Tips on fitting a fibreglass bodykit please?

[rumpelstiltskin]

Need some advise on fitting a fibreglass bodykit,well not quite a full kit.Smallish rear arches,roof spoiler that goes all round the roof and down the windscreen pillars and sill covers.The actual attaching them isn't a problem but what about actually blending them in to the actual bodywork,whats the best stuff to use?

[PJ S]

Surely they are pre-shaped already?
FG has some flex, so it'll bend okay for you to screw into place.

[rumpelstiltskin]

Yes,they are preshaped,but to a completely different car!Only joking,well there are a few gaps between said bodykit and the car itself,just wondering how to take up these gaps?Obviously screwing the kit in will draw it towards the car but do you just use normal bodyfiller around the edges of teh kit,or something more flexable?

[PJ S]

Sounds like a poor replica of an original poly kit.
Wouldn't know whether polyfila or whatever is applicable to fill the voids or not, not having come across this before - sorry.
Hopefully someone who has had similar experience before will pop in to offer their 2p's worth.

[grahambell]

rumpelstiltskin said:

do you just use normal bodyfiller around the edges of teh kit?

No, normal P38 type bodyfiller will just crack.

Use the fibreglass reinforced P40 type stuff, which you should apply all round the edge where the panel meets the bodywork. Screw the panels into place before the filler hardens so that the panel squuezes into the filler. Obviously you'll have to trial fit everything and sort out all your fixing holes first.

This stuff will both help to bond the panels into place and fill any gaps with no danger of cracking.

For best results you'll need to strip the paint off all around the fixing area. You don't want the stuff going off half way through doing the job either, so only do one panel at a time and mix in slightly less hardener than recommended to give you more time to work.

You can use a finger to smooth the stuff into a fillet around the joint (though be warned - it's a claggy as hell!) though you'll almost certainly need a skim of normal filler in places to give you the final top finish.