When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Removing Rocket Bunny Bodykit and installing a different one
I found a decent looking Rocketbunny FD but i am not a fan of this kit, i prefer the Re Amemiya AD-GT Kit.
So does know if i can remove this kit and install the AD--GT without any big issues? I am worried the fenders might be cut too much since the AD-GT ist "just" 25mm and 15mm wider than stock.
I am glad for any info!
The car has an airride and decent interior, Single Garret Turbo gt35r and some more stuff.
I found a decent looking Rocketbunny FD but i am not a fan of this kit, i prefer the Re Amemiya AD-GT Kit.
So does know if i can remove this kit and install the AD--GT without any big issues? I am worried the fenders might be cut too much since the AD-GT ist "just" 25mm and 15mm wider than stock.
I am glad for any info!
The car has an airride and decent interior, Single Garret Turbo gt35r and some more stuff.
Doesn't the RE-A kit replace the front fenders entirely? I assume you're talking about the rears.
Considering the total cost of buying and installing a full RE-A kit, fixing the rear fenders is going to be pretty small issue, I think.
I don't understand buying a car with a Rocketbunny kit just to remove it and install something else.
the kit looks to be molded in. the bigger issue is what it looks like underneath. if you havent bought the car yet, look for a different one unless your goal is to just to spend money. as valkryie said, it doesn't make sense to buy a rocket bunny car just to remove the kit in favor of another one.
Yeah I'm not a fan of this kit either but like yurcivicsux said, this one looks like it was done right. If you've decided you don't like the look anymore I say sell it and try again on another car.
First of all thanks you for your replies and i have also been thinking to myself: So many people enjoy this look, why buy it just to "destroy it" afterwards.
So here are a few points why:
1. I need a '92 Model in germany since i want a single turbo kit nad amybe a small port. Due to emissions regulations it can't be done on '93 and younger cars. And this one even comes with the single turbo kit. Very rare, i have been searching in japan with help of an agent for 7 months now.
2. The car is, as @Zepticon said, cheaper than an untouched one. It has airride and the single turbo, seems to be in decent shape and costs as much as a stock FD. Seller wants 30k€, if i add the needed paperwork it comes to around 35k€.
3. @Valkyrie yes right, i talked about the rear, sorry for not specifying. However I am stil worried about the rear and thus also requested the pictures from underneath, which are attached.
After reading through your replies I feel like i am maybe going in too fast for someone with my experience (wildest stuff i ever did was fixing broken headlights and changing the VANOS valves on my Z4 Coupé).
Maybe getting a stock one (from japan or wherever) and building it myself over the time, maybe with the help of a shop, might be 5-10k€ more expensive but at least i would be able to calculate better.
Last edited by Staubkappe; Dec 13, 2023 at 02:27 PM.
Lol this is not like some rims i don't like or so. I really despise the looks of RB Bodykits, especially on FDs.
I want to build my dream car, no compromises.
Leave that car alone and start looking for an RHD for sale in Western Canada. Might be your cheapest route.
Can you explain more why it has to be a '92?
It has to be a 1992 model since i can‘t mount single turbo kits or do more tuning than like 300hp due to german emission restrictions. I would like a single turbo since i feel like the twin turbo system is complex to work on as a lesser experienced rotary owner and i want the extra power.
Finding a 92 in germany or central europe is very rare, LHD are sometimes availible but from 55k€ upwards in mediocre condition at best.
So is it a time cut-off for Germany? Cars from 1992 or earlier are exempt?
There’s a similar cutooff in Japan where the newest generation of FD can’t get away with using a turbo kit that removes the air pump. My mid-generation FD is subject to mid 80s emissions regulations.
Correct, it is all related to the aur pump delete.
Cars with first registration after 12/1992 ne to fullfill the Euro 2 emissions regulation. Before that it is sufficient to just have a catalyst, the emitted co² is not really measured then.
Next issue: It can‘t be a stock vehicle already registered in the EU. It is not allowed anymore to worsen the emissions rating. So it needs to have a single turbo before importing to germany, however this can also mean: Buying and shipping from japan, installing single turbo, registering in germany with the lowest emissions rating.
