Hello
I dont like spoilers on cars, and removing them tend to be one of the first things i do to my cars. And now i am doing it to the FD. I think the car looks much better without the wing, so i am going to give it a shot.

My plan is to remove the wing, and plug the hole with a little nylon plug, like the guy in this video does:
I know the best way to do this is to weld the holes and repaint the car, but that is out of the question right now. So all i am going to do now is to try this nylon plug method.

Have anyone done this before, and if so, how did you do it? And does anyone have the meassurment/pictures of the holes for the wing so i know what kind of plugs to get?

 

Sorry, but that looks like what it is...cheap. Something you'd see in a high school parking lot. And way worse than the wing IMO. Your car deserves better.

 

I just bought/traded for a base hatch of the same color when I deleted my rear wiper. 'Course then I drilled it to add a '99 wing.

 

When I had my car painted, they also painted 4 of those plugs. The ones I have sit a little more flush on the car, but same idea.
It's kind of nice because I can take the wing on and off and the car looks pretty good either way. I had a Feed Type2 wing for awhile, then I went wingless for a year or so and now I'm back to the OEM wing...which like SgtBlue kinda let on, is probably the best looking option anyway.

If you're over the wing completely, then the best bet (other than swapping rear hatches) is to plug and sand it, then touch it up with some paint.

 

If you plan on permanently removing the wing you gotta do it right man. I had a wing removed that I mistakenly had installed, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

 

I got a brilliant black car, so the plugs wont be visible . Also, getting a replacement hatch is going to be very very very hard, since FDs are about as rare here as... well... something very rare!

Do you ahve a link or picture to the ones you got Natey? They sound like a good option. Im going to paint them as well

 

you can use a large piece of 3m clear bra protection film cut so that is covers the complete lower part of the hatch then use touch up paint from the inside to paint the clear bra covering the holes. ends up virtually invisible

 

came across this video...using silicon bronze to "braze" fill the holes would distort the panel less than actually welding the holes with mild steel...

 

On one of the fds I had I had the holes welded up and sanded smooth before paint. I did the same with the antenna. I'm not a fan of the plugs.

 

The hatch will be paintet at some point, this is by no means a permanent solution. I have owned the car for 2 weeks, and i really really dont like the wing, so i will give it a try without it. And that is why i ask here, because i want to do it right, even if i do it "wrong" if you understand what i mean.

I also see the points made by welding, and i would do that if i thought i could do it myself. But since its and RX7, and that is a very very expensive thing to get done by pros here in norway, with shop prices at $200 (yes, that is 200USD) an hour for small jobs. For that price, i will wait untill i am able to get a full paintjob with a lower $/h. I welded the hatch on my MX6, but i would not touch the RX7 myself.

This sounds brilliant But wont the holes be vissible due to the lack up support from underneath, and thus appear like a dent in the hatch?

 

Since the holes are small, just use the thicker clear film and keep it taut during application. It will look great with no dents unless you purposely poke on the holes and deform the film.

 

I just did this and think it works well, if you go to Home Depot in the hardware section where all the nuts/bolts are you'll find "Metal hole Plugs" the sizes are 1/2" and 5/16" . I also picked up a adhesive water sealant like loctite or liquid nails in clear color and the OEM paint color in an aerosol can (Automobile Touch Up Paint - Factory Matched Paints - Express Paint) spray the plugs to match use the adhesive to seal them and pop them in.

IMO they look pretty good and match very well.

 

i just went to a hobby lobby and got a sheet of vinyl sticker. my car is red so i got red. cut it out in little circles to cover the holes for now. not noticeable at all. like stated earlier... its just a temp fix. when i repaint the car the holes will be welded shut and smoothed out and painted.

 

A welder once suggested to me to use jb weld, but have not tried it myself

 

I have filled many antenna holes using jb weld and a nickel BUT it has to sit un painted for at least a week or the chemical reaction between the paint and jb weld causes the paint to change color While I do prefer to weld them shut, this does in fact work. I say weld them however if you know it is a temp fix just use plastic plugs with some sealant and then do it right later.

 

Wow ok... Just find a local body shop and let them do it. Make friends with the owner or get to know them and have them do it right. They can pull the wing, fill the holes, fill, color match, sand, and re clear the hatch and you'll be good to go. It's worth the extra money to have it done right. While they're at it see if they can color sand and buff your car. It's heavenly when you get it back. My FD looked like it had been dipped in glass when I got it back.

 

Here are the result of my temporary fix. Trying to get price quotes on welding and paint from different bodyshops

 

I filled mine years ago with either fiberglass resin or epoxy (dont remember) and over the years the impression of the holes re-appeared under the paint. Its probably best to weld up the holes.