After market bodykits - esp. AV3

[garyp_E30_325i]

Just fitted an AV3 kit to my '89 2dr. Bought it 'cause it looks good + the Mtec kits I saw for sale were sadly in poor nick + because Autovogue seemed to get a good write-up in Performance BMW (BMW specialists you know...). However, as with so many after market kits it seems, fitting it wasn't as easy as they say:

- the kit arrived without the promised fitting kit (after multiple calls and emails with no definite response I had to accept it wasn't ever coming)

- the side skirts arrived ready shaped (curved) to fit... god knows what!? but not an E30, at least I've never seen one that shape before!

- the front bumper was 1/2inch too wide (gap between the body and inside of the bumper)

- the front bumper was cut too neat for the wing/wheel arches (another gap, on both sides)

- the rear bump flared out at both sides and when pulled in began to crack on the corners (so much for this being GRP, there's about 1% plastic and the rest is fibreglass)

After much deliberation (and cursing from the panel beater) we decided to chop the kit and integrate it with the original bumpers - at least that way we got a good fit. So after much time, sweat and Ԛ£400 more of my hard earned dosh I now have an E30/E36 (is that an E33?) bodykit! Oh well, it might at least be original - unless there's someone else out there with the same solution to the same problem!?

Moral of the story - don't trust any cr*p sales spiel about after market bodykits, no matter what the rep of the company, 'cause it ain't gonna fit properly and it's gonna cost you time, hassle and money to get it right!

If anyone has a good experience of a kit which fitted right first time please let me know - for future reference.

P.S. She looks damn good now though, ooohhhh me baby!

[coldo]

[placey]

my av3 kit turned up on time and fitted ok too... just goes to show it's a bit of pot luck and a bit of what you make it...

paul

[garyp_E30_325i]

Finally got round to dumping photos from my camera...


The point wasn't really to show off my car, though I hope you like her, but a friendly bit of advice to anyone thinking of adding a kit... it's probably gonna cost you more than you thought! I was hoping folk would respond saying what kits actually fitted well too...

[smithy318i]

did the side skirts have a MASSIVE gap at the bottom ? Mine have
thats why i havn't fitted them yet.
Any tips would be great.

[garyp_E30_325i]

did the side skirts have a MASSIVE gap at the bottom ? Mine have Cry
thats why i havn't fitted them yet.
Any tips would be great.

The side skirts had to be trimmed but not by much, they fitted the easiest! Had to fabricate a couple of L-shaped brackets to help hold 'em on though. If the gap is too big to trim off the top you could consider:
1. making up J-shaped brackets and adding a 'strip' of fiberglass along the inner edge to fill the gap,
or
2. cutting a triangle out of the end so you can 'fold' the bottom edge up to meet the car - recommend using brackets here too.

The later may cause the skirts to crack if there's too much bend - when I bought the kit I was told it was GRP but it cracked like 'glass when we tried to flex it 'round the rear quarters. Hence we chose cut the bumper off the kit and mated the valance to the original bumpers... lots of work, lots of plastic filler, more money (I'm not a panel beater so got a friend of friend to do it in his shop). Worth it in the end thou', she's lovely.

Did you notice the delibrate [not!] mistake?

[DemonDaz]

I have only fitted the front AV3 so far, the rear is in the garage. I thought the front actually fitted very well, I had to cut the arches a bit but looks good now. The rear looks like it should fit fine.

As for the guys at AutoVogue Design, I had a couple of problems with them, not dispatching the order originally, then I ordered the foglights, and they didn't send the loom, I made one in the end, then after several phone calls they actually did send it.

[garyp_E30_325i]

did the side skirts have a MASSIVE gap at the bottom ?

I spoke with a couple of panel beaters about gaps on side skirts - rang a bell with me after I replied yesterday - seems the two guys I spoke to had differing opinions:
First guy - don't leave any gap 'cause water will get in and rot your sills,
Second guy - water is going to get any anyway, it may be there when you fit 'em at first (especially up here as it's only sunny two days every year ), if you try to leave no gap or there's a small gap you've got the chance that water will get in and stay there. So, leave a big gap so it doesn't clog up with dirt and drill drain holes in the bottom of the side skirt to let water out, i.e. it's gonna get in so just deal with it!

