Mini Outlaw conversion

Removing the bumpers shouldn't require any painting, just some plugs where the bumper brackets pass through the body. Of course, you could install nerf bars as well.

Removing the bumpers and hubcaps and blacking out the wheels will do a fairly thorough job of "butching up"  your car. 

You could rework your wheels to the Rudge style with some spinners.

Big ass fog lights would be cool as well.

Probably skip the spinners, but I am going to black the wheels possibly with black fog lights.  If I remove the front bumpers can I install the fog lights where the bumper holes are?  Plugs?  Sorry new to the Speedster thing.  Does anyone have picture of plugs and where do I get them?  Hopefully this will be a tasteful butch job.

Phil, a lot of this stuff you have to be a bit creative and fabricate yourself. Sure, you can mount the foglights where the holes for the bumper brakets were but you might have to modify the light mounts and fashion a mounting plate to attach to. Do a little research, look at some photos and get your tools out. It's amazing what you can accomplish with some metal, a sawzall, vise and hammer.

 

Remember, a true outlaw is really a car that the owner has "stripped down" and modified to make it more "race ready". The speedster or roadster was built with a removable windshield and bumpers so the owner could drive it to the track, take them off and go racing.

 

Now would be an appropriate time for members to post photos of their handiwork. 

 

We can build you an Outlaw Coupe if you want something different Just a thought, let it simmer.

 

-Daniel

 

PS. Love the Yorkie avatar picture. I used to have a little yorkie of my own, 4.5 lbs of furry!

Phil, your front bumper has brackets that side into the opening in your car's body and bolt to metal flat iron bars that attach to your front suspension.  You could have some brackets fabricated (or make them yourself) to mount your front driving/fog lights.  I'm not sure what you'd do with the rear bumper holes, though.  Maybe rear mounted red fog lights, like they have on European cars.  As Terry mentioned, you can also replace your bumpers with nerf bars.

Just a note; you would think taking the front bumper off was an easy task.  It isn't.  Intermeccanicas have a long bolt on each end of the bumper that pass through the body.  I had a heck of a time pulling the bumper off without scratching the paint.

How easy is it to just remove the bumper guards and place lights?  Like this. Is my bumper painted beneath the bumper guards? Car with hard top is mine.

I'm sure its painted ... but bumperettes may have dug into the paint/fiberglass. Yours looks like it may have rubber gaskets to protect paint. There will be a mounting hole in the aluminum trim and rubber piece which will require a bolt (as it goes into the bumper bracket).  

Phil, two years ago, I cast my own custom bumperettes based on the shape of the originals. It was quite an exercise in manual labor. Like them or not, it's what I did to my car and as Terry mentioned above, it's about "your " car. Once the bumpers are off, there's just slots to contend with. Many guys attach nerf bars. I think if you go to my "clips" folder you could see many more photos of the process it took me to get mine to look the way they do. Look closely at some of the photos and you can see the black rubber surround at the slot. I'm not certain about IM's, but Becks come with those already installed.

 

Just another view of my approach. Someday i would like to lose my side trim, but not until I need a paint job.

Here's a couple of shots of the cutting/grinding/polishing stage...

I think this is a really cool look, if it had a pair of large driving lights!  No bumper trim.  You could do something like this, but you would have to fill the trim holes and repaint the bumpers.

 

 

Rich.  You've got mad skills.  

James.  I too like that clean look but I would have to remove the trim from not only the bumpers but also from the side of the car.  It really is a nice paint job which is going to be hard to replicate.

Thinking one of two possibilities.  

1.  Remove bumperettes and install fog lights on top of bumpers.

2.  Remove bumpers completely and install fog lights into existing holes in front.  I actually don't mind filling the rear holes with small red fog lights.  Its kind of European.

Daniel

Yes you are right.  Yorkies are awesome.  My 5lb dynamo Rex just chilling.  Looks pretty intimidating.  

To answer your question about bumper guard removal, the mounting hole is drilled through the center of the rubber, the aluminum trim and bumper. You can replace the entire bumper trim piece with new (called bumper deco molding), but just replacing the rubber insert will be enough to cover the other holes and will look the same for less.
For more of a Carrera look just replace it with aluminum GT bumper trim.
We mount our fogs through the bumper top itself. You can also buy fog light mounts that attach to the bumper brackets.
Many other options for bumper replacement like Rich and others mentioned, and then some...

Your my wife's new best friend. She loves Yorkies  She had to rid hers when we bought our first house.  I have freakishly bad allergies.

Was inspecting the front of my car last night.  It is not possible to Outlaw a water cooled IM.  The front bumper hides a cut out in the bottom front of the body to allow air into the radiator.  That answers that.  Going to remove bumperettes and install some Hellas.  Guess if someone wanted to order a bumperless IM subaru Outlaw it would not be possible.

