rear fender wide-body modification
02-06-05, 10:15 PM
#26
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Thread Starter
rims fitment
*whew* Rims finally arrived. It took 6 months. I put off mounting the fenders permanently until my wheels came in just in case I had to do more bodywork or modifications. I still have some leeway as to how I can attach the fenders. Also, I have some leeway on what tires to run as different sizes have different sidewall profiles.
The wheels are Volk SF-Challenges 19x10.5, -9 offset for the rear, and 19x9.5, -3 offset for the front. The black face color is an option, but it's a special order and they charge for it. I went with black because Volk rims tend to spawn knock-offs very quickly. In fact, they already make fake SF-Challenges. The real Volks have a special design where the rectangles and Volk logo around the inner edge are embossed and polished. This is better than having rivets, IMHO, because a lot of knock-off companies now replicate that look using stickers that look like rivets on the outside edge of their 1-piece, cast wheels. On the other hand, Volk paints the centers and then machines off the top layer of paint before clearing over it - a process that's not duplicated cheaply. From the test fitting, it looks like I'll be running 245-35-19 tires in front, and 275-30-19's in the rear. Clearance is super, super close, but then, I measured them out that way for minimum gap and maximum dish. The dish on the rims measure a true 4" and front and 5" in the rear. I figure, if you are going to order custom rims, you might as well go for the gand slam. =)
I'll paint next week, I suppose.
The wheels are Volk SF-Challenges 19x10.5, -9 offset for the rear, and 19x9.5, -3 offset for the front. The black face color is an option, but it's a special order and they charge for it. I went with black because Volk rims tend to spawn knock-offs very quickly. In fact, they already make fake SF-Challenges. The real Volks have a special design where the rectangles and Volk logo around the inner edge are embossed and polished. This is better than having rivets, IMHO, because a lot of knock-off companies now replicate that look using stickers that look like rivets on the outside edge of their 1-piece, cast wheels. On the other hand, Volk paints the centers and then machines off the top layer of paint before clearing over it - a process that's not duplicated cheaply. From the test fitting, it looks like I'll be running 245-35-19 tires in front, and 275-30-19's in the rear. Clearance is super, super close, but then, I measured them out that way for minimum gap and maximum dish. The dish on the rims measure a true 4" and front and 5" in the rear. I figure, if you are going to order custom rims, you might as well go for the gand slam. =)
I'll paint next week, I suppose.
Last edited by HyperRex; 02-06-05 at 10:19 PM.
02-07-05, 09:32 AM
#27
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all of that work and you are just gonna run tires as wide as someone could with stock bodywork, yeah I see yours are 19"ers though. Still, I'm surprised you cant fit more width in there but maybe the 19" wheel has a tire height that makes it difficult?
I give you props for posting this on the forum, its guys like you who share info with great pics that really help people out. I'm so tempted to widebody my FC, mostly to put the power to the ground (LS1 swap) I'm in need of 315's out back on an 11" wheel. With only the money for the widebody and DIY installation so far, I'm gonna put it off until I can afford some 17x10 front and 17x11 rear wheels like those from CCW or possibly some SuperAdvans.
Nice thread! your car is lookin' great! keep on updating us!
I give you props for posting this on the forum, its guys like you who share info with great pics that really help people out. I'm so tempted to widebody my FC, mostly to put the power to the ground (LS1 swap) I'm in need of 315's out back on an 11" wheel. With only the money for the widebody and DIY installation so far, I'm gonna put it off until I can afford some 17x10 front and 17x11 rear wheels like those from CCW or possibly some SuperAdvans.
Nice thread! your car is lookin' great! keep on updating us!
02-07-05, 10:56 AM
#28
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Good post but is there someone out there thats willing to host the pictures. It could just be me b/c all I see is red X's, on the first page atleast.
Last edited by 86J; 02-07-05 at 10:59 AM.
02-07-05, 12:41 PM
#30
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Thread Starter
Yikes! The pictures on the front page disappeared! I uploaded them onto rx7club instead of hosting them myself because I figured that rx7club would generally display faster. I guess the pictures expired? I'd like to edit the front page posts to link to my pics, but there's no edit button. I think that disappears after awhile also? Maybe I'll make a web page and link the page when I have time.
