Imatk

Ok so this weekend I dropped off my car to have the Street Scenes body kit installed.

First, they packaged the rear valence by basically folding into itself which deforms the heck out of the piece.

The guy at the shop said it was no problem, but that a lot of kits were like this and had to be pre-fitted by basically heating up the pieces so that they fit properly.

He said the stock bumpers they use or get for cars are always better quality material than most aftermarket stuff and are pretty much never pakaged that way. That they generally fit right away with minor adjustments.

My question is, does the 3dCarbon kit or other kits use higher quality/ lower quality materials?

I thought urethane was urethane and it didn't matter. I also thought the SS kit was made from the same material as the stock bumper... but they are obviously lower quality material which is MUCH weaker and more flexible than the stock.

So anyone out here with a 3d Carbon kit or otherwise please chime in.

I wish I knew all of this BEFORE I bought... I probably would still have gotten a kit.. but I definately would have asked this question before had I known... and I hope others will benefit from this.

korinwoodo

Also people with the 3d carbon, whats ground clearance like on speedbumps and curbs etc? Sorry to add to the thread, but then 2 answers in one post is better. :P

hireman

I'll tell you straight up.....I do my own painting and I ordeered the roush front fascia and I had to prime and block it to death...eventually got it right and it looks great but IF I had to pay a bodyshop to paint it , it would have ended up costing me 500 to 600 to get it done right. I put the 3d carbon ducktail on recently and all I had to do was scuff it w/ 600 grit, spray on adhesion promoter and base and clear...very high quality piece. Urethane is NOT urethane .....the molding process varies from company to company...I have a friend who does a LOT of custom front-ends , wings and such for all types of cars and he wont even quote painting a saleen part.....says they come with so many pin-holes its not worth even quoting because he is so far above what others quote ( for inferior work). I have not had any personal experience with anything outside of 3d carbon and roush , as far as the effort to get it painted right the 3d was FAR less work ...just my 2 cents fwiw

Imatk

What is blocking? Is that the fitting process?

Thanks for your input... I loved that "Real Flame" plenum cover BTW

I have a Tungsten and the cover... wondering how it would look on mine

vc4life

i have the SS kit also and it was packaged the same way you mentioned, it all came together and fit right once we started putting it on the car, not much sanding and it was reading for prime and paint in a few hours

adrenalin

So do you want info on all the kits or just the 3D Carbon Your topic suggests you want input on all of them, but then you go on to just ask about 3D Carbon.

Anyway, I have the street scene kit. Not sure why you think they are lower quality than factory. Yes, you can fold the rear valance but that is because of design. The front bumper is just as rigid as the factory one. I should know, I have the stock one hanging from my garage ceiling. It folds in the same areas as the street scene bumper.

Ranger

I only have bought the CDC chin spoiler but it came in a long box and was not bent in half, etc. The fit and finish were great.

hireman

No Blocking is a term for sanding primer. ON the roush, it had to be sprayed w/ primer in portions about 4 times ...between each coat you sand to get it smooth. As far as the colors on Tungsten...keep an eye on the flaming pony thread ...I will have pics up hopefully wensday of ponies that are Tungsten base with various colors on the for the flames....they will look KILLER!!!

Imatk

Thanks Bill I will definately do that

John I already have the SS kit... it is being installed right now. The reason for my post was to let others know, who may not be aware like I wasn't aware, that there is a possibility that quality between kits vs. stock bumpers may vary. And I was curious to see what other people with other kits (like Bill) had to say about the quality or their experiences with their kit.

A lot of people have posted pictures of their car after they put the kit on but I had never seen any posting about this particular subject and really wish I had before... just so I would have been more informed.

As Bill said there are differences apparently between kits just as I was told by the guy who is installing my kit. It's very good to hear that the SS bumper and stock is the same though. The stock one felt much stiffer than the SS one which is very flexible but that may have been because it's on the car and just appears that way... I will know for sure on Saturday when I pick the car up.

hippiehead025

all good body kits are made or eurethane, eurethane is nice, b/c its flexible, so you donth ave to worry as much with chops and scrapes, b/c the eurethane gives to the impact. It isnt weaker material than the oem plastic, its actually alot mroe durable. - Roger

Imatk

Well according to my paint guy that's true and false.

The material won't chip like fiberglass because it is more flexible... which is good... but it will form stress cracks or what some people call "spidering" when it gets bent which is bad.

So either way fiberglass or urethane there are pros and cons. Fiberglass is sturdier.. but like you said it does chip.

But from what he said the OEM bumpers are generally more durable than any aftermarkets. And from what I could tell just by comparing the two with my own hands the OEM bumper was stronger... but I'll have to see when it's off of the car if it's still as stiff.

vc4life

the urethane shouldnt spider either if it has enough flexall in the paint

hireman

I think a large part of the reason that the oem feels stiffer is because behind it, there are huge formed pieces of impact styro-foam that are molded to fit inside . Once you take off the factory part its prety flexible too. I dont think you will see much difference . A far as quality, oem covers already come in black primer , they have had all the things done to them that need to be before painting.....aftermarket ones come raw and need to be prepped before paint.

Imatk

Yeah these guys are supposed to be really good. It's M.O.B. Works in Orange County here in California.

I'll ask him about the flexall. He didn't mention that.

hippiehead025

well i am a paint andb ody guy, im a corvette resto tech, and i did everythingo n mycar myself. if the paint process is done correctly to flexible parts you wont have any spider cracking, thats mroe common with fiberglass than eurethane, b/c overtime fiberglass sinks, especially when heated. and thecorrect term for 'flex all" is flex additive. flexall is a muscle relaxant cream like icy hot.... ( not bashin theo ther guy, just giving u correct wording) it changes with paint lines, its not all the same. If you use BS primer and paint, then tht lines flex additive will reflect the paint line. flex additive is used in your primer, sealer, and clear. some paint lines use a color hardener that is used in flexible parts, but unless your painting rubber (lol) you dont need color hardener. - Roger

Imatk

So the flex additive is pretty standard then?