It will be soon.  I heard through the grapevine that there is a change that's being made.  

"Not possible" Phil?...Never say never

 

I saw a photo of a T6 water cooled Outlaw with two parallel slots for radiator air intake running across the lower nose about where the bumpers once were. The car was dark (B/W photo) so at first the slots weren't even noticeable...but when they were they looked very cool and very mean!

 

Of course a B/C T6 nose is rounded and doesn't have the iconic compound curves of an A. But I'll bet that same thing could be fiberglassed fabbed together on a speedster... and look even meaner.   

Think DrClock had commented of quality of this car - but note the fog lamp cutout used on later 356 models.  These could be used for H2O cooling intakes on a rebel car. Can't tell if its an original metal lower skin piece of fiberglass.  Must be fiberglass since openings don't look correct for metal plus no bumper bracket cutouts visible. (Original asking price was like $11k for this "outlaw" - at that $ it will be serving time for a long while).

 

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/cla...etail.php?id=1597594

 

That silver speedster makes me sad.

Love those vise-grips holding that front on.  I'll bet they cost extra.

Phil:

 

When Henry was re-doing my car, I asked about removing the side trim.  He would not attempt that, as the holes were so small he could not guarantee the 'filler' would give a perfect job.  He did change the rear lights from teardrops to beehives.

 

How much have you driven you car since you bought it?  My advice is to drive it more and enjoy it, rather than perhaps getting frustrated day dreaming about what you want to do with it, but can't. 

 

You have a beautiful car there.

 

Or are you stuck in the snow like so many of us this winter, and dreaming rather than driving?

 

Bob read my mind - now is not the time to be tearing it apart - drive it thru season then see if still of mind to modify.  Fog or driving lights (or one of each) are quick additions and do change look.

Bob

More dreaming than driving at this point.  With nice heat I do get out quite a bit when no salt or snow on the road.  I think that I always liked the clean uncluttered lines of the Spyders I owned.  Just trying to personalize it a bit and make it my own.

I understand completely the desire to 'make it your own'.  When I bought my used Speedster from Henry, I had him make a number of changes to it, to allow me to get closer to what I would have ordered in a new car (but at a lot less price).  It's still not exactly what I would order new, but it's close enough.

 

The fun in these cars is doing little tweaks to them, and driving them like you mean it (unless you are Alan and some others on here, who build and re-build cars completely).

 

Lane; Are those pop rivets running along the joint line?

Wow.  That makes a lot of difference just removing bumperettes.  From businesslike to sporty.  BAM.  Just need 2 strips of rubber bumper trim.  Good as new.

looks great Phil

That, or wood screws. 

 

Phil - removing the bumper'ettes is a great start! Looks great.

 

Ted

See, wasn't that easy.

This worries me, because when I asked Henry to do this with my car he said, "Sure, no problem."

Mind you, at the time we were also talking about replacing the back have of my car!

 

 

Ron.

 

I'm sure that can all be buffed out.  HaHa.  Are you up and running?  My daughter just got back from a week in Vancouver/Whistler.  Said it was the prettiest place she's ever seen.  You wouldn't want to miss the Spring.  Spring for me is a couple weeks away.

Hi Phil,

  Brand new member...been following the thread, and I hope you don't mind me butting in.

  I live in DC and am looking to find a water-cooled D roadster IM nearby that I could look at up close...to see fit and finish.  Also, interior size...I'm 6'4".

  Would you be willing to let me look at your car?  If so, and you have a best time, I can drive down and see you.  Lunch is on me, or whatever you like...my treat.

  I visited Robert and Henry in Vancouver in mid-November last year, and was really sold on his products.  Would like to talk with you about your experience buying used, also.

  Let me know if this works for you.

 

Thanks,
Chris

Chris

Any time.  But you really should go to Carlisle.  There will be lots of IMs there.  Henry will be there.  I'll PM you so we can exchange specifics.

Phil,
Yes, absolutely. Went last year, which really began my education in 356
custom cars. Talked with a few SAS owners, but not nearly enough
others...bad timing on my part. Will spend more time there this May.

Let me know what .schedule you can do... I'm good anytime with a bit of
notice.
And any place we can meet is fine... I work for the Navy so I spend time
in Norfolk area regularly.

Thanks, Phil. I appreciate it.

Chris Newell
202-417-4034 (c)
robertcnewell@gmail.com

Well, Ron, Henry was just doing a surface re-paint on my car, not a complete rebuild.  I guess that would account for the difference.

 

He knows what can and can't be done to guarantee a quality product.