C63 507 Edition Wide arch project

[SpikyMikey]

Lee,
Your car confuses me. I really shouldn't like it. Not a fan of black wheels. Not a fan of lairy colour schemes, or blacked-out taillights.
But it all looks so right on your motor.
It's doing my head in - in a good way

 

[LeeJV]

Lee,
Your car confuses me. I really shouldn't like it. Not a fan of black wheels. Not a fan of lairy colour schemes, or blacked-out taillights.
But it all looks so right on your motor.
It's doing my head in - in a good way

It's probably the child within, when everything is cool and exciting, yet the adulthood tries to fight it.

Like one of those Songs on the radio you keep hearing, hate the song and yet somehow end up humming to it .

It's

 

[amar1uk]

Are the new rear arches made out of metal?

So they don't crack over time?

 

[BlackC55]

That does look stunning. Well done.

 

[LeeJV]

Are the new rear arches made out of metal?

So they don't crack over time?

Hey buddy, sorry for the late reply, life is crazy atm
The arches are a form of fibre glass, Although not like typical fibre glass with gel coat that cracks when it gets hot and brittle.

These are woven fibre that gives a very smooth consistent shape and finish with no gel coat so there won't be any problems with stress cracking or fatigue.

I had my concerns about long term reliability of them, however once I'd seen them I knew it wouldn't be a problem as we use the same materials in BSB on our race bikes so I know for certain how strong they are.

 

[LeeJV]

That does look stunning. Well done.

Thanks buddy,

Sorry the thread has not been updated.
The Ohlins Coilovers are finally being fitted in a few weeks time by GT Motorsport .
I have so much information and nerdy details about these and how they compare to others so I'll post up more in detail once fitted.


Thanks again guys for all the interest

 

[Gazwould]

Nothing finer than Ohlins , nor more expensive either , lol .

 

[LeeJV]

Ohlins have always been the Benchmark in suspension and Chassis development, widely used in various categories of motorsport.

Don't get me wrong, KW, Bilstein , H&R are also good brands but the small difference in cost of 20/30% is money well spent for that extra performance, I'll post up the dyno testing of these compared some other brands when the Data sheets get sent over.

 

[LeeJV]

Hey gang, back again.
Coilovers not fitted yet as I'm doing some other work needed before they go on.

One of the biggest areas of the car that doesn't get much attention is the undercarriage, so before the car goes in I've made start working on the areas can get to on my driveway

A recent pic was taken of my car at a show, then realised the poor condition of my exhaust


On close inspection its just heavy oxidation and some surface rust,

So out with the tools and equipment.

You don't actually need any chemicals or polish to do this apart from the inside of the tips to remove carbon buildup. So inside the tips Labocosmetica Cronos, teamed up with some scotchbrite or wire wool.
For the exhaust all you need is a drill or rotary tool, a dremal for the tight areas with some radial bristle discs available in different grades, you want rust remover cut to start removing the surface oxidation then heavy cutting wheel to get a good finish. You can go even finer with polish if you want but its not really needed.



Once fully cleaned to a standard I was happy with, 2 coats of some KKD R Evolve wheel coating to help maintain all the hard work





Now the rear section is done I'll do the mid section when the car goes in to have the coilovers fitted while its on the lift for a good few hours.

Whilst the wheels were off I decided to give the barrels a good clean and polish them to a high satin finish as they looked a little tired.



Using a medium Scotchbrite to knock them back a little then followed up with a fine cutting polish on a 3"DA and a mini DA for the areas around the wheel weights, then finally finished off with some KKD R Evolve Matte wheel coating.
.
That's it for now guys, I'll be back soon with some more updates when she goes in on the ramp.

As always, thanks for the interest and feedback .

 

[SmartAmg]

WOW! Brilliant (literally)
Lee as always.

 

[LeeJV]

WOW! Brilliant (literally)
Lee as always.

Thanks buddy, this project is never going to be finished, although I'm quite happy about it

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

That looks sensational.

 

[SpikyMikey]

You obviously have too much free time
Seriously awesome work

 

[LeeJV]

That looks sensational.

Thanks buddy, can't wait to get stuck in with the rest of it.....

