356 Speedster replica kit with Mendeola Suspension

[bowmail]

I have been reading though this sight for some time now and I got a lot of good information and guidance to help me in this long build. I say long build because I had this 356 for years ( 12 to 15, I really can't remember ) with out working on it. I really didn't want it but acquired it when my only option to sell my circle track car was to take it on trade. ( It's really hard to sell a race car ! My car was a never wrecked , race ready asphalt late model that I drove out of my garage and in to his trailer. I then pushed a unfinished 356 replica with many boxes into my garage. Promised that "it is all there" with an engine that was " built " .And you know how that go's. But I digress ! )
Over the last few years I started working on the speedster . It has always been stored indoors but when I started working on it I found that the pan was butchered I was on a search for a replacement . I bought a nice 1963 pan .
I then became enamored , interested , obsessed with the Mendeola suspension kit. From my wasted youth of banging cars around the tracks of western Pa I thought now that looks like a race car. A suspension truly worthy of a wide body 356 Speedster !
After many phone calls to Kevin Zagar , then manager at Mendeola now proprietor of Coolrydes Customs , I purchased a front and rear suspension.
Then after taking a head off my engine I found that it was indeed a rebuilt engine, but it was a 1641cc. Now this was all the further that I dismantled this engine. I wanted a little more giddy up ! So again a call to Kevin and I bought a 2110cc engine that he had built himself and a freeway flyer with a solid spool 4 speed.
Many, many other projects have gotten in the way of finishing this 356. Remodeling my kitchen and bathroom, ( happy wife , happy life ). Remodeling my parents bathroom . Then since I did such a great job on my tile work my mother inlaw had me do their back splash and that lead to my parents back splash. ( those did come out great , if I say so myself ) .
Then there were the cars and trucks I redid for friends and family .
On a side note , don't let anybody know you can do bodywork and paint !
Over the last 20 years my wife has not driven a car that was not wrecked and I brought back to life, and she loves those vehicles. Bless her heart.
So that's my story and thank you for staying with me this far. I hope to add pictures and up dates to this build . Please don't get upset if I don't reply quickly or at all. This is my first post ever on any social media of any type. Really ! lol
I had the pan shorted and the Mendeola bulkhead installed at Ed Fish Machine Shop. They do multi million dollar projects for major corporations and Ed has been building race cars and Hot Rods for many, many years so I figured they could handle my job ! I did have a manual made by the VW engineers on how to shorten a pan .

Chassis back from powder coating and assembled .

[GS guy]

Looks good bowmail! I'll be very interested in hearing your impressions of the Mendeola suspension - fit and finish, installation difficulty and eventually driving impressions. There seems to be a "blackout" regarding any VW with this suspension installed - lots of lead up and promises, then never heard from again! One would think considering how well it is supposed to work and be superior to the original VW 1930's technology, and the number that have been sold and installed - you'd be hearing lots of builders singing the praises on the VW web boards, performance results, etc. Nope, at least none that I could find. I find it completely bizarre!
BTW those Hurst wheels look great too!
Jeff
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70's vintage Deserter GS buggy - undergoing transformation to Super GS!

[Tom_Kathleen]

GS guy - We have a Manxter that has the Mendeola front & rear suspension on it. It has @ 10,000 miles on that suspension. We put @ 30,000 miles on it when it had VW suspension. The difference is night & day. Great ride even with 3/4' sway bars, much better steering and the "wow" factor with the hot rod crowd who thinks it is a Mustang 2 suspension.

We bought the chassis (72 Super Beetle) with all the welding done by Medeola. So all the heavy fabrication was done when we got it. Because it was an early build, we did have the spindle issue and a couple of other problems that have since been addressed by Kevin. I am working on a Meyers Manx KickOut SS that also has the Mendeola f & r suspension, but it has turned into a long term project.

bowmail - good luck with your project. Looks like you are doing it right. Tom
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Manxter #16, 1968 Meyers Manx & Kick-Out SS #16 (WIP)
Manx Club & CVA

[bowmail]

Thanks for the positive response . Here are few pictures of the body before and after painting .

[bowmail]

[bowmail]

[bowmail]

I am going to try and finish the windshield install today. I did print the instructions that Gordon posted but it is still a touchy job. There aren't any video's to watch to show all the details on how to do this. For me the tricky part is how to put on and trim the bottom rubber gasket .

[ALB]

It's looking great, Bowmail! You're going to have a blast with this. Check out https://www.speedsterowners.com/

We're a bunch of replica Speedster owners, and a lot of people will be very interested in your build! Lots of Speedster specific advice as well. Al

PS- one of the guys on the Speedster site (SOC) has done a Mendeola suspension, and if I remember correctly he really likes it.
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On a lifelong mission to prove (much to my wife's dismay) that Immaturity is Forever!!

