Whats the best speedster/spyder/904 for a daily driver

"I read the original speedsters had a v dub chassis that was modded for stiffness. "

 

Not true at all.  Only parts shared are the tie rod ends and perhaps the wheel bearings.  As stated before VW have a pan separable from body - Porsches don't separate without a cutting torch or years of rust. First photo is VW bug pan and second is parts for the 356 unibody.  First photo is VW bug pan and second is parts for the 356 unibody.

 

If you want authenticity go with an early swing axel VW pan.  If you want more modern handling then a later IRS or even better handling a tube chassis like Beck uses.

 

 

 

Adam do not listen to these old farts. Listen to this old fart. Apparently they forgot they were 18 once. He is the deal....think of your Speedster like it is a new VW type 1 only updated. I bought my first VW beetle new in 1967 when I was 17. It was a great everyday piece of transportation. If you get a Speedster get the version with a stock VW 1600 dual port motor. Be sure you have a full flow oil filter. Add electronic ignition and a hotter coil. That is all you need for reliable everyday transportation. Change oil every 3000 and adjust the valves. As for where you live. If you get a VS make sure to add the new frame bypass for the heater. I live at Lake Tahoe and it is as cold as Ontario. We warm up during the day most of time however. Since I added the heater mod I drive in the winter when the weather is clear and I have great heat. Follow this advice and you will have a great driver for what a new boring car will cost. 

Thanks for the advice and would it leak if you changed the seals on the doors to something better? 

Ikay i saw a speedster rep that seems to be a VS on auto trader and its a beautiful car... Its around 30,000 which isn't bad and my dad can get negotiate a bargain on a bentley if he wanted too 

Thats what i figured initially but i think replacement seals would also be a good idea for weather proofing

BUY A MIATA

VINCE HAS ONE FOR SALE

 

As someone said "a Speedster is like driving a motorcycle."  My son drives a Toyota Corolla with optional side air bags.  If I had been successful he'd be in a used Buick or Volvo.  Insurance statistics say young drivers have more wrecks.  40 year old plastic cars don't do well in wrecks.  I'm sure we can find one of the now rare original SOC grill badges that say "Live Fast, Die Young and Leave a Beautiful Corpse".

The Speedster windshield is impossible to seal.  That's why Porsche changed it to a more vertical design for the convertible D & beyond.  The leaks are between the roof and the windshield (most of us use blue painter's tape when we travel) & @ the bottom of the windshield posts where water gets around the side curtains.  Many have tried, many have failed.  I would drive a beetle in the rain.  These are not beetles.

Remember that the Speedster (unless it is a fairly recent IM) has side curtains instead of roll-up windows.  Visibility is compromised and they seal poorly, but you can make better windows that improve both.

 

I'm serious about coming to Carlisle if you can.  It will really help you to know what you'd be getting into.

This old fart remembers what it was like to be 18, and that is why, if I was your dad or granddad I would buy you a brand new 4x4 1 ton pickup truck with a 5 star safety rating in exchange for a promise to never ride a motorcycle on a public road and never have more than three people in your truck.

 

If some day you are lucky enough to have a 18 year old of your own, you will know why.   

It's snowing here tonight in the Midwest...what's life in Hamilton tonight?

 

Bart I do remember what it was like to be 18. I also had a son that was once 18 now 30. We had the Motorcycle talk. The first 5 funerals I ever attended were my friends that were killed on Motorcycles. Yes our Speedster are unsafe. So was every other car when we were young. Life happens and **** happens. I am assuming that this young man is responsible or he would not want one of these cars. He is Canadian and probably behaves off the ice. The drinking age in Canada is 19 so the govt. thinks their young people are more responsible eh? My recommendation was for a Speedster no more dangerous than a Superbeetle. Life is full of risks and you have to learn to deal with them no matter what. It is amazing that any of our generation lived to tell about it. Between govt. regs and helicopter parents the poor kids today are overprotected. Next thing you know a boy is going to need a helmut to jack off. 

I don't know much...but I do know not to get mud on your helmet! 

Im thinking on the bottom of the wind screen to put some filler or the same kind of stuff that you would seal a shower with and then having custom windows done with rubber seals along the side 

I already own a wrangler and I'm unhappy with it. I love the older pre super car era high ends 

That last part killed me! But i don't do things that are silly on the road i was taught to drive by five italians and i learned what not to do based on their bad habits 

its gonna be cold tomorrow with a high of 1 

Aren't there hard tops made? and isn't that with some custom side curtains a viable option? and for the wind screen ill have some custom seals made lift off the wind screen fit it into the new seal and lower it onto the car... by then it should be water tight right?

