Cosmetic Kick Panel - Putting The Kick Back Into Kick Panel, Part 2

13. I applied four layers of 1.5 ounce fiberglass mat in full sheets and used a resin roller to smooth out the surface. Notice the small relief cuts I made around the edge of the fiberglass mat to allow it to lay down with ease.

14. As with the kick panel cover, use an angle grinder to smooth and scratch the surface.

15. Apply a thin layer of body filler over the fiberglass surface. For best results leave the fiberglass insert in place until all bodywork is complete.

16. Separate the speaker insert from the kick panel cover. Once separated, use the tip of the marker and guide it around the edge of the imprint the tape has left behind. Using an air saw, cut along the marked edge.

17. The kick panel cover will later be covered in vinyl, so we'll need to compensate for the material width on our insert. This can be accomplished by using double-sided tape around the edges of the insert. Once done, apply tape over the front of the insert and use a few drops of superglue to hold it to the kick panel cover.

18. Now it's time to build up the edges around the speaker insert. Here I've spread Duraglass around the entire insert edge neatly. Once the Duraglass is no longer tacky, sand the panel so that the surface is relatively smooth.

19. So that this area blends well with the rest of the panel, coat the surface with body filler. After sanding, apply one more coat of body filler to further blend the area if necessary. Once complete, remove the tape and sand the edges where the insert and kick panel cover meet.

20. Here I removed the speaker insert and traced a line on the kick panel cover. Cut along this line to provide access to the speaker.

21. On the speaker panel I marked a circle using an MDF ring I made to expose the speaker once the insert and kick panel are reinstalled. Notice I also cut out a two-piece cosmetic ring that is a little bit smaller than the MDF ring. The cosmetic ring is made out of 1/4" black acrylic and 1/8" aluminum. Both pieces were glued together and polished.

22. Both the kick panel cover and speaker insert are reinstalled. I dropped in place the two-piece cosmetic ring followed by the MDF ring. Both sets of rings were centered and a few drops of superglue were used to temporarily bond the MDF ring to the fiberglass speaker insert.

23. Here I spread Duraglass neatly around the ring to mold it into place. After you've lightly sanded the Duraglass continue by using body filler to further smooth out the surface. Note: If you plan on painting the insert instead of covering it with upholstery, I recommend using fiberglass mat to bond the ring to the insert first.

24. Mask off the entire kick panel area and reinstall the kick panel cover and speaker insert. I used Duraglass to fill any gaps around the edges of the kick panel cover.

25. Our final step before upholstery is to hand sand the surface using 80-grit sandpaper and a soft sanding block. This step will help remove deep sanding scratches and help the upholstery look better.

26. Here are two final shots of the kick panel reinstalled. This is a simple and clean installation.

27. Notice how the two-piece aluminum/acrylic ring makes the install look more custom.