.

I think this is the company  shifter

I don’t actually mind the longer throw, and like the look of the longer shifter - 

Mine is ‘canted’ 15 or 20 degrees (difficult to see in the pics). Looks better in person, I think.

Here is another ....Beige

If you can’t find a chrome handbrake you may be able to remove the black handbrake and try the chrome look rattle can paint. I’ve seen some stuff painted with that turned out very nice. 

The other option is IF just the handle can be removed and a new chrome handle is sourced you might be able to tap or re-thread the handle or the brake handle bar. 

By the time you put a E Brake boot on the handle you have hidden most of the chrome.  Just get a polished aluminum slip over handle.

Congrats on a great looking car, Brent, and thanks for the feedback on how a purchase from the 'new' VS worked out for you.

I think I would just go ahead and drive it with the shifter you've got for a while to see how it suits you.

After a few years, I put the Vintage Speed shifter in my VS:

The base is a little more 'finished' looking than the stock VW unit and is designed to be installed without a 'boot' over it.  I think the ivory one would look good in your car - probably a close match to your steering wheel. Note that the one they sell now has a small collar that you pull up to access the reverse gate. On mine, you pull up on the whole lever.

Also note - the company's name is Vintage Speedster  - no 's' on the end and not related to Vintage Speedsters in any way. They're located in Taiwan, but make high quality products and are great to deal with (if a little slow to answer e-mails). They make a number of different versions of this shifter (and will customize to order if you want), so make sure you understand all the options before ordering if you decide to get one.

Thanks, guys, for the feed back and suggestions.

And @Sacto Mitch, that shifter is amazing - it looks fantastic in your car (I love the base/boot), and has a great ‘period’ look to it. Thanks for the info and guidance!

I like the wheels painted the same color as the body.

@30West , oops, I mistyped.

The name of the company is Vintage Speed (no 'ster' on the end).

Check out their website, by the way. They make a number of cool old-school style parts and accessories for VW.

@Sacto Mitch thank you, sir!

nice car, love the hubcaps, the VS shifter mentioned is really nice...i had a banjo wheel but it was to thin and flexible for my manhandling, went with a Nardi wood one..good luck, dont get a radio, its the engine that makes all the music..

30West posted:

@IaM-Ray can you elaborate? What would you suggest? I had a similar thought but didn’t know what direction to go. The current shifter is actually very comfortable to drive with, though . . . . . 

Check out the CSP shifter.  100% German, doesn't look like a VW Bug gear shift and works great.  Not cheap what does CSP make that is?  Google it.

Agreed, the CSP shifter is nice - and a great site/source for all kinds of parts and accessories! Thanks for turning me on to it!

Loved my CSP.  Also loved my color-matched wheels.

Brent - Beautiful Speedster.  It would be great to get any updates on issues, concerns or things you would have done differently.  I'm in the final build stages with VS (AZ) and would love to learn from the counsel of any in this community with experience with the new Vintage AZ guys.  Thanks much.  Dave

Nice car and Sacto that is a cool looking shifter.

Dave Bellaire posted:

Brent - Beautiful Speedster.  It would be great to get any updates on issues, concerns or things you would have done differently.  I'm in the final build stages with VS (AZ) and would love to learn from the counsel of any in this community with experience with the new Vintage AZ guys.  Thanks much.  Dave

PM @Newbie Danny and chat with him. He's had a couple issues but I think he's been able to work them out.

@DaveBellaire PM sent

30West posted:

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Robert M posted:

30West posted:

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Hey! It didn’t! Hadn’t noticed. Thanks for straightening it out!