Project 180SX continued

(fibreglass modifications)

Once the rear bumper was held up to the car it was obvious that the fit was less then perfect so a call was put out to my tame fibreglass guy (cheers Rosy) and we began to formulate a plan of how to fit it. Initally the mounting section that attaches to where the factory bumper is bolted on was cut off so the bumper would fit far enough forward to fit with the wheel arch. This then showed us that the bumper was not wide enough to fit properly, so out came the hacksaw and the bumper was now 2 pieces. A few dozen mini iceblock sticks and some hot glue later it was then 1 piece again and ready for fibreglass.

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Whilst the fibreglass was setting we decided to attack the front guards that didn't fit due to the placement of the s15 radiator support. The gurads were first mounted lining up with the door to get a decent panel gap, they were then rempved and lined up wit the head light. This time the hacksaw was replaced by a cordless dremmel with a small cut off disc for cutting duties, this thing is awesome and bade the task of cutting the guards simple. Once the cutting was complete we attaced the front half lining up with the lights and the rear half lining up with the door. A wooden block was screwed joining both halves and then the iceblock sticks and hot glue were again used to joint the 2 for glassing. We ran out of chopped fibre mat so couldn't glass them this weekend so that will be done at a later date.

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Once both guards have been glassed we will work on lining up the front bumper and getting a decent fit with the modified guards.

Today the front bumper was test fitted to check its alignment with the modified guards. The bonnent was then laid in place so as to work out how the guards need to be modified to follow the rear curvature of the bonnet. I then marked out where the front bumper needs to be modified to better follow the flow of the sideskirts and rear bumper.

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14-10-07 : New toys arrive :)

Due to a friends unfortunate incident I managed to score myself an R33 Skyline rear subframe and front brake set up and new brake master cylinder that once new front hubs have been found will turn the 180 into 5 stud configuration and open up a large selection of wheels. The front discs are quite worn but should still have enough 'meat' on the to be skimmed flat. The first step was to remove the front calipers and discs from the hubs (as they will not fit the 180).

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I also continued with my modifying of the front bar by removing the section marked out in previous photos to see what it would look like when finished, I am still undecided if it will look right or not, anyway here it is so far. The tape is there to give a better idea of the angles involved.

To continue on I machined up a new set of front hubs and drilled them to 5 stud, these were then fitted with new bearings and the studs from the old hubs. The Diff from the R33 was a direct bolt in to the 180sx subframe and with the rear hubs swapped to the R33 items everything connected up using the R33 half shafts, the rear brakes were then fitted up and the handbrake cable mounts modified to suit the 180sx. New brake lines will need to be purchased front and rear as the R33 items had been 'butchered' by whoever removed them from the wreck.