There’s a similar cutooff in Japan where the newest generation of FD can’t get away with using a turbo kit that removes the air pump. My mid-generation FD is subject to mid 80s emissions regulations.
really??? Is this a new rule? You still need the oem cat in place though?
Ironically, maybe about 40% of the 70,000 (or so) FD made were made, if not sold, before 12/92.
The attrition rate of the those early cars has likely been very high, as your looking for a remaining "92 in Japan, has shown.
In Canada we could bring in JDM after 15 years. So 1992's likely started to come in on and after 2007.
These cars were purchased extremely cheaply and were, by and large, trashed.
( I have partially disassembled five.)
In the period just before FD became US eligible, beat 1992 examples could be got from Japan auctions at $2000. This quadrupled to $8000 once 1992 became eligible, but then there were not too many left.
Prices have, of course ,climbed much higher.
Nevertheless there exists examples that have been well maintained in Canada.
Yeah, the 91/92 cars seem to be very thin on the ground now. Elements in the engine bay seem to confirm version 1, looking at the VIN first number, it's pretty fuzzy, but looks like a 2 to me??
Guards are no issue, I've seen new rear quarters available recently over here, so even with no donor cars in Germany, you could get it to your taste if you really wanted - at a price.
Putting air ride springs on a sports car, might as well have the appropriate doors and exhaust!
If I read the parts catalogues correctly Version 2 cars were produced from July 1993 to July 1994. So if the VIN starts with a "2" then it is unlikely a 1991/1992 car.
The stickers on the fuse and relay boxes may change from version to version and would be a clue what version the car is.
really??? Is this a new rule? You still need the oem cat in place though?
no…it’s not a new rule.
You need a special catalytic converter (with testing papers) to run without an air pump to pass visual inspection (but I’ve been told you don’t actually need a cat at all to pass the sniff test…).
With the air pump, you can run an aftermarket cat just fine.
Putting air ride springs on a sports car, might as well have the appropriate doors and exhaust!
ha, true! Jokes aside, i want a „normal“ suspension (i think it is called statics in english?) from a reputable brand. I have ST suspensions in my Z4 and they are nice, built by KW.
The car should look stunning in the end and I want to go to a few shows with it, but it should look a togue racer from the outside. RB kit and airride feel like ricer stuff to me, sorry to use that buzzword.
If I read the parts catalogues correctly Version 2 cars were produced from July 1993 to July 1994. So if the VIN starts with a "2" then it is unlikely a 1991/1992 car.
The stickers on the fuse and relay boxes may change from version to version and would be a clue what version the car is.
that is exactly right, V1 cars have a FD3S-1xxxxx vin, Version 2 is FD3S-2xxxxx, and so forth. US cars actually do this too, 1993's are 2xxxxx, 1994 is 30xxxx and 95 is 400xxx
the pre 12/1992 car is a Japanese V1, so FD3S-1xxxxx. interestingly if they are just looking at build dates, the US market 1993's were all built before 12/92 as well
the V1 is like 10/91 to 6/92 and the US is 12/91-6/92 or something
Shouldn't be much of a problem finding a 92 FD, I came across plenty during my search for a JDM FD. You can still find them close to stock, mildly modded, stock but some bolt on body kit etc. Lots of options out there
I posted up the monthly global production of FD on another thread recently.
There have been a number of cars up here that have had successive body kit changes. It seems in the end that the history of all those changes somehow cheapens the cars.
One car has likely had C$500,000 of changes over 20 years.
Iconic kits like the Rocket Bunny may have staying power and overcome the "Rice" moniker.
I posted up the monthly global production of FD on another thread recently.
There have been a number of cars up here that have had successive body kit changes. It seems in the end that the history of all those changes somehow cheapens the cars.
One car has likely had C$500,000 of changes over 20 years.
Iconic kits like the Rocket Bunny may have staying power and overcome the "Rice" moniker.
I would think a close to stock car would bring more money than a car with a kit, unless it is something super clean and sought after but even then your buyer base probably shrinks quite a bit to just those that want that specific build or kit. Typically people who like the kitted cars want to build their own just as the OP is saying here. They want to make it their own, not buy somebody else's dream or vision. In this case, it would make sense to buy something with a non molded kit so they can buy something cheaper and modify themselves.
But the seller might not agree with that xD
