What rack is this?

How hard is it to access the engine in your Cayman?

From what I've heard, the Boxster was under a bolted down plate under the ragtop, making it a real PITA.

There are two panels.

One on top, nothing in the way except the hatch opening and the sail panels/side sloping window.

The second one is behind the seats. Flip them forward, pull an insulated carpet, unbolt the panel. The alternator comes right out the front. A wrench on the serpentine tensioner and the belt is off. Two bolts, a plug and a 13mm for the hot lead. Disconnect battery first!

The 987 isn't quite like this, but close enough. No need to disconnect the wire in Figure 2 on the 987.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/t...-ELEC-Alternator.htm

@Carlos G I FOUND THE CARB TOP A COUPLE MONTH'S AGO! Thank you!

I'm bringing this thread back from obscurity. I had some time to play with the steering on my Spyder. It finally got warm enough for me to work WITHOUT turning the heat on in the garage!

The rack WILL fit, but it will take a bit of work. There is less room to work in a Spyder, the footwell is physically closer to the beam. There is less than 1/8" between the brake master cylinder and the lower beam tube.

The steering box takes less room than the rack, obviously, but there will be enough room after I cut some fiberglass. I'm sure that @aircooled and @LI-Rick cars will be WAY easier to install the rack at the outset of construction.

Looking from the passenger side, you can see the pickup point for the inner tie-rod and the steering arm hole for the outer ball joint. You can clearly see that there would be interference. If it clears with the wheels straight ahead, that's all you need. The steering arm moves forward when it swings either left or right.

Clearance also needs to be made for the U-joint. Also, the steering tube needs to be shortened at least an inch so the U-joint can be clamped to the steering shaft.

The passenger side has PLENTY of room, nothing needs to be done there at all.

This is the VW steering box clamp on the stock VW steering gear box. @Michael McKelvey I didn't count splines, but this looks EXACTLY like the splines on the rack input shaft. I think this is 16mm x 62 spline(according to a Shoptalk.com post). The VW rag joint clamp slid right on the rack. Besides the splines, there is a large flat that the clamp bolt rides against.

I'd love to be able to use the VW rag joint, it would certainly simplify the horn button wiring. But the steering shaft/rack angle is somewhere between 10 and 15 degrees, which is not acceptable to me.

No matter which way I approach this, the steering shaft and the steering tube must be cut. And fiberglass needs to be cut and re-glassed to make clearance.

If I use an actual U-joint(which I'm sure I will), about 5" needs to be cut from the shaft and about 2" from the tube. It's also possible that I may need to remove the VW column and replace it with the shorter 911 column(I have one) and use 2 U-joints.

I discussed the fiberglass work with Greg. I have some flat 1/4" fiberglass panel left from my old car to use. Greg says to cut it and fit the new, then hot glue it in place. Then glass over both sides with several layers. I'll finish with some paint or bedliner. There is enough room above and behind the pedals for this, and even a little below the column, the column is between the clutch and brake pedals.

I also have to shorten the tie-rods themselves, due to my 2" shorter beam. I had asked Alex to shorten each side 1 inch, but he did not. So I'll have to remove 1/2" from each end of the round solid tie-rod. This is a minor inconvenience and a bit of disappointment, it's extra work.

Don't worry folks, I'm NOT going to be using a rag joint. Those photos are there just to illustrate the distance and spacing required.

I hope not, but I may end up putting the horn button on the dash. A lot of other stuff has to be accomplished before worrying about that.

If the rack could be installed 1/2" higher(it can't) I could use the rag joint and it would be easier for sure. I could just change the angle of the column so it lined up though, that would work. That may be the best solution.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but it's all part of pioneering things.

This photo illustrates that everything will clear, even in a Vintage Spyder with the tubular frame.

@Michael McKelvey I had to cut half the steering stop bracket off like you did, then the rack fit right in there. The other half cleared the rack bracket, as you can see.

Are you going to do this before Carlisle or after?

I think the rack shaft has 60 splines.  It seems strange that VW used 62 splines for the steering box.

@Lane Anderson posted:

Are you going to do this before Carlisle or after?

After. I put the steering box back in and went for a ride today.

@Michael McKelvey posted:

I think the rack shaft has 60 splines.  It seems strange that VW used 62 splines for the steering box.

60, 62, what's the difference? I didn't count, Shoptalk info. It must be true, I read it on the internet.

It's like Mr. Mom:

"Did you wire it for 110, or 220?"

"220-221. What's the difference?"

This should help you to see what needs to be cut and re-glassed. The red line is the new tierod. The white line is what needs to be cut. If I lower the column end about 1/2"(changing the steering wheel angle by ten degrees or so) I could use a rag joint instead of a U-joint. That may be the most elegant solution for the horn. The rack can rotate on the bracket to make the input shaft line up. Get out the Sawzall!

Nice report, Danny.

I'm continually amazed how tight is the proximity of everything in a Spyder.

Thanks Stan.

Most of the work is mental, trying to visualize how all the pieces are going to fit, like Tetris.

@DannyP, I believe the information you found on Shoptalk is accurate.  I just think it is strange VW did 62 splines instead of 60.

Again, I think the steering box shaft is 62 splines and the rack shaft is 60 splines.

I like seeing you getting started on this and look forward to following your installation.