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Had a bit of a chat with the owner to tell him how superb I thought they were. Turned out it was Simon Coles A.K.A. Coalese. Owner of http://www.scvwcustoms.co.uk/"]SC VW Customs[/URL] the bannded steel and wheels expert.
Si explained that they were German Rial wheels from a 1980's Mercedes. I just thought they looked spot on and wanted them. Si said in passing that if he parted with them, I'd have first refusal.
Luckily for me, Simon changes his mind on wheels once every few months!
So much faster than I expected, he got in touch and offered them to me. Obviously snapped them up.
Since then there have been one or two problems. Including a dick in an RX-7 cutting me up, forcing me up a kerb, damaging a wheel. A week before the inaugural T17.club drag session!
This meant I had to rush and have them refurbished. Luckily www.amazingalloys.co.uk"]Amazing Alloys[/URL] made them look even better than before, with a super sparkly bling finish.
Before:
After:
Really happy with the 'Rial' detail. The guys at www.amazingalloys.co.uk"]Amazing Alloys[/URL] were fantastic.
They did the initial base colour, then sanded back the detail, by hand, and lacquered over the top.
Due to the alloys & tyres being larger than stock, and how low I run the van (not that low, to be honest) they have always rubbed the arches slightly.
Specially when braking round corners or hitting bumps in the awful roads round my parent in Stoke-on-Trent.
Recently, one of these bumps pulled the outer arch lining out into a sharp edge, which started to cut into my tyre!
A solution was needed, as there is no way I am giving up the 'perfect' alloys now I have found them.
We 'rolled' the top lip of the front arches.
When I say rolled, I mean we took a hammer to them, in order to keep them out of the way.
They didn't scrub any more but they didn't look as good as I wanted.
Looking into the options of building the arches out to look better, it was becoming clear that not only would it be expensive but it would be very hard to get the lines right and make it look good.
Then some bright spark spotted a full http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252098985219"]Projekt Zwo kit on eBay.de[/URL] which would mean we could truly bastardize the arches and cover up the cuts with the kit. So after chatting to them over email and buying outside of eBay for a MUCH better price, it was ordered.
Few problems with the kit, even though it was cheap for a VERY rare kit.
1. Quite a bit of damage to the kit, not in the best condition and has had quite a few bad repairs.
2. The kit is left had drive, so the side skirts are not right for the sliding door aperture and fixing.
3. Lights have quite a few missing clips and are not in great condition (although the lenses are in good nick)
4. The rear door 'valance' is for a tailgate, not a barn door.
5. Rear fog light is on the wrong side
6. No space for the tow loop in the front bumper.
The answer to all these problems is the new in house paint & fiberglass genius Dean, who works out of https://www.facebook.com/mvengineering"]MV Engineering's[/URL] location.
A huge VW fan, he is a paint expert who has spent a lot of time building/fixing/repairing fairings and bodys on motorbikes, his other passion.
So he was right at home with working on this body kit. Dean has said it is the best built kit he has ever worked on. Well done Projekt Zwo!
First job, test fit. Worked pretty well but two 'major' issues.
The sliding door setup was wrong, due to it being a LHD kit.
So Dean set to work and cut the side skits along the length to swap the flat side for the sliding door over and put them back together again, the right way round.
A general tidy up of the kit as a whole, to heat up the kit, flexing it back into the shape it was, as well as fixing the terrible repair jobs someone had previously bodged together
Cut off the number plate mount from the rear valance and then cut the whole bar in half, and sealed up again. So it will fit the barn doors, as well as making brackets in them, so they can be bolted to the door from inside. (note the holes in the back doors)
Dean is a genius.
Also looking to go back to OEM style exhaust, having it pointing down to the floor, before the rear bumper.
Hopefully, this will mean less of a black rear-end.
Ordering some new clips for the lights, hopefully they should be pretty easy to get hold of.
Filled in the fog light in the bumper, going to have to come up with a different solution. Possibly swap out one of the reversing lights and make it a rear fog.
Cut off the towing loop. Going to add a screw in tow eye hole, locating it behind the front number plate, as it will (hopefully) be used very little!
All this work has been done is just over a week!
No kidding, Dean has to be some kind of magician.
Now the kit is fitting well, time for a primer coat.
-06/01/2016-
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UPDATE
Dean has been doing a superb job.
Angel eye fog light sets built and ready to go.
Dean and my lovely wife Tamsin checking over the bumpers Dean flatted back.
First lick of yellow!
IT'S BRIGHT
-07/01/2016-
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Well... the kit is on!
And the good news is, NO SCRUBS!
Poke is now covered, so I am legal again!
You can see where arches have been "beaten" back, and the body kit arches have been trimmed back.
Very VERY happy.
--1st Feb 2016--