Just bought a Speedster

Find a set of OEM stock VW sedan shocks - The cheapest you can find.  Find some Cofap Oil filled and NOT Gas shocks (they tend to be too stiff).

https://www.jbugs.com/search.html?q=shock+absorber

If it has ball joints, then 1970 shocks for the front.   P/N 113413031EBR

If it has Link Pin front suspension, then shocks for a 1964 should fit.  Code 9652

The swing arm rear should take shocks for a 1956 - 1967 sedan  Code 9652

I recently put a set of Cofaps on my Speedster and they're great, so far.

'69 pan, Ball Joint front end with a disc brake kit. Rear end is swing arm, we lowered the plates one notch on the torsion bar. This dropped the car to the point where it bottoms occasionally, but like I said, the shocks on it are old and worn out.

I really like how it sits now...it was a stink bug when I bought it

Very nice. Looks beautiful. I love the details, very well thought out. Nice lowered stance. I have the same steering wheel in mine. Enjoy.

Ah, that was the Speedster on BaT a few weeks ago. I liked that car and almost started bidding, but my wife likes the Speedster we already have. All the P-Car details were nicely done. Have fun with that one!

Congratulations!

Good job 👍

Beautiful car!  Welcome to the madness.

… it may just be a senior moment on my part, but your car looks like @Teby S old car, down to the two stickers and where they are placed on the windshield.  I remember his car having all the same original P- car bits.  Also, a beautiful car!

Definitely looks like his car, when I compare it to the pictures and videos in my hard drive from 2015-2016.   Beautiful details!!

see he is still a member here, maybe he can give you the ins and outs of all the great work he did to the car when he was the caretaker of  this beautiful speedster.

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@Lfepardo

I think you're right, Luis.

Here's Teby's car:

Yep. It was Teby’s. He sold it to a guy in San Luis Obispo a couple of years ago, I bought it from that guy via BaT.   I’ve connected with Teby who’s been really helpful with its history and build details. It’s just an awesome car and I’m extremely fortunate to be its new caretaker.

What’s the make? They really did the carpet right! Strong purchase my friend! Looks great!

Tom

@Gotno356 posted:

What’s the make? Looks great!

Tom

It's a mystery, no one's been able to ID the manufacturer. The car's been around awhile, there are nearly 50K miles on it.

I see VS dash (chrome strip - no rounded brow), OEM style engine grill (not cast single piece), CMC look seats and door panels (plain jane no extra stitching plus CMC color).  Where the interior heat vents are is neither???? but maybe not functional an just for looks?

Look behind engine (ie forward of the car behind "firewall" - is there a round ~6" hole with 1/4" HW cloth covering it - VS;  if it's a half moon cut out or raised area (not cut out) then CMC/FF.

Just couple thoughts.

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If I recall, the car started life as a Kirk-era VS, but Teby basically rebuilt it from the ground up.

It's a Pat Downs 2110 and a locally-sourced gearbox with (possibly) reworked gearing. The interior was completely stripped and also done by local (I think) shops — carpets, door cards and trim, and seats. The dash would have had to be reglassed for the smaller, original VDO gauges and the dash vinyl was redone to more resemble original.

Original P steering wheel, column, turn signals, and it was Teby who moved the e-brake under dash. I think the road wheels are also P originals (Teby gave me the Mangels that were on the car before). He also fit the skinny, original-sized 165/70 tires.

It's also possible when he had the dash reglassed that he repainted the whole car (not sure). I know it's close to Porsche white, not the ivory that VS was doing in those days.

Endless other original details — wipers, dash knobs, custom-bent shift lever, front turn signal lenses, etc.

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Hey, thanks for the info! I'll dig into it and report back. I have a lot of documentation on the car, Teby painted it (2013) and I think he did the interior, too -- some kind of marine vinyl.

One thing I hope that you learn from this thread, @cruzpch, is the value of this site and the people on it.  The best takeaway would be "I have got to attend some of the gatherings with these folks!  They seem like a blast!"

Beautiful car; almost a dead ringer for mine except the interior color. We even share the same type and color wheels and stance. Love the way you lowered it in the back just right; looks like mine. The carpet is killer along with the emergency brake delete, the reworking of the tunnel and the shifter. With those specs on the running gear it is darn near perfect; at least for my taste.

@cruzpch posted:

'69 pan, Ball Joint front end with a disc brake kit. Rear end is swing arm, we lowered the plates one notch on the torsion bar. This dropped the car to the point where it bottoms occasionally, but like I said, the shocks on it are old and worn out.

I really like how it sits now...it was a stink bug when I bought it

My Spyder is pretty low, too, and I was kind of bummed out that the rear was bottoming out with new shocks on it.  Come to find the normal KYB shocks everyone uses are too long for it.  I was looking into these when life took another turn.

https://www.airkewld.com/Swing...hock-2600-p/2600.htm

The builder of this car was discussed on BAT during the sale and the bottom line is that the builder is unknown.  I spent a lot of time around this car and went over it in person with Teby trying to determine who the builder was and my opinion was that it had many Vintage Speedsters parts, but it was not a Vintage Speedsters built car.

One of the many reasons I didn't feel it was a Vintage Speedsters built car was because the original gauges (which I still have) , were from a British company called Smith.  Of the more than 120 Vintage Speedsters built cars I've owned, I've never seen any with British gauges.  Also, the fiberglass did not seem to be the same as Vintage Speedsters built cars.  I'm pretty sure the car originally had a gelcoat finish rather than paint like all of Kirk's cars had.

No matter who the original builder was, Teby poured his heart (and $$$) in to making the car as original looking as possible.

The car is awesome — and we’ve been over and under it with a fine tooth comb. Not only does it have all the OEM Porsche clues, it’s built RIGHT underneath.  Hats off to Teby.  I put more miles on the car the first week than the last owner did in two years.  It’s almost if he bought it from Teby, then stashed it for me to find.

As soon as I get the stance and suspension dialed in I’m good to go. Are there events for these cars in Northern California?

My buddy’s shop in San Clemente.  “The Lift”

@Troy Sloan

If you ever need it, I had Smith gauges in my Austin Healey (and loved them!) and had one of them rebuilt by Nisonger in New York.

Excellent work, reasonable prices and very quick service.

http://www.nisonger.com/index.htm

They are in a box in my shed called Teby's stuff. I'll never use them, but maybe they are priceless!

Teby always took price in his ride...

...and always knew how to have fun...

...and in fact the CHP thought he was having TOO much fun on Hwy 1 leading the SOC crew from SLO to Big Sur during West Coast Cruise 2018!