Home Made Bodykit

Hey all. I found a site (probobly saw it already) that shows you how to make your own bodykit. Heres the site:

http://www.geocities.com/silverkit98/BodyKit1.html

I just have a few questions about the materials. If anyone can answer these for me, it would be appreciated.

1? - He recommended that we use foam. Which foam do you think we use and where can it be obtained?

2? - Which contact glue and foil do you recommend? Also, how do you apply each of them to the foam?

3? - He said to use 3ply fiber glass. Can we use a higher ply if we prefer? Also, where can one get this "Fiber Glass" to purchase? And how does one appy it to the material? (spray, glue, paste, staple???)

This is just a few questions I had because I would love to start it this weekend.

Thanks

Scott

There's a reason that dude drives a Hyndai :rolleyes:

Anyway - if you are serious about it...the idea is that the foam is the "mold"...
then the fiber glass (a woven fabric material, usually available at any marine type store, as this is what boats are made of and repaired with, or probably your local hardware store has some type of fiberglass mat/roll available) is drenched in resin, (a honey like material) and laid over the foam (don't forget to use foil as a protective barrier to keep the resin from disintegrating your foam 'mold' :rolleyes: ) .....
then the resin cures (dries) to form a solid sandable skin over your foam mold....
you sand the fiberglass and use "putty" :rolleyes: to finalize and smooth the shape...
Oh yeah...don't forget to paint and then attach the "kit" to the car...something our friend with the Hyndai forgot to add to his "how-to"

Companies that sell kits have already done all this hard work by creating a urethane or fiberglass skin on a mold...then they sell it to you as a body kit. I personally would recommend you take this route, instead of re-inventing the wheel like Mr. Hyndai owner with the Home Depot Kit ;)

Great response!!! If it is going to turn out a crappy job then I really dont want to waste my $$$. I guess I will just buy a body kit from pro's.

Thanks

FYI - There are good and bad professional kits too...some fit better than others. I have fiberglass experience so I was able to figure out WTF that guy was doing and maybe explain it in better terms (although because I was teasing at the same time I was slightly sarcastic) - but I don't really know anything about which body kits are good or bad, and I don't own one on my car...there seems to be pretty regular posts about "which body kit should I get?" on this forum..a simple search should help you out a lot. There are many peeps here that both have and sell kits (dealers) so there will be a plethora of info.
Good Luck :cool:

Thanks. You said you dont have a body kit. Is it necessary that I get one, or can my car look fat without one. do you have a pic of your car.

Thanks

Scott

yeah your car can look "Phat" without one. Most of the time i see body kits on cars and they dont look good (it has to be the perfect combo for me to like it) but the answer is no you do not need a bodykit.

Yeh i saw that site on the How-to forum. Me and my friend are gonna do one for my bros 92 accord:D

well...my car is pretty stock, and not necessarily what some might call "phat", but it is at least clean in this pic. I do plan to lower it a little some day, maybe 1.75" or so and add some Integra wheels or Si wheels..and I'll prolly use coilovers cuz I think that means I can jack it up a little in winter, or when I need to raise the back end, redneck style, when I haul the trailer. ;)
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/928189myride_new.jpg

my cars Phat :D hehe... hence the name, 1PhatCX :D
lol
but thats actually pretty cool about makin ur own body kit! i wanted to try that but i dont have money in the budget for materials right now :( i just wanna know how he attached everything tho, he didnt say that in his little tutorial

Its nice to see yet another 4dr, but yes that is really clean.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/385029Side.jpg

that home made body kit is phat looking, damn im really impressed.

I don't think you should give the guy shit because he drives a Hyundai. Back in 88-91 the Honda Civic was the shitty economy car of choice, now a days its the Hyundai. And that guy did make his own kit from scratch so you gotta respect that, not to many of us (including myself) have the skills it would take to do that.

Originally posted by FourthGenHatch
I don't think you should give the guy shit because he drives a Hyundai. Back in 88-91 the Honda Civic was the shitty economy car of choice, now a days its the Hyundai. And that guy did make his own kit from scratch so you gotta respect that, not to many of us (including myself) have the skills it would take to do that.


agreed! too many damn people flame here, im suprised i havent been flamed for owning a nissan and posting in here!

