Bodykits
What is a bodykit?
A body kit is a kit comprised of fabricated items designed to alter the appearance of a vehicle.
What is a bodykit made from?
Bodykits are usually made from one of two materials. GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic or glass fibre to be more specific) or ABS plastic (which is a plastic which is also used to make LEGO bricks!).
What does a bodykit consist of?
It varies on the type of kit and where you purchase it but usually you will find some of the following in a bodykit:
Front Bumper/Valance
Rear Bumper/Valance
Sideskirts
Spoiler
In more specialist kits you will find:
Wider wing panels
Bonnet Vents
Bonnet Skins
Arch Sections
Roof Scoops
What are the benefits of putting a bodykit on my ride?
By fitting a bodykit to your ride you are changing the look of the vehicle from its standard format. Bodykits are generally nicer looking than the standard vehicle kits and nine times out of ten they have a lower stance.
What are the disadvantages of modifying my rides exterior?
With a bodykit the parts come unpainted so you will need to have it all sprayed to match your rides paint another option is to have the whole ride sprayed in one go to save any mis-matches of colour (see Paintwork for more info).
If you want to keep your bodykit in tip top condition you will need to drive your ride a lot more carefully. Speed bumps and bouncy roads are a bodykits worst enemy so you will need to tackle them at a slower pace than before otherwise you run the risk of damaging your bodykit.
How will I damage my kit?
GRP bodykits have a tendency to split and crack when damaged. If you hit it really hard the whole section will smash into little bits so go carefully wont you?
ABS plastic bodykits are a lot more solid and less fragile however when they get damaged they crack or split and unlike the glass fibre kits they are a lot harder to mend.
What is the legality of putting a bodykit on my ride?
Having a bodykit on your ride isn't generally a problem as long as it doesn't have any sharp edges or likely to cause nay danger on the roads. Your car still needs to be MOT'd the same way so the tester will need to put your car on a ramp. If the car doesn't fit on the ramp with out catching on your bodykit then the tester can fail your car just like that.
Hint!
Fitting a bodykit to your ride isn't as easy as it sounds so it's probably best to take it to the specialists to have it fitted professionally.
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