Let's try to catch up real quickly on my pre-departure work while I sort through photos and more photos trickle in every day.
I had never supported the ends of the bumpers & flares after installing the widebody and I know the roads get rough in WV, so something had to be done. I bought some aluminum tube at Home Depot and got out the torch. I started each piece by annealing the end of the tube so it would be malleable, then mashing it flat with a hammer, and then bending or drilling or both to make a suitable place to affix it to the tub.
Then I measured the distance I needed, cut the tube to length, annealed the other end, made it flat, poked a hole, and set it all in place. (Don't forget to let it cool before handling with bare hands. It looks cooler than it is despite aluminum's ability to transfer heat rapidly.)
Kelly's side
My side
For whatever reason, I did not photo the rear...where I made a strut at the joint as well as another at the bottom edge of the bumper. The flares and bumpers are markedly more solid and held up well to the abuse the car endured at Ruchlos 5.
Speaking of abuse and endurance, I made little shields for the fronts of the side skirts. I used thin aluminum as the FG is strong, but high-speed rocks can be hard on them. Once I had them installed, I carefully worked the edges with a body hammer to wrap slightly around the curve of the skirts. They're super subtle and worked really well.
Kelly's side
My side
With those done, the car was basically done. (or at least as far as I remember)
Back to Ruchlos photos in the next post.