Haha. Alright guys. Body shop 101 here.

Ok, first off, our surface coat is an exclusive flexible black primer. Although it looks like gel coat, it is not. Primer is easier to sand and will stick to paint. Some body shops have told me that with our parts, they can skip the primer part and go with a sealer and off to the base coat and clear coat. I would always recommend going with a primer first to seal up any minor imperfections. Now, to prevent cracking, use a flexible primer such as "Sems" or at least the body shop should use a flexible agent in their primers. Remember, OEM bumpers are flexible too. Every body shop has their preference for material brand, but the quality brands should have a flex agent available. Same goes for paint.

The part should be fitted BEFORE painting. Sometimes you have to sand it a lil here and there to loosen it up, if the fit is too tight. If it fits fine the way you like it, then that's it. Off to the paint. The parts should be painted "off" the car and then installed. Handle with care. . Don't go twistin it like pretzel just because you have flex agent in your paint.

Ken

 

Thanks for the info, Ken.

What kind of a time frame are we looking at when we order the kit at this point?

Thanks.

 

Thanks for schooling us!

 

As soon as Ken calls me, I'll be in my lil red 8, on the freeway in a flash to get out there and hopefully do the final fit test. Then it'll be back to my top secret bodyshop location to have my kit painted and installed (all steps to be photographed). THEN I'll have the car I was supposed to have for SEMA last year! I'm expecting the call sometime next week.

I'm not sure Ken can give you a more accurate answer as to when. These aren't the only molds they're making. If he can time it right, we'll be able to test-fit the Autobahn replica sides too perhaps.

 

Home Depot has a sale on Krylon... Show your gang-banger tattoo and get two for the price of one!

 

Hi guys... I see some have some questions about paint... in the Paint 101 post... I see something very important was left out... Flexible primers are good thing to have. But before you waist time on painting "flexible" parts with the flex primer.. you need an adhesive promoting agent... You MUST have this for all Plastic, Urethane, and it is still a good idea to have it on fiberglass/urethane hybrid parts as well because of the plastic in the fiberglass. You see. Flex primers are made to move with the part they are put on. Paint has a very hard time sticking on plastic, rubber, urethane based materials and in over time will stop sticking to the surface and just flake, bubble, peel and crack. You need something that will stick to the plastic and something the paint can stick to as well. First Make sure all the services are clean from oils and dirt etc.. You can use a cleaning agents other than just soap and water.l SEM makes one that works very well... They also make a very good flexible primer as in can or spray can form.... A very common adhesive agent used is call Bulldog. you can buy it in a can to spray with a spray gun or in a spray can form about $12.00 to spray small parts... Remember, on all bumpers and plastic parts etc... USE BULLDOG.... or some other form of adhesive promoter... THIS will stop your paint from cracking and flaking off not just the flex primer..

 

Wreakloose, only you missed this from Ken's body shop 101 post. I'd been mistakenly calling it "black gel coat", but Ken set the record straight. A little further on he does recommend a separate flexible primer as a "fill and levelling" material on the surface, but that's if you're seeking a perfect finish. For a part which is going to see a high amount of abuse from road debris, I'd argue that using the simplest paint strategy possible, and repainting before every serious show might be the best approach.

 

BTW- I did use Bulldog on my Kaminari polyurethane body kit on my Mustang and it didn't work worth a crap. That's just my experience with one product on one type of plastic though, cleaned and sprayed by a professional body shop.
Eric

 

Oh.. I must have missed it... But Bull dog worked for me perfectly... Sometimes there are very high amounts of oils etc. from the molding process left in and on the urethane... It should be checked to see if it is fully Dry from oils etc.. It may take more time and effort to clean it properly.. I have seen a number of kits that where left with oils... even with spray adhesives are used it wont stick due to the oils... They sort of react and move with heat and temps and could cause a problem if the part is not dry and clean of all the oils...

 

yes there are release agents left on the parts such as wax, but you can't see it. That's why when you sand the whole part down, which you have to anyways, most of that wax dissapears. However, you do not completely sand off the black surface primer. It should still be there. I was recommended to use Dawn soap (no oil) to wash parts before primering.

