driveforward
Member
Following the 'trial fit/opinions' thread last week, I've decided to take the plunge and paint and fit the kit.... myself.
To aid other members, and to act as a guide for others considering the kit I've decided to document my self-fitting process.
Please keep all opinions and general discussion in the other thread, but feel free to comment on the actual fitting process in here!
Introduction:
I purchased the kit in October 2006 after seeing Dubbsy's A2 a few times in the flesh. It was bought following an advertisement placed on these forums for £150 (£100 less than advertised
) but I had to chuck in some beer
Luckily for me, the kit came with TWO rear valances, so, obviously the second one found its way onto eBay, and after a colossal bit of packing and a rather large postage charge it made its way to London by courier to meet its new owner, leaving me £75 better off. Thus my kit has to date cost me £75 - not bad eh?
I have both the side skirts, front and rear valences and all of the factory supplied fittings and fixings (although I suspect the bonding agents will now be next to useless given the kit was manufactured in July 2002); except the rear towing eye cover (often missing from kits it seems).
Following the trial fit, I set about researching self spraying. I have previously colour coded items such as mirror housings and rear valances, but never an entire kit. From my findings, I don't think it's going to take a great leap in knowledge to pull this off, however, it will obviously take a fair bit of time and effort - but could save me in the region of £400-£600.
The Plan:
It obviously helps given the fact that the kit comes ready-primed, however, I will still need to prep and prime the lower door 'sills' and also manufacture a suitable towing-eye cover. To get the required paint mixed up there is obviously HellFrauds who charge £9.99 for a 300ml can of which 100ml is propellant. However, they will also make up a 1 litre 'tub' for £25.. obviously the better option. I'm open to other suggestions as to where to get the paint, but I am quite fortunate to have 3 HellFrauds close by, one of which has quite a knowledgeable paint guy who I have dealt with before. I can hire a spray gun for a weekend for circa £40 and have a garage that I can work in.
So, for the record here's how I plan to proceed:
1) Manufacture a suitable towing eye cover
2) Prep and prime the towing eye cover and door sills
3) Lightly key all components with wet and dry to remove any priming imperfections
4) Get paint mixed up and hire gun
5) Spray with multiple light coats and leave to cure for a week or so
6) Apply clear-coat (from past experience, this is the bit I'm not looking forward to!). Then leave for a week or so
7) Lightly use rubbing compound to remove any clear coat imperfections
8) Using swirl remover or similar, polish up the finished items
9) Select suitable bonding agent (suggestions?)
10) Fit using as many pairs of hands for assistance as possible
To aid other members, and to act as a guide for others considering the kit I've decided to document my self-fitting process.
Please keep all opinions and general discussion in the other thread, but feel free to comment on the actual fitting process in here!
Introduction:
I purchased the kit in October 2006 after seeing Dubbsy's A2 a few times in the flesh. It was bought following an advertisement placed on these forums for £150 (£100 less than advertised
) but I had to chuck in some beer Luckily for me, the kit came with TWO rear valances, so, obviously the second one found its way onto eBay, and after a colossal bit of packing and a rather large postage charge it made its way to London by courier to meet its new owner, leaving me £75 better off. Thus my kit has to date cost me £75 - not bad eh?
I have both the side skirts, front and rear valences and all of the factory supplied fittings and fixings (although I suspect the bonding agents will now be next to useless given the kit was manufactured in July 2002); except the rear towing eye cover (often missing from kits it seems).
Following the trial fit, I set about researching self spraying. I have previously colour coded items such as mirror housings and rear valances, but never an entire kit. From my findings, I don't think it's going to take a great leap in knowledge to pull this off, however, it will obviously take a fair bit of time and effort - but could save me in the region of £400-£600.
The Plan:
It obviously helps given the fact that the kit comes ready-primed, however, I will still need to prep and prime the lower door 'sills' and also manufacture a suitable towing-eye cover. To get the required paint mixed up there is obviously HellFrauds who charge £9.99 for a 300ml can of which 100ml is propellant. However, they will also make up a 1 litre 'tub' for £25.. obviously the better option. I'm open to other suggestions as to where to get the paint, but I am quite fortunate to have 3 HellFrauds close by, one of which has quite a knowledgeable paint guy who I have dealt with before. I can hire a spray gun for a weekend for circa £40 and have a garage that I can work in.
So, for the record here's how I plan to proceed:
1) Manufacture a suitable towing eye cover
2) Prep and prime the towing eye cover and door sills
3) Lightly key all components with wet and dry to remove any priming imperfections
4) Get paint mixed up and hire gun
5) Spray with multiple light coats and leave to cure for a week or so
6) Apply clear-coat (from past experience, this is the bit I'm not looking forward to!). Then leave for a week or so
7) Lightly use rubbing compound to remove any clear coat imperfections
8) Using swirl remover or similar, polish up the finished items
9) Select suitable bonding agent (suggestions?)
10) Fit using as many pairs of hands for assistance as possible
