Hi guys
Ok, i'm feeling pretty stupid right now, but for the life of me, I can't see how to fit the set of rear wheel spats I bought from Cauchi Auto.
They just arrived yesterday and I was pretty keen to trial fit them before I proceed with paint (they actually need a little straightening too... ), but there just doesn't seem to be any way to get them on there.
Has anyone else bought spats from cauchi, and if so, how are they supposed to attach???
I'm sending Nick cauchi an email today as well, but he sometimes takes a while to reply so thought 'd post up here as well.
Cheers, Scott
Have you got a photo of the back of one showing the brackets and fitting system?
If they are "normal" you have a leg at the front that you drop into the dog leg (you may need to clean some built up crap) and at the rear you have a spring system with a large hole to place your thumb into. (this you push back while lifting the spat into position and then release the spring so it catches under the lip of the rear quarter panel. (Not so easy if you have girly thumbs when the springs are new!)
I'll try my best to get a photo posted tonight Smooth - just need to dig out the camera and get it charged up.
What you described is pretty much what I assumed must happen, but I had several problems when I did a test fit:
1. There are a series of brackets (3 of them) on the inside of the upper edge that just don't seem to fit anywhere...the lip of the wheel arch is bigger than the spacing of the bracket.
2. The leg at the front just seemed to be too long, and when placed into the dog leg, the spat was sitting up too high. I wasn't sure if it just looked that way because the rest of the spat wasn't sitting where it should, or if I was supposed to modify the leg to fit??
3. I assume that the spat sits against the outside of the lip of the wheel arch? Is that correct?
I'm going to have a proper look in the light of day tomorrow, but I still can't see how the brackets that run along the top edge will fit.
Will charge the camera batteries now and get a photo up here.
Thanks Smooth.
Scott
Turns out my wife has the camera at work, so I took a few snaps with my phone...poor quality but hopefully you should still be able to see the brackets and tell if they look 'standard' with these spats.
The problem more than anything seems to be the brackets along the top...they just don't seem deep enough to fit over the lip of the wheel arch.
Didn't see your reply there...too busy trying to cut and paste photos...lol.
You can see by the picture that there are brackets along the top edge that don't seem to be mentioned by either you or Smooth, which leads me to believe they're not usually on the spats you've used. Maybe they ARE the FC ones that have just been 're-tagged' FB-EK and will need modification to actually fit??
The spring mechanism on the other end is exactly as you guys described...it's just these brackets that are a little weird.
I'll be interested to see what you think once you've looked at the photo.
If I can't work it out, I may take you up on your offer. i work in town so it's no problem getting around.
Thanks guys.
Now that I know they're normal, I'll start bending and shaping until everything fits.
Will need to try smoothing out the spat itself as well...they've warped a little where the brackets are welded on.
At least now I know it's just a matter of trial and error until everything slides into place.
Cheers, Scott
Scott,
I bought a set of these and they fitted pretty good on my FC. my mate bought a set for his EK and they did not fit, hence the brackets(as others have stated) maybe cauchi needs to make wider brackets for them, mine fitted good but I replaced them with bubble spats
Yeah, it looks like the spats just need different sized brackets to fit the EK/FBs properly. Can't imagine it would be hard for Cauchi to make a few adjustments in order to minimise the need for modifications on the part of buyers. The brackets on top are the main sticking point.
Will pass the info on to him once I've worked out exactly what I need to do to make them fit.
Funny that you mentioned the cruiser skirts. I'm going to get a set of them as well when I can afford it...give me the ability to swap and change looks when the mood suits.
For FB/EK, the best bubble/cruiser skirts I've actually seen on a car, are by Paul Kelly (Smooth Crusin I think is his correct trading name) here in QLD.
Try 0410677144...that's the most recent number I had for him.
I know that Johns R and C also have them available, but if I remember correctly, they're actually modified FC skirts, rather than specifically designed FB/EK.
Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Bill,
Scott is on the money for the reply, I got mine from John CATSANIS and they were made for FC. Personally i think they are good as compared to the FB ones the FC ones drop down over the wheel more, a mate has FB ones on his FE and they fit no dramas so I really couldnt see why the ones from J, R@K wouldnt fit with a few small mods
Tim
I'll be doing some bending and shaping today if I can get into the shed, and when I know exactly what the main issues are, I'll send Cauchi another email to let him know. Much like what you said, they're a nice bunch of guys (certainly have been in my dealings with them) and maybe they'll be able to make some minor modifications to their design to make it a better product for future customers.
I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make theses ones look fine with just a little bit of work so it's no real problem in this instance. Pretty rare that any repro part bolts straight on.
Cheers, Scott
Can someone please post the contact details for Cauchi's auto parts? I have asked on another Holden forum a couple of years ago and got no response, I then assumed the may have gone out of business. Thanks.
), but there just doesn't seem to be any way to get them on there.
