Just a small update on my build. Spoke to Greg at Vintage today. He says my frame and body go to the suspension shop Feb. 1. The body will be temp. mounted to the frame and mock-up engine connected to my transaxle will be installed too. I believe the suspension shop will be making the assembly jig for the frame and suspension for future builds as well.............Bruce
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Just found out that my shift linkage will be mechanical rods and not cables.......Bruce
That's cool.
That is interesting. I know Lane's mid-engine Beck coupe is using a rod linkage as well. It must be the way to go.
@aircooled Bruce I decided to put stuff here rather than drift that other thread
I measured the angle of the grilles at the top, they're 17.5 degrees off of vertical. The back of my car sits a little higher than the front(is on the lift) so it might be 20 degrees. Like I said before, I installed mine straight and you can see them very well from behind, day or night.
Boy, those Carlisle grill badges are really holding up, aren’t they? 😊
@aircooled You had mentioned Owl Eyes on another post. This is what I did for additional brake lights on my car. I went for the brightest on a budget. I might link them in with my turn signals too. I also made a brake pedal switch to activate them, but I haven't installed it yet. I figured if the master cylinder switch failed, and they do, I'd still have brake lights.
https://www.speedsterowners.co...itional-brake-lights
The more ideas you get to see the better.
CG
Carlos.....That is a really cool bracket you made for the brake lights ! It's pretty much what I'm going to do. You REALLY put in a set of lights there ! Certainly they are seen ! Here's a photo go the two 3" circular LED lights I will be mounting. Hopefully close enough together to look like a set of "Owl" eyes !..............Bruce
I had those "old-school" round regular bulb lights on my first Spyder. I bought them at NAPA.I welded some 1" angle iron with short verticals and a longer horizontal right to that same frame member Carlos bolted to. They worked great, lit up the grilles and it was only too obvious for the guy behind to back off.
The second time I chose the LED lights for a hidden look with the same bright function.
They were probably just about the same cost, $8.00 each.
I've always thought a couple of strategically placed lights in the engine compartment would be a good idea, to be able to check/work on the engine during a dark road side repair.
Just a thought .
@aircooled, any pictures yet of the suspension work?
@aircooled, any update yet? Seems like this project has been going on for more than 2 years now.
It has Rick ! Well, almost. Greg said he would be getting the frame and suspension back in June sometime. I have been back East for 3 weeks and just returned to Arcadia Ca last night so it's on my mind to give Greg a call first thing next week for an update. He warned me that this will take a long time and he was right. Given that I had both knees replaced and spinal fusion, I didn't worry about the time but now that I'm up to 100%, I'm getting anxious now. Thanks for your interest ! I would love to tell you all about the project but just yet, I have no new news ! Hang in there. I like company !.....Bruce
I just talked to Greg yesterday about my coupe. We all know he's slammed, but his top fabricator just came back from 2 months off due to some serious surgery for his leg and foot. This is the only guy Greg trusts with unusual projects like Bruce's new frame and some of the weird ass stuff on my coupe. He's back at work nearly full time, so Bruce and I are likely to see more progress soon.
Hang in Bruce! I standing just down the bar from ya (I'm the skinny guy in the glasses with a whiskey).
-Michael
Michael....How's Portland doing these days ? My Wife and I really like it in and around Salem. Susan's Sister lives there. We are considering moving up that way and really liked it in and around the Battle Ground area.
How far is Greg along on your coupe ? Rusty is the name of Gregs guy and he is really good ! Grumpy (as he is occasionally referred to) is a real "Craftsman" ! Just the kind of guy needed to do all the R & D for Greg. He has had more than his share of physical issues but it never seems to slow him down. I respect him a lot and am glad that he is involved in my build !
There isn't a day goes by when my mind doesn't flash onto some aspect of my build ! Sometimes I make notes and put them in my file folder for future referral. At this point there's not much to go over again until parts of this build become a physical presence. Then my mind will be swirling with design dreams once again ! How fun and exciting it is !!!!!.Thank You for your comment and support !!!!!...........Bruce
Hey, Bruce! Portland is doing just fine. I really like the Salem area, too. I lived there when I first moved out here. If you move up we should take both cars to the Mt. Angel Octoberfest. They have a small car show and the Octoberfest itself is one of the best outside of Munich! Plus, as you know, the roads out here for a sports car nut are amazing!
