mad-modz Posted May 8, 2013 Report Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) Well where do i start?Ive currently got a mint 3L lupo (the one for sale), and have gone to the next extreme of a SDI which looks like its been vandalised at some point in its life haha...There is a method in the madness though, as im using the car as a bit of a laugh, and filling it with audio to kick start a sideline of freelance audio building and installation to run alongside my normal dayjob being a self employed electrician/plumber.Due to the last audio install i had in a lupo (tdi) causing issues with metal work, hinges and rattling the exhaust off, it made sense this time around to get something rough around the edges..So here it is, project tank!Collected monday from south wales from an ed member for a tidy sum of £1275.... Fautless mechanics, however the bodywork is rough!! Il be doing all the bodywork myself, and painting in genuine army paint rather than a £££ spray job. Basically it will fit my theme, and make any repairs to the body from the audio in the future easy & cheap to touch up. The interior will be done to a good 'show' standard, which should be a cool contrast to the satin army green on the bodywork... Hopefully it will make sence through the pictures..Audio wise im currently open to ideas,, My last lupo had a cerwin vega wall with 4 stroker 122 subs, custom door panels which held 4 sets of midrange components, with tweeters located in custom pods, TV and loads of carbon fibre... This time im tempting two large orion HCCA's in a vented carbon fibre wall but like i say it may change.A few pics of the last install...The finish on the last lupo was only a 'quick get it in and turn it up' rather than something with a lot of time taken over....Anyhow, this is the new beasty...Today i thought id have a crack at the front of the car, and off came the plate! I looked for a guide of how to do this on here, but sadly nothing came up so i kind of guessed how a body shop might do it lol Started with the rough front end... Removing the bumperThen attacked with the dremel lolThen out came the soldering iron and i had a go melting the plastic together (plasti welding)... I done both sides just to be 100% sure it was solid as i want to avoid any cracking from vibration.With it welded i put it back onto the car as it was ready to fibreglass and i wanted to make certain the bumper was in the correct 'fitted' shape. (theres nothing worse than glassing something off the car, only to find out when you try to fit it refuses to, or looks odd)...Bumper fitted...Some bleed holes were drilled into the bumper to allow the fibreglass to push through when skimming (this creates a solid grip as some glass will go through the holes and cure solid, thus not allowing the glass on the front to come away or crack).I had skimmed some fibreglass over, but didnt get time to picture... will carry on tomorrow... Dont think it was too bad for a 1st attempt and a 2 hour play.. Edited June 23, 2013 by mad-modz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2013 Oh just to add, i could do with a top bumper indicator panel if anyone has one knocking around.. Ive already popped an add in the wanted, but im aware a lot of people tend not to use the classifieds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Green Giant Posted May 8, 2013 Report Share Posted May 8, 2013 looks good to me! looking forward to reading this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) Well today ive had another play (not with myself, which makes a change)....Ive knocked out the boot dent as best as possible, removed the wiper badge and drilled some more bleed holes for the fibreglass to sink its teeth into...Keyed the paintwork and skimmed with a coat of glass... I will be doing the same to the rear bumper two halves (although leaving the numberplate where it is, as i think the lupo's can sometimes look a bit tooo smooth)...First layer of glass...While i was doing the above, i took delivery of my new double din touchscreen headunit (bought because i can use my iphone apps on it, such as google maps/satnav etc)... and the paint!! Off to buy some 4" gloss rollers haha (i can almost hear the concourse owners gasp for breath)... Edited May 9, 2013 by mad-modz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koop Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with this having seen the beauty of all them custom bits on the last build, nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Well my 3L finally sold last night, and although i let it go for £800 under the asking price, im happy to know its with someone that will look after it longterm!!So with the money its time to invest some into my bank, and the rest on the tank lol...With a quick trip to toolstation, i came back with a bag of cheap goodies ready for the paint job lol... Im not joking when i mention painting with rollers!!!Ive still got a lot of bodywork to sort out around work commitments, so hopefully it should be externally painted by next weekend... (fingers crossed)...I also got a bit carried away with some tank like banded wheels i had my eye on earlier in the week for sale... They were a bit expensive, but some with removable trims around the bands, and also 3 of 4 centre caps (thus meaning i can colour code the wheels to follow the tank theme outside). Although after asking a question on here about the ET, im not sure if i will need to buy some additional JDM style glass fibre arches.. I hope not, although they wouldnt really spoil the look on this car haha...Something similar to these...and the 13x8 wheels ive bought Il be test fitting them today to see if they are a bit too pokey for me lol... if i get time to try il