ThreeTimeTom
Member
I can appreciate your frustration. Hang in there.
Sterling #S009
- Thread starter Brett Proctor
- Start date
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Ok not sure what happen but everything I typed just went blank
ThreeTimeTom
Member
Just more frustration…
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
It took a month to make this appointment. No longer can you do a walk in.
Had all the paper work and title for the car.
Lady looked up everything and even though I have a Nevada title in my name, according to their system the car doesn't exist.
Then they said the info on the title was not accurate.
2 hours to just get the title straightened out. From one supervisor to another it went.
Changed the car from a kit to an assembled vehicle. ( Really they raised a stink about that) And I still have to take the car across town to the main office for inspection. When asked why the inspection station at this office can't do it they said, because you need to take it to the main office inspection station. And people wonder how can the goverment be so screwed up.
So now I got issued a new title for the car. That should be here in a week.
Maybe next week I'll get a chance to take the car over to the main office. Grandkids are out of school and I have them all week. Haven't seen a schedule for next week.
And I thought all my troubles with the car were done. Silly me for thinking they were over
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Well I took the car out on the highway yesterday to see how it will handle long term highway speeds
Went for a couple of miles at 65-70mph and no issues. So sometime this week I'm planning to drive across town to the main DMV office to get this thing finally registered.
Really impressed with how smooth this engine runs.
Went for a couple of miles at 65-70mph and no issues. So sometime this week I'm planning to drive across town to the main DMV office to get this thing finally registered.
Really impressed with how smooth this engine runs.
ThreeTimeTom
Member
Great to hear your success!
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
I'm glad I put the 3.88 R&P in the transaxle.
At those speeds the engine is running at 3,000 rpm's
I read somewhere (I think here on this forum) a guy had the lower ratio gears in his car and the engine was turning 4,000 rpm's at highway speeds. Not sure what redline is for a bug engine but that's got to be close to its redline.
Don't know if anything was done to the engine to keep it from going BOOM!
At those speeds the engine is running at 3,000 rpm's
I read somewhere (I think here on this forum) a guy had the lower ratio gears in his car and the engine was turning 4,000 rpm's at highway speeds. Not sure what redline is for a bug engine but that's got to be close to its redline.
Don't know if anything was done to the engine to keep it from going BOOM!
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
The on going saga of getting this car registered.
Well I finally drove across town (about a 40 min drive one way) to the main DMV Office
Car made it there and back with no issues.
Bottom line, still no plates
Spent about 2 hours there. Wont go into the details of it, but now I have to make another appointment with the DMV office at my side of town to get their blessings and maybe finally get plates for the car.
Appointment is in 5 weeks. no chance of getting in earlier.
At the DMV I saw a couple of people secretly taking pictures of the car and on the way home I had one guy in some kind of a small Dodge car (didn't get the model but it said Dodge on the back) reving his engine wanting to race as we were driving down the road.
Well maybe in a month and a half S009 will be officially back on the road. Don't know when the last time it had plates and was road worthy. I know when I got it, it wasn't close to being able to drive on the road. Everything was in pieces in boxes. So its been a while. Well over 15 years.
Well I finally drove across town (about a 40 min drive one way) to the main DMV Office
Car made it there and back with no issues.
Bottom line, still no plates
Spent about 2 hours there. Wont go into the details of it, but now I have to make another appointment with the DMV office at my side of town to get their blessings and maybe finally get plates for the car.
Appointment is in 5 weeks. no chance of getting in earlier.
At the DMV I saw a couple of people secretly taking pictures of the car and on the way home I had one guy in some kind of a small Dodge car (didn't get the model but it said Dodge on the back) reving his engine wanting to race as we were driving down the road.
Well maybe in a month and a half S009 will be officially back on the road. Don't know when the last time it had plates and was road worthy. I know when I got it, it wasn't close to being able to drive on the road. Everything was in pieces in boxes. So its been a while. Well over 15 years.
It sincerely makes me happy that you are finally starting to accumulate adventures in it. You put a lot of work into that car.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
A lot of trial and error and then experimenting with ideas happen with the build. Some good, some bad.
But I finally got to a point where its road worthy and reliable.
My main concern was if it would make the drive with no overheating issues.
Trip had highway driving and stop and go traffic thru town. Engine temp never got above 183* degrees. Air temp was in the mid 90's.
Topped off the gas tank (wasn't sure what the milage would be) and during the whole trip the fuel gauge barely moved.
Speedometer not accurate so I need to check the sending unit to see why.