 

[LeeJV]

You obviously have too much free time
Seriously awesome work

Er, yeah I guess, running my own business and having no Kids us most likely why lol .
Cheers buddy

 

[LeeJV]

Hey Gang, Back again...
Hope you're all having a great Christmas.. Mine is most certainly a Green one..

It's the perfect time of year to continue with those Modifications I've been planning for an age.
Fortunately for me, my Wife's all in favour of the project, so much infact that she's paid for the latest additions being that of the Bespoke steering wheel and gear Knob and Gaitor.

Removed and sent away to Royal Steering wheels a month ago, whilst they were being done I had the lettering of the floor mats restitched in an attempt to bring some Much needed colour into the cabin.



Once they were done it inspired me to carry on with that theme throughout.
Before I sent the steering wheel off, the paddle Shifters were removed so I could modify them a little. Using some of the touch up paint given to me from Golding barn garage, some cocktail sticks and a very steady hand, I painted the embossed lettering, it took 2 coats of base green, then a further 2 coats of pearl green to get the desired effect.





After several weeks of waiting, Xmas day finally came along with the much anticipated gift from my wife... The steering wheel and gaiter.
One thing I'll admit too is being a big kid getting excited about Xmas day, this was definitely up there with some of the best memories of all

1st up the Gaitor. Unwrapped and placed on the floor mats for a colour comparison..

Re trimmed in black Dynamica with lime green stitching, the coulour match is spot on.
The steering trimmed in the same finish, with some extra padding underneath to give better grip for my larger hands.





Next up, paddles and the trims fitted to reveal one of the best combined Modifications of the project, partly because the details are so small and they make the biggest impact.






So what's Next????
Once these are fitted I can then get started on removing the front/rear seatbelts as they are being changed to Black with Green stitching in the same colour code as the steering wheel.

I'll be back soon no doubt as I'm looking to get these fitted very soon

As always, thanks for the continued responses and interest in the project..

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Looks fantastic. Who did the mats?

 

[SmartAmg]

Hey Gang, Back again...
Hope you're all having a great Christmas.. Mine is most certainly a Green one..

It's the perfect time of year to continue with those Modifications I've been planning for an age.
Fortunately for me, my Wife's all in favour of the project, so much infact that she's paid for the latest additions being that of the Bespoke steering wheel and gear Knob and Gaitor.

Removed and sent away to Royal Steering wheels a month ago, whilst they were being done I had the lettering of the floor mats restitched in an attempt to bring some Much needed colour into the cabin.

View attachment 122096

Once they were done it inspired me to carry on with that theme throughout.
Before I sent the steering wheel off, the paddle Shifters were removed so I could modify them a little. Using some of the touch up paint given to me from Golding barn garage, some cocktail sticks and a very steady hand, I painted the embossed lettering, it took 2 coats of base green, then a further 2 coats of pearl green to get the desired effect.

View attachment 122097

View attachment 122098

After several weeks of waiting, Xmas day finally came along with the much anticipated gift from my wife... The steering wheel and gaiter.
One thing I'll admit too is being a big kid getting excited about Xmas day, this was definitely up there with some of the best memories of all

1st up the Gaitor. Unwrapped and placed on the floor mats for a colour comparison..
View attachment 122099
Re trimmed in black Dynamica with lime green stitching, the coulour match is spot on.
The steering trimmed in the same finish, with some extra padding underneath to give better grip for my larger hands.

View attachment 122102

View attachment 122103

Next up, paddles and the trims fitted to reveal one of the best combined Modifications of the project, partly because the details are so small and they make the biggest impact.

View attachment 122104
View attachment 122105

View attachment 122106

So what's Next????
Once these are fitted I can then get started on removing the front/rear seatbelts as they are being changed to Black with Green stitching in the same colour code as the steering wheel.

I'll be back soon no doubt as I'm looking to get these fitted very soon

As always, thanks for the continued responses and interest in the project..

WOW, Lee just WOW!!!!

 

[LeeJV]

Looks fantastic. Who did the

Looks fantastic. Who did the mats?

Hey buddy, a little company I use within my business did them for me as a favour, they do alot of re upholstery for my customers.

 

[LeeJV]

WOW, Lee just WOW!!!!

thank you, so much more to come too