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The progress thread - Final update


Madmarky

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Thought i would create one thread with all the pics i take from the progress of my car and detail what ive been doing and what has been done.

 

Day 1

 

All the kit has been removed and has been put to one side. so here is what the car looked like.

 

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Spent the whole say sanding back the car and taking a lot of trim ot of the car ready for the window guy.

 

Day 2

 

Had a meeting at work this morning but a guy had come and took my windows out. Once i got to the bodyshop the guy had been and removed the windows. The front window is still in as they were the bodyshop were waiting for me to take it out. Heres some pics i took showing the progress of the car from day 1.

 

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Spent today carrying on sanding back the paint mainly by hand. Took loads of photos just for you lot, cos i know how much you like pics. Beware tho some may be offeneded by the naked car porn :lol:

 

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Day 3

 

Pretty much the same as the days before, getting rid off all standard paint taking it back to almost bare metal in some areas. Some parts are extremely hard to get into, especially around the contours by the side windows. Boot has been completely finished and has been removed from car. All thast left to do now is the doors and the door shuts which have already been started on, see pics below.

 

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So now the car is all back to bare metal I was asked this question by the bodyshop "So... What colour you want it painted?" I said i wanted it the same as i hadn't had much time to enjoy it the way is was, but i wanted the proper midnight pruple colour like the R34 is painted. I left it with the bodyshop to work out the colour codes. Later that day they got in touch with me to say that due to new paint regulations they were unable to paint it that colour as part of the mixing scheme is now illegal to paint in this country. I was a bit shocked but started to think about the possibilities of painting it a different colour and having a fresh start with my car. After searching around the net for some inspiration I came accross some pics of the Zele 370z and my mind was pretty much made up on spot. I did some investigation work and found out the colour is called Chrome Orange and is part of the Lotus colour scheme. I presented this information to the bodyshop and was found out that he could mix that colour but would have to use a different tintner as again the Chrome orange has a banned substance included. He did a test mix and painted a spare wing mirror cover. I was very happy with the colour and told him to run with it.

 

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I decided that seeing i had a carbon bonnet that i would get the roof and spoiler fin painted to match and chose a dark charcol colour from the huge selection of colour chits. The car was then primed and painted.

 

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After some time in the oven i was asked to pop down the bodyshop and sign off that i was happy with the colour choices. This is what i turned up to see.

 

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i was very happy with this, the sun on it really makes the paint sparkle. The bodyshop then set about fixing the awful job that was doen to my rear bumper and getting the sideskirts to line up properly.

 

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Both sideskirts and bumper required a lot of re-glassing so these were sorted and left to cure. The doors were then all prepared and painted and fitted to the car, they looked amazing.

 

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I got my windows back from the tintners and they were fitted to the car

 

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Wings were painted and fitted, also my new front bumper arrived from Rik so the bodyshop could start work on fitting and prepearing that.

 

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Then the door handles were fitted

 

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Then the spolier was painted

 

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That completes all the orange parts of the car, only part left to paint in orange was my centre console but that was being left till last. I arrange to take a day off work to re-fit all the interior and all the trim that had been removed. So went down the bodyshop and fitted the door windows, although couldn't put the door cards on as was waiting for the mirrors to be painted. Got a call on a sunday afternoon to inform me that the mirrors and spoiler fin had been painted and did i want to go down and fit them, of course i jumped at the chance and went down to finish it off.

 

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The next week the bodyshop were finishing off preping my bumpers and skirts, poped down to see how progress was getting on. Thye were pretty much all preped and primed.

 

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Had sourced a company to refurb my original wheels which was a result as after buying a brand new set of ultralite GTII's i wasnt too sure they would go with this bold colour scheme. Wheel Genie in Huntingdon, Cambs did a fantastic job of my wheels.

 

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Friday 2nd October - this is the day when it is due to be finished. Took the day off to go help the bodyshop finish the car. Turned up and the car was on the ramp Sideskirts had been fitted and it was having the rear bumper test fitted. It was looking good, unfortunately i totally forget to get any pics. They had done a fantastic job with it and the front bumper went on quite smoothly.

 

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Had the dashboard sprayed to match the outside also

 

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Wheels were then fitted and this completed the whole 4 month repair process. The car looks amazing and came out better than i hoped. Cleaned all the interior and gave a it a quick wash and polish just intime to make Japshow Finale at Santa Pod. Had a great day and the response to my car was brilliant. Looks so much better in the flesh but heres a couple of pics I took at Santa Pod, enjoy :bounce:

 

Would like to say a big thanks to Sarah and all the guys at Envy, CS, Rik at Prestige and the biggest thanks to R35LEE for whom without none of this would be possible :thumbs:

 

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just looking at those GRP side wing panels that you sanded back, what did you use to do that with.

 

only ask as i have a GRP body kit that needs sanding back and i kinda want to take it back to the gel coat. did you use an orbital, or was it all by hand and if so what grade wet and dry were you using?

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Pretty scary seeing a zed in that state. That's a lot of work to be done. I'm impressed with ur commitment, reckon it'll be very rewarding looking back at those photos once you've got it finally finished!

 

Love those side wings by the way B)

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just looking at those GRP side wing panels that you sanded back, what did you use to do that with.

 

only ask as i have a GRP body kit that needs sanding back and i kinda want to take it back to the gel coat. did you use an orbital, or was it all by hand and if so what grade wet and dry were you using?

 

Most of it was done using a orbital sander thing with 360 dry sanding pads. The little vents however had to be done by hand and took over a hour for each one.

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Holy hell thats alot of work. I though you only crashed the front :lol:

 

R

 

I didnt even really crash the front, just caught the bumper on drivers side. If you see one of my other posts you will find out why we are having to do so much work to prep it for a full respray, but in short the original job was a bodge quick job!

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you know when you're thinking about redecorating and you just peel the corner of a piece of wallpaper and end up ripping the whole lot off...........is it a bit like that? :lol:

 

Can't wait for more updates as it progresses!

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you know when you're thinking about redecorating and you just peel the corner of a piece of wallpaper and end up ripping the whole lot off...........is it a bit like that? :lol:

 

Can't wait for more updates as it progresses!

 

Haha Nixy :lol:

 

The worst thing was yesterday i signed off on the paint but i had the choice of anything i wanted. I was starring at a few thousand test cards for ages before deciding just to paint it the same coulors as it was before. I hope that it goes with the new wheels and looks ok tho, fingers crossed. :bounce:

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Go for the same colours as before, but for a twist ask them to shoot the lacquer with some metallic flake in it, so it pops more when the sun hits it (I mean sunlight, not the actual sun, cos if the actual sun would hit, we'd all go 'pop' with it)

 

bm have u been watching pimp my ride again? :lol:

 

R

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A nice orange would get my vote :teeth:

 

define "nice orange" does it exist? :bleh:

 

*sound of pattering feet as husky runs away from the orange crew* :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE before im killed:

i dont mind the orange really, just not my taste

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A nice orange would get my vote :teeth:

 

define "nice orange" does it exist? :bleh:

 

*sound of pattering feet as husky runs away from the orange crew* :lol:

 

NOTE before im killed:

i dont mind the orange really, just not my taste

Dont worry, you wont get killed, just :ban::lol:

 

I quite like the Zele orange

 

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