Rep Power: 255

Here is my situation my car is silver and i purchased a used bodykit at a great price. The only problem is that the front bumper is black. Should I start sanding down the paint on the front bumper to save some work for the bodyshop, or is it better to leave it to them? I plan on taking the car to a bodyshop. I have put all pieces on the car and the kit is fitted.

The sideskirts were originally molded on the car so the tops of them are kind of screwed up. The skirts were literally ripped off the side so instead of the tops being square at the top they are kind of angled and the edges are kind of jagged. I'll try to pos tome pics later but i dont have a camera rite now. So when i put the skirts on should i get them molded to the car, or get the bodyshop to try and rebuild them and just screw them on. THe guy who had them tried to rebuild them sort of so one is covered in bondo. I should sand the bondo down rite? I read at another site to sand with 80grit, then 140, then wet 320.

 
Rep Power: 256

i would leave it to the body shop unless youre skillful enough to get it exactly where they want it before paint. personally my body guy would redo everything because hes a perfectionist. ive heard molded kits have problems cracking. i dont think it would hurt anything to sand all the bondo off the skirts. get some 40 grit and give it hell until you get close to the original skirt material and then i would slick it down with some 220 or close. i just bought a new rear bumper and had it and my original front bumper painted. he wet sanded the rear with 2000 before he painted it. it costed a hair over $1400 for both bumpers and that included the cost of the new rear which is an oem honda rear. in short i would leave the prep to the bodyshop. it might save you money if you got it perfect, but if you mess it up it will cost more. im saying all this hoping youre taking it to a good reputable shop. not one of those "We'll paint your whole car for 200 bucks" kind of places. if theyre as screwed up as im picturing in my mind, get ready to spend some cash.

 
Rep Power: 255

Thanks Thats wut im prolly gonna do. I just hope i dont have to spend that much. I'm hoping to get all the bodywork done and the car painted from beltline down for under 2grand. Also do u have any ideas for my sideskirts? THey are cracked on an angle from the top that goes in front of the wheel down to the actual skirt. Should i get that rebuilt? Also how much do u think that would cost. I only paid 300 for the entire kit.

 
Rep Power: 284

Honestly, what do you have to lose by sanding? I mean, the kit is already screwed up and they will have to redo everything to fix it regardless. And if you plan on sanding the bondo off, please don't use 40 grit paper. It not needed. Start with 80 and get a good bit off. Then pass over it with 320 and I would say wrap it up with 600. You don't HAVE to do it wet either. Dry will work fine. You aren't looking to get it perfect and smooth anyway since thats what filler primer is for.

As far as sanding the front bumper, thats not going to be much. You don't take all the paint off, all you do is rough it up some. If you take too course of paper to it though, the shop will have to shoot it with some filler primer.

I wouldn't say to get it molded on the car because I personally don't think it looks good. Then if your kit ever gets hit it will crack off the body and look stupid.

And I think you got ripped off for $1400 _unclejuice. Seems like it should have been around $600 at the most. My friend got his whole kit painted at the best shop in town for $400 and it came out perfect. Bumper must have been around $200 or so, but who knows.

Depending on the estimate the shop gives you, you may have screwed up. Considering you will have to pay to fix the kit and have it painted to add on to the cost of buying it. When if you bought a new kit you would only have to paint it. Thats how I see it

 
Rep Power: 256

i didnt get ripped off. i didnt go to some franchise bodyshop. my body man has been doin this **** for over 30 years. hes painted multiple cars that our shop has built and every one is FLAWLESS. i refuse to go to ANY franchised bodyshop because they just suck. you show me a $400 job that looks better than mine and ill pull a million bucks out of my ***. anyway, back to topic, if you do get your skirts rebuilt, dont do it with any kind of plastic filler. see if they can fiberglass it and use a fiberglass filler. bondo is ok as long as its not put on thick. you start getting thick with it and it will crack.

 
Rep Power: 284

Wow don't get you pannies in a bunch. I don't give a **** how long he's been doing it for, its not that much work. As long as you get the right clear coat it will come out FLAWLESS. I wish I had pics of my friend's kit to show you how perfect it came out. Plus, it's by no means a franchise. The guy only ones that shop. I don't pay but the cost of materials now since my dad paints. His jobs come out just as good as the shops. Like I said, if you have a half-decent gun and a medium-good clear then it will come out good. If it doesn't, then you just put a ton of clear and sand the hell out of it.

 
Rep Power: 256

yeah just load it up with clear and sand it. thats the answer. its not just the clear that makes the job. its whats under the paint you dont even see that could come back to haunt you. you have the attitude that anyone with a gun can spray. that aint how it works.

 
Rep Power: 284

I love how people think they know everything............What is under the paint that is SO important that will come back to haunt you? Only if you are too stupid to know the steps! Sand, prime, wipe it down to get all oil off, paint, clear, sand. I believe I would know, considering I helped my dad paint my Civic, and not to mention his AC Cobra which came out spectacular. Thank you, have a nice day.

 
Rep Power: 256

hahahahahahahaha

 
Rep Power: 284

This queer has jokes too now. Why don't you go to your "experienced body man" and get your ******* stretched again, you seem a little tense.

How about some "FLAWLESS" paint pictures???

 
Rep Power: 256

when it stops raining and i can wash my car ill get your smartass some pics. how about some pics of that **** nickel spray on that kit?

 
Rep Power: 0

c'mon, you two. each their own. cool down. this is a never ending argument over some worthless conversation. more argueing would only make the site look dumb.. peace~

 
Rep Power: 256

tell that to the guy saying just soak it with clear and sand out the bad spots. he'll see in a year or so when his 2 dollar paint job starts to blister or peel.

 
Rep Power: 284

You are just a pissed off idiot that thinks because someone who did body work for 30yrs is great. So what if he did it that long, doesn't mean he gets better at it. I don't have pictures of my friends kit because it was painted 5 yrs ago. And please show me where I said its a $2 paint job. And as far as it peeling and blistering, it will not. We sanded every square inch of that car at least twice to make sure it never peeled you ****ing idiot!

Show me your $1400 paint job, and tell me it has more depth that this paint! I gaurantee you it won't. What makes you think that he did such a good job on it? It was most probably a helper that did most of the work since it was a little job.




I'm done trying to talk to an idiot as yourself. Keeping getting raped by you "body man" and I will sit back and laugh with my money still in my pocket and a paint job that looks just as good if not better than yours.

 
Rep Power: 256

first off, he has no helper because he cant trust anyone but himself to do the work he does. and my paint wont have that much depth, its white. you'll see in time you get what you pay for.

ive got a perfect example of a cheap paint job in my driveway. ill get some pics of that tomorrow too and then tell me just load it up with clear and sand it out.

 
Rep Power: 284

You are so stupid. Dude I said if you have a half-decent gun and you use a good clear and put a lot then it will be easy to work out the imperfections. I never said just clear and sanding will give you a Foose paint job. Think before you speak.