Type A Outlaw Project

[Graham Kerr]

A very professional job, great work. With all that race stuff in your car I really hope that you are going to get it on a track somewhere and give it a good thrashing and not just ponce it around some boring car shows. My own view would be to lower it another inch and trash the roof rack. I mean roof rack? What do you think you are? Some kid with a Volkswagen?

[Perry DePietro]

Well, yes, I think being a kid with a Volkswagen is a good thing. My first car in early 70''s was a $200 VW bug. I learned some valuable skills restoring that car which have served me well. I have been fortunate to have owned and raced several amazing cars, but I will readily admit that there is something about an analog vintage WV that is special. I could be wrong, but I think the original VW guy may have had something to do with 356s (?).

Yes.. I enjoy tracking cars and motorcycles. My primary goal for this build was to build a car that honors the early race cars, but to also have a car I can still drive daily. Once I get it dialed in, I am sure it will find it's way to VIR.

With respect to the stance, I have notched the front beam, have installed drop link spindles and have adjustable swing arms in the rear. I plan to set the ride height and suspension geometry once the motor is in the car. I have taken some engineering cues from Rob Emory and radiused the front wheel openings. This will allow me to set the ride height low and still have good clearance for the front wheels while turning under braking.

As far as the roof rack, I have a few rationales. First, I have been "done" with the things that I can do for a while now. I am just waiting on the experts to finish the motor and the wiring....two things that I can't do. I have a very stressful "real" job and creating things and being artistic is my way of maintaining my sanity. I garden, do bonsai, build custom bird houses, build steam-punk clocks and do metal sculptures. The roof rack was just a whimsical project I did after looking at tons of outlaw pictures on the internet. Soon after fab-ing it, I bought some old vintage luggage, some wooden skis and an old aluminum ice box from the 50"s on Ebay. I "do" plan to occasionally strap them to the roof rack and hit a car show or two. No harm, no foul.

Also, with the GT roll bar/harnesses making it hard to put things "in" the car, and the fuel cell/hydraulic reservoirs/battery up front... there is no room in the car for luggage. When i eventually travel in the car... I will actually use the the roof rack for a spare tire and my luggage.

Once you cross as many lines as I have in pursuit of an outlaw, the roof rack is just one more exercise in creative license.

[Perry DePietro]

I have been done with what I can do since September. As I posted earlier, the seller told me the motor that came with the project was a rebuilt 2.6 liter stroker motor. When I took it apart it was a tired/worn out 2 liter type 4 motor.... fast forward two years, the block traveling to CA and back, and many, many dollars... I finally have the 2.6 motor, ready to be installed. Tim from Carolina Coach Crafters is coming tomorrow to pick up the car, install the motor, finish the wiring. I am guessing the working out the kinks and getting it register will take some time, but I am grateful that it is finally heading down the home stretch.

[Perry DePietro]

I did install "one more thing."

In the 1990's I was active in the PCA in the Philadelphia area. I did a lot of autocross and DE events. One weekend I was at a DE at Pocono Raceway. A gentleman in an early 911 spun out and hit the wall going backwards. He had a crossbar in his cage (like the one in my project) and at the moment of impact, he unfortunately lost his life. The report was that his seat mounts broke and he hit his neck on the crossbar. A very tragic story, but it stuck with me and I decided to build some safety into my projects by building a couple of headrests...

[Perry DePietro]

Yeah!!!

[David Dawkins]

Following with interest!

[Perry DePietro]

It is with a sad heart that I post this.

In 2003 I had to sell this project due to medical reasons. Unfortunately history repeats.

I have a partial parts list of expenses $126,726. This does not include the thousands of dollars of re-chroming/misc. parts and supplies/consumables/thousands of hours of labor). I will be glad to share the spread sheet with interested parties.

The motor is done ($32K) and is the 2.6L stroker motor that was supposed to come with the car when I re-purchased from the interim owner. The block was machined by Walt at Competition Engineering. The motor was assembled at Carolina Coachworks in Charlotte NC. It is plumed for a full flow system/external oil filter/thermostatic controlled oil cooler in the front of the car.

Once this project is completed, this should be a special 1-of-1 vehicle. Obviously the option to paint it and take it in an entirely different direction is also a possibility.

The "to do" list to finish it would include: finishing the wiring (YnZ harness installed), couple the Wilwood gas pedal throttle linkage to the Weber carburetors, install the ceramic coated exhaust/etc.

[Perry DePietro]

Picture

[Greg Bryan]

Sorry to hear that, Perry. hoping for the best possible outcomes for you.