Wide bodies

Despite the sometimes backhanded compliments offered by the "traditionalist" around here, I have enjoyed the GREAT photos of wide bodies posted of late. Kudos! What I appreciate about these cars is the builders all have their own unique vision, more often than not the results are extremely noteworthy, IMO. (I wonder if the older guys around here make up the bulk of the traditionalist ranks?) We are Americans -- it is ok to color outside of the lines, to be an individual, to have a vision and follow though with it. Go for it guys... also best of luck to Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France!

Erik,

Count me in as a tradionalist or "classic" fan. Does that make me older? Yes, that and a couple of other things like growing up with Elvis and Pat Boone. Now that is a combo! Elvis turned into a wide body later in life so maybe I will to,(but secretly doubt it.) I just personally like the tradional look more, personal taste I guess. Oh, and I still like Elvis but not Pat Boone any longer!

Bruce

My point was when guys give updates or post photos re their WB cars, why must some say... "I personally don't like wide bodies but nice job..." Why not just say "nice job." I guess people are getting their social skills from the example set by FOX NEWS and Rupert Murdock.

At times it is as though wide bodies and pan based cars are sent to the back of the bus. Maybe I am wrong, the wide bodied guys can speak for themselves.

Remember Erik, 'we' are more than Americans. 'We' are worldwide. Unfortunately, we have become a society of critics and cut-down artists. Listen to the radio talk shows, or the T.V. talk shows (Leno etc). Most of their show content is based around making fun of someone or criticizing them. We all think that our opinion is of great value and we're always ready to give it(including you, GB), even if it isn't asked for. I'm as guilty as the next person and I find it a real struggle not be be negative and critical (at least some of the time). My wife is a good equalizer and she constantly reminds me to be more positive. If you can't say anything nice about someone/something then don't say anything.
Ron

I am positive I like the classic speedster look better. I am positive that I am not old as I am only 42. I think the body style you choose depends on why you get the car. I wanted something that looked classic and traditional. If I didn't care about the classic or traditional look, but just thought the look of the car was cool, then I could see myself choosing a WB and tricking it out.

I also prefer the traditional look, but if the only option was WB I would still be in the process of picking out what I want on my WB car...both are great looking cars in my opinion....but when it comes to mechanicals of the car I'm not at all traditional.
(Message Edited 7/26/2003 7:56:43 PM)

As a former WB owner, I bought the car because of the mechanicals, not the body. I wanted a tube frame and the WB car was the first I found.

When I post on here, it's not to disparage people with different visions of what a perfect speedster is. A few posters forget that.

After all, having a WB to fit nice wide rubber under meant I could have posted many snide remarks over the last few years to people trying to put bigger rubber on a NB body car. Instead I'd give some tips on offsets and clearance and wish them luck.

There are many truly beautiful manifestations of the speedster on here. I love the new pix of Jerome's car. What a great exterior color and job of interior finishing. I loved the silver IM that was new a few weeks back. Rick's yellow WB from last year was another great looking ride. I can't wait to see what George's speedster looks like.

Vive la difference!!!
(Message Edited 7/27/2003 3:26:39 PM)

Yeah, well I still think a Wide Body should pay double fare on SW Airlines. Phhht!

Seriously, a great point was made. And, I like many of the wide bodies I see in our group. Jerome's is an excellent example, so was Jim Kelly's (sold - Hawaii), and the great CMC-C tub from Arlington, Bob's TIV Maroon growler in Florida, Alan's ghost flamed car is about perfect in the genre. I like the Yellow beast from NoCal too, and Maz Zimmer's silver ghost.

Me? I like my classic interpretation.

Hey! Maybe instaed of calling them "wide-bodies" maybe something a little more alluring? As in "J-Lo". Yeah, I have a CMC J-Lo that's Phat.

Jim

I like all of them .. Just like the looks of the WB .. Has that race
look to it .. Feel in love with the WB the 1st time I saw a CMC many years ago and couldn't afford one

My 2 cents :-)

Although I'm not sure which comments were being referred to, I looked down Jerome's thread and viewed the praise from the "traditionalists" as
compliments(certainly not backhanded). I run an "outlaw" C as it gives me latitude in outfitting her. Heck I had a 914 console with the bigger gauges and clock on the shelf so I widened the hump a little along with narrowing the console and voila! I like all the versions but I've always had to have something different or unique than the next guy. I just think it's great that there is a speedster version for all of us to choose and enjoy!
My .02
BD

I am one of those who posted what Erik is calling a backhanded complement. It's not backhanded at all, in fact it's *more* of a compliment.

A backhanded complement would be "Gee, you don't sweat half as much as most fat chicks I dance with."

The spirit in which my comments were given is more like the country music fan who says, "I normally don't like rock, but that Jimi Hendrix is amazing!" That is not a critisizm, that's a complement; more of a compliment that if it came from the average rock fan.

