[ Alto Works ] Fender Flares, Part 1

Just when I thought I was close to “finished,” I came to the sad (yet, fun...) realization that no project car ever can be truly complete. I’ve always liked the look of simple overfenders on older cars, probably starting with the beautifully gorgeous look of modified early Fairlady Zs (240Z in the US). I wanted to install a set on my Miata back home, but never had the chance to put a set on.

Unfortunately, I’d say that the boxy look of the Alto Works doesn’t necessarily go completely well with the look of rounded overfenders when compared to the sleeker look of the Z or Miata. Besides looks, wider fenders provide a few other benefits, chief among those is the ability to install wider or spaced-out wheels. Wider wheels can provide better traction, grip, and potentially better handling…

Though more often than not, the drawbacks far outweigh the advantages. Cars are often designed and engineered properly from the factory, by engineers. Garage “engineers” try to improve upon essentially perfectly functioning cars, but I’ll be honest… we often do more harm than not to a car’s performance, reliability, or even looks. Cars are originally designed with a particular set of springs, dampers, and rough wheel size and weights in mind, not with the larger unsprung mass of wider / bigger wheels that we love the look of. On my Alto Works, for example, the wheel bearings, already stressed from spacers, will have significantly more premature wear over the coming months / years with wider-set wheels. How do we ruin the car as a daily driver? Add some potential for rubbing wheels on fenders. And how do we screw ourselves in Japan? Fail shaken is probably the main way...

All that aside, I still really wanted to try a set of overfenders out. I figured, worst case scenario, it would ruin a car that I could no longer perform shaken on next time. Best case scenario? Well, the car could look darn wicked with a widened track and some custom fenders. Weighing these options, I ordered a set of four overfenders for a super cheap price of about $50? USD, shipped. These are made as universal “front” fenders at ?mm long, about ?mm wide. Of course, given the price, I expected little in terms of quality. I even considered that it wouldn’t even fit the car. Though who cares if it won’t be a perfect fit? At this price, the experiment is worth a shot…

It turns out the fender quality seems to be pretty good. They are flexible under pressure, yet very stiff. I had no issues subjecting them to strong bends in an attempt to see if they would crack or shatter. The black shine also was fairly decent, though out of the box there were a few scrapes. If I had worried about them more, I’d refinish them, though since the car itself has bad paint, I didn’t bother.

Time to get them installed next time!

[ Alto Works ] Vinyl Stickers

If you look carefully, you might have seen some new stickers appear and disappear on my car from time to time. Thanks to RKADE and ORCA for all the sticker sponsorship so far! These gorgeous designs are absolutely badass!

There are two basic ways to put on vinyl, wet or dry. For most folk and for most stickers, the wet method is the easiest to lay down. The use of slightly soapy water allows infinite repositioning of the vinyl (unless it sticks onto itself), so mistakes can be easily fixed before drying. This also makes removal of those tricky, tiny air bubbles quite easy if done properly. However, this works extremely poorly for complex shapes and complex curves, as the benefits of easy removal make conforming vinyl over these surfaces hard to do; the wet stickers won’t stick easily and don’t work with a heat gun. (Of course, I’m not saying it isn’t a possibility, but in my limited experience it isn’t very easy to do.)

The other method is to apply the vinyl dry, in which case it is extremely useful to have a heat gun. Heating the vinyl allows it to stretch and shrink to some degree, conforming to curves and body shapes of car panels. For large sheets of vinyl, having two sets of hands to prevent vinyl from sticking on itself and help to push out the bubbles is a huge boon.

As I might have mentioned before, I wanted to adorn my car with an Evangelion theme. So I enlisted my friend Aleks to help me apply a decent size cut of vinyl of Sachiel for my front hood and right fender. This is actually my second attempt, as the first time I tried this, I failed to apply it cleanly. I had considered trying the wet method this time around since the curves aren’t that “complex,” but I thought it would be worth one more try.

With the extra set of hands and a heat gun, we proceed to lay it out, moving carefully a little bit at a time. The result was actually pretty good from a few feet away. There were a few air bubbles I failed to poke out, though, as this sheet of vinyl doesn’t have those “air release” holes or channels. No matter, as it isn’t anything a pin or razor couldn’t alleviate at a later time.

