Information to start a project

Hi fellows,
I am just about to finish up with my last project, '54 Bentley restoration. Am just about certain to start on a Spyder next and would appreciate all advise as to the best supplier for the body, and parts. Not necessarily the least expensive. I am looking for the best, so I only have to do it once. Most likely I will chose to use VW suspension parts and a late Porsche 4 cyl engine, perhaps from a 912. This looks to be a great site, and I love the photos of completed cars.

James

Hi James,
I have to warn you, everyone is passionate about their particuliar car and believes THEIRS is the "best"... So when you ask your simple question, people tend to get a little fired up. That being said, we have a Thunder Ranch 550A-6 that we built and are completely in love with it.

If you are going to do a build yourself as you describe, your list of makers gets rather short. I am about 90% certain that only Thunder Ranch sells the kit for a spyder to utilize the parts you describe that the owner can build.

Check out Thunder Ranch's website. Nice cars, great people. Steve and I are likely to be repeat customers of theirs (as we would never consider a turn-key car, only an owner-build).
angela

Thank you Angela,
And I certainly will check it out. Actually, I had started to get discouraged about finding a hands-on project, after trudging through all the builders offering only completed cars, finally ending at the Prestige Classic site, offering 100K+++ cars.

James

There's a lot of people that can help out here and on www.spyderclub.com so just keep asking and we'll see what we can do. Also if you're good at searching there is a lot of information already here and there.

James,

You might want to think away from the 4-cylinder Porsche engine. The VW type-1 and type-4 are much more highly developed. 150 to 200+ hp is pretty much the standard fare most of us are using. Want more?: Turbo and fuel injection is easy to come by ($$$) for some real whiplash. Think your Porsche needs a Porsche?: Angela's six cylinder is what you might want to mimic.

Mark

Thanks,
No problem with the VW. Just thought of Porsce because of the dual carbs and linkage setup. No chance of fuel injection, for that is all wrong. If I want real speed it will not be found on a 1950 vintage car. What is important here is the vintage sound and feel. Likewise, a four cylinder engine is the only acceptable noise.........the Porsche six is wonderful, but not on a Spyder. That would be like a titanium club on a golf ball. It may go faster, farther, and win the day; but, if you want that them don't look back to the past. A Spyder without the rumble of a four cylinder engine, would be a fake. To be absolute, the engine must be four cylinder and four cam........few of us will ever even hear that music, but none should accept less than the four banger squall.
Regards,
James

James,

Almost all of us have dual carbs / linkage on our 4-cylinder "VWs". and they're Big dual carbs. Usually a pair of Webber 44s, I have Dellorto 48s. Most have the original vision of a little 1200 cc engine hammered out to 2000 cc and well beyond. Seriously, 150hp to 180hp is almost a standard "VW" engine for the spyders. You want some sqall? Ripping past 6000 rpm is ordinary.

Mark

Um...Hate to tell you but using your standard, every "Spyder" built after Porsche stopped making them is a "fake"...

And you might want to be careful about looking down your nose at others' ideas of how to construct their cars...Some Spyders have 4 cylinder VW engines and others have a Porsche 6. Speedsters are built with 4-banger VW mills and others have a watercooled Subaru engine. Some people have all the Porsche emblems and badges, others leave their car "clean"...

I haven't seen it in person, but I have read others' comments and Angela and Steve's 6-cylinder Spyder is apparently built to the highest standards and purportedly runs like a scalded dog.

Do whatever you like, but don't be so quick to label other's efforts as "fake."

Just my opinion.

TMc

Oh, no need to hate my good man...

Still, there are degrees, even it this kit car game. In Texas today, for one example, there is a firm which claims to build the Spyder cars using original dimensionss, in all-aliminum. I bet they can do it too, but it ain't cheap. They will duplicate the frame in probably better form than original. You can fit it with suspensions which were unheard of in the 1950,s; all for about 110 to 150 big ones.
The firm is currently working on an all-aluminum car with an original 4-cam engine.

This, I would call, a serious effort to equal or exceed the original. You want to call it a fake. Ok. But I say, this effort is in the right direction.

You want to argue in favor of jet engines in a plastic body, well, that is your angle..........But not not for all of us ...and as to your nasty remarks,,,well; I say damm bad show!! Next time maybe better.
James

Huh?...Nasty? Dawg, you don' know nasty...Just hang 'round here a little while and wait for the Spyder vs Speedster crowds to start pissin' at one 'nother about somethin'....Or even better the owners of smiley faces versus the non-contributors...Then you'll see nasty!

Of course, now that you've joined this little group we don't have to think for ourselves...You can just keep us informed as to the "...right direction..." and we'll all just play nice and agree...Yeah, right! Mouth off all you want about what's rignt and wrong...Just don't expect everybody here to buy into your pretentious b******t.

TMc