guys at a speed shop told me they mostly just use double sided tape for installing body kits. is that gonna be strong enough?? i know the AE kits have some type of plastice grommit connector thingamabobs along with the tape but what kind of tape would hold one of those flexy kits without hardpoints??
i'm asking cuz i wanna install my kit myself and i'm wondering if it's imperative to drill into the body panels.

 

Yeah that two-way foam tape is pretty darn strong. Once it's on, it's on. At least the tape on the AE kit is. But the connectors that bolt on do help. If you want connectors, drilling is inevitable.

 

Foam will eventually dry out...
Buy some 3M industrial stuff.
BodyShops also use epoxy if you
never plan on removing it.


ADMAN

 

yeah, i've got like 10 rolls of the 3M Super Strong Exterior Mounting Tape. it's supposed to be weather resistant and it's not the normal foam on most double sided tape. more 'rubbery'
anyhow, i think i'll end up drilling on the front faschia pieces regardless.

 

Yup some kits are held on only by tape but it's like epoxy once on there right. Some kit's also utilize screws and you can go as far as molding the kit which looks really good. But tape will alway's be used.

 

I used the double-sided 3M tape and a few screws in each piece where they couldn't be seen, just to make sure that at high speeds pieces didn't come flying off. I am going to be molding the kit in soon when I do my custom paint job!

 

Screw it in or rivet it in, I have read to many stories of front lips flying under the car at high way speeds.

 

how'd you screw in the front and rear pieces? there are lots of spots where you can't access the inside surface of the body.

 

I used two screws on each side of the front piece in the wheel wells, and the same on the back. Then I used the tape in the middle part. As for the sides of the kit I used tape all the way down as well as three screws in the door jam area so that they are not exposed.