1962 Rochdale Olympic - Let's crack on

So, time for an update I think.

For those of you have been following the thread, the car has been in a fibreglass workshop for quite a while. Much bodywork modding has been happening....

As ever with this car, it’s not been easy. After much measuring, it’s become obvious that the outer bodywork isn’t straight. This doesn’t surprise too much, after learning that the car had previously been taken off the road following an accident. This has meant that trying to get centimetre perfect with the bodywork has been nigh on impossible. The good news is, we’re pretty much there.

So, with different wheels all round, with very different offsets, as well as rolling diameter, the previous flared bodywork needed a nip and a tuck. The rear of the car proved the easier end, the shape flowing organically, albeit after a lot of hard work.







Whilst the rear wings were being reshaped, we made the decision to move the petrol filler. Originally, the Olympic has twin fibreglass tanks with a filler cap on each wing. The twin tanks had long since gone, replaced by a single MGB tank and one of the filler caps was a dummy. Inspired by pretty much every period racer out there that I admire, we have moved the filler to the centre.

Not only did I want the filler cap moved, I wanted it recessed, so it doesn't sit too proud.







The new filler cap fits in really well (sorry, I didn't get a photo).

Again, not revolution, but I think it’s going to be a better look.
So, the front arches gave us some grief. Turns out the front wings are not symmetrical, which may be no surprise to people who have worked on Rochdales. I think this is mostly a product of the previous crash and rebuild that the car had gone through years ago. Anyway, the first attempt just wasn’t right for me.
The arches were too bulbous and oversized for the wheels. The workmanship was good, but the shape was wrong. It kind of reminded me of Escort Mk1 bubble arches. Great if you need a lot of vertical space for wheel movement for a rally car, but not right for the Rochdale. A shame, and the guys were good enough not to be difficult about starting them again....







If the wheels had a different offset, I dare say, they could have worked, but the point of the new wheels was for the car to handle as well as possible, and the smaller offset was important in this.
So, needing to get it right next time, more photos were shared as a work in progress, to ensure I was happy with the shape.













So, last Friday, I went back with crossed fingers to see the progress.
This time, it instantly felt right when I first saw the car. What did strike me is just how different they now are to the previous arches the car was wearing from the last build. I loved the pumped arches originally, but it was always obvious they were pretty extreme. I look back on photos now and the car looks almost cartoonish. Not sure if it is just my taste changing but I look back now and think the arches were too in your face. I'm no purist but they just didn't respect the original shape of the car enough. It was a real head turner in that state, but I think the new shape has a subtle, purposeful look, more sensitive to the original shape.

Anyway, this is where we have evolved to -










I think they’re a real success. The arches hug the tops of the wheels, the radius is a nice, close curve around the wheel in profile and the arches taper down towards the original bodywork, without any obvious lip. The lower offset on the front wheels have meant a much more modest front end.

Gone are the days when the car can provoke a reaction based on the widened bodywork, now it will be about making an impression by soaking in some of the finished details that I have planned.

What do people think??

Love it. It has a look of something very expensive that I can't put my finger on.
But as Seth says, it looks *exactly* right.

It is very expensive ;D



The front track is now about 4 inches wider than standard I think we worked out, the rear, still a lot more.
The fibreglass you now see in the rear window isn't the shape we are going for. That is just a new skin, which will be cut back and used as the lip for the new shape. The change is going to be subtle, just a little more curved than standard.

Thanks for the positivity guys, it's great to get encouragement.

I've also just purchased some new seats off ebay, after many many weeks of seemingly going around in circles. Modern high backs, going to be cut down for a period look. I think these are really going to work.....

That's looking excellent, particularly the new arches front and rear. It definitely has more the look of a piece of fibreglass exotica with the freshly profiled front wings than it did with the bubble arches.

Very nice indeed!

Looking very nice

I skimmed the thread to find the original rim specifications, but could only gather that they were 16". Could you shed some more light on size? Width, bolt pattern and ET and possibly the tire dimensions as well?

Where they split rims with classic(?) build from Image?

Glad to see the progress & well worth the extra effort. Looks like both front and rear now flow nicely into the body rather than looking like additions.
Seeing the remains of the original frt arch 'strakes' I wonder if they deserve a tiny side indicator at their frt, to give them a new starting point.

As others have said, those new arches really are perfect! They look elegant and period, like you'd expect from a factory produced special, rather than something that's been built recently. Personally I even much prefer them to the arches you had with the old wheels, good work!

Also I know we can't really see the wheels, I think their overall size is much more suited to the car proportionally. Generally, I'm loving all the changes you're making, can't wait to see it progress.

Looks really great! However I can't help but think that the strake in the wing needs to be better defined in the rear part of the flare where it flows off from the edge of the arch, in a similar way to how it would have done originally. Can clarify with a sketch if you pm me your email address