lower body colour

[keri]

Hi everybody as you may know I'm new to the consortium and new to gammas i have a series 2 1985 car in light metallic blue my question is when these cars were new were the front/rear lower valances, sills lower front/rear wing qtrs black or body colour I've seen many in pictures of them black and others body colour as mine is to be repainted i may as well do it correct.

[Theo]

They were originally black. It's a design feature meant "to lift the car up and make it look sleeker".

A lot of people paint the bottom parts body colour since that's the modern trend for cars but I think it looks wrong on the Gammas and make them look frumpy. But that's just my opinion; it's your car and you should do what you prefer.

[keri]

Thanks for that i think i will stick with the black  lower as it is now, also i read somewhere in the forum that the series 2 cars had wheel arch liners/protectors where series one cars did not mine don't seem to have them the only thing i have on the n/s/f is a metal plate nothing on the o/s so this is missing?attached to the inner flitch and lower subframe member  up to and covering the brake pipe connectors but nothing after that but i have   plastic clips in the flitch that go to the rear of the flitch with nothing attached to them both sides? i can also see the washer bottle should this be covered?
thanks
keri

[Theo]

Yes, series 2 cars had plastic wheel arch lines at the front. I believe earlier series 1 cars had a metal plate at the back of the wheel arch. The windscreen washer tank at the front of the nearside wheel arch is normally hidden by the wheel arch liner. It sounds that yours were taken off. Some people take them off as they believe it's better not to have them. But a lot are taken off for work or restoration and either lost due to the length of time or simply don't bother putting them back on. It's not easy to find wheel arch liners but the Consortium might have some in stock. 

[keri]

thanks for your help on this that is one lovely looking car i am sure it was in a classic car show a while back but can't remember the name now but its on you tube? i do hope mine looks this good when completed.
thanks again
keri

[Theo]

Gilbert, my Gamma,  thanks you for your complements and kind words 

My car has been at the NEC for classic car show a couple of times. It was also featured on the Classic Cars program on the Discovery channel and that clip appears on YouTube by several people

https://www.youtube.com/embed/82OV20KDSPQ