Thoughts on colour change and LED upgrade

[Edmundo2]

Hi. Having decided to keep and invest further in my Freestyle car I'm now deliberating over the paint and lights..

 

The car has been red from new with black arches, ( wider than stock rear and vented fronts). The arches are heavily stone chipped and the nose cone is black which breaks the lines up a bit to my mind. Add to this there is a small ripple in the front corner of the bonnet which needs sorting...

 

So my conundrum is that whilst I could probably get these jobs done locally it makes sense to get the whole car painted to really bring it up to scratch and get rid of any little blemishes. However whilst the red looks pretty good it would never have been my first choice and so I'm very tempted to get a colour change whilst I'm at it. This has me deliberating as on one hand it's a rare car and i know some people are sticklers for originality, but on the other hand I think it could look even better and things evolve , especially Caterhams.. Further more the paint in most areas isn't too bad so to pay to have the car painted in it's current colour is hard to justify..

 

I want a top job so have booked a slot with TSK for the new year..

 

Fyi the colour I'm contemplating is Mini silver white with a porsche deep red nose band but with the arches staying black. I might get the roll bar in the red too to match. It's a nice bright/fresh colour and whilst it looks more silver under shade and more white in full sun it isn't a flip/flop or hightly sparkly colour which I think would look too modern..

 

Obviously if it's getting painted it makes sense to consider other trim bits at the same time. I've recently bought a new boot cover and a set of LED headlights as the current stock ones are a bit useless and I'll add new tunnel carpet etc at the same time. On this basis I'm thinking the rear lights should should be upgraded at point of painting with JAL LED boards within the current lenses but with carbon blocks or even go with the new LEDs. Before people start stoning me it's worth noting that I was a bit repulsed by them when i saw pictures at launch but I've since seen a few cars with them fitted and they're very subtle in the flesh and almost go unnoticed however the deleting of the reverse and fog light really cleans the rear panel up for the better IMO...On the basis my car would be in for paint I could get the old holes filled cleaning things up further..

 

So decisions decisions...My gut instinct is to go for it as I think it will look great in a very clean uncluttered way. At the same time the Freestyle cars were designed to be an improvement on the original design so improving things further like poor quality lights doesnt seem inappropriate..?

 

I'll keep the old lights etc so in theory I or anyone else could swap it all back to original for circa £2k should they so wish...

 

Any thoughts welcome

 

 

[SLR No.77]

It sounds like it'll look fabulous in that colour combination.

I had mine painted a new colour in early 2018, I'd pondered on it for a few years because of the same issue, originality. In the end I decided I wanted a new colour so went for it and I'm pleased I did. Expect some project scope creep though with PPF, etc.  
I thought I'd finally spent all I needed to then those crafty people at Caterham introduced the new rear lights!

Stu.

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Upgrading to LEDs is absolutely essential.  If the fittings remain the same size, I see no lack of originality.

As for the colours, its your car.  When my Seven needed work, I chose a new colour.  When I bought my 21, it was not its original colour; when it needed work I chose a colour similar to its original but as I didn't know the exact original, I made my own choice.

[ScottR400D]

I fitted the new CC LEDs. Was unsure at first but as has been said they go pretty much unnoticed in terms of overall appearance, they do clean up the rear panel (especially if you can have that painted) and they're much brighter. 
 

[Roger Ford]

I wouldn't think "originality" matters too much with a Freestyle car. It is, after all, a highly modified/improved version of the standard car. Can't see any issues with improving it further. And unless you're thinking of selling it in the near future, what does it matter anyway?

[Edmundo2]

Agreed on all points so far so thaNks for the input as reassures me that it's acceptable and not sacrilege etc..Ultimately I dont want to loose the character of the car or change it in any fundamental way but just freshen it up a little and make sure any improvements chime with the Freestyle spec/vision..Cheers

[TomB]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the originality thing either - fundamentally its a kit car - not a 1920s Bugatti worth millions.  It could be an issue on an original Lotus or genuinely special one, but the nature of the cars means bits change or are non standard all the time.         

[ScottR400D]

I think Tom makes a good point. On an original Lotus? No, I wouldn't. 

But on a Caterham which is, after all, just one of myriad variants, many of which are further modified, keeping it in whatever form it was originally has little or no value. 

[rayjackson1950]

I used the printed board LED's in mine which I got from Sevens & Classics but I think they are JAL units. Much better thn the original.

[Blackmamba]

I would pick a colour you like! You can probably mock it up on teh configurator to get a decent impression of what it will look like but its never the same as seeing it in the flesh. Have you see a colour painted in those colours?

