[lazyFAT MAN]

Alright, first off i would like to say thanks to all the members here for all the great advice that i have found on this board.

Now i have a 1978 spider and really enjoyed driving for the short time that i could, the car is now in my dad's shop in Montreal, i have started taking the interior apart because the carpets are gray instead of black and it needed an overhaul. I thought that now that i have everything apart, that its the best time to do some multimedia upgrades of some sort (the tape deck is simply not enough, it doesn't even work) i search to see what others have done with their spider, but their isnt much done on 78's.

Bassically this is a call out for idea's and suggestions, keep in mind that i have 7 months till i can drive it again so i have the time to go crazy. (if someone can tell me the biggest speaker dimensions for the door panel that would be great)

Thanks

The Fatman

 

[kunzman]

I redid the interior in my 1990 this summer. Check out this link for some ideas:
http://alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=44522

 

[Peter]

I redid the interior in my 1990 this summer. Check out this link for some ideas:
http://alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=44522

for whatever reason, i had not seen that thread before, duh, how could i miss it? Great thread, great pics, great results! well done!

 

[Spider 79]

Interior Renovation

I redid my '79 a few years ago - new carpets, redid the package shelf, new speakers (4; two in the footwell walls, and two on the package shelf) and a new stereo with a CD player in the trunk. Not too difficult once you have the seats out. I have attached one picture, but I could take a few more. If you have questions, PM me.

 

[lgbalfa]

do you have more pics?

 

[lazyFAT MAN]

Sorry i didn't reply earlier, been busy with school and such, if it was possible could you put some more pics up of your interior.

 

[Spider 79]

79 Interior

I will take a few more pictures today. As you can see by the dates on the pictures, I did this about three years ago, and it has stood up well. I also redid the seats, using Leatherique. The color is good, but the repairs have not held upas well as I would have liked. I am attaching some of the pictures I took at that time of the seat restoration, so you can compare them with how it looks currently when I post those.

 

[Spider 79]

Interior restoration

Here are the pictures I took today of the interior, and the trunk, showing the mounting of the cd player. The radio and cd player were purchased on ebay. The most difficult part was finding someone to cut the dash for the DIN opening. The vertical mount of the cd player at an angle uses the least amount of space in trunk.

The interior was done with a carpet kit I purchased on ebay - this may have been false economy, as it required a lot of adjustment and custom work to make it fit and secure. There are a number of carpet kit manufacturers who make good kits for the spider. The carpet mats are secured with snaps so they can be easily removed for cleaning or inspection of the floors.

 

[Spider 79]

interior restoration

Additional photos from today.

 

[rgrimm]

So where did you find the tan tonneau cover? I've never seen anything other than black for Series 2 Spiders...

 

[lgbalfa]

Additional photos from today.

thanks for posting. its looks great. nice work.

 

[Spider 79]

So where did you find the tan tonneau cover? I've never seen anything other than black for Series 2 Spiders...

It came with the car. It looks original, and as the car has tan leather upholstery, I assumed it matched. I have seen other colors, including red and blue. The only thing I did was dye the cover so it matched the interior color more closely.

 

[lazyFAT MAN]

I have to say you did a great job, the seats turned out great, what make and model is that head unit, just want to know so i can figure out what fits.

 

[Spider 79]

I have to say you did a great job, the seats turned out great, what make and model is that head unit, just want to know so i can figure out what fits.

The unit is a Panasonic, and the cd changer is a matching unit. I dont remeber the model number, but any DIN sized unit will fit. Check with Crutchfield, that is where I sourced the head unit. The speakers are standard round automotive Polk's. I don't remember the size, but they are typical of many available types. Again, Crutchfield has a selection that will fit.

I stayed away from putting speakers in the doors, as I did not want to cut the leather covers. The footwell speaker locations are the factory ones. The rear package shelf speakers were easily cut into the new masonite board I made to replace the old one, which was torn and warped.

 

[lazyFAT MAN]

in my spider there isnt a spot for speakers in the footwell, the only speakers that are in mine are in the door panel, and it didnt come with a shelf in the back.

 

[Spider 79]

in my spider there isnt a spot for speakers in the footwell, the only speakers that are in mine are in the door panel, and it didnt come with a shelf in the back.

Sorry, I was unaware of that. That would mean '79 was the first year of the package shelf - the '78's would be like my '74, which has a drape in the rear and no holes for speakers in the footwells. Is it leather or vinyl interior? Carpets or rubber mats?

I have seen several examples of the earlier versions with speakers mounted in the footwells. I assume this means cutting sheet metal to install them, which i did not have to do. I like the rear speakers, as you can hear them with the top down better than the footwell speakers (if I'm not going too fast - which isn't often).

 

[lazyFAT MAN]

The car has carpets, and the seats are leather, you said you had bought the carpets off ebay do you remember the seller or brand? how much and how happy are you with them. I'm thinking that building a shelf would probably be best, except i would probably angle the speakers toward the front. I have seen 2 spiders in Montreal where the owners put tweeters in the vents, does anybody have that?

 

[Spider 79]

The car has carpets, and the seats are leather, you said you had bought the carpets off ebay do you remember the seller or brand? how much and how happy are you with them. I'm thinking that building a shelf would probably be best, except i would probably angle the speakers toward the front. I have seen 2 spiders in Montreal where the owners put tweeters in the vents, does anybody have that?

I dont remember the carpet vendor. And I wouldnt recommend it - try one of the vendors on the supplier's list. I had to do a lot of fitting, cutting and sewing to get it right, and I think if I bought a better set the extra cost would have been worth it.

I think World Upholstery sells them on the West Coast, and Automat sells them on the East Coast. Mine are some type of acrylic, and look ok and are pretty durable, but if you are willing to pay for it, there are a lot more luxurious fabrics to go with. Do a search here for carpets and you should find a lot of posts. With the strength of the Canadian dollar, its a bargain!