ROBolop 323ci

I took the bimmer to the technical control today. I was really curious about their reaction on the exhausts, you never know.

The CO-test, which I feared the most, was OK. After checking the lights, they checked the bottom of the car.

They were checking out the exhausts, with 3 people. 2 were looking at it from underneath the car, and one was looking at it from the back.

I kept myself quiet and cool, and moved myself to the background.

When I had to take the car outside again, I asked my questions. They told me that I got around the law perfectly since I mounted everything onto the original exhaust. So everything was OK, and my car got a green card! So I did a victory dance…

Now what’s left to do is to put back the dust covers on the wheels, and glue my front windows, and we are good for another year.

The piece that comes between the mufflers is aldready covered in carbon fibre, with the needed amount of epoxylayers.





Now this should be abraded firmly, and then it’s ready to get some layers of clear coat;

The hockey-sticks, and the fine strip, are gone to get chromed. These parts will come back Friday !

The end is near…

 

Here a peek behind the scenes about how the quad’s are mounted on the car. You see I took my time to isolate it all against the high temperatures of the exhausts.





You see the tubes are mounted on the original exhaust. On the upperside, and underneath I fastened a little M6 screw.

That’s it, and it’s locked tight.





You can see that I sprayed the blue heat-wrap black on the exhausts.

So the left-side looks a bit more clean when you’re looking from underneath it.



The tube on the foreground is the one that goes to the right.



On the rightside, you can see I fixed a rubber where the exhaust hangs.

I made a sloth in there, so I can arrange the height when necessary.





The is the inside of the bumper. I cleaned and degreased this properly.



Then I glued in some heat-resisting cloth.





I tested this cloth First. I heated it till a temperature of 660 degrees (celcius) during 10 minutes, and you almost didn’t see it.

 

Everything about the rear bumper and the exhausts is finished.

Here a little previeuw about how it looks now.

These are the aluminum parts which are chromed





This is the little frame which comes between the chrome. I abraded it down and polished it afterwards, so you get a nice contrast of the aluminum parts and I looks the same way as the front bumper.

The gauze is some left over I found from the frontbumper.





This is something weird I made. This object will come into the diffuser.



Here you can see the puzzle getting together.





Bottomside.







Here it’s all mounted on the car.

The meaning of this is that cool air gets in, and slips away again in the back.

So I try to create an air-cooling stream for the tube that runs behind the

bumper.

 

I found some time to clean the car firmly. The last time I cleaned the car, was before the winter, so I had to put some more time into it now.

From now on, I will clean the car every Saturday. That’s a promise.

And I snapped some new pictures of the new bumper and quad exhausts.

Here the Robolop design.



You can also see here that the line in the bumper, is disappeared. Also the Lines around the sensors are gone.









The piece between the exhausts had to become t be an eye-catcher. And with that I mean. This had to be a part wich people would say: “what is that, who makes that, where can I buy that, ...” Sorry dudes, but this is a one off…









You can also see the inside of the mufflers that I brushed/polished.





Here you can see the M-Tech 2 skirts…. I’m not to sure about those…I think the original ones looked as good as these...mmm



Here ends another chapter of the works needed to be done on the bimmer.

Personnaly I’m very pleased about it, and then I mean, it all worked out nice and looks tight.

No exhaust pipes who hang too low, and stick out more then 5cm. Just smooth.

But hell, did I put in some hours of hard labour to make this on a descent way, and to do this on the original exhaust, wasn’t a piece of cake.

Maybe that was the biggest challenge ….

The many hours that went into this, again, all already forgotton.

About the exterior, I’m pleased, so she will remain like this for now.

I still have some ideas, but need to think some more on those, maybe for next winter..but if I do so, it will be very challenging again.

But then again, if it’s simple……everyone has it!

 

THX DUDE's..............

 

THX DUDE 's :wink::wink:

 

I’ve decided to make me my own set of aluminum pedals, cause I’ve looked everywhere for some descent ones, but didn’t find it.

First of all, I made some models in MDF wood.



Once I had this, I copied this in 8mm thick aluminum.

Then I milled in some sloths of 20mm and 6mm deep.

This is the foot-rest on the left side.





Since there’s a rounding in the plastic where this comes against to, I had to make this on the backside of the aluminum too.

So it connects lovely on the side.





This will be the brake-pedal





Gas





Brake





Foot-rest





What you see here, are many hours of work. And it’ still not finished. I still have to do my magic trick still

 

I bended my brake pedal a little bit rounder. I think that must have been the biggest problem I could have, concerning the pedals that is.

