Just so I understand, you still don't have your car but others that contracted after you are having cars delivered? If so can I ask what their excuse or explanation is?
Amazingly the coupe I know of was contracted at the exact same time and now finished. Mine is beginning to come along. I have no idea on any timing on other peoples contracts. No gossip at this point.
The completed car I saw was very nice. ...TBC.
Is it a serial shop? Meaning that they essentially do one at a time because of limited resources?
I seem to remember that at one time it was just Steele and maybe one or two others - that would limit throughput.
Yes small employee count.
My experience with JPS was about 5 years ago. At that time there were 5 or 6 employees including the owner. Also at that time, if I remember correctly, the owner experienced some health and personal problems. It may be the owner's problems have passed and the focus is back on car building.
The build process was very annoying, and being generous, JPS was less than standup during the build. In short, I would not do business again with, or recommend them to anyone.
Here's the sad part, JPS does a pretty good job building cars. Mine is now 5 years old and I've enjoyed it. Keeping in mind the price point, I feel the car was worth the money, excluding the unnecessary lack of truthfulness and some minor tweaking.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I do my damndest to ensure people who do stuff for me get paid promptly and I expect to get what I pay for when promised. Obviously, stuff happens, so if parts don't come in, people get sick, delays happen and the person paying for the build deserves the truth. I always remember those who respect and disrespect my time.
I would not get into any dealings with JPS that ship has sailed. However, if any SOCer has a chance to buy an already built JPS car, enlist help from one of our SOC heavyweights to check the car out, it may be a good bet. I like mine.
As I mentioned in another thread, I ordered a JPS Speedster through Patrick. It’s due in May. I’ve had several pics sent to me along the way like he said he would do. I had a chance to meet with a newly delivered owner and was nice enough to let me drive her car. Nice build. Shifter a bit sloppy for my taste but my trans will be a bit different with shorter shift. ( I knew going in it wasn’t going to shift like my 11 Year old 997! I had lots of questions and Patrick always responds in a timely manner. Good experience so far. I opted for the 2332 motor can’t wait to bring her home.
You can have perfect shifting by having a CSP shifter sent directly to your builder to install in your car. Can't praise it enough plus you don't have to push down on the stick to get reverse. CSP makes great stuff--I believe it's all made in Germany. I know you are excited about getting your new Speedster---good luck with it!
@9971 happy to see everything is working out for you. Could you share some of the photos from your build. I’m sure I’m not in the minority here by saying how much this group loves build photos. I look forward to seeing @arajani, @edsnova, @aircooled’s builds along with the new 356 coupe being developed by special edition (to name a few).
Sure.. at the moment only have initial pic of painted body and door panels / seats. He sent a pic of front of tub with top on. Car should arrive in San Marcos end of April. I’ll head down and take lots of pics believe me lmao. I live 30 mins from the shop.
Ha. I have similar pictures sent to me of a pretty painted roller etc. I wonder what color it is today and who is driving it?
After breaching contract we adhered to faithfully well over a year ago, Steele refuses to refund money or deliver car. Lots of interesting stuff has come to light. Some will listen and some will not. All I can say is John Steele and JPS is red hot right now.
Just sayin'
Sorry you’ve had bad experience. I’ve been dealing with Patrick not John. Looking forward to my build. Nothing in my experience so far makes me concerned..at all. Look forward to sharing pics of my 2332.
Good to hear. My 2332 is a killer. I think you will find it plenty fast/dependable enough. Patrick is not John Steele. Speedsters are not Coupes. Only issue Patrick has is selecting good partners. Ha.
You are dealing with a different car, a different builder, and you are in California. Big difference. All the best to you.
Thank you. Good to hear your 2333 is what you’ve expected it to be. I knew it would be quick but concerned at the expense of reliability/durability. Sounds like you’re a happy dude w it.
I attribute the 2332 reliability aspect to a mild cam and 8:1 compression along with adequate cooling and oil. At 10:1 it would likely do wheelies. It is the largest displacement etc I would consider for street use. Couple that with good suspension and rubber, a well modified tranny, proper fuel system, and careful setup (timing jetting etc) and you should have a killer rig. Only thing I could improve upon now is a smoother shifter and I'm working on that. Otherwise I have been a happy camper for better than a year now. And it's not hard on the eyes either. I think you will be happy. Just stay clear of Ol John Boy. You don't want to get any of that on you. Not one of mankind's greatest accomplishment.
4Banger posted:Just stay clear of Ol John Boy. You don't want to get any of that on you. Not one of mankind's greatest accomplishment.
That's our John!
Haaa. Breath. Choke. More Haaa. Wipe tears. Repeat. The Doctor is in. Thanks for making my day.
As usual, Stan & Alan are on point!
Speedsters are going out the door, quickly. Coupes are not.
