@edsnova: Yep — Carey is 6’2”! Great photo of the Spyder with the split windshield — that looks like something that came off of an America roadster. I’ve never seen that photo before!
Here’s the lineup: myself with the Prez of Stanistan and Carey. No barbarians here - just a few awesome dudes 
@arajani yeah that pic is from type550.com; one of the post LeMans, pre-restoration shots of 0051 when it was allegedly used as a rally car circa late '50s or early 60s (later it was used for instruction at a race driving school).
I love that pic because of how incongruous that windscreen looks, and how utterly perfect for the stated task. Big Jaguar C-Type energy there. You can see the wipers were fitted then and that works for my story for my car, which has the plinths and will wear plugs in them when I put the plexi screen back on.
At that time that car also had a second spare tire strapped to its rear deck. People did all kinds of terrible things to these cars back in the day!
You look taller than Carey in this pic, man! Gotta be the angle!
Ed, it's the hair, or lack thereof. I of course am leaning HARD to the Stan look.
Hey, I know two of the three in that last picture. Someday soon we're going to change that.
I'm with you on that last comment, Danny. Either we have to do a cross country jaunt, or get Anand to do one.
@Carlos G posted:I flipped my car, angled it the same, and used the wheels to get the size as close as I could get. I'm running 15s and your running those awesome 16s. BTW, my car is a Vintage built by Seduction.
It's like comparing an apple with a rock.
I really suggest that you NEVER again utter the phrase "I flipped the car" when talking about your ride. 
You don't want to piss off whatever driving deity oversees that maneuver. 
@Lane Anderson and @DannyP — it would be an honor to see you both and have a beer together. So many great guys on the SOC!
I’ll have to start local and try and go to the event on the central coast here in California. @Robert M, who has organized it, is one of my very best friends — and I have yet to go! He and @Teby S (my brother from another mother) have been encouraging me to find a way to get there for several years now!
@edsnova posted:Again, and I can't emphasize this fact too strongly or too often, if you are sitting in a Porsche 550 RS your head will be above the top of the windshield because that is how they were made, on purpose, in 1955.
The only exception is if
Notwithstanding Stan's unusual physiology, his stated preference for how he wants the car to fit his body is at odds with the fundamental realities of space-time.
FWIW, a Spyder looks like a Coupe de Ville compared to a Lotus 7/11.
What’s happened? Is it on its way to CA?
@John Schneeman: Not quite! Carey is changing to Dunlop Racing tires (slightly taller — see photo) and making some suspension adjustments. There are a few touch-ups needed and it should be done. I’d say it will be another 2-3 weeks or so. @Robert M is going to collect it for me.
WOW!!! +1 for the Dunlops. I'm both thrilled that you will be getting it soon, and bummed that there'll be no more build thread. It's like getting to the end of a really good book. Congrats!!!
@JMM (Michael) posted:WOW!!! +1 for the Dunlops. I'm both thrilled that you will be getting it soon, and bummed that there'll be no more build thread. It's like getting to the end of a really good book. Congrats!!!
We'll start a new thread and post pictures of all his driving adventures. He's only been on one of my many. many one trip adventures. We did a partial trip in his 912 with me at the wheel.
@JMM (Michael) - Thanks! The wheels needed to be repainted -- the tire machine and these steel-allow hoops are not a great combination. Carey is having them re-done as we speak; I am hoping to have the car on it's wheels again by the end of the week for some more test driving and final tuning.
Hearing there'll be a new driving the beast thread is like finding out there's another Patric O'Brien novel in the series! Can't wait!
Carey and I have been trying to figure out where the best place would be for a rear view mirror. We both seem to use them frequently when driving these cars (the spyder mirror, in contrast, is useless). Currently, it is in between the tonneau and the single plexi — half of the mirror is seen through the plexiglass (which isn’t ideal).
Yesterday Carey contacted me via Video (FaceTime) to see if we could discuss placement. We decided to move the mirror to the right of the car and place it in front of the tonneau.
While I love the analogue feel of these cars, technology sure is cool for moving things along. Once again,@chines1 is “the man” in my book. Out all of the cars I’ve built, I’ve never had anyone take the time to contact me and discuss these sorts of options via FaceTime. Truly exceptional service. (The guy in the photo is Mike Fincher, Carey’s lead mechanic and all-around funny man — just ask @Lane Anderson).
Dude’s a “Chip Foose” look-alike.
Oh, we're well-aquainted with the antics of Mr. Fincher.......
Anand, looking great and great choices.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
It’s 10:35pm here. Now I’m supposed to go to bed with that image in my mind? 
Believe me, it was worse watching it in person.
I thought what happened in Carlisle, stayed in Carlisle.
run what you brung, i guess,,might need another forum section
They were both taking a picture of the first Coupe, but I felt like I just had to take this one.
I wish I could unsee this, but as Steven Hawking has proven, you can't go back in time, only travel forward.
Carey cleared my wheels. They look good-we used the same silver used by Wurth for their wheel paint, which is 1/2 a shade lighter than they were previously. The original wheels were certainly not cleared, but I felt it might make the wheel paint last a bit longer.
Hopefully we can get them mounted next week! Almost there...
Looking fabulous! I think my Cayman wheels are getting that treatment soon.....
Wurth makes good stuff.
Wheels are on. A bit lighter than last time.
We previously were running Excelsior Stahl Sport Radials in 5.00x16. They are 25” in diameter. The original Dunlops Porsche used were 25.5”. Carey couldn’t get the rear suspension down enough for the fender lip to sit right on top of the rear tires without getting WAY too much negative camber.
I ended up going to the Dunlop racing tires in 5.50x16. They are 27” tall, and were also used. I’m happy with how it turned out! The suspension will likely settle a bit more in the rear, so I think I’ll get the look I was going for.
Carey is making some adjustments to the tonneau for a better fit and will be adjusting my shift linkage next. After that, I think we are all done. I
Jeez, those blue 550’s are multiplying like rabbits!
Wow, nice nice. You can see when one builds a car it gives others a chance to see a colour in real life hence the multiplication.... or is that just nature.
Took a ride today in mine—just a half mile round the block to go over some speed humps and see where and what suspension parts might hit the body.
I'm going to pick it up about half an inch all around and see if that keeps the tailpipe from scraping pavement every time I back out of the driveway.
Looks also like a little brake line re-routing will be in order before I get to power-bleeding the system again to bring the pedal up.
Anyway yeah, it's blue, and it's spectacular.
Anand's car is French Blue, mixed from the original Glasurit paint formula. The other 2 in my shop are Himmelblau (Sky Blue) and are a shade lighter, done to match the UV faded current color of the former Seinfeld car, opposed to the color it would have been originally. Those 2 also have a fine gold pinstripe on the darts, whereas Anand's car is without the fine pin. But yes, colors come in trends... Last year I made more black Spyders than I ever have before. The year before that it was red and ivory... however silver is still the #1 color choice, by far.
I do have one more French Blue car on the books for this year also, then a run of Brewster Green cars behind those...
@John Schneeman posted:Jeez, those blue 550’s are multiplying like rabbits!