[GS guy]

bowmail - the paint work looks beautiful! Nice shop you have there too, love the old-school hydraulic lift. Brings me back to my high school days working in a gas station.
Tom - thanks for comments in on the suspension. You are one of the few exceptions to the Mendeola suspension "blackout". I was wondering if when one bought that set-up they had to sign a non-disclosure agreement! It certainly is a nice "looking" upgrade to the original torsion beam suspension.
Jeff
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70's vintage Deserter GS buggy - undergoing transformation to Super GS!

[Tom_Kathleen]

GS guy - the only thing close to a non-disclosure agreement we ran into was when we visited the Mendeola shop and looked at some of the early parts in 2008. At that time they were only selling the suspension as part of a complete Manxter with Super Beetle chassis. Kevin let us take pictures but not put a tape measure on the parts. No problem for us. I was try to convince him to sell kits because he could sell a lot more that way and get the investment back quicker. I agree that not many people that own them talk about them online, but I don't know why that is. Maybe Bowmail will let us know what he thinks after he drives the car. Tom
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Manxter #16, 1968 Meyers Manx & Kick-Out SS #16 (WIP)
Manx Club & CVA

[bowmail]

I put the lower gasket in a bucket of hot water to soften it a little then used a rope in the grove to put it on the glass. then I used adhesive every 6".

The wind shield frame is from VS and fits the windshield great but the windshield post are CMC. The frame is .075" to large to fit in snug. I tried to squeeze the frame but I didn't want to ruin it, so I stopped for the night. My thought is to order a set of post from VS.

[calebmelvin]

Man I can't wait to see how this turns out. That suspension is incredible! Great work.
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Caleb
'68 Tagged Manx | My Wanted Ads
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[GS guy]

How's the windshield attached to the body? Not being too familiar with Speedsters, I can see how the trim wraps around the glass with what looks like some rubber molding between the two. I'm guessing they attach to the little posts at either end of the assembly, down at the bodywork? Not clear how the "posts" attach to the windshield and surround trim, or to the bodywork. Otherwise, looks great! That said, a spool diff might make it a bit difficult to turn.
Jeff
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70's vintage Deserter GS buggy - undergoing transformation to Super GS!

[Makua Kane]

That is too cool! Love the gunmetal color!

[bowmail]

It is some process to put the windshield on. I will post more pictures this weekend. I have to " open up " the windshield post so the windshield frame will fit nice and snug !

[coolrydes]

Hello, Scott

I am super glad to see you finally getting back to this project. Sorry I did not return your phone call or email awhile back. Things are super crazy for me running CoolRydes Customs, and having a full family with two boys and our new little girl. So I have had little to no help from my wife with the business and things continue to get busier with all the new products.

Thank you for the kind words, as normally we only get to hear when someone is upset about something........ Keep up the great work and please let me know if you need any help, or have any issues with the suspension. I know I did not sell you the kit, but I will be happy to offer you support, as I have others that bought products from Mendeola. Just like Tom & Kathleen I. Just be reasonable and I'm here for you......

Thank you to Tom and Kathleen for your continued support and spreading the word about the suspension.

GS guy, sorry about the black out, but people are strange. They'll complain at a drop of a hat, but when they have something that is great, they stay quiet as if to insure they are one of the only ones that have great things. We have sold and installed more then 150 of these front and rear suspension kits. It changes the entire driving experience of our beloved VWs.

Sorry Scott to de-rail your thread. If anyone has more question or would like to contact CoolRydes Customs about the suspension or any of out other top level performance products, check out www.CoolRydesCustoms.com
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Kevin "Coolrydes" Zagar

COOLRYDES So-Cal CUSTOMS
MENDEOLA SUSPENSION
THE HOME OF STYLE AND PERFORMANCE
www.CoolRydescustoms.com

[finster]

I'm not trying to be smart but wouldn't it have been better to have done the windscreen fitting - and all other body parts requiring holes - before the paint?

[bowmail]

Yes

[bowmail]

Here are a few pictures of how I had to change the rear frame of the CMC Speedster to clear the Mendeola suspension.

[bowmail]

I had to open up the in side of the wind shield post with a Die Grinder and I also had to compressed the windshield frame in a vise . I used a piece of rubber to protect the aluminum wind shield frame. I did put a small nick in the frame . I wet sanded it down by starting with 320 , 600 , 1000 then 1200 grit paper. I finished it with Mothers Aluminum Polish. You can't tell it was ever nicked and it l