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Grp Body Panels


Guest Petef

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(Ive used the search function but cant find any relevant topics so I apologise if this is old ground - Im new to RH ownership and this forum)

 

Anyway, Ive just purchased a 2B that is fairly tatty, so rather than remaking the (VERY heavy) stainless steel bodywork I was hoping to be able to replace it with GRP items which would be considerably lighter.

Does anyone know if any specific Robin Hood items have been produced and are available in GRP, or are parts for other vehicles my only option???

 

Thanks in advance...

Edited by Petef
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I've never heard of GRP bodywork for a 2B but Kit Spares (the new owners of Robin Hood) still sell the panels and in aluminium, which is lighter than s/s.

 

https://www.kitspares.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=43_1&product_id=1140&car=43

 

They probably also still do them in s/s.

 

If you're worried about the weight affecting performance, i wouldn't - it will make gnats-all difference.

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I wouldnt bother the stainless is only 0.6mm if I remember correctly and doesnt particularly weigh that much. Id put my bets down that the same panel in grp would actually be heavier as it will have to be considerably thicker.

 

You can purchase grp front and rear wheel arches and a dash for the 2b from kitspares which is gbs parts site. Although I had 2 dashs from them and neither were big enough so still ended up making my own.

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Hi Pete,

 

As mentioned - nobody does replacement GRP panels specifically for the 2B unfortunately. :(

 

Like yourself - I wanted to ditch all the steel for GRP too. It's probably not much/any lighter than the steel - but it's certainly one less thing to rust (my panels were mild steel tho).

 

I bought a couple of second hand Haynes Roadster side panels and found that they do fit with some work. They are virtually the same profile as the 2B, the only reason they won't fit straight on is the height. The 2B chassis rails are (annoyingly) only something like 4mm taller than the Roadster - but that means the top and bottom returns of the GRP splay outwards and stop the panel sitting flush. The only way I found to get them on was to virtually trim off the top and bottom flanges of the GRP completely. I think it's around 5mm left of the flange on each. This also means that you have fix the panels on through the sides rather than the usual neater top/bottom flange fixings.

 

During initial fit-up:-

 

2vL0Naml.jpg

 

uvaJb4el.jpg

 

BH4ZVhRl.jpg

 

 

More recent top view of chassis rail showing how much of the return is left:-

 

M0OM1F8l.jpg

 

 

I also found that the Haynes Roadster rear tub can be fitted (again with some work) - in order to get the flatter 'squarer' look . The 2B is wider than Roadster across the rear chassis rails (70mm or so). So I cut the panel down the centre and braced it back together with some Ali box section inside the returns. You can just about see the Ali box top/btm in this bad picture:-

 

s4Butbwl.jpg

 

The gap has since been covered up with a strip of Ali:-

 

kN3HgJ4l.jpg

 

Just stuck some wrap over to cover for now - but will have a racing stripe eventually:-

 

oKKHkfUl.jpg

 

 

Once you've got a nice square rear end instead of tapered - you can fit other types of rear arches (locost/roadster etc). I found the best fit seemed to be the GBS Zero arches - mainly because they are nice and wide and I have 8j 0 offset wheels. I suspect standard Roadster arches would look fine with normal width/offset wheels though :-

 

jeIt8Mdl.jpg

 

Ab6aHo2l.jpg

 

Anywho - hope that helps.

 

Cheers

Tony

Edited by FERRINO
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Thanks for the great replies guys, and nice work Tony - looking awesome!

 

I suspected as much re no direct replacements. s/s is far heavier than Ali so I may re-make some panels myself (the bonnet in particular is annoying me with how heavy it is!) seeing as most of my panels are peppered with various unnecessary holes, plus every little helps when it comes to weight saving.

Its gonna be a long-term thing as I picked the car up as a non-runner and am still to drive it, but I like to know where Im heading before embarking on a project.....

 

Thanks again

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on the plus side for ally and steel it doesn't burn! If you had an engine fire with a grp bonnet and side panels it won't protect anything or keep the fire in. They are called firewalls for a reason.

 

If you want to lose weight then if you have a pinto swap to a zetec or something modern and you'll lose at least 30kg. I reckon there are savings to be had replacing the rear subframe but that is a full on redesign so not that easy.

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....unless youre a fabricator! 😁

Cheers, I might look into that down the line. Car is very much a doer-upper and I just want to improve things as I tidy it up, rather than completely rebuilding it to an ideal/top spec and letting it become a money pit.

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