My car was already silver when I bought it, but when I restored my license plate frame, I painted the background in honor of French racer Annie Basquet, who lost her life in her blue 550 during a 12 hour race at Rheims in 1955. (?)
@chines1 posted:Anand's car is French Blue, mixed from the original Glasurit paint formula. The other 2 in my shop are Himmelblau (Sky Blue) and are a shade lighter, done to match the UV faded current color of the former Seinfeld car, opposed to the color it would have been originally. Those 2 also have a fine gold pinstripe on the darts, whereas Anand's car is without the fine pin. But yes, colors come in trends... Last year I made more black Spyders than I ever have before. The year before that it was red and ivory... however silver is still the #1 color choice, by far.
It is silver or Gold
@edsnova posted:Took a ride today in mine—just a half mile round the block to go over some speed humps and see where and what suspension parts might hit the body.
Looks also like a little brake line re-routing will be in order before I get to power-bleeding the system again to bring the pedal up.
I finished my clutch M/C on Sunday and got tired of waiting on my front discs (B/O 3 weeks now) so I put my front end back together so I don't miss any more 80° driving days.
Just about to go down and adjust my carbs after changing the venturis and main jets then, hopefully, go for a nice long drive.
@dlearl476 posted:I finished my clutch M/C on Sunday and got tired of waiting on my front discs (B/O 3 weeks now) so I put my front end back together so I don't miss any more 80° driving days.
Just about to go down and adjust my carbs after changing the venturis and main jets then, hopefully, go for a nice long drive.
Was it Stan or Ed that posted “90% of carbs problems are ignition related?”
After chasing a mid-range stumble for a month last summer, I finally realized I had a faulty coil.
The good news? I did it so often I got it DOWN! I adjusted my Dellortos in under 20 minutes.
And the Wilwood clutch master is a huge improvement over what I had. I just need to adjust the pedal down a bit so I can operate it with my ankle instead of my whole lower leg. But I can shift into first at a standstill now instead of having to do an Irish shift. (2->1)
Kinda bummed I’m not bedding in some new brakes, though.
Some bad news early this week — my generator stopped working (this would be the second time!). The voltage regulator was apparently sticking, and may have been the cause of the failure the first time around. The generator got so hot it started smoking. Both were replaced by Carey today.
John Willhoit sent me a new NOS Bosch 12v regulator and a new generator; Carey installed both. It is a BEAR of a job that he has unfortunately had to do twice on my car. No man should have to endure this!
Oh — and he fixed my horrible shift linkage (which was pretty sloppy) and also installed some seatbelts.
Next up:
1. Fix rear key latch receivers (they fell out!) — this already happened once
2. Adjust ride height
3. Touch ups by the body guys (nothing crazy).
Wow.
Sorting is fun for everyone.
It'll be there soon.
Pulling the alternator sucks just as bad with the 911 fan. I've done it a few times. Just a big bag of suck.......
C'mon man. Been waiting until this thing was finished before jumping on this thread. However, now you're are just starting to make this sh!t up - like a Munchausen Syndrome for Spyders. Either that or Carey is starting to have separation anxiety...
-j
Haha. Thanks for the introduction to the group and the CMI props @arajani. I'm just a holdover from the SpyderClub site.
Me too. JayNiz I remember you! Same old DannyP here.
Welcome to the weirdo side of the normal MADNESS. Cause Spyder guys are even worse than Speedster guys(Anand is the perfect example of this!)
Hello, Jason.
Sorry @arajani. I don't mean to hijack your thread.
Hey Ed. Greetings. If you're an East Coaster and go to Carlisle, we probably met when I was there years ago.
Haha. Hey Danny! You were one of the first to welcome me to SC over 12 years ago. I remember asking the basics like "what's the difference between Spyder's and manufactures?" I quickly realized that my question was synonymous with "where do babies come from?" But you were cool - thank you - and then I returned the courtesy and corrupted Anand. Sorry buddy.
The car needs a few touch ups in the body shop and it should be all done. Hopefully the rod shifter can be sorted — it lost rotation on Carey’s test drive.
Will post a video of a drive once Carey has it ready to ship!
great stuff
Man , that's beautiful!
Oh, those taller tires...perfect. That's art.
Dam fabulous, Anand.
@arajani posted:The car needs a few touch ups in the body shop and it should be all done. Hopefully the rod shifter can be sorted — it lost rotation on Carey’s test drive.
Will post a video of a drive once Carey has it ready to ship!
Would love to see some side by side comparison photos with a "normal" SE Spyder before it rolls out of Bremen.
I agree with Mike. Those tall skinny tires really send me. Puts those lap times from BITD in proper perspective.
original Michelin X's...great tire...
@dlearl476 - I’ll have Carey take some side-by-sides!
@arajani posted:The car needs a few touch ups in the body shop and it should be all done. Hopefully the rod shifter can be sorted — it lost rotation on Carey’s test drive.
Will post a video of a drive once Carey has it ready to ship!
Truck is all fueled up, washed, and trailer has been cleaned up. Maybe I'll polish and ceramic coat the trailer before I go just to be sure it looks nice enough to go get your Spyder.
Robert: NICE RIG! Does it have a beavertail floor? I can't tell....
@dlearl476 posted:Would love to see some side by side comparison photos with a "normal" SE Spyder before it rolls out of Bremen.
I agree with Mike. Those tall skinny tires really send me. Puts those lap times from BITD in proper perspective.
FYI, that's a 550A in that photo. SWEET ride!
Ohhhhh! Fancy trailer!!
Darn, that thing is sweet. The Ferrari is nice too.
I got around the "climb out the window" thing by installing a winch under a custom-built(by me) bar/cabinet(it may contain liquor and glasses LOL). But I still have to strap the car down the old-fashioned way.
@DannyP posted:Robert: NICE RIG! Does it have a beavertail floor? I can't tell....
This loading system has been discussed in the past The trailer itself is built by InTech and the model is the InTech Lite. The trailer is 24’ and is all aluminum and only weighs 4738 lbs. The loading system we’ve talked about is built and installed by Rail Ryder. The loading ramps extend almost 18’ out and it makes the loading angle just 4 degrees. The whole setup was a bit expensive but I’ve started a concierge transport business and will be hauling a lot of cars. The method of securing the cars is very secure and nothing attaches to the body, frame, or suspension. Once my retirement is finalized in a few months I’ll be doing this a lot.
Well if you like driving you might just have some fun picking up and dropping off cars for the rich and famous
It is a really nice rig, as nice as the Aerovault I think.
I never saw the discussion on it, but that is SOOO COOL! I'm jealous. Really nice rig.
Thanks for bringing me up to date, Robert.
That's a nice trailer setup ! I would drive on to load my car carrier trailer, for the forward over cab rack the only thing I could see what the blue sky...Ford Raptors were fun the tires would overhang half of the tire width both left and right.
@Robert Those higher end custom enclosed trailers attract thieves, be sure to have every possible theft deterrent in place and a good tracker system on both the trailer and tow vehicle.....be safe !
@DannyP posted:I never saw the discussion on it, but that is SOOO COOL! I'm jealous. Really nice rig.