Thanks
Brettt
But I finally got to a point where its road worthy and reliable.
My main concern was if it would make the drive with no overheating issues.
Trip had highway driving and stop and go traffic thru town. Engine temp never got above 183* degrees. Air temp was in the mid 90's.
Topped off the gas tank (wasn't sure what the milage would be) and during the whole trip the fuel gauge barely moved.
Speedometer not accurate so I need to check the sending unit to see why.
Thanks
Brettt
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Nothing great about it.
Its all stock VW except for the front spring shocks used for more needed ground clearance.
It rides stiff but there's not much room in the front fender wells for more travel.
Front feels softer than the rear. I may turn the preload up a little more for the front just to balance the suspension out.
Its all stock VW except for the front spring shocks used for more needed ground clearance.
It rides stiff but there's not much room in the front fender wells for more travel.
Front feels softer than the rear. I may turn the preload up a little more for the front just to balance the suspension out.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
This is an update on the speedometer issue that I mentioned in another post. (speedometer registers around 40mph when car is standing still and engine is running)
The way its wired is the pulse signal from the sending unit goes directly to the speedometer. There is a line that tees off and goes to the ECM.
Thinking that maybe the ECM is the issue I cut the line going to that. No change.
Then thinking that the IP may have a short in it and its getting some feed back from something there, I cut the line going to that.
Speedometer went dead so I'm thinking that the sending unit is bad so I ordered a new one.
Waiting now for a new sending unit
The way its wired is the pulse signal from the sending unit goes directly to the speedometer. There is a line that tees off and goes to the ECM.
Thinking that maybe the ECM is the issue I cut the line going to that. No change.
Then thinking that the IP may have a short in it and its getting some feed back from something there, I cut the line going to that.
Speedometer went dead so I'm thinking that the sending unit is bad so I ordered a new one.
Waiting now for a new sending unit
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Got the new sensor and got it installed but haven't tested it yet.
smallcar.com
The old sensor had some numbers on it so I thought I would do a search and see what comes up.
This is what I got.
So I spent $70 for a $7 dollar part.
Hall Effect Speed Sensor Kit
smallcar.com
The old sensor had some numbers on it so I thought I would do a search and see what comes up.
This is what I got.
So I spent $70 for a $7 dollar part.
ThreeTimeTom
Member
Regarding the stiff ride, what tire pressure are you using. Over the years I have lowered pressure since the car is so light and found the ride greatly improved.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
Right now I'm running 32 psi
Because of the low profile tires ( Front 205/40R17, Rear 275/40R17) I figured with that psi I wouldn't have to worry about damaging the rims if I take a hard hit.
You think something lower would be safe??
Also with that psi I figured that the tires wouldn't overheat and I wouldn't have to worry about tread separation.
I have heard of using lower pressures, but those people going with lower pressures are using higher profile tires.
On something unrelate
My wife had a corvette once and one day I got a call from her saying she had a flat tire.
Went to the place where she was at, Because of the low profile tires on the car just by looking at them I couldn't tell which tire was flat.
Because of the low profile tires ( Front 205/40R17, Rear 275/40R17) I figured with that psi I wouldn't have to worry about damaging the rims if I take a hard hit.
You think something lower would be safe??
Also with that psi I figured that the tires wouldn't overheat and I wouldn't have to worry about tread separation.
I have heard of using lower pressures, but those people going with lower pressures are using higher profile tires.
On something unrelate
My wife had a corvette once and one day I got a call from her saying she had a flat tire.
Went to the place where she was at, Because of the low profile tires on the car just by looking at them I couldn't tell which tire was flat.
ThreeTimeTom
Member
I’ve run low 20’s with no problem. Much softer ride. I was not running low profile tires.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
I'll lower it to 28 psi and see what that does.
Gas milage may suffer some (maybe) but I don't think that engine will notice the difference. It pulls the car along with no effort.
If it wasn't for the transmission holding it back I think I would be tempted to see what its 0 - 60 speed would be.
Gas milage may suffer some (maybe) but I don't think that engine will notice the difference. It pulls the car along with no effort.
If it wasn't for the transmission holding it back I think I would be tempted to see what its 0 - 60 speed would be.
Brett Proctor
Well-known member
As I'm waiting for my fourth appointment for registering the car to arrive (2 more weeks) I'm wondering how long this would have taken if the car was never registered before, never titled, and never issued a VIN.
how many hoops I would have had to jump through. Or if I could even get it registered if this wasn't already done.
how many hoops I would have had to jump through. Or if I could even get it registered if this wasn't already done.