I have a Tripoint knockoff rear widebody kit to install on my TII.
Wondering if I should mold it in or just use rivets?
I have heard from some people that because of the climate I live in (cold Winter), I should rivet it on because molding will crack?
What yer take?

 

How often do you drive the car? its true that cold weather will cause it to crack eventually if you do not have a heated garage. the expansion rates of metal and fiberglass are different so as the temperature shifts, that is what causes the problem. If you have roads that aren't very smooth, the vibrations will cause cracking as well. I always say that if you actually drive your car often or daily it, molding is never a good option. remember that you could glass/bondo over the rivets as well if you don't like the look. Not to say molding can't last for some amount of time, but you need to do it the right way and eventually, you will be repairing it. now depending how good you do with the molding, it maybe a month, it maybe a year.

 

If you mean pop riveting on fiberglass overfenders and then slathering body filler on them so for the entire 15 minutes before it cracks it looks like proper metalwork, no.

There is a special circle of hell reserved for people that do that. Satan hands you the keys to a cherry RX7, but you realize after you get in, the ****-facilitated driver retention system slams home and the doors lock on you that it has a FWD Honda engine in it with no VTEC and a CV transmission that is overgeared to the point it takes 7 minutes to fully rev the engine. That, and it plays Morrissey songs at slower than normal speed so they are extra depressing over a 1000 watt system that's all compression horn tweeters and no bass.

 

Yeah, I drive it a few times a week.
I really like the looks of a molded widebody, but one that is riveted can look good too!

 

I think there is some really expensive filler Porsche guys use when flaring their cars that is supposed to help mitigate the metal to composite expansion problem.

IDK if it really helps, but you can feel like you tried your best.

 

I heard there are multiple way to do it

 

Oh, absolutely. Exposed rivets are fine. When someone trys to mold them in, though, it's lame. It violates a rule of mine. When it takes more work to fake it then it does to just do it right, me no hablo.

I'll likely go fat riveted overfenders on my Skyline, like these.

 

Like I also said, if you have any room to counter sink the rivets, just enough so you could smear some bondo over just the rivets themselves, that would eliminate the rivet look. you will still have the panel lines where they meet the body but its a little "better" if you would hate the rivets themselves.

 

molding is lame. will look like **** sooner than later and will ruin any chance you have of updating your exterior down the road.