Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Need help with body kit

hey guys i bought a replica TRD body kit , well just the sides and rear, but i afriad to put it on because i think it'll scratch the paint putting it on or while driving. anyone with experience with a fiberglass TRD replica kit know anything about this or got any advice. I noticed factory kits come with a rubber lining that goes along the edges of the kit, know anythins about that? thanks

all i know is the real trd kit comes w/ a black rubber lining as you said.

YES, sideskirts WILL scratch the paint... and when you correctly install it with screw, these will create holes in your car.

as for the rear, this will also create holes in your car... and sometimes will warp the metal body of your car where it attaches to.

but you will never notice any of this untill you take the kit OFF.

when you take off the kit, fill the holes with bondo then buff-out and repaint those sections... and all of this done professionaly.

BTW - EACH BODYKIT IS DIFFERENT. but most attach in the same locations

aww..damn! thanks for the heads up isaac !! that sucks is there anyway to avoid those problems? what do you mean about putting holes in your car? don't the screws go in the stock holes? and that body warping, man that sounds pretty bad. how does it do that? thanks again Isaac! you're the best!

there are no stock holes for the side skirts... they just get drilled into the body of your car...
https://celicahobby.com/gal3/view_album.php?set_albumName=inst_sideskirt

also what you have to take into account with side skirts, they may cover part of your rear panel - this area might get scraped up after time... BUT also while it covers that rear side area of your car - it keeps the sun out... THUS, while the entire rest of your car goes through fading while sitting in the sun, the covered areas dont fade ---- example; ever seen a woman who goes the beach wearing a 2pc bathing suit... when she gets home and you takes everything off - she has tan lines around her breast and waist areas... this is exactly what happens with your car when you add side skirts

aftermarket front bumpers usualy sit lower than stock... if you scrape your front bumper often, it will bend the locations of your fenders where it's attached too.
https://celicahobby.com/gal3/view_album.php?set_albumName=ins_fender

the rear bumper usualy has some sort of drilling around the top areas - and ALSO since the rear of most aftermarkt bumpers are lower than stock, they creat much more drag... the drag will slowly bend the metal holes, warping them into little volcano shapped holes.

I hope this info helps

Isaac, The sideskirts in the link you posted,
are they TRD or WingsWest?

Im really considering to get the WingsWest
bodykit. But drilling holes to the cars body
scares me. They will only be a good place
for rust to start to grow.

By the way, where is the WingsWest review that
you mentioned, I did not find it anywhere.