Thanks for bringing me up to date, Robert.
Thank you Danny. The whole setup is pretty legit and very secure. No climbing out any windows after pulling in to the trailer. And no opening the whole side of the trailer to get out which, to me, seems like it would weaken the integrity of the trailer’s structure.
Oh, that is sweet.
@Alan Merklin posted:That's a nice trailer setup ! I would drive on to load my car carrier trailer, for the forward over cab rack the only thing I could see what the blue sky...Ford Raptors were fun the tires would overhang half of the tire width both left and right.
@Robert Those higher end custom enclosed trailers attract thieves, be sure to have every possible theft deterrent in place and a good tracker system on both the trailer and tow vehicle.....be safe !
I thought you were going to say something like make sure your packing Just kidding.
@Alan Merklin posted:That's a nice trailer setup ! I would drive on to load my car carrier trailer, for the forward over cab rack the only thing I could see what the blue sky...Ford Raptors were fun the tires would overhang half of the tire width both left and right.
@Robert Those higher end custom enclosed trailers attract thieves, be sure to have every possible theft deterrent in place and a good tracker system on both the trailer and tow vehicle.....be safe !
I have a very substantial coupler vault, a Detroit style wheel lock, and I’m looking for a good GPS tracker. When the trailer is hooked up to my truck I use a pretty substantial lock on each chain connected to the truck and if the trailer is unattended for a substantial period of time I put the wheel lock on. When there’s a car in the trailer I don’t leave it unattended.
And I’m always packing.
@arajani posted:Sorting is about done! Need to work on my latches and adjust the rod shifter again, and all should be done. Apart from these 2 issues, the car is superb.
The final ride height turned out great with the taller tires.
Ride height looks great!
Love the Carrera style wheel spacers on the rear. Perfect finality.
It's amazing how "correct" that car looks. Just incredible.
Carey and Randy got the shift linkage sorted out — they tightened up a lot of the connections and have it shifting much more smoothly.
My rear latches were giving Carey a lot of trouble — they didn’t stay in well with the Rivnuts, so Carey epoxied them in place.
We added front dust caps from Stoddard (the car had a set, but I robbed them for use on my 1956 356 GT car that Carey lovingly restored for me years ago!).
Test drive again on Monday, and then off to the body shop for some touch ups!
Anand
Very sweet, Anand. When is Robert picking up the car? Soon I'm guessing. It's got to be lighter than my 1500 pound car, probably under 1400 I'm guessing. Robert will feel like he has an empty trailer LOL!
I'm jealous of the wheel/tire/brake drum combo, especially with the rear spacers.
You're going to REALLY fool a bunch of folks!
Perfect!
@DannyP posted:Very sweet, Anand. When is Robert picking up the car? Soon I'm guessing. It's got to be lighter than my 1500 pound car, probably under 1400 I'm guessing. Robert will feel like he has an empty trailer LOL!
I'm jealous of the wheel/tire/brake drum combo, especially with the rear spacers.
You're going to REALLY fool a bunch of folks!
@DannyP — thanks man!! I think Carey was going to text Robert and give him a “heads up” that the car will be ready soon. I’d imagine it will be done in about 10-14 days. Carey still needs to drive the car and ensure that nothing else falls apart — and then I have to pay the bill. 😳
I’ll have Robert post pictures with his fancy trailer when he gets to Bremen!!
So, no cross country odyssey for breaking in? I am disappoint. 
My my trip home to NYC from Bremen was a real adventure,* but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
*Adventure: "Misery recounted at leisure." Actually, other than being cold, it wasn't that bad. Lucky for me, Carey's repair and adjust to the Jamar lasted all the way until out 5 miles from home when the pin holding the helm joint to the shift bar fell out. Remedied with a small screwdriver and. Was home in 20 more minutes.
@DannyP posted:Very sweet, Anand. When is Robert picking up the car? Soon I'm guessing. It's got to be lighter than my 1500 pound car, probably under 1400 I'm guessing. Robert will feel like he has an empty trailer LOL!
I'm jealous of the wheel/tire/brake drum combo, especially with the rear spacers.
You're going to REALLY fool a bunch of folks!
I'll probably start a separate thread on my cross country adventure to get the Spyder picked up. You never know what could happen when a soon to be retired deputy hauls a$$ across the US to get a Spyder.
@dlearl476 posted:So, no cross country odyssey for breaking in? I am disappoint.
My my trip home to NYC from Bremen was a real adventure,* but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
*Adventure: "Misery recounted at leisure." Actually, other than being cold, it wasn't that bad. Lucky for me, Carey's repair and adjust to the Jamar lasted all the way until out 5 miles from home when the pin holding the helm joint to the shift bar fell out. Remedied with a small screwdriver and. Was home in 20 more minutes.
I offered to fly out and drive it home across the great expanse of the USof A but Anand declined. Said he wouldn't wish that on anyone, even his worst enemy, and especially not his best friend. (My description) LOL
@Robert M posted:I offered to fly out and drive it home across the great expanse of the USof A but Anand declined. Said he wouldn't wish that on anyone, even his worst enemy, and especially not his best friend. (My description) LOL
I've driven that in a Speedster. Out and back, twice. I'd do it again in a heartbeat (and may yet).
It was transcendent, transformative, and had me transfixed at times - but it wasn't in a size tiny Spyder. That might just be torture.
I'm contemplating a road trip in the Spyder when I finish my brake upgrades. Probably not this year as the brakes have been BO'd since mid-May.
Not X-Country though, probably just a loop of all the national parks in Utah. My butt was pretty sore after 120 miles yesterday.
i drove cross country MD to CA..1972 plymouth duster, no air, no nothing..it wasnt pleasant..never again..
@barncobob posted:i drove cross country MD to CA..1972 plymouth duster, no air, no nothing..it wasnt pleasant..never again..
Between 2012 and 2016, I drove from Utah to NY or back 6 times, twice in a 26' Penske truck and once on a motorcycle. They would have to remove Nebraska from the trip to ever convince me to do it again.
@dlearl476 posted:Between 2012 and 2016, I drove from Utah to NY or back 6 times, twice in a 26' Penske truck and once on a motorcycle. They would have to remove Nebraska from the trip to ever convince me to do it again.
We've got a daughter and son in law (and 3 grandkids) in Denver, so I know 80. Nebraska gets a bad rap. 80 ain't that bad.
70 through Kansas, on the other hand....
I have a couple of bicycling friends who did the cross country thing 10 years ago from San Francisco to New Hampshire. Kelly met them when we arrived in Washington DC from a different trip. They both say that if you could skip The entire Kansas to Pennsylvania Thing it would be a nice trip.
They spent two + weeks riding along the side of I-70 In the midwest and all you could see was a wall of corn on both sides of the highway - It was like riding through a never ending canyon of green. All they could do was listen to podcasts and grind out the miles, 10 hours and 120 miles a day. It didn’t get interesting again until Columbus, Ohio.
