Making a 1957 356A speedster faster

[wsf80]

Hi through an odd confluence of factors/trades i have ended up with a speedster. Original motor is crated and car is running A 912 engine.

How do i make it louder and faster? It is gutless below 3,000 rpm. Velocity stacks?

Any other ideas?

Thank you

[Chuck Miller]

This might help..........
http://www.emorymotorsports.com/outlaws

Cheers

[super9064]

Another option.

http://www.willhoitautorestoration.com/new_items.php

[Flieger]

Polopolous motor.

[ajwans]

Brand new 4-cam: http://www.capricorngroup.net/no_cac...html?tx_ttnews[backPid]=13

Just make sure you are sitting down when you open the price list.

andy

[hoffman912]

Hi through an odd confluence of factors/trades i have ended up with a speedster. Original motor is crated and car is running A 912 engine.

How do i make it louder and faster? It is gutless below 3,000 rpm. Velocity stacks?

Any other ideas?

Thank you

on a 356 or 912 motor (both are the same thing essentially), anything below 3000 rpms is lugging the engine. you want to keep it above 3000 rpms when driving it. normal street driving you shoudl be reving up to 4k, and shifting there (or higher). if you're trying to drive balls out, they love reving to redline at 6k RPM. mine usually lives at 5K rpms..

what kind of distributor do you have on there too? if you have an 009 its a paperweight used in vws.. you want to make sure you have an 031, 022, 050, or even better buy a new rsr0012 distributor from John Benton. If you dont have the right distributor or curve, your car will run like crap. if you want louder, john can also help you with custom exhaust options.



ps, talk to John Benton if you want to build a screaming motor www.bentonperformance.com he can build you a twin plug or even a 1900cc motor. he can go as mild or wild as you want and will do it right.

[super9064]

Brand new 4-cam: http://www.capricorngroup.net/no_cac...html?tx_ttnews[backPid]=13

Just make sure you are sitting down when you open the price list.

andy

For those in suspense, the price is about $160,000.

I guess the price is relative, if you have 3 million for a 550 spyder, you can afford a brand new vintage race motor.

[wsf80]

thanks. i'm reasonable with mechanicals but not great. i don't know the distributor type i can find out. but i feel like i'm missing something - car is running a 912 engine how are these other cars putting out so much more horsepower/torque? the displacement is bored out? racing cam? velocity stacks? free flow exhaust? then for suspension, bigger/wider wheels/tires, better springs/shocks and anti-roll bar? what about gearbox - do they make short-shift kits?

thank you

[Flieger]

That Capricorn motor makes the Polopolus look cheap.

[hoffman912]

if you put big stacks, a huge fat exhaust etc you will lose bottom end power in favor of higher end power. you can rejet the carbs to accomodate, but you will still loose some.. your car would be even unhappier at lower rpms

1) look on the side of the distributor, it should have a parts number does it end 009, 031, 022, 050, rsr0012? what you dont want is an 009.. if you have an 009 best to chuck it in the garbage or sell it to a vw guy.
1a) when you tune it, get a digital timing light and tune it so its full advance at driving speed.. so 30 degrees at 3000 rpms.


2) you can get a standard big bore kit (1720 cc pistons/cyls), but i think the power is not night and day. you can get a 1900+ cc big bore kit, but you have to have the engine completely disassembled and remachined (case and heads) to accomodate the really big set up

3) you dont want super fat tires on a 356 or 912. the balance is there, the handling is there. if you go too fat on tires you will actually lose performance. 911s have much higher hp and can break the grip easier. just get 195/65/15 or what ever is equivalent in the 356 world.


dont expect to have tons of low end torque. these engine dont like to be lower than 3K rpms and the torque sweet spot is in the 5K range.


personally, i say get a tune up first. see what it should run like when its running properly (and make sure you have the right distributor -ill bet just about anything you're running with an 009 vw distributor that doesnt have shit for advance). proper tuning, and running will reset the expectations for you. then you can decide what you want to do next. if you want more torque, you can then talk to an expert about doing a 1900 or a twin plug (or a 1900 twin plug), or bigger cams, or what have you. also whats your budget? a polo motor is super pricey.. a twin plug 912 will probably set you around 20 (what i hear they cost). also do not underestimate what good head work will do.. proper machining and porting and bench flow testing etc will yeild tons of results.. but is also pricey.

my motor is a single plug 1720cc massaged, built and balanced by Duane Spencer, and a 280* cam designed by benton along with harry bieker massaged solexes, aluminum oil cooler, full flow oil filter, csp light weight pully and some other odds and ends...


Where are you located? if you really wanna build a ripping engine for this, reach out to john benton. if you're in LA ask him if you can stop by and talk in person and have him tune up your car..