I was considering buying the Stillen Body kit for my 99 SE-L, and have a few questions.

-where is the cheapest place to buy this?

-how much will it cost to paint?

-is it hard to install or should i pay someone to do it? how much?

-what kind of material is it made from? if i scrape it on a speedbump will it crack, or will the paint peel?


Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

the cheapest place to buy the kit will be from group deals we have in the group deals forum.

it depends on the paint shop in your area charges you for paint and installation. it should not be more than $350 total.

if you're a mechanic then installation should be easy. otherwise, leave it to the pros. most of the time, the shop that paints the kit will have to install the kit first anyway.

the material is poly urethane. this material is bendable. it is also really expensive to make. that is why the stillen body kit is not a full bumper replacement. if you scrape it... well, you've scraped it. as i mentioned earlier, the material is bendable so it will be hard to crack. the paint will peel if the shop you took it to did a crappy job of painting it.

make sure if you're taking the kit to a shop that they know what they are dealing with. the kit will need to be sanded down, primed, a coat of flexing agent should be applied and a special kind of paint that doesn't crack when the kit bends... i think that's all. i know other .org members will correct me if i'm wrong and/or will add to what i have said.

 

Krzymax, you are correct on everything.

I'm getting my front lip sand down, repainted next Spring and it's going to cost me about $120 or so because of the labor and coats of paint/ flexing agent. I say for $350 painted and mounted is a very good deal. Just make sure you have the people rivet the kit on.

I wouldn't recommend the front lip with a 2" drop, you'll scrap everything.

Tifosi

 

thanks for the replys

tifosi, love ur car, looks great. I have the same color, if you dont mind, how much did it cost to paint the whole kit? Did u put it on yourself?
Thanks,
Dan

 

Thanks man. Didn't you get a 99 SE-L too?

Honestly I couldn't tell you how much I paid, my friend owns a body shop, painted, mounted the kit all for free. But I just called him up, he said if any customer comes in with the same deal, he'll charge him about $350-$400 depends on how much labor to make the kit perfect and seamless. And he quoted me on Sterling Mist paint job too. So like I said, $350 painted and installed is a good deal.
The reason he has to charge me $120 just for the front lip is because he has to sand all the paint down and fix all the curb rash and bumps, smooth everything out again. That's a lot of labor involved.

Tifosi

 

i really didnt find it that difficult to install the kit... and if you learn how to take bumps at an angle you dont scrape as much as you think....

 

You also have 4x4 H&R Springs...

 

Thanks!
Yeah, I have a 99 SE-L too (also in Sterling Mist) but unfortunatly mine is an autotragic.

Your buddy seems like he does really good work. Would you reccomend getting the whole stillen kit as opposed to getting just the front lip?? Where is your buddy located??
Thanks,
Dan