There are two things I don't like about most flared speedsters. One, the flares are often much wider than the wheels, and overhang the tires by several inches. Second, the 356 Speedster "look" is a bit lost. The proportions are thrown off, and the car starts to look bug-eyed in the front and bloated from the rear. These are just my impressions, not in any way based on any kind of "authentic is better" logic.

The cars cited above don't have the wheel well overhang problem, and for whatever reason, they just look good. So good, in fact, that someone like me (not quite a traditionalist) thinks they deserve a compliment.

I think I'll start a new thread on an aesthetic idea I've been playing with and see what you guys think. It's kind of a mix between authentic and outlaw.

My WB is a perpetual canvas where something new is added or subtracted. Actually, my tub gets more mods than miles )O:.
Looking forward to The Tub Tour next Saturday in my own backyard.
& as far as wide or traditional, luv them both.
I think I'll post an updated pic sans bumpers & the extra mirror(o:.~R

I probably over-stated my point in the original post, sorry; and no, the "backhand" remarks were not made recently, rather, it is just a sense I have gotten over the past couple of years.

I probably jumped the gun as the Wide guys didn't jump in with "yeah, me too" comments. I really do enjoy seeing the mods the WB owners make. Another thing I enjoy about the rear view of a wide body car is it is very similar to the look an old girlfriend had when she assumed a certain postion.

I agree Rick. Your post is right on target & I think those recent pics of your car prove that beauty comes in making our own individual statement through our cars. Those new Nerf Bars look great and your car looks flawles, as usual.

But, I still like J-Lo as the monicker instead of wide bodies. VS-J-Lo JPS-J-Lo CMC-J-Lo IM-J-Lo.

Jim
(Message Edited 7/29/2003 11:07:53 AM)

J-Lo bodied? Man, now you are talking really high maintainence! Good luck Ben...

Extra-wide bodied, low riding, illuminated windshield washer squirters, LED tail lights and turn indicators, ultra-wide tires on intricately interlaced chrome wheels, with blue neon under glow around the car's perimeter at night. Be hot stuff at the rice-boys cruise night.

I was kinda staying out of this discussion because I really don't see the point.

Speedster A. NOS Turbo charged fuel injected turbine powered with 50,000 lbs of thrust, more neon that Vagas, 15" wide Mickey Thompson's squeezed into giant flares, seats out of a '78 Pinto and painted $5000 a quart paint that changes from puke brown to baby $hit green depending on how the sun hits it.

Speedster B. So correct that if we dug up Dr. Porsche he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

If Speedster Owner A could actually get that thing to work, he deserves just as much respect as Speedster Owner B who spent lots of time and effort on the reaserch and correct parts. Both cars are probably just as fun to work on, drive and get just as many looks. Both owners are probably just as proud of thier creation and just as sensitive to criticizm.

Pop Quiz:

Both A&B are are...

A) Replicas
B) Customs
C) Kit Cars
D) Tons of fun to drive, build, tweak, wash, look at, smell (Ok maybe not smell)
E) All of the above

A respectful Wide Body Owner,

Jerome

PS: Rick, your car looks great! Are those little side marker lights? Nice touch.

PSS: George, You hate Rick's little side marker lights, don't you.

Don't hate anything... don't hate ugly women (but don't want to date them) and don't hate ugly (to me) cars (but don't want to drive them).

Can you imagine a slammed, wide bodied, candy-apple metalflake red Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe with yellow and blue flame treatment on the front end?

I've never been a Kalifornia Kustom fan ("Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb...").

Special Automobiles are a form of art. The slammed Gullwing depending on how its done could inspire reactions ranging from...

"Oh my God, what is that thing?! Cover it up before my eyes bleed!!"

or..

"Wow, how'd he do that? That thing is really wild."

People just have differnet tastes; paintings, wine, sculpture, movies, music and automobiles. I love how every single Speedster replica is different because the owner (for better or worse) tweaked the style of the car is some way. Before I ever turned a bolt on my kit I had a vision in my head of the style I was after. The only difference between me and a painter (other than table manners) is I can climb into my artwork and run to the store for bread.

George, you have obviously used a lifetime of experiance and a vision to spec out your IM, that thing is gonna be a beutiful work of art. My only criticizm is that you haven't got off your wallet and bought a digital camera so we all can enjoy seeing the thing come together....Geez!

These cars kick ass,

Jerome

PS: If a wide body is a J-Lo, is a "Traditional" an Ally McBeal. For God's sake eat a burger!

The beauty about the replica and specialty car industry is that the owner can do what he wants. As for me, I like a well-done Speedster whether wide or standard. Well done is well done. I also like Ferraris and Lamborghinis too. I suggest we appreciate each car in its quality of execution rather than some specific predetermined configuration. Isn't that why we have chocolate, strawberry and vanilla?

Hey Jerome,

You're the man!