take some snaps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnyzf Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Any vids of the sound system? Looks loud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatttty Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Looks a cool project, I'm looking foward to seeing this progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatesy0093 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Nice wheels! They'll be brake dust free 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2013 Cheers all, and sadly no vids of the audio running, il get some this time around instead haha...As for the wheels, I didn't think about the brake dust, so that's a bonus haha I had a trial fit of the wheels on the lupo, well just the one at the back (the car is stripped out at the min, and on adjusters hence the height)Ive started work on all the dents and bad panels on the car....The keyed side...Then the boot, which was fibreglassed, then layered with small amounts of filler, sanded back and re filled etc to try and keep a minimum amount of filler on the boot... The boot was bent in above the VW badge, hence why there is filler in areas there wouldn't normally be when de-badging. (ive also rattle canned the side key marks to see if they have been removed 100% which they have... This will be sanded off again prior to painting.And then indoors ive been able to attack the front and rear bumpers with my mate... He blended the rear bumper parts together, again fibreglass then a minimum amount of fillerAnd then coated with some plastic paint, to stop my final layer cracking / peeling off the bottom half if chipped..I done the front bumper, which was done on as minimum filler as possible, however it didn't help that the bumper had undergone a repair prior to my ownership....Tested with a quick brush of army spec nato paint, and im happy with the smoothness without using a high build primer....Also collected my contrasting colour for the roof, and bits of the wheels... a lighter shade of nato type sandstone paint.... This isn't a genuine nato paint, however I preferred the more cream shade...The weathers a nightmare at the min, so im off to tidy up and prep& paint the bumpers indoors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Well thought id have another crack at the lupo today, although not very successfully thanks to the weather.... So far ive only managed to make the side dent look a bit better, not perfect but 100x better than it was...I also started laying a base coat of the nato paint on the bumpers as it started to rain I ended up giving the bumpers 4 coats with the roller throughout the day, this was to build a big layer up to help with stone chips.... Im happy with how they turned out with the diy smoothing...Ive also had a sneaky peek at the roof paint.... Should be a good contrast, but if not it will be simple enough to roller over lol...The weathers been a bit annoying, and with a week off work hopefully I get a dry day...... im toying with the idea of removing panels and painting indoors worst case lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmahoneyy Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 Love this! Always wanted my car that green, think those bandeds will suit it down to a tee to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) Love this! Always wanted my car that green, think those bandeds will suit it down to a tee to!Cheers!! Don't think ive seen a lupo this colour yet... Seen an arosa on google tho haha...Well ive been still at it, although getting annoyed due to the crap weather and the builders next door creating sh*tloads of dust making painting outdoors just that much harder!!So far ive managed to prep and get a first coat on the car, before the heavens opened... Luckily yesterday I went around painting all the door shuts, gaps between panels etc so its only the outside rollering, and then the inside to paint..Wet sanded the complete car...Then washed it clean, panel degreased and masked up the windows & rubbers...Ready for its 1st layer of paint.....Thanks to the rain I had to stop... Realistically it needs another 2-3 thin coats for a full solid colour on the car, so looks a bit naff at the min... Ive done 2 other oldskool cars this way (mk1 fiesta & mk1 nova) so have an idea of what it should look like...With the rain stopping play, I went indoors to retro my headlights & indicators as I want to keep them in the standard place (rather than smoothing the indicator panel)....That's it for today, hopefully I have better weather tomorrow (forecast heavy rain)... Need to get it sorted by the end of the week so I can get back to work lol Edited May 14, 2013 by mad-modz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muffin Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 Loving this! Keep up the good work mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koop Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 The bumpers look really nice, this is gonna be pretty tasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigmahoneyy Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 Looking good man! with the carbon parts did you just clear lacquer over the top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2013 (edited) Loving this! Keep up the good work mate Cheers matey The bumpers look really nice, this is gonna be pretty tasty Thanks, their not 100% perfect, if I was going to be painting the car properly they would require a coat or two of high build primer... But the nato paint is satin, and quite thick & textured slightly (like ford standard orange peel paint) so I get away with it haha Looking good man! with the carbon parts did you just