Flush Boot Panels

[Massive]

Just wondering what you think on them?

i think they look cool and where can you get them from, cant find anywhere, not even ebay :s

[pgarner]

are you on about the recess in the back where numberplate and boot release are ?

if so its more likly to be a weld panel inplace and them painting, or lots of filler and paint

[waynne]

I quite like the smoothed look. It is a DIY job or at least get a bodyshop involved.

[Doughnutter]

Originally Posted by waynne

I quite like the smoothed look. It is a DIY job or at least get a bodyshop involved.

Depends if you are handy at body work and got the time and space to do it!! Not to mention the patience!!

The proper way a good body shop would do it is to weld a plate over the recess / hole and then lead line the gaps before prepping and painting.

A bodger would nosh loads of filler in and prep and paint.

A good half way (and the one I do) is to weld the fillet over the gap as best as possible and then used filler to finsh rather than lead fill. You run a small risk of cracking over time, especially on bonnet, boots and doors (all the slamming) but its the easiest way. For de locking doors i'm a little lazy and don't weld metal in the holes left but use fibreglass from behind and then from the front. Never had a problem with this cracking yet.

Paint can be done yourself and the quality of the finish is 75% in the prep work. Flat colour can be blown in meaning whole panel respray not ness (but still prefferable), metalics and specials will need the whole panel redone. Before I was confident enough to do the final paint, I used to prep, prime, prep, prime etc until ready for the top coats, then take it to the body shop for top coating, saving a fair chunk of money.

Oh yeah I think they look cool! Does depend on the car and other Modifications. I'm into quite smooth, debadged lines on cars. Had a Old Skool Beetle that was completley smoothed, deseamed and blended into 4" wider arch's. Really suits some cars but not others.

[Massive]

im a pretty good wielder but when it come to spraying :s i always get runs, ill have to talk to the bodyshop to be honest safest way, how much you think it might cost though?

[Doughnutter]

If you getting runs you prob putting too much on at once or not cleaned the primed surface properly and its running off the grease ect maybee even mixing the paint wrong. I build up over lots and lots of thin layers.

Body shop costs will depend on the panel size, how much prep work they have to do and the finish you are after(paint type/cost etc). I had a complete Escort MK4 soft top resprayed, bad boy bonnet, delocked etc for 300 quid about 5 years ago.Then again you could spend that alone on the paint for some cars.

[meethrap]

i agree with doughnutter(even though i am a little late) i do a bit of painting at work(painting firetrucks) when we want to paint we are so eager to do it that we just throw on the paint, but if you slowly build the layers you get a perfect finish, providing you've cleaned it down with a good panel wipe and possibly use some tack rags aswell.