driveforward Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 love that !Arosa's looking mean as ever .. on board camera for your next trip please ?It'd be great to do it, prob is, I'd loose my €1070 Jahreskarte if I was caught Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Bonnet & Bodywork Time (again)My main aim for today was to finish the installation of the bonnet catches on the bonnet, but to do that I needed to get a few other things done!First up, ever since I got the car, there has been a crater of a stone 'chip' near the front edge of the bonnet, so I mixed up some filler and got that sorted:Whilst I had the filler out, I put some over the remaining damaged area of the wing, and also where there were two small but deep chips on the drivers door:To prevent the garage getting full of dust, I left all but the bonnet sanding until later:Earlier this week, I collected some new vinyl from SignsExpress (not cheap, but cheaper and quicker to use than paint!), so got to work with my 'design idea for 2009' on the bonnet - which conveniently allows me to forgo getting the bonnet sprayed and makes the Aerocatches less 'conspicuous' (even if the general effect is to make the car look more conspicuous!). Here's the Vinyl applied:I used the bonnet lines as a guide, and followed them along both edges of the black vinyl thus giving the effect of continuing the black lines along the bonnet from the bumper grille and headlights. Here's a close-up and the bonnet catch 'hole':A view from above:Once the vinyl was in place, I was able to fully fit the latches into the bonnet, bolting them up tightly:..and here's the finished article, it's part of a wider theme for the front end which will take shape over coming weeks:Now I was done vinyling for the day, I could get on with some sanding and smoothing of the filler on the front wing, drivers door and also the rear quarter following the earlier damage repair:Since the day had turned out to be one of filler and subsequent dust, I decided to make a start on smoothing out my 'new' front bumper in the same fashion as I had done last year with the original (which, although could be saved given I repaired it after the accident, tbh, I'd rather start afresh):I managed to get the bulk of the major filling done on the upper parts of the bumper, so just need to do some finer filling and sanding at a later date. Finishing this bumper will take some time yet!Until next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzard Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 this looks amazing mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little rich Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 awesome work matey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigz™ Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Love it, bonnet rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Glowing comments, thanks chaps! Let's hope I don't disappoint..!Plenty more to come as ever.. time is gonna be tight (as ever!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breamy Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Looking good mate. had an off in my gti at cadwell today so it needs a new bumper. may repair the old one with a bit of a twist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted February 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Looking good mate. had an off in my gti at cadwell today so it needs a new bumper. may repair the old one with a bit of a twist Ouch, sorry about that mate, contact with a barrier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackSmith Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 bonnet catches look cool like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breamy Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Ouch, sorry about that mate, contact with a barrier?Ye a little. very slowly about 10-15 mph just a new bumper and grill needed. spent most the time going sideways after hitting a big curb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Ye a little. very slowly about 10-15 mph just a new bumper and grill needed. spent most the time going sideways after hitting a big curb I know someone else who did that there - the kerbs are BIG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Voluptuous Vinyl..Ooooh errr...With the weeks flying by and the car still a long way from being ready (sound familiar - check back about 10 pages ), this weekend I decided to concentrate on finishing the front bumper.Saturday was spent filling and sanding, then filling and sanding, with a bit more filling and sanding. Needless to say, the garage was a bloomin' mess by the end of the day; however, the front bumper was ready for vinyl. Here it is this morning ready for pimping:Next, with much assistance from my dad, the new roll of spangly silver vinyl was cracked open. So, with the heatgun, a sharp knife and the special application tool to hand we wrapped the left and right sides of the bumper, using the same sheet from top to bottom. Then, reverting to the black roll of vinyl used on the bonnet, it was time to cover the centre section. Once done, it was time to just check all was going along the right lines:Lookin' good []Next up, as you can see, there was some work still to be done at the bottom of the centre section, and for the eagle-eyed, around the centre S-badge area So, after another hour or so on the job, my I present the 2009 look for the little Arosa beastie:Personally, it's turned out just how I had imagined, and makes the car look very aggressive - especially with the chunky R888's and the wider stance of the new wheels. Problem is, it simply signals the start of many more jobs, wheel arch rolling will be a must at the front, new ducting for brake cooling, and the obvious trip to the body shop. I haven't even mentioned the finishing touches needed for the bumper, and there's plenty more - but that will do for now, I'm off for a beer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeyesh Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 yeah I think it looks pretty aggressive too!Nice work.Best Mk2 front I have seen!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArosaMike Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Good job on the vinyl there. Thinking I may as well just give it a go myself when I get the Caterham. How much is a roll of black vinyl? I guess it's just a case of a heat gun, a sharp knife and some kind of roller right? A Caterham has got to be an awful lot simpler than a modern car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akbarirfan Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 woaaah this has really changed!Looks ace...I think I may have to collect some more tyres off you just to take a trip down to the Hill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treblet Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Looking good, looking very good... I want this car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 yeah I think it looks pretty aggressive too!Nice work.Best Mk2 front I have seen!!Thanking you Good job on the vinyl there. Thinking I may as well just give it a go myself when I get the Caterham. How much is a roll of black vinyl? I guess it's just a case of a heat gun, a sharp knife and some kind of roller right? A Caterham has got to be an awful lot simpler than a modern car!I ordered 2x 5m rolls which came in just under £150. It's not a roller, more of a smoothing tool with a soft felt edge woaaah this has really changed!Looks ace...I think I may have to collect some more tyres off you just to take a trip