Yes we have no spiders

carl

True Classic
The new owner of my 124 spider drove off with it this morning and now I just have two Xs. Been decades since I have been without a spider....very odd.
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I thought I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if a million voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced....

Oh wait, that wasn't terror, that was a million voices crying out "Right carl, like you won't buy another Spider in 3...2....1..!!" :cool::p:D:rolleyes:
 
What you have there looks very fine indeed.

I am looking forward to him finding another 124 Coupe so that I can buy that from him. This time. I missed my chance to do so a number of years ago unfortunately due to other life factors. Hopefully I can make up for that in the future.
 
I start therapy on Monday. I agree that some time in the future I will probably grab another 18 month spider, that's why half parts stash is spider stuff.
Might be fun to try another stab at a 124 sedan but at the moment I'm content to waste my time and money on two Xs.

It's interesting if not down right creepy that I have a following of miss-guided souls who actually look forward to cars I build.
The new owner of the spider emailed me last evening to say the car made the drive home from Virginia to Long Island with no problems and performed magnificently.
 
Ed, a 124 sedan with 2L motor and spider 5-speed is a much cooler car than a coupe.
 
Ed, a 124 sedan with 2L motor and spider 5-speed is a much cooler car than a coupe.
carl,

What model year engine and transmission would you suggest to use? Like I need another project, but it is intriguing.

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I bought the 124TC sedan that had already had a 2L motor installed in place of the smaller engine. Came with automatic and I changed it to a spider 5-speed which bolted right on with a coupe driveshaft.
 
View attachment 11172 I bought the 124TC sedan that had already had a 2L motor installed in place of the smaller engine. Came with automatic and I changed it to a spider 5-speed which bolted right on with a coupe driveshaft.

OK carl. You started with a sedan that was half way there. Nice.
 
It’s nearly the same engine from the neck down...you are already most of the way there.

Ok its not the same but it mounts in the same way, of all the engine mods one might do this one is pretty easy.

Does it take 2 Carl/Karl’s to convince you to do the best thing for that car? :)_
 
There is a fella on MIRA, Chris Fumigalli, that has a sedan that originally had the OHV motor and we installed an 1800 in it. He is ecstatic with the results.

Nice straight line for any joke, "how many (C,K)arls does it take to................."
 
I think the ohv would benefit from a 5 speed. The 3 speed auto seems to have the engine revving high on the highway, but without a tachometer it is just a seat of the pants guess.

I will drop the car off at carl's and he will do the swap just because the ohv in there offends his sensibilities. :p
 
I'm part of that creepy Carl following. I think it started with my lifelong (uh....) dream of a 128 wagon w/ a 1500, etc. etc....and I've known Carl a long time.

124 Coupes are wonderful BUT have that niche following that makes them sometimes harder to find in the proper condition & price. I am on the verge of a similar 124 Sedan project using a nice 1800 and a Lada 5 speed. I wish Carl had photos of the shifter (or interior in general) on his Sedan, but my understanding is that with either the 124 Sport or the 131 gear box there's a bit of fiddling to do with placing the shifter in a Sedan, neither option requiring any NASA engineering, of course.

This reminds me, I need to get to work on it! I actually the thing w/ its weepy (fluids) 1592 & leaky (drips) auto to work today....i usually feel like I need to bond with a car a little bit before I really get into working on it.
 
Chris, the sad part is I did have pics when I did the work but can't find them. I did cut a hole in the tunnel to swap out the auto shifter and install the 5-speed shifter.

Jim, the 124 sedan also revved crazy at highway speeds and that's the reason I put the 5-speed in. What I didn't know was I could have solved this problem (and you can too) by merely installing an auto spider rear axle with the 3.6 rear or even a 2L 5-speed rear which is 3.9.

"how many blond 'arls does it take to .........."
 
Thanks carl, good to know. I have been watching for a local parts car, but everyone around here thinks Spiders are exotic right now. Even rusted out non-runners are listed at a couple grand. Probably due to the new 124 making people look to see what an old 124 looked like?
 
I have no idea why decent spiders sell for much more money now, maybe all the brit stuff and Alfas are too expensive. Spider auto rears are pretty rare because there weren't that many auto spiders made and lots of guys want them for their 5-speed spiders to lower the highway rpm. My buddy did this to his spider and fourth is now where fifth used to be....drove it halfway around the DC beltway before I realized I had one more gear!
My wife and I drove home from New York two weeks ago and I found it amusing that my Kia Optima turbo was turning 2200 rpm at 85mph

Years ago I went to Carlisle Import show and at 80 mph I was turning about 5,500 rpm and oddly the motor got smoother and smoother as the rpm went up....even if I did have to wear earplugs.
 
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