Patrick builds Speedsters. John builds coupes. See the correlation?
Just looking at the coupes recently and although I don’t regret my upcoming speedster build by any stretch.. I would imagine less looky loos with a coupe. 356s look good in any guise. Although I’ve never been a “look at me “ dude, I know speedy will get more attention than I want. Part of the deal I suppose lmao
That is like telling a beautiful lady she won't be noticed
Come to think of it sometimes it will feel like there are flies all over.
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Successful delivery from vendors are always welcome and for sure nice to spread good karma to those still waiting @MaxMartens👍🤙👀 nice car and enjoy the many years of fun.
@4Banger, @9971- would either of you care to share engine specs- specifically, what cam/rocker combo and heads/compression ratio your engines are/will be?
4Banger- I'd love to see some shots of your car, and my apologies if you already have, but have you posted any pics? My mind is drawing a blank here. Al
@MaxMartens- please post pics when you take possession! Any details on how your car is being outfitted?
@MaxMartens Very nice looking coupe....be sure to go completely through every part of the build and let us know your thoughts once you have had some seat time.
Al. I don't think 4Banger is very happy with John. As I recall, he had pretty much given up on ever getting a car from him and was more focus on getting his money back.
MaxMartens: If not already on your front burner, get solid commitments for the documents needed to register and show ownership of your car.
Car looks sweet. As you already know, not wise to exhale until that piece of art is in your garage and you have paperwork showing you own it.
Also, and this is important from what we’ve seen in the past on other builds from him, do an inspection of the car based on this checklist:
https://www.speedsterowners.co...acceptance-checklist
Always best to check the car out before it leaves his shop so you can get sub-par stuff fixed before it ships, but if you already have it then this list will give you a really good idea of what’s up to snuff and what needs attention. Pay particular attention to safety-related items for obvious reasons but it’s a pretty thorough list from what we’ve seen on other people’s cars.
Wish you the best of luck and many happy miles with your new car!
Gordon
I'll say more upon receipt of car. And thanks gents... She's a looker and outlaw all the way.
I love the color and the blackout handles, rims, and other moldings. Too bad he couldn't have done the front window molding in black as well. A clear front turn signal would look nice too. The car has a Rod Emory-ish sort of look to it. Very nice.
Funny background story - When he showed up at Carlisle with his first coupe, years ago, he had not yet figured out how to source the bright metal molding for the windshield frame (or any of the windows, really) and just left the black rubber molding naked.
The general consensus at the show was that it didn't look very good and we all said so (it's always fun to get Steele agitated, and it happens so easily - Merklin is pretty good at it, mostly by asking simple questions).
He went off in a huff, but a couple of cars later the bright molding started showing up. If you don't like it, it just has a tab that fits into a slot in the rubber and is easily removed.
As another aside, that coupe looks a lot like Tom Marantz's JPS Suby-Coupe, which I was fortunate enough to ride around in at Carlisle for three days a couple of years back. IIRC, Tom has a Non-turbo EFI Suby 2.5 with the Suby 5-speed and the Aussie flipped ring and pinion. It is very, very quick and although I spent all my time in the passenger seat (I don't ask a lot of other people to let me drive their cars) I did notice that the torque curve came on seemingly right off idle and was strong up past 5 Grand (we got on it a couple of times getting onto the interstates - WOW!). Very impressive.
Also impressive was the level of workmanship. WAY better than Tom DeWalt's early coupe (which was, by all accounts, pretty much a disaster) with a high level of fit and finish inside and out. Tom said he had a few minor things to sort out after delivery, but they were Meh. My single complaint was that it was pretty loud (like needing earplugs loud) but that's what the owner asked for and he was happy with it. That's also easy to change over time, so no big deal.
Tom's build was in the middle of Steele's last(?) health crisis (Heart Attack) so that delayed everything for a while, but Tom, being a Cardiologist, understood what was happening and gave him the slack he needed to recover. I suspect that it has been difficult for him coming out on this side of the heart issues which might explain some of the changes we've heard of, but I simply don't know. I'm just happy that he is fulfilling his contracts to deliver some coupes to happy new owners. Hell, I ended up in hospital with stress burn-out for a while once, so who am I to comment? I just admire that he's back building cars.
Gordon is right about a bunch of stuff, my Rancho transaxle is one example. I hope he's right about this. Having recently had some health problems myself, it hit me upside my head with the realization that any day may be the last day.
Hopefully, those health problems are under control and JPS is moving forward with positive changes.
Gordon Nichols posted:Funny background story - When he showed up at Carlisle with his first coupe, years ago, he had not yet figured out how to source the bright metal molding for the windshield frame (or any of the windows, really) and just left the black rubber molding naked.
The general consensus at the show was that it didn't look very good and we all said so (it's always fun to get Steele agitated, and it happens so easily - Merklin is pretty good at it, mostly by asking simple questions).