I’ve ridden Bicycle along/around/under I-70 west of Denver from Breckenridge to Glenwood Hot Springs and it is stunningly beautiful going through the mountains. We even saw a group of bears scampering across the highway. Colorado Black bears are really big compared to our diminutive New England bears, especially when they run across right in front of you! They always looked up in surprise as the bikes don’t make any noise to warn them.
Here's the bike trail next to I-70. Sometimes the trail is under the interstate's elevated sections as it winds through the mountains:
A different guy from that cross-country bike trip back in 2010 is currently riding an mountain bike on the Continental Divide Trail up the spine of the Rockies from New Mexico to Canada. He’s aiming for 32 days and should be done early next month. He's both younger and crazier than me.
@Stan Galat posted:We've got a daughter and son in law (and 3 grandkids) in Denver, so I know 80. Nebraska gets a bad rap. 80 ain't that bad.
70 through Kansas, on the other hand....
The problem with either route is after going through NY, PA, OH, IN, IL (westbound) or UT, CO or WY (eastbound) in short order, you hit KS or NE which seem to take fooooooorreeeeeeever to drive through.
Rhode Island saw you coming, Stan - you’d love our tiniest state.
The only interstate going through the state, I-95, goes diagonally southwest corner to northeast corner so it makes the state feel much larger than it really is. It’s about 45 minutes Diagonally with traffic through Providence, but if you drive East/west on RT 44 it’s only 20 minutes, border to border, 30 minutes if you stop for a “Stuffie”* along the way.
*A Stuffie is a very large clam (called a Quahog (Cōe-hog)) with the clam meat removed, cooked, minced, mixed with seasoned breadcrumbs and butter and sometimes crab meat and stuffed back into the big Quahog shell. Yummy!
BTW, Little Rhody has waaaay more ocean shoreline than Big ol’ New Hampshire.
Sorting is complete! I am certain that Carey is relieved.
Carey went on a final test drive, and discovered another fun item in need of correction: the fuel gauge! As it turns out, 1/2 tank on the gauge equates to “no fuel” in reality. The good news? I got a free picture of out of it while he waited for 5 gallons of fuel from Randy Beck (and oh yeah — Carey fixed the sending unit!). The car is at the paint shop today for some touch ups, and is then ready for delivery (I think!).
I also got in touch with the owner of Pacto in Costa Rica — a nice man named Danilo Cruz. He makes vintage 50s style racing helmets. As ridiculous as they may look, I’ll need it when driving this car with a single plexi windshield and the high seating position (Stewart Little, remember?). One rock to the head and I’ll end up in my own ER.
Danilo was kind enough to match the helmet (see stock photo below) to my car. I sent him a spray out card of French blue that Carey sent me 3 years ago — he matched it with the Glasurit representative there (this photo is of his stock blue and is not the one that is matched to my car). I also got a full face visor; I already have some Chapal goggles.
That is absolutely AWESOME, good for you Anand, you have to post a few picts with you in the full outfit
You gotta be seriously excited, Anand. Congratulation!
Well done, and completing the vintage look with the helmet is so appropriate.
Vintage mimicking gloves, shoes, and clothes are available...
I'll bet as the car was sputtering and dying Carey said" You gotta be F ^*&%n kidding me "
@Alan Merklin posted:I'll bet as the car was sputtering and dying Carey said" You gotta be F ^*&%n kidding me "
He said A LOT more than that. LOL
@Alan Merklin - he actually shot a video and was talking to me as he was driving. He was singing the car’s praises: everything was working well, the car turned and stopped well. Then he said, “and how it is running like sh_t again.” And the video cuts off.
Then a new video begins: “Add to the punch list: fuel gauge does not work!”
Carey is absolutely hilarious.
We have to see the pictures of you wearing the whole race setup. No snipes coming from me, just a tip of the hat to a couple of men with a vision. Nicely done!
I was wondering what sort of period correct helmet you'd be doing, @arajani. Beautiful and classy choice—no compromises. I've been pondering the same question, with a bit less budget.
@arajani posted:@IaM-Ray - I may just send those photos to you directly, as I am anticipating a lot of insults/jokes as a result of this get up!
Naw, I think in the spirit of these old/new cars it is all good it would be fun, maybe childlike but not childish.
Here is a true picture of a dress up day at our house, year ago, the background is superimposed but the character is my progeny, painted up by his mom
Anand, that helmet and shield can do double duty for Covid.
Just saying......
Carey spoke to Pat recently, and Pat had mentioned that my car needed some ducting from the cylinder heads down to the belly pan. This would be needed to help give hot air a way to escape. Oil temps have been just fine in the test driving that Carey has done, but Pat was uncomfortable with this.
I reached out to my high school classmate and good friend Chris Maglio. We built a solar powered car together in high school and raced it from Dallas to San Antonio. I went on to a BA/MD program, he he went to Cal Poly and studied aeronautical engineering. He owned a very successful engineering firm that did work for DoD and a number of other government agencies — he was always a sharp guy. I wanted his counsel on how essential this ducting was, though I felt I knew the answer (not surprisingly, he knows quite a lot about 4 cam engines, too).
Chris felt that it was essential — just as Pat had said. I sent him the photos of the ducting on the original 550 Carrera engines, and he agreed that allowing the hot air to stagnate was a bad idea. Knowing that I am a pea-brained physician, he sent pictures:
Current setup, without ducting:
After ducting:
Here’s a original 550 motor with the shrouding on it — notice the finning on the heads it totally encapsulated with sheet metal:
Exhaust on a 4 cam head is straight out of the bottom unlike a VW head. Shrouding surrounds it.
Here’s the underbelly of an original car:
So...once my car is out of the paint booth from touch ups and some work to the wheel wells (so my tires don’t rub!), Brady Miller is going to make some ducting for me. He is a award-winning medal worker in Ind\iana who had done work on a few of my prior projects with Carey (his work won 2nd place at Pebble a few years back — he had some free time before his next project). We plan to create some shrouding that will keep the air from that Carrera double fan running over the bottom of those heads and down the holes in the bottom. Of course, we will need to make some allowance for movement of the motor, but that should be do-able.
Pictures of my belly pan, both before paint and after, are below. You can also see the holes below the engine after installation. Note: the AN fittings in the valve covers below have been flipped and are now facing forward!
Sensible prognosis. I was going to say that you should have just gone with a Capricorn Group 4 cam but it doesn't look like they are around anymore, or at least their site is down. Just a little more time to make things right. Sounds like my disease of perfectionism...
@jayniz — I can see you have totally lost your mind. LOL. Those motors are $150k plus. Honestly, it wasn’t the money that I minded — it was the maintenance and upkeep. The art of these motors lies in having someone to look after them — and these people are dropping like flies. I didn’t really envy the idea of having to pack my car up every year and take it to someone for a month at a time for upkeep. I drove my last spyder 10,000 miles in one year.
With @Pat Downs nearby, having a strong, reliable pushrod motor was a much more sensible choice.
@arajani posted:@jayniz — I can see you have totally lost your mind. LOL. Those motors are $150k plus. Honestly, it wasn’t the money that I minded — it was the maintenance and upkeep. The art of these motors lies in having someone to look after them — and these people are dropping like flies. I didn’t really envy the idea of having to pack my car up every year and take it to someone for a month at a time for upkeep. I drove my last spyder 10,000 miles in one year.
