Alfa Romeo Spider 3.7L 24V V6 Build

[street]

Pics Not Loading??

Not sure what the issue is as I can see all the pics. If this is still happening, please let me know so we can rectify this.

street

[P78]

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=403&pictureid=1966

this is the picture link, but even when i copy/paste that i get a white page

[Jorge]

I thought this was just me, I couldn't see them on the last update either

[Jedidiah]

Street- I dont see the pics either.. are they showing up?

[P78]

don't c the pics in ur thread no more

sadness.jpg

[street]

Rad Tunnel Extension.

Refining continues with the interior rad tunnel.

I went over several concepts prior to this one as I felt the front was a tad "flat" - too safe, really. After pouring over tons of shots, it spoke to me. That rad tunnel was begging to replicate the front splitter. Then it all made sense. The curved walls of the main panel HAD to have that soft edge to mimic the heart. But at the same time it left the rad tunnel in the dust.

To kick it up another level, I knew that I could not just simply french the rad tunnel's opening behind the main panel - it had to protrude. This tweak also lent itself to acting as a second splitter for the cold air intake tunnels to each far lateral sides. The curved panels provide a diagonal sweep of the heart, while the protruding rad tunnel splits the air, also replicates the heart and mimics the splitter's function and protrusion from the body.

Still with me? Here's the mock.



After the template was complete. I cut out and hand-formed the rad tunnel extension. I ran out of time and don't have it fully adjusted. So mind the tape for spec checks. Now the panels have more depth and function. The white you see is just the protective backing on the aluminum. To finish of the panels, I have another cool set of tweaks coming to make everything come together. Notice the air duct extensions as well that ground the coves extending to the opening of the sump cooling port.



Head-on.



street

[street]

Replys.

Wow finally had time to go thru the thread. Excellent sheetmetal rav man! Huge fan of this car and especially the motor. Keep it up!

Thanks e21! All I have is a drill, jig cutter and my hands. It's very time consuming work with over half that time spent crouched down 15 feet away judging the lines to see if they're all within spec. Stay tuned!

street

Very well put street. I've seen first-hand that today's engineering courses unfortunately teach little to nothing about the importance of creativity and imagination.... which really limits the ability of how innovative and progressive people can be.

I agree. Anyone can try and be creative and since it's all art, it's subjective - good to one and not so good to another. For example, someone who disagrees with a style that's left-brained, usually can't express why he/she disagrees. One the other hand, if a right-brained individual disagrees, a valid suggestion or clear and relevant correction would surface in the same manner as the artist would respond.

A good friend of mine is very much left-brained and when he describes something to me, it's very well thought out, structured, precise and boring as hell. However, I know what he's saying. But it lacks any and all fire, grunt or passion. That's where I live. If I don't get goosebumps, I know it's all wrong. And if I can't see it in my mind, I know it's never going to work.

I'm a humble person and I don't believe I'm better than anybody else. I just trust my vision and concepts with the ability to back up any decision I make, showing that they contribute to form, function and stance.

street

[PMcD]

If there's no emotion attached to a vision, it'll become lifeless

Very well put street. I've seen first-hand that today's engineering courses unfortunately teach little to nothing about the importance of creativity and imagination.... which really limits the ability of how innovative and progressive people can be.

[e21]

Wow finally had time to go thru the thread. Excellent sheetmetal rav man! Huge fan of this car and especially the motor. Keep it up!

[street]

Ram Air Cove and Filter Set-Up

Dialing in continues.

Started off with making small brackets for the main panel and secured it in place for the next stage - filter set-up and ram-air cove units.

Pretty straight forward work. To start, I tossed out the restrictive 2.5" port and opened up the filter's mouth to 4.25" inches for the intake tubing.



Then slotted in the new support channels and marked them in for proper depth as not to block any of the gauze.



Next step was to check the space allowances. With the passenger side mounted in place (ahead of the tire and above the front bumper), the check began.

