BODY KIT help

[tkbuild]

hi, just having some noob question on body kit material.
i'm currenly looking for a kit for my black color civic, when i around ebay or other online stores they claim the kit are made of high quialty pp material, some made of abs material or some said frp material. i am confused, what are these materials, and how differences? which material will better as its going to paint in black, coz someone said black gets very hot and can damage fibreglass(<<= pp :confused: ) even if its vented.
Pls let me know any others things needed to pay attention on buying a bodykit (replica :o "just looking good" ).
Any advice or help would be much appreciated.:D :thumbsup:
Thanks:thumbsup:

[Zdster]

There are essentially three types of material.

Firstly there is the cheapest - frp or fibreglass. It is cheap as it is just a series of sheets of fibreglass layed one over the other and held together with resin*. It can be painted and like with other materials is somewhat flexible. The real downside to this product is that it does not withstand bumps very well. For example if your front bumper where to hit a small concrete barrier it may well crack/splinter. That being said, since it is a series of sheets, it is fairly easy to repair (although a pain).

The next level is polyurethane. More expensive than fibreglass, but a lot stronger. It sits right in the middle between plastic and fibreglass in that it is stronger than fibreglass, but not so flexible as abs. The same is true in trying to repair damage (easier than plastic, but harder than fibreglass).

The highest level is abs plastic. This is the same material as your front and rear bumpers. It reacts extremely well to bumps and brushes and doesnt tend to splinter like fibreglass. The material itself actually flexes just like your bumper so is much more durable (this is my preferred material if you can afford it). The real downside to this product is trying to repair it if it is majorly damaged - it is hard and a real pain. Otherwise this is the best option IMHO.

I wouldnt be worried about paint and fibreglass etc (although I have not had personal experience with this combination) as long as the right prep. work and primer are applied (this goes for whichever material you choose IMO).


*Now there are some very high end fibreglass bodykits that are put together in a different way, but lets just stick with this for the moment.