I won't flame you for having a Nissan and posting in here. I like Nissans, but i should flame you for not taking that wing off your car. LoL.

haha, actually, i PUT that wing on my car, i decided to rice it out hardcore because all of the nissan owners around here are all serious and have a "we are better because no one rices a nissan out attitude"

my friend gave me the spoiler, i have CIVIC type "R" badges, frant and back, and and melts old SiR emblemits the first nissan civic type "r" 240sx ever made....LMAO

Originally posted by FourthGenHatch
Back in 88-91 the Honda Civic was the shitty economy car of choice

Yeh the hatchies and sedans but not crx;)

you know what guys. I think I'm Gonna try it this weekend. i got a few bucks to blow. If it costs over $200 though, im not going to do it. One thing. On that link, step 5, he says "when everything is dry, put your putty to build the final shape". What did he mean by "Put your putty"? Also, how do you apply the fiber glass? Is it liquid or something.

Thanks

Scott

Yeh the hatchies and sedans but not crx

that's how i feel too. j/k.

i'm not a fan of body kits at all, so i say go for the clean stock look.

crx was considered a shitty economy car back then next to the 4 dr, and hatch. also about hyundia they are on the uprise, i mean the tiburon (2003) got the award for the best new car of 03, along with the WRX, and so on.

Hey guys. I just went to home depot to get some materials for the body kit. I saw that they had the heavy duty foam for home insulation so I noted that. Also, I found the fiber glass but it looked weired. It was like a mesh that goes in your screen door. Is that the right one to get? Please help!

Originally posted by cscott784
Hey guys. I just went to home depot to get some materials for the body kit. I saw that they had the heavy duty foam for home insulation so I noted that. Also, I found the fiber glass but it looked weired. It was like a mesh that goes in your screen door. Is that the right one to get? Please help!

Ok..first off...you guys are right...sorry to flame the Hyundai's - hell I couldn't even spell it right (go check my first post on this subject ;)) - so props to the dude for his effort.

And thanks to Stali08 for the props on the 4-door. That pic is pretty old, I've added clear corners since then, and the car isn't quite that clean..I have fading paint issues now, and I don't take as much time to clean it as I did..partially because the stupid townhouse place I live doesn't let us wash cars..no spigot outside even :mad:

So, on to the subject at hand ;) ......

Scott - Fiberglass is usually in exactly the form you saw....a woven mesh (white screen almost) or sometimes a "mat" form, which is the same general apperance, but random pieces smushed together in a flat roll...usually cheaper than the woven stuff.
Generally, the fiberglass is soaked in 'resin', which is a liquid the consistency of honey...think of this as the "glue". The resin stays liquid until mixed with a hardener (similar to a two-part epoxy...both are sticky and never dry on their own, UNTIL you mix them together..) - you mix the resin with a hardener (these mixture formulas vary widely...resin, hardener & instructions are usually provided as a kit...)
While the resin is still liquid..you soak the fiberglass in it..I mix the resin in cheap paint roller pans...they work well and can be tossed when you're done with them...this makes the fiberglass wet, pliable and soaked with the "glue"...you then take the fiberglass (wear gloves before you start this entire process!!!) and roughly lay it into the shape you want over the foam...(the resin will eat the foam, hence the need for foil to protect the foam) which you have already shaped in the general form you are looking for...the foam holds the shape of the whole thing as the resin dries (technically it cures...a chemical reaction cooks and evaporates the liquid). The fiberglass/resin compound (once the resin dries and cures into a solid) provides the strength. Boats are built with this process (which is where my fiberglass experience comes from.)

Once the resin/fiberglass cures (depending on product...high end marine resins are 1 hour, less expensive general purpose may be overnight or longer), you can sand it smooth and then finely shape it with "putty" - the most common in the car world (and cheap) being Bondo... Again, the marine industry has multiple (but more expensive) options here...using a resin and hardener, mixed with different powders, depending on the desired durability/strength/sandability...but the concept is the same.

An important thing to remember once you have the shape of your kit on the garage floor...regular spray paint doesn't usually stick to these things...don't forget to use primer. It is made to stick to things like fiberglass and bondo...and provides a surface for the colored spray paint to adhere to.

Ok...I think my post is long enough...I have more if you have more questions..good luck..and just don't make anything too goofy looking. :bandit:

alright, first, awesome post sastanley, very informative :)
and second cscott784, ur very brave for attempting this! i hope it all goes well and if it does, i may give it a shot, i expect to see lotsa pics hehe :D
and thirdly, how does the kit attach to the body? 2 sided tape? or just screw it in?