Spyder Progress At Last

[roosterrusek]

Dallas, I just wanted to give you a huge THANK YOU. Why? Well I have been slowly getting my 71' GT all ready and restored. Oh yeah, I am the guy that has the 2.3 turboed engine from an 88 Thunderbird in my orange 71...we met briefly at an Atlanta Opel Meet at Gene's a year or so back.

Anway, I am finally at the stage where I have all of the engine, suspension, electrical etc...done so that I could go ahead and save my pennies to get the paint job and the interior done. While I will have the paint job done by a pro, after seeing the custom mods you did to the interior of your Spyder, I am REALLY psyched to do that too. While I am sure that it will take some practice, I am quite handy and your 123's of do it yourself with the Great Stuff and the fiberglassing. I am CERTAIN I could do the same.

Sometimes it just takes a little bit to open someones eyes, and here I was boo hoo'ing over how much it was probably going to cost me to have the interior done, and you have absolutely inspired me.

So, THANK YOU for being innovative, and sharing it with the rest of the Opel Lovers here. You have unknowingly saved me money, and the end result will be something custom that I did. Dude, you rule.

Paulie

[jerseydave]

Just thought I'd do a follow-up to see what happened to the spyder that Walter/Propel had to take home and if he recovered any of his stolen parts.

[PROPEL]

It was a bad situation. The business was being looted while I was making arrangements to tow my car out. I recovered very few of my NOS parts, and large pieces like the windshield and gas tank went missing. I had the feeling that most of the people who were removing things from the property were actually friends of the owner. I had little recourse except to mention my suspicions during his bankruptcy hearing. However, I was conveniently left off the list of creditors for that court meeting (even though his lawyer had told me that I would receive notice to appear).

In August, I received a letter from the court stating that I had been left off the list of creditors (!!!) and that the final bankruptcy hearing had been held. However, the court found the owner guilty of "fraudulent conveyance" and DENIED him his bankruptcy. He is also subject to criminal penalties for lying to the Feds. I can now sue him in small claims, and even though the max damages allowed is $1500, I intend to seek a judgment against him. (Most likely, I will have to take a number in line and not receive any financial restitution.)

I have been working steadily on the Spyder. My friends and I are doing all the bodywork now, and there is still some work to be done. I am not an expert bodyman, but I cannot afford to pay someone else again for this... so the car may not be show quality in the end. That's okay for me, though, since I just want to drive it, anyway. Lots of bodywork, sanding, priming, and preventative rustproofing has been accomplished. In addition, I have fabricated a custom dash for it, installed a 1.1L SSD drivetrain, installed twin rollbar hoops from a Honda S2000, and mounted Triumph leather buckets seats. Presently, the Spyder is having a custom tonneau cover sewn at an auto upholstery shop three blocks away (so I can keep my eye on it).

Hopefully, the shop won't go out of business before they finish it.

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by PROPEL It was a bad situation. The business was being looted while I was making arrangements to tow my car out. I recovered very few of my NOS parts, and large pieces like the windshield and gas tank went missing. I had the feeling that most of the people who were removing things from the property were actually friends of the owner. I had little recourse except to mention my suspicions during his bankruptcy hearing. However, I was conveniently left off the list of creditors for that court meeting (even though his lawyer had told me that I would receive notice to appear). In August, I received a letter from the court stating that I had been left off the list of creditors (!!!) and that the final bankruptcy hearing had been held. However, the court found the owner guilty of "fraudulent conveyance" and DENIED him his bankruptcy. He is also subject to criminal penalties for lying to the Feds. I can now sue him in small claims, and even though the max damages allowed is $1500, I intend to seek a judgment against him. (Most likely, I will have to take a number in line and not receive any financial restitution.) I have been working steadily on the Spyder. My friends and I are doing all the bodywork now, and there is still some work to be done. I am not an expert bodyman, but I cannot afford to pay someone else again for this... so the car may not be show quality in the end. That's okay for me, though, since I just want to drive it, anyway. Lots of bodywork, sanding, priming, and preventative rustproofing has been accomplished. In addition, I have fabricated a custom dash for it, installed a 1.1L SSD drivetrain, installed twin rollbar hoops from a Honda S2000, and mounted Triumph leather buckets seats. Presently, the Spyder is having a custom tonneau cover sewn at an auto upholstery shop three blocks away (so I can keep my eye on it). Hopefully, the shop won't go out of business before they finish it.

Damn! What a story. Shame all that stuff got taken, not likely anyone else can use it anyway.

If you need a hand with anything Walter (assuming you're still east coast at this time!), you're welcome to take a drive up to my shop and I'll see if I can help out.

Bob

[vikesman101]

Well I am sorry you had to go through all that, I to have been burned by a company that went out of business, it's hard to recover anything from them.
I would love to see your progress on the Spyder, I am close behind you in my own Spyder build. We have a bit different approach but I think that is the cool part of GTs, we can do as we like with them. I am about to reopen my thread and post new pictures, I am hoping to be near completed by spring.
Post up some pictures when you have time, I would love to see your ideas on the dash as I am contemplating what to do with mine. I wish you good luck and for what its worth, I do body work and if you have any question please feel free to ask.

