Just Bought a New VMC 550 Spyder

Very nice. I love the silver, and the stitching on the seats.

@Chappy

DANG! That looks great. Nice score on that car. Now just looking forward to some pics of you in the driver's seat enjoying that bad boy.

I love it. Excellent, @Chappy - just excellent.

Well holy mother-lovin' shyt!!  What's not to like?  Gorgeous car.  Please, be careful, keep it between the lines and out of the weeds.  And post up pictures, lots of pictures.

https://www.speedsterowners.co...9#700375123086705469

After talking about the Kadrons v Webers yesterday I felt like this was kismet. Not saying the carb type would’ve been a deal breaker but I did in fact take it as a sign.

Congratulations, what great luck. It's a fantastic car!

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Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, Chappy,
Change thy oil with gladness, set thy valves with singing,
Enter into thy garage with thanksgiving, raise thy clamshell with praise.
For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting,
And it’s a miracle He lets us have toys like this.

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Congratulations! That's a beautiful car.

I'll join in the chorus of praise here, @Chappy.  Absolutely beautiful, and Welcome to the Madness!!!

That escalated quickly.

Congratulations on the purchase.

@Sacto Mitch posted:

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Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, Chappy,
Change thy oil with gladness, set thy valves with singing,
Enter into thy garage with thanksgiving, raise thy clamshell with praise.
For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting,
And it’s a miracle He lets us have toys like this.

.

Appreciate all the well wishes. I’ve been frantically researching as much as possible, on as much as possible. As I was expecting to have another almost 2 years before ownership of the 356.

Newb questions- Can anyone advise on recommended fuel grade for this set up? 87 good, anything higher too rich?

does the shifter have a reverse lock out mechanism i.e do I need to toggle right in neutral prior to engaging in 1st from reverse?

with little no no humidity here in the PNW, do you folks have a “it’s probably too hot for an extended trip, temperature” that you tend to abide by?

im going to hopefully have a chat w Greg next week prior to delivery but just spitballing here.

that being said, looks like it’s time for me to become a Supporting Member. Thank you all again for your wisdom and kind words!

@Chappy posted:

Can anyone advise on recommended fuel grade for this set up? 87 good, anything higher too rich?  Please don't use the 87. Run 93 if you can get it, 91 if you can't.

does the shifter have a reverse lock out mechanism i.e do I need to toggle right in neutral prior to engaging in 1st from reverse? It'll most likely have some sort of reverse lock-out, but you'll want the tutorial from Greg.

with little no no humidity here in the PNW, do you folks have a “it’s probably too hot for an extended trip, temperature” that you tend to abide by?  You'll get a lot of opinions here that will be different than what I think, but in my mind, the answer is "100 deg". Winter is long and miserable. Summers are way too short to whine about anything under 100. Just deal with it - wear comfortable shorts, use sun-block, and buy a hat.

When it comes to the temperature that's too hot for driving think about the temperature is too hot for sitting in traffic. And that's only if you have to SIT in traffic to get to a drive. I have about 3.7 miles to drive from my house to a freeway. Once on that freeway I can get to some of my most favorite curvy foothill roads without ever stopping except for a rural stop sign that I barely stop at anyway. But if you have to sit in traffic just to get to a drive your tolerances may be a bit lower than mine.

I agree with Stan, that temps of 100 degree is not fun in an open car. However, I have driven open cars all across the country for years without a top and it wasn't bad if you are prepared. Dress for the sun with light weight long sleeve shirt, good sunglasses, some kind of head gear to shade your head and protect your soft chewy, apply a good sun block, drink lots of water, even if you are not thirsty because your body will sweat and evaporate without you knowing it, and cause you to be dehydrated. Another trick I use is a small collapsable umbrella that I keep by the seat and use if I'm sitting in traffic or stuck at a railroad crossing for a half hour in nowhere land. I also wear a neckercheif to keep the bees from going down my shirt, Never a good thing! I've been across the desert in 115 degree and it feels like someone has a hair dryer blowing in your face. But if you are prepared for it, it can be done with some planning and your friend, water !!

@Butcher Boy posted:

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Can you share info about your head gear, helmet?

@Butcher Boy posted:

I agree with Stan, that temps of 100 degree is not fun in an open car. However, I have driven open cars all across the country for years without a top and it wasn't bad if you are prepared. Dress for the sun with light weight long sleeve shirt, good sunglasses, some kind of head gear to shade your head and protect your soft chewy, apply a good sun block, drink lots of water, even if you are not thirsty because your body will sweat and evaporate without you knowing it, and cause you to be dehydrated. Another trick I use is a small collapsable umbrella that I keep by the seat and use if I'm sitting in traffic or stuck at a railroad crossing for a half hour in nowhere land. I also wear a neckercheif to keep the bees from going down my shirt, Never a good thing! I've been across the desert in 115 degree and it feels like someone has a hair dryer blowing in your face. But if you are prepared for it, it can be done with some planning and your friend, water !!

