Here's the weekly-update...

I've started working on building up the grille and closing up the areas under the headlights. And then I realized that I needed to install the universal fender flares I had picked up long-before buying the bumper(s). So the fender flares were the project for the weekend.

I have a 25 ft roll of 4" flare-stock (Pacer brand, I think). And it's a surface-mount product. So it requires about 1.5" of flat surface for mounting. The front fenders don't have that much flat area at the wheel-well. But I was able to fix that with a dead-blow hammer (mallet) and some body dollies. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" /> It isn't pretty. But I was able to mount the flares. I was also able to rough-out a grille from expanded-steel sheet. And then everything came to a grinding halt because I had to figure out how to attach the new grille and parts below the headlights. That process was complicated more by the body damage and the way it was repaired. And that, in turn, lead me to go "shopping" at a wrecking yard for a functioning hood-latch and a stock AC condenser fan (the fan in the photos above isn't stock... took me all weekend to figure that out! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />). Fortunately, I was able to get those parts today... only to realize that when the dip-<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" /> that "repaired" my Sporty after the accident (several years ago) used a non-Kia fan, he cut off the Kia connector and spliced the wires to the non-Kia fan and connector. Now I have to go back to the bone yard and get the connector for the Kia fan... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, here's a few photos of the project. It's still a work-in-progress...








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