SHO-Z Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 The fit and quality of the MSA aero kit that I just received seems to have much to be desired. The rear bumper fits tight in some placed and has 1/4 to 3/8" gaps in others across the back and sides. The side pods are about 3/8" too long to fit properly and are twisted. When one end is tight against the body the other end is 1/2" away and has stress cracks in the gel coat at the door corners. I have not tried the front bumper yet but it does appear to be a better fit that the rest of the components. Is this the normal quality of this kit? The only solution I can come up with is to glass in the underside if the rear bumper to get a tight fit to the body and filling the top with filler. I wish they had trimmed so much of the original glass off, it would me much easier to trim the excess to fit. The sides are going to take some work to get any decent fit. It appears like it might be just as easy to cut them in two and shorten them and then reglass them together. If anyone has had similar problems on this kit how did you solve them? I really think the best thing is to send it back and find something different. But what else in available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 My rear bumper needed alot of work with a file to fit properly, and will still need some glass work before paint. I don`t know about the side skirts. I never tried them since I`m running side pipes. The front will take a little work to look nice,but not near as much as the rear, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timh Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 My entire Aero II kit was the same way when it was installed 3 years ago. Forget about returning the side skirts for replacements, they're all that way. I returned two sets before going with another side skirt. Unfortunately, I can't recall where they're from. They're not a perfect fit either, but I couldn't see a way to attach the "torqued" MSA sideskirts. I had to add material in some places and remove it from others to get the bumpers to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 Remember that these kits were designed around unmodified (either intentionally or unintentionally) Z's. My 280Z has never been in any kind of a fender-bender and evidently had been driven gently before I got it so everything lined up and fit pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timh Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 If his sideskirts were like mine, they were twisted about 15-20° from one end to the other. I wouldn't touch them, and I wouldn't pay a bodyman the many hours worth of labor it would take to make them work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 I took my Z down to bare metal during the conversion to a Z-therapy type convertible. I know every area that has filler on the car. The rear end is all straight metal. With the changes of the 240 thru 280z there probably has been changes to the contour of the rear end. The rear bumper just was trimmed too much by the manufacturer. It would make more sense to have to have the purchaser to have to trim the edge of the bumper to fit the car than to have to glass in large areas. As for the side pods the stress cracking of the gel coat and major twisting from end to end makes them all but unusable. Unless the entire crack is removed the crack will propagate and show up in the paint. I called MSA yesterday and was told that they never had problem with fit on this kit. That all of the pieces where of the "Highest quality" and never had a complaint. As you can see by 2 of the replies above that the side pods are has been a problem area to others. I am calling their B.S. They will take the kit back but I have to pay for shipping, another $130. I do not know about the rest of MSA products but I will never deal with them again or recommend anyone else dealing with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 If the parts truely are defective,(which i have no doubt they are) MSA should take them back AND pay for the shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbuczesk Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 I recently installed the front and rear skirts on my early 260Z. The front was pretty easy but the rear took some work. If the sides of the rear bumper are too long then move it higher. It's better to trim a little extra off the sides where it meets the body so you can get the correct side length. Once everything lines up properly you can then fix the gap between the bumper and the body. To fill that gap I used masking tape on the bumper and had meet flush against the body. I then removed the bumper, flipped it over and filled in the gap with fiberglass. After that dried I cut off the excess using the masking tape as my guide. It was ver simple to do it this way and came out great. I'll try to post some pics tonight. My bumper has a small gap because I plan to put a rubber gasket between the bumper and body to prevent damage to the paint. Chuck 1974 260Z turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godsrocks2000 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I have the msa II kit. I had the same problems with side skirts. I put the skirts in a hot temp room ,it made it a little more flimsy ,and then I installed them and everthing looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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