I am 100% certain we could be good friends, man. I agree with every word of that.

people drive these cars with clothes on? I kid.

I was more speaking to high temps in relationship to the car getting adequate cooling, I’ve driven convertibles in 100 degree weather and understand the trials and tribulations with that decision.

also- speed bumps. I can’t leave my house without encountering them on any of the roads. With the Billstein’s and how low the car sits, is it a pucker up, creep, and hope for the best, or should I be good.

any worries about changing elevations w the carbs? Like starting at sea level then going over the pass (Mt Hood pass is ~7k elevation) and then back down in the same day?

Thank you all for your input! I can only visualize the sighs and head shakes as you’re reading this lol

Chappy. That’s one of the prettiest Spyders I’ve ever seen. But not the prettiest. With my EFI Subaru I don’t really think about driving at elevation too much. Enjoy.

@Chappy posted:

any worries about changing elevations w the carbs? Like starting at sea level then going over the pass (Mt Hood pass is ~7k elevation) and then back down in the same day?

Probably you should just give it a try and see if it's a problem. I started running too rich around 5000 ft above sea level. Since we regularly go up to 10,000 ft, it was a problem. @DannyP and I both did Speeduino EFI conversions. Here are some links. Congratulations again!

https://www.speedsterowners.co...version-of-my-spyder

https://www.speedsterowners.co...ines-speeduino-style

@Chappy posted:

people drive these cars with clothes on? I kid.

also- speed bumps. I can’t leave my house without encountering them on any of the roads. With the Billstein’s and how low the car sits, is it a pucker up, creep, and hope for the best, or should I be good.

My right foot is usually naked when I drive my Spyder. I have big feet, so if I wear a shoe, it hits the bump that's under the gas tank.

Speed bumps can be an issue. Also steep approaches on driveways. Speedsters usually drag the exhaust since the engine is out back. On Spyders, with the engine in front of the wheels, the oil sump is usually the lowest part of the car. I touched my drain plug on an approach to a parking lot. I got lucky it was just a love tap.

I did make some tow points for the front of my car that I also use as jack points. https://www.speedsterowners.co...nt-spyder-tow-points   I've bottomed them out in a hard tight turn that also involved a bump. I'm not worried about that though. They're sacrificial.

I've see Carlos drive and yes, his foot is naked.  The rest of him, thankfully, is fully clad with his long beard and hair.

Speeds bumps, etc. come at them at an angle, one wheel at a time, and yes go slow.  I had a welder guy conjure up a skid plate to attach to my A1 Sidewinder collector, which was the part that hit first.  I deemed that part not sacrificial, so had the heavy steel skid plate made and applied.  It has worked really well.  (I have pictures) Pay for octane, in the Grand Scheme, its cheap. I also had a metal butcher add a tow point to my front end for flat towing. VW tow bars attach to the torsion tube and mine was already full of other stuff and braces for the front body parts. Getting that custom welding done was A little costly, but works just right.  He also had to modify the stock Empi VW tow bar to make it a bit narrower.  Others here will explain about how hot is too hot for oil temps.  And of course the hotter the outside air, the hotter the oil will get.  You have an oil temp gauge, I assume.  If it gets to far over to the right, Stop and pop the cowl.  Generally it should run straight up or a little to the right.  AS for your head or other naked body parts, I can only advise sunscreen.  In the Speedster, I will often run long highway stretches on a sunny summer day with the top up, and side curtains off.  With a Spyder, such decisions are not defined.  Spyders are a rare and special breed, very fundamental in their approach to the road. Even more so than  Speedsters. They are both time machines.  For those of us who had similar "back in the day" we are instantly transported to a younger age.  Think: Fountain of Youth.  And the mechanical technology is adequate if not sophisticated, and of an earlier time. The car will teach you how it works.  Work with it, and enjoy!!

Congrats @Chappy!!! If you're talking about speed bumps and Mt Hood, I assume we live in the same general neighborhood. Maybe when Greg gets done with my coupe we can go for some drives, there are some stellar roads for it around here.

Enjoy, and if you need a hand with something just give me a holler.

Michael

@JMM (Michael) thank you sir, much appreciated. You would be correct, I’m in Portland, We’re (finally after much delay) moving into our new construction house in the west hills in 2 weeks.

coincidentally, not having a utility bill for my new house has caused shipping delay on this purchase but, fingers crossed it will get shipped end of this week.

let me know when your coupe is ready, as I’d love to do some driving with you. We travel to Bend fairly often so I’d imagine driving the 550 there will be equally fun as exhausting.

IM assuming you work on your own car? I’ve been recommended Steve’s Imports from a couple of guys and they said they’re really familiar w CB Performance and knows of Pats work. That’s were I’m thinking of going as of now, unless you have a better rec.

On a spyder à helmet works .  