I've managed to do this simple. On the front end I taped, on the top and the bottom, a little block of wood, with a little little plank on.

On the backside I taped a little block in the middle, and after that, put it all between the benchscrew.

Then I put a piece of barrel over the lever, so the lever gets bigger. Once I had this, it was simple to turn, and so bend the aluminum piece of 8mm.







The rounding now is the same as the original pedal by bmw



It took some time to grind it all firmly, and I stopped with a 1200 wet.



Now it was the time to make some inlay-pieces. First I taped the sloths with tape.



The I taped 2 roundels on each other, and placed in on the whole where screws come out.



I the meanwhile I made some iron little plates of 3mm thick. I had to do this, so I could taped some screws in there, to tighten it all.



Then I filled it all up with epoxy.



When it's all dry, I'll take out the plates, and they will have the same model als the sloths. buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, they will be 2mm deeper then the alu.

The 2mm I need for the carbon and epoxy who will get on there.

 

The carbon lay-ins are ready to get some layers of varnish. To become this result, I’ve been abrading for several hours, and I’m really pleased that’s behind me now.

However, it’s nog finished yet. I’m going to do somethings special with 1 plate, but I’m not 100% sure what it’s going to be





Once the varnish is on here, only then the carbon fibre will appear.



About the emblems, I’m working on my own logo to add to that.

 

As you can see, the pedals are ready to get mounted in the car.

I was pretty scared about the anodization, since that’s something I didn’t do myself. But they have done it just the way I wanted.

The silver colour is the same as the other interiorpieces of the car.

Here the foot-support.





The little sticker-letters that I let someone make for me.

These are silver, and are underneath the varnish, so nothing can harm them there



The brake.



As you look closely on the bottomside of the carbon fibre, you’ll see there’s a lot of varnisch on there.

This varnisch is scratch-free, and is as solid as a rock. Time will tell…



The gas pedal.







And finally, the complete set.



These set of pedals, I think, will need a yearly maintenance…

I mean that in time, I’ll have to take em off, screw the carbon plates loose, abrade them again, add another layer of varnish, and put it all together.

No pain no gain, they say;;;

now, when it’s finished, I realize I again finished something small that took a lot of work

My carbon fibre stock is empty for the moment, but next week 10m² will be delivered… so up to the next!

 

I also kept myself warm by milling some things for around the carbon BMW emblems.

I first thought of making these completely out of carbon fibre, but that looked like sh* ...

So I started by making 2 aluminium rings who will come around the emblems.

First I made 2 MDF blocks's, and glued a piece of 4mm aluminium against it.

Then held it to the copy-mill, with this as result.



Then I put in another mill, and made a nice rounding on the upper side.





Then it was time for the professional work, and went about 4mm deeper with the right mill.



The grey disc with all the holes, I bought when I was in L.A.

Here your mill onto, and knock on the attached pin, in the center of your piece. So you can chose with diamter you delete. It's something really really simlple, but just so practical, and I wasn't able to find it here in Belgium.





Here you see the little ring I need on the left side.



You can say....it looks much better then without the ring.



I did the same for the logo on the backside, just that's a bit smaller.



Here they are, Dumb & Dumber



On the backside, I milled it all a bit diagonal, cause I'm going to glue the carbon into the aluminum with 2 components glue

 

Meanwhile, I totally finished the CF logo’s. Here the show pictures.

What’s in the CF box?



Robolop’s Logo ….O yeah….









The aluminum ring, I abraded in the same way I did like the alu in the front bumper.

I had the intention of painting them black, like the window moldings…But then again, there would be no more contrast with the carbon fibre.

Silver, like the car, wasn’t an option either.





For me, they worked out a 100%, and again, I’ve got something original.

 

These polyester covers I made to cover up the pedals, so I can’t damage them.

These are in primer, and must get to the painter soon, also they need to be provided with some rubber.

 

I mounted the pedals, who were finished some time ago, in the car.

The covers, I sprayed in silver, cause everything else in the car is in silver.



I taped a little rubber on there too.



Here the rest of the pedals.











Again, this is something that took a lot of work to make. But when I take a good look at these things, I don't care about the time and work.

About the letters... next winter I will take out that carbon plate, and put an ever smaller sticker on there.

Since this is underneath the layers of clear-coat, I'll have to rubb till those are gone...

 

Oooo Yeah Baby