Who what where

Okay well I have worked the restoration angle with my grandfather's cars in the past and I want to build a kit car. This stemmed from my ability to get every part for a Jeep CJ7 from catalog services such as www.quadratec.com and www.4wd.com. Every single part is available between those catalogs. As a young person I long admired the speedster and now I wish to build one from scratch piece by piece (new pieces that is) over time as financials allow.

So my question as a newby...where are the catalog services like quadratec and 4wd for Porsches?

Thanx for the help
JT

Good luck with your project, but I think you may find a few impedements that weren't there for the Jeep recreation. First, you can't buy all of the Porsche parts to do a true recreation as nobody makes things like new bodies, etc. Real Porsche parts are waaaaaaaaaay expensive. If you're willing to stay closer to the "looks like a duck, quacks like a duck" paradigm that the rest of us have followed, there are tons of places that'll sell you Speedster kits and associated parts. Remember, the Speedster replicas use Volkswagen mechanicals. These mechanical bits can either be original parts that have been refurbished, or new recreations. Do a Google search for VW parts and you'll find many companies like Mid-America Motorworks, Cip1.com, CB Performance, Chico Performance, California Speed Parts, NLA, Stoddard, Klasse356, etc. As for kit manufacturers, look under the makers tab above for links to Vintage, JPS Motorsports, Special Edition (Beck), Specialty Autosport, Thunder Ranch, Intermeccanica, and Street Beasts. The latter is not usually recommended on this board, but if you want to build from close to scratch, they are the most likely to be able to provide you that level of kit. The others tend to be more complete as purchased, and a couple of them only do turn-key cars.

If you are in the northeast (or even if you aren't), you should come to the Carlisle Kit and Import Show in May. There you'd be able to meet several of the manufacturers and look at cars from every one of them. It's a great place to do a lot of study in a short amount of time.

Oh yeah - welcome to the madness!

Yes I'm in the northeast...I would like to check out that show. Is there a website for it with more info?

As for the cars...yeah I want to basically build my own kit car (replica parts/veedub parts) but I'm wondering where is the best place to get the stuff.

All I can say is this looks fun, sounds fun, and I'm sure the interim build stage might not be so fun but cruising in that rag top will be a blast.

The Carlisle website is www.carsatcarlisle.com. Also check in the Events forum for the threads on this year's Carlisle trip. We have a block of rooms set aside, several dinners and drives planned, and a tour of a nearby Harley Davidson factory in the works. I'm sure plenty of folks will be happy to take you for a ride in, or maybe even let you test drive, their Speedies.

Here's some more info (to the best of my knowledge) regarding assembly levels available:
- Street Beasts: Bunch o' parts in boxes available. Not known for their support or engineering, but potentially cost-effective if you're willing to re-engineer bits. Talk to Alan Merklin (drclock) for details.
- Vintage: Various levels of assembly up to turn-key. I think you can get almost the same level of disassembly as Streetbeasts, with much better quality and support.
- JPS: Usually sold as turn-key or turn-key minus (all done except for the lack of drivetrain). Based on the same body as Vintage, but with more attention paid to interior and paint finish. John Steele may sell a few do-it-yourself kits.
- Special Edition (Beck): These are factory built, pre-painted, wired and upholstered, although not complete. You can get them in several levels that are described on their website (www.beckspeedster.com).
- Thunder Ranch: Not too sure about their levels of assembly, but I do believe they sell as kits or turn-keys.
- Specialty Autosport: Turn-key only, water-cooled, mid-engined, Subaru-powered.
- Intermeccanica: High end, turn-key only, I think.

Imperative: Get to Carlisle the best way possible. Be there Friday, if you can, but Saturday at the very least. Sounds like you are starting from scratch (have an idea, and that's all) and you need to know a lot. Kit Car, Kit Car Builder, Hot VW and probably a few other mags will have much info about how all this goes. They are loaded w/ ads for parts of all kinds: VW parts. The basic deal has been dsecribed: a fiberglass shell over a modified VW chassis. Wide range of motors/trans possible. The whole affair dressed up to look like a '57 Speedster -- or not. Some go way outside the box (outlaw) and customize their rides in ways the good Dr. Porsche could never even dream of. It will become madness, I assure you, so welcome to it. At Carlisle there will be a flea market/swap meet of grand proportion, so there will be opportunities for parts there too.

Best thing I did when the bug bit was to make it to the Carlisle show. NOTHING separates the cars as well as seeing ALL of them up close and personal. They all have something to offer, usually dependent on budget or how crazy you want to get. (I went crazy), but, Do your rersearch, ask questions, particularly of the owners of these cars. If they are honest, (they are), they can give you tremendous in depth owner experience.

If you are one of those people who learns from reading and researching, I would sugest two magazines:

Kit Car Builder
Kit Car

Each magazine is published six times per year, so by subscribing to both you can get a mag every month. They cover not only the breadth of kit car models, but also contain numerous ads for parts sources and vendors.

If you commit to a VW powertrain, I would also suggest "Dune Buggies and Hot VWs" as a source of MANY VW parts, both stock replacement and aftermarket modifications.

Don't be shy about visiting local shops for a tour. That is how I decided between Vintage, JPS and C & F (remember them?). Enjoy the trip!