Had a tiny hold up but hoping to have her shipped next week.

Here is my walk around.

https://youtu.be/_Ky_ctANR0g

@Chappy posted:

@JMM (Michael) thank you sir, much appreciated. You would be correct, I’m in Portland, We’re (finally after much delay) moving into our new construction house in the west hills in 2 weeks.

coincidentally, not having a utility bill for my new house has caused shipping delay on this purchase but, fingers crossed it will get shipped end of this week.

let me know when your coupe is ready, as I’d love to do some driving with you. We travel to Bend fairly often so I’d imagine driving the 550 there will be equally fun as exhausting.

IM assuming you work on your own car? I’ve been recommended Steve’s Imports from a couple of guys and they said they’re really familiar w CB Performance and knows of Pats work. That’s were I’m thinking of going as of now, unless you have a better rec.

I'm in Beaverton, and I will work on my own when it finally gets here. I do most of the work on our other vehicles. I have several friends up in the West Hills. It's only a few minutes from here.  Looking forward to crossing paths!

@JMM (Michael) cheers. I’ve been overridden on the servicing rec and will be going to Alan @ A & P Specialties in Beaverton for the valve adjustments etc.

Though I’d probably be willing to have you come take a look at her and help me change the oil @ 300 miles in exchange for you taking her for a spin.

Oh, hell yes!

I'll PM my details.

Expected delivery this Sunday. (Woohoo)

@Chappy posted:

Well. I didn’t wake up yesterday expecting to buy a car but here we are!

This car was recently built by Greg, and from what I’ve been told it will be one of the last ones built for awhile aside from what’s already on order. The buyer backed out & Roy @ Cloud 9 is now in possession. He has been nothing but fantastic to work with.

this isn’t the exact car I would’ve built but it’s close enough and I am beyond stoked. Hoping to have it delivered by end of Aug so that I can get a few thousand miles on it before the weather turns

Silver Rennsport Body with Headrest
Black Diamond stitch leather interior
Dark Gray 316 German Square weave
Speed Hut Spyder Gauges
550 handbrake
2332cc engine w dual weber carbs
3:44 Trans
4 Wheel disc brakes
Remote oil cooler
Electric fan
Black leather straps
Vinyl rear bonne spears
Silver Vintage 190 Wheels
Pirelli tires
Drum skins
Stainless Steel Magnaflow Exhaust

Absolutely gorgeous!  

@Chappy posted:

Expected delivery this Sunday. (Woohoo)

No update since the end of August? @Chappy must be enjoying the heck out of that Spyder!

@dlearl476 posted:

No update since the end of August? @Chappy must be enjoying the heck out of that Spyder!

Ha. I’ve certainly been enjoying it. 1100 miles to date in a short period of time. It’s an absolute joy to drive, especially now that I’m more comfortable and familiar with it. We have lots of great local roads to take full advantage. I guess I didn’t realize the amount of attention it would garner. It’s non stop when out and about. Of course the biggest question I get is- is that real? To which I say- do I look like a guy that would be driving a 3M car around to pick up toilet paper? (I Don’t)

So far I’ve done a swap with 2 of my neighbors on short drives. One was a Lambo SVJ and the other a Ferrari Spyder. I feel like I got the better end of the deal on those but those cars aren’t my cup of tea per se.

DMV has been giving me some hassle with registration that still hasn’t been sorted out yet. They keep telling me I need a DEQ test and I keep explaining it’s not possible due to lack of a diagnostic hook up and that the car is being registered as a 56. All 75 and earlier cars are exempt but I’ve been dealing with newbs and they are saying since the title says RECON it doesn’t apply. Sigh…

I’ve had some minor issues with the car but nothing major. Little bubbling around the gas tank, which might have to go back to Greg for a reseal when the car is in LA this winter for some aesthetic work I’m getting done.  

Had a mishap with one of the drum skins during shipping that was kindly taken care of via Roy @ Cloud 9 & Greg as they sent a replacement set.

I’m about to try and fix the leaking rear axle in the next day or so.  Got the carbs dialed in at 300 miles after the first oil change and knock on wood haven’t had any issues since. Hoping to change the headlights and horn soon as both are a bit lacking imo. Also adding a kill switch.

After driving this car and still being ~18 months out on my 356 build w VMC I’m pretty sure I’m going to swap over to a Suby engine on that build. Love the air cooled but it’ll be nice to have a different feel on that car.

All and all 10/10 would buy again.

didn’t get a pic of the SVJ but here’s the spider

Hmmm...  I see Greg has restyled his cars a bit.

@Chappy posted:

didn’t get a pic of the SVJ but here’s the spider

Good to hear Chappy. Sounds like you’re enjoying the heck out of it.

Very nice 550 Chappy!

Hey, is it possible for you to measure the wheelbase?  I'm swapping a Porsche 5-speed to the VW swingarm and have lost track of my notes on this.

Thanks,  David