Both sound plausible to me, don't know which is right - anyone out there with an opinion?

Maybe that's why Autovogue make the sills 1/2inch too big... yeah, they were designed that way!

[smithy318i]

Gary, would you mind taking a photo of how you attached your skirts to the underside of the sill, and emailing it to smithy31i@o2.co.uk

cheers.

[littlejim]

fit the side skirts at each end fill the whole thing with expanding foam,then fibre glass over the whole thing blending it into the body with the sheet fibre glass,not the paste filler stuff,sand and paint.

[garyp_E30_325i]

Smithy318is,

I went out and checked my car, the panel beater has left a gap so I'm gonna have to go back to him - doesn't appear to be quite as we had discussed, hmmm

You didn't notice the delibrate mistake then? The side skirts are on the wrong way round, i.e. nearside on the offside and vice-versa. I didn't notice for a week (duh!) until Sunday at the Callander Classic Car Show - I was parked up next to a rather smart E36 M3 on the Car Club stand and realised "fook, what's happened there then!?" So, two things to chin the bodyshop about. Actually I think it looks OK, the 'join' between the short and long 'strip' actually lines up quite nicely below the door seam, if it had been the right way 'round they probably wouldn't line up so good. Och well, she's a curious blend of E30 & E36 so why not be a little bit different, eh?

I like littlejim's suggestion though. Thanks for that.

[E327UKL]

i did notice but didnt want to be rude incase i was wrong and look like a pr*k

[littlejim]

dont over fill the foam or the skirts will bulge out from the car and look crap

[smithy318i]

As it goes, Yes i did notice they were on backwards, but they look good that way too.

read this!

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... highlight=

[garyp_E30_325i]

i did notice but didnt want to be rude incase i was wrong and look like a pr*k

Hey, that's fine - if you notice something point it out, if you're not nasty about it I'll not mind - anyway, who's the ass it's my goddam car and I took a week to notice!!!!

She's still sweet thou'

[garyp_E30_325i]

read this!

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... highlight=

I don't know if that made me feel better or worse!

I obviously don't spend enough time on here trawling the threads, or I could've saved me sel' some embarrassment

Och well, I'll just have to tell the wife she's on her tod more often 'cause I'm spending more time researching me motor, you know to stop me making a stupid mistake again... she'll love that !

Or I will...

[Wilson]

You didn't notice the delibrate mistake then? The side skirts are on the wrong way round

I noticed also, but wasn't 100%.. I was going to say, but I only just saw this thread and its already been mentioned... It all looks nice though, good job!

[dobbey1]

nice car mate but what i want to know is when fitting the side skirts did you have to trim up the inside edge of the skirts so they tucked in closer to the seals because i also have an AV3 body kit and did not trim up these edges and just butted it up to the seals and they seem to stick out further than yours and lower i also found the fitting of this kit really bad and i work in a garage/bodyshop

[garyp_E30_325i]

Sorry for taking so long to respond - been on holiday, soooo glad to be back!

would you mind taking a photo of how you attached your skirts to the underside of the sill

There's a gap which I didn't expect (but it's needed to keep the bottom edge of the skirt in-line with the bottom edge of the valance), the panel beater who fitted the kit is going to add the aforementioned 'strip of fibreglass'. Once this is done do you still want pictures?

when fitting the side skirts did you have to trim up the inside edge of the skirts

I asked the guy who actually done the job: he said no, the side skirts fitted easily with very little mods (all the trouble was with the bumpers).

Seems some folk have no trouble, I had sh*t bumpers and you guys have woes with the side skirts - I think with these kits it's just pot luck!

[smithy318i]

would you mind taking a photo of how you attached your skirts to the underside of the sill

There's a gap which I didn't expect (but it's needed to keep the bottom edge of the skirt in-line with the bottom edge of the valance), the panel beater who fitted the kit is going to add the aforementioned 'strip of fibreglass'. Once this is done do you still want pictures?

Can you email me before and after pictures to smithy318i at o2.co.uk

[garyp_E30_325i]

Can you email me before and after pictures to smithy318i at o2.co.uk

Email sent.

In-case you can't see 'em here's the pics:

- side skirts filled with expanding foam, trimmed back and sealed with stone-chip


- rear valance strengthened with metal bracket (bonded on)

Hope these help.