10 replies to this topic

[sadam_lfc]

how hard is it to replace the rear valance?

how much is it for a decent respray these days?? keeping my original colour black - but car is 20 years old now and needs a touch up

[nomininolife]

Fitting the rear valance in itself is not a hard job, it just depends what you find when you start removing the old one.

You may need closing panels, boot floor repair, boot hinge panel repair panels.


David

[Sam Walters]

Defo buy a heritage panel. The fit of my non heritage one is pants. so im simply not going to put it back on.

[brianmini]

Defo buy a heritage panel. The fit of my non heritage one is pants. so im simply not going to put it back on.

Agree'd as above, simple to fit but its whats lurking behind you need to worry about, if nothing else I bet the closing panels will crumble when you poke them. One of mine was almost entirely rust and stonechip paint. If your handy with tin snips and steel you can fabricate your own, cheaper than buying but more time consuming.

I bought a non-heritage valance panel, fitted ok, but it did have stretch/shrinkage marks on the curves at the ends which needed plenty of filler primer to fill in. The non-heritiage front panel I used was the same. Saved a fortune though.

[danrock101]

how hard is it to replace the front one, mines all bent and after messing up the holes for my spotlights a new one would be a good idea

[johnbest981]

Regarding the respray, I just got my Jet Black resprayed as like yours it needed a panel replaced, and the paint needed a touch up too. So i sent it to the body shop and for the panel replaced, and a few tiny rust spots repaired it was 900 pounds.

I still think its the best 900 i ever spent

[brianmini]

how hard is it to replace the front one, mines all bent and after messing up the holes for my spotlights a new one would be a good idea

Quite a lot when it comes to the front panel. You need to cut (angle grind) below the lights (seperating wing from front panel), then all the associated grinding back to get the wings back into original shape. You also need to seperate the front panel from the inner wings, they're connected in 2 places, I hacked the front panel off and then addressed the area's where they joined the inner wing. And you need to unbolt the front panel from the subframe.

Then you need to bolt the new panel onto the subframe, line it all up, clamp it up and spot/plug weld the front panel lip to the inside of the wings, and the 2 tabs each side which mount into the inner wings. Lots of work, I only did it because 80% of my front panel was rust.

I'd say too big a job just for a few dents, but if the panel is disolving then its worth it.

Edited by brianmini, 27 April 2009 - 02:31 PM.

[Mayfair Junky]

How bad does the rear valance have to be before the MOT man will fail it? as mine is rather mis-shapen after dropping it on the jack and has a thumb sized rust hole just below the fog light mounting.

[danrock101]

how hard is it to replace the front one, mines all bent and after messing up the holes for my spotlights a new one would be a good idea

Quite a lot when it comes to the front panel. You need to cut (angle grind) below the lights (seperating wing from front panel), then all the associated grinding back to get the wings back into original shape. You also need to seperate the front panel from the inner wings, they're connected in 2 places, I hacked the front panel off and then addressed the area's where they joined the inner wing. And you need to unbolt the front panel from the subframe.

Then you need to bolt the new panel onto the subframe, line it all up, clamp it up and spot/plug weld the front panel lip to the inside of the wings, and the 2 tabs each side which mount into the inner wings. Lots of work, I only did it because 80% of my front panel was rust.

I'd say too big a job just for a few dents, but if the panel is disolving then its worth it.

ouch I think I'll leave it for now

[brianmini]

How bad does the rear valance have to be before the MOT man will fail it? as mine is rather mis-shapen after dropping it on the jack and has a thumb sized rust hole just below the fog light mounting.

My rear valance was a state and it kept passing its mot. If its just the one hole you can grind it back and patch it and skim it (if its small enough just skim it). If the valance is frilly in a number of places though then you'd be as well to replace the entire thing. But as above, its not the valance that'll be the issue when you replace, but the closing panels and boot floor when you get the valance off.

[Mayfair Junky]

My rear valance was a state and it kept passing its mot. If its just the one hole you can grind it back and patch it and skim it (if its small enough just skim it). If the valance is frilly in a number of places though then you'd be as well to replace the entire thing. But as above, its not the valance that'll be the issue when you replace, but the closing panels and boot floor when you get the valance off.

Cheers for that, think I may just patch it up for this mot and get it sorted properly later then (now lacking the time to replace it before the mot is due).