Overcomplication is my specialty: Widebody

[AceInHole]

So... I was all set to buy overfenders and such, when my friend who happens to own an audio shop convinced me to make my own.

I'm a sucker for that "make it myself" thing.

First step was to cut the fender. I love/ hate this step. It's easy to do, easy to mess up.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3290005.jpg

Then I slit the fender well so I could hammer it up and tack it in place:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3290008.jpg

Test fitting clearance after welding:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300015.jpg

Yeah... it'll fit.

This time, I decided to keep the stock arch, and space it out horizontally. So, I added some strips of metal to extend the tubs:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300017.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3290001.jpg

Test fit the tires again:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3290004.jpg

I could almost call it a day!! Bondo will fill that in nicely.

Not.

Tried to figure out how to fill the rest in... since I can't just layer fiberglass over it as is. While I was doing stuff to the oher side, someone started playing with rolls of cloth and tape:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3290007.jpg

Looks good!! Let's not do that.

This requires something a bit more solid:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300024.jpg

That looks little better... add a few more bricks:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300026.jpg

Sweeeeet. That looks awesome. Where's the fiberglass?

Of course, Jenna didn't feel the same way I did:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300025.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300030.jpg

Crap... it's starting to "look good" and stuff. Where's the fun in that?
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300037.jpg

And some small peices to fill in the gaps...
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300039.jpg



Fiberglass to come soon. God bless 315/30/R18's.

[WilloW]

Nice man, Balls-O-Steel. I wish I have the balls, time, equipments, and patient to do that.

[veilside180sx]

It's coming along.=)

[Def]

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/549/shockedpandaep6zh5.gif


WTF!


Looks good. If I were going to do a custom widebody I think I'd make it look like a PTG E36 M3 - kinda like an E30 M3's stock flares but on crack. R32 GTR flares are similar too.

[turtl631]

I have the same shoes as Jenna.

Cool DIY bodywork. How are you going to paint this whole mess when completed?

[AceInHole]

Looks good. If I were going to do a custom widebody I think I'd make it look like a PTG E36 M3 - kinda like an E30 M3's stock flares but on crack. R32 GTR flares are similar too.

I was tempted to do the "touring car/ JGTC" look, but wasn't sure if I could do it without compromising suspension travel (suspension is "soft" enough to handle roads and such). The other thing I wanted was to keep a stock-ish body look, something like an MKIV Supra or R33-34 GTR.

Some fleece layered over it shows something of the bodylines:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P3300031.jpg

If I stretch it a bit it'll hopefully blend some of the contours more and bring the entire fender out.

[AceInHole]

Updates:

Moneyshot:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6719.jpg

Needs smoothing. Looks like a car again.

More candy:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6721.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6726.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6727.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6723.jpg

[veilside180sx]

That'll squeeze 'em=)

[Your Mom]

flease and resin. ftw.

[racepar1]

Looks pretty mean, but you shoulda just got overfenders, it would be lighter i'm pretty sure. By the time I get my rear overfenders I will have a custom cage so I'll just cut the whole quarter panel out and extend the wheelwells to seal it up.

EDIT: OOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! You should cut the whole quarters out when you are done and get some molds taken off of them cuz those look pretty bad-ass!

[BigOdom1]

awesome man

[AceInHole]

Looks pretty mean, but you shoulda just got overfenders, it would be lighter i'm pretty sure. By the time I get my rear overfenders I will have a custom cage so I'll just cut the whole quarter panel out and extend the wheelwells to seal it up.
I was originally going to go overfenders, but was concerned with a few things:
1. General fitment: rivets? Pfffft. They never seem to fit the entire fender, either.

2. Actual clearance: They don't LOOK like 50mm to me. Plus the concavish shape makes it seem as though there isn't a lot of inside clearance. I was sketchy on the actual dimensions, and with no way to test my tires with them, it seemed like a risky purchase.

3. My clearance: Do I need more than 50mm? Supposedly my wheel is 41mm larger than the 285's I run on the stock pulled fenders... seems like more with the 315's on them (larger OD I guess).

