i've modded some '97 civic sideskirts so that they will fit my accord and thought it would be nice to make a DIY for anyone who wants to try something similar.
the civic's skirts were 75 inches, our car's are 77 inches. So i had to add 2" to the length.
NEEDED ITEMS:
sideskirts
metal braces
industrial strength adhesive
drill
hack-saw blade
4 bolts, 4 nuts, 8 washers per sideskirt
chalk line
friends
clamps
bondo
fiberglass repair kit
latex gloves
breathing mask
sand paper
spray paint
1: cut the sideskirts in half.
2: the skirts had a small lip on them at the top, and the accord's doors scraped when you opened them, so cut that lip off. I used a hack-saw blade with duct tape wrapped around one end for a handle. That way i can cut really well, but the hack-saw handle and crap won't get in the way. [ picture #1 ]
and remember, whenever using sharp utensils, SAFETY FIRST!!!!
3: Only the very last mount lines up right and they are a bit too tall, so cut the bottoms off them, and then cut them off the skirt(exept the last one). But....you will need to reuse these mounts, so don't decimate them. I used the hack-saw again for this.[ picture #2 ]
4: Go to a hardware store and buy some metal braces. The ones i got were aluminum, and about 3ft long, but it doesn't matter what they're made of. As long as they are thick enough and aren't flimsy.
5: Cut the braces into about 12" pieces, and then drill some holes in one of the braces for the adhesive.[ picture #3 ]
6:Now comes the hard part. Putting the braces on the sideskirt so that the skirt IS A STRAIGHT LINE. If you don't do this part right, the skirt will look stupid. Having a couple of people on hand will help.
I used a chalk like to make a straight line on a 2x10, and lined the 2 ends of the skirt on top of the 2x10 along the chalk line with a 2" gap in between them.( I had a picture of this, but i guess i deleted it.)
7:BOTTOM BRACE
Now get your friends to hold the skirts in place while you set the undrilled brace over the gap at the bottom of the skirt, then drill the holes for the bolts, 1 near each end of the brace, and one near each edge of the gap. Insert the bolts and put on the washers and nuts.[ picture #4 ]
8:TOP BRACE
Now take to brace that you drilled some adhesive holes in, and smear the adhesive on the brace. Set this brace on the underside of the top of the skirt and use some clamps to hold the brace in place while the glue dries.[ picture #5 ]
9:You can add a third brace on the (inside)side of the skirt using the same steps as #8 if you want
10:Measure the distances of the mounting holes on the car and use the adhesive to attach the mounts (that you cut off earlier) back on the skirt in the right places. I used four mounts for my skirts.
11: Do a test fit .[ picture #6 ]
12:Now comes the hazardous part. Fiberglassing the skirts!!!! I wore 3 pairs of latex gloves and a breathing mask for this part. I cut the piece of fiberglass mat, mixed the hardening gel and applied a thin layer of gel to the skirt with my fingers, removed the 3rd pair of gloves(so that the mat wouldn't stick to my fingers) and patted the mat into the gel really well. Then i spread the rest of the gel on top of the mat and pressed the gel in well, removed the 2nd pair of gloves and mad sure enerything lined up well..[ picture #7 ]
13:Sand down the peaks of the glass gel and apply some bondo on top of the glass. Sand it down(120 grit), prime, sand(300 grit), prime, sand(1000 grit), paint, clear coat.
14:PUT IT ON YOUR CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the civic's skirts were 75 inches, our car's are 77 inches. So i had to add 2" to the length.
NEEDED ITEMS:
sideskirts
metal braces
industrial strength adhesive
drill
hack-saw blade
4 bolts, 4 nuts, 8 washers per sideskirt
chalk line
friends
clamps
bondo
fiberglass repair kit
latex gloves
breathing mask
sand paper
spray paint
1: cut the sideskirts in half.
2: the skirts had a small lip on them at the top, and the accord's doors scraped when you opened them, so cut that lip off. I used a hack-saw blade with duct tape wrapped around one end for a handle. That way i can cut really well, but the hack-saw handle and crap won't get in the way. [ picture #1 ]
and remember, whenever using sharp utensils, SAFETY FIRST!!!!
3: Only the very last mount lines up right and they are a bit too tall, so cut the bottoms off them, and then cut them off the skirt(exept the last one). But....you will need to reuse these mounts, so don't decimate them. I used the hack-saw again for this.[ picture #2 ]
4: Go to a hardware store and buy some metal braces. The ones i got were aluminum, and about 3ft long, but it doesn't matter what they're made of. As long as they are thick enough and aren't flimsy.
5: Cut the braces into about 12" pieces, and then drill some holes in one of the braces for the adhesive.[ picture #3 ]
6:Now comes the hard part. Putting the braces on the sideskirt so that the skirt IS A STRAIGHT LINE. If you don't do this part right, the skirt will look stupid. Having a couple of people on hand will help.
I used a chalk like to make a straight line on a 2x10, and lined the 2 ends of the skirt on top of the 2x10 along the chalk line with a 2" gap in between them.( I had a picture of this, but i guess i deleted it.)
7:BOTTOM BRACE
Now get your friends to hold the skirts in place while you set the undrilled brace over the gap at the bottom of the skirt, then drill the holes for the bolts, 1 near each end of the brace, and one near each edge of the gap. Insert the bolts and put on the washers and nuts.[ picture #4 ]
8:TOP BRACE
Now take to brace that you drilled some adhesive holes in, and smear the adhesive on the brace. Set this brace on the underside of the top of the skirt and use some clamps to hold the brace in place while the glue dries.[ picture #5 ]
9:You can add a third brace on the (inside)side of the skirt using the same steps as #8 if you want
10:Measure the distances of the mounting holes on the car and use the adhesive to attach the mounts (that you cut off earlier) back on the skirt in the right places. I used four mounts for my skirts.
11: Do a test fit .[ picture #6 ]
12:Now comes the hazardous part. Fiberglassing the skirts!!!! I wore 3 pairs of latex gloves and a breathing mask for this part. I cut the piece of fiberglass mat, mixed the hardening gel and applied a thin layer of gel to the skirt with my fingers, removed the 3rd pair of gloves(so that the mat wouldn't stick to my fingers) and patted the mat into the gel really well. Then i spread the rest of the gel on top of the mat and pressed the gel in well, removed the 2nd pair of gloves and mad sure enerything lined up well..[ picture #7 ]
13:Sand down the peaks of the glass gel and apply some bondo on top of the glass. Sand it down(120 grit), prime, sand(300 grit), prime, sand(1000 grit), paint, clear coat.
14:PUT IT ON YOUR CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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