Body Kit Help, New to fitting body kit parts... Options

[celicaboy04]

I got the Invader kit from 97Celica and am having a bit of trouble.

The sideskirts I have I cannot seem to fit right. They are about the right length, but the side skirt will not closely hug the car so there is a slight gap down parts of it. Is this normal? Also, parts of the kit seems to be chipping and stuff while Im working with it so I should just be able to spot fix that with resin right? And how would any of you suggest I hold the sideskirts. In the front where the tire well is I will use those existing screwes, in the back I was going to get some self tapping screws to go through the kit and the metal, though in the middle of it where the door sill is i havent quite figured out yet...self tapping screwes again?

I havent even gotten to the bumpers yet, I have been having a hell of a time trying to locate all the screws and stuff holding them in, though I do know about the front bumper having to be shaved where the safety bar is so it properly fits.

[celicaboy04]

bump

[Digndoug]

most kits u buy will need some reworking or fitting . Which brand did u get? Is this VIS?

[celicaboy04]

Yep

[BBoYRuGGeD]

im not getting what ur saying... so where are there gaps on the sideskirt??? anyway for mine i have a bolt on the front and 2 bolts (drilled holes thru the metal) on the back of the sideskirt. where the kit goes inside and under the door... i left it alone and just put back that plastic crap that was on there before. i put that plastic part right on top of it so the fiberglass is actually under it. it looks niiiice and natural. be careful when youre taking off the front bumper. theres three bolts on each side... left and right. 2 on each side is easy to get to... but that 3rd one up top will give u probs. make sure u get proper tools for this one.

BBoY

[celicaboy04]

Finally got sideskirts fitted and the front bumper...mostly...It seems to fit alright (the front bumper) but there is about a 1/4 inch gap or so between the edge of the light holes and the light...its not too bad though...any advice on fixing this up?

Also, hah, the rear bumper I ordered from 97Celica was suppose to be for a coupe, but like everyone here says, it seems as though there is only a hatchback version because it wasnt anywhere CLOSE to fitting. I am currently cutting the rear bumper and working on fitting it though it might be a while.

When I get a chance Ill take some pics to show my progress...any advice from someone who has put on the kit for fixing the front bumper gaps in the lights let me know .

[flipside97LTD]

I put my kit on a while back and have had a few people ask about the process. This is an older post of mine about putting on the kit. It may be of some help.

I just put on the veilside kit about three weeks ago. Here's a basic run-down of what's involved: Put the car in a garage and take off the wheels and put it up in jack-stands. It'll be there for a while! Now take off the front and rear bumper. You now need to fit the kit to the car. As with any fiberglass kit, you're going to have to do a lot of sanding and filing and shaping to make the kit fit the car. Once you've got the peices shaped and fitted it's time to attach them permantly.

The first step is screwing the kit to the car. I don't recommend using rivots. You'll see why later on. Use whatever screw will work, I used sheet metal screws. Predrill all of the holes! Fiberglass is very delicate. Now screw the sideskirts and rear bumper to the car. We'll get to the front later on. Again, this is a dry-fit.

Now that you know everything will fit, screwed and all, it's time to glue the kit to the car. Unscrew the kit and lay it aside. I recommend using a strong filler/epoxy to glue on the kit. I used a heat activated, 2 part epoxy called Fusion. If you can find it, use it! It's the best. The first step is to use a surface grinder and grind to bare metal everywhere the kit will be glued to the car. Also, use the grinder to rough up the fiberglass areas of the kit that will be glued to the car. Now, mix your epoxy and using a spreader, lay it on the bare metal areas.

Next, screw the kit onto the car. Use the spreader and a rag soaked in laquer thinner to wipe of any glue that oozes out. Make sure to wipe any glue that gets on the screw heads off! Otherwise, it'll be set in stone and be a permanent part of the car! After the epoxy has cured. Unscrew the screws, except those on the insides of the fenders. These should stay. Countersink the holes if you like to make them less noticable.

Now use a fiberglass based filler such as duraglass or mar-glass and fill all the screw holes. Sand the filler down and then put on a thin coat of regular body filler. Sand that down and the sides and rear are done.

Now screw on the front. If you're putting on the veilside kit, you don't need to glue any of the front to the car.

Chances are you'll need to modify the car a little to get the kit to fit. I had to cut out parts of the exhaust pipe and cut off the corners of the big aluminum reinforcement inside the front bumper.

If you have any more questions just ask dude!

Hope this helps,
Ryan