Back in black.

The wheel arches were looking a little sorry for themselves - rough around the edges and wearing a few scars from their initial fitting. So in the garage/workshop/paint booth/storage area/anything else it needs to be until I somehow manage to afford to have a large work area this week... I got on with the job of prepping and painting!

Painting is a tricky task. It's a fact often overlooked until a rushed job results in a bad finish but with the right guidance a decent finish can be achieved using modest tools and equipment. Sadly the budget doesn't yet stretch to a professional set up so spray cans were the order of the day. 

Preparing a surface for primer requires a 'key' for the primer to stick to. The idea being that if the surface is completely smooth before you begin the primer won't want to stay where you're spraying it. Roughing up the surface ever so slightly provides bumps and ridges, a bit of texture to aid the process. 

At the point of the above photo it's probably quite normal to be having second thoughts about the mess you're potentially making. 

A few coats of primer. It dries quite quickly and providing the spraying action is as smooth as possible it gives a smooth, even covering. 

A very fine grit sandpaper will smooth out any minor runs/lumps and prepare the primer for the next stage. This is over 24 hours later though, having allowed the primer to dry thoroughly. 

Lovely, glossy black! For a spray can job they've not turned out badly at all.

I've used a small finishing strip to sit between the arch and the body. Purchased for around £1 per metre it just gives a nicer finish than the edge of the fibreglass and provides a little rubber buffer to achieve a better fit against the body.

That's all for now!

Wide arch time

To pick up where I left off last time..

New arches were required to fit the larger-than-standard wheels I'd chosen. I went with a 'Race wide' arch. Depending on where you go and who you ask they're called slightly different names. Generally the 'Race' style arch comes in 2 widths, I chose the wider of the 2.

They're really quite easy to fit. Just make sure they're lined up properly and away you go! Drill through the preformed screw locating places and screw/attach the arches.

Now technically is screwing them on the best way to do it? The originals are fitted with rivet-type fittings. However given that I was going to need to remove and refit them several times (painting etc) riveting them on wouldn't have been the best course of action.

Also another factor  to consider is that drilling and screwing into metal will cause there to be untreated bare metal exposed to the elements. Over time that will rust of course, but I'm planning to bathe the entirety of the underside of the car in sealant some time soon so it'll be sorted in due course.

A slightly trickier piece of the puzzle are these little front bumper cut outs required in the arches. If you make your arch follow a really tight curve it might not be necessary to do this part as the front edge of the arch would be slightly further back. However in my view it just didn't look right to do that.

So that's that! They are a little shabby close up as they need finishing properly. They'll be painted black and a small finishing strip will sit between arch and body to ensure a nice, tight fit. 

Next up.. sorting the clutch out with a grippy new plate.

Time for new wheels!

Changing the wheels is probably one of the most instantaneously noticeable upgrades possible when modifying a car. I'd been waiting to upgrade ever since I got the car and when the day came it was glorious...

They look great but unfortunately in the images above that's pretty much all they made the car good for - looking at...

These wheels, being wider than the stock items, cause the tread of the tyres to stick out too far. If you're after an MOT that's a no-no around these parts. The tread of the tyre must be covered by the arch. So although they look pretty damn cool in the above shots, the standard arches had to go!

Another perhaps more important problem is the fact the wider wheels foul the metal of the arch making full lock unattainable. Standard arches off...

 Identifying the offending section of arch...

and marking out what needs to go with skilfully-applied masking tape and blue felt tip...

There are some out there who might think cutting away some metal just to fit new wheels is a bit barbaric.. it is.. but I have tried to remove as little as possible.

By this point it was dark and raining. October in England. 

Next up.. arches!