Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior Need help with VS1 side skirts install

Has anyone else done a VeilSide1 (side skirts at least) install themselves? i have it screwed on correctly inside the rear fender but i need help keeping the back end from bowing out where it rises up the side of the car . anyone have any suggestions as far as glue or epoxy? i have tried silicone glue , but it doesnt last , and it seems that most epoxies are too thin to fill the hollow space where the skirt curves up to meet the body. is there something i can use to fill this gap ? i didnt really want to scrape up the paint in case i decide to go to a smaller side skirt , from the looks of things , the VS1 is about the highest one out there. any help would be appreciated .

3m doublesided tape.

i had the same problem because the 3M tape that was originally on my side skirts was coming off but i got some 3M molding tape from pepboys and it is pretty strong.

i don't have anything...mine sits pretty flush alongside the rear panel...

but the portion along the door is bolted down, so maybe that's why it's sitting flush and snug.

I have a replica of VS-1 kit so I put the black rubber (2cm thick soft black rubber (Home dipot))between the fender and the side skirt and when I install it i did not have a gap.
P.S.I got the idea from the celica's action pkg. When they install it on the factory they put black rubber between the fenders and the side skirts.
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The problem is probably that it is a replica kit . you cant use double sided tape because it is only a thin edge (the thickness of the Fiberglass) that touches the body. i dont know if a real VS one is hollow like that . i might try putting a rubber sheet in there that is about the thickness of the gap under the lip that touches the body and put tape or glue on both sides of that . does anyone else have any experience with the replica kit ?

Thickness of the rubber have to be more than size of the gap so when you install the sideskirt you will sqweeze the rubber and you will loose the gap ...

replicas don't fit very well at all. See all these kits are made from one mold so one is usually good and the others are trash. The people making them really don't care if they fit good. The real Veilside,Wings West, KAM actually do care and yes it costs more but better in the long run.

^^
understatement, but very true nonetheless

couldn't say it any better...

Bubble gum fixes everything!

lol

OK here we go. Take blue low stick masking tape a lay a barrier between the side skirt and your body, extend the tape beyond the skirt edge by a good 6 inches. Don't make it real thick just one layer will do. Then take some good ol fashioned saran (sp?) wrap, the stuff your mom puts over food and lay it over the tape and tape it to the very outsides. This is where the fun starts, Get some Fiberglass mat and cut it to size where the bow is in the upward flare, may have to be two or three sheets thick. Take a corse hacksaw blade and scuff the hell out of thr inside area of the bow. Get a 12 pack and a friend or two and you are ready. Have one person to mount the front and one for the rear mount points, the one done first can do the rocker area. Soak the glass in the resin and lay it where the bow happens. Put the side skirt on as fast as you can while holding the bow area flush with your body. You will have about 15 to 20 minutes, depending how hot you make the mix. DON'T let up the pressure untill you are sure it is cured. The additional glass will keep the bow from coming back, the glass will not stick to the saran wrap. Good luck. My 2 cents. Sorry so long but I have never been quick at anything I enjoy.

do anyone have the specific soft black rubber brand?? and how much you need?? i have a wings west kits that i wanted to cover up the gap thanks

Well I had the same problem, I just finaly had to drill small holes through the skirt and the car (I know this sounds scary) but I alway plan on having a body kit on my car so the kit will always cover the holes, besides I want to eventually paint the car a different color and its easy to fill the holes if I want.
After you drill the holes, get some touch up paint and paint inside the holes on the car so it dosent rust over time, then secure the skirt to the body using small matal screws, use stainless steel so the screws dont rust. I know what your thinking, the skirts will look ghetto with screws heads poking out, right?
Well I have a solution for this also. go to home depot in the hardware section and you can get plastic screw covers, they look like little bubbles you can kinda see them in my pic. then you paint the screw covers to match your car and pop them on the head of the screw. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it only took me about an hour and when your done, no annoying gap and it is barely noticeable.
Well thats my 2 Cents...
Here is the pic look closely at the side skirts and you can see the caps.

From a normal distance you can barely even notice they are there!
After I have told people they say they never even noticed.