GT-R Fender fitting

[khughes]

Hi Guys,

Does anyone have a good stash of real KPGC110 photo's? specifically i would love to get hold of some higher res photo's showing the flares, rear spoiler and front grill.

On the real KPGC110 flares, does anybody know how they are actually attached? are they simply bolted on (like most of the fibreglass ones), or where they actually moulded into the body? also anybody have any ideas what the underside of the wheel well looks like with the real flares on? is the gap between the flare and metal filled? how much of a metal rim does the factory leave under the flare?

since i have stripped my car now, i am seriously thinking about in what order i should fit/paint the flares.. i was just going to clean up the edges of the fibreglass and bolt them on top with a piece of rubber bead between the body and flare.. but i have been thinking lately of actually sticking the flares on the car now, and fill the gaps, then painting them black after the car has it's base coat (then screwing in the rivet heads later on when finished).

I assume the flares on the orginal KPGC110 are just matt black?? anybody got any paint colour codes for these? the mirrors or the front grill?? (i know i am asking questions impossable to answer now!)

[440k]

I'm pretty sure that the factory flares were riveted on. I'll check the parts manual, but I recall seeing the rivets listed individually.

Lachlan would be the best source of info, as he has done the most research, and whether his car is accurate or not, it looks horny!!

I'd put some kind of seal between the flare and the body,, as you can see some gaps between the flare and the guard (when looking from underneath, you can see daylight in places). Minor detail I know, but something that would annoy me. Either some kind of glue (sikaflex) or rubber seal as you suggested.

I think they're either gloss balck, or gunmetal - don't think they were matt black. Personally, I wouldn't try to mould the flares onto the guard, as this would spoil the factory look (IMHO) and could cause cracking in the joins. I imagine there will be a bit of flex between the flare and the guard when you cut away the guard to fit the flare. If you bond the 2 together, any minor movement or flex in the guard will likely crack the seam.

Personally, I'd prepare the guards (trim the guard to fit, then roll the edge outwards slightly to meet the profile of the flare, if you know what I mean) and give them their top coat, and do the same to the flares before fitting them.

don't forget that the rear guards will need a bit more surgery to get the wheel arch profile correct to suit the wider wheels. The inner guard has to be cut away (inner guard on GTR is actually different part number to stock 2 door). This is essential to ensure clearance for wheel travel with deep dish wheels.

Note I haven't done this on my car yet, but from what I've seen on others, these are some of the traps I'll be watching for.

HTH

Peter

[akwikz]

They did the same mods to my '71 to make it a GT-R clone. The rear fender is cut up to where it meets the flare. Then the gap is filled with sheet metal that is bolted onto the wheel well arch/inner fender and has non hardening body putty connecting it to the outer fender. The flares are not supposed to be blended, they are clearly bolt on style. The only real difference is that the KPGC110 actually came with front and rear bolt on flares, where as the KPGC10 only had rear flares.

Brian

[Mr Camouflage]

Yes the Flares are rivet on. Can be seen clearly in the Skyline GT-R book by Neko.

As for colour, theres only a couple of colour photo of a red GT-R. They look black, but they dont look the same as the gloss black of the fender mirrors. Looks more like a satin black finish. Doesn't look Matt.

[khughes]

any chance you could scan that page in for me? i dont have too many descent photos of the red GT-R's

[Alfadog]

pop rivets

no silly rubber bits between flare and body

metallic grey (same colour & finish as rear panel/front grille)

I've seen pictures of what look like satin black flares too. The metallic grey is tricky - it will look black unless in direct sunlight. I am growing to believe perhaps both colours were used (black & metallic grey).

[Mr Camouflage]

Yeah, I guess Lachlan is right. The grey does look like a satin black.

Heres some photos taken by Alan T. of Nissans GT-R in one of there offices i believe.

http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&page=12&ppuser=2116&sortby=d&sorttime=9999&way=asc

(Gallery seems to be a bit broken after the site upgrade, the large picture wont load)

[khughes]

hopefully the gallery will be fixed soon, i would love to see those pictures in better detail!

of course i spent the weekend drilling out and inserting rivnuts on the rear fenders, and drilling out my flares didn't I ... i guess i have some metal filling to do now

[440k]

of course i spent the weekend drilling out and inserting rivnuts on the rear fenders, and drilling out my flares didn't I ... i guess i have some metal filling to do now

So you ignored my advice from last Wed, but now choose to believe 2 others who confirmed what I said? Well more the fool you That'll learn ya:finger:

[Mr Camouflage]

Pics are working now.

They look black on this one

[khughes]

So you ignored my advice from last Wed, but now choose to believe 2 others who confirmed what I said? Well more the fool you That'll learn ya:finger:

sorry if you think i ignored you, that isn't the case at all! after reading your post i canned my idea of blending the flares into the bodywork.. I did decide though at the time to stick with my original plan of using rivnuts (i still will), i did faulter there for a second after seeing the factory install page, but i decided i like the look of the hex head screws better!

i have already cut out the rear fenders, though i am yet to get them re-welded up, it is far beyond my skill level. The flares don't seem to be a 100% fit, i think i am going to need the rubber between the body and flares, as Peter said, the gap would annoy me to no end

Kent

[440k]

Please don't apologise Kent. I was just giving you a hard time - don't take it too seriously. To be honest, I prefer the look of something different to the rivets, and would prefer something like what you're doing, or allen head capscrews. Mine is never going to pass for a GTR clone - the flares are just to accommodate sufficiently wide rubber to serve my needs. As such, I'll probably take a few liberties with my installation.

As for welding the rear guards - I would be a bit hesitant to try that myself too. My welding usually ends in many hours of grinding, or blowing holes through thin sheets, so I'd stick to letting the experts handle the tricky stuff.

Although rubber seals between the flare and panel aren't authentic, I'd certainly want to seal the gap somehow, and would investigate something like a dark mastic sealant as the first option.

To repeat myself, just watch the profile of the inner panel at the back. I'd bolt the rear suspension up without a spring, so you can run the suspension through its full range of travel to see exactly how much clearance you need for the tyres.