4. Cost: costs virtually nothing to screw up resin on fleece. If I screw up, I go buy some crap fenders and curse myself when I screw them up modding them to fit my tires.

5. Look: I got more of the widebody look I was going for, I think.



EDIT: OOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! You should cut the whole quarters out when you are done and get some molds taken off of them cuz those look pretty bad-ass!
I'd cut the quarters out, but I'm sketchy on abusing the rules/ allowances for my racing class. I'm allowed to cut everything outboard of the wheel hub, but only in allowance to gain tire clearance. I think cutting beyond the expected travel of my wheel could be a protestable mod.

[a_ahmed]

Liking the shape, keep it going :) I bet itll be good

[McCoy]

Looking good, PJ. Can't wait to see the finished product :)

[a_ahmed]

The zenki s14 looks so much sexier like this than kouki imho.. the curves are hot.

Btw, the 285/315 stagger you mention on zilvia affects the handling that much?.. cause i was thinking of going with something like that down the line due to my plan for the ls1...

[AceInHole]

I'm not sure if you'll need the stagger that much on a roadcourse, but for autox it keeps the car manageable, as the fastest way to drive it is basically to throttle steer through everything. GT2871r + KA-T = lots of instant torque :P

[a_ahmed]

Yeah I know lol, thats why i want some more rubber in the rear as ill run lsx v8 :P Even more scary hehe... so made me wonder what your objections were to the feel of it

[AceInHole]

Progress pics. Started sanding down the passenger side, pulled the panel off, resined the inside, and taped it back up so it'd retain its shape while curing:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0009.jpg

It's also trimmed a bit more. You can see the lip of the overhang:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0015.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0016.jpg

I'll have the option to do hidden rivets, but panel-bond should work just fine. I decided to retain most of the sheet metal for rigidity, so I'll have to go back and actually weld it all in. It'll give me something close to the arch to bond to. It'll also keep the tire clearance consistent by keeping flex to a minimum:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0013.jpg

Other than that, started up the panel for the other side:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0022.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0020.jpg

And did some quality checks to make sure everything is even:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0010.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/FILE0027.jpg

I'll probably have to finish one side off completely, and define where I want solid lines/ curves. After that I'll make a bunch of templates to act as a guide for sanding/ body-filling the other side. It'll also give me something to use for repairs, or if I go through with making a mold to do copies. There's a place that does professional body molds for baja trucks and such near me, so I'll see if I can get a quote from them.

Another big thanks to cdigity at SoundWorksInc for letting me take up a bay :) This would definitely not be happening without his help (it's like a giant speaker box, right?).

-PJ

[a_ahmed]

Really makes me want to have a zenki s14 now :P Very hot, good progress man, very very good progress. I just wonder how you'll be able to make it all equal it'll have to be slightly off most likely but yeah...

[AceInHole]

Really makes me want to have a zenki s14 now :P Very hot, good progress man, very very good progress. I just wonder how you'll be able to make it all equal it'll have to be slightly off most likely but yeah...

Already have it covered :)
I'll probably have to finish one side off completely, and define where I want solid lines/ curves. After that I'll make a bunch of templates to act as a guide for sanding/ body-filling the other side.

[AceInHole]

A lot of people have asked about the fuel filler door, and I was actually undecided between a few methods. In the end we ended up winging it and came up with this:

I cut out a small hole over the gas tank cap. From there I was able to peek inside and get an idea of where to make more cuts, and as the hole was enlarged it became much easier to trim it to an exact size.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6733.jpg

After that, cloth was glued around the edge of the hole. We put the fender back on, and screwed the OEM cover back in, pulling the cloth to shape:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6738.jpg

Add resin:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6753.jpg

Let it dry and trim the excess (after removing the cover, being sure it opens!):
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6763.jpg

Replace the cover to double-check fitment:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6769.jpg

Triple-check usefulness:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6774.jpg

(Same can from the front):
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6775.jpg

And for good measure:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6750.jpg

3" is roughly 75mm, so depending on where you're measuring from, these would be roughly 75mm overfenders.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6758.jpg

More updates to come soon! The car has to be on the dyno next week :)

[veilside180sx]

When 50mm is not enough...75mm is juuussstt right.