Tom

[jerseydave]

I for some strange reason have fallen for the spyder. Of course if you know me the only way I'll get one is if I buy a completed project. I have been working on my GT for 20 years and may get it road worthy this winter.
I'd like to see more pictures of the two projects as they move forward.

[PROPEL]

Sorry I don't have any current pics, but the photos below were taken two summers ago. I will take some new, current photos as soon as I get the Spyder back from the upholstery shop.

Tom, the dash is reminiscent of the style commonly found on old British roadsters... upright gauge panel with black crinkle finish and a short overhanging padded dash (red) above. There's a glovebox door, but I haven't figured out its actual storage box yet. I decided to go "oldschool" with the dash theme because of how I wanted the red tonneau cover to fit. Plus, the factory GT glovebox does not work well for an open-top car. When I get a chance to take new pics, hopefully, this will make sense. I will be curious to see how you address the windshield frame on your Spyder... padded or painted (body color or black)? I think the windshield frame appears too thick from the interior perspective, and I need to experiment with visually reducing its mass. The bodywork on the rear deck was really time-consuming to "get right", as my Spyder has more compound curves in that area (unlike Keith's straight-forward approach which would have been easier for an amateur like me.) I think the rear deck is what makes these variations stand out from typical convertible conversions. Thankfully, one of my buddies helped me out ALOT with it.

Jerseydave, I have been planning and working on this Spyder for almost 20 years, too (and almost threw in the towel many times over). I wish you success with your own long-term project. Sometimes it's hard to tell where all the time went! (I remember receiving a phone call one evening 16 years ago from a guy named Charles in Virginia... he had heard through the grapevine that I was building a convertible.)

Bob, thank you for your generous offer. Hopefully, I can make it to your celebration on Jan. 3rd — I look forward to having a couple beers and talking Opels!

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by PROPEL Bob, thank you for your generous offer. Hopefully, I can make it to your celebration on Jan. 3rd — I look forward to having a couple beers and talking Opels!

Walter, you are certainly invited! I was just talking to Duane on the phone last night and reminiscing about my first few years involvement with Opels. Your name came up as one of the first C & R customer names I remembered, back when I was a 'grunt' shipping boxes out UPS every day. It's only appropriate you show up!

[blancojp]

That looks almost like my Stealth project..........

[Gary]

Here's some photos of Walter's Spyder that were taken many years ago. I Found them in the original opelgt.com archives.

[vikesman101]

Walter

I restarted my Spyder thread, check it out and let me know what you think. As for the windshield area.... I am about to address that, however, you and I have different approaches to this problem. I am working hard to keep my work load down a bit so I have more time for the Spyder. Still, 2 friends in the same week hit deer.... then I lose control of our Jeep and hit a guide rail in a snow storm (nobody hurt and minor damage). The work finds me... lol

[PROPEL]

Originally Posted by vikesman101 I restarted my Spyder thread, check it out and let me know what you think. As for the windshield area.... I am about to address that, however, you and I have different approaches to this problem. I am working hard to keep my work load down a bit so I have more time for the Spyder. Still, 2 friends in the same week hit deer.... then I lose control of our Jeep and hit a guide rail in a snow storm (nobody hurt and minor damage). The work finds me... lol

Yes, I see the difference between our windshield pillars now. I had mine cut/welded like yours originally, but then decided to beef it up (which I had forgotten about since it was so long ago).

I am following the progress on your Spyder, and I like what you are doing with the convertible top frame. I don't have side windows anymore, or I might consider a similar roof now. A lightweight, detachable fiberglass top would be nice, too, and may require less engineering in my case.

My Spyder will have 'wind wings' to deflect some of the airflow away from occupants. But I might also fabricate a 'bikini top' (a la Jeep), in order to have minimal weather-resistance for any trips to 'sunny' Carlisle, PA.

I also like how you've addressed the twin rollbars. Mine are much taller, which isn't so visually appealing. But it will be easier to string a bikini top to them, and they might offer some rollover protection, too.

Snow AND deer definitely don't mix. (Unfortunately, a former GF of mine lost her aunt to that dangerous circumstance... and it's not really a situation that one can prepare for. So I am happy to hear that you and your friends were lucky to escape injury!)

[PROPEL]

More pics...

[PROPEL]

I had to remove the gauge panel temporarily so that the tonneau snaps could be installed on top of the dashboard. I kept the factory GT rocker switches and gauges...

[jvandyke]

Very cool. After I lost my GT I got an MG Midget and your cockpit reminds me of that, right down to the same style steering wheel, tonnaeu cover, dash, very similar. I love the open cockpit of my MG but miss the sexy lines of the GT. A spyder GT is a great combo!

[jvandyke]

Can't help but think how that dash would look with white faced gauges. I don't know what my hang up is on that...
Link

[jerseydave]

Really nice, great to see that it is in your hands and making progress.

[newman27]

Wow, this car is really looking good - great job so far!!!

Matt

[vikesman101]

WOW I love the dash! I have not decided what to do with mine yet, I guess getting the body done is more a priority right now. I looked at the windshield area on your pics and I think it looks just fine, very nice job of fit and finish. Mine will be just a tad different as I will need to mount the latching mechanism and the area for the front gasket to rest on when the top is up. I think your idea to make a top similar to a Jeep is a good one. Or the removable hard top. Either would not be to hard to do. I will keep watching.
Tom