Greg is getting the car ready to move under its own power so he can get it to his upholstery guy this week for headliner, etc. Two weeks there and then it comes back for install of everything else. He's doing something completely different for the AC install using a system that allows the control knobs to be placed anywhere you want and not have anything ruin the pre-a dash aesthetics. He says he has a design to make the knobs look like a period dash knob set-up and said he'd send me a sketch. There is a lot of finish work on a coupe, and a lot of new fab work for Grumpy, so we're hoping I'll be driving it this fall. I think our two cars could keep Grumpy busy for quite sometime just by themselves!
Here's a picture from inside Portland's city limits as of last Sunday's bike ride.
That would be a real Hoot up there ! Perhaps we can hook up the next time we come up that way ? The install of your A/C unit is just a perfect idea ! The simple dash accoutrements is one of the more attractive parts of these cars !............Bruce
Bruce, I spoke to Greg today about ordering a Spyder kit with IRS. He led me to believe that he still thinks it’s possible to get an A arm suspension in a Spyder. Maybe there is still some hope for you yet!
I've been talking to Greg about this since 2012 or so. In 2016 he wasn't ready to do the front end, nor the back end IRS. I'm not faulting him, and I did get a new painted body-on-frame for me to finish building in 6 months(and an absolute beauty at that!).
Youse guys with your fancy suspensions...
I'm making do with my 2" narrowed beam and swingaxle. I'm about to pull the trigger on the Polo rack kit for it though. The price has gone up since Michael M. bought his.
And I still have my own plans for a single trailing arm and two lateral links for rear IRS.
I'll start with the rack first, then go from there.
Rick......I'll see Greg this week and ask him about that. Maybe something has come up since I last talked to him. He ordered 5 more of my Quick-change license plate brackets so sales on those has picked up................Bruce
Talked to Greg this morning and yes, there is renewed hope for me ! Of course more time too. Greg asked me to call him this Saturday when he has had another chance to talk to another guy who may be able to do this. He said that we all will meet to discuss this endeavor after that.
The rear will be pretty straight forward with double lateral links and trailing arms. Very similar to what can be seen on most side-by-side ATV's in the rear. Like on a Yamaha, Honda, Polaris etc........Dynamic is always better than static progress ??...........Bruce
Bruce, I’ve elected to move forward at this point with a narrowed beam front and IRS. Greg gave me a time frame of 6-8 months, so I hope to have the stage 2 package here by spring 2022.
I’ve had a TF-1 case on order now since September, but Todd just got back from visiting the foundry in LA and the guy still hasn’t gotten around to casting the cases for him. The foundry says they cannot get workers, too much money being handed out in enhanced unemployment. The foundry did promise Todd that the cases will be done by years end.
Living on the east coast makes these VW based projects harder as all the suppliers are on the left coast. Maybe I should have just built a Factory Five Cobra instead! Lol
LI-rick..............Greg said that the guy he is talking to now didn't understand the magnitude of this project at first and gave Greg a 4 month away start date but when Greg explained that this wasn't just a one-off job and that frames and suspension and related holding jigs and fixtures were involved, he said lets talk next week !
Greg is quite the guy ! He promised to stop by his old shop and pick up a chunk of an old Spyder rear clam shell for me to practice on to get my safety latches to work. I don't want the leather straps. I want to use aircraft panel door latches instead. I have them already and modified to my liking but it is critical on how they need to be placed in the clam shell and still work and look good. I think I will need to build up the fiberglass on the undeside of the clamshell a little thicker but we'll see when I get my "Practice Piece of clamshell.......................Bruce
Interesting stuff. I spoke with Greg today on some other matters and we discussed Bruce's frame a bit. He told me about the new guy that seems to be onboard with the way things need to go, which is excellent news. Looking forward to watching this progress!
Today I ordered a cable shifter setup from Greg to convert an early-2000s Vintage from Fibersteel shifter to something that works(much) better. It will also allow the passenger seat to get lowered about 2". Much better experience for the passenger, as it already has the lowered full plexi screen.
I also ordered the rack kit from Alex in Finland. It's 625 euros now, which is almost $800 shipped, so sit down if you're reading this! Rick, I'll let you know how it goes. You might want to do the same.
I just checked this morning, and the Kerscher tuning kit is 850 euros or about $1000, plus shipping to the USA.
Basically the same as Alex's kit, but I like Alex's machined solid steel tie-rod bracket rather than the stamped steel VW one.
Sent you a PM, Rick.
