bmw ALPINA 2002 - Weekend Update....

[Guest Anonymous]

Over the past few days I have been able to log some serious hours on my car which is unusual that I can string together that much time on consecutive days. It really makes it hard when you only have an hour or two here and there. At any rate I finished the LF flare and just did finish skim coating it with polyester finishing resin (pictures to follow in the future). Once you get them in finishing resin you don't have to be quite so careful around them - when only in foam they are pretty fragile and subject to getting damaged. From careful review of the numerous photo's I have I was able to determine that the flare has a sort of "continuation" that wraps around the nose of the car and ties in just under the bumper bracket - needless to say constructing the formwork to make these pieces and then to shape them was very time consuming. I am really pleased so far with the LF, its what the RF should look like. I hadn't realized it until today that the RF is about 3/8" shorter (or not as wide) at the top of the arch as the other and that the tire would actually not clear. I am going to need to do some major re-work on this one, as I suggested earlier, once the resin goes into the foam you have more or less locked in the shape and its really hard to go back and do anything significant.

[dubois]

Mark, this is really taking shape. Once you are done, what are your plans for the car? This is a very unique piece of BMW history that is not within the reach of us mortals. The second question is what are you going to do for encore? These questions intrigue me...

[Guest Anonymous]

Mere mortals? Michael come on, this coming from the owner of "1-of-3" ( I wonder where number 2 and 3 are???) and a lovely tii//A4, and other......Thank you though. I plan to race it here on the west coast (wine country classic, Monterey and if my pocket book allows maybe back at the Rolex fall festival (Limerock). I don't plan on selling the car (ever) but ever is a long time and I suppose if I was offered enough $$$ for it on the right day .... I might let it go. Since I can't see that far ahead I couldn't say what might be next. Hell, I have a ways to go to get to that point.

[horizon2002]

Mark, do you know this film ?

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=I0lrrU0stzk

[JK]

I hadn't realized it until today that the RF is about 3/8" shorter (or not as wide) at the top of the arch as the other and that the tire would actually not clear. I am going to need to do some major re-work on this one, as I suggested earlier, once the resin goes into the foam you have more or less locked in the shape and its really hard to go back and do anything significant.

Mark

Don't start over with the RF. You can always use Bondo to built it up over the resin. Rough up the resin again and cake on the Bondo on the side that needs more width, then use a cheese grater type plane to rough it in while it's curing. I used Bondo to get my final shape over the foam on my spoiler plug.