I'm in the process of changing a motor in a 91 Civic Si. This car came back from the body shop bout 2 months ago. The owner had a six piece kit put on, new paint all around, hatch, side skirts and door caps all molded to the body plus a custom hood. The car has a flame paint job in the front (which I don't care too much for, but its his car and as long as he's happy with it, all the power to him). Anyways, to my point! While under the car, I wanted to see how this front bumper was held on, and to my surprise there is NOOOOOO rebar behind the cover. . . its just the plastic cover!!! I called up the owner figuring he'd not known that the body shop had taken the thing out, but it turns out that they had called HIM while working on the car and told him that the cover wouldn't clear the rebar and wanted to know what they should do. This guy told them to just take the thing outta the car so it went back together with no rebar or all. Not trashing the guy (he's a good friend) and he doesn't plan to get into any high speed head ons, but I can't see the point in putting on a front bumper cover, if it means that you have to remove such an important part of your cars impact structure. Just wanted to know what others think of this, remove an important part of a car to get something aftermarket to work, or not? And something else I though. . . . what if DOT got a look at that? That has to be illegal in some way, right?
Thats pretty fucked up, but I bet you it is quite common. I would make a custom rebar front thingy for it if I were him (or get someone to.
There are some parts of a car that should just be left alone, usually they are there for a reason.. Modify? possibly. Remove? Ahh no.
When I built my Si I thought I was gonna have the same problem, I fucked with the front bumper cover for about an hour (Wings West RS kit), I was pissed on my way home I saw the guy (Chris somebody) who had the same kit on his car (prowler orange) and he said he had to take the rebar off. I wasn't a big fan of that idea. The next day I fucked with it again and it somehow magically popped on, there has to be some specific way to get it over the rebar cause mine in the end did fit perfectly. Anyway dude, it is illegal, that car will never pass inspection if the see that there is no rebar on there. Im not sure what would happen in a collision as far as insurance goes. Especially if someone in your car got hurt and it came out that a major part of your cars impact safety equipment wasn't installed when it should have been. Id put a rebar on it man, seriously. Even if you have to shave it down somehow, maybe cut the ends off it or something. Just remember it WILL fit on there you just have to fuck with it. My car was a 1990 so it should be the same. Heres the beaster now, sometimes I miss her...
This is what the cover looks like, there are a couple others around town like it, and not doubting the body shops work, I do think that it coulda fit somehow. This isn't my car though, so I am not reeeeally too concerned, I'm just pulling a motor/tranny and putting another one in it. I was just wondering if this was reeeeally a problem, as nice as it would be to have a kit on a car, I'd still like to know that my car would still be safe. . . .
Anarki, that was a hot hatch. As for the other contraption Oh and removing safety devices in exchange for looks =
Last I heard my old one was stolen from the guy I sold it to. That was a few months ago, never been updated on the situation...
That happened to my old car as well....stolen from good ole Bayers Lake. I knew never to take it there.
Darrens hatch was by far one of my favorite cars around, So sad to see it gone off the roads Wish I could have afforded to buy it when it was up for sale
Jesus.......... its like looking at the sun, or smoking, or drinking, you know you shouldn't but you do it anyway. My eyes! My eyes!
Hey. . . . whether people hate it or not, it is this guys car. . . his money is put into it, and there is a lot of effort put into it. . . I don't care for the flames myself, but the body work that was done to it is phenominal. . . the guy that did the body work did a wicked job, and everything is molding together extremely nicely. . . it doesn't look it in the pics, but the maroon/raspberry color the majority of the car is painted, is one gorgeous color!!! And the rear hatch, that is what mine is like, except the WHOLE rear piece is molded in (just the glass lifts now).