Dear Customer,

Please print one copy of these instructions if required, to help when fitting our products. Click back to return to the website.

Thank you for choosing to buy from Custom Parts Limited. Regardless of weather you have purchased an Autofashion, Anima, Orimental, Majic or any other item I am sure that you will be very pleased with your styling product. These notes will help to get the best from your product. If you have any specific questions about the fitting of your fibreglass then please feel free to phone or Email after you have read the following guide.

Please also pass on this guide to your bodyshop or other fitting service so that they can contact us themselves if they need help and advice with the fitting of this product. We are always pleased to give help and fitting advice when we can, as we have fitted every product sold.

The products that we supply are manufactured from fibreglass. This material is extremely versatile, and is very DIY friendly, meaning that products can usually be fitted and prepared at home if you have the time and patience.

All products are by their very nature non-original (non OE, not Original Equipment when the car was new) parts that are likely to require some trimming and modification to fit. This is mostly due to the manufacturing tolerances of the car to which they are being fitted, and those of the product in question.

Bumpers normally have mounting blocks built into them although these will not have fixings in them. (BMW E30 bumpers, XR2 bumpers, and all Mini bumpers do not have mounting blocks). Items that need accurate fitting are normally left with slightly extra fibreglass on them for you to trim to provide a snug fit to your particular car. It should be remembered that many original bumpers have gaps between the bumper and bodywork – these are normally but not always reduced on custom bumpers.

Some bumpers and other components have moulding lines, which require preparation prior to paint. All Spoilers have moulding lines which require sanding before paint.

Most of our products are made with a glossy black Gelcoat finish, which requires very thorough and complete sanding prior to painting. Therefore scratches and scuffs to this finish whilst unsightly do not constitute a fault, and simply disappear without extra effort during the correct preparation of these items.

We do our utmost to ensure that air bubbles in the products (which can occur during manufacture) are kept to an absolute minimum, but you should check carefully before the product is painted. Air bubbles will normally form around sharp edges and corners, and normally present themselves when you are sanding the product. Any air bubbles should be thoroughly dug out, and then filled with bodyfiller (this provides an excellent permanent repair since filler is made from the same polyester resin that the bumpers are made of)

Thorough preparation is the key to any quality job – this is never more so than with bodywork and specifically with custom bodywork. You will not be able to achieve a quality finish with these types of products if you intend to scotch pad and paint, as you can sometime get away with on steel – the paint will peel!

1. Remove any residual releasing agents left from the moulding process by washing the product with plenty of hot soapy water. Follow this by cleaning the entire surface with a bodyshop degreaser/anti-silicone wipe, to get rid of any last traces of releasing agent, which could impair the paint finish.
2. The gloss finish on these products is there for the sole purpose of making sanding easier – you know when you have sanded the component enough when the gloss finish is gone and you are left with a matt grey finish. If any glossy patches remain (the hardest areas are the corners, and grooves) then the paint will be very unlikely to stick properly.
3. Sanding should be done using an 80 grit dry sand paper in the first instance, which will sand easily and provide a deep key for the primer, and then with 240 grit wet paper to ensure flatness. The 240 is best done with the paper wrapped around a rubber block.

Fitting will vary from component to component, but the general instructions below should give a good indication of the jobs likely.

Bumpers:- Those with mounting blocks are normally replacements for the ones being removed, and would normally be fitted using the same holes already on the vehicle. Simply hold the bumper in place (a couple of scissor jacks are normally very helpful), and check around the wings, headlights, grills etc for a consistent gap that is as tight as possible. Repositioning and minor edge trimming is likely to get the best fit possible. Once happy drill through the original mounting hole into the bumper mounting block, and secure the bumper with self tapping screws. When finally fitting the bumper bed all mounts on sikaflex type adhesive sealer to ensure that vibrations do not allow the bumper mounts to come loose (this also seals water out from the bodywork, which may otherwise rust)

 

Sideskirts:- Skirts are normally fixed into the sills at either end, and bedded on sikaflex all along the car. The key to making the skirt look good is accurate sanding along the top edge that is in contact with the car to match the profile. The sealer will hide minor inaccuracies when the skirt is finally fitted. Some skirt also fix from below.