He went off in a huff, but a couple of cars later the bright molding started showing up. If you don't like it, it just has a tab that fits into a slot in the rubber and is easily removed.
Where do you get the bright metal moulding and window rubber for a coupe, besides Stoddard and others so priced?
I don’t know. You’d have to ask Steele.
But remember that there is a big difference between a metal car and a fiberglass car in thickness of material where the rubber gasket is fitted to the body, so an original 356 window rubber probably won’t fit, I don’t know.
That is among the many reasons that building replica coupes means sourcing a lot of esoteric parts, like glass rubber and trim and those pesky little latches on the rear quarter windows. It takes time to find cost effective parts or get them tooled and built custom. “Stoddards” may not be the answer.
My car will have black trim window rubber. So we're good there. More to come.
Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust. If anyone interested yeah I’ll post pics it’s a good build I had a good experience w Patrick and John. Blast to drive.
There’s only one problem... I made the mistake of driving the new 992. It’s amazing. Speedster and 997 will go to make room. Love my JPS speedster good quality build.
Gordon Nichols posted:I don’t know. You’d have to ask Steele.
But remember that there is a big difference between a metal car and a fiberglass car in thickness of material where the rubber gasket is fitted to the body, so an original 356 window rubber probably won’t fit, I don’t know.
That is among the many reasons that building replica coupes means sourcing a lot of esoteric parts, like glass rubber and trim and those pesky little latches on the rear quarter windows. It takes time to find cost effective parts or get them tooled and built custom. “Stoddards” may not be the answer.
I imagine that's why Special Edition is going with glue-in glass on the Beck Coupe. On an outlaw like mine it should look perfectly acceptable. I'll have to see on a stock-looking car. The prototype had thick black paint on the back side of the glass where the glue was, but production models will have a less noticeable line.
9971 posted:Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust. If anyone interested yeah I’ll post pics it’s a good build I had a good experience w Patrick and John. Blast to drive.
There’s only one problem... I made the mistake of driving the new 992. It’s amazing. Speedster and 997 will go to make room. Love my JPS speedster good quality build.
Looks like that decision has been made! Keep the Speedie in a "Mama don't know" storage space ...
9971 posted:Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust...
Do you know any engine details/specs- camshaft? heads? compression ratio? exhaust? carbs?
RacerX posted:9971 posted:Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust. If anyone interested yeah I’ll post pics it’s a good build I had a good experience w Patrick and John. Blast to drive.
There’s only one problem... I made the mistake of driving the new 992. It’s amazing. Speedster and 997 will go to make room. Love my JPS speedster good quality build.
Looks like that decision has been made! Keep the Speedie in a "Mama don't know" storage space ...
mommas know EVERYTHING, just ask them
9971 posted:Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust. If anyone interested yeah I’ll post pics it’s a good build I had a good experience w Patrick and John. Blast to drive.
There’s only one problem... I made the mistake of driving the new 992. It’s amazing. Speedster and 997 will go to make room. Love my JPS speedster good quality build.
any pics? love my 17 911 S model, the twin turbos are kick butt fun,sport exhaust is a must...if ur not on Rennlist U need to be...lots of info from fellow enthusiasts, just like this site..:} that new "chalk" color is to die for
@barncobob P car twin turbos are a bomb. Rennlist is awesome sight. 👍
barncobob posted:RacerX posted:9971 posted:Got mine delivered a few months ago .. 2332 with pro street trans and shotgun A-1 Exhaust. If anyone interested yeah I’ll post pics it’s a good build I had a good experience w Patrick and John. Blast to drive.
There’s only one problem... I made the mistake of driving the new 992. It’s amazing. Speedster and 997 will go to make room. Love my JPS speedster good quality build.
Looks like that decision has been made! Keep the Speedie in a "Mama don't know" storage space ...
mommas know EVERYTHING, just ask them
"Mommas know everything" Eyes in the back of their heads too as well as super range of hearing when they would say " I head that" ! when clearly there was no way they could have but best that you didn't question that statement .
I was just asked last night my thoughts on the new 911. My response was “there’s no substitute for the smell of oil and gas”. At least for me.
or the sounds,,,,rarely turn on radio, just that flat six going thru its paces,,YUMM
I have my pick up date set for receipt of my car. The car has been slow to come to fruition, but the time is now. In the area for a couple of weeks for shake down (thank you for the check list - its printed out and will be used). Looking forward to the experience. The car should move out. ...I have an enclosed trailer for my return trip, so easy travel for the car.
I know of another JPS owner I will hook up with... anyone else in the SD/SM area? First two weeks of Nov.
MAXMARTENS: Fingers & toes crossed, hope all goes smoothly. San Diego has lots of good roads, HAVE AT IT.
Taken delivery!
