Showing posts with label valance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label valance. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

E21: Deep 'Alpina' Style Front Valance on eBay UK

** UPDATE - This sold for the same £51 bid that was there on day one of the auction, but alas I missed the end.

I've been looking for a replacement chrome rear-bumper to get rid of the two minor, but ugly, dents on mine and spotted this -



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121179262087?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

A super-rare for the UK deep front-valance / bumper, I think from the 'Alpina' models and it's genuine BMW. Probably going to sell for way over the current £50 bid, but I think I will be having a cheeky bid myself if it doesn't go stratospheric.

Saturday, 25 May 2013

E21 316: Front wheels fitted - the easy part.

No fouling on the pulled arch-lip with these skinnier tyres, but the front valance was still just about catching so, with the arrival of the new spacers, I thought I'd get the fronts boxed off before starting the arduous task of the other rear arch. Sadly, my camber-plates have yet to arrive, I guess they must be stuck while Customs & Excise figure out what they are.

Thankfully, the amount of valance that needed cutting away on the n/s was only about 8mm and I didn't have to remove the bumper after all. I did my best to follow a natural curve, not sure if I took a little too much near the bottom. Interestingly, the o/s of the front valance didn't contact the new tyre at all and the fender does not extend past the bumper. I wonder if the n/s wing has been replaced at some point giving a slightly proud line. I matched up to that line when repairing the lower-valance last summer, so that would explain why it was catching the tyre too. Either way, the o/s/f arch required no grinding at all, so a little more pulling and the fronts will be ready for smoothing in.




I've also been driving round the last day or two with NASCAR style staggered wheels - 16s on the n/s and still 15s on the o/s. The car steers great to the right, but is a bit recalcitrant going hard left. I must find time to wrestle that other rear arch on Monday or it'll be like this for a while.

Sunday, 15 July 2012

E21 316: Bubbled Front Wheel Arch + Rotting Valance Repair.

The rear corner of the metal valance had started to rot away and a bit of spray has been done to the lip of the wheel-arch and its all started to bubble and a little rust poking through from behind.

The whole area was rubbed down and the rotted edge of the valance rebuilt in P40 fibreglass filler, then smoothed off. A skim of P30 body-filler then went over the whole arch and a smooth (ish) curve was formed.

Bubbles in the arch filled and primed, ready for the paint shop.


This panel behind the wheel-arch looked repainted too and had yet more bubbles, some of which had rust starting in the middle. A bit of corrosion is also creeping out from under the rubbing-strip and curing it will have to wait for the exterior trim to be removed for the respray.