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This week I spent a few days doing paint and prep work on this JDM style front lip. It was a process but im thankful for being patient and taking my time because it turned out awesome. I was able to find a company to mix the exact color of my car into a spray can and it's spot on. Yesterday I removed the front bumper cover and mounted the lip. It fit very well considering it is a cheap replica lip I found on ikonmotorsports.com website. If anyone is interested in the paint and install process I'll be happy to share some tips I learned throughout.
Looks like it fits well, I'm not sure how I feel about the look though.. I like a bit more aggressive lips
Yes, so I wanted something subtle, something that looks like it could be a factory option. If I had the car lowered a bit more aggressively and some wheels perhaps I could see myself opting for a bigger lip.
Great coincidence, I just bought the Ikon AR style front lip(delivers Tuesday), it's slightly more aggressive in style with the flares coming up on the sides of the bumper. But I'm happy to see it fit decent for you. It looks really clean, I'm a fan of it on your car. I prefer that subtle, almost factory look.
I'm planning on prepping, priming and painting mine myself as well. I found a place that sells the matching white (#083) in a can also. Any tips you got for spraying with a can? (Will be prepping and painting and reviewing the lip, side skirts, rear lip all from Ikon shortly)
Great coincidence, I just bought the Ikon AR style front lip(delivers Tuesday), it's slightly more aggressive in style with the flares coming up on the sides of the bumper. But I'm happy to see it fit decent for you. It looks really clean, I'm a fan of it on your car. I prefer that subtle, almost factory look.
I'm planning on prepping, priming and painting mine myself as well. I found a place that sells the matching white (#083) in a can also. Any tips you got for spraying with a can? (Will be prepping and painting and reviewing the lip, side skirts, rear lip all from Ikon shortly)
Yes, if you're painting indoors at all make sure you open a door! Wetting the floor is a good idea to keep dirt from flying around. I scuffed the bare plastic with 320 grit wet sanding, then I took a couple days priming and then wet sanding with 1000 grit between coats. I used a hot air gun to speed up the drying process, be easy on the heat because you will get pitting in the plastic that is hard to sand smooth. I washed the lip before laying the base coat, which I ended up doing multiple coats. Rather than wet sanding the base coat I just opted to wash the lip again with soap and water with a microfiber. And lastly I sprayed a clear coat. Best advice I got for the clear coat was to lay it on as thick as I could without it dripping. If you do this right there is no need to sand or polish for as a final stage. I took my bumper cover off the car so I could mount the lip with ease, which is a bit of a pain but I highly recommend doing so. good luck!
Yes, if you're painting indoors at all make sure you open a door! Wetting the floor is a good idea to keep dirt from flying around. I scuffed the bare plastic with 320 grit wet sanding, then I took a couple days priming and then wet sanding with 1000 grit between coats. I used a hot air gun to speed up the drying process, be easy on the heat because you will get pitting in the plastic that is hard to sand smooth. I washed the lip before laying the base coat, which I ended up doing multiple coats. Rather than wet sanding the base coat I just opted to wash the lip again with soap and water with a microfiber. And lastly I sprayed a clear coat. Best advice I got for the clear coat was to lay it on as thick as I could without it dripping. If you do this right there is no need to sand or polish for as a final stage. I took my bumper cover off the car so I could mount the lip with ease, which is a bit of a pain but I highly recommend doing so. good luck!
excellent! I appreciate the tips, I'll probably follow this closely.
For the clear coat, did you use just a regular automotive paint clear coat or get one those those two stage in one cans?
Trying to decide if it's worth the two stage with the lips seeing how easily they'll get ruined once I lower the car.
excellent! I appreciate the tips, I'll probably follow this closely.
For the clear coat, did you use just a regular automotive paint clear coat or get one those those two stage in one cans?
Trying to decide if it's worth the two stage with the lips seeing how easily they'll get ruined once I lower the car.
I used Rust-Oleum Premium custom clear lacquer spray, two heavy coats. And the base coat I got from paintscratch.com.
I have this same lip but I left mine black. I like that its subtle. I had to search for months until I was happy with one. I feel like most of the parts they make for the 3is are wayyy over the top.
The car is already aggressive looking, it doesn't need any extra winglets and canards.
I just got under the car today to try and fire the AR style lip I got from Ikon... how poorly fit was y'alls out of the box?
after two hours of test fitting underneath the car I realized I was going to have to pull the bumper to have any chance of fitting it.
I just got under the car today to try and fire the AR style lip I got from Ikon... how poorly fit was y'alls out of the box?
after two hours of test fitting underneath the car I realized I was going to have to pull the bumper to have any chance of fitting it.
I pulled the bumper and took my time with fitting it. I anchored one corner the way I would expect it to fit, then put a screw in the center so the lip would stay in place, then tried to match up the other side. It took a few attempts to find where the lip needs to be mounted so that it looked even on both sides. It's a tight fit!! Just be patient. It helps to do this when it's not so cold outside. The cool air will work against you.
I've had good experiences with Ikon and their products over the past few years. To be honest they may one of the better companies when dealing with replicas.
11-24-20, 12:40 PM
JDM style front lip installed !!