Today was the day. The wife and I put in 100 plus miles the first day out with our Outlaw JPS coupe. A learning day, yes. A few issues to work out, but we expected a thing or two. I will fill in more after the fact.
Some asked how we powered it... 230 hp Subie four cam motor. It moves out nicely... pulls hills effortlessly. Like my old Ghia, but on steriods. A long wait yes, but worth it.
I will dedicate a thread soon on my car, as some 'make it my own' things will go in.
Cheers
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At least you didn’t buy it from SAS. You’d be waiting until the next turn if the century. The car looks amazing. Can’t wait to hear more of the details.
Max,
That car is ....INCREDIBLE! Like the paint and trim treatment. Even the headlight buckets are done-up. The details make the diff ....
Brian in Murrieta
Lovely car, Max. Enjoy it to the fullest...
Thanks Gents. John gave me some nice detail as I asked for. Meteor Grey Metallic. Black interior, gray carpet, black edged. Pleated seats, b
Blue piping & blue seat belts for contrast. Black Coco mats w/blue dots coming. Can't hear the stereo when OTG, but who cares. Not super low but rides amazingly well. Grabs the corners.
Bat cave while visiting socal.
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nice car, had an 86 P carrera, meteor grey,gorgeous color, easy to keep clean..
MAX: Not only is it a drop dead beauty, with 230HP it must bury the needle on fun stuffo meter. The shot of carport is like a new baby in a crib. Thanx for letting us ride along.
Good news. My punch list was taken care of yesterday and today. We came up with 29 items. JPS took care of all 29 items. From electrical, to adjustments, to fitment. Plus re-torquing. Thank you Eddie.
Things felt loose for the first 175 miles. The whole car now feels tight. Time to go rack up some miles! Sant Ysabel for breakfast!!!
We have a week and a half left in the area. Hope to tear it up. At this point we are feeling good about the car.
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MaxMartens posted:Good news. My punch list was taken care of yesterday and today. We came up with 29 items. JPS took care of all 29 items. From electrical, to adjustments, to fitment. Plus re-torquing. Thank you Eddie.
Things felt loose for the first 175 miles. The whole car now feels tight. Time to go rack up some miles! Sant Ysabel for breakfast!!!
We have a week and a half left in the area. Hope to tear it up. At this point we are feeling good about the car.
@MaxMartens smile says it all 👍😎🤙enjoy the madness
Max,
The coupe is looking great! I've been thinking about an upgrade. I'm two miles from the coast just south of Carlsbad and 15 minutes from JPS. It Would be great to meet up for coffee. I've always wanted to take a look at a coupe with a Subie engine.
FYI, on Saturday mornings there is a small and casual Cars and Coffee group that gathers in Ranch Santa Fe.
A PM sent to you, ZFNHSN. I am around the Lake Hodges area.
Wow! NA or turbo?
Todd, NA. It revs out nicely, and also has very decent torque rolling easy through the gears. Its touring great and its hustles well too.
Fun Sheet!!!
I think JP gets his Subaru engines from Outfront Motorsports in Buena Park. Is that where yours came from? 230 from NA? That is something. What do you think your coupe weighs? Did you go with a Subaru or VW transaxle? My immediate thoughts go to all that torque coming out of a turn with a swing axle and skinny street tires. I hope you have a blast, but I also hope that you slowly and carefully find it's limits.
I know the SOHC engine max hp is around 200hp with a cam, I was aware that the DOHC made somewhat more but I thought it was like 20hp more is it a realistic 230hp?
Just wondering that would be really cool it this is true.
IaM-Ray posted:I know the SOHC engine max hp is around 200hp with a cam, I was aware that the DOHC made somewhat more but I thought it was like 20hp more is it a realistic 230hp?
Just wondering that would be really cool it this is true.
I don't know all Subaru's numbers, but they are getting 205 out of the 2.0 NA in the BRZ.
I do not know where JPS sources his motors. Maybe the EJ20 motor?? - the appearance is close. Might be the '05-'09 years. Link - Best JDM's I'll try to learn more. The car accelerates!...
My car is IRS not swing axle, so maybe better handling characteristics ('74 chassis). Roughly 2000 lbs. A VW built up transaxle is used. Tallish 1st, and a tall fourth, but really good spacing. 2500 rpm @ 70 mph I believe. It corners smooth and flat while pushing semi-aggressive. I am not trying to be road racer with it, maybe just fast tourist lol. Working on smooth (easy enough).
Exact numbers are not the end all. The car is light, and its powerful. Does not bog.
MAX: I’m with you. It's been my experience, when boutique cars are involved, stats are usually swag.
Numbers while interesting, are not the end all, you are. I could be wrong, but sounds to me like you’re having a blast.