@DannyP posted:Interesting stuff. I spoke with Greg today on some other matters and we discussed Bruce's frame a bit. He told me about the new guy that seems to be onboard with the way things need to go, which is excellent news. Looking forward to watching this progress!
Today I ordered a cable shifter setup from Greg to convert an early-2000s Vintage from Fibersteel shifter to something that works(much) better. It will also allow the passenger seat to get lowered about 2". Much better experience for the passenger, as it already has the lowered full plexi screen.
I also ordered the rack kit from Alex in Finland. It's 625 euros now, which is almost $800 shipped, so sit down if you're reading this! Rick, I'll let you know how it goes. You might want to do the same.
Ditching the Jamar for a cable shifter was the single best thing I’ve done on my Spyder.
My Jamar worked exceedingly well. The Fibersteel shifter is not the same thing as the Jamar at all. The Fibersteel replicates the original Spyder shifter, but necessitates raising the passenger seat a couple inches. The Jamar shifter pivots from below the shifter then reverses direction at the trans, the Fibersteel is a direct tube connection, pivoting from above. There is no reversing motion at the back.
When I ordered my new car Greg gave me the option of Jamar or PBS. I chose the PBS and really like the feel of it. It seems to be just a little more precise than the Jamar.
A long time ago I had re-worked the two Jamar U-joints. Basically hammered them and closed the holes around the pins as they were worn and sloppy. Then greased them real well and put a piece of bicycle inner tube over as a boot. A couple tie-wraps sealed the ends. Ran it that way for probably 30k with no wear after that.
JaMar........Jan and Marvin Shaw. La Mirada Ca. then Lake Elsinore. I used to play with them in buggies down at Glamis and up at Pismo in the late 60's................Bruce
@DannyP posted:My Jamar worked exceedingly well. The Fibersteel shifter is not the same thing as the Jamar at all. The Fibersteel replicates the original Spyder shifter, but necessitates raising the passenger seat a couple inches. The Jamar shifter pivots from below the shifter then reverses direction at the trans, the Fibersteel is a direct tube connection, pivoting from above. There is no reversing motion at the back.
When I ordered my new car Greg gave me the option of Jamar or PBS. I chose the PBS and really like the feel of it. It seems to be just a little more precise than the Jamar.
A long time ago I had re-worked the two Jamar U-joints. Basically hammered them and closed the holes around the pins as they were worn and sloppy. Then greased them real well and put a piece of bicycle inner tube over as a boot. A couple tie-wraps sealed the ends. Ran it that way for probably 30k with no wear after that.
I wish id have known you when I lived in NY. Perhaps you could have helped me sort it. I think the big problem with mine was that the guy who built my car welded up his own rod. I could never get it to work right, or stay working right when I did.
@aircooled, 3 more months have passed, any updates?
Nope........Greg said he had another company that's willing to try and it would take more time to get it in the que. He asked me if I was willing to wait and encouraged me to do so. I'm stilling willing but this will be my last time before I give up and just go for a regular front end with R&P steering box. It's starting to get to me Rick. It's been a long time.........................Bruce
RE: Rack and Pinion install:
I think there will need to be a little modification to the fiberglass just above the driver's feet, mostly right above the clutch pedal. I'll know for sure when I get started.
The tie-rods being equal length and picking up the rack from the center moves the driver's side tie-rod back a little, toward the firewall. How much remains to be seen. Since the passenger side is shorter, it will move away from the firewall.
I kept some of the fiberglass panels from my old wrecked car, and there's a nice flat piece from the inner rear fender that I have to splice in. I can glue it in and lay up a couple layers of fiberglass on either side. I think I'll have to take the corner off the top of the firewall to make a space for the tie-rod.
As has been discussed before, packaging is pretty tight in the front of a Spyder.
Thanks Dannny. I was hoping that Bruce’s car was progressing before my car made it onto the frame table.
Saco used to make an offset, center load rack, but I’m not sure if the 1.5 to 1 ratio was slow enough for the street. I think they are now out of business. I’ve also read that Chevy Cavaliers from the mid 1980’s to the early 90’s used a center load manual rack, which a few people have used in Baja bugs. I tried searching for one, but they seem unobtainium, as most of them used a power rack.
You need to get in touch with Alex_77 on the samba.com. It's $800 with shipping(I think that's 625 euros, whatever the exchange rate is).
I feel ya, Bruce! My coupe is over 2 1/2 years now. It's wearing a bit thin. I don't know what to think. Let me know if you're ever headed over for a visit. Maybe I could get you to take a picture so I can see the motor and interior installed?
