powershift46 Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 It is going to happen sooner or later, no matter how careful we are. We will run the front end/air dam/ground effect into a parking curb, side walk, speed bump, or a steep incline. Once this happens there are deep scratches and gouges left in the soft plastic material. It there any way to repair this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorjock205 Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 It is going to happen sooner or later, no matter how careful we are. We will run the front end/air dam/ground effect into a parking curb, side walk, speed bump, or a steep incline. Once this happens there are deep scratches and gouges left in the soft plastic material. It there any way to repair this? YUP, it's called buy a replacement part....I'm going to have to replace a right side skirt after forgetting that there was a curb next to me when I was pulling out of a parking space....and you are right, it's going to happen if we dirve them...I've got a few scratches on the bottom of the front facia from when I first got the car trying to be very careful going in and out of the driveway, but it was just too steep for the lowered Shelby GT...I'm not worried about it right now as you have to be under the car to see anything at all right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07SHELBY GT Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 I scraped the underside of the front facia on mine last year pulling in and out of a gas stsion to save 5 cents a gallon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 The change out of the SGT front clip is not an easy or cheap fix. There's alot involved, including having the part painted as you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350steps Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 The change out of the SGT front clip is not an easy or cheap fix. There's alot involved, including having the part painted as you know. I thought the lower edge of the front fascia was integral, or one piece, with the fascia. If you replaced it would the "numbers" no longer match? As an aside, for those that changed or are contemplating changing the rocker panel covers, are these numbered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellow pony Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 I thought the lower edge of the front fascia was integral, or one piece, with the fascia. If you replaced it would the "numbers" no longer match? As an aside, for those that changed or are contemplating changing the rocker panel covers, are these numbered? Both the front facia and rocker pannel covers are standard Ford parts installed at the factory (Not at SAI). Other than having a part number stamped on them, I'm not aware of any type of serial number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007_Shelby_GT Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Depending on the location of the scratches, i.e., on a painted or non-painted area, the repair may be simple or more complicated. On a non-painted area, I've had some success on other vehicles, with light sanding using a very fine grit(s). This removes or hides some of the shallower gouges. I wouldn't recommend this for deep scars. On painted areas, well, your stuck with touch-up paint or full blown visit to the body shop. On a side note: I picked up a dime size nick on my hood, (a rock, wouldn't ya know it!), as well as numerous small nicks in the windshield. I managed to make a half-way decent repair using touch-up paint on the hood, building it up, then sanding it down with 5000 grit wet paper, followed by buffing, polishing, and wax. As far as the windshield goes, it looks like I'll just have to suffer with those little nicks until I get a full blown crack and get the whole thing replaced by my insurance. So goes the joy and sadness of owning and driving a car like this! SEF AKA: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuLu Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 The change out of the SGT front clip is not an easy or cheap fix. There's alot involved, including having the part painted as you know. Agreed. I know we all love our SGTs dearly, but this seems to be a lot to go through for a few scratches that can't be seen without hunting them down. My chin spoiler has a few scratches from too tall speed bumps, but I can't see spending a lot of money to correct that. IMHO, if it happened once, it will happen again, wait until something comes off? I thought the lower edge of the front fascia was integral, or one piece, with the fascia. If you replaced it would the "numbers" no longer match? As an aside, for those that changed or are contemplating changing the rocker panel covers, are these numbered? "Numbers matching" as it is typically understood and applied to collector's cars, doesn't apply much anymore. At one time, automobile manufacturers stamped the VIN on major components as an "anti-theft" deterrent, but that was years ago. It's not like that today. Major components will have a part number, and possibly a coded production date and intended application, but these numbers are shared across the spectrum of components and production. Example: A 4R70W auto tranny built for a Crown Vic would be coded with something like 9W45SMPP. However, a 4R70W tranny built for a CV/PI would be coded 7W38SMPP (these are not the real numbers). Same tranny, different application. Ford's "modular repair" program has a lot to do with this. Modular repair means that up to a certain point, a failed component could be repaired/rebuilt by a tech at a dealership. But, cross a mystical (and ever-changing) cost line, and the whole unit is replaced. This saves Ford the cost of hourly tech labor, as it comforts the consumer with the excuse "we're not going to fix this, we're going to replace the whole assembly. It's cheaper for Ford to replace the whole component than it is to repair/rebuild what broke. Thus, if you blow an engine/tranny/rear end (and other stuff), you don't have to worry about losing you "number matching" status. There are no numbers to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350steps Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Depending on the location of the scratches, i.e., on a painted or non-painted area, the repair may be simple or more complicated. On a non-painted area, I've had some success on other vehicles, with light sanding using a very fine grit(s). This removes or hides some of the shallower gouges. I wouldn't recommend this for deep scars. On painted areas, well, your stuck with touch-up paint or full blown visit to the body shop. On a side note: I picked up a dime size nick on my hood, (a rock, wouldn't ya know it!), as well as numerous small nicks in the windshield. I managed to make a half-way decent repair using touch-up paint on the hood, building it up, then sanding it down with 5000 grit wet paper, followed by buffing, polishing, and wax. As far as the windshield goes, it looks like I'll just have to suffer with those little nicks until I get a full blown crack and get the whole thing replaced by my insurance. So goes the joy and sadness of owning and driving a car like this! SEF AKA: I have not attempted any repair for this condition but I did investigate some materials specically designed for automotive applications which might serve to repair this condition. These materials are made by 3M. They are epoxies designed to fill-in and bond integrally with the plastic but are sandable and the one is paintable. These are not "bondo" fiberglass based fillers, these are designed to fill and become part of the plastic. 1) 3M Automix EZ Sand Flexible Parts Repair #05895, off white in color, 15 min cure time, 30 minute sand time, meant to repair bumper covers, body panels 2) 3M Duramix #08214 Adhesive, black in color, 4 hour cure time,30 minute paint time, meant for bonding spoilers, flares, air dams, impact strips, etc. 3) 3M Duramix Super Fast Repair Adhesive #04247, meant more for repairing cracked eyelets in bumpers, broken tabs, etc., might set up too quickly for filling scratches The 3m site addresses application, etc. While easier said than done I would think the affected lower edge would need to be masked off, lightly sanded to remove burrs, then material mixed and applied with a flexible spatula, then sanded, and finished. Since the scratches are on the underside the finish can range from flat to textured( possibly "rolled-on" with a mini roller for a textured finish). Again, this might prove to be a "neck-breaker" unless the fascia was removed for ease of repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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