Questions About Body Kits

[Young Chuck D]

i found one i really like. i've seen horrible body kits on cars around here though. i've seen chipped up paint, i've seen hanging parts, and i've seen it all. i want to know the truth about body kits and you all will tell me.

1. is body kit material weak enough to break just by doing 80 on an interstate?

2. is a body kit do-it-yourself-able?

3. why have i seen SOOOO many body pieces with the paint chipped off?

4. should i lower before an throw the kit on? can i do it afterwards?

5. is there ANY mod that i can't do AFTER the kit? (like a muffler, dual exhaust, etc.)

this is the one i want...

thank you in advance.

[Lances133]

#1 - No, if you get a bodykit from ebay?...possibly lol it will probly get to you all warped tho.
#2 - yes definitely. Cody did a bodykit and headlight conversion all by himself.
#3 - Because some people are idiots and just spray paint it and do NOT prep it right first.
#4 - It would be probly be a good idea to get the kit first so you know how low you can lower it.
#5 - If you get a body kit with a single exhaust and you want dual, you're either gonna have to find a rear bumper with dual exhaust or be prepared to cut.

[PsychoJJ]

Originally Posted by Lances133

#1 - No, if you get a bodykit from ebay?...possibly lol it will probly get to you all warped tho.
#2 - yes definitely. Cody did a bodykit and headlight conversion all by himself.
#3 - Because some people are idiots and just spray paint it and do NOT prep it right first.
#4 - It would be probly be a good idea to get the kit first so you know how low you can lower it.
#5 - If you get a body kit with a single exhaust and you want dual, you're either gonna have to find a rear bumper with dual exhaust or be prepared to cut.

I agree with pretty much all of this but #3. Its not from a bad paint job its from fiber glass. If a rock gets spit out from under a tire fast enough to crack/go through a windshield it for damn sure is going to give your fb front a bad day. Also there is nasty dust storms and lets not forget my wifes personal favorite being curb/parking block checks.

There are alot of different reasons for the missing paint but for the most part its just every day life not bad paint.

[Lances133]

I don't think he's gonna be dealing with too many dust storms in Los Angeles I hear ya tho psycho, you're right.

[PsychoJJ]

My summit front is getting to the point it looks like I started sanding it but got lazy and stopped half way done. Sucks sometimes having the prettiest construction vehicle in arizona.

[joshcooper719]

I agree with them too. I got a bomex body kit for mine and had it professionaly installed and painted by one of the best. T&R bodykits. The guy has been on overhaulin 9 times for his custom work. I have 1 chip on my front bumber, not big though but if you really look for it you will see it. Its becuase of rocks flying off through other ppls cars. They have this new protectent, its clear and it helps prevent rock chips. I am not too sure on what its called or anything but you can go to your bodyshop and ask about it. I am soon to be putting it on my car, And no its not a damn BRA. lol Its clear.

[PsychoJJ]

That stuff is by 3M its self adhesive see through stuff. It goes on like a clear bra and can be custom cut to fit a body kit front.

[Young Chuck D]

Originally Posted by Lances133

I don't think he's gonna be dealing with too many dust storms in Los Angeles I hear ya tho psycho, you're right.

i live in riverdale, md.... 3 minutes from washington, dc.

[Young Chuck D]

Originally Posted by PsychoJJ

Also there is nasty dust storms and lets not forget my wifes personal favorite being curb/parking block checks.

there are certain bonuses to being single haha..

"hell no you can't drive my car"

[Young Chuck D]

ok more questions.

how much should i expect to pay for a body kit?

who is a reputable dealer?

is it better to order one online or go to a local bodyshop? (mind you bodyshops in MD are not the same as body shops in CA)

[PsychoJJ]

Thats just a shop around kind of thing. For a full kit you could be looking anywhere between $200-3000.

[Lances133]

Originally Posted by Young Chuck D

i live in riverdale, md.... 3 minutes from washington, dc.

lol wow, somehow when i looked in your profile and saw EL-A, I didn't see that it was your name, i just automatically thought it was "LA" lol

[joshcooper719]

If you are looking to have someone put on your bodykit, make sure you go to a place that puts them on all the time. IF you go to your local bodyshop you will soon find out that they will tell you it doesn't fit. Or anything of that matter. That is what happened to mine. the bodyshop put on SOME bodykits before but not a lot. they told me my bodykit won't fit. so i ended up paying them 150 for doing nothing basically. I then took mine to T&R and he told me that they would say that. YOU MAKE BODYKITS FIT. Some of them at least. When you get up to the real high end expensive ones they tend to fit better. My bodykit was 1 inch too big for my car. he had to cut it out and Re-fiberglass the kit. BOMEX keep in mind. Supposed to be higher end but still needed a lot of work. It was $1000 for me and that was pretty damn cheap for what he did. He custom fiberglassed my bottom back end for me, so that is cool. Different type of bodykit materials depend on pricing and fitment too. Polyurethane is like a factory bumper. Its flexible and doesn't break as easy. But once damaged it needs to be replaced. Fiberglass isn't as flexible and IF it does crack or sumthing it can be refiberglassed. Just depends who you know and where you go. Do some reading up on bodykits before you get one though. See what your in for.

[Young Chuck D]

Originally Posted by joshcooper719

If you are looking to have someone put on your bodykit, make sure you go to a place that puts them on all the time. IF you go to your local bodyshop you will soon find out that they will tell you it doesn't fit. Or anything of that matter. That is what happened to mine. the bodyshop put on SOME bodykits before but not a lot. they told me my bodykit won't fit. so i ended up paying them 150 for doing nothing basically. I then took mine to T&R and he told me that they would say that. YOU MAKE BODYKITS FIT. Some of them at least. When you get up to the real high end expensive ones they tend to fit better. My bodykit was 1 inch too big for my car. he had to cut it out and Re-fiberglass the kit. BOMEX keep in mind. Supposed to be higher end but still needed a lot of work. It was $1000 for me and that was pretty damn cheap for what he did. He custom fiberglassed my bottom back end for me, so that is cool. Different type of bodykit materials depend on pricing and fitment too. Polyurethane is like a factory bumper. Its flexible and doesn't break as easy. But once damaged it needs to be replaced. Fiberglass isn't as flexible and IF it does crack or sumthing it can be refiberglassed. Just depends who you know and where you go. Do some reading up on bodykits before you get one though. See what your in for.

good post! i'm going to keep reading about this stuff. i plan on installing it myself though... i don't think i'll ever go to a mechanic again actually... for anything.. just me and my repair manual

[joshcooper719]

Thats the way you learn everything about your car, Gettin to know your car. lol Good luck with the bodykit.