How Much to Install a Body Kit?

How much does it cost to install a body kit on my ________ ?

If I had a nickle for every time I heard that question, well;   I would retire.  So here we go, the most in depth explanation you will find on the internet on the subject.  Oh and this comes from experience in the field and from many installs on all types of vehicles.

Researching body kit installation prcign can be an extensive task.  The goal of this post is to help you save time and money on your next project.  Hopefully this information finds you before the lure of a cheap body kit does.

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Buying Your Parts

Yes buying parts is part of the installation process.  Because if you buy low quality parts, expect to pay more in the body shop.  You see;  you think your saving money, but all your really doing is shifting cost.  Shifting costs meaning;  your paying the body shop to take your low quality parts and turn them into high quality parts.  All the blemishes and defects that come with your cheep body kit has to be repaired.  Any body shop worth any money, will want to repair the blemished kit before painting.  Otherwise they will be blamed and your friends will be laugh at you for getting such a cruddy job done.  Bite the bullet and pay more for quality, you body shop and your budget will thank you later.

Unfortunately in the body shop business your not buying a tangible item, what your buying is time.  Your paying a body shop for the amount of time it takes to do the work you are asking them to do.  How long it actually takes depends on the skill of the person doing the work.  Higher skilled people can do the work faster, but, they want to charge more because they have more skills and are proud of their work.  So when a body shop writes you an estimate for any work, they have to guess how much time it will take, then multiply their labor hours, guess how much in materials, then add a little for mistakes and hope to God they got close.  The smart ones charge on an open ticket (time and Material), basically however long it takes, that's how much they have to charge.  This is the most accurate way.  That's why we say, as many people you ask, that's how many different prices you will get.  There are all different skill levels in this industry.

A Word About Doing It Yourself


We completely understand the "Do It Yourself Phenomenon"  Its how most enthusiasts start at a young age, mostly because they lack the funds to pay someone else to do it.  Understanding that there are hard heads out there (me included) that will do it themselves no matter how much we recommend having a professional do it.  You may want to consider this other project specifically designed for your type.  Its a project that is still in the planning phases but, will allow you to access a fully equipped shop, utilize the facilities and take advantage of the knowledge and skills of other members.


OK Back to the Body Kit Installation Price Discussion


Now with collision work, we have software for pricing time and its a little easier to guess.  But even that's not perfect, its why we have Supplements.  Insurance companies understand the difficulties when estimating anything, they hate supplements.  But they also understand its a fact of life.

So keep in mind when pricing your install, that all a shop can do is guess.  Ultimately its up to you to pay the bill.  Our advice to you would be:  Get a few estimates, take the highest one and add 45% to it as a contingency.  This way your car wont get stuck in a shop or worse, end up with a lien against it.


So, with the above information as a start.  We will list the most common body kit installation prices we've had to charge our customers and hopefully you will get a better idea of how much your going to have to pay.  Also, you can view our past projects web album for pricing information, we post a MSRP (for lack of a better word) on most of our past projects.  This helps to educate you, the customer.


Basic Installation No Paint $600

This one came already painted.  The installation was simple.  No big blemishes to deal with.  We did have to build 2 tabs for mounting bolts.  Mounting screws or bolts are normally exposed on this type of low budget install.  But all in all it looks good.  Customer was extremely happy, only took 2 days to complete and she was able to make her trip to FLA.

Basic Installation and Paint $1600 to $2500

Full body kit, normally consist of 4 pieces.  Front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper.  Normal blemishes and triming required.  The usuall amount od headache and poor fitment.  But otherwise an easy install for the skilled body man.

Extreme Installation and Paint $3000 to $4500

Same as the above type of install, but with major blemish repair, more polish time on the paint and molded side skirts.  Side skirt molding mean they are installed with no seems or gaps.  Very clean, very nice and very durable.  We have never had cracking on any of our molded parts.  Even after years of service.  This type of install includes mesh, brackets for durability and rubber washers on all mounting points to minimize vibration and cracking.  We can also add ($400) an extremely durable chip resistant coating for those who want their fiberglass parts to last a good long time.


Wide Body Conversions $6,000 to $15,000

Certainly the most complicated of all the installations but also the coolest and most unique.  Usually involves more then 13 pieces and painting the entire car.  Extensive mods are usually required to get a clean factory look and fix all the blemishes in the multi part kit.

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Molding Body Kit Parts / Spoilers

Needless to say a cool mod.  Not cheap, basically time and materials charge.  How long does it take?  Depends on the skill of the person doing the work.  The higher the skill the quicker the Job can get done but, the Higher the labor rate as well.  Molding body kit Parts can be very time consuming but, if you want a product no one else will have, molding your parts is the way to go. 


Keep in mind when looking for a shop that can mold body kit parts, if you ask a shop to mold a body kit and if at any time the words save money comes out of your mouth, you may get escorted out of the office, lol.  Expect to pay for this type of skill.


Custom Wide Body Creations $25,000 and up.  These are one of those projects that if you have to ask then you cant afford it.  Taking an existing body kit from one car and custom fitting it to another and adding panels where needed to create a one off wide body project.  Why don't we have a  picture of this service?  well we have yet to find a budget with room enough to do the kind of work we are capable of doing.  Its not can we do the work, its can you right the check.  This type of project is reserved for the most elite of customers.

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To view any of the above projects in our web album or for additional pricing examples, use this link.