With @Pat Downs nearby, having a strong, reliable pushrod motor was a much more sensible choice.
Yep, one of the seldom-mentioned factors in how many 356 Carreras ended up with pushrod engines in the 60's, and several 550's being delivered from the factory with them as well.
A friend of mine's father worked at Porsche with Vasek Polak before they both immigrated to America. One day he was working on someone's 547 and he told me that they're supposed to have their valves adjusted every 10 hours. A job that requires the heads to be completely disassembled, shims replaced, then reassembled.
@arajani posted:We built a solar powered car together in high school and raced it from Dallas to San Antonio.
Well, of course you did. Who didn't?
I know I was certainly doing stuff like that in high-school-- as opposed to collecting loud muffler warnings, taking a "full load" of shop classes, and sitting on a car hood eating Dolly Madison powdered-sugar Do-nettes for the first 2 hrs of class.
I think I found my next calling. 4 Cam Meister Techniker. I like the sound of that. No, but I hear you. No one can work on these things. If I installed one, I wouldn't drive it. I'd park the car in my living room.
Good move. Making the ducting around the Type 1 exhaust pipes is trickier than the 4-cam was or that it would be with a Type 4. No too tricky for your guys though.
@arajani posted:@jayniz — I can see you have totally lost your mind. LOL. Those motors are $150k plus. Honestly, it wasn’t the money that I minded — it was the maintenance and upkeep. The art of these motors lies in having someone to look after them — and these people are dropping like flies. I didn’t really envy the idea of having to pack my car up every year and take it to someone for a month at a time for upkeep. I drove my last spyder 10,000 miles in one year.
With @Pat Downs nearby, having a strong, reliable pushrod motor was a much more sensible choice.
Some things simply are just too much of a hassle to deal with no matter how exclusive the item is after a while an honest assessment needs to be done otherwise the pain in the neck just gets a lot lower and you don't make use of it, no matter your budget.
@IaM-Ray posted:Some things simply are just too much of a hassle to deal with no matter how exclusive the item is after a while an honest assessment needs to be done otherwise the pain in the neck just gets a lot lower and you don't make use of it, no matter your budget.
Some things? Nearly every "exclusive" item has some fatal flaw, compromising it's actual utility.
The more expensive and exclusive the item, the greater the flaw.
Anand, I didn't do the entire under pan like you and Ed. However, I did feel I needed to control the flow out of the bottom of my 911 shroud. I didn't like the way the flow went straight down. In traffic, the hot air bounced off the road and looped forward and back through the fan. In stopped/slow traffic, head temps went up and up. If going say 20-25 or more, it was OK. The only way to stem the temperature creep was to shut it off or get moving again.
Several years ago(5 or 6?) I built some sled tins out of aluminum sheet. Reversed from VW, they face rearward, open towardthe trans. They fit tight to the cylinder heads and fiberglass shroud, making the hot air go backwards. I modified a set of valve cover bails to hold them at the head end. Then I made little L brackets to hold them to the case in the threaded holes designed for OE sled tins.
There was some debate long ago about flow of air around the clamshell. Others have checked, and the rear grilles have an outflow, not intake(that is without the underpan!). The hot air exits through the grilles in traffic. At higher speeds I've no idea where the hot air exits. I've no idea how the air flows WITH an underpan.
I experienced a 10 degree drop in CHT in general, and no head temp creep in traffic any more. I'm pretty satisfied with the tins. They took a few hours of CAD to get done. Some hammer work, some holes drilled, and a few rivets. I used 0.025" available at the local hardware store in 6 x 18 sheets.
I also installed a 911SC shroud on the back of the alternator. I had to cut and bend the metal vanes a little of course to clear the 4 cylinder "aftermarket" fiberglass shroud. That was when I installed the individual CHT senders near each spark plug. I've been monitoring all 4 cylinders temps, and my mods keep the cylinders within 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sorry for the wordiness. Anand I agree that you should duct the hot air out under the pan. Carry on.
Good problem solving, Danny. I need to build some shrouds to direct the air better to my two oil coolers up front. I find lots of times in hotter weather I have to have the oil cooler fans on, while I am driving, to keep the engine temp cool enough for me to feel good about it.
I figure it shouldn't be too hard to fabricate something under the front end to direct the air better.
I really like using manila folders Bob. They work well, and you can bend them without bunching up like corrugated. Great to make patterns with. I found that 0.0025" is thick enough to stay stiff if you put some bends in it. Even a 1/8" to 1/4" tab off a corner line stiffens a LOT. And you can hammer it and curve it a little if needed.
@Bob: IM S6 posted:Good problem solving, Danny. I need to build some shrouds to direct the air better to my two oil coolers up front. I find lots of times in hotter weather I have to have the oil cooler fans on, while I am driving, to keep the engine temp cool enough for me to feel good about it.
I figure it shouldn't be too hard to fabricate something under the front end to direct the air better.
Two scoops could be made to help direct air upwards. IM does that for the subie dual rad setup Bob.
This build has been fun to watch I have to confess that the blueness of the cars had me wondering which feed I was on with Ed in blue as well.
@arajani posted:Carey spoke to Pat recently, and Pat had mentioned that my car needed some ducting from the cylinder heads down to the belly pan. This would be needed to help give hot air a way to escape. Oil temps have been just fine in the test driving that Carey has done, but Pat was uncomfortable with this.
I reached out to my high school classmate and good friend Chris Maglio. We built a solar powered car together in high school and raced it from Dallas to San Antonio. I went on to a BA/MD program, he he went to Cal Poly and studied aeronautical engineering. He owned a very successful engineering firm that did work for DoD and a number of other government agencies — he was always a sharp guy. I wanted his counsel on how essential this ducting was, though I felt I knew the answer (not surprisingly, he knows quite a lot about 4 cam engines, too).
Chris felt that it was essential — just as Pat had said. I sent him the photos of the ducting on the original 550 Carrera engines, and he agreed that allowing the hot air to stagnate was a bad idea. Knowing that I am a pea-brained physician, he sent pictures:
Current setup, without ducting:
After ducting:
Here’s a original 550 motor with the shrouding on it — notice the finning on the heads it totally encapsulated with sheet metal:
Exhaust on a 4 cam head is straight out of the bottom unlike a VW head. Shrouding surrounds it.
Here’s the underbelly of an original car:
So...once my car is out of the paint booth from touch ups and some work to the wheel wells (so my tires don’t rub!), Brady Miller is going to make some ducting for me. He is a award-winning medal worker in Ind\iana who had done work on a few of my prior projects with Carey (his work won 2nd place at Pebble a few years back — he had some free time before his next project). We plan to create some shrouding that will keep the air from that Carrera double fan running over the bottom of those heads and down the holes in the bottom. Of course, we will need to make some allowance for movement of the motor, but that should be do-able.
Pictures of my belly pan, both before paint and after, are below. You can also see the holes below the engine after installation. Note: the AN fittings in the valve covers below have been flipped and are now facing forward!
