Hi guys, I have a 1983 TA that I converted to 85-90 TA body, and painted a few weeks ago (for the 2nd time). When I did the first respray I bolted the ground effects right up against the body using all the stock hardware from a donor car. I did not use any trim tape. But this time I bought some of the expensive 3M super strength body trim tape just in case.

Did the factory use body tape in between the plastic and body or not? If not I'll leave it out. Obviously the gfx are held on plenty strong by bolts. I just figure that the tape will keep water from running down inside the GFX.

 

No, factory didn't use any adhesive between. It might not be a bad idea though. I'm actually heavily considering it when I get my car repainted.

 

The only thing I'm worried about is if the tape will be of negligible thickness. I don't want to wind up with a gap. On a lot of belt line trim, a slight gap caused by foam tape is not noticeable. However, w/ the TA ground effects, any gap would look horrible. Maybe I will test fit one of the rear pieces w/ the tape and bolt it down and see if it gaps at all. If so, at least I'll only have to scrape tape from one piece.

 

I don't have anything to contribute here, but I just had to say... NICE paint!

 

Oh on the 2nd gen? You can buy it if you want to. I am swapping the built EFI'd 327 out of it and into the 3rd gen TA I am finishing color sanding from new paint. I have the 2nd gen as a rolling chassis up on craigslist (northern VA area)

 

Instead of using tape, I would use a bead of clear silicone sealant. This should help cut down on the amount of moisture that can get between the rocker and ground effect, but it can be removed without harming the paint.

 

Silicone is a huge No. I'd use nothing at all before I did that.

 

yeah,I wouldn't use that either,and I don't think you'll need the tape either,the gfx should be just fine as they are from factory as long as all the brackets are in good shape.