Cosmetic Upgrade to Cockpit Floor

Nice, John!

And btw, where did you source your stainless pedal covers?

@30West posted:

Nice, John!

And btw, where did you source your stainless pedal covers?

Thanks!

I worked with Brian Sullivan at Sullivan Racing Products https://www.srpracing.com/

I wanted the brake and clutch pedals to have a bit of a taper at the bottom -- not square as the more widely-available options for VW pedals.   He has pedals with the shape I was looking for, but they weren't for VW application.  So, he drew these up custom for me, and I'm very pleased.  And, Brian was super to work with -- swift and responsive.

@Wulfrik (John) beautiful job...nicely done...i luv the spyder!..just way toooo tall...a quick question...are COCO MATS not a 550 thing?...some matching carpet colored  ones would be the "bee's knee's" cocomats .com make custom sizes,,,,just a thought

@jncspyder posted:

@Wulfrik (John) beautiful job...nicely done...i luv the spyder!..just way toooo tall...a quick question...are COCO MATS not a 550 thing?...some matching carpet colored  ones would be the "bee's knee's" cocomats .com make custom sizes,,,,just a thought

Thank you, Sir.   I appreciate your comments. 

I have seen some coco mats in Spyders, and you're right -- they do make custom sizes.  (I've got coco mats in my Porsche 997 and I love them - a high quality product, indeed.) 

Still, to me anyway, I see them as being a bit out of place in the floor of a Spyder.  Maybe a bit too "luxurious" for the spartan, race car spirit of the 550, you know?  Might change my mind in the future.  Right now, though, I've got to mount a side mirror, as well as an oil cooler grill on the nose, and then get them painted.  I'm having fun! 

The floor looks awesome, definitely cleans up the look of the floor.. Good call on the rubber mats, you don't need coco mats, the rubber floor looks prefect.

Yup, bare bones race car.

Of course, I have a heater/defroster, carbon fiber seat heaters and a bluetooth speaker setup. But they are all hidden, so it still looks spartan.

John, that looks really nice. Great job!

I used a similar material for my mats.

I contact cemented some thin aluminum angle to the backs of them and then used Velcro to secure them to the fiberglass cross piece. This keeps them in place pretty good, but can be removed for cleaning.

Mine are over carpet. I might remove the carpet and just glue them down to the aluminum. I might even punch a couple of small louvers in the aluminum floor for drainage.

I also made a footrest for the passenger, with a lip to prevent their left foot to slide off of it. It's also covered the same mat material. It gives the passenger a place to "hang on" to.

Stupid cool, John. Way better than carpet.

@Carlos G posted:

...

Mine are over carpet. I might remove the carpet and just glue them down to the aluminum. I might even punch a couple of small louvers in the aluminum floor for drainage.

...

If I recall correctly, you have no top for your car, right?  Your "braps" are strictly fair weather affairs.

@Robert M posted:

The floor looks awesome, definitely cleans up the look of the floor.. Good call on the rubber mats, you don't need coco mats, the rubber floor looks prefect.

Thanks, Robert!

@DannyP posted:

Yup, bare bones race car.

Of course, I have a heater/defroster, carbon fiber seat heaters and a bluetooth speaker setup. But they are all hidden, so it still looks spartan.

John, that looks really nice. Great job!

Much appreciated, Danny.  😊  I’m curious about your Bluetooth, though.  You must have quite the system in order to hear it over the engine!  I’ll search for it, as I’m sure you’ve talked about it here on the forum.  

@Carlos G posted:

I used a similar material for my mats.

I contact cemented some thin aluminum angle to the backs of them and then used Velcro to secure them to the fiberglass cross piece. This keeps them in place pretty good, but can be removed for cleaning.

Mine are over carpet. I might remove the carpet and just glue them down to the aluminum. I might even punch a couple of small louvers in the aluminum floor for drainage.

I also made a footrest for the passenger, with a lip to prevent their left foot to slide off of it. It's also covered the same mat material. It gives the passenger a place to "hang on" to.

Cool stuff, Carlos.  I’d like for mine to be a bit heavier, but they need to be flexible as there’s a couple of spots in the corners of the footwells where I have to curl up the edge to fit them in.  You’ve got my wheels turning, though…..

@Stan Galat posted:

Stupid cool, John. Way better than carpet.

Appreciate it, Sir.  😉  Only thing that’s bothering my obsessive tendencies is the way the carpet goes vertical a bit from the floor on the upper left corner on the driver’s side.  It delivers the illusion that the mat isn’t cut properly.  Something for me to plot on.  

@Lane Anderson posted:

If I recall correctly, you have no top for your car, right?  Your "braps" are strictly fair weather affairs.

I have been caught in a down pour a few times. A lot of freak thunderstorms just appear over the forest here.

