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iForged Misha Designs Widebody SL Project
So back in 2009 I visited the idea of building a Black Series Widebody Project for the SEMA show. After trying to work for months to source actual factory Mercedes Factory SL65 Black Series parts all I was left with was dead ends and no way to complete the project short of purchasing a real SL65 Black Series. This was my first failure to build a project vehicle for SEMA since iForged started attending the SEMA show in 2003 and I was quite depressed. Luckily for me I was able to collaborate with some great builders such as Mark Abate, Brian Fox, and Neil Tjin and together we built some great creations in 2009.
Fast forward to May 2010 and I was surprised to recieve a phone call from my good buddy Misha D. of Misha Designs. I have worked with Misha D. at Misha Wings on my last two Porsche projects. He makes some of the best aftermarket body panels on the market. I had discussed my interest to him about building a SL65 Black Series clone the previous year and he remembered these conversions. He told me about his plan to come out with his own widebody kit that would rival the Mercedes Black Series and sent me a few pictures of the rendering. I was immediately blown away with his concept and told him to put me down for a kit when he goes to production.
My previous plan had called upon building a 1000HP SL65. After reviewing my options I decided on purchasing a 2004 SL55 because of the high number of great deals and low mileage version available. I drove the car a few weeks completely stock as the Range Rover project was in the body shop and I was surprised on how easy the car was to drive. After making a few calls to my industry contacts I was able to strike a deal with a few sponsors to help with the expenses of this build.
Every Misha Designs Widebody SL is hand built to order. My kit was available for pickup on Monday. I immediately drove down to LA to pick up the parts and dropped it off at DTM Autobody to start the tear down process. I then called my good buddy Brian Fox of Fox Marketing and arranged for BASF to send some special paint for this project. I won’t revel yet what color we choose until later in the build, but the color will blow you guys away. Ivan at DCT Motorsports is providing me a custom SL65 carbon fiber steering wheel and a full carbon fiber interior trim to complement the carbon fiber accents on the Misha Designs Widebody Kit. Also the new iForged wheels will be a surprise until the last minute.
So thats it for now. I will be providing more updates periodically until the revealing at SEMA 2010 in the iForged Booth 48056 in the Wheels & Tire Section located in the South Hall. Follow the build on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/semabuildups
2010 Project Partners
Fox Marketing
Misha Designs
BASF Paint
iForged Wheels
DTM Autobody
DCT Motorsports
Check out the pictures below
NEW UPDATES 09/22/10
Car is currently at DTM Autobody in El Monte California getting the Misha Designs Widebody Kit installed. I will be heading over there tomorrow to take the final measurements so I can start building the custom iForged wheels.
NEW UPDATES 09/23/10
Today I went to DTM Autobody to get the final measurements for the new iForged Concave wheels that we will be debuting at SEMA. I am so shocked on how fast they installed the body panels. The rear quarters and the rear bumper are now on the car. A few more days of prepping and sanding to make sure all the lines and gaps are nice and the car will be ready for primer.
NEW UPDATES 10/04/10
BASF Glasurit paint supplies have arrived at DTM Autobody. BASF sent over their primer, base coat, clear and hardeners. I have been using BASF paint since 2005 with the first widebody Porsche project and have never used another supplier. I am a big fan of their quality products. I am keeping the actual paint color under wraps until later this month. The color will definitely blow you guys away.
The headlights, front grill, new led taillights have arrived from the Mercedes parts dept. Anyone looking for the best prices on OEM Mercedes parts you guys need to contact parts.com. I was able to get 40% off retail for the factory parts. DTM Autobody has started aligning all the body panels. By the end of this week, they will have the rear quarters cut and molded and start molding on the rear wing to the trunk. 4 weeks to the big show and so much left to do.
NEW UPDATES 10/06/10
I sent the headlights up to Light Wurkz in San Francisco. They are taking apart the headlights painting the inside matte black and putting leds around each projector. They will be shipping it back overnight on Thursday so I will have them on Friday. I know we are working on some really tight deadlines.
Here is a photoshop of what it will look like when done.
Headlight housings is taken apart and wet sanded to prepare for primer.
Internals of headlights have been wet sanded, primed and ready for led installation and paint.