Owen: Thanks for the compliments man. Yeah, I'm not running anywhere near as wide a tire as I can. I probably won't until much later. Originally, the plan was to stuff 315's in there asI used to have a 3-rotor for the car. I had a bunch of stuff happen, and consequently, that plan got shelved and I really don't know when I'll ever get around to finishing it. So for right now, I don't need big tires. I just went out and bought cool rims. Actually, for SF-Challenges there wasn't much of a choice anyway since they're not regularly offered wider than 10.5. It's not a waste though. Almost no one making huge power has only one set of rims. A set for the street and (likely) more than one set for racing is pretty common. I'll get around to that if I get around to finishing my engine.
Owen: Thanks for the compliments man. Yeah, I'm not running anywhere near as wide a tire as I can. I probably won't until much later. Originally, the plan was to stuff 315's in there asI used to have a 3-rotor for the car. I had a bunch of stuff happen, and consequently, that plan got shelved and I really don't know when I'll ever get around to finishing it. So for right now, I don't need big tires. I just went out and bought cool rims. Actually, for SF-Challenges there wasn't much of a choice anyway since they're not regularly offered wider than 10.5. It's not a waste though. Almost no one making huge power has only one set of rims. A set for the street and (likely) more than one set for racing is pretty common. I'll get around to that if I get around to finishing my engine.
02-07-05, 05:57 PM
#31
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Originally Posted by RussinStk
What options for flares to fit 16 X 12 wheel, beyond Tri-point Engr? What is the mm size need for 16X12s?
www.raceonusa.com makes a tripoint replica kit for very little money. Ive seen one locally being installed by a friend of mine (Rx-Ben) and it fits ok, some big gaps where the front fender meets the door but otherwise fine for the cost (under $600 shipped for the 4 fenders). they sell the 4-fender kit with a front lower bumper piece, on ebay for like $750 shipped.
yeah I hear ya, no need to roll wide, sticky rubber on the street and get into trouble on an offramp at 120+mph... right?! maybe when my taxes come back I'll just buy the race-on-usa kit. I might as well do it before prices go up or they disconmtinue it, that would suck. another local (soloIIdrift) used mariah wide front fenders and they were poor quality and the body shop had to re-do a lot of the surface on the fiberglass, that cost him some $$$$. so, its good to see some other options now for the FC guys!
02-07-05, 11:11 PM
#33
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go to www.bmagicaero.com they have rear fender flares as well as front. the whole kit is like 2g's and I am seriously debating on getting it
03-25-05, 01:47 AM
#35
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Ok, I finally found time to resize my pictures and put them up on my server. This post is a repeat of my first post, but with pictures this time.
The rear fenders are two sheets of metal which are bonded at the lip by spot welds and glue. We need to cut off the lip in order to separate the two sheets. I used a cut-off wheel to do this, although a cutting tool with a reciprocating blade is faster and probably better.
Here is the bottom of the fender after cutting. The outer sheet is vertical, but the inner sheet slopes downward at an angle towards the outer sheet, joining at the lip we just cut off. The outer sheet is the body panel. The inner sheet forms the "curve" of the wheel well. We are going to hammer the inner sheet upward and outwards until it meets the outer sheet further up. We are going to change the shape of the wheel well. In order for the inner sheet to bend into the new shape easier, I made a few slits in the metal with some tin snips. You can see the slits I cut in the picture.
Hammer the inner sheet upwards and outwards, "raising the roof" of the wheel well. The edge of the inner sheet will naturally start to pull away from the edge of the outer sheet.
The inner sheet is now meeting the outer sheet about two inches further upward from where it used to meet. You'll see that the inner shape of the wheel well has changed significantly. The top no longer curves downward towards the opening - it's now mostly flat. Right now it looks kind of ugly, but that's okay. We're not done yet.
I placed a tiny dab of structural adhesive between the two sheets of metal, then clamped them together to keep them from moving. Next, I drilled a hole through both sheets with a 3/16" drill bit and riveted them together. Note that any rivet capable of being fastened by a hand tool (as opposed to a pneumatic rivet gun) is relatively soft and could possibly work itself loose over time. It "should" be okay, but I used the structural adhesive just in case. Cosmetically, the area is structural - it is secured to keep the panels from changing shape. It is not structural in the sense that it reinforces the frame. It's going to be covered by the wider fender, so you don't have to make it ultra pretty. It is important that you secure it though. The noise of the two panels rubbing alone will drive you nuts, not to mention what your surrounding bodywork will eventually look like if you don't.
