Sun-Burned ’99 Spyder GS: Revived

[DogWhistle]

Just got caught up on the build from the beginning. It’s a great build, I appreciate all the photos to go along with the write ups. I wanted to get caught up ‘cuz I’m headed over to the 2,000 mile thread next. Looking forward to the next update.

Thanks. We all spend so much time screwing around with our DSMs, we forget how fun they are to drive since we tend to be on edge about the last repair, or listening for new noises.

It was very fun to drive for several days, many hours each day and still smile when getting in the car, looking forward to the roads ahead.

We’re not trying to be different just to be different, but rather to customize the car for our uses, and reliability. A lot of the build was fun, but having to do something a second or third time takes the smile off your face quickly.

 

[DogWhistle]

22. Rotor Warp

Took the brake calipers to a local shop that turned them and removed the warping. So nice to not have steering wheel drama when using the brakes again!

The constant use of the brakes in the cold and hot temps proved too much for the front caliper paint. It is no match for the expansion and contraction cycles that brakes go through.

One "problem" was that the calipers were new when we painted them, so when the paint came off, the calipers were shiny silver, and that meant that no paint stood a chance to grip onto the surface. So we let the calipers 'age' during the drive north and get a weathered surface to hold the paint.

When taking the brakes apart, there were hints of rust on areas of the backing plate, so that got wire brushed, coated with POR-15, and then sprayed with black gloss.

Then the calipers were cleaned and painted with 2-part epoxy caliper paint

We let them harden for 48 hours and then reassembled

The non-contact areas of the discs were painted to avoid them rusting when driven in the rain. Yes, that's high temp anti-seize on the disc face and studs. Okay, it might have been a little excessive as we found out during the test drive that redistributed it around the inside of the rim.

Anyway, just feels good to have the brake project wrapped up.

 

[DogWhistle]

The lower lip of the front bumper takes a beating, even when trying to be careful. A while back, we sprayed the bottom edge with undercoating to take the hit, instead of grinding off more of the actual bumper material.

You can see in this first photo, it was sacrificed as intended:

Without sanding it all down and smoothing it all out, we applied a new layer of undercoat after degreasing the old layer

Not perfect, but it will work as intended and no one will see it unless they're working underneath it.

 

[DogWhistle]

23. Custom Header

As you've seen in the earlier pictures, the eBay 4-2-1 header was chromed and connected together using two-bolt gasket unions, which repeatedly loosened and leaked after many miles, Both embarrassing to hear and frustrating to have to keep repairing.

The final straw was our cross country trip. Apparently, parts of the tubing walls had corroded from the inside out, most likely because of not being properly neutralized after chroming. The extended hours of heat while on the road ultimately blew out the sidewall (shown in previous post), and the too-stiff flex pipe forced a seam to crack.

The header could be replaced with another online model, but the same problems would return, so it was time to ask a friend to fab up a header that was both stronger and used v-bands for connection points.

Here is his design using a spare head for mock up:

Checking for key clearances:

Incorporating a merge collector and spike:

And final product! Beautiful welds and very clean design:

Here's how it looks installed:

The combination of the flow design, heavier gauge tubing and the scavenging efficiency give the car a rumble of an exhaust note, both idling and accelerating, and we've already noticed how much less throttle input is needed for acceleration or cruising.

This is an exciting addition! We're very thrilled it added a deeper dimension to the car and we get to enjoy it, both for its impressive looks, and also while we're driving.

 

[flintoid]

You're an inspiration. The breadth of knowledge and modifications you've done to your car is impressive. Your write ups are extremely helpful, too. Know that you're helping other DSM junkies in their garages, late at night, with your amazing knowledge.

 

[DogWhistle]

You're an inspiration. The breadth of knowledge and modifications you've done to your car is impressive. Your write ups are extremely helpful, too. Know that you're helping other DSM junkies in their garages, late at night, with your amazing knowledge.

Thank you for your kind words. Why not customize the car the way it works best for each owner?

I never thought the mods would get this far, but the more we use the car as a summer daily, the ideas just keep coming.

There are several more custom mods planned for this winter and spring. We’ll document those as well to help blaze a trail for other owners that might want to do similar upgrades.