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Yes, having a blast EWATUB. JPS did a good punch list, & torquing where needed. 700+ miles and the wife is still holding up. Tall geared car so its fair at decent day mileage.
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MAX: Even the coolest toys are door stops unless you play with them. Judging from the seat time you've clocked, you already know about the playing part. Keep leaning on the skinny pedal.
950 miles & counting!... Off to breakfast with RACERX and a curvy road ride in the morning. ...Revved up to Ramona on the 78 this morning for coffee & cinnamon rolls.
Almost time to put it on the trailer and haul it home. Its been a fun run in socal.
Right on. RacerX a cool dude with a cool car. Enjoy the car. It looks awesome.
Yeah man.. first pdk .. it’s fun and fast as F$&ck.
Come over yeah it’s amazing.
The car is gorgeous, Max. Glad it's working out.
Met our goal! Put in a 1000 miles in socal on our coupe. ...Just under 1100 actually. Oil change & readjusting/torquing here & there tomorrow.
Bout ready to put the car on the trailer and go home and fade away.
I showed to keep my patience on our JPS build. Wasn't easy at times. But... We were rewarded with a nice coupe. I'm on good terms with Mr. Steele. A few upgrades I would imagine in the future to improve the car.
...Life is like a box of chocolates.
MAX: I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I've found that good terms with JPS can be fleeting. If your planned upgrades involve JPS, be heads up like you were during the build. Since you have the car, you know the drill.
My upgrades will be independent of JPS.
They could go like this.
Stereo amp
Different seats
Better rear shocks
Better clutch
Among others...
MaxMartens posted:My upgrades will be independent of JPS.
They could go like this.
Stereo amp
Different seats
Better rear shocks
Better clutch
Among others...
@MaxMartens nice to focus to get the car first and to do list after 👍. No PDK shifter lol
ALB posted:@4Banger, @9971- would either of you care to share engine specs- specifically, what cam/rocker combo and heads/compression ratio your engines are/will be?
4Banger- I'd love to see some shots of your car, and my apologies if you already have, but have you posted any pics? My mind is drawing a blank here. Al
@MaxMartens- please post pics when you take possession! Any details on how your car is being outfitted?
I'd like to know the specs of their 2232 as well. I'm running street 2276, but with higher compression (than 4Banger), a narrow LSA cam and high lift ration rockers albeit 1.25" and I could go higher. 212F is the hottest I've seen my engine after 30 min at 3800 RPM on the I5 in the summer. I'm running an external remote cooler above the transaxle space on a Vintage. I use a calibrated dipstick thermometer shoved in the dipstick opening and the temp gauge sits a little over center. Center position is approx 190 degrees.
ZFNHSN posted:ALB posted:@4Banger, @9971- would either of you care to share engine specs- specifically, what cam/rocker combo and heads/compression ratio your engines are/will be?
4Banger- I'd love to see some shots of your car, and my apologies if you already have, but have you posted any pics? My mind is drawing a blank here. Al
@MaxMartens- please post pics when you take possession! Any details on how your car is being outfitted?
I'd like to know the specs of their 2232 as well. I'm running street 2276, but with higher compression (than 4Banger), a narrow LSA cam and high lift ration rockers albeit 1.25" and I could go higher. 212F is the hottest I've seen my engine after 30 min at 3800 RPM on the I5 in the summer. I'm running an external remote cooler above the transaxle space on a Vintage. I use a calibrated dipstick thermometer shoved in the dipstick opening and the temp gauge sits a little over center. Center position is approx 190 degrees.
@ZFNHSN what is the HP on most of the big 2 liter setup? 130? 150?
Our time is finishing up in socal! One more visit to be done , but the car is on the trailer now.
The last time our car resides in the 'bat cave'. It was a good home.
And in the mobile bat cave.
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Ok, its time for my review of my JPS coupe and my experience with JPS.
Most of us know how JPS goes. I have a different twist on it.
My car went over on build time. A year plus over. Going in, I knew JPS cars run behind. Even a couple of years of build time, which was health related in instances. My delay may have been shop relocation related. I'll go with that.
I have multiple pages of 'spec' for my car. My car was built to my spec. Outlaw & blacked out trim & no trim at all. Up-spec'd the Subie motor to a 4 cam. Pro street trans (some trannies are built up more than mine), cross drilled rotors. Black interior, blue piping & grey carpet. ...Etc
I came to the area solely to pick up my coupe and shake it down. 1000 miles in 12 days. We put together a 29 point punch list. John took it in no problem and turned it out in a day (with 175 miles on it at the time). Drove it to 1100 miles and had another 12 point punch list, & oil change. Re-torqued each time. Done quickly (half day) the second time. John stood behind his car. His current three tech/mech's are busy guys right now. One office person too. The JPS shop is rolling along at the moment.
