S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Hey guys, I’m only about a month away from finishing my new car and figured I would share the build. This car is intended for super street and super gas so it will be a little on the heavy side. I decided to use all mild steel and sheet metal interior to try to get my weight up to 2800 pounds. I will start from the beginning with some pics and go from there till completion.

So here we go with the start I found the body over the bridge near Baltimore
I bought a 27 roadster kit from Chris Alston chassis works knowing I’m going to have to change a lot of the sizes and bars to accompany this body. I decided to stretch the wheelbase as 88” is just way too short for my liking the Porsche is now at 97 and gets out of control so as you will see as the build goes on, I have stretched it quite a bit.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

I should mention that the Porsche is a ladder bar car, and this one will be a 4link car with a wheel base extension, It should work a lot better. I also need to add that I want this car to be very versatile. Want to be able to bracket race it also, i like the idea of the added visibility and I plan on keeping the windshield. The car is all steel so as not to be a cookie cutter of everyone else’s Corvette roadsters.
These next few pics, I’m sizing up everything and gathering up some parts

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Gonna be cool. Lone wolf car builder.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Fun Build to follow, with the wind blowing your helmet around on the top end LOL

You have been holding back on us all this time...LOL

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

I can say Keith has sent me some pics through the build (keeping them Top Secret) and it’s a pretty need car and cool looking!

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I love it. I saw a Spider at the Winter Nationals in the late 70s running Modified Production with a VW engine and it was a sight to see. I talked to the owner and he could not figure out why his 60 foot times were bad and i said it looked like he was pulling the wheels past the 60 foot beam.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

You certainly have a flair for the unique. That will be a best engineered award winner for sure.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Thank you sir but I’m not sure on that. I thought the Porsche would have gotten an award but home built cars seem to take a back seat to the high dollar builds or at least a best appearing for the 4 different paint jobs over the last 26 years. seems like I get overlooked but I’m not in the clique

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Here is a bit more, collected parts and getting the body ready, last 2pics I decided to stretch the front end 7” so added some sheet metal, will have to add same amount to the hood later in the build

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Getting those boxes opened, some assembly required!
My friend Gearld Pierce gave me the jig and a joint jigger
My crew chief and good friend shaggy (Scott Sapp) is in now on this part of the build, he used to build sprint cars and the like, so we knew we were going to stretch and modify This chassis
It really came in handy having him around, pointing me in the right direction and helping bend a few or stretch a few bars to fit this unique body.

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Put last coats of primer on today, maybe out at Atco’s national open in a few weeks!
Thanks to Tommy Depasqle who has helped with some of the bondo work, he got back from Florida just a few days ago and came over today to block some primer. Anybody that has done this kind of work knows that these last steps before painting are pretty nasty.
I better get some of these pictures up before it makes a debut
This is still some of the body preparation, taking the whole car to bare metal, loads of paint and crappy work under that silver. Gotta cut out everything that will be in the way

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Checking to be sure it’s fitting the body properly then off again to start tacking. I am getting chase fanstock to come over and use my tig to weld the main structure, I will mig most of the add ons

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Some more progress pics

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

I have a 69 Datsun roadster that's been in the barn for 35 years that I've thought about doing the same thing with.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

I love different cars. Sounds like a great idea. Get it going!
anyway at age 55. This will be my last race car I build. if I ever want another. I’m definitely going to buy it, way too much work.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Keith, I’m so impressed with your skills and work ethic on the roadster. Looking forward to seeing your ingenious approach to taking both cars to the track without buying a stacker.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Well….. that’s going to be tough, I do have a ramp truck and open trailer but not going to do that. With the cost of everything, I will only run one car at a time unless my Crew Chief Shaggy (he has a truck and enclosed trailer) decides he wants to haul one up for me. That’s totally up to him.


Believe it or not, I am painting today, put the base coat on yesterday, taped off the stripes this morning and just put the first coat of clear on. As of right now this thing is looking sharp.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Maybe like I brought the 968 nose home. Although loading it would be a problem
Lmao

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Getting things done, how many times did I put the engine in and out? I know I moved it over at least an inch and a half

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When we got to the cage we really wanted it to match the layback angle of the windshield we made it as close as possible. Getting close to certification time!

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Button up items to make it a rolling chassis

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Almost ready for cert.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Put it on my ramptruck and off to the 2022 Dutch classic to try to pass NHRA certification

It passed no problem. They liked the fact I brought it to them as a bare chassis without the body and all other components in the way.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Where's the mufflers???:p

Looks good . Hope to meet you and see the car at Atco Open.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Unfortunately no room for mufflers. And yes we should be there to test and hopefully race. Finished the painting today. Still lots to do but should be finished

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When back from cert, it was time for brake lines and system, last two photos show what I do with those small pedals. Just too small for me and I actually slipped off the brake pedal in the Porsche one time, never again…

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Time to weld body to frame. Then start on the firewall and sheet metal to body

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Moving the wheel opening back, and adding 3”
in the last picture you can see how much it was moved with the original bumper in place

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Don’t throw away those used drums! Lol after a slight stretch they make a great wheel tub.

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Keith, cool build! Good luck with it, I know you will have good success!

Tim Stickles

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Kool! Your tubs can double as contingency stickers!

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Absolutely awesome Keith cant wait to see it out !!




Jerry
Retired 3490 3492 STK SS SST

Re: S/ST-S/G Alfa Romeo Spider Roadster
 

Moving on to some wiring, and stereo installation, you know, the important stuff

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Got some parts powder coated, put in the jones racing trans system, this pumps fluid while the car is off allowing quick cool down.
Added the fuel system. I believe at this point I had the car running and moving around under its own power

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It was time to paint the cage to finish up the interior now I can cover it and focus on the outside again, I used green, gold, and silver pearls in marbleizer to get this effect. This will also be used in the stripe later

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Time to start on the outside body work, I made new rocker panels to fit the extensions and to level the cars stance to 4-1/2 off floor

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Now I have to fill that 7” gap I made in the hood area and to cut down and mount the scoop

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I need to add that I made the front end removable, it can tilt or slide off, the hood opens from the rear. That was nice because I could get a nice tight fit from the scoop to the windshield. The cowl panel is now in 2 pieces and is removable for engine servicing

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Keith Love the build, you may have found a second calling..LOL

How tight will it be to reach the 3 back plugs?

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Thanks bud, and it's really not bad, especially if you take the three fasteners out of the cowl and remove, all open to the windshield. hard part is if you need to take the distributor out, engine has to go. but still not bad