"MM54" (mm54mk2)
05/30/2018 at 21:15 • Filed to: FB RX7
1
8|
"MM54" (mm54mk2)
05/30/2018 at 21:15 • Filed to: FB RX7 | 1
| 8 |
Also pictured: bumper which needs paint, ammo can of microfibers
See that? In front of the front wheel there is a pointless little mud flap, preventing splashes from going... nowhere in particular. There is the same behind this wheel, and in front of and behind both rear wheels. All those other ones makes sense, as they protect the bodywork. This one, not so much. It just looks weird from the front of the car.
“What about the other side?” you wonder - there are none on the driver’s side fender, which has been replaced (the paint is oh so close of a match but not quite, in only the way silver can do) at some point.
Fortunately these are held on by aluminum rivets which seem to have been in place since the car was new, which is neat. In any case, this one had to go so I guessed at a drill bit size (which turned out to be perfect - enough to remove the rivets without embiggening the fender holes) and got to work.
Somehow I’ve put this off for nearly a year, and it took about 5 minutes
(plus 15 to clean up behind where the plastic has been hiding for 33
years). Only a couple spots of surface rust, and plenty of dirt which
came off with soapy water and a hand-polish.
Some more good news - this vestigial frontmost mudflap is just the mirror of the one on the rear, which means it fits on the driver’s side (remember there are none there) behind the wheel in a match to all the other ones on the car. This means that, if I get the wild motivation to drill a couple holes into that fender, I can have full symmetry and stop splashing stuff onto the driver’s door.
Unintentionally artsy because I apparently can’t hold a phone level
For now though, it’s good as-is and the removed flap will wait for the motivation to strike to slap it on the other side. I’ve put some universal silver touch-up paint in the holes, and will give it another dab tomorrow.
Future Heap Owner
> MM54
05/30/2018 at 21:43 |
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It’s for when you peel out in reverse
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MM54
> Future Heap Owner
05/30/2018 at 21:47 |
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And what, I hit a puddle and don’t want to get the air next to the bumper wet?
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> MM54
05/30/2018 at 22:14 |
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My guess is those are actually aerodynamic pieces. They probably help create a laminar flow over the rotating tire/wheel reducing high speed drag and possibly improving brake heat extraction.
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MM54
> JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
05/30/2018 at 22:25 |
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They’re aftermarket mudflaps...
nerd_racing
> MM54
05/31/2018 at 08:35 |
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This always puzzled me when I owned the car. I think the previous owner might have been a frequent shopper of the forbidden aisle in the parts store. Thankfully no Chrome was added.
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MM54
> nerd_racing
05/31/2018 at 17:49 |
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There was goo from some sort of glued-on trim around the wheel openings, too (removed that pretty quickly). Someone was interested in keeping the bodywork protected from the tires, if nothing else. Too bad they didn’t do anything to prevent the 14,000,000 rock chips on the front of the car (or all the weird dings on the hood/crease in the roof)!
Fortunately, there have not been any stick-on vents discovered, or evidence thereof. Still trying to figure out where all the paint went off the rear bumper.
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nerd_racing
> MM54
06/01/2018 at 07:36 |
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I’m guessing sun burned the paint off. It did come from georgia. I have that license plate still too.
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MM54
> nerd_racing
06/01/2018 at 12:49 |
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Yeah the roof is definitely sunburned (and the hood resprayed) but the rear bumper isn’t just baked, it’s bare plastic on most of the top. The front bumper (no evidence of repaint) isn’t like that. I suspect that people leaning on it to put stuff in/out of the back cracked the paint enough that the sun took it the rest of the way off.
Eventually I’m going to get a pint mixed up to match and pull the bumpers for a respray, I suspect it will make a huge improvement to the appearance of the car (especially the rear). I’d be tempted to do the roof as well, but A) That escalates to painting the whole thing pretty quickly, which I don’t really want to do (yet) and B) the roof is actually pretty badly warped/creased, needs the headliner pulled and a very very good PDR guy to spend a day on it. Can’t really tell with the flat grey, but if it were shiny silver again it would look pretty bad.