All that being said, I am giving a positive review. Beauty car, good build and JPS has stood behind it. And they serviced it. This is MY experience. ...I cannot say how future builds will go, or time lines.
And to add, I feel my car is a good canvas to improve on. Personalization or tasty upgrades in the future. This car moves out and rides decent. Good heat, a/c and power windows. Compliments abound... I feel lucky.
Well, there you go. I like my JPS car. The wife does too. We have lived in it for days. Comfort was decent for such tiny seats.
Now we head back to the great PNW, and back to our winter reality. Cheers
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Good to hear that you had a positive JPS experience ~
calmotion posted:ZFNHSN posted:ALB posted:@4Banger, @9971- would either of you care to share engine specs- specifically, what cam/rocker combo and heads/compression ratio your engines are/will be?
4Banger- I'd love to see some shots of your car, and my apologies if you already have, but have you posted any pics? My mind is drawing a blank here. Al
@MaxMartens- please post pics when you take possession! Any details on how your car is being outfitted?
I'd like to know the specs of their 2232 as well. I'm running street 2276, but with higher compression (than 4Banger), a narrow LSA cam and high lift ration rockers albeit 1.25" and I could go higher. 212F is the hottest I've seen my engine after 30 min at 3800 RPM on the I5 in the summer. I'm running an external remote cooler above the transaxle space on a Vintage. I use a calibrated dipstick thermometer shoved in the dipstick opening and the temp gauge sits a little over center. Center position is approx 190 degrees.
@ZFNHSN what is the HP on most of the big 2 liter setup? 130? 150?
@calmotion I can't speak for others, but my 2276 deivers approx 150 HP and 150 ft/pounds to the rear wheels as per the dyno chassis. I sacrificed top end power and RPMs for HP and Torque down low. It's a lazy mans engine so to speak. I do wonder how a twin spark high strung motor would feel like on the Speedster. It certainly would be fun, but the majority of my driving is all city and to the beach and back. Having power in any gear is fun as long as it is below 5K RPM 😁
MAX: I'm glad things worked out. Hopefully, your experience with JPS indicates a turn for the good. We can never have too many good builders adding to the universe of our funny little clown cars. It's cool when stuff end well.
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Back in action.
We have been lying low this year with the current climate. No Cali trips & minimal time put in with our coupe. Been out for a couple of drives this year. Fired up my Outlaw for a couple of drives. The JPS Especial is good. It will be a quiet year.
I would love to see pics of the 4 cam Suby motor in your car Max.
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Hey all, Been everywhere but around here. Limited time out but drove a bit. 500 miles maybe lol. Ran with my kid in his E46 (flashed 170 hp motor). Whooped him in a drag race, and he let me lead in the curves. We moved out but kept it sane. The JPS coupe is putting it down. Been driving another build so splitting between two cars.
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Zero comparison which is the more desirable car and it's not the Bimmer.
@WNGD posted:Zero comparison which is the more desirable car and it's not the Bimmer.
My kid loves his beemer - wishes it was the M3. His car is small, but huge next to my car. His car should roast me in the curves, but I kept it pretty nailed, and it was his first time on the road anyway. Good camaraderie for us as motorheads... Fun times with my 27 yr old.
It’s a lot of fun doing motorhead stuff with your kids.
A month or so ago I did a Cars and Coffee with my son in his Carrera and me in my Speedster. My son brought his two boys, 7 and 9 years old, with him, stuffed in the back seats. Halfway there, we both took off out of a stop light with the Carrera pulling away at Warp 8 while I was still running on thrusters. 😳
When we got to the C&C place, the 7 year old sees me and says “We smoked ya, Grampa!”
@Gordon Nichols posted:It’s a lot of fun doing motorhead stuff with your kids.
A month or so ago I did a Cars and Coffee with my son in his Carrera and me in my Speedster. My son brought his two boys, 7 and 9 years old, with him, stuffed in the back seats. Halfway there, we both took off out of a stop light with the Carrera pulling away at Warp 8 while I was still running on thrusters. 😳
When we got to the C&C place, the 7 year old sees me and says “We smoked ya, Grampa!”
@Gordon Nichols can’t beat that fun. 👍
@MaxMartens posted:My kid loves his beemer - wishes it was the M3. His car is small, but huge next to my car. His car should roast me in the curves, but I kept it pretty nailed, and it was his first time on the road anyway. Good camaraderie for us as motorheads... Fun times with my 27 yr old.
I'm sure he loves his Beemer, it's a great car for what it is.
My brother in law had an M3 convertible and it did a ton of things well. Getting noticed at a stop light wasn't one of them. In the land around here, Beemers in all forms don't get a second glance amongst the sea of Teslas and Porsches.
My BIL has had multiple 5 series as company cars too and they've become the upscale Toyota Camry/Honda Accord of yore. Incredibly capable but boring. He sold his M3 and bought a Aston Martin coupe. That thing screams and is a blast to drive. Parked beside a 356, Coupe or Super Widebody, only one of those cars will get admiring stares and questions.
