zoomerang2
Member
- :
- 2012 Madza2 Touring
Well, I received my 3D Carbon body kit a few weeks ago and I thought I would do a short write up of the install process to give everyone an idea of what all was involved.
Overall, I found the kit fairly easy to install, it will depend on your experience level though. I have virtually zero bodywork experience and I was able to complete the work without much trouble.
I did the install solo over the course of 2 days, but It could easily be done in a day with a few extra hands and some planning.
Just keep in mind that this is not meant to be a comprehensive install instruction... The actual instructions for the kit are pretty straight forward. But, if anyone is in the market for this Kit, you might be able to deicide if you want to take on the install yourself after looking through the highlights I captured during my Install.
I purposely took plenty of time doing the mock-ups since I wanted to make sure I was satisfied on the outcome. A mistake on the install would have really annoyed me... after all, I will be looking at the car for a long time to come!
I would recommend reading the instructions over several times before starting just to be very clear on the steps... I know this really helped me.
Below are a few pictures of the installation steps:
First off, here is the kit still in the Box
Body kit parts, unwrapped and waiting for installation, all pieces looked great, no issues with paint or part quality.
I decided to do the installation in starting with the rear diffuser thinking I could gain some experience doing a part that would be seen less than the front and sides...
Rear valance ready for install
I started out by marking the rear valance holes before drilling
Next step is to drill the mounting screw holes
Here are the rear valance mounting bolts pre-installed
Next the adhesive is applied to the Rear valance, the only real trick here was to get enough adhesive in the correct groove but not too much so that it get onto the adhesive tape. Then just use plenty of force to push the piece into place, this is where the extra hands would come in handy
Here the Rear Valence mounting bolts are being tightened
Here is the Rear valance completed, steps not shown are drilling and installing the push screws to secure the lower outside part of the valance panel
Next I started the Front Lip install
Stock lip removal was quick and painless, I started by drilling out the rivets
Here is the Front lip mockup, I took quite a bit of time making measurements before drilling any holes here...
Once I got the locations measured, I drilled Front lip mounting screw holes in the fender wells
Here is the Front lip ready to install / adhesive applied, again this final mounting step would be much easier with several extra sets of hands!
In order to get to the inner two of the four Front lip mounting bolts to tighten them up, I had to remove the screws on the small plate below the bumper and pull the plate down slightly to get to the inner 2 screws
After the four large mounting bolts are installed there are 4 extra fastening bolts to help mount the lip in place
Here is one of those 4 being installed
Here is the Front lip final
And Finally I tackled the side skirt Install
Here the Side skirts are in the test fit phase
During the mockup, I found it much easier to test fit with the supports moved out of the way
Side skirt with adhesive applied
Here the side skirts are pressed into place, this can take plenty of pressure to make sure the adhesive tape makes good contact
Side skirt fitment post screw install
Once the skirt mounting screws were installed, the under car side skirt supports need to be clamped to help hold the skirts in place
Side Skirt support struts clamped
And after all the work, it is time to enjoy the results, here are a few Preview pics
I will post up more when I have a chance to wash the car up and get some better pics
Overall, I found the kit fairly easy to install, it will depend on your experience level though. I have virtually zero bodywork experience and I was able to complete the work without much trouble.
I did the install solo over the course of 2 days, but It could easily be done in a day with a few extra hands and some planning.
Just keep in mind that this is not meant to be a comprehensive install instruction... The actual instructions for the kit are pretty straight forward. But, if anyone is in the market for this Kit, you might be able to deicide if you want to take on the install yourself after looking through the highlights I captured during my Install.
I purposely took plenty of time doing the mock-ups since I wanted to make sure I was satisfied on the outcome. A mistake on the install would have really annoyed me... after all, I will be looking at the car for a long time to come!
I would recommend reading the instructions over several times before starting just to be very clear on the steps... I know this really helped me.
Below are a few pictures of the installation steps:
First off, here is the kit still in the Box
Body kit parts, unwrapped and waiting for installation, all pieces looked great, no issues with paint or part quality.
I decided to do the installation in starting with the rear diffuser thinking I could gain some experience doing a part that would be seen less than the front and sides...
Rear valance ready for install
I started out by marking the rear valance holes before drilling
Next step is to drill the mounting screw holes
Here are the rear valance mounting bolts pre-installed
Next the adhesive is applied to the Rear valance, the only real trick here was to get enough adhesive in the correct groove but not too much so that it get onto the adhesive tape. Then just use plenty of force to push the piece into place, this is where the extra hands would come in handy
Here the Rear Valence mounting bolts are being tightened
Here is the Rear valance completed, steps not shown are drilling and installing the push screws to secure the lower outside part of the valance panel
Next I started the Front Lip install
Stock lip removal was quick and painless, I started by drilling out the rivets
Here is the Front lip mockup, I took quite a bit of time making measurements before drilling any holes here...
Once I got the locations measured, I drilled Front lip mounting screw holes in the fender wells
Here is the Front lip ready to install / adhesive applied, again this final mounting step would be much easier with several extra sets of hands!
In order to get to the inner two of the four Front lip mounting bolts to tighten them up, I had to remove the screws on the small plate below the bumper and pull the plate down slightly to get to the inner 2 screws
After the four large mounting bolts are installed there are 4 extra fastening bolts to help mount the lip in place
Here is one of those 4 being installed
Here is the Front lip final
And Finally I tackled the side skirt Install
Here the Side skirts are in the test fit phase
During the mockup, I found it much easier to test fit with the supports moved out of the way
Side skirt with adhesive applied
Here the side skirts are pressed into place, this can take plenty of pressure to make sure the adhesive tape makes good contact
Side skirt fitment post screw install
Once the skirt mounting screws were installed, the under car side skirt supports need to be clamped to help hold the skirts in place
Side Skirt support struts clamped
And after all the work, it is time to enjoy the results, here are a few Preview pics
I will post up more when I have a chance to wash the car up and get some better pics