NEW UPDATES 10/07/10
Thanks to Pirelli Tires for supplying the massive steam rollers that just came in today.
Pirelli P Zero Nero
Front
275/30/20
Rear
375/20/21
That is not a typo 375 rear width. They are insanely WIDE!!! I thought my tires were wide back in 2005 when we fitted 355/25/19 on my blue Porsche widebody but these tires take it to the next level.
NEW UPDATES 10/08/10
Some more pictures from Light Wurkz of the headlight housings taken apart. In total there will be 16 leds in each headlight forming small rings of light around the highbeam and lowbeam, similar to the factory headlights on my Range Rover Fullsized.
Each led hole is drilled into the housing and then carefully installed by hand. Light Wurkz is using the smaller 3mm LEDs as the normal 5mm do not fit into the tight spaces of the SL Housing.
The pieces need one more color sand and buff and then another few coats of paint. After the parts are dry the headlight will be reassembled. I should have them back next Tuesday. I can't wait to see them in action.
Example of the leds on my Range Rover headlights
NEW UPDATES 10/10/10
With 3 weeks before the main event SEMA in Las Vegas the iForged Misha Designs SL Widebody Project build is in full force. The custom headlights took one day longer to complete and will arrive back at DTM Autobody on Tuesday. The team over at Lightwurkz in San Francisco did an absolutely amazing job with the headlights and I am so happy we could fit this important piece of the puzzle to the build. The body work is coming along as scheduled.
The rear quarter panels on both drivers and passengers side have been cut and the widebody rear fenders have been attached. The underneath wheel wells have been formed and welded. The molding of the rear trunk lid and resurfacing of the trunk shape have begun and will be finished in the upcoming week. When completed the trunk will look like one uniform piece with a raised whale tail hanging off the original OEM Mercedes SL trunk lid.
As soon as the headlights return to DTM Autobody, They will start fitting the front end and start the final adjustments to the body. A few days of body shaping will allow the SL to be ready for primer and paint. DTM Autobody is on schedule to finish 1 week ahead of the show so we can drop off the car at Hyevon Motors for engine upgrades and installation of the DCT Motor Sports Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel and Interior Kit.
NEW UPDATES 10/11/10
Thanks to Anatoliy and his wonderful team at Light Wurkz for all the hard work and effort they put in for the last 5 days to get my custom headlights ready for the SL. The headlights on now on there way back down to DTM Autobody overnight and we will get them in the morning. Here are some pics we received from Anatoliy before the lights were packed for shipping.
NEW UPDATES 10/13/10
Last minute I thought of doing some custom interior before SEMA. I am going to do the front and rear with suede and diamond stitching in it. Top Stitch in El Monte is doing the work. I was checking out their website and their quality and attention to detail is amazing. It also helps they are only a couple of miles away from the body shop. They sent a few guys over there to start removing the interior pieces and get it ready for customizing.
Check out their work and website at http://topstitchupholstery.net/
DTM Autobody has finished the molding of the rear flares and the custom trunk. I wanted something like the Porsche Speedster. The custom Lightwurkz blacked out headlights look amazing with the newer factory Mercedes SL grill.
The front end is coming together nicely. Only a few more minor adjustments and smoothing of the front panels and the car will be ready for primer. They hope to get the car ready for paint by early next week.
NEW UPDATES 10/15/10
Heading down the final stretch. DTM has finished aligning the front end. The entire front end has been adjusted and fiberglass has been added and sanded down repeatedly to get the body lines just perfect. A few more adjustments are necessary on the drivers side, and then they can begin the priming and paint process. We are looking a delivery date of next Friday.
After that the car heads straight to Hyevon Motors for the engine package, new midsection exhaust pipes, lowering, carbon fiber steering wheel, and interior install.
New wheels and cross drilled rotors will be installed at the same time and the car will be prepped for the enclosed trailer ride to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show. There are many little small details I am not going to be able to finish before the SEMA unveiling but by CES the car will be fully ready.
NEW UPDATES 10/19/10
DTM Auto Body has applied the BASF Glasurit Primer to the body of the SL Project. The car is heading into the paint booth tomorrow and we will finally revel what color the SL will be sprayed. Tune in tomorrow. In the meantime here are some more work in progress pictures.