Bruce

Jerome,
Acually they are not side marker lights. I had to cover the additional holes that were drilled for the original bumpers so I had to be creative & found a Hot Rod shop that sells polished billet aluminum & Stainless parts. So those are actually polished billet washers & screws. It was the best most discreet way I found to cover the ugly holes. I got the idea from my boat where I've used some color matched anodized hardware.~R

Rick,

Check out the backup lights on my car. They are after market side marker lights designed for a motorcycle. I replaced the amber bulbs with clear. I think they had smaller versions that could go into those holes and turn them into lights.

If your interested I can dig up the recipt and let you know where I got them.

Jerome

Jerome,
I found a source after looking at your car. Thank you though.
May I add that you did a great job on your Tub!! Where did you find the mirrors? When Kirk was building my car, I had ordered a Plymouth Prowler mirror that looks very identical to your set up but then changed my mind (100th million time...(o:) & went with a Talbot Jr.
Awesome Tub! Congratulations.~R
(Message Edited 7/30/2003 12:47:15 PM)

Erik,
I've always felt that some of the wide body negative comments made at times, fall in the same category as the chest thumping "my Speedster is flawless/faster than yours &... let me go ahead & tell you why".
I would rather dismiss & focus on members that share the SpeedsterPassion in a more productive & positive way.
Just my $.01 worth as a non purist, plastic bodied, Phat-S'd VS owner (which I luv).~R

(Message Edited 7/30/2003 12:47:36 PM)

Thanks for the kind words Jim.
Paul Harford (Totally Teriffic Tub) tells me that you may come out to our neck of the woods. Please make sure to let us know because if we're able to coordinate, I'd like to get all 3 VS Brethren together at my house for some brews,a Q & Tub sharing. Also, it's fun to watch Medicine Man pass out on my front lawn...(o:~R
(Message Edited 7/30/2003 12:48:04 PM)

Thanks,

The mirrors are from parrautomotive.com, they come with or without the turn signals. keep in mind they arn't really very practical. They are small and I think I mounted them too low, I can't see a thing in them. Should be fun driving with the top up.

Jerome

Speaking of mirrors, has anyone ever considered a convex mirror for the dash? Since the side mirrors are usually too small to be totally reliable, I find myself looking at the smaller "three panel" Wink mirrors. Trouble is they are too flat to fit atop the windshield.
I keep visualizing a three panel curved mirror, with the outer panels convex. And the whole assemble curved to fit the speedster windshield header. The Real Source shows a convex dash mounted mirror intended for small sports racing applications. Anyone done anything like this?

Good idea David, I think I'll look into that too. Eddie

One problem comes to mind with using convex and flat mirrors side-by-side. When you look at a convex mirror, your eyes focus closer than with a flat mirror. I have a convex mirror on one of my cars and a flat one on the other. My eyes always take some time to adjust when I switch from one to the other. I'm sure I'd get a headache trying to refocus back and forth with a flat/convex combination mirror.

Bruce,
I agree with you, but at my age I'd be happy just to know whether or not another car is there ! After too many years (30+)of commuting to work on a motorcycle, I ususally just keep track of where all other cars are all the time. It's a survival game. In my speedster, I tend to relax a lot more, and the result is I don't always know where the other cars are. In a fast lane change scenario, it is very difficult re-calibrate one's natural reactions.

Most of the Speedsters that I have built or renovated have been the "wide bodied" style...there are so many variations that can be applied that being a street rod accent here and there ...

But ..my personal style pref... is the stock clone.

Alan M

Hey Jerome...I know this was an old post but I am tryin to find similar mirrors for my wide body as yours. I went to the website you listed but could not find them...Do you have a MFG or Part number? Any help would be great..

I like the best of both worlds, I'm 37 and have 2 speedsters in the works, one classic close to "correct" all the trim, standard 1600 vw engine etc. the other one is wide body, hot rod, but when I say hot rod I really mean it, 300-400 hp, flame job, satin black body, cutdown windshield, whitewalls, no trim maximum shaved, Insane in other words

So my theory: everytime you have to decide between 2 things, go for the 2 of them if you can.

I was staying out of the line of fire . . . my car's just a collection of parts from every style and year right now, but , why not..

The coolest thing about the whole discussion here is that the wide body design is so well integrated into the stock speedster body, that you can actually HAVE an esthetic discussion at all.

The WB curves and treatment as a whole is nothing like anything that rolled out of Porsche's studios, but still looks like it was cut from the same cloth. In a world of add-ons and bolt-ons and turbo this and IMSA that, the wide bodied cars look just like a factory LeMans option.

Pretty amazing and wonderful. If the wide body were altered into a coupe and outfitted with gumballs and flying horses, with plexi and louvers, you would never guess that it wasn't a "factory" prototype.

Who ever splashed the first wide body . . . NICE WORK!

TC

Worked for me...

www.parrautomotive.com/

Part Numbers:

VF-2
VF-2LED (LED Turn Signals)


Hope it works...

Jerome

Found it Jerome Thanx

Remember when chocolate and vanilla were the only flavors? You remember, before Baskin & Robbins.

Maybe we can get J-Lo to present the wide body trophy at Knotts?

Whose car is the really really wide red one that came up in the pics section a few days back?