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The accident damage was on the left hand side, however the right radiator duct had some damage. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was prior damage.
The duct is held on with three screws. The middle one had the holder torn off. There was also a bracket tear.
The holder was easy to melt back together. I used the hot staple gun to stabilise the tear, then welded the torn sides together. As long as the material is melted enough, it comes back together as strong as new.
Definitely one of the best Spyder threads here. It gives many of us a more intimate look at the internals and what it takes to keep them on the road. Thanks again for documenting this.
Question, are you actually going to attempt repair on the front bumper or will you replace it?
Definitely one of the best Spyder threads here. It gives many of us a more intimate look at the internals and what it takes to keep them on the road. Thanks again for documenting this.
Question, are you actually going to attempt repair on the front bumper or will you replace it?
I will attempt to repair it. It has two holes and a big dent. Amazingly, the grilles, grille surrounds, DRLs and splitters are ok. The DRL surrounds are either missing or pock marked, but luckily I have new ones in my stash.
I’ll be curious to see if you can bring it back. Are you going to use filler or will you use plastic and then sand it down similar to what you’re doing on the undercarriage panels? I ask because I would think filler would defeat the purpose of the bumper, any impact would crack and damage it rather dramatically.
Yeah the DRL surrounds aren’t too pricey, I keep an extra set around for concours as they do take a beating from the small rocks and road debris. I’m surprised the silver trim didn’t crack but they are pretty flexible.
This is my first plastic welding adventure so I’m relying on Racoguy for tools and advice (check out his epic 964 thread).
My basic understanding is that the steps will go as follows:
1. Apply heat to all deformed parts, and some gentle pressure, to have them resume their molded shape. The biggest challenge will be the large indent.
2. Hot staple the tear/rips, from the back side.
3. Remove the paint from the front side of the joined rips/tears
4. Dremel a V in the joined edges and weld with filler rod in the gap.
5. Sand the surface and if good enough, apply a very light coat of flexible filler.
6. Sand, prime and paint.
Racoguy has specifically asked me not to start without him helping. I can see why, as the goal is to do as little damage as possible in completing the repair eg I don’t want multiple heating cycles on the big dent and the material on its edges will require heat in certain places to get it right, first time.
A new bumper is ~ USD 2,000. If this doesn’t work, then that’s the next option.
If this is repaired, I’m not concerned about its functionality. My observation with the welding is that melting similar materials ends up with a strong flexible bond. There won’t be a lot of filler to crack.
A significant cost/investment in the Spyder rebuild is a brand new dashboard.
My original thought was to buy a used one. However, it was a potential unicorn 🦄 hunt.
Firstly, a wrecked car can’t have had the airbag go off which means they are not common.
Then, I wanted a good RHD dashboard in the right colour with Sports Chrono. Even less common.
Also, I was unsure what changes might have been made from Gen 1 to Gen 2 cars and the Spyder has no binnacle so any scratches would show.
In the end, I think it was money well spent to go new. It’s perfect and it fits. It’s also noticeably newer in colour. This will stand out to anyone sitting in the car. Sometimes it’s best not to compromise. Crazy amount of packaging Parts I needed to remove from my old dashboard.
The airbags and one belt arrived. The other belt is next week.
Sorry if posted previously, how/where did you aquire the Airbag from and what was the cost?
P.S. - been watching this on FB, good to see the further detail here!
Sorry if posted previously, how/where did you aquire the Airbag from and what was the cost?
P.S. - been watching this on FB, good to see the further detail here!
I ordered it from a local importer. I think it may have come through the dealer network. AUD 2,680 in my hand.
The dash refit continues. I’m sending this to a local repair shop to get the foam replaced. Lots of well hidden screws. Halfway there. Full installation of the air bags and glove box to go.
Do you think the center channel speaker damage is due to the accident or age related? It’s hard to tell if the foam has hardened due to age.
I think it’s age and sun exposure. New Zealand sun is known to be harsh. While there is foam in the cover, I think the placement of the speaker makes it quite exposed.
Bags and belts time. Feel the fear and do it anyway. The unfounded fear was that I would somehow end up with the lot being triggered. It was unfounded. The only fault codes left are for the seat airbags and that’s because the seats aren’t in the car. The bag serial numbers are recorded in the maintenance book.
07-14-2023 | 10:17 PM
