C63 AMG 507 edition wide arch project
Discussion
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.
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.
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
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
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
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 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.Looks like having a warranty has been a godsend for you.
In 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 meSome 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
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
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.
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.
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
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
Court_S said:
That’s some increase in size!
Looking forward to seeing further updates.
I could have maybe got a 275 on the stock wheels, but would have had too much tyre bulge for my liking.. that said I could have gone up to 315 on the J11 rears, but until the conversion is done with the coilovers fitted and wheels on we don't know exactly how much room we have to play with, so this was a safe option... that said, with the wider wheels, tyres and coilovers it should make for a great chassis and probably wont need the bigger size anyway.Looking forward to seeing further updates.
Hi guys, So another update for you.
The car wasn't dropped of at the weekend due to the garage doing the work have been delayed due to another customer, although very disappointed, Its actually a blessing in disguise as the suspension hasn't arrived and I wanted to get the wheels ceramic coated before they were fitted.
My First attempt at this went horribly wrong...
The KKD Evolve was an absolute pain!. I applied it as to instruction's, "Allow product to dry before buffing" so I did that, But to my Horror, it wouldn't buff off!!!!, so contacted KKD, and they told me that the product had to be buffed off Before it dries, NOT after!!
The only wat to het this off was to compound the polish the wheel to remove the coating, I also checked with my powder coater about the product, and he said that High solvent based products are really bad for freshly
powdercoated wheels as it will make them porous.
So… Now switched to Carbon Collective platinum wheels
The 1st Job was to fully remove the KKD with a compound polish, I did this with a Polishing Cone in a drill, and some Scholl S20 Black.
Now that 1 wheel was completed with all the polishing, I was so Impressed by the finish that I decided to spend the next few hours doing the other 3 wheels...
Next up
Now all the polishing is complete, A full paint prep is needed prior to coating, I did this using Carpro Eraser and some Edgeless 70/30 Microfibre cloths from In 2 Detailing and cleaned each wheel twice to make sure all the polish residue was removed.
Next Up.
The Fun part. The product comes in a 15ml bottle with 1 small finger sized applicator.
I then set about applying the product to the inside of the spokes only, and worked my way around the wheel, allowed 2 mins for the product to start curing and then gently levelled the product with another 70/30 Microfibre buffing cloth. Note Do Not Buff this product hard as it will remove too much, you simply need to level the product to remove any high spots or smearing.
Now that the inner spokes had been done, I did the faces of the wheels with the very same technique as before.
Then Left the wheels for 2 Hrs before applying a second coat to ensure full coverage and durability.
Overall my experience with this product has been fantastic. I have used C5 in the past but wasn't that impressed with, I have heard that both Carbon Collective and C5 are made by the same company, however, if this was the case the application process would be the same but in fact its not as C5 is only recommended to have 1 coat as a second coat wont bond to itself.
For those of you who have yet to use this product, its really simply to apply with plenty of working time, as for durability They claim 2/3yrs, however if I manage to get half that I will be extremely happy as the product is less than £20.
Now wheels are finished including the centre caps..
Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I'll update again as soon as I have more news.
Cheers
Lee
The car wasn't dropped of at the weekend due to the garage doing the work have been delayed due to another customer, although very disappointed, Its actually a blessing in disguise as the suspension hasn't arrived and I wanted to get the wheels ceramic coated before they were fitted.
My First attempt at this went horribly wrong...
The KKD Evolve was an absolute pain!. I applied it as to instruction's, "Allow product to dry before buffing" so I did that, But to my Horror, it wouldn't buff off!!!!, so contacted KKD, and they told me that the product had to be buffed off Before it dries, NOT after!!
The only wat to het this off was to compound the polish the wheel to remove the coating, I also checked with my powder coater about the product, and he said that High solvent based products are really bad for freshly
powdercoated wheels as it will make them porous.
So… Now switched to Carbon Collective platinum wheels
The 1st Job was to fully remove the KKD with a compound polish, I did this with a Polishing Cone in a drill, and some Scholl S20 Black.
Now that 1 wheel was completed with all the polishing, I was so Impressed by the finish that I decided to spend the next few hours doing the other 3 wheels...
Next up
Now all the polishing is complete, A full paint prep is needed prior to coating, I did this using Carpro Eraser and some Edgeless 70/30 Microfibre cloths from In 2 Detailing and cleaned each wheel twice to make sure all the polish residue was removed.
Next Up.
The Fun part. The product comes in a 15ml bottle with 1 small finger sized applicator.
