This car is indeed for sale

UPDATE (11/19/2021) The car is still available! My prospective buyer put down a non-refundable deposit, drove 2000+ miles from Utah with a trailer, inspected the car intently (he’s a former insurance appraiser), pronounced it very good, lowered himself in the driver’s seat for half an hour, discussed adjusting the pedals to get more leg room (can be done, I think!) agreed to meet at the bank this morning to consummate the deal, then called last night with misgivings: his hips hurt; he doesn’t fit comfortably in the driver’s seat. This morning he canceled the sale.

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Final assembly and fettling

It’s been a busy month. I got the engine back in but couldn’t get nuts on the motor mount bolts, so had to cut those off, pull them out and replace in the conventional manner, up from the bottom, thus ending my experiment in doing this operation more efficiently.

I salved my wounded pride by tackling the side scripts. I am happy to report they fit well and look shiny!

Alignment success, hydraulic trouble

Added a rear exhaust mount and test-fit some cardboard for the underpan back there. With the mufflers inboard like this it will have to be a little different than stock, but it should work.

Engine in…engine out…engine IN

We got the engine in the Spyder last week with a little help from my friend Cory. But then there was a problem: The two lower motor mount bolts bottomed out on the crossmember and could not be tightened.

Continued slow going

I have spent even less time working on the car this month than last. My left wrist is somehow injured, the weather’s cold and wet and I’m just not feeling it. Still need to find a painter.

Still, I’ve spent a couple hours here and there. One thing I did was fit up an aftermarket Bug sway bar to see if I could make it work.

Lowering the driver’s seat

Decided to modify my cross rails to set the driver’s seat down. Four hours of cutting, drilling, grinding, welding and painting yesterday and we got about a half inch lower in the back.

The surprising thing is, I could feel it.

Yep, my flares hold

Spent the past few days making brackets, bending tubes and just generally getting the brakes, clutch, shifter & etc. into near-working order.

And, yes, the flares I made for the clutch lines hold pressure.

Making the clam hinge stay

In what might just be the final procrastinatory sideshow in my quest to not be doing wiring, I spent the last couple days making a proper Porschesque clam stay, complete with wheel ratchet, double articulation, lightening holes and shiny aluminum and stainless steel.

Jackpoints welded, horn pockets in, and some aluminum stuff riveted

I returned to the front of the car after Thanksgiving to make the inner lip for the grill to bolt to, make and install the horn pockets, make the horn mounting tabs, weld the frame extensions and jack points and build the airbox for the oil cooler. All done.

Onward

The spare tire rack, modified cross-brace and custom shift linkage are essentially done. I still plan to collar the bent tube where it meets the frame rails, and I’ll probably scratch-coat it with 400 grit before shooting the whole rear frame black again just before final (re)assembly. But it’s mainly done.