Ordered new bodykit, how many of you did self install?
 

Ordered gt3 front bumper/side skirts, aero II wing, rear diffuser...can't wait to get them.

Question is, how many of you did the first fit/install of the fiberglass, and then brought to autobody shop for painting? And how difficult is it to do the dry fit/shaving/etc?

Thanks for your expertise.:cheers:

GT3 Front bumper cover is an easy installation provided you study the job first in the Bentley book. Take your time and go slow and careful as not to scratch anything. While you have it off don't forget to clean the radiators. I can't speak to the side piece install, the other question is are you going to have all this pre painted, other wise might as well let the body shop do the entire gig.

Good luck attempting this on your own . I suggest that you hook yourself up to a Haldol drip first !!!!!!!!

Yeah, this is just an attempt to save a few $. Take everything apart, fit to car, and bring to body shop to paint, install after paint done.

Or as Johnny put it so eloquently, I should just bring the damn parts to the shop, drive the car there, and throw them the keys. :D

Thanks for the replies guys!

Take it from someone who was involved in a similar project of his own, 99.99% of the time these aftermarket body kits and aero parts require a tremendous amount of "tweaking" in order to make them fit well . With that said, it's crucial to find a shop that has extensive experience working with FRP or CF . Otherwise, they'll be lost trying to work with said materials .

If the GT3 nose is factory, (mine was) it's going to fit with minimal if any slight adjustments of the hood to cover seam. If as Johnny suggests it's manufactured by anyone else, you need to capitulate and slide it to the bodymen. As Clint once noted and was true when I gave up on hurting my body to fix the 986 " A good man has got to know his limitations".

It sounds like it's an aftermarket kit made out of FRP. If that's the case, he's going to need someone who is very experienced working with FRP .

My first sobering experience was placing a front spoiler on my Fiat spyder around 1977, didn't fit worth a poop. Flash forward, my brother puts fiberglass fenders on his spyder, if not for our extensive knowledge from working on hundreds of Fiats that too would have been tough, even with our talents it was a bit of an Odyssey. Aftermarket body pieces are notorious for fitment issues just like you stated, I did read that M Shaw stuff fits right, if so he's the exception.

Well, I'm familiar with MA Shaw's stuff (it's actually made by Getty Design), and it's no better or worse than the rest of what's out there in terms of aftermarket FRP . There was a time when he was able to get his hands on some oem parts like the GT3 bumper . However, that was years ago . In any case, about 3 years back I did a body kit on my vehicle that consisted of a Hamann front bumper and side skirts, along with a high quality German made 997 rear bumper . Given Hamann's reputation as a world class tuner, along with the price that I paid, one would think that these parts would have had excellent fit and finish "right out of the box" . Ha ! You want to talk about a sobering experience ! It took nothing short of Michael Angelo to sculpt these pieces in order to get a perfect fit . The stuff was ******************** from the get go .


p.s. To this day, I can't imagine telling anyone what the final costs were to complete this project, for fear that I would be involuntarily committed to a locked facility !!

I have fiberglass sikde skirting but only because the MK2 style isn't available for the Boxster from Porsche.
I later found out why fibgerlass is a hassle. One side was about 4mm longer than the other side which left a gap. I was contemplating sending it back but the geniuses at the bodyshop decided to paint it before telling me the sizes were off, tough to return at that point. Paid $300 for them but was charged $700 to paint. The rinky dink shop down the street that worked on econo box cars but might have passed muster for a small job like side skirts wanted $400. Glad I didn't have to have a whole kit done. Paint work was expensive in those good ole days. Last spring I had my front bumper repainted for $200 which has to be painted again thanks to a careless driver backing into me at the local gas station.

I've found that the best shops for this kind of work are ones that cater to the "fast and furious" JDM crowd . These guys have extensive experience in doing all kinds of custom body kits, crazy wings ect..., and they really know their way around FRP and CF .

Like Mr. Danger said...Look for a NOPI National sticker, they will be your guys.

Wow, those are some body kits ! :)

Like others have said, fitting fiberglass parts are a ******************** no matter how well the manufacture says they will fit.

I learned my lesson on this years ago and thats why i've decided to stick with OEM parts if possible. Sure they cost more, but for me, it's worth it for not having to deal with fittment issues.

I recommend that you do as others say and let the body shop wrestle with it.

Good luck!

Cheers

Mark

wow, i guess you can't say "p a i n / i n/ t h e / a s s" on this forum without it being censored! :confused:

It's ok, it makes it sound all the more effective when it reads ********************. :D

I think the Pelican filter is very strict in comparison to the old system. PITA always works. ;)

http://986forum.com/forums/attachmen...endday2088.jpg

HEHE! The one on the far right in red has actually driven my Boxster S.

Cheetah,

Your post is totally worthless without pictures!

Good thing it wasn't the one on the far left. Somebody give that girl a sammich...

HEHE! The one on the far right in red has actually driven my Boxster S.


I remember being young enough to let that happen......