Mike has asked me to put the record straight with regard to the windscreen rake of the Spyder and the coupe. There is a certain Daytona web-site in the UK that states, that the spyders windscreen, was at a different angle to the coupe. This is not true. Mike has confirmed this, and i also checked with Ferrari and they said not, also Ferrari confirmed the windscreens, quarter lights and door glass were all the same so that would make it impossible for there to be a difference. I hope that clears it up, as ths is how the wrong information gets put about. When i asked the web-site host of the Daytona site about it he told me he had looked at a lot of pictures!!
When i said the door glass was the same, i ment the exact size and shape, other than, the angled cut off on the rear of the door glass furthest from the screen [ which is to make the hood fit nicely ]
Well, I own several original Spyders and Coupes. The windshield/screen sure looks the same to me. Since I'm restoring them, I'll have the all the glass pulled and compare them. It will be obvious if they are different or the same. I wouldn't trust what Ferrari says without checking up on it yourself. I've already found a couple of things they stated to be on way when, if fact, it was quite another. Having owned at least ten of these cars from the 10th one built to close to the last, Spyders and Coupes, Euro and USA, I've just about seen it all. But, just when you think you've seen everything, you see something like a one bolt steering box on a 1973 build date car that looks original. That's a good year after the changeover (one bolt to three bolt), in theory, happened. Steve
Now that's more like it. It is starting to look more like a Daytona, even though Mike was only checking the fit. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is a fascinating thread---I'm astonished at the effort going into this project, and congratulate you and Grant. I don't think there are too many people who would undertake such a nightmare! Thanks for the thread and for your efforts. I can't get the term "underwater" out of my mind!
These are the latest pic's of the front inner wings, being formed in steel to the correct shape, rather than the coupes fiberglass ones. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is the latest pic from today of the inner front wings being formed [ incredibly complicated shape] Mike has made patterns in Ally, to use if he ever has another Spyder to do again??? [ He must be mad ] Thinking of doing another one that is. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Latest progress, inner wings finished and bulk head fitted. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This pic. is of the heater unit, which Mike has repaired today and must be fitted in place, before the outer wings are fitted. Image Unavailable, Please Login
A few more pic's. The heater unit now fitted and the front is coming together. Mike is just waiting for the correct size heater hose to go in the wing as the car had the wrong size fitted and the ends were covered with duck tape. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's some more of the latest pic's. Mike has most of the front repaired and is busy making it in to one complete section before removing it as a complete unit, he will then complete the arches and inner panels before fitting the complete front clip back on the frame for the final time and welding it all together. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's a couple of pic's i took today. Mike has been busy doing parts you cannot see like the boxing to house the fresh air hose, that go's underneath the front wings. The back will soon be coming off, and then it's time for the paint work. I spent a few hours with Mike today at his house and he showed me part of his collection of photos of cars he has worked on. I lost count of how many Daytona's, 275, Dinos, etc etc, even later cars like F40's and F50's. There must be over 10-20 million pounds + worth of cars he has put back together. any way i am waffling a bit so pic's below. Grant Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Grant, Amazing and beautiful. You're a brave man. What is the motivation behind the steel inner front wings? The spyder can probably use every bit of added stiffness it can get, on the other hand there's more metal to be attacked by the little rust creatures.
Thanks for the kind comments Jack. As Matt said the original Spyder had steel inner wings for extra strength and mine, and Mikes intension is to make the best and most accurate Daytona conversion there is. Mikes philosophy is the job has to be done properly or not at all, which he has proved to me time and time again, as you can see by the detail shown on the work he has done, which is no small feat as there are no drawing showing the difference between the Spyder and the coupe, and i believe there are only 5 Spyders living in the UK at the moment so it is very very very hard to see one to use as a reference. My Motivation behind it was, i had always dreamed of owning a Daytona Spyder [ and when i say dreamed that's the truth, i never never thought i could own one] and when this one came up i jumped at the chance. I went in with my eyes wide open and new it needed a lot of work to get it right before i bought it, and the price reflected this to some extent. Between the, as you say "rust goblins" and EG Autokraft the car was nearly undriveable [ i did enjoy driving it for a few months though] with so much flex in the body/ chassis, the wheels would hit the inner wings on corners. I could have given it a £5000 tart up as a few Ferrari specialist said, but i new i would never be happy and the rust would not just be eating away at the car but also on my conscious. so i had only had one way to go, at the hard part was finding the right person to do the job. I got lucky [ mainly thanks the F Chat] and found probably the best and most experienced person i the world to do the job and of that i am sure. So it may upset some purist with what i am doing, but so far all i have had is positive comments.
Grant, you will be amazed by the difference when you get it back on the road. Under advice relayed from Mike, we also "bit the bullet" and changed the A-posts in my car (14397, the blue car in the pics above) to the correct dimensions, plus added some clever gusseting to the sill rails where they join the chassis. The result is a car that is dramatically stiffer and much more pleasant, not to mention safer, to drive. In hindsight it was of course a travesty to cut original coupes in the late 70's and early 80's, but neverless these cars exist and finishing the job correctly makes them into a usable and respectful homage to the factory cars. I doubt if market values will ever justify the cost of converting back to a coupe, but that option is always there!
Returning a spider to a coupe will make an ugly duckling into a swan again ... enough justification IMO . Pete
None (and very unlikely that I ever will) ... but I still know what I believe looks better. Just like a coupe Alfa Romeo GTV looks better than the GTC, again IMO . But ofcourse everybody is different, but on a Daytona the coupe window line and roof are the most defined shape to the car ... Pete
Apropos of nothing, I've been meaning to post this photo for a while. Its from our pre-73 V12 rally back in April. I owned and restored the black 365GT in the late 80's - it was great when it turned up at the rally and I posed this shot of it next to my Daytona. Happily, there were some other interesting cars in the frame! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Ian. Glad to hear Mike's advise helped. It just go's to show, what a small world the Ferrari one is, with your old car turning up the the same meet, it looks like ther was some great cars there. Your car look great, I wish the weather was the same over here as it was in your photo. The roads are white with frost. Happy Christmas Grant
Latest update. The rear bodywork has now been removed and will soon be ready for the new rear clip to be fitted. It looks very odd with no rear end! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Photo's of the new rear bulkhead Mike has made, and the new rear clip being tried for size. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Martin They are not mine to share i am afraid, but they are similar to the ones in the book Super Profile, by Nathan Beehl of the cars being made at the factory. [ Great book by the way] The good bit is, we have now been able to confirm that everything Mike has done, is correct by viewing one of the 7 Uk Spyders. Grant