The last piece to trickle in from oCarbon was the passenger trim around the grip handle on the door card. A number of compound curves in this area made it particularly difficult to wrap over and get right. All in all, the entire process to get all of my interior pieces finished in carbon fiber took 5 months. The wait was long, but that’s how these custom things go.
To pair up with the Alcantara wrapped door card, I also asked ESH Upholstering to redo the SakeBomb aluminum grip handle in Alcantara.
To install the new grip handle, the mounting hole at the base of the handle needed to be drilled out slightly and fastened with a machine screw into tapped threads on the grip.
Here it is joined back together with the trim piece.
Next, it was time to mate everything back to the door card…
…and then install the door card back to the car. To be comprehensive, I replaced all of the push-on fasteners with new OEM ones.
I taped up the sensitive carbon areas around the door cup to prevent scratching it when installing the door cup, which, like the driver side, is a cast aluminum reproduction.
I particularly like these door cups because they measurably increase the feel of sturdiness when pulling on the doors to open or close them.
Finished product.
As someone who follows this site, it’s very bittersweet to see the car coming to “completion.” I use quotes there, because no car is every truly “complete,” but you already know that. I say it’s bittersweet, because it’s awesome to see the final product really coming to shape, and getting to see the vision you have realized. The bitterness comes in knowing that the updates will be fewer and farther apart, and they won’t be of building. Maybe I should drop subliminal hints for you to grab a spare chassis, and go crazy on. My buddy has a rolling chassis for sale, for a great price, and your car has me thinking hard about whether I can afford a second project right now, haha.
Thanks Ronnie. I may be at the “finish” line with this car, but hopefully there are a few more tricks up my sleeve. The bigger question is if I will continue to have the time to invest in updating this website, or if I will have to step back into a quicker medium.
As far as going crazy with the FD chassis, I think I’ve done my part. It’s time for someone else to take the reigns and the torch.
I think that you should hold on to it Eric!… Just for another 6-8 mo. so I can buy it. :)
I can take a payment plan, just for you! Haha
With all the unwarranted hate online you received for your asking price I hope you made out well! I won’t be as rude to ask what you got for it, but may I ask was it enough to make you feel satisfied?
It was less than what I wanted primarily because I had to part with the RegaMasters and Spirit R seats… but it was fair enough to make me decide it was right to cut ties early, and just let it go.