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Hello all.

I have been having the 356 fever for some time now. I revisit the idea every so often, for probably several years now. ...I lurk here & there.

I am taking my desire seriously now, and I am unloading a couple of other possessions to make room. I grew up with VW's, and have owned three vintage VW's in my adulthood. I feel I can handle ownership.

My studies have been the makers or replicas obviously, what type of powerplant, and then suspension ride heights and tire fitment. Discs all around (Empi or Wilwood?).

My hope is outlaw coupe, which I have a decent grasp on. It will be Subie powered for ease of good hp & torque. Next is sinking the car down on some fat(ish) rubber.

Can you folks suggest some common larger than stock tire fitments? I am thinking 185/65-15 on the front and maybe fatter in the rear. Possibly 205/60-15"?

Doable?

A Subie Coupe with a/c & good heat (I hope) should make for some nice creature comforts (plus power windows) for a 356.

Any other creature comforts I should be thinking about? Like mirror location, type of seats (head rest or not?), among other things...

My usage will be weekend warrior twisties/lunch runs, or over night touring, if the car is dependable enough. No winter use where I live (cold central Wa state).

I have been looking through various forums and this one seems to be suited most for replica builds/owners (although largely Speedsters). Thank you for the great info I have read here already. Many sites frown on the replicas, which is ok I suppose. I don't aim to show the car and will probably be driving with a Boxter (2001) and a Pontiac roadster. I only hope a 356 Subie replica will hang for the most part.

Thanks for your opinions!

Max

 

My car is serious. Four cam winder. ...Its on the wrong side of the law.  

Last edited by MaxMartens
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Welcome to the madness. You're definitely In the right spot.

There aren't many producing coupes. I may be wrong, but in the U.S., I think only JPS in SoCal does. I recommend you searching the forum regarding JPS.

Special Edition in Bremen, IN www.beckspeedster.com is in development, but I don't know how far off they are from production. Carey Hines @chines1 could give you better Info.

Special Edition is who I would send anybody to for a Speedster, Spyder, or 904. I'm a proud owner of a 2010 Beck Speedster.
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I received some info from Carey last week.  They are a couple of months from being able to start popping out bodies as they are completing the production molds.  There is a bit of a backlog so I don't know how far out an order would put you, but these cars should be worth it with either mid- or rear-mounted power (Suby, VW, or Porsche) and modern suspensions.

I can't speak for Carey, but I would expect first deliveries to be around Carlisle of next year (May, for those that aren't aware).

Last edited by Lane Anderson

The car that you are talking about building will likely cost more than $70,000, I would suggest you try one out before you commit to that kind of money and a build time of more than a year.

There are enough very low millage replicas for sale to suggest that people were expecting  production car quality and performance and were disappointed,

You can buy a very nice Porsche or a Corvette for that kind of money and you can drive it to insure it will perform as you expect.

Now, I live in Wenatchee and have a JPS Coupe....a standard model ..... I drive it in the early mornings when it is cool from April to Oct. and it is fun for about 3 hours.

If you want to look at my car to see the quality of construction and my take on JPS, get in touch....bart1379443-R1-11-14  

 

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bart posted:

The car that you are talking about building will likely cost more than $70,000, I would suggest you try one out before you commit to that kind of money and a build time of more than a year.

There are enough very low millage replicas for sale to suggest that people were expecting  production car quality and performance and were disappointed,

You can buy a very nice Porsche or a Corvette for that kind of money and you can drive it to insure it will perform as you expect.

Now, I live in Wenatchee and have a JPS Coupe....a standard model ..... I drive it in the early mornings when it is cool from April to Oct. and it is fun for about 3 hours.

If you want to look at my car to see the quality of construction and my take on JPS, get in touch....bart1379443-R1-11-14  

 

TAKE advantage of another's experience....as he has suggested..BEWARE OF WHAT YOU ASK FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!"....and then?

There are lots of things to consider....there are no dealers, your warranty will be worthless except for a very expensive item....it costs about $2/mile to ship a car in a enclosed carrier....if you are much over 5'10" , it will be a tight fit...

