R53 "Smooth Finish" Wheel Arches??

Anyone know where i can find these things?

 

Anyone? I've searched "A Lot" can't find em anywhere..

 

If you are looking for OEM painted arches for an R50.52.53 a dealer might have some but I doubt it.

I could be completely wrong here but I believe people are sanding them and then painting.

I would say the process is probably sand with something like 500, then 1000 then 2000 grit. Then use a high quality adhesive promoter. Then use a sandable and flexible primer again high quality. Then light sanding with 1000. One more coat and sand with 1500 or 2000. At that point I would find a place to PAINT THEM FOR YOU Don't go cheap on the paint job. Lots of clear coat.

There are threads on here of people doing it. Search google for painted arches and you should come up with some. Ask them how they are holding up.

Good Luck! Post pics!

 

Picture of what these look like?

 

Just Click this link....

 

everyone I know who had these on a GEN1 it was a DIY job - meaning they didn't buy them from the dealer - I knew a guy way back in 2002 who took his brand new S to a paint shop and had the job done - arches and sills. It can be done DIY but best results require some skill.

One concern you should have: some 'treatments' to restore the black color can impact adhesion of paint for a very very long time. The stuff soaks in and altho there are things you can do to promote adhesion of paint to plastic, they assume 'plastic' and not plastic plus some other chemicals . . .

If I were going to invest serious $ in this project I'd consider buying NEW trim pieces to work with.

So far as details - how to would be determined by the specific products being used. I'd use a 2 part high fill primer and prepare the surface as the primer requires (once you get the 'bumps' gone first) GOOD 2 part primers I've used no longer call for an adhesion promoter or a flex enhancer .... next comes your color and most of the time a color 'base coat' goes straight over the primer because it employs both a physical and chemical bond. Then over that is the clear of a standard base/clear 2 stage paint job. You don't want to over do coats of clear as clear is put down pretty heavy but still needs of 'off gas' unless you use water based stuff .. which I'd avoid . . . but I don't think you can avoid .. CA right?

 

Yep Fresno CA... your saying CA doesn't allow those chemicals? That would be typical.

 

as I understand it since I pay attention to the paint world just a little bit

CA, among the thousands of other things they've cracked down on, virtually shut the door on 'VOC's .... the volatile organic compounds released into the atmosphere when petrol' based products dry (aka off gas)

For this reason the paint companies (including automotive paint and equipment companies) have had to develop water based automotive paints and clears ... which has also required new spray guns . . . and and and

From Eastwood.com:
Water Based Paints

Water-based paints represent the future of automotive coatings, and they're here for you in dozens of eye-catching colors! Water-based automotive paints don't use solvents as carrying agents, so they don't release noxious fumes into the air. You'll find that water-based car paint are highly compatible with urethane primers, paints and clears. For instance, our Auto-Air Colors depend on a urethane primer and clear to produce a complete, durable finish. Though water-based paints have been around for a while, they're becoming more popular as people seek to comply with increasingly demanding environmental standards. Fortunately, water-based car paints work well with urethane primers and modern lacquers with lower VOC content.

***********************

This 4th generation of the DeVilbiss® FinishLine® Waterborne Paint Gun incorporates enhanced atomization technology to spray the latest water-based coats, top coats, light primers New coatings are always coming online, and you want your paint gun to be compatible with the latest coatings out there. So upgrade to this

Early attempts at water based clear coats resulted in the many years of factory paint jobs suffering clear 'delamination' at around 5 years . . .

 

The MINI factory (as well as BMW and most other major manufacturers) use water based paint.

http://www.autointell.com/european_c...t-05-paint.htm

 

Do you think it would be less work to cut and fit the R56 arches?.. There are tons of those on the market..

 

AKA Also Known As MGB Rot... Coming from the UK (Worse Than CA) It Took the Brits 20 years To figure it out..

 

Especially Armor All. It has a very bad reaction with car-paint. If its in the air when a car is being painted, it will react and make the whole car look like it has little fish-eyes (little bubbles) all over the wet paint. ...Ask me how I know