clear lacquer over the top?Yea basically, make the part, carbon wrap, then resin over 2-3 coats, wet and dry smooth (and lightly between coats), then clear lacquer..... although an important step people fail to mention.... DONT clear coat until the resin has had a good few days to cure... reason being, it will look fab for a month or so, then start to go cloudy... this is due to the resin trying to cure... Ideally I would leave it a week or so dull to cure, then wet n dry back and clear coat...Anyhow, went out to give the beasty a second coat of paint... just as I finished, it rained again!! The weather is really getting on my tits now lol....This pics still wet... (you can see the roller marks which tend to disappear while curing)...Then this is how it looks dry after the second coat... It only really needs a thin 3rd coat, however I will try and give the car a good 4 coats, just to give the car resilience against stone chips lol...Also had some goodies turn up while painting.....My blue detailing tape (which is what I was going to use to mask for painting, but it arrived late)...... Although in fairness with the type of paint il never need to polish it haha Ive also imported a 'lightning lead' for my headunit to iphone, no idea what it is, however it means I can use satnav and some apps through the pioneer double din now....The only other items are non exciting, a replacement centre cap for one of the wheels, and a cheap voltage gauge to measure my volt drop... It is a naff pinky colour at the min... Il be stripping it down and either mounting it in some kind of dash display, or colour coding it to the car and hiding it out of sight.Hopefully the weather gets a bit better today so I can get a 3rd coat on... keep your fingers crossed for me Edited May 15, 2013 by mad-modz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Well I had another bash at the car today... more paint, more dust and more rain...To be fair the paintjob is pretty good considering....The VW badge....And the finished paint...I still need to cut the cream in on the roof (at the point where it meets the windscreen) as it didn't mask too well... but that a job for when I can be bothered....Ive also gave the wheels a treatment of paint.... The cream will get a recoat in an hour or so and let to go off overnight...Degrease...And paint Looking forward to putting them together, and the camo green on the car weathering Was tempted in a matt black iron cross on each door, but wasn't sure if this would offend the oldies down my road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2013 Well spent £70 on service bits And finished my wheels... although im in two minds if to look for the same in 14s as I think these might be too low with the audio weight...Think I will fit them and see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koop Posted May 17, 2013 Report Share Posted May 17, 2013 **** those wheels look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2013 **** those wheels look good.haha thanks!! Im not sure if im going to keep them yet... Going to fit them on the car and have a look to see how close to the floor I am... Its a pain in the ass, because I live on a private road, so it means its not maintained and filled with huge potholes all over, so if im too low theres a chance il ground out and get stuck haha.Still awaiting my radiator so I cant really do much on it at the min or drive it, which is annoying... thanks German parts supplers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewf10 Posted May 17, 2013 Report Share Posted May 17, 2013 awsommeee!, guna get some camo parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2013 awsommeee!, guna get some camo parts? Was tempted in doing a few camo bits on the outside, but not sure just yet haha...Fitted my wheels and they look awesome, which is a bit of a p*sser....The reason being my car will need to come down a little on the coilovers, and once ive put a tonnes worth of wood and audio in it, I wont get down my cr*ppy road... So now on the hunt for something similar in 14-15"... These are now in the classifieds if anyones interested, and the price is negotiable obviously...Ive also replaced the radiator as the last was leaking... for some reason the new one looks thicker, but either way its fitted & working now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatesy0093 Posted May 18, 2013 Report Share Posted May 18, 2013 Nice wheels. Shame your not keeping them, I was gonna suggest doing one of them cream wheel and then the plastic bits in the dark green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad-modz Posted May 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2013 Well heres another alternative post that will have some on here moaning lol... Budget soundproofing Before anyone mentions, this stuff isn't anything like dynamat, brown bread etc... I know, its 10x Cheaper lol...Basically im not trying to trap noise out or in, more stopping/reducing panel flex from my install... Its tried and tested by many cheap skate audio installers, and two pro's I know of..Anyhow 2 x 10m rolls (240mm wide)... a seam roller & and 3 cans of foam... £52!!! Bargain... This done 2 doors, the rear quarters and the complete floor pan...I started by removing everything and degreasing...With everything clean, it was time to attack with the flash band... This was cut to size, layered up and pressed firm to the panel with the seam roller.....The original sound proofing over the top.... (note the 0-AWG cabling installed)Then the rear panels (the foam will be cut back obviously)And then the doors....Inside the doors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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