But expecting a 4 speed 150HP car on for the most part, ancient underpinning to hang even close to a M3, AM or even a Tesla makes no sense. Miles per smile there's simply no comparison though.
Teslas do 0-60 in like 2.5 seconds don't they?
Which is about three seconds faster than my stomach would get there..........
I tried to get Henry at IM to build me a coupe back in the day, an A or pre A for me is the body I really like.
Well I guess it became a who's who of who has what. Bravo!
I am not a BMW enthusiast, but the E46 has its own following, just as 356 Porsches, or 356 Porsche replicas. My kid loves the 32x series.
Ok... my latest build is this. And no, I am not comparing how fast it is compared to something else. 396 small block or not.
Its about what you like. Enjoy it all!
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@MaxMartens posted:I am not a BMW enthusiast, but the E46 has its own following, just as 356 Porsches, or 356 Porsche replicas. My kid loves the 32x series.
I love those E46 32X cars as well, especially with a manual.
The C3 'vette's pretty cool as well.
Not Really a vette fan but that’s nice.
Guest posted:
Two words for ya, David: Landscape mode.
That's super cool. When I was a kid, I fanasized for about a year about building a Turbulent after I saw one in my oldest brother's airplane magazines. My brother went on to a career flying C5's. I stayed in the ground with other VW-powered toys.
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@MaxMartens wrote- "Ok... my latest build is this. And no, I am not comparing how fast it is compared to something else. 396 small block or not.
Its about what you like. Enjoy it all!"
Words to live by Max! And I'm lovin' the 'Vette. 396 small block- very cool it is...
396 is a chevy big block(rat motor) had a 66 vette 396....if ur refer to a small block it is most likely a 383 stroker(350 bored w different crank)
@barncobob posted:396 is a chevy big block(rat motor) had a 66 vette 396....if ur refer to a small block it is most likely a 383 stroker(350 bored w different crank)
$5K for a 485 hp long-block. If you need me, I'll be in the corner sobbing quietly.
Question: Is this still the VENDOR SPECIFIC thread?
It wasn't me drifting this time, so don't blame ME!
and the 400 was a small block. and if you used a 302 crank in the 400 non oversized bores, it would be a 377. oh, the good old days of mixing and matching. how about a 391 - that a 350 with a 400 crank with the 350 5.7" longer rod. But my memory fades
@Napa Paul posted:Question: Is this still the VENDOR SPECIFIC thread?
You wanna' talk about JPS some more?
@MaxMartens (one of the original posters) brought up his 'vette with the bi 'ol SBC. We're just running with it, as is the fashion. We're not in the Classified section, so I think we're good to go.
It's more on point than airplane pictures.
And I was just thinking that a 'Vette with small block weight but big block power would be sooo cool to drive!
There are many cars that others really like and that I can appreciate even if I might not buy one just saying.
All good gents. 4banger was the loser that started this thread... remember him? Woe is he? Never got a JPS.
Its not who you work with, but how you work with somebody. That would be on topic with this thread. JC and I got coupes after 4bangers failed attempt. Vey nice coupes no less. Perfect no, but pretty darn good (JC's had issues). They aren't supercars... maybe a super VW. ...About an average real 356 Porsche and an ok replica. Maybe. ZF knows my coupe moves out. I know JC's car moves out. But just average VW or Subie hi-po.
I brought up my latest car as when I post a pic of my boy and I out driving the back roads (he in his 2000 beemer) & people start bragging up their 'ultimate' cars. Me me me... So, so did I. Off topic hits quick on this forum lol. But what do you expect for a JPS thread. Its a condescending thread.
I knew some knowledge-less soul would start yapping how a 396 is a big block. Bite! Yes it usually is. Different combinations of stroked small block are becoming popular. And powerful.
I chose the 396 sbc just for this reason. For some ignoramus to tell me its a big block. LOL Fun. It has big block power across the board. I could of picked a 427 sb also. I wont speak any more of my car. Its for other areas of motorsport interest.
I appreciate the interest, and the non interest...
they are torque monsters, had a 66 vette 396/425 and a 67 vette 427/390that was bored to 454,solid lifters,hotter cam..the good ol days, wish i still had them
@barncobob posted:they are torque monsters, had a 66 vette 396/425 and a 67 vette 427/390that was bored to 454,solid lifters,hotter cam..the good ol days, wish i still had them
Bob, don't forget about your Sunbeam Tiger you brought one year on the Tour D' Ho!
that was a nice car,shouldnt have sold it :}}}}}} it was too small a car for me and it was a sauna in the summer
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Hey Ernie!
