Parts fit like crap.

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korey

Senior Member
I have a 97 civic dx coupe, and alot of my body pieces ( front/ rear bumper, fenders. ) fit like crap. There is like a 1/4" gap between some areas of the pieces. I was wondering why this may be and what I can do to fix it. All the peices are stock ( or stock looking, I think my car was in an accident before I bought it so some of the parts may be OEM knockoffs, could that be the problem?) My main goal is to make the car look EXTREMELY clean with smooth tight lines. ANY help, info, etc, will be greatly appreciated.
 
try to re-align everything?

carfax to check for collisions.... if they are all OEM honda pieces i dont see why they would fit like shit. when i first read your post i was thinking aftermarket till i finished.

like stated above, check for missing bolts.
 
They're probably knock off parts.

I have all taiwan parts on my front end, non-honda made oem style parts. They're bone stock, but they aren't as perfect as if you bought it from the factory.

And yeah, you can realign pretty much a lot of stuff. My buddies who did my car made it have perfect gaps besides the fender, because I guess, it wasn't that great of fit and some had to be shaved off etc and still the door would touch the 1st few times it was opened. It's the price you pay, 200+ for a bumper or 36 bucks. 36 bucks is worth it to me.
 
yes they are aftermarket parts, or as to distinguish from a body kit or parts of that nature they are non honda made oem. but they are aftermarket ...any how some things you might have to do is ream out some holes and push things in certain ways while you tighten them to get everything to aling. also you cant expect them to fit like they should but u can make them work. and u might even have to move some of the oarts that you asre not putting on to get things to aling, like if your putting on a fender you might have to adjust the door a little as well. im a collision repair tech so if u have anymore questions feel free to ask or pm me.
 
How to check if your parts are aftermarket:

1. Fender - a stock fender will nat be painted on the inside - well at least not the same color as the outside. Most aftermarket (metal) parts are dipped in primer. Either black or gray or white, depending on manufacturer. Example- Keystone - Black Primed/ Veng - Grey Primed...sometimes Black
2. Bumpers - look at the way it was paint - i.e. look around the edges of an opening...are they peeling? not matching up with a bodyline on the bumper? Also take a look at the inside is there a "X" DOT sticker? or nothing at all?
3. Hood - almost impossible - don't waste your time


Hope I was of some help :D
 
my 94 hatch is the same... im too cheap to do a carfax on her, but she definitely was in an accident before i bought it... in an attempt of fixing my rear bumper problem one day(didnt line up with the rest of the body and had gaps etc.) i took it off and found that the impact bar was bent to hell, i would assume that if it were straight my bumper would fit much better, so that might require some checking into........ also, if ur impact bar is bent DO NOT try and straighten it with a sledgehammer like i did, i think it is even worse now.. haha B) ........... i should be getting some new impact bars for the front and rear as soon as i stop being lazy and go to the junkyard... when i install them ill keep u updated if it helped or not
 
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