[a_ahmed]

Nice progress once again... keep it up *thumbs up*

[AceInHole]

The driver's side with a 40-grit pass:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6783.jpg

Thin coat of filler/ resin mix and 80-grit sanding on the passenger side:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6795.jpg

After doing the same for the driver's side, it's all hand sanding.

[a_ahmed]

wow man its getting relaly hot i wish u made something like that for my s13 :(

Btw, you should keep a mould copy so you can remake it easily IF you crash it or damage it or something no really, im serious plus heck u can sell 75mm widebody too which is proven to work as seen here hehe :)

[BigOdom1]

that is awesome

[raen419]

Wow. DIY FTW!!!!

Well done PJ. 75mm over fenders....and no stretched tire...thats a first for the 240sx world...lol

[JSC]

PJ, I love it, are those still my old front fenders off the ooooold maroon car - those have been temporary for a long time :)

[Your Mom]

Wow. DIY FTW!!!!

Well done PJ. 75mm over fenders....and no stretched tire...thats a first for the 240sx world...lol

hahahaha

[AceInHole]

PJ, I love it, are those still my old front fenders off the ooooold maroon car - those have been temporary for a long time :)

Yeah, they're supposed to be replaced by fiberglass ones.... but seeing as how 30mm overfenders for the front might not be enough, I may have to make some.




Exterior shots with the front race wheels on:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6815.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6818.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6821.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6833.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6822.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6842.jpg


The driver's side fender can still be sanded down a lot more. I'll have to get it to match the angle and height of the pass. side, as it looks a bit cockeyed.



And some tire clearance testing:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6797.jpg


All that's left now is some trimming, panel bond the fenders, fill the lines to blend them in, and paint.

[a_ahmed]

wooow.... oh man, ur car is looking sex sex sex, tripple xxx... damn :P What's amazing is that just looking at it plainly one would never guess the front has 285s, or the rear has 315s... well unless you look from the rear :P

Also just out of curioisoty can you take more front wheel pics. As I recall those are 285/30/18 on motegi 18x10+20 right?

[2Fass240us]

That amount of meat on the back of an S-chassis gives me an erection.

[spool_sample]

*right click*

...save image as...

:D

Looks awesome.

[AceInHole]

Screw it. Dyno and align have to be done before event 1, and there's still a dozen more small things to do to prep the car for sealer primer. I bought $450 worth of sealer primer, base paint (300K - Nissan Super White), and clear coat. **** if I'm going to waste it on a shoddily prepped car.

For event 1, the car will rattle-canned:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P4070106.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P4070107.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/P4070120.jpg

Better pics later today when it's sunny out.

[BigOdom1]

i dont blame you for not wanting to waste that paint on unprepped. but man that is one of the best looking 240sx that i have ever seen

[a_ahmed]

good progress good progress... yeah prep is the most important thing man... no prep + paint = ****.

MAKE VIDEOS tons of them in and out of the car this year!

[2Fass240us]

That is so sechsee. LMK if you ever want to sell the car. :D

[AceInHole]

A coming out shot:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/IMG_8908.jpg

And the day shot:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/IMG_8916.jpg

Rear end needs some work still, which will be done before real paint. Snagged a leftover center section to see how it'd look with a black inside:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/IMG_8911.jpg

And a night shot:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n247/AceInHole/PirateS14/touchmybody/DSC_6844.jpg

[a_ahmed]

lol keep the zenki tails, ur going ricer kouki middle tail on me here lol@datsun badge

[AceInHole]

i could do full kouki rear.... they're just sleeker looking, and i think the black center will be nice for when the car is white.

[a_ahmed]

Cant wait to see the car in action, keep it up :) I'm always lurking this thread hehe