My local RSF C&C is still going on. It has always been a medium sized contingents though. You went to the RSF C&C during your JPC shake out weekend. Come down again and bring your bike (find a way to mount it on the coupe). Don’t know about the OC C&C though.
Robert
Right on Robert! Ya I need to get back down your way. My kid lives in Oceanside and pedals/putts around on a old school bicycle. I am building up a old Schwinn cruiser myself. Just for fun. You're a roadie right? I have a road bike too.
I'm gonna need to bring a 53' trailer down!! Good to hear from you.
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Sounds great. Yes I’m a roadie but I also have a Mtn Bike. And I found a way to mount it on a repro Lietz luggage rack that’s on my 912. My Vintage gets driven all year round but I can always find time to drive a Suby Coupe. Send her my way if you ever want to part ways with your JPS - I’m calling first I think I told you that last year 😁
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@ZFNHSN what the heck is that all over your 912 in the second picture?!
@TwinCitiesSpeedster posted:@ZFNHSN what the heck is that all over your 912 in the second picture?!
Looks like chalk art form his little ones.
My friend jncspyder has a pretty faithful to original in sinister black coupe (pictured above) . It's a great socal car. He has been putting nice parts on it since he took delivery. Another Subie mover.
He turned me on to Bobs, as Robert hooked me up at RSF C&C. Both fun events friends. Thank you.
@Robert M posted:Looks like chalk art form his little ones.
There's a bay window bus that shows up to local shows that is painted in black chalkboard paint. He rolls up and puts boxes of caulk out left and right.
Mostly it's fun for the kids, but a couple of times he's had some real artists go at it, with striking results.
@Robert M posted:Looks like chalk art form his little ones.
@TwinCitiesSpeedster, Robert got it right. It's COVID-19 Art. The patina is like chalkboard and perfect for the kids to go crazy.
@MaxMartens @ZFNHSN @jncspyder
Hey guys, the Cars & Coffee in South Orange County (San Clemente) is still going strong. It's a huge gathering EVERY Saturday 09:00 - 11:00 rain or shine. Here's a link...
https://www.southoccarsandcoffee.com
Also, here's a link to SoCal Car Culture. It has an event page that lists every car gathering in SoCal. There's a gathering every day of the week year 'round.
Here is my neck of the woods. Pacific Northwest. Not socal, not populated! ...Orchard country. Could be backroads like I did with RacerX in cali.
My car cannot be much lower. The big azz Subie oil pan is the limiting factor - and I have already drug it. Sure feels low climbing in!
Fogged in, raining & some snow now in my fabulous (?) PNW at the moment. The car is on the tender, covered & sea foam in the tank. And ready for spring.
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Just got back from a walk through the neighborhood in the Atlantic Northeast and, I gotta tell ya, we were freezin' our cheeks off out there (yeah, those, too!)
35º when we left, walked for 20 minutes and 28º when we got back at 15:45. This really sucks after having two weeks of mid to upper 70's!
This is that time of year where regardless of how good your cockpit heat is, the rest of the car is really stiff from the cold and rides like a truck. Lots of new squeeks and (g)rumbles and the shifts are always stiff because the transmission never really warms up.
Hate the thought of putting Pearl away for her hibernation, but life is getting in the way.
We had a string of 60°< this week. Got out for a little drive yesterday, put my new/old tires on and tried them out. Was planning on a nice drive today but although it's 62°, is sprinkling and overcast. Probably snowing where I'd planned on driving.
Due for rain/snow the rest of the week. Fingers crossed for a few nice days next week.
Max, Small Car Specialties makes a shortened oil pan for Subaru. It's not cheap, $400, but is cast aluminum.
https://smallcar.com/vanagon/s...aluminum-oil-pan-en/
Subarus are mounted in the Subaru chassis higher due to their transmission design.
Then you can lower it or not, but worry no more about dragging the pan.
There are others available, or you can cut your own down.
Great info Danny, thanks. I will research further.
@MaxMartens I used the Small Car pan in my build circa 2014 and it's very good.
The shortened pan should be standard equipment on any Suby install.
My only negative thought would be, cast aluminum cracks. If this one hits the ground (which it shouldn't right?) it stands to crack. I have cracked aluminum cases on motorcycles. Just saying.
My stocker is steel, and a very thick bottom on it.
Fuel for thought. ...I better buy an improved shifter first lol.
Max, my old CB thinline sump is cast aluminum, and it never hit the ground.
It could conceivably crack but if you hit something hard enough to do that a cracked pan will likely be the least of your problems.
They tested it under a Synchro van by jacking the whole van up with it.
Pardon me while I cringe at that photo.........
@ZFNHSN posted:@TwinCitiesSpeedster, Robert got it right. It's COVID-19 Art. The patina is like chalkboard and perfect for the kids to go crazy.
Very cool and unique. I’m sure they have a blast with that!