NEW UPDATES 10/20/10
Drum Roll Please !!! ______________________________________________
The SL will be painted
BASF Glasurit Liquid Metal
AKA Mercedes Designo Titanium Alubeam
Used by Mercedes for the F800 Concept Below, as well as a $10,000 paint option on the NEW Mercedes SLS.
NEW UPDATES 10/21/10
Just got these pictures from DTM Auto Body of the Project Mercedes SL in the paint booth. After long discussion with Brian Fox of Fox Marketing we both decided to paint the car BASF Glasurit Liquid Metal. The paint also goes by the name of Mercedes Design Titanium Alubeam. It is a very rare color used by Mercedes for the F800 Concept , as well as a $10,000 paint option on the NEW Mercedes SLS. Exactly 1 week before the SL is picked up by the transport company and sent to its final destination of Las Vegas for SEMA 2010. Next week will equal a few sleepless nights getting the final details tied up.
NEW UPDATES 10/22/10
Just received pictures from Ivan at DCT Motorsports of the custom SL63 Steering wheel he did for me with silver stitching and carbon fiber on the top and the bottom.
NEW UPDATES 10/24/10
Went to see the car yesterday at DTM Autobody and my mouth dropped when I saw the color in person. I wish I could really show the true color of the paint with my camera but I just can't capture it. The BASF Glasurit Liquid Metal paint in person is just AMAZING!!!! The paint is so fine that it seems like the entire car was formed out of a single piece of stainless steel.
The Racemesh grille complements the aggressive angular openings of the Misha Designs front bumper. Behind each Racemesh grille we installed an 8 LED driving light unit. DTM Autobody had up to 6 guys working on the car on Saturday. I was there for about 5 hours just observing and watching them work on the project with awe. All the workers were just as amazed as I with the way the paint shimmered. I had the calipers stripped, and repainted BASF Glasurit Mclaren Orange and applied a JDM Chrome Brembo vinyl sticker custom made by Instyle Graphics before shooting the calipers with another few coats of amazing BASF Glausrit Clear.
The interior project is on schedule as well. Currently all the pieces removed from the car are either completed or almost finished. It helps that Top Stitch Upholstery is located only 3 miles from the body shop. I called Anthony over there today and he has guys working overtime tonight just to get everything finished in time.
The car is schedule to be picked up Tuesday from DTM Autobody and will head to its final journey before SEMA. Hyevon Motorsports will then start the work on the engine as well as help with a few more surprise last minute car mods that just got overnighted. On Saturday Emergency Hookers will pick up the car from Hyevon in Huntington Beach and it will begin the 270 miles trip to Vegas to be unveiled in front of the crowd at SEMA 2010.
Here are some pictures below of my Saturday Adventure at DTM Autobody.
NEW UPDATES 10/26/10
DTM Auto Body sent me some pictures today of Project Widebody SL with the front bumpe r installed. The car will be ready for the transport tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait to see the car finally put together. Also the interior carbon fiber pieces have finally arrived just in time. They will be installed by Hyevon Motors later this week.
The new iForged wheel centers will return from the powdercoater in the morning and will be fitted with the carbon fiber barrels which were completed today. Four more days until the transport picks up the car for SEMA.
iForged Wheels Custom Carbon Fiber Lips
DCT Motorsports SL Carbon Fiber Interior
NEW UPDATES 10/26/10
Crunch Time. In 3 days the Project SL will begin her journey into the desert for the 2010 SEMA show in Las Vegas. The rear carbon fiber diffuser just arrived from Misha Designs last night. DTM Autobody was able to get the diffuser on today and then the car was given another color sand and buff before the flatbed arrived to pick it up and take it to the final stop at Hyevon Motors in Huntington Beach. For most people on the forums they know Hyevon Motors as the shop of currently the fastest Mercedes SL in the 1/4 mile.
Top Stitch Upholstery reinstalled all the interior panels this morning. They recovered the seat inserts, door panels, rear panels, and a-pillars with a perforated black Alcantara suede with padded silver diamond stitching. Two stack ltd gauges were installed into the new suede a pillar to monitor the boost and the wideband air fuel ratio.