Now these next two are just for fun. As some of you may know, I am friends with Rodeo Cars and Matsuda-san. He has generously lent me the use of his garage and occasionally his expertise to work on my crap can… I mean, Alto Works project… So in a manner of speaking, I’m here to represent my “sponsorship” with him now that the car is at a point where I am proud of it’s looks. (Or less embarrassed?)

This was the initial plan, but I ended up ordering stickers a bit smaller due to the exponential cost increase with any larger sheets. In the end, the stickers still weren’t cheap. I won’t say how much… what do you think it costs?

Like the Sachiel decal, I will do this dry to allow it to go over the necessary surfaces.If you look super carefully, you might see the mistake I made with the pink side of the sticker. Otherwise, from a few feet away it is otherwise not so noticeable. Not to mention the colors are so bright and contrasting, most won’t be staring that close...

...but I notice it...

[ Alto Works ] TRUST / GReddy Produce Carbon Fiber Rear Wing Spoiler, Part 2

With all the overall benefits and drawbacks of a wing considered, I decided to put a bigger, sportier wing on my Alto Works. There were a few existing ones from some manufacturers like Jaws Yamamoto and TAKE OFF, but I came across this gorgeous TRUST / GReddy carbon fiber wing. While it wasn’t in perfect condition, as it came used, it still is absolutely beautiful and it would really go well with the rest of my modifications.

Wait, you might be asking, “Does GReddy make a CF rear wing for the Alto Works?” (Okay, maybe you’re not asking that.)

You better darn bet they don’t! This wing comes courtesy of my Suzuki Swift Sport, which was removed in preparation to sell the car. I know well the lack of value aftermarket parts have on cars, if not devaluing a used car even more due to the sign that the car was modified. Further, the GReddy spoiler, while quite beautiful in these photos, have long since succumbed to outdoor weather in the years it was installed on the car with the clear coat faded and some discoloration present. With a professional clear coat, it might be once again worth a bit of money, but in its present state it would have only ruined the Swift’s otherwise beautiful appearance.

Hence, the wing was removed before I decided to sell the Swift. On the second hand market, the spoiler, even in its current state, might fetch 5000￥ or more, given that it is a model-specific, full CF piece no longer in production, made by a reputable manufacturer. What would be even better would be to give it life on my Alto since the aforementioned hatchback spoilers go for around the same cost and they are nowhere near as fancy.

I’ll admit a drawback, however. Since it is not model-specific, I’ll have a few issues. First, the fit. It may not even work right or it could be loose. Secondly, it was not tested and designed for this car, so the aero benefit may be minimal, if at all. It may even cause unnecessary drag or unbalance the car.

But this is a project car, after all. Why don’t we give it a shot?

Spoiler on a spoiler so you can spoiler. This is a joke… though I was half-serious about doing this.

The original spoiler came off with four screws and a lot of old, dried, rotted double-sided tape. Sadly, due to the 3 decades since, it has become semi-permanently attached to the back of the car.

Before the other spoiler goes on, it was time to try to get the old stubborn tape off using the rubber decal remover I used on my ugly side decals awhile back. After that failed to get the desired results, I resorted to a heat gun and pointy, sharp objects. I know it won’t be perfect and I’ll likely damage the paint, but as you can see, the paint isn’t that great to begin with.

This is probably as good as it’s gonna get without resorting to sandpaper or something harsher. The edges where the double-sided tape were created a little area where rust formed, so there are now tiny little bubbling paint spots. For now, it is all primarily surface rust. Hopefully a little touch-up is adequate for now.

And with the removal of the four screws, there are now four rubber mounting points which I cannot easily plug without a lot of filler… Well, there were 4 rubber mounts. One rubber grommet fell apart and into the roof. (No matter, I managed to fetch that out later.) Since there is no easy way to plug up the holes without going through a lot of trouble, I decided to remove the remaining rubber mounts and cover up the remainder with some CF vinyl. This will clear up the look a bit in the rear and not only hide the holes, but cover up the ruined paint back there.

There are 4 total screws holding the spoiler in place on the Swift, but due to the width of the car, in reality only two can only be used due to the mounting surface. To mount the two screws, I drilled some holes and used some blind M6 rivnuts.

