An easy way to make your ride distinctive is to enhance its looks with a simple body mod. A low-cost and hassle-free approach is to use molded body extensions, such as rocker panel side skirts or “flairs.”
These side skirts fit on the bottom part of your car between the wheels, a component called the rocker panel. Good rocker panel side skirts are designed for your car, and are held in place with screws and automotive-grade two-sided adhesive tape.
Rocker panel side skirts come unpainted and primed, but some sellers will also paint the side skirts the color of your car for an extra fee. Any body shop will paint your side skirts for a reasonable amount.
Good rocker panel side skirts comes as a kit with all of the mounting hardware
Installing your side skirts is pretty easy. Many kits come with a hanger rail that is screwed into the car’s rocker panel. The side skirt is hung on that rail. It’s then attached with screws on the ends and on the bottom of the side skirt—and also by a length of double-sided adhesive tape that runs along the top edge of the side skirt.
Here are things to consider when purchasing and installing your rocker panel side skirts:
- Make sure the side skirt is made out of urethane or ABS plastic— and not fiberglass. (Bumper covers are also made of urethane.) These materials are very durable and flexible, which will prevent them from cracking or breaking under normal circumstances. Fiberglass side skirts are brittle, and can be easily damaged during installation or in normal use.
- Pick a set of rocker panel side skirts that include all of the installation hardware, including screws, hangers, mounting brackets, and has the double-sided adhesive tape already installed. A quality side skirt kit will also include installation instructions.
Inside of a rocker panel side skirt showing its hanger and hanger tabs, as well as the two-sided mounting tape.
- When having your rocker panel side skirts painted, make sure the paint shop mixes the paint with urethane flex additives. This is the same mixture used to paint bumper covers, and will allow the side skirts to take road debris and hits from rocks without damaging the paint.
- If you install the side skirts yourself, make sure you do it on a clean driveway or garage. Also, lay out a blanket or towel under the side skirt to prevent any damage during installation.
- Before mounting the side skirts, make sure the rocker panel and surrounding bodywork on your car is squeaky clean. If necessary use a pressure washer to remove all the road dirt off of the car’s rocker panel. Next, go over the rocker panel with wax and tar remover, so you have a clean surface for the double-sided adhesive tape.
- Installing the side skirts can be done by one person, but it is best to do it with a friend—to hold the side skirt in place, and prevent and damage during the process. If the side skirt comes with a hanger strip, place the hanger tabs in the strip first, and then loosely fasten the end and bottom screws. Pull the protective film from the double-sided adhesive tape across the side skirt.
- Before you hang the side skirt, pull a short piece of the film up as a pull-tab to make the job easier. Press the top edge of the side skirt onto the cars rocker panel to make sure the tape firmly sticks. You may have to check the tape after installation to make sure it’s firmly on the car. After that snug down all the screws.
Now stand back and admire your work.
If this project sounds fun and you like the result, then head over to peruse the eBay Motors parts & accessories section for body kits and rocker panel side skirts.
