cheap n easy mod ideas for the beginner?

[NoRemorse249]

hey guys! so as i am a new owner of my 05 vibe. i was wonderin if i could get some reccomendations for easy cheap mods for the beginner modder. i want to start off easy and simple as i do not have the time required to tear it apart to do the big jobs. so any ideas for neat lil mods would be much appreciated. iv done the light under the dash and it works perfect. cant wait to hear of your ideas. thanks, dillon

[joatmon]

check out these two threads


Poor Man's Complete Performance Mod Guide for the 1ZZ-FE(Vibe Base & AWD) for Under $2,000
The Great How-To Modification Index!

[robtco99]

You could take apart your headlights and paint them black, and you also could paint your grille black too. Total cost about $10 for black spray paint and silicone. I prefer the fusion paint because it sticks to plastic well.

I took my headlights apart with a heat gun. The whole area you paint black unscrews from the inner headlight, so you only have to tape the marker light off. Scuff it up first so the paint will stick. Put everything back together heat it up again to melt the glue, then put silicone on the seal to seal it up. They basically look like the stock 03-04 headlights.

I just cleaned, scuffed up my grille, masked it and painted it on the car.

Maybe some suspension mods and wheels. I wouldn't bother with many performance mods because these cars will still be pretty slow

[thebarber]

Intake from eBay
paint/vinyl roof racks black
Hid kit for headlights or fogs
paint OEM rims
Paint brake calipers
Lowering springs
New tires

[NoRemorse249]

robtco any chance you have any pics of what this would turn out to look like? id love to get some kind of carbon fiber vinyl or something of the sort and put that in to look aftermarket.

[cptnsolo77]

You could take apart your headlights and paint them black, and you also could paint your grille black too. Total cost about $10 for black spray paint and silicone. I prefer the fusion paint because it sticks to plastic well.

I took my headlights apart with a heat gun. The whole area you paint black unscrews from the inner headlight, so you only have to tape the marker light off. Scuff it up first so the paint will stick. Put everything back together heat it up again to melt the glue, then put silicone on the seal to seal it up. They basically look like the stock 03-04 headlights.

I just cleaned, scuffed up my grille, masked it and painted it on the car.

Maybe some suspension mods and wheels. I wouldn't bother with many performance mods because these cars will still be pretty slow

Yes Krylon Fusion. I repainted my grille, front & rear wiper arms, & back roof rack caps. Great stuff !

[lannvouivre]

Intake from eBay
paint/vinyl roof racks black
Hid kit for headlights or fogs
paint OEM rims
Paint brake calipers
Lowering springs
New tires

Debadge
Genvibe.com sticker
And if you can afford to do lowering springs, you may be able to do a retrofit job if you do it yourself. And if the projectors are on clearance.

[Blanco_Diablo]

Buy my chrome trim rings and lugs to dress up your 16" steelies... you can see them here before the new wheel shots

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[MrHatchWagon]

A couple ideas that wouldn't be too expensive..

LED License plate bulbs: A couple bucks on eBay, just get some white T10 LED bulbs from china and look up the guide on the boards. Takes a few minutes to change them and makes a big difference.


LED dome lights: If you check out KITT222's interior light tutorial, here: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=37574" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it accents the rest of the lighting nicely.


Shift Knob: Our shifter thread is M12x1.25. If you look up M12x1.25 shift knob on eBay, there are quite a few decent options that won't break the bank. I have a polished metal one from Sickspeed, it's got the shifter pattern engraved into it and has a good feel to it when shifting. You can get universal shift boots online too for under 20$.



Carbon fiber vinyl to the interior trim also spruces up the interior a little. You can get rolls for next to nothing on eBay, and once you get used to working with it the possibilities are limitless. Look at DVibe's garage for inspiration, he's done a lot. I had a sample piece so I did up the chrome trim around the climate control knobs. Guides are available everywhere online for this DIY mod. I'm waiting on some more to come in to do the shifter surround.

Super Tone Horns mounted behind the grill also look pretty cool. It's a popular mod with the Subaru crowd but a few of us have put them on our Vibes as well.


As others have said, Debadge


Black out roof rack are also great ideas. Some people have made a "Home-Depot Front Lip" out of some garage door liner, with pretty good results for minimal cost. Again, guides are available on the site. Let's not forget painted break calipers, like Thebarber said.

One more: Window tint.

One other thing you could do that isn't exactly a mod, is to just keep the car clean and shiny. Detail it, show it some love, clean the engine bay, and you'll see the results of your hard work. A set of aftermarket wheels really sets a car off, too, especially with a drop to give it a nice stance.

[mac99d]

wheels and lower it.

[star_deceiver]

Yes, wheels!!!

The right rims make the vehicle!!!

[NoRemorse249]

mr hatch thanks for the ideas. but mine isnt a stick yet still the 4 auto

[NoRemorse249]

stardeciever, you talkin like you own one. hahaha get it? jk

[star_deceiver]

Used to.... still have those rims... just need to find the right red or black model genviber to sell them to!

[NoRemorse249]

aint gotta be red or black. a nice gun metal grey with those wouldnt be too bad i say.

[NoRemorse249]

any body kno the link for the garage door lip thing? i lost it.

[Adam24303]

Just ordered some LEDs to replace the map, dome and license plate lights. Should be in next week. This thread inspired me!

[MrHatchWagon]

any body kno the link for the garage door lip thing? i lost it.

viewtopic.php?t=33568" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I think that's the one you're looking for.