Surprisingly, it was super secure with only two points of mounting. But leaving it like this would be a half-baked job.

I drilled and installed some rivnuts to my car and the spoiler to install support rods. These support rods are commonly added for extra support on the backside of spoilers and wings or in front wind splitters. They are simple threaded stainless steel or aluminum bits. Since the purpose of these supports here are to help hold the spoiler in place and the fact the spoiler isn’t designed for significant downforce, they should be more than enough to help secure it.

The wing is bolted on and super secure! You can literally shake the whole car by the wing and rods.

Overall, this project was a simple one that really enhances the look of the car. Although upon closer inspection, one can tell this wing was not made for this car, but even then it still gives off a very custom, racing aura. Definitely one of my best appearance modifications so far.

But I have more to do yet!

[ Alto Works ] TRUST / GReddy Produce Carbon Fiber Rear Wing Spoiler, Part 1

I’ve previously touched on aero enhancement as one reason to add front lip spoilers, adding downforce and separating upper air from underbody aero. I left out one, precious part of the aero equation, the rear. More specifically, I’m going to talk about spoilers and wings.

Sure they look racing and sporty, but why do people add them?

Let’s be clear: wings are not spoilers and spoilers are not wings. While people may colloquially call spoilers wings and vice-versa, those are misnomers. Spoilers are meant to do just as the name implies; spoil the airflow passing over it, often with the sole purpose of decreasing drag. Wings are meant to add lift on an airplane, but on a car, wings add downforce, essentially multiplying the weight as air pushes down on them.

Spoilers
As mentioned, spoilers act on the airflow passing around and over it. There are a multitude of reasons why you’d want to do this, but let’s start off with a simple, daily-driven car like a Prius. In an effort to be more fuel-efficient, the car needs to cut through the wind and create less turbulence in its wake which would add drag to the car. The back of the car is much like a box, so it would potentially create drag as the air swirls behind it. To combat this, a little lip is added to the back which forces the air to separate cleanly further behind the car where it won’t affect it. In fact, most hatchback-styled cars have some such lip for aerodynamic efficiency. This may be only one example, but it’s quite commonly seen.

For well-designed spoilers, there are almost no drawbacks to having them on. Aftermarket stick-on spoilers not designed by the OEM or aero-tested by a third-party may potentially provide no benefit or at worst case, can negatively affect the airflow as engineered by the manufacturer.

Wings
The difference between spoilers are wings are small but very important. They also act  on airflow, but are purposely angled so wind passing over them actually push down on the car, increasing weight where the wing is. The angle and design of the wing is just as important as the location of the wing; properly tested ones will add downforce on the car when “weight” at high-speeds is critical. Model-specific or proper wings need to be placed in the path of airflow which is often high up on the car. As strange as it may look driving around the street, tall uprights and large wings can be important on the track. 

Of course, wings also have to be designed and placed at a proper location to work. Cheap ebay “universal” wings are definitely not designed for the airflow of any particular car, but can be made to work if properly mounted and tested. Low “wings” on typical sedans work more as spoilers than wings though they might have the shape.

Moreover, the location and manner of mounting is also important: much like roll bars, they need to be installed on structural or stronger weight-bearing parts like trunk edges, fenders, or better yet, directly to the frame. Likewise, a wing in the middle of the trunk (A90 Supra excluded) is probably not the best place. Mounts can vary widely, but frail, adjustable arms like some cheap universal-types are probably not going to cut it.

But the drawback of even the best-designed wings is that they add drag, limiting top speed and reducing efficiency. Unless they are active wings or spoilers, adjusting based on speed, they all work best at a certain set speed; this means the sharpest racers tune their spoilers based on the track. At low speeds, wings are simply a drag since downforce is usually not needed below 60 or so miles per hour. (around 100 km/h).

Simply put, on a car with sportier intentions, wings are amust. By that I mean they are a must for people who want the attention. Let’s be real here, my tiny, 63-HP Alto Works does NOT need a wing and it already has a hatchback spoiler. But stock is never enough.