Any modification you want to make for tires or whatever will be very expensive

You will need to make a deposit and progress payments and they will amount to real money  quickly.... every time I have a car built , my lawyer tells me  I am nuts.... these are mostly small operations and if the owner gets sick or dead or goes broke or gets divorced or runs off with his girlfriend  (or boyfriend) ....you may not get your car or your money back...

If you can find a existing car with a clear and clean title that you can drive before you buy it....that might be a prudent way to go...

 

  

X2 what Bart said.  Test drive them, talk to owners, and if possible start with a used one, a well sorted one before you decide if you want to get one build.  

They are wonderful cars to drive and  own, but require an understanding of what your buying into.  It's a "lifestyle choice" per say.

i learned to drive in and grew up driving 356s, owned two previously owned VS before having a new one built... and until recently owned both an original '62 coupe and my VS.   my father still owns his original Speedster... but his gets 6 miles per moth 6 months per year, while my VS gets ~ 1200mi per month.... 10 months of the year.

they are a blast to own and drive!.... and work on ;-)

 

 

Thank you for the replies gentlemen. I see much talk of non JPS builders. And yes JPS is who I am talking with.

I gave a bid on that Monster outlaw car. The gentleman is not very flexible. Plus they have very little (as in almost none) specs on the car. Might be Carrera Coachworks, and their one and only coupe? And I may have read that 2232cc is not even a bore/stroke combination? It may have strap pull up windows also. It was for sale a year ago and apparently has a new $16,000 paint on it now (so the salesman says). Sounds like the guy wants every dime out of it (understandable I guess).

Bart, I live in Wenatchee also... I would love to look your car over!

How about tomorrow evening Bart?? (Tuesday)

Odd as I have seen (online) some nice JPS cars. And some good opinions of JPS, and some less than good opinions of JPS. I do have a quote for a JPS build for considerably less than 70K. I have a scheduled visit with him also, coming up soon.

I will talk with Bart and see first hand the JPS (thank you Bart!). And I am certainly open to more opinions!

The wife & I have a nice '78 Camaro, but she wont let me touch it lol, so no crate motor... boo hoo! And thats one desire for myself to have MY hobby car. ...But she can ride in it. ;-)

While not a coupe or suby powered, this would be an AWESOME first car.  ( actually an awesome last car as well... it's an awesome car period at a reasonable price)... 

Power, well sorted, and a top notch builder.   And IM is in Vancouver BC, and they have a shop in Bellingham WA, so a manageable drive frommCentral WA if you ever want it worked on/upgraded/modified by the builder.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1958-P...qVxZf36S&vxp=mtr

I have been looking at IMs for some time... and his one has me thinking of selling my beloved VS.

im in Seattle, if you ever swing by the city feel free to give me a ring.  Happy to show you my car and let you take it out for a spin. It's not an IM... but it's my "almost full time commuter" with sunny weather.

 

Last edited by Lfepardo
Lfepardo posted:

While not a coupe or suby powered, this would be an AWESOME first car.  ( actually an awesome last car as well... it's an awesome car period at a reasonable price)... 

Power, well sorted, and a top notch builder.   And IM is in Vancouver BC, and they have a shop in Bellingham WA, so a manageable drive frommCentral WA if you ever want it worked on/upgraded/modified by the builder.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1958-P...qVxZf36S&vxp=mtr

I have been looking at IMs for some time... and his one has me thinking of selling my beloved VS.

im in Seattle, if you ever swing by the city feel free to give me a ring.  Happy to show you my car and let you take it out for a spin. It's not an IM... but it's my "almost full time commuter" with sunny weather.

 

DITTO...an awesome, gorgeous IM SPEEDSTER.......these do NOT come around often! 

Thank you all for great and quick responses. That IM car for sale is no doubt nice.

I do want a hard top coupe for ownership. The windows open will be enough for me, as I just cannot do all day sun. I have to make it fun for the wife also - she wont do a open top either.