There's a lot of controversy about these. IIRC, these were made to help cool the cylinder/heads in a type 3 due to the limited nature of airflow in the fastback/square back engine compartment. At some point in the Samba thread, someone posted a VW TSB that said they shouldn't be used on a type 1 engine. Like a lot of folks in the thread, I wonder why, seems like a good idea to me. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a reason the wouldn't work on a Spyder, lower pan or not. Maybe someone with some more experience than I can offer some insight. I'm debating installing some if I ever have my engine apart.
@dlearl476 wrote- "There's a lot of controversy about these. IIRC, these were made to help cool the cylinder/heads in a type 3 due to the limited nature of airflow in the fastback/square back engine compartment. At some point in the Samba thread, someone posted a VW TSB that said they shouldn't be used on a type 1 engine. Like a lot of folks in the thread, I wonder why, seems like a good idea to me. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a reason the wouldn't work on a Spyder, lower pan or not. Maybe someone with some more experience than I can offer some insight. I'm debating installing some if I ever have my engine apart."
Remember that the cooling air in a type 3 moves horizontally so different ducting is needed. The type 3 lower tins aren't as useful (as built) on a type 1 because the air moves vertically. There are guys that have made the type 3 tins work (with substantial modifications) on a type 1, but it's usually out of necessity- the regular sled tins not working because of the design of the header so they're cobbling something together to cover at least some of the lower cylinder fin area.
Dave, I feel that IF you have no sled tins, or underpan, then the type3 tins might be helpful IN A SPYDER. The only way to know would be to monitor all 4 head temps before and after installing them. Do it! You could help other guys too!
@DannyP posted:Dave, I feel that IF you have no sled tins, or underpan, then the type3 tins might be helpful IN A SPYDER. The only way to know would be to monitor all 4 head temps before and after installing them. Do it! You could help other guys too!
That's what I'm thinking. I only have the top tin, no sleds. I do have the little deflectors that go between the cylinders. So what's best, open to the air or closed and having the fan blow over?
Got a line on any Bluetooth CHT gauges?
Brady finished the lower tins for the car — and also wrapped my exhaust to improve insulation and minimize the temperatures inside the engine compartment.
It is a small space and is very difficult to photograph, but here are a few that show the lower tins wrapped around the heads to channel air from that double Carrera fan down, around the heads and out the bottom of the belly pan!
@chines1 also re-did my tonneau for a tighter fit and a return edge to go up against the passenger door garnish rail — he just repainted it. The pictures below show it just out of the gun. He has since buffed it and it will be installed on Wednesday for the final time.
We should be done with the car completely by the week’s end.@Robert M is heading out soon to pick it up. I’m starting to get excited...
Never say FINAL, the madness always get you and it goes on ..... I have enjoyed watching your build Anand, Great stuff. When I am feeling blue all I do is think of you, Lane, & Ed... all in blue The sillyness is due to my lack of coffee.
"I’m starting to get excited..."
Starting? Heck, I'd be jumping through the roof in your shoes. I can't wait to see a picture of you driving that along the coast with Jay Leno in the passenger seat.
Carey installed the tonneau today. I think it fits great! Definitely the way I wanted to see it sit.
Mark (seen below) gave the car a nice polishing, and the paint appears to be appreciating it.
I had switched to a slightly taller tire a while back, so the mount for the spare needed adjusting. Carey sorted that out with a 2 lb sledgehammer. I called it “gentle persuasion.” LOL.
The car should be ready for @Robert M on Tuesday AM.
WOW! Super sweet. Looks fab Anand!
Other than the Sync-link and a couple plastic ty-raps, it looks like 1955........
The way Pat/Carey ran the vacuum hoses is slick.
Gorgeous! Tip of the hat to you, Carey, Mark and the rest of the crew on an amazing job. What an accomplishment!
Spectacular. It will never be equaled.
A few more good shots from Carey late today. He made a little grille badge for me — it says “Sonauto Paris.” All of the French blue spyders were delivered to France with this badge drilled into the body near the “PORSCHE” emblem on the back. I wasn’t quite that interested in drilling holes for it, so this was a close second. Before delivery, Carey will add my 420 mm Petri and a few final items.
Gives me the shivers. What an amazing creation!
@*LongFella posted:
Yep. Me too. It's a tour de force.
@edsnova and @*LongFella — thanks for the kind words. I really had nothing to do with this project other than writing checks...Carey is the one who made this happen — and he does this for a living! You guys have both created superb cars. The “amateur” additions that I make to this car will be painfully apparent, because they will look as though they have been done by a 5 year old!
“ I really had nothing to do with this project other than writing checks..”
I feel the same way about our house projects
but that spyder is awesome !
BTW, I am really looking forward to your next project Anand, next year of course, we will give you a bit of time off to enjoy this one . @arajani
@arajani posted:@edsnova and @*LongFella — thanks for the kind words. I really had nothing to do with this project other than writing checks...Carey is the one who made this happen — and he does this for a living! You guys have both created superb cars. The “amateur” additions that I make to this car will be painfully apparent, because they will look as though they have been done by a 5 year old!
It’s a good thing you’re a doctor. Given the costs for this build you’re sure to develop carpal tunnel! ;-)
It's one thing to see the car but it is quite another to share vicariously in it's build out. Thanks Anand and Carey for sharing this with the community. This has been a cool journey to be able to share with you!
With everything that's been said, it's difficult to find any new words to say for you and Ed. You both have fine cars. It's astounding how much time and effort it takes to build something like this. The photo-docu-drama has been exciting as well. Congratulations !
You better wear a cup Anand!
Hopefully he is ahead of the storm too.
@Marty Grzynkowicz -- no kidding -- that wheel could be a problem!
The car has been loaded. Only @Robert M has the balls to wear a Vintage Motorcars t-shirt to BECK headquarters! Hilarious.
@arajani posted:@Marty Grzynkowicz -- no kidding -- that wheel could be a problem!
The car has been loaded. Only @Robert M has the balls to wear a Vintage Motorcars t-shirt to BECK headquarters! Hilarious.
I saw the shirt and thought the same thing. Absolutely hilarious! ! ! !
Knowing Robert, I'm pretty sure he did it on purpose to wind Carey up.
Oh -- photo credit: Crazy Mike Fincher
The color looks great outside.
I like your strategy, Robert. Who doesn't like free shirts.
I couldn't help myself, with that guy holding his hand like that.
Sweet trailer. Of course, the car is mega sweet too.
OMG, that is VERY funny! Robert, you and I think alike.......
So, you're at SE, with Randy Beck, loading up a CMI Spyder that SE worked on, wearing a Vintage Motorcars Inc. shirt. You can't make this stuff up!
Absolutely the insidest of inside jokes.
Obviously Robert's shirt didn't really bother me, and those of you who know me, know that Greg and I work together on lots of parts and some service when needed. BUT I did have to blow Robert some $h!t and had 2 shirts in his passenger seat before he had the trailer opened up...
Got some pictures from Danilo in Costa Rica. He’s shipping my helmet tomorrow!
The color looks pretty washed out on the manikin; is was an exact match from the Glasurit paint code. I suspect the photo from the back is more accurate, though even I’m not sure. My iPhone could never capture the real color of the paint sample Carey has sent!