[ Alto Works ] Front Chin Lip Spoiler, Part 2 (Front Bumper Modification, Part 3B)

After one coat of black paint to at least hide the white FRP backing, I set out to refinish the lip. Unfortunately, FRP is a material that requires a bit of care if you want good results and, most importantly, to be safe.

(This is one of the few times I have ever worked on FRP, so I don’t know much about what I’m doing. Please forgive my process if it is not up to par and feel free to comment below.)

Fiber-Reinforced Plastic, especially found on aftermarket automobile parts, is a plastic compound mixed with glass fibers to increase rigidity and durability. It is arguably lighter and stiffer structurally than than ABS parts, but the stiffness of FRP often results in cracks when a strong impact to the plastic is applied. The finished results are also very rough, requiring a lot of labor-intensive work for the end user or installer since the finish is so crude. But since these parts are so much cheaper and easier to make, most aftermarket parts are made of this material.

Worse yet, the biggest issue working with fiberglass is safety. Since glass fibers are so light, thin, and nearly microscopic, they often can be breathed in and cause irritation of the lungs. Even the slightest bit of loose fiberglass on the skin can cause irritation that lasts for days. Working with FRP necessitates proper breathing apparatus, eye protection, and skin protection.

A few years ago, I installed a carbon fiber Ralliart lip onto my Evo which required some drilling and modification to fit properly. Thankfully, I was used to working with the minimum protection of eyewear and some light gloves, but at that time I was woefully unaware of the caution necessary with working on fibrous materials. This resulted in my arms having a nice itchy, stinging feeling for a few days afterwards. Hopefully I didn’t breathe in too much of the crap.

For this spoiler, I will not need to do significant work or modifications other than some light sanding and hole drilling for mounting, but I do have all the necessary protection. I picked up this 3M P100 Particulate Mask, fully-sealed AOSafety goggles, and 3M full suit awhile ago for use on exactly these type of projects. I first used the mask and goggles on my hood vent cuts, though I have yet to use the full suit.

For surface finishing, I was recommended this Soft99 Fine Filler off Amazon for 1432￥ ($13 USD). It comes with epoxy hardener to cure the putty to touch in about half an hour when mixed properly. It mixes easily and went on pretty smooth, like a creamy peanut butter spread. This made working with it much easier than I had expected.

Once the lip had plenty of time to cure (and the fact I didn’t have time til a week later to continue), I could start to sand down the whole lip.

Even though I don’t need it absolutely perfect, I did my best to make sure it would look good if anyone were to inspect it fairly closely. The putty was extremely easy to sand down and even the yellow color made it easy to see where I needed to continue to refinish.

Once it came time to get to mounting, I had a few decisions to make regarding where exactly to mount the lip. While I would like the flat backing to be flush up against the lower front bumper, there was a few issues. First of all, it would actually end up raising the forward angle of the lip a bit based on the taper. In addition, while you can’t actually see it, the rear backside of the bumper only has some areas where a bolt could potentially mount. Lastly, I wanted the lip to be as low as possible, since the oil cooler I installed a while back is actually lower by a few centimeters than the bumper. This means if I were to hit a concrete block, for example, it would scrape the lip first rather than the cooler.

I decided to use 7 M6 button head screws, spaced evenly along the backing of the lip. I think this actually looks pretty good. Note one screw has not been installed because drilling it could potentially damage one of the air conditioner hoses so it will wait until the bumper comes off during final install

I am seriously getting annoyed at all these rainy weekends. Weekend after weekend have almost all been rainy, leading up to Hagibis, Typhoon Number 19, hitting Japan on a three-day weekend in mid-October. Can I even get the lip painted before the winter sets in?

Finally, the drier fall has set in Japan and I found some good timing to put on the lip, along with a set of LED H4 bulbs to replace the older HIDs I had in it.

I wish I had more time to perfect the finish of the paint, but with the poor, colder weather of late, I thought this would be good enough for this season. Nonetheless, it still looks great from a few feet away!

The lip is small and subtle, but definitely adds a lot of character to the front of the car, making it look a bit more aggressive and somehow wider. I am actually quite happy with the placement of the lip and how it looks on the car.

I will admit that if I were to do it all over again, however, I would definitely put on a lip that is much wider and longer. Maybe that could be another project for the future!