I have rode motorcycles for years, and instead of leaving the wife at home (she doesn't want the m/c risk), I would like an 'aggro' small sports car. Maybe a replica car won't be in my best interests, we'll see...

I have made money to afford an up to a 50K car. But I do not want to pay for an 85-100K original that first, 1) needs work, 2) should be close to original to keep that high value and 3) something I can beat on a bit. I can/could go more, but I have other interests also. Real Porsches of any vintage are so premium these days. Not a fault of Porsche of course! They are great cars.

I always thought, since childhood, that I would own a 911, but the models I like are unobtainium...

Here is my last tail happy ride! Well practiced at throttle on driving although the pavement we be much different.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/alb...1033_zpseb6iu5kf.jpg[/IMG]

MaxMartens posted:

Thank you all for great and quick responses. That IM car for sale is no doubt nice.

I do want a hard top coupe for ownership. The windows open will be enough for me, as I just cannot do all day sun. I have to make it fun for the wife also - she wont do a open top either.

I have rode motorcycles for years, and instead of leaving the wife at home (she doesn't want the m/c risk), I would like an 'aggro' small sports car. Maybe a replica car won't be in my best interests, we'll see...

I have made money to afford an up to a 50K car. But I do not want to pay for an 85-100K original that first, 1) needs work, 2) should be close to original to keep that high value and 3) something I can beat on a bit. I can/could go more, but I have other interests also. Real Porsches of any vintage are so premium these days. Not a fault of Porsche of course! They are great cars.

I always thought, since childhood, that I would own a 911, but the models I like are unobtainium...

Here is my last tail happy ride! Well practiced at throttle on driving although the pavement we be much different.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/alb...1033_zpseb6iu5kf.jpg[/IMG]

There are some nice LOW MILEAGE 95 to 98 aircooled 911s on EBAY...easily get one for under 60K..... they are going to be the next boom investment as they are the LAST aircooled 911s made. I'm surprised that they are still REASONABLY priced.....and coupes available. I should shut up and buy one

Banzai Pipeline posted:

I see that Bonzai. I am visiting with Bart tomorrow night for a looksee at his JPS coupe.

The picture of his looks good, but I'll see how it represents in person.

Is there different fitment of tires sizes from one replica to another? Or are the cars mostly sized similar. I would say I would not go more the 2" lowered max. Once again I'll see how Barts sits for comparison. I will report back tomorrow evening on what I think of his, and of course his opinion.

 

MaxMartens posted:

Thank you for the replies gentlemen. I see much talk of non JPS builders. And yes JPS is who I am talking with.

I gave a bid on that Monster outlaw car. The gentleman is not very flexible. Plus they have very little (as in almost none) specs on the car. Might be Carrera Coachworks, and their one and only coupe? And I may have read that 2232cc is not even a bore/stroke combination? It may have strap pull up windows also. It was for sale a year ago and apparently has a new $16,000 paint on it now (so the salesman says). Sounds like the guy wants every dime out of it (understandable I guess).

Bart, I live in Wenatchee also... I would love to look your car over!

How about tomorrow evening Bart?? (Tuesday)

Odd as I have seen (online) some nice JPS cars. And some good opinions of JPS, and some less than good opinions of JPS. I do have a quote for a JPS build for considerably less than 70K. I have a scheduled visit with him also, coming up soon.

I will talk with Bart and see first hand the JPS (thank you Bart!). And I am certainly open to more opinions!

The wife & I have a nice '78 Camaro, but she wont let me touch it lol, so no crate motor... boo hoo! And thats one desire for myself to have MY hobby car. ...But she can ride in it. ;-)

That GUY/COUPE will NEVER see more than 50K for this car. Anyone who can buy a coupe for 50K can pick out their own color, options, drive train(SUBY/FLAT SIX/MICE) and NOT have to pay for his $16,000 paint job. Each niche has a reasonable CEILING of value and the SELLER should have perspective if he/she wants a sale. 69K for a USED COUPE is a REACH PLUS and it will NOT HAPPEN. Probably a 2332(TYPO) but unrelated to the issue at hand.

