Bodyshop work

So the car has been at the bodyshop a while now and work has been going well. so the first time I went door they had lined up the doors and filled and smoothed relevant parts and put a layer of high build primer on.

I was impressed at this stage the work looked great, the only area which did not look really good to me was the lower door edge it stuck out too far, so it was agreed that would be built up to be matched. You'll notice the spoiler isn't done at this point.

Also the rear vents were not done and I couldn't decide on what to do I said to the bodyshop most importantly it cannot effect the strength of the piece and left it with them. They did a great job and did the below, really happy with them and it suits the lines of the car.

The car was almost ready for spraying and was in the final stages of being prep'd

So next I took the headlight covers and splitter away to be hydrodipped to match the wheels.

When I was bringing these back I got a surprise the car had been baked and sprayed! I'll let the pictures do the talking but its an understatement to say I was pleased with the results.

As you can see the 3 stage paint, varys well from sunlight to dull light which was exactly what I was after so it looked good on a cloudy day! the paint hasn't been flattened yet and I've been impressed with the reflection lines at this stage so I'm sure it will look amazing once detailed in the summer. wont be long till its put back together and I get it back.

Bodyshop update, Door solenoids and other pieces

So I guess the big update is the bodywork and whats been done so far;

So far the doors have been aligned much better, this has left the top of the door sitting more flush with the roof as well as the top of the back edge and the front edge. the downside to this is the bottom lower edge is sticking out quite a way, I've asked them to build it up a bit to make it look better. This is because of the fibre glass itself, he says there was no way it was going to sit perfect all the way round and i have to agree, I know I had a fight with it over many hours.

A couple of pics below, the 2nd photo shows the lower half of the door and behind the door is the bit ill have them build out a bit so the door sits more flush, I don't think it will effect the look of that panel.

In the top picture above you can just see a vent in the scoop. This is a rally vent which I've put in so can be scooped in to the cabin for circulation or can be opened in reverse so air is pulled out. Both have different functions.

Scooped in = cooling
Sucked out = Ventilation - useful when its been raining

The rear has had all the holes and bits I did for the IVA test refilled. The centre piece is still to be cut out and also the new camera hole created. Lower vents have been cut.

The rear hatch lines are much better now as well. They hadnt cut the vents at this stage as they decided the original suggestion would add too much weakness so waited to discuss it, we think we've come up with an idea now or some venting which will be stronger.

The spoiler will be done with the car but wont be on the car when sprayed. Simply put they think it will look good without it. It needs to be done at the same time because of the paint being used however i can of course just fit the spoiler afterwards by drilling some holes. If I was to fit the spoiler and didn't like it, I cant just fill the holes and have them blend back in.

As well as this I have been looking into door solenoids, the reason for this is i can then remove the external door handles which gives more security. So I have bought a kit which includes two door solenoids and a remote which will allow me to pop the driver and passenger doors individually. As well as this I will hide a button somewhere on the car just as a backup and also there will still be a good old cable within in the door itself if required as a last resort.

I have also purchased a HID kit for better visibility as I felt it was quite poor with standard bulbs. Now I hate just as much as anyone being blinded. So first of all the light lenses are the correct type for them and secondly I've bought 35w 4300k versions so they will be still brighter but not stupidly bright like the 55w HID ones.