C63 AMG 507 edition wide arch project

C63 AMG 507 edition wide arch project

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LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Sunday 3rd November 2019
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Hi Guys.
So pretty much as the title says, Winter is finally here and its the ideal time for the car to be off the road to have some upgrades.. ( I know that's a subjective view) so I thought I'd start a thread about the work that I'm having done and further plans for the future.
I understand that this conversion won't be to everybody's taste and expect some negative reviews about it, so feel free to comment regardless.

I bought the car back in May this year but it had to go back to the dealer several times due to complaints that I made, One of the big problems was bodywork not being upto standard, In total it went back 3 times as I wasn't satisfied.. But after the last time it went back I could clearly see where they had soft edged the clear coat and not removed the trims lights, etc etc etc to do the work properly.. fed up with going round in circles I decided that I would have it done myself by a recommended bodyshop.

With all this in mind, I set about looking into having the rear arches extended to match the front profile, after looking at various kits, like LBWK, Rocket Bunny etc I went off the idea as I didn't want the car to look like it had just had arches bolted on and not smoothed in. I then found a fellow member who was having the same work done so had been following his project very closely.

So here we are now. The car is booked in for January to have a rear wide arch conversion done with Golding Barn Garage, they have manufactured their own kit that has been modified from a German Moshammer kit.
Now while the car is having the rear arches done and a full body paint, its also the ideal time for a colour change..( Don't shout at me yet) and have decided to go with a shade close to The Legacy edition Viper Green. but not in Magno as I prefer the gloss finish



Next on the list of things to change is the wheels, as much a I would like to keep the OEM Forged wheels, they simply won't look right, so I've been on the hunt for some good quality wheels that will look right and also have the same OEM forged Quality.
I've ordered a set of Fully Custom Forged wheels from Works Gnosis as they are the exact look that I'm after and can be made in the size and offsets I need. 19x11 ET 30 Rear and 19x8.5 ET 35 front, with Bridgestone


Pilot sport 295.30 rear and 245 35 front.





I still have various other things to sort along the way, and will keep the thread up dated as things progress, In the mean time pls feel free to add any comments or advice that you feel may benefit this project.

Thanks in advance for reading, and look forward to all your thoughts.

LanceRS

2,172 posts

137 months

Sunday 3rd November 2019
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There was one of these with wide arches as the Mini Sunday Service. It made the car, the proportions looked so much better than normal.
As far as people disliking what you’re doing, it’s your car, do what make you happy, it’s not like you are butchering a flat floor E type.
Enjoy.

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Friday 20th December 2019
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Hi guys
Sorry its been a while since my last post on this thread, not much has happened as the car has been with main dealer for some warranty work for the last 10 weeks due to some parts being on back order. Now I'm happy to say that the parts have finally arrived and I should have the car back next week.
I'm going down to the bodyshop next week to go through some colour charts, and have been thinking quite a bit about the bold colour change, The big kid inside really wants to go with the Hell green finish, but I'm not too sure about the engine bay being silver so I'm wondering if I may be better going with either the stock silver or possibly another shade that will give the car more of a pop, may be something like the Aston Martin silver that has a huge amount of flake in the colour.


Thanks again for reading
Lee

Gameface

16,565 posts

77 months

Friday 20th December 2019
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Bookmarked

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Friday 20th December 2019
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Hey guys Me again>>> right, things are now moving on at steady pace, and quite a lot is happening too.
My car has been at MB Maidstone for some warranty work after complaining that I had the odd top end rattle on cold start after the car had been sitting for a few weeks, I had a phone call yesterday with an update... after stripping the car down, they found some wear on the camshafts, so are replacing all 4 cams, cam chain, adjusters, lifters, cups, valves, sensors, belts, pulleys, rocker covers etc etc etc all being done under warranty, and all the work will be done before it goes in for the bodywork Mid Jan.

I went down to the bodyshop on Tuesday to discuss about paint colours, and have decided that I'll definitely be going with the Legacy edition Viper Green, but in a Gloss finish, they have the colour code so are able to mix it on site rather than buying it in. We then got onto what clearcoat I wanted, I had concerns about soft clearcoat so wanted to know what products they could offer to help reduce fine scratches and swirls. The answer.... BASF IGLOSS... its nicknamed ceramic clearcoat due to its extreme hard wearing finish and is in fact used by Mercedes on a limited number of models.

Now Wheels... Works Gnosis Forged finished in Anodised Black
Well I ordered these on the 1st November and was told ETA end of Jan... and yet to my surprise they have arrived today!!! Concave Christmas..









