RBYCC

So how creative could one be with the sheetmetal I just picked up on the cheap....should save a bunch in custom fabrication ( hopefully )

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=290302275044

Saijin_Naib

How would those work? Mold on/over the current ones or completely remove the current fenders? Or cut them out and weld these in?

RHW

He plans on cutting, there's NO chance RBYCC plans to glue these on externally for looks.

RBYCC

Brett...

They are sheetmetal, so it's best to lay them over and cut out the stock sheetmetal..
Kind of like replacing a quarter panel.
Cost Nick a ton to custom make his flares...hope this may be an easier less time consuming way of doing it !

For the price it's worth the attempt...less expensive then most universal fiberglass or ABS flares.

I have the boost up to about 8psi....
Tried a mild street launch and car wants to go a bit sideways...
I think I'll end up with 10" wide rims and sticky rubber if the flares work.

Going to get up to the dyno and retune based on higher boost.

My guess is I'm around 330 torque and 290HP at the rear wheels on a load dyno.

Last pulls at 7psi boost gave a RWP result of double the pre turbo baseline.

Getting addictive....stayed away from it for too long

Ed

RHW

I wonder how effectively you could photoshop for review before cutting?

Perfect car for for this project!

RBYCC

I just learned how to instant message...leave photoshop for guys like Zorro who are adept and skillful

RBYCC

Suspension is working...both tires hook up about equally from a light brake load start.
About a car length in the turbos start spooling and it tends to begin to want to go to the left on the 1-2 shift.
I let off after leaving about six car lengths of my Falken FK-452's tread on the asphalt



Need to check the boost gauge against the dyno...
Tapped off of the dash vacuum gauge.

pifcat2

cool

You can mold in / mount your gauge on the A-pillar to maintain frontal vision

Mosselmann

I look forward to seeing pic's of this with a wide body ,are you planning on modifying the front arches aswell?
@ the first pic of the tread marks , you should take a 0-60mph video! looks like it's alot of fun

rusher

Lotec for example installed the boost gauge under the ashtray.
but I would use a VDO gauge, which looks better in a W124

YNVDIZW124

I was always thinking of getting another set of front fenders and cutting those to make a flare...

Saijin_Naib

Ed, I have to see your car in action one of these days. Making me a might bit jealous :P

RBYCC

Much faster then the Pagoda

Not sure of the front arches yet...

RBYCC

I used a Marsh gauge as they are high quality industrial types.
Main purpose was just to set up the boost adjustment.
Once it's retuned on the dyno the max boost will be fixed.
Didn't want to do anything as far as mounting that can't be reversed.
Holes in the console side can always be filled and color/grain matched !!

RBYCC

Take a ride down when the weather gets nice !!!

Chappy

Would love to see this project happen!

As a long-time former CE owner, combining the sexy lines of the W124 coupe with muscle has always been a daydream of mine. Glad you're making my wishes come true!

RBYCC

Chappy

Nick ( aka "Bluecoupe" and "Bahnstormer" ) did a great job on his but had all the flares fabricated from scratch.

I had been looking at universal carbon fiber and frp stuff, but the price of the steel Porsche flares couldn't be resisted.

Great thing about metal is you can hit it with a big hammer to make it fit !!!
Also bidding on the rear pieces that would blend the back of the arch flare to the lower cladding.

I would try to do it myself but don't know if I would live that long !!!

Got a good painter and seeing if he can find a good metal guy !!!

I'll keep the post active as things proceed...

Making more then enough power to stuff some big soft rubber under the rear !!!

Ed A.

Chappy

I'm tuned in...can't wait.

I did read up on the blue coupe that Satish's outfit worked on. Outta my league pricewise for the time being.

I would have seriously considered going the 5.0 V8 route with my coupe had MB not come out with the W208/55.

Life changes. The W124 coupe is no longer practical as a DD (now with 2 little boys at home), but was replaced with a similar vintage W124 estate - the utility is incredible on these kombis!

Anyway....just wanted to subsrcibe to the thread and share my excitement!

