So you want to put a body kit on your ride and you’re trying to save some money by doing it yourself. Well, there are definitely some things to know about body kits. First of all you basically have two types of options, fiberglass or urethane. Which one should you choose? There are pro’s and cons for each and I will explain them. Fiberglass body kits for the most part offer the most radical in styling and are best for paint adhesion; however, unless your buying a fiberglass body kit from one of the manufacturers that I list at the end of this article you’re most likely going to be getting a cheap imitation that will have terrible fitment problems.
Cheap fiberglass body kits are typically made from a mold of a reputable kit, which makes the geometry just slightly off as far as bolt holes lining up (if the bolt holes are even drilled through, which most of the time they are not-this is always a good indication of a cheap kit) and the fiber glass is normally only one to two layers of woven fiberglass mat which makes these kits way to flexible, they practically flap in the wind as you drive. If you’re trying to impress people with you’re car’s body kit it’s going to be hard to do when it’s flapping in the wind and has huge crevices and gaps where it’s supposed to meet the fender or hood. Another bad thing about fiberglass body kits in they have an uncanny ability to crack on you, let your friend lean against your bumper one time and you’ll see what I mean; and if you’re a person that has a hard time parking without hitting the curb and you drive a lowered car then fiberglass body kits will not be you’re friend. When the fiberglass cracks then the paint will chip with it.
Urethane kits are typically casted from good molds, because making urethane body kits isn’t a process that you can just set up in your back yard, there is quite an involved process whereas anyone with a little time can make a fiberglass mold. One problem with urethane body kits however is the adhesion of paint, you would be surprised how many body shops don’t know how to prepare urethane body kits or do not take the time to prepare them correctly; I’ll give you tips on how to do this and what chemicals should be used. One good thing about urethane is that it’s flexible, this makes installing them a much easier task because you can bend and flex them the way you want to get them to fit right. One problem with urethane kits is that if you happen to get a cheap one and when it’s pulled from the box it appears to be saggy or drooping there’s nothing you can do about it because these were either made too thin or they were pulled from the mold to early and set aside. Below are some tips for body kits and carbon fiber parts.
**All you really need to put on body kits are a few basic things: Basic hand tool set with ratchet, wrenches, and sockets; a 3 inch pneumatic cutoff wheel and metal porting burr (only sometimes will you need this, but you’d be surprised), a drill with various drill bits, trim removal tool, and most likely a friend to help hold the body kit in place.
**Don’t be shocked if you have to remove your front and rear crash supports to install the body kit.
**Make sure to use good nuts and bolts from the hardware store with washers, if you’re working with a fiberglass body kit then be very careful when tightening bolt so as not to crack the fiber glass.
**Don’t get frustrated when it doesn’t fit, you just need to think creatively when you run into this problem, because you most likely will. In many cases you will have to loosen and adjust adjacent parts such as the fenders and the hood or the headlights.
**Do what ever you have to in order to make it fit right, if it means drilling holes where there shouldn’t be any, then drill away; this is more of an art than a science.
**Never get a fiberglass or urethane body kit painted before you do a test fitment.
**Make sure that however you fasten the body kit to the vehicle it can be un done when it’s time to paint it.
**Make sure to wash all of your body kit parts in purple power degreaser and scrub them with a scotch brite pad (and scrub thoroughly) before dropping them off at a body shop, because the will most likely not do this which will cause your paint to peal off down the road. They will most likely also tell you there is no paint warranty on aftermarket parts to, so make sure you do the first prepping yourself.
**If you have a urethane body kit make sure to ask the shop that you take it to that you want them to use adhesion promoter, if you don’t they most likely will not.
**Make sure to bring one of the body parts or the gas tank lid from your car so that you make sure they get the color right, your car may have been painted before you owned it and you may not know it.
**If you bought a wide body kit and you think you’re going to give it a try yourself and it’s your first one, throw in the towel and save your change. Wide body kits are challenging even for skilled body men.
Reputable fiberglass, carbon fiber, and urethane body kit companies.
VIS
Seibon
APR
Greddy
C-West
Kaminari
Do Luck
Buddy Club
Erebuni
Veilside
Stillen
TRD
Top Secret Japan
AIT Racing
GTP International
Ground Designs 2000
Invidia
Wald