The car will spend its last few days before SEMA getting engine and interior upgrades with the pros at Hyevon Motors. They will be installing their signature stage 1 upgrade which includes
180mm crank pulley
Drop in K&N Air Filters
Dyno Software Tuned
Upgraded Water Pump
Upgraded Heat Exchanger
New Mid Section with X Pipe
A few extra engine and performance parts will also be installed
Carbonio Carbon Fiber Intake
Carbonio Carbon Fiber Engine Cover
Custom BASF Glasurt Mclaren Orange Intake Manifolds
R1 Concepts Rotors and Brake Pads
They will also being installing all the interior pieces which include
Carbon Fiber Interior Kit
SL63 Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel
Wiring up the Stack LTD Gauges
Double Din Stereo Kit for the new Pioneer AVIC AVIC-Z120BT
We wired up the LED in the headlights and the front bumper and they are really bright. Can't wait to see them during the day.
The new three piece concave wheels with carbon fiber lips have been assembled and will be mounted tomorrow morning at Wheel Warehouse to the massive 275/30/20 F and 375/20/21 R tires.
The car is almost done. I really could not even get to this point without the help of all the sponsors involved. Their dedication and perseverance have allowed me to bring this SL Project to Life. I would also like to thank the forum members and fellow car enthusiasts who have given me insight as well as pointers and recommendations with the SL Project. I am so glad I could share my passion with you all.
Thanks to
http://www.orisue.com/
http://www.mishadesigns.com/
http://www.dtmautobody.com/
http://www.basfrefinish.com/
http://www.dctms.com/
http://www.foxmarketing.net/
http://www.mobil1.com/
http://www.hyevonmotors.com/
http://www.pirelli.com/
http://www.lightwurkz.com/
http://www.stackltd.com/
http://www.racemeshgrilles.com/
http://www.instylegraphics.com/
http://www.topstitchupholstery.net/
http://www.carbonio.com/
http://www.r1concepts.com/
http://www.diamondaudio.com/
http://www.statusracing.com/
NEW UPDATES 10/26/10
Last day of the build!!!
Today I was running around all day through the freeways of Southern California. Last minute I decided that the all black front Mercedes grill was not working for me. I had Long at DTM Autobody spray the star emblem BASF Glasurit Liquid Metal to match the rest of the car to give the front some contrast. The end product turned out so much better then what we before. DTM Autobody also painted the intake valve covers Mclaren Orange to match the brakes.
I was eagerly waiting and tracking my UPS shipment from Carbonio. I was getting really nervous until 11pm when the carbon fiber intake, and carbon fiber engine covered arrived at the office. The Status Racing Harnesses came in the morning as well just in time. Then I drove down to Wheel Warehouse in Anaheim to pick up the new mounted concave carbon fiber wheels and rushed everything to Hyevon Motors in Huntington Beach to get the rest of the parts installed.
The team at Hyevon worked the entire night to finish all the last minute details. They even had their own detailer come by to give the car a complete detail treatment. I can't thank them enough. Without their help this project would have never made it to SEMA. I just left Hyevon at 2am this morning after the final decals and graphics from Instyle Graphics were applied to the car. Emergency Hookers the transport company is coming to pick up the car at 10am and then it will make the journey through the desert to be unveiled at SEMA.
Of course we ran into a few hiccups along the way and there will be changes made after the car returns from SEMA. One thing I was not happy with is the exhaust tips. The Porsche turbo ones are just too small for the big openings of the Misha Design carbon fiber rear diffuser. Hyevon will be making me some custom exhaust tips after the show. I also will upgrade to a 14" rear wheel instead of the 12.5" I currently have in the rear. The car has plenty of the room inside and the 375/20/21 tire has plenty of sidewall bulge.
Here are some quick pictures I took with my point and shoot. They aren't the best but will give you a general understanding of where the car stands at this point. I guarantee I will have some great pictures for you from the SEMA booth during the show with my SLR camera. For those coming to the SEMA show the car will be in Booth # 48056 in the South Hall. Come by I would love to meet some fellow car enthusiasts and fellow forum members. Its always good to put a face with a screen name.