Banzai Pipeline posted:
Banzai Pipeline posted:
MaxMartens posted:
 

That GUY/COUPE will NEVER see more than 50K for this car. Anyone who can buy a coupe for 50K can pick out their own color, options, drive train(SUBY/FLAT SIX/MICE) and NOT have to pay for his $16,000 paint job. Each niche has a reasonable CEILING of value and the SELLER should have perspective if he/she wants a sale. 69K for a USED COUPE is a REACH PLUS and it will NOT HAPPEN. Probably a 2332(TYPO) but unrelated to the issue at hand.

Agreed Bonzai. I have done enough looking that I know that price is out of line IMO.

I told the salesman that also. Also a shame the salesman didn't have hardly any info on the car. You want top dollar, it should be documented/have a build sheet. Too bad, as it is one of the best looking outlaws in the country IMO. 

I hope to put together a visually good looking car also.

 

Max- As Banzai said, it's probably a 2332, as that's a known stroke/bore (84x94) combination.  And it's pretty common for the seller to know almost nothing about the car's particulars. This is especially true when dealing with a car lot (and what are these high end dealers but used car lots in the end...) but we see it a lot with private sales too. As a car changes hands a couple of times paper work (like the build sheet for the engine and trans) gets lost and the next buyer doesn't push hard enough for the information or doesn't care, and the chain is broken.  Al

Alright fellas... Quality concerns to be noticed on a JPS. Where are the weak areas?

I will be looking for decent door closure and worthy hinges, paint quality (which may show under the surface issues). Interior fitment, dash, gauges, door jambs. Exterior trim fitment, gaps on doors, hoods. Fuel tank mounting, etc.........

Spidering of fiberglass anywhere??

I will be looking over a local JPS owners coupe (thank you sir). Looks decent from a 20 foot photo...

Thanks

I recall Tom D's green coupe - a very early JPS production coupe which he had at Carlisle back in '07-08.  (Geeze, 10 years ago!)  I was quite impressed - yes some issues like water leaks to interior (pretty severe but fixed by fellow SOCers.  Also some AC engine issues (think it was a broken piston rod circlip? again SOCer's to aid).  Seems it was a mid-30k car? Other than those issues - it met all your criteria for fit/finish.  You might see spidering 5 years or so down the road but you won't see on a new JPS - few I've seen have sweet paint jobs (ElFaz's).  You can do search here on his Green Hornet coupe.

If I recall correctly, Seduction Motorworks inspected a JOS Couoe for someone who was looking to buy a "well kept, beautiful, very few flaws car" and it's a good thing he did because the car was good from far and far from good. Numerous Tinker Toy type mechanicals under the car and a multitude of figment issues. Buyer rejected the car based on the inspection. I'll see if I can find the link later and post it. 

Robert M posted:

If I recall correctly, Seduction Motorworks inspected a JOS Couoe for someone who was looking to buy a "well kept, beautiful, very few flaws car" and it's a good thing he did because the car was good from far and far from good. Numerous Tinker Toy type mechanicals under the car and a multitude of figment issues. Buyer rejected the car based on the inspection. I'll see if I can find the link later and post it. 

Jim Kelly pointed out my error. The vehicle Seduction Motorsports inspected was and SAS. Carry on. 

I had the fortune tonight to see Barts JPS coupe first hand. Thank you Bart, we had a great chat!

I was pleasantly surprised by his car. It had quality throughout. Good fitment, solid doors, and nice interior. Very clean paint, and immaculate too. It fired right up.

I would own Barts car in a heartbeat. 

Cars, as homes, can run over on build time completion dates. I understand this. At this time I am getting PM's of good results from JPS, although we have seen other stories (I have googled quite a bit on the subject, much coming back to this forum).

So I will continue to study up, and visit the JPS shop at the end of this month (arranged).

 

Last edited by MaxMartens

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