Re: Unsolicited Endorsement of Spider Chassis Stiffener

[C2slayman@domain.elided]

Hi Biba,
       Thanks for the feedback!  You asked what I'm trying to accomplish with
my '89 Spider.  That's a great question and one all of us overlook all the
time when we are talking about repairs and mods.  My Spider is a daily driver
(in Bay Area commute traffic no less!)  I haven't taken any driving classes
and I don't take the car to autocrosses or the track.  I'd like to, but there
are other things on my ''to do' list that get a higher priority - like
gardening and keeping the Spider repaired and on the road.  So my main
priority with the Spider is to make it a car that I enjoy driving on the
street (and twisties of course!)  So I'm more interested in how the car FEELS
and RESPONDS to me than ultimate cornering limits (and just experimenting
around with stuff in general).  Also, since I don't have to worry about any
class rules like Russ or our other Digest racers/autocrossers, I make the
mods I want and the only limit is my pocketbook and time.  So it's important
for each Digesti to ask what they are after before modifications begin.  I
would be the last one to claim the mods I've made are for every enthusiast.
(Just ask Louis how he feels about my clutch mods!)
       My view of my late model Spider is that it is "fairly" common and my
modifying it is OK.  I view your Duetto as much more of a collectors item.
If I owned one, I would tend to keep it closer to factory specs.  I'm not
saying you should.  It's your choice.  But I think the vintage of the car
should have some influence on how we view modifications.  By the way, I've
kept all the old stock parts so that it can be restored to factory conditions
in 2050, when it will be a collector's item.  ;->
       "Chassis Stiffener (for erectile cowl dysfunction)"  Wow!  That's a
great one! The rear transverse bar clears the exhaust and driveshaft because
it mounts below the trailing arm.  Both driveshaft and exhaust are above this
plane.  The front transverse bar can interfere with the exhaust manifold
downpipe for some model years,  In my case there wasn't a problem.  But Len
Leeb noted that he had to get another bar from Ereminas.  In truth, it
wouldn't be too difficult to get a local welder to make minor mods to clear a
header if you had one.
       As far as ground clearance goes, it's not bad (plus my W&D springs and
Koni Sports make this a non-issue).  The whole affair is only about 2" lower
than the bottom of the side frame rails.  Which is way above the beautiful
aluminum finned sump that hides behind the obligatory steel skid plate
(probably should have been #7 on my list of Must Have Mods!)  If you know
what you're looking for, you can notice the chassis stiffener.  But I doubt
any non-Alfisti would notice it is there.
       For your Duetto's tail problems, have you installed a new rubber (or
better yet, urethane) trunion bushing?  I was absolutely amazed how much my
urethane bushing improved the behavior of the rear axle.  I will say that
this one upgrade was more significant than sway bars, springs or shocks!
And I noticed NO INCREASE in ride harshness.  So I view the urethane upgrade
as a WIN-WIN installation.  To give you a graphic explanation, drive your
Duetto full-throttle across a railroad track at an angle.  Mine rear end
stays firmly planted!  My next upgrade will be urethane bushings for the
control arms and front of the T-arm.  But I do expect these to increase
harshness somewhat.

       "Tires: Should I keep the '69 Spider, I might consider getting a set
of
15" steel rims (if they're in good shape and not too dearbanyone out
there?), possibly, possibly have slightly wider rims replace the (?)
5.5" ones. Still, I would want to at least get 20k street miles out of
the chosen tires."  She's a keeper!  Don't sell her.  Yes.  I think 15" steel
wheels would look better.  I've been amazed at how many miles I get out of
Michelins.

Regarding a roll bar, I toyed with the idea of installing one before I saw
the chassis stiffener.  I wasn't interested in roll over protection - it's a
non-issue for me on the street and I'll probably never race it.  I was
interested in increasing chassis stiffness.  But the easy to install roll
bars bolt to the floor pan and reduce seat travel - UNACCEPTABLE option for
me.  Installing a roll bar in the parcel shelf area requires cutting metal
and getting down to the real floor.  I decided I didn't want to do that much
work.

       That's it for now!

Cheers,
Charlie

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