Marty Grybnwqlpzd may have some gloves and a scarf you could pick up for a bargain price.
@Panhandle Bob - got that covered! I have blue gloves from Autodromo...should be all set!
I have color-matching Latex anti-Covid gloves that I got from Harbor Freight.
For Lane's coupé I have a different box of slightly darker ones I got at Tractor Supply.
It pays to shop around, I guess.
Hey, where’s the Robert update??
He's of somewhere enjoying Anand's car.
@John Schneeman posted:Hey, where’s the Robert update??
I started a separate thread “The Road to Bremen” to chronicle the collection and return of Anand’s car from Indiana to Fresno. I delivered the car to Anand after I took it to the Highway Patrol for a VIN verification. Upon delivery we sequestered the car in his air conditioned garage because we’ve been experiencing 105-110 degree days here and it doesn’t matter how low the humidity is, it’s hot. Teby filmed the unloading etc and will likely post a short film after the first drive but that won’t happen until it gets to be more comfortable for that first drive. Until then @arajani is enjoying the visual and physical sensuality of the Spyder in his garage. I don’t want to take away Anand’s thunder when it comes to showing off the finest details of this beautiful car so I’ll let him take up that charge. Much like he’s already been doing but now he will control the narrative
Stay tuned my friends, there will be more.
Oh yeah....there’s that. (ie. the heat wave)
.....not at all what AZ went through that one year, right @Cory McCloskey?
@John Schneeman: Sorry for the delay!
As Robert mentioned, the car made it here safely late last week, thanks to @Robert M and his superb driving. What a friend — I have no way to express my gratitude for what he did for me. I’ll keep trying to find a way.
As for the car, it was a turbulent start. The Texas plate on the car before restoration read “CURSED.” Unfortunately, there has been some truth to that. It took Carey and I over a year just to get the rear engine lid, and encountered every possible hurdle along the way: Broken tank straps, master cylinders that wouldn’t fit, shift rods that wouldn’t work, a seized transmission, two blown generators, rubbing tires, missing J pipes, wobbly wheels, rats nest wiring, etc.
@Teby S and I decided to make a run in our cars on Sunday morning. We got together at 7:30 am in front of my house (video to follow). Teby brought sage and burned it — he spread the smoke all over the car, so as to dispel any badness! We set off. Not more than a mile down the road, the car lost power acutely.
Teby being the kind hearted soul that he is helped me push the car to the side of the road (next to my buddy CJ Wilson’s Porsche and BMW stores). @Troy Sloan came to provide sage advice and support. The engine turned over and battery power was good, and there was clearly fuel in the filler. This left us to investigate spark. We found there was no spark and imagined this was an ignition issue, but could not find any obvious fault. The car was towed back to my place thanks to Teby (he has AAA, which I now need!).
Upon arrival at my place, I found a piece of the trigger wheel on the belly pan and realized what had happened: the hidden trigger wheel I asked Pat Downs to attach to the back side of my 6” Porsche pulley had come loose and broke into pieces. Troy began asking about WHY I had a crank trigger (because a Carrera shroud blocks the dizzy), and how original 4 cam cars were timed (hence the photo of me schooling him with my model)!
Pat being the gentleman that he is has offered to fix it. We won’t need to pull the motor, but it will be a job. Robert will take him the car this weekend and we’ll get it sorted. After that, my friend Hans Huber will change the torsion bars to these HD ones — with the hopes that we can raise the car slightly in the front (terrible rubbing with the left front wheel thanks to an offset beam). I think my link pin front end is feeling a bit sloppy, so that might require a rebuild too.
It has not been a gratifying first week of ownership, but as @Stan Galat has said, these cars need us and need to be cared for. That’s part of ownership with vintage air cooled cars. While I am quite simple minded about the approach to the inner-workings of these cars, I am happy to continue learning, as long as I get to surround myself with these high quality people who tolerate me as their friend.
@arajani posted:I am quite simple minded about the approach to the inner-workings of these cars,
Malarkey.
You're one of the least "simple minded" people I know. You'll get this sorted.
Damn! That's crazy. Did the piece that flew off do any damage to the engine compartment or anything else around it as it let go?
Beautiful car! You should be really pleased with the outcome.
Ted
@Stan Galat — I’ve got a long way to go! Being in medicine and caring for critically ill babies, the mantra is: “Primum no nocere.” This results in people being overly-cautious with everything — those who are overconfident are scolded and seen as dangerous. That is in contradistinction to working on your car: experiment and see what happens. If you break it, you can have someone else fix it.
I still cannot totally break free from my medical mentality. I am also incredibly OCD, so the tough of damaging something is unthinkable. I’m learning to get over it with the help of @Robert M and @Pat Downs.
@TRP - no real damage — just a couple of scuffs on the firewall! Not great, but better than engine damage!
They call that patina!!
You'll get past this quickly, Anand. I used Mario Vellata's(thedubshop) wheel(for Bernie Bergmann shroud) and hidden VR sensor, is that what you have?
I ended up tapping the trigger wheel with 10-32(or maybe 5 mm metric, don't remember) and running hex-head bolts through the aluminum pulley. My pulley is from JayCee, dry sump size of 5". They are secured with both lock-washers and blue Loctite. I'm hoping that's enough. Maybe I should use red, and you should too.
@arajani you are exactly the kind of physician parents are grateful for. In my experience, these sorting out problems are short lived, while being frustrating. To my great dismay, I have had to be towed home twice during the last 6 months. The problems were found and solved. Yours will be too! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Mike
Funny, Mike. Why do think I bought a truck and enclosed trailer. Nobody needs to know if, why, or when it gets used........
@Michael Pickett — thanks for the kind words of encouragement! We will get it sorted — I’ll post more photos as we go along!
“...Primum no nocere...”
Thanks for reminding us about that, @arajani .
I'm printing that out in 40-point type and taping it to my tool chest.
I feel for you, @arajani. Sympathy and empathy.
Also trying to work out how a crank trigger wheel could break like that, given that nothing even touches it in normal operation.
Ain't sorting fun?
@Sacto Mitch - not a bad idea!
@IaM-Ray - nice one!
@DannyP - yep! The trigger wheel was from Mario. Just need to find a better way to secure it! Sounds like your method works-I’ll let Pat know!
@edsnova - oh yeah. What a ball! What’s worse: I’m working 80 hrs a week and it is 111 outside. So working on the car myself is a no-go. I wish I had more time and ability to sort this stuff and the ability to achieve instant results. If that happened, I’d be happy!
@Robert M and @Teby S came over to get my Spyder out of the garage on Friday. The problem was, we had plans to re-do our driveway and front yard. Our concrete guy had an opening, so he came over early. Timing wasn’t ideal — there was no way to get Robert’s trailer backed up over the dirt (and trench) in front of my garage. So at home it will stay until the new driveway is poured.
In the meantime, I had my buddy Ben Mastro come over. He did some SERIOUS paint correction to my car and got rid of nearly every last tiny scratch under my harsh LED lights. Glasurit paint has this issue — it is super soft and not ideal when it comes to scratches (my 64 slate grey coupe was also shot in Glasurit and had the same issue).