Tires clearing intake tubing and filter on full lock - check
Fit between headlamp bucket and bumper support - check
Clear rear bumper mask wall - check
Clear bumper's upper section - check



After checks, I hit the filter's bottom section twice with flat black. As well as GF bracelet that I said I'd paint 2 months ago!!



Once dry, I ripped off the over spray tape..



...and cut out a tighter fitting cove, then sprayed it flat black as well. Here you can see just how much curvature is in the cove.



Then assembled all pieces and bolted them in place. This is what I wanted to create - a functional black abyss with no mesh, extra lines or clutter. No PS here. This is a close shot in dim lighting with a direct flash and STILL you can't see a thing. Now it'll pass any lighting test and still look like a black hole. A small rectangular panel will get fabricated for the end to finish it off.



Grimey parting shot.



street

[street]

Reply.

Great work as always street.

Have you ever built/fabricated on any other vehicles? If so I would be really interested in seeing them.

Thanks PMcD! I've helped a few people with design in the past, but I've never built my own vision until now. I've been very fortunate to learn from some of the best in the business and did my utmost to super glue their lessons into my brain!! I've got a LONG way to go. But I've progressed far from where I began.

I used to shoot models professionally and that took up all my time. However, it was that field that made the transition easier. That is, if I can see what I want to create in my mind first, even before sketching it out, it'll happen. Just have to stay focused and rethink every angle possible. If there's no emotion attached to a vision, it'll become lifeless.

street

[PMcD]

Great work as always street.

Have you ever built/fabricated on any other vehicles? If so I would be really interested in seeing them.

[street]

Spider Front Bumper Internal Pieces Cont.

Continuing with the front bumper work. Today I turned my attention to centering the main panel and formatting the design concept for the two outer ports. It would be far too easy to just inlay some mesh and call it a wrap. But not me. I want this port functional and original. Therefore, I decided to chop up a template for a cove to deliver the cold air to the filters.

This took A LOT tweaking to get right. But after about half a dozen bumper re&re's, I was able to come up with a suitable working sweep that's seamless - picture a smooth transition cove from the top of the splitter (parallel to the ground) to completely vertical.

Here's the template.



This curved panel now sits at an angle that flows with the bumper while appearing completely integrated. The edge will then be finished off with a small leader for a more finished look and function as a single unit. At the top (and out of site) will be one of the two air filters.



From this angle, it's just looks like a straight up and down wall. But it's heavily curved. The final product will be black, leading even more to just an abyss of nothing and zero depth. No mesh needed. No hard edges. Just a clean finish.

I'll continue tomorrow and tidy everything up. Sorry for the crap quality pics. The light was fading.



street

[street]

Replys.

I can safely say that we share the same opinion. And I'm being completely serious about this. On another note, love the updates! My laptop broke due to excessive drooling so i guess I too have to send you the bill when it comes back from the shop

Summing up:

Not many like us, Bro. I remember seeing this Lambo a few years ago at a highway off ramp light. He didn't pull up close to the other cars and I instinctively knew why - he doesn't like the attention. Loves his car. But not the attention. I smiled and said to myself, "I'd do the same." Shows are for people who want to "show" and see what others have been up to. But I'd feel like a complete loser pulling into a lot with people staring. As if to say, "Look at me. Look at me."

Pffft...Fuck that shit.

On the other hand, if it's one complete stranger, say, stopping me as exited a convenience store, on my way to the car and yelled a comment, then that's fine. 'Cause then it's not as if I set out to be somewhere for the attention.

I'm sure you get what I'm saying. Oh and sorry, send me your bill as well!!

street

this thing looks like it eats people and shits hot fire. i love it

Thanks smoky0937! Yeah, one of my goals, was to replicate the sound of the upgraded engine into the visuals and erase all of the "cute" lines from the original styling.

street

[smoky0937]

this thing looks like it eats people and shits hot fire. i love it