So Next up is Tyres.. just need to get these fitted and then get the wheels Ceramic coated.. Not sure on what product yet, but will probably opt to have these done by a pro, I've used C5 wheel armour before, but not 100% sure I did it right as the results weren't what I expected, most likely down to personal error not the product.
so if any of you can point me in the right direction of good company near Maidstone that would be great. I'll add more to the thread as things progress, Thanks again for reading
Lee

Court_S

12,932 posts

177 months

Friday 20th December 2019
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Bookmarked. Looking forward to seeing the finished car; sounds like a great project.

Looks like having a warranty has been a godsend for you.

ZX10R NIN

27,598 posts

125 months

Friday 20th December 2019
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Nice work.

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Saturday 21st December 2019
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Court_S said:
Bookmarked. Looking forward to seeing the finished car; sounds like a great project.

Looks like having a warranty has been a godsend for you.
Absolutely , these cars do have problems, as do most performance cars, TBH thats why I opted for a Main dealer car. there are several reports of noise from lifters and camshaft wear etc, and most just go on for ages without a problem, Mine wasn't causing a problem but I knew if left it would only get worse.

stevemcs

8,664 posts

93 months

Saturday 21st December 2019
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Sounds like a nice project although my love for the Clio RS alien green would win.

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Sunday 22nd December 2019
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bangheadIn honesty fella, i wanted to paint it Kawasaki green, same shade as my race bike, but i couldn't get around using a non oem colour... Cutting up a ltd edition car is one thing but painting it a non factory colour is too far outside the box for me

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Saturday 28th December 2019
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Some good news..

The car is now ready for collection from MB after having all the warranty work done..I must admit its a huge relief knowing that all the engine work is now complete ahead of schedule.
Picking the car up on Monday and going for a long overdue blast

The KKD R evolve wheel coating arrived today so I'll be coating the wheels tomorrow and leaving them in the spare room to cure. so i'll post up a detailed write up on application of the product with some pics.... everybody loves pics

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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OK, so, 1 week to go until the car goes off for its Cosmetic surgery
I collected the car Friday eve after all the work had finally been completed, so I decided to take it out for a good long road test to double check all was working correctly.. The engine is silky smooth and the 2 hours of driving was an absolute joy.
Now some may think this was a waste of time but I decided to give the car a full chemical strip wash before dropping it off next week and I've done this for several reasons.
A' it shows the cars bodywork is free of any dents or problems before the work is done. I will keep this on file so if I decide to sell it in the future ( Although I seriously doubt it) any potential buyer can be re assured that it was a straight car before hand.
B' I've done a chemical strip wash to help the guys in the bodyshop as the paint was loaded with sealant and wax, despite the fact that is being painted and would have to be sanded down it could still have caused a problem for them.
C' I simply Love a clean car, In fact I get just as much joy from detailing as I do driving.

So Here She is.... A beauty.










bstark

204 posts

133 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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You going to be giving your mates rides in the finished article, Lee ? beer

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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Play your cards right Bobby and I'll let you take for a spin;)

bstark

204 posts

133 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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LeeJV said:
Play your cards right Bobby and I'll let you take for a spin;)
thumbup

pidsy

7,989 posts

157 months

Sunday 5th January 2020
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In for updates.

As mentioned already, it’s your car - do what u want with it.

LeeJV

Original Poster:

222 posts

60 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
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So i collected the new wheels from the powder coating as i wasn't happy with the finish and took them down to have the tyres fitted. The size difference between the oem rear wheels compared to the new ones is substantial to say the least!!!!


Now i have these back i can get them coated with KKD R Evolve.

One last thing to arrive is the KW V3 coilovers. More shiny pics to come

Benten

687 posts

183 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
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LeeJV said:
So i collected the new wheels from the powder coating as i wasn't happy with the finish and took them down to have the tyres fitted. The size difference between the oem rear wheels compared to the new ones is substantial to say the least!!!!


Now i have these back i can get them coated with KKD R Evolve.

One last thing to arrive is the KW V3 coilovers. More shiny pics to come
Those wheels are mental! Watching this with interest.

Court_S

12,932 posts

177 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
quotequote all
LeeJV said:
So i collected the new wheels from the powder coating as i wasn't happy with the finish and took them down to have the tyres fitted. The size difference between the oem rear wheels compared to the new ones is substantial to say the least!!!!


Now i have these back i can get them coated with KKD R Evolve.

One last thing to arrive is the KW V3 coilovers. More shiny pics to come
That’s some increase in size!

Looking forward to seeing further updates.

playalistic

2,269 posts

164 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
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It’s hilarious how under-tyred the stock w204 was.