I then set about applying the product to the inside of the spokes only, and worked my way around the wheel, allowed 2 mins for the product to start curing and then gently levelled the product with another 70/30 Microfibre buffing cloth. Note Do Not Buff this product hard as it will remove too much, you simply need to level the product to remove any high spots or smearing.
Now that the inner spokes had been done, I did the faces of the wheels with the very same technique as before.
Then Left the wheels for 2 Hrs before applying a second coat to ensure full coverage and durability.
Overall my experience with this product has been fantastic. I have used C5 in the past but wasn't that impressed with, I have heard that both Carbon Collective and C5 are made by the same company, however, if this was the case the application process would be the same but in fact its not as C5 is only recommended to have 1 coat as a second coat wont bond to itself.
For those of you who have yet to use this product, its really simply to apply with plenty of working time, as for durability They claim 2/3yrs, however if I manage to get half that I will be extremely happy as the product is less than £20.
Now wheels are finished including the centre caps..
Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I'll update again as soon as I have more news.
Cheers
Lee
Paint colour update!!!! So as most of you know my colour choice for the conversion was Viper Green or Hell Green... I've spoken to GBG today and because the legacy edition 507 was not released in the Uk and the colour is owned by BASF< They won't release the colour code. So Hell Green AMG it is!
[quote=Swole]Hello mate.
I rarely use this, as let’s be honest, PH is a weird place but glad to see a more detailed write up on your bits and pieces.
What suspension did you go with in the end?
I apologise for making you spend all of this money! I’m afraid it doesn’t stop there though as you end up in the engine bay.
Have these of mine to keep reminding yourself of why you’re doing it haha.
Cheers Dude!!
Although your not to blame.. I was already looking but unsure what way to go with it, hence why I jumped on it asap.
Re suspension, I spoke to Phil but he is no longer doing the bespoke kits, so gave me some pointers etc. I've gone down the route with KW V3 Inox..
As for engine.... don't get me started dude.. I did it with my supra... £20K later in the engine bay alone
I rarely use this, as let’s be honest, PH is a weird place but glad to see a more detailed write up on your bits and pieces.
What suspension did you go with in the end?
I apologise for making you spend all of this money! I’m afraid it doesn’t stop there though as you end up in the engine bay.
Have these of mine to keep reminding yourself of why you’re doing it haha.
Cheers Dude!!
Although your not to blame.. I was already looking but unsure what way to go with it, hence why I jumped on it asap.Re suspension, I spoke to Phil but he is no longer doing the bespoke kits, so gave me some pointers etc. I've gone down the route with KW V3 Inox..
As for engine.... don't get me started dude.. I did it with my supra... £20K later in the engine bay alone
Still a little delay in dropping the car off due to another car being done so its going in this weekend.
On the plus side
the car has gone in for a full service ahead of schedule so I don't end up losing the car again when I get it back, I've been looking at the wheels and felt that due to the whole wheel being black, the tyre looked lost on the rim and needed something to break it up, I managed to find some really good quality Metal AMG wheel logo's so took a punt.
They arrived today and was really impressed with the quality for such little money. I think the wheels look more factory now, esp as they deserved the AMG logo.
On the plus side
the car has gone in for a full service ahead of schedule so I don't end up losing the car again when I get it back, I've been looking at the wheels and felt that due to the whole wheel being black, the tyre looked lost on the rim and needed something to break it up, I managed to find some really good quality Metal AMG wheel logo's so took a punt.
They arrived today and was really impressed with the quality for such little money. I think the wheels look more factory now, esp as they deserved the AMG logo.
Dude... I've been waiting for this to happen since October!!!! The amount of prep work that has had to be done ahead of the body work starting is mad... Picking up the car today from MB after a full service, engine and transmission software upgrades, and a load of other bits i wanted done.
And now finally the car is going in tomorrow. Another 4/6weeks and it should be complete. That's 6 months in total.
And now finally the car is going in tomorrow. Another 4/6weeks and it should be complete. That's 6 months in total.
So now its finally happening guys.
I dropped the car off at the body shop today, and work begins on Monday.
There has been a slight colour change as i wasn't sure that the Hell Green was the right one, it didn't matter what light i put it against it just seemed too dark, so over the past few weeks I've been looking into other colour mixes. And today when i dropped off the car the painter had made a dozen different shades.
And finally we have an ultimate winner
I dropped the car off at the body shop today, and work begins on Monday.
There has been a slight colour change as i wasn't sure that the Hell Green was the right one, it didn't matter what light i put it against it just seemed too dark, so over the past few weeks I've been looking into other colour mixes. And today when i dropped off the car the painter had made a dozen different shades.
And finally we have an ultimate winner
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