 

Spoilers:- Most bootlid spoilers are very simple to fit – simply hold them in position and drill through into the legs from below to mount. Use at least 2 and possibly 3 self-tapping screws in each leg. When finally fitted bed the legs on sikaflex to avoid vibrations allowing the fixings to come loose and to seal the water out. Spoilers all have moulding flash lines which need sanding, and the rim should be checked very carefully checked for air bubbles which may be present. Whilst unusual these can occur and should be picked out and filled with body filler.

 

Rear Screen Spoilers:- These are normally bonded onto the rear screen using sikaflex. Absolute cleanliness is the order of the day – and the car needs to stand for 12 hours (minimum) after fitting to allow the adhesive to cure properly.

 

Arches/Wings:- Arches and wings vary so much in design that specific instructions are more difficult to issue. Wide arches normally have to be bonded on. This involves "dry" fitting the product, lining it up with surrounding panels, and drilling all fixing holes. Only when absolutely sure that all items line up all fixings are drilled and you are absolutely sure should you start bonding – once you start you are committed. Many other arches can be fitted without bonding but most look best if they are bonded on and needless to say this offers far better rust proofing anyway.

 

Self Assembly Headlights:- These headlights are normally half the price of the fully assembled items, and offer a very significant saving if you are prepared to put the time and effort into assembling and adjusting the kit. The results as with any headlight kit are great. The kits include (normally) 4 headlight lenses, and front cover, rear mounting section, and 2 or 4 lenses mounting rings, depending upon model. The rings are bonded to the back of the lens after having 3 bolts fitted, and these bolts used to adjust the light by means of springs, and wing nuts. The key to achieving the best results with these kits, which can be fiddly, is the trimming and adjustment of the front panel which being made of fibreglass is of inconsistent thickness. Items that you will need in addition to the kits are as follows – nuts & bolts to fit rear mounting section, wiring from additional central light, nuts/bolts/springs to fix lens to rear mounting section. As with many jobs once you have done one they are relatively straightforward.

 

Most items are fitted by a combination of: self tapping screws (we use 8 x 1" for most jobs); rivets (vary wildly depending on job); and on products with return flanges-nuts and bolts (we use M6 x 25 for most, but you need M6 x 75 for headlight lens fixing). The secret with fibreglass is to drill the correct size hole for the job, and not to do the fixings up to tight or this will simply cut through the fibreglass.

Most bodyshops use only 2 pack products these days, and that is the best for fibreglass. Many 2-pack primers are suitable for use with a well sanded and prepared fibreglass substrate, and these are the primers to use – YOU NEED NO SPECIAL PRODUCTS TO PAINT FIBREGLASS. It is not necessary to use plasticisers and adhesion promoters for fibreglass provided the products are PROPERLY prepared – please speak to your supplier for specific product details. Colour sanding after painting should be carried out with care – since the heat from the polisher can build up to dangerous levels, which can cause heat distortions, and burns.

Many bodyshops use ovens to cure paint quicker. Extreme care has to be exercised when curing paint on fibreglass panels – so much so that many bodyshops air dry fibreglass. Ovens can be used with the following provisions:-

There are numerous bonding products available. The general rule is that if you are painting the product and then fitting it to the car, you should use a flexible polyurethane (not silicon) sealer/adhesive to bond the product onto the car, to secure fixings, and to smartly fill/seal gaps. If you intent using filler over the top to blend out the joint then you should not use highly flexible sealers which will cause the paint/filler to crack. Instead you should use a rigid bonding paste (available from Boat Yards) or "Stevens Bridger" available from most discount motor stores, and good accessory shops. We actively discourage the Use of David's Isopon P38 – which is not well suited to this task – it is too brittle.

Once again may I say thank you for using Autofashion. Once your car is finished please feel free to send photos of your finished car – the best may be used on our website and in our adverts (in exchange for Custom Autofashion Discount vouchers).