Personally, I would find a car I like and then copy it so there are no surprises when finished as opposed to going for something totally new.

[ChrisC]

Just an FYI.  Having owned a JCW F56 in silver white, I have to say it wouldn't be my first choice colour.  It showed every imperfection even from new, including imperfections from the panel pressing process.  Obviously Caterham panel are less precise, so the problem will only be worse.  If I were buying another Mini it wouldn't be in silver white, even though I like the look.

[aerobod - near CYYC]

The metallic "whites" are very difficult to repair without a full respray to get the panels to match and most also require a 3-stage painting process where the underlying primer colour and thickness also determines the eventual colour match. Almost as hard to match as hyper silver wheels that are also 3 instead of 2-stage painted.

[aerobod - near CYYC]

The metallic "whites" / pearls are very difficult to repair without a full respray to get the panels to match and most also require a 3-stage painting process where the underlying primer colour and thickness also determines the eventual colour match. Almost as hard to match as hyper silver wheels that are also 3 instead of 2-stage painted to produce the final look.

[anthonym]

Any thoughts welcome..

hmm, strikes me with that many stories to tell ("blemishes") the cost difference between fixes and whole car isn't much. I have found the armourfend (?) fitted by the original owner has been very effective esp on the rear wings, 20 years of use and a zillion gravillons ("stones" on the road after resurfacing), not to mention baked on liquid cow sh*t, also protects against the jetwash lifting the paint.

Yes to the rear LEDs because they are more effective lighting a i u i . Likewise the fronts because they include day lights which are legally required over here, doesn't solve the seeing round hairpins in pitch black night though.

Colour. Wasn't my choice either, but after (nearly) 20 years I would miss it, so I may vary it a bit, but less likely to change it. 

Unless it's a "classic" I'm not worried about originality, as I have no intention of ever selling, the entire car consists of consumables anyway; I'm not sure anything on it hasn't already been replaced (or seriously "refreshed") at least once.

Anthony

[Edmundo2]

Thanks all for the comments. I've just fitted the LED headlights which are a HUGE improvement...( sorry but no clue how to upload photos on here ). Will think on regarding the rears but if ever theres a time for the new Caterham ones I think its now if theres a chance to fill the old holes..

 

I take on board the comments re white/silvers etc..I could still be tempted as it's being done by someone who knows what they're doing and will get the prep...

 

Other colours I'm contemplating...

 

- A different red, ( unlikely but if I succumb to originality then I'll choose the nicest shade I can find ). Porsche GTS and Carmine reds both look good as does BMW Sakhir

 

- McLaren XP green, ( or similar )

 

- Lotus Heritage racing green

 

- Porsche Underberg Green

 

- BMW Laguna Seca Blue

 

- Honda Champioship White

 

- Lotus Titanium

 

A mixed bag I know but all have a subtly unique look or property that I think would suit the car if combined with a small amount of contrasting detail..

 

Very hard to decide when looking for something a bit different meaning theres not any other examples to draw upon.. I agonised for ages when painting my first race car, ( which ended up Leyton House Aquamarine )..This seems even harder...!

[Edmundo2]

Thanks all for the comments. I've just fitted the LED headlights which are a HUGE improvement...( sorry but no clue how to upload photos on here ). Will think on regarding the rears but if ever theres a time for the new Caterham ones I think its now if theres a chance to fill the old holes..

 

I take on board the comments re white/silvers etc..I could still be tempted as it's being done by someone who knows what they're doing and will get the prep...

 

Other colours I'm contemplating...

 

- A different red, ( unlikely but if I succumb to originality then I'll choose the nicest shade I can find ). Porsche GTS and Carmine reds both look good as does BMW Sakhir

 

- McLaren XP green

 

- Lotus Heritage racing green

 

- Porsche Underberg Green

 

- BMW Laguna Seca Blue

 

- Honda Champioship White

 

A mixed bag I know but all have a subtly unique look or property that I think would suit the car...

 

Very hard to decide when looking for something a bit different meaning theres not any other examples to draw upon..

[Peter G]

Just do it, I love the fact that every Caterham is different. I did mine a few years ago from a Vauxhall Silver to a bright orange, as I felt the car was just about invisible on the road. If I were to do it again, I'd have the roll bar painted to match as being a bit higher it adds to the visibility.

Let us see some photos when It's done.

[Edmundo2]

Will do....

 

Just seen VW Makena Turquoise on an ID3 today...Blimey!

 

That would certainly make sure the cars seen,( might need black arches to dull it down a bit!)...

[SLR No.77]

I did mine in Porsche Miami Blue which is not greatly different to the ID3 colour, although a solid not a metallic. 

Stu.