One time I saw a local produce seller hanging out watching the very storm, that I was barely avoiding, roll down the valley. The front of his produce stand had a good sized covered area where he displayed and sold his produce. I whipped in and asked him if I could pull up under his roof. He told me to roll right on in. I got out of the car dripping wet and hung out talking to this guy while we both watched a very active thunderstorm roll by. Come to find out, he knew a few of the same locals I knew.

It is what it is. I'd just like to be a little proactive. Besides, if I were to go on an extended drive, wink wink, like to another state, I'd like to have some kind of protection from the weather. I might even make some plastic covers for my seats, for just that occasion. One of the main reasons I didn't go with the fancy carpet.

@Carlos G posted:

Besides, if I were to go on an extended drive, wink wink, like to another state, I'd like to have some kind of protection from the weather. I might even make some plastic covers for my seats, for just that occasion.

Bam.

@Stan Galat posted:

Stupid cool, John. Way better than carpet.

Agreed. My driver’s side is pretty stained up now. I think I’m going to replace the floor carpets with mat.

@Stan Galat posted:

Bam.

BTDT

I‘ve sought refuse in a burger stand and bank awning a couple of times.

@Stan Galat posted:

Bam.

Agreed.  Bam.  Particularly the "wink, wink" part.

@Wulfrik (John) posted:

Much appreciated, Danny.  😊  I’m curious about your Bluetooth, though.  You must have quite the system in order to hear it over the engine!  I’ll search for it, as I’m sure you’ve talked about it here on the forum.  

I bought a $20 Amazon bluetooth receiver with remote for pause/play/skip/volume, stuck to my shifter base. Works great for easy access and stealth.

100 watt RMS x 2 Audiopipe amp underdash. This thing is tiny, about 3 x 2 x 6 inches long.

One pair of black Polk patio speakers. They are 6.5" woofer 2-ways. They come with nice metal brackets, bolted to the Vintage front roll hoop behind the wheel wells. They basically point straight at your ears.

You CANNOT hear it at full throttle, but at cruise it's quite good.

@dlearl476 posted:

Agreed. My driver’s side is pretty stained up now. I think I’m going to replace the floor carpets with mat.

BTDT

I‘ve sought refuse in a burger stand and bank awning a couple of times.

As might imagine, the only downside of the black rubber mats is that they show every little stinkin' piece of dirt or sand that falls upon them -- which means I'm finding myself pulling them up and knocking them off very frequently.   Still, I'm digging the look. 

I've had the car for a little over nine months, and although I've been careful to only shove off for longer drives when the forecast looked clear, I've been soaked twice.  Such is the life of a subtropical climate dweller.  ;-)

@DannyP posted:

I bought a $20 Amazon bluetooth receiver with remote for pause/play/skip/volume, stuck to my shifter base. Works great for easy access and stealth.

100 watt RMS x 2 Audiopipe amp underdash. This thing is tiny, about 3 x 2 x 6 inches long.

One pair of black Polk patio speakers. They are 6.5" woofer 2-ways. They come with nice metal brackets, bolted to the Vintage front roll hoop behind the wheel wells. They basically point straight at your ears.

You CANNOT hear it at full throttle, but at cruise it's quite good.

Danny -- thanks for sharing this.   May I also ask the favor of a photo of the speakers mounted, please?  :-) 

Nicely done. The mats and cover neaten up the under dash area and look more like they really did.

I'd be curious to see a dB comparison between a carpeted Spyder and one with bare aluminum-clad floors and firewall with the same engine. My guess is the carpeted car would be a little quieter. Maybe it'd be a lot quieter?

@edsnova posted:

Nicely done. The mats and cover neaten up the under dash area and look more like they really did.

I'd be curious to see a dB comparison between a carpeted Spyder and one with bare aluminum-clad floors and firewall with the same engine. My guess is the carpeted car would be a little quieter. Maybe it'd be a lot quieter?

Thank you, Ed, and thanks again for the fastener advice.   Having read your blog, you're my go-to guy for construction details.  😉 

@Wulfrik (John) You did a great job with the front cabin area.  I think i have to do the same thing.  My clutch pedal broke a few weeks back, i see you have a bracket on the bottom and i will assume with a pin going to the slave pedal?

Nicely done.

@Wulfrik (John) posted:

Danny -- thanks for sharing this.   May I also ask the favor of a photo of the speakers mounted, please?  :-)

I hope to get to that today.

@ford356outlaw posted:

@Wulfrik (John) You did a great job with the front cabin area.  I think i have to do the same thing.  My clutch pedal broke a few weeks back, i see you have a bracket on the bottom and i will assume with a pin going to the slave pedal?

Here are some pics, Raffi —

@IaM-Ray posted:

Nicely done.

Thank you, Sir.  

@DannyP posted:

I hope to get to that today.

Danny, please — at your extreme convenience.  And thanks again, Sir.  

Thanks @Wulfrik (John) I was going to ask and you beat me to the punch.