I also polished my steering wheel, emblems, the gauges, plexiglass and the latch covers with my Adam’s Micro Swirl killer. OCD therapy for my soul.
Once the driveway is all set and dry, we will push the spyder out and get it to Pat Downs. From there, I’ll adjust the suspension and also re-wire the car.
Nice polishing tool. Looks like it really cleans things up!
What product did you use on that polisher?
@IaM-Ray: on the metal, I used Adam’s 2 step metal polish. It is a liquid and does not cake up like Mother’s does. These pictures were after the first step only! For the paint, we used a Rupes 1.5 inch yellow pad for cutting with Katana (from Auto Envy — a local detail shop in Fresno). We then used a Rupes White pad with Radiant (also from Auto Envy) — it is a really fine jeweler’s polish. I sometimes will make multiple passes and dilute it with distilled water to bring out more and more shine.
At least you aren't obsessed Anand.
@Panhandle Bob: I go into my garage every night to see the car because I am still in disbelief. @chines1 created an amazing example. Now if only it was drivable...
I totally understand this attention to detail and the desire to “get a world away from work”, although I was always one to go for mechanical fabs or building things rather than detailing paint. OCDedness and patience are sometimes mutually exclusive, at least in me.
The car is looking terrific, Anand. Can’t wait to see photos of your SEG once you’re out on the road with it.
Anand, you DO understand that if you drive this car on public roads, the tire treads are going to get pretty dirty, right?
This is a consequence of thoughtless drivers who refuse to wash their tires after every drive. It's not like in Marin County, where there are fines for driving with dirty tires.
You may want to look into keeping two sets of tires - one for driving and one for display in the garage. Mounting both sets on Rudge knockoffs would make switching back and forth a lot easier.
I think there was an article about this in Excellence last month.
@Sacto Mitch: I actually DO have an extra set of tires. LOL. The cleaning is fun since I can’t drive it — but I’m ok with the tire thing. I’ve got ways to clean them 
@Gordon Nichols: here’s the only SEG photo—my first run with @Teby S — minutes before the trigger wheel died.
Sorry Anand, I couldn't resist.
I've been kind of obsessive about the Speedster, too, even though it isn't a tenth as nice as that jewel of yours. I finally did relax a little after the first half dozen paint chips made me realize it's a losing battle trying to keep it 'perfect'.
Seven years later, it's no longer new, but it still draws the same kind of attention.
Coming back from a drive with my wife this morning, stopped for gas, a woman asked us if she could photograph the car. "That has always been my dream car," she said.
Driving off, I said to my wife, "I never thought we'd ever be driving someone else's dream car."
She smiled a little sheepishly.
"It's my dream car, too."
Can’t wait to hear the sound!
@arajani, great picture of you and your car. Your smile makes it all the better!
@arajani posted:@John Schneeman: Sorry for the delay!
As Robert mentioned, the car made it here safely late last week, thanks to @Robert M and his superb driving. What a friend — I have no way to express my gratitude for what he did for me. I’ll keep trying to find a way.
As for the car, it was a turbulent start. The Texas plate on the car before restoration read “CURSED.” Unfortunately, there has been some truth to that. It took Carey and I over a year just to get the rear engine lid, and encountered every possible hurdle along the way: Broken tank straps, master cylinders that wouldn’t fit, shift rods that wouldn’t work, a seized transmission, two blown generators, rubbing tires, missing J pipes, wobbly wheels, rats nest wiring, etc.
@Teby S and I decided to make a run in our cars on Sunday morning. We got together at 7:30 am in front of my house (video to follow). Teby brought sage and burned it — he spread the smoke all over the car, so as to dispel any badness! We set off. Not more than a mile down the road, the car lost power acutely.
Teby being the kind hearted soul that he is helped me push the car to the side of the road (next to my buddy CJ Wilson’s Porsche and BMW stores). @Troy Sloan came to provide sage advice and support. The engine turned over and battery power was good, and there was clearly fuel in the filler. This left us to investigate spark. We found there was no spark and imagined this was an ignition issue, but could not find any obvious fault. The car was towed back to my place thanks to Teby (he has AAA, which I now need!).
Upon arrival at my place, I found a piece of the trigger wheel on the belly pan and realized what had happened: the hidden trigger wheel I asked Pat Downs to attach to the back side of my 6” Porsche pulley had come loose and broke into pieces. Troy began asking about WHY I had a crank trigger (because a Carrera shroud blocks the dizzy), and how original 4 cam cars were timed (hence the photo of me schooling him with my model)!
Pat being the gentleman that he is has offered to fix it. We won’t need to pull the motor, but it will be a job. Robert will take him the car this weekend and we’ll get it sorted. After that, my friend Hans Huber will change the torsion bars to these HD ones — with the hopes that we can raise the car slightly in the front (terrible rubbing with the left front wheel thanks to an offset beam). I think my link pin front end is feeling a bit sloppy, so that might require a rebuild too.
It has not been a gratifying first week of ownership, but as @Stan Galat has said, these cars need us and need to be cared for. That’s part of ownership with vintage air cooled cars. While I am quite simple minded about the approach to the inner-workings of these cars, I am happy to continue learning, as long as I get to surround myself with these high quality people who tolerate me as their friend.
It was the sage smoke "blessing" that caused the problem! 
Actually, your smile says it all! 
What a beautiful ride she is! 
@arajani you fit in the car very well!
@arajani posted:@Sacto Mitch: I actually DO have an extra set of tires. LOL. The cleaning is fun since I can’t drive it — but I’m ok with the tire thing. I’ve got ways to clean them
@Gordon Nichols: here’s the only SEG photo—my first run with @Teby S — minutes before the trigger wheel died.
I had no idea my son’s battery operated 550 Spyder was the same size as the original dimensioned 550’s. 
Hoovies Garage (Tyler Hoover) on YouTube just took delivery of a brand new Beck Spyder roller that they’ll be installing a Subaru Impreza engine in. Should be interesting to follow as he is calling it “The Most Beautiful Car in the World”: https://youtu.be/efsLdAGe0cc
Last night was super fun. @Pat Downs and @Teby S came over and took the crank pulley off of my car, which was great. We put the car in first gear, put the parking brake on, foot on the brake and a 2x4 behind the rear wheels. Teby held the pulley with a big screwdriver (poor man’s breaker bar) and Pat loosened it. These guys are incredible. @Robert M was sorely missed — he was with us in spirit (the poor guy finally got a weekend off, so he went to Paso Robles for the weekend!).
Luckily, the old trigger wheel left an imprint in the back of the crank pulley, so Pat knows exactly where the missing tooth should go. That ought to make finding TDC a bit easier when Pat has to affix the new trigger wheel.
Once we get the trigger wheel sorted out, I’m going to raise the front end. My wheels are rubbing.
Pat found a fella who will make some custom raised spindles (1”) which I’ll use. I want to get my wheel spaced out so that it looks like this.
Thanks for the post @arajani, but the first two pictures didn't show up.
@Stan Galat — should be updated now!