Bigpete123

One thing I always wondered about Nick's awesome installation- he took the stock front fenders from an E500E, but custom-fabricated the rear fenders. I wonder why Nick didn't just find a junked E500E (if there is such a thing), cut out the rear fenders, and weld them onto his coupe? I know the angles are different on the coupe, but I assume that would've been way easier and cheaper than fabricating from scratch.

What about that approach, Ed?

RBYCC

Pete

I watched Nick's build on several threads...the end result is short of amazing.
But agree that possibly sheet metal from something else may be available to do in essence more of a quarter panel replacement.

The 911SC has a great flare, still not sure if it will work until i get the panels..

I'm looking at Audi and BMW sheet metal for the front flares.

Good thing with metal is that you can shape it to match the existing body contours.

We shall see ( maybe ) ?

If not I got a great sheet metal wall hanging

Ed

viperuk1

LOL

Go for it mate cant wait to see the outcome

bluecoupe

Ed,

How much extra rubber are you planning on? Why not just buy a couple of front w124 fenders, cut those out & use them on the back - they will definitely blend into the lower cladding MUCH easier than the porsche flares and retain a more factory appearance. This would probably allow you to run 255 or 265 rear tires. Having said that, I researched many wide body cars & almost none had matching front & rear fender profiles, though you could have them rolled slightly to change the shoulder angle.

I definitely went overboard with my car, though I wanted a finish that looked as though it could have come from the factory or AMG as a "one off"... We considered using stock 500e flares for the rear, though there is so much surface area on the rear quarter panel of our coupes I thought they would have looked a little "dinky".

The most significant costs involved in my wide body conversion weren't the rear arches, it was definitely the time needed to fabricate, stretch, mold, sand etc. all of the plastic parts to match up with the new metal. This was also why the car took almost 20 months to complete - each layer of new material needed to cure properly, be sanded, fitted, sanded again, more material.... Then I also wanted to retain the chrome waistline strips - which caused a HUGE amount of work.

Which ever method you choose, it won't be "cheap"; body work never is if your looking for a finish to be proud of. Remember you will also need to have the fender wells fabricated to match up to the new arches as well.

Good luck!

RBYCC

Nick

Agree 100% with you...
Great idea about the front flares on the rear !!!

We both have too much invested, but at my age the car will go with me to the end..it will be twenty one years in May...four years longer then my first marriage

I bought the Porsche sheetmetal very cheap off of EBAY...will play with it myself doing templates and if I think it will work then off to the metal guy.
Also picked up some old fiberglass flares for a Mustang, again cheap !!!

Retuned the car in January on a Mustang dyno...AFR's left the same as they were excellent as Brian set them two years ago.
Discovererd the boost was only around 6+ average so adjusted the wastegate rods to get a 7+ average.

Combined with the update on the intake filter, and boost piping the car pulled 302 torque at the rear wheels. This is double the pre turbo base line pull.

A few weeks ago I installed a manual boost controller to prirmarily synchronize the turbo wastegate opening.
Also increased the boost to 8+

Will confirm the boost on the dyno and may go up to about 10.

I'm running 8" rims on the rear with the widest rubber that fits in the stock wheel well...
The torque pulls the car sideways on a strong part throttle 1-2 shift.

That's why I'm considering going to a wide body...

If not just some very sticky tires

P.S.

If you go over to the other forum "NickGed" from the UK did a video for me of his original 320CE that was done by Strattons.
His car may be one of the few RHD widebodies and may have been the "AMG1" tagged car that was featured in the period UK motor mags.
We've been trying to decide if his rear flares are extreme as the Hammer widebody. The front are definitely not as deep as the Hammer.

YNVDIZW124

I swear i said that on the 11th comment . I just got a set of cheap from fenders from the junk yard. On the sedan, I have to put the FR on the RL and the FL on the RR so it can match evenly. Basically, you have to flip them to match because it's going look wrong if you just put the front fender on the rear from the same side.

Why not go with 18x9? You can fit 255/35/18.

STLe320

Do they even make an application for a w124 with gauges on the driver's pillar?