The inner and outer sheets are finally riveted and glued together. We can now trim the excess. In this case, I took it all the way off to the crease.
At last, the reciprocating blade has arrived! Cutting is now 10 times faster.
This is how much vertical clearance I had in relation to the fiberglass fender before trimming. Note that 1/2" - 3/4" of fender has already been trimmed to separate the two sheets of metal.
This is how much vertical clearance I had afterwards - more than enough to clear a 2" wider rim moving up and down from normal use. I carefully tapped the lip slightly outwards again as well.
Lastly I coated everything with POR-15, a really rugged rust resistant coating. I made sure to completely seal in both sides of the rivets as well. All that's left to do is wait until the POR-15 dries and then seal the inside seam with weatherproof sealant from inside the car. The new fender will simply rivet over the entire panel from the outside.
The rear fenders are two sheets of metal which are bonded at the lip by spot welds and glue. We need to cut off the lip in order to separate the two sheets. I used a cut-off wheel to do this, although a cutting tool with a reciprocating blade is faster and probably better.
Here is the bottom of the fender after cutting. The outer sheet is vertical, but the inner sheet slopes downward at an angle towards the outer sheet, joining at the lip we just cut off. The outer sheet is the body panel. The inner sheet forms the "curve" of the wheel well. We are going to hammer the inner sheet upward and outwards until it meets the outer sheet further up. We are going to change the shape of the wheel well. In order for the inner sheet to bend into the new shape easier, I made a few slits in the metal with some tin snips. You can see the slits I cut in the picture.
Hammer the inner sheet upwards and outwards, "raising the roof" of the wheel well. The edge of the inner sheet will naturally start to pull away from the edge of the outer sheet.
The inner sheet is now meeting the outer sheet about two inches further upward from where it used to meet. You'll see that the inner shape of the wheel well has changed significantly. The top no longer curves downward towards the opening - it's now mostly flat. Right now it looks kind of ugly, but that's okay. We're not done yet.
I placed a tiny dab of structural adhesive between the two sheets of metal, then clamped them together to keep them from moving. Next, I drilled a hole through both sheets with a 3/16" drill bit and riveted them together. Note that any rivet capable of being fastened by a hand tool (as opposed to a pneumatic rivet gun) is relatively soft and could possibly work itself loose over time. It "should" be okay, but I used the structural adhesive just in case. Cosmetically, the area is structural - it is secured to keep the panels from changing shape. It is not structural in the sense that it reinforces the frame. It's going to be covered by the wider fender, so you don't have to make it ultra pretty. It is important that you secure it though. The noise of the two panels rubbing alone will drive you nuts, not to mention what your surrounding bodywork will eventually look like if you don't.
The inner and outer sheets are finally riveted and glued together. We can now trim the excess. In this case, I took it all the way off to the crease.
At last, the reciprocating blade has arrived! Cutting is now 10 times faster.
This is how much vertical clearance I had in relation to the fiberglass fender before trimming. Note that 1/2" - 3/4" of fender has already been trimmed to separate the two sheets of metal.
This is how much vertical clearance I had afterwards - more than enough to clear a 2" wider rim moving up and down from normal use. I carefully tapped the lip slightly outwards again as well.
Lastly I coated everything with POR-15, a really rugged rust resistant coating. I made sure to completely seal in both sides of the rivets as well. All that's left to do is wait until the POR-15 dries and then seal the inside seam with weatherproof sealant from inside the car. The new fender will simply rivet over the entire panel from the outside.
03-25-05, 01:48 AM
#36
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Thread Starter
Here are the pieces I cut out of the fender. Note the time. My neighbors luv me.
Here's what the panel looks like under the overfender. Note the clearance.
Here's what the car looks like with the overfender in place.
03-28-05, 02:19 PM
#38
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no there are not any other solutions for the rear since it is actually a quarter-panel that is a piece of the chassis and this is because the car has a unibody design/structure.
this is a great thread, nice work man, nice pics!
is it done yet?!?!?!?
this is a great thread, nice work man, nice pics!
is it done yet?!?!?!?
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