This is probably badly worded cos because I can't think of the proper name for the part I'm talking about:

If you want to put a body kit (say front, rear and skirts) on a car, but it has those bumper strips on the doors (and the front and rear bumper, but I assume they wouldn't matter cos they'd come off altogether), does that mean you have to replace the whole doors?

Or do people just not put kits on cars with the plastic strips? I've heard of them being removed.. what does that involve?

I've got an Aussie '97 Civic SOHC 1.6L Cxi and the front lip is pretty beaten up from the previous owner. I'm considering doing something with it, but don't know how to go about it cos of my lame looking bumper stripes. (I know its a bit gutless, but it can at least look and sound good )

I'm pretty new to this sorta thing, so any advice/info/recommendations would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

 

Cars here in the US only has these "strips" (which are called mouldings) on the doors and body of the car. They're not on the front and rear bumpers (though there are folks that would like to get a hold of said bumpers).

When people put bodykits on, most of the time, they leave the mouldings on to save on labor costs of installing and painting the bodykit. Others have it "shaved" to have a more cleaner look. Though this is a little more difficult to achieve as it is really hard to keep the body smooth and not show waves when all the work is complete.

"Shaving" is a term used when a certain part of a car is smoothed out by removing certain things off the car and filled in to make it appear seamless. This could be mouldings, emblems, door handles, key holes, etc.

As for your dilemma, couldn't you just replace the lower front lip, as opposed to replacing the entire bumper?

 

Ok, I understand about the mouldings and shaving now ) I don't think I'd bother putting new bumpers etc on my car without getting rid of the moudlings, they're kinda dorky..

As for just replacing the front lip.. I'm not entirely sure what the lip is. I thought it was the front bumper until I just had a look and now realise its like a skirt under the front bumper. But my mouldings are part on the bumper, so no they couldn't be removed without putting on a new bumper. I don't think I could do the shaving thing either, since the bumpers are just crummy plastic with steel frame reinforcement (according to a friend).

Anyway, here's a pic of my car so you can see what I mean about the front bumper. Thanks for your reply!

 

Here in the states, we dont get the lovely SiR bumpers nor the regular looking side mirrors everyone else gets h:

 

Ha ha, or a roof rack. That looks clean, I like it the way it is. I don't however see a front lip (unless that aussie for bumper).

 

I want your headlights and front bumper

I don't see a front lip, either :dunno:

 

Well.. I don't think lip == bumper here in AU.. I only realised the other day some ppl add a lip under their bumper. I don't see (m)any cars with a lip as standard.

But you guys make it sounds like I'm meant to have a lip.. The trouble with that is: the bottom of my bumper is all dinger up and not too flash. A lip might not even attach properly cos of it.

I'd like to get one though, especially if they usually come with one! Didn't realise that...

And yeah.. roof racks :P Better than Homer's speed holes though I figure, not too worried about mags and kits and stuff, but I made it sound decent (stereo wise) and noone really would pay attention to me other wise (just the way I like it).

But yeah.. I'm interested in a lip if it's currently "missing" it.

Thanks for ur feedback.

 

You don't have a missing lip, you just mentioned in your first post that "and the front lip is pretty beaten up from the previous owner". I'm guessing now you just meant the bottom of the front bumper. If your willing to deal with finding a paint shop, you could probably pickup a new bumper either from a junkyard, from Honda or from the aftermarket (I don't know what's available to you down under). The pic you posted is pretty dark, but I don't think the bumper looks bad. The silver mesh in the grill doesn't really do anything for me, but the car looks good. There are some factory optional and aftermarket lips that look good to.