It will never be 100% water tight, but you can get very close.  ANY convertible will leak some, as you've probably learned with your Wrangler.  I made a set of polycarbonate windows for mine with pop-out vents that seal much better, provide better visibility, and allow some ventilation when in place.  It's not that difficult.

As mentioned before there are Roadster and Convertible D models with wind up windows offering better weather sealing.  They offer a taller roof line with better side and rear visibility too.  Even CMC had a roll up window option.

 

 

Adding extra fabric around the windows of my VS solved my water problem. Not 100% but very, very close.

 

Fabric that matches is available from Vintage Speedsters---get the trim strip too---about 1/2" wide to finish the edges.  Any upholstry shop can do the cutting and sewing.  Night and day difference.

 

Not quite as good as lane's and 'way short of IM roll-ups bur perfectly satisfactory.

 

 

called the classic motor 800 number  but it was about a boat cruise-found another number for classic on the web and was told they had these windows for a short time in  1995-but no more

Was wondering if someone would call the 800 #.  Surprised it isn't an escort service. That ad is from when I bought my kit in 1989 when it was a $950 add on option (a lot added to the $7995 deluxe kit price).  CMC closed shop in 1994 with follow on companies like Auto Resolutions/Street Beasts.  I've seen maybe 4 CMCs with the rollup windows.  Was told the glass/regulators were sourced from a Chevy Chevette but can't verify. Top, frame, doors and windshield assemble were all different too.

Jack I really like your window mods. I have a boat upholstery guy here at the Lake that does amazing things with canvas. I am going to have him do those mods. Aside from stopping the rain do the mods stop the air leak from the rear of the windows? Has anyone figured out how to stop the air leak from the E brake short of duct tape. I tried putting a stock VW rubber mount over it but it would not fit. BTW after I did the heater duct mod I have enough heat and air velocity that window fogging is a thing of the past. I drove to SF early a couple of weeks ago and at 6am the pass temp was 22F. I had to turn the heat DOWN in spite  of all the air leaks. Yes you can see the ducts in the wheel wells I just tell people it is the intake to the intercooler. 

 

MK---make a cardboard pattern of the ideal shape to see where the additional canvas will have to be sewn on to fit the spaces that receive it---like the area at the top---my original windows were 2" shy of going all the way up into the slot.  So I added enough material that it goes all the way into the receiving slot.   Same for the rear of the window.  My original window had a space that was open enough to put your fist through it.  Look at the pix of my mod and see how much had to be added to the rear of the window----quite a lot.

 

On the air coming in---I guess through the handbrake area---go to the "makers" sites at the top of this page and select Vintage Speedsters.  Go to "parts" then "interior" and order a vinyl brake cover for $50---there's a picture there of it uin the interior parts area.  When you get it you will see cutouts on the sides and  those levers are for the heater.  I removed those levers from my car because I got an Espar heater and don't use them.  But before that, I stuffed the inside of the handbrake cover with a towel and that completely stopped the air leaks.  On mine I simply had the heater control slots on the cover sewen together and no more air!  

 

Hope this helps you.  Nothing is more irritating than ice cold air flying around inside the car except rain getting in.   Good luck! 

you should put some tall rubber around the fabric once thats set into the car it should be fairly water tight 

Im thinking plexi glass maybe. Are there any companies that make better windows?

Maybe not a helmet Major but at least a pair of safety googles!

"I'm thinking plexi glass maybe. Are there any companies that make better windows?"

 

Think others said plexiglass is brittle (affected by UV rays and cold) and will crack. Lexan seems to be what is preferred.  Due to variations in windshield placement, top  installation, and differences in bodies you can't buy a universal fits all set of side curtains.  They have to be custom made and are different from side to side even.  Do a search on Fibersteel - years ago they prototyped an aluminum frame set of side curtains with a sliding panel - said coming soon.  That was at least 7 years ago - they were never produced in any volume. They looked something like photo below.

Ah----the never ending quest.  Tha madness?  Damned skippie.

Im assuming since the speedsters for sale in my area are VS (You can just tell at this point) that the company would make a hard top and better side curtains (maybe an optional extra) for the car right?

http://www.acontinuouslean.com...nicks-356-speedster/

I kind of stole the idea from this......... I also realize that he is in a fair weather state but I've got friends in engineering who can help create a solution