down to the Hill!More change is yet to come (give me more time!!!)Looking good, looking very good... I want this car Lol, tough as so do I!! More to the point: I want this car finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one litre wonder ;) Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 still following this thread but what i dont get is why go for ally doors , make sure the gunk from the floor on the inside is taken out but then your put a couple of kg's of filler on the front bumper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigz™ Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 haha that looks ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Vinyl Again & More Random Body Colours!This weekend has been about getting some odd jobs done, and also getting the car in a state where it can actually be driven on the road (without sitting on a toolbox!!)For starters I got the front and rear towing eyes painted in a suitably visible colour:Then I got stuck into upgrading the stubby passenger side door mirror to a full size one that I could actually use to see things behind me in (rather than being 70% obscured by the roll cage). I had ordered a manual full size mirror an housing from German eBay, and planned to swap over the larger external housing and glass onto my stubby electric mirror. Once I'd done a trial assembly, and tweaked a few things to make it all fit together, it was time for more vinyl..!I cleaned up the two housing ready to be covered:I then got to work with the black vinyl, which I getting very good at applying if I do say so meself [] :Then I reassembled the mirror:Before doing the same with the new larger passenger mirror:With those done and ready to be fitted once the doors have been sprayed, I finished off the front bumper by sticking a few of the edges of vinyl down with super glue before blackening the grille:..applying the numberplate and spraying the inside of the brake-duct-vents and tubular recesses for the towing eye and bumper fixings:That was it for Saturday!On Sunday I then had to swap the standard wheels back onto the car, taking the opportunity to re-underseal the upper rear wheel arches where the roll cage had been welded in (after treating with rust eating compound). These will need an extra coat later.I then refitted the rear bumper and put my original door handles and lock barrel onto the new doors:..and finally fitted a seat back in the car!After applying the new tax disc, the little one's ready to hit the road.. which is a good job as it needs painting and I'm not about to tackle the challenge of 2 doors inside and out, a front wing and the sill/rear quarter!Until next time :headhurt: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 still following this thread but what i dont get is why go for ally doors , make sure the gunk from the floor on the inside is taken out but then your put a couple of kg's of filler on the front bumper?The ally doors will have saved 10's of kilos, the filler weighs little more than the plastic grilles etc that it's replacing (I've used foam blocks behind as a base too).haha that looks ace!Lol.. cheers mate, she's not finished yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Back from Bodyshop! Door Assembly Time..!Those keeping an eye on my progress will have noted the lack of update last weekend.. it was pretty much my first weekend off since the rebuild started, and with good reason: I had no car!The little Arosa has spent a week at the bodyshop, getting arches rolled, doors painted and as they have basically resprayed both sides of the car front to back; filled a few dents thanks to last years recovery.This morning, I collected the little beastie, and things are looking great now the car's back to being just 2 colours!As they have sprayed both sides in their entirety, the black bonding agent is no-more, and when you open the rear pop-outs things look like they were factory fitted:Also, the interior of the doors look mighty spiffing in new, shiny, silver paint:Additionally, my arch-rubbing fears with the new wheels and tyres are now over. Here's a pic of first the front, and then the rear wheel arches (taken with standard wheels fitted):Enough picture taking, I started work. The doors were now ready for re-assembly using the cards, switches and fixings taken from my previous heavy-weight doors. I had to fit the ratchet-arms, wiring, electric mirrors and looms and finally the upper and lower door cards. I did the drivers door first:Once I had confirmed all electrics were working (I had never tested the windows/locking on the 'new' aluminium doors), I assembled the passenger door:With everything working, I turned my attention to re-fitting the new wheels, applying a second coat of underseal in the rear arches whilst the wheels were off the car. Then I applied some aluminium tape around the oil filter, in an attempt to reflect some of the manifold heat that caused the last filter to weld itself on! The final task of the day was to cut out some more room for the power feeds into and out of my battery isolation switch and apply a rubber gromit to ensure that no shorts to ground could develop - that would be very nasty.Finally, a couple of quick pics:Nice, big, black mirrors More tomorrow... I can't wait to get back behind the wheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driveforward Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Interior RebuildIt's been a long time coming, but today I was finally able to pull the various interior parts out of storage (in random boxes/garage roof/dining room/loft) and get them back into the car!Only got a few pics as a fair proportion of the day was spent cleaning the interior out of dust, wiping windows down and hoovering seats/harnesses etc. As you can see, I have also refitted the floor plates/foot rest, using lots of sticky sealant (currently still setting - hence the bricks holding the aluminium in place!):A close up of my brickwork..I have even refitted stuff like the first aid kit and cargo net (of which I am still very chuffed with, even one year on!):In rebuilding the interior, I also completed all outstanding wiring tasks and properly fixed the rear pop-out windows in place.My attention then turned to levelling out my suspension which had settled a fair bit on the passenger side, so needed raising to level the car out and help minimise the risk of rubbing when on lock. This was an absolute joy to do, the KW V1's really make adjustments easy.. I have never cleaned the threads on the coilovers, yet there was no corrosion and they simply wound up - no hassle whatsoever.With the car levelled out, I'll get a 4 wheel alignment performed shortly. For the first time, the list of jobs left to do is looking rather short.. and it's a good job!Not only does the car need to be ready for the CGTI day at Curborough on the 4th April, but it's off the the 'ring on the 9th April - and I have to say, after sitting back in the car today with the interior in place, I can't wait to get the little one back on the road - I was reminded of just how much fun being behind the wheel of it is, and just how much of great time I had last year in it!Until tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpo Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Impressive tyre wear , looks much so better for the paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike89 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 17 pages and some mighty work. where did you get your pop outs from? where do the hinges attatch to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.