 

One we get that flange built into our sideskirts, we should be good to go. 1 week.

 

Good news, Shine, Thank you!

ps - You guys wouldn't have interest in creating the r-magic front lip and sides would you?

 

Or even just the R-Magic front lip... I think it would go almost perfectly with the KD-IV sides and rear.

 

Hell.. just do the whole thing.. Ft and R lips and sides... OH BTW plastic parts should be sanded and washed as well. Use 800 - 1200 grit sand paper does the job very well.. This also provides a little "Bite" for things to stick to.

 

The R-Magic front lip actually rises up higher at the upper edge of the sides than the Burnout KD-IV Type 2. That point is important because it matches the upper edge line on the side skirts. Note the differences between these two photos. The R-Magic spoiler is a bit "pointy-er" than the Burnout too. A matter of preference, I suppose. There are many differences in the shaping, like how the Burnout nose tucks back under the bumper slightly, where the R-Magic drops straight down. I think the Burnout kit keeps the nose "tidy" and short, while the R-Magic adds unwanted length. They both look like they're about the same drop though, so if the R-magic sticks out further, you'll drag it more often on the ground.

Why not simply buy the nose which goes with the correct sides?

 

The parts were soapy washed, dried, surface sanded to remove imperfections and to add a "scuffed" surface to help adhesion, then were washed again, dried again, and treated with Bulldog before the flexible primer and flat base paint applied. It wasn't like the paint all flaked off though. It took an impact flexing the bumper to cause it to start to lift. Still looked good when I traded the car off last August, and didn't show in any of the photos I ever shot.

 

Okay, so I'm incredibly bored this weekend, I should be writing articles, and instead I keep looking out my front window at my beautiful Velocity Red "Hachi" (Japanese for "8", right?) waiting for the day that Shine Auto Project finishes the body kit. On the up side, it's been far less time than Jay at Evo-R has taken with his promised Type I Burnout front lip. On the down side, it still means I've been waiting, since the kit was originally ordered, just like everyone else. Over this time I've built something of a relationship up with Ken at Shine Auto, and am working at getting some of his parts onto a wild new Corolla turbo being built by a friend, destined to be tested by Hot Version. If all goes well, MY RX-8 will be tested as well. I don't want to let our community down so I'll be happy to entertain ideas about tuning and suspension setups for track use. If anyone has a big brake kit they could loan me for the video testing, that would be great too! Unlikely, but great... LOL

<another glance out the window... sigh>

 

you should have been at daytona today...

beers

 

I was supposed to go over to PIR and shoot a BMW M1 Procar but the owner accidently dropped the key down behind a body panel! He'll get it out eventually, but I had a little track time all set up for me.

 

Apparently the Star Trek transporter was on the blink, that makes getting from southern Cali to Daytona at the last minute a bit tough ...

ps: kind of makes me suspicious that every R-Magic lip spoiler pic I've seen has the aspect ratio altered to make the car look long and wide

 

Because I really really like the R-Magic front, but I don't like the sides at all. I like the KD sides and rear, they are simple and unobtrusive. Don't get me wrong, I like the KD front too, but IMHO it's just not quite as sexy as the R-Magic. I think they would work well enough together even though it does seem wrong mixing and matching. But I'm not really thinking about doing a body kit anytime soon, so I'm just dreamin'.

 

Having seen the R-Magic front, and the Burnout KD-IV sides and the Autobahn sides, you'd be best going with the Autobahn. There's less of a "roll" on the bottom edge (more square to the ground) which would match the R-magic front beautifully.

 

Photo,

Prior to this thread, I was set on r-magic front and racing beat sides, rear and spoiler. Now I'm in on this kit with the evo-r spoiler. I stare at them, what seems to be daily, and I can't seem to make a decision. Both are simple, clean and less dramatic than most on the market. Damn you and Shine!!

Anyone have thoughts on this subject?

 

Yeah, it screams SEXY! Not only that, but why would you want a front and sides easily damaged by impact with freeway debris? Ding, ding, ding! Decision made! Even better, once production is ready, the kit will be in stock in the US! No overseas freight and waiting!

 

Shine, Any updates?

Photo, Is your kit painted yet?