jkm311 - 2006 Abyss Vibe Base

[jkm311]

Current Mods: - GrafxWerks non-reflective white overlays (door locks)- Shorty antenna- MIVibe-ToolGuy's fog light covers (clear)- Lund Bug Deflector II (smoke) Now removed, but still have.- K&N drop-in filter- Chrome valve caps- Debadged- Bridgestone Potenza G019 205/60/16- Sirius radio- Painted engine cover, battery, washer fluid & fuse caps - Painted front grilles (upper)- Painted calipers- Soft cargo cover (not a mod, really, but never came with car originally)- '03-'05 center console double top- 54% tint all the way aroundFuture Mods:- Aftermarket H.U.

[bull77]

I only see red x's for pics edit: nvm -- work is blocking the flickr links

[Wolfman213]

I dig the white on the black!!!

[jkm311]

Ya had me worried, 77! Glad they are working. And, thanks for the compliment, Wolfman.I was thinking about introducing a completely different color, like an orange or something, but decided on the white. Now, if I just knew how to play chess, my vanity plate would write itself!

[Wolfman213]

I bet orange would have been pretty cool too! Something out of the norm and there are options out there as far as led's and such with orange too. Planning to do any further white touches?

[jkm311]

I held back on getting overlays for the rims. Knowing how vigorously I scrub them on wash day, there was no way I was going to waste the money/time/energy lining those 4 decals up, knowing I was going to wiff and scrub 'em right off.I am strongly considering the white engine cover overlay (VVT-i lettering), because I keep the covers pretty clean in the engine bay. I thought the white would make it "pop." It came down to "is this overkill?"Any further ideas for me, Wolf?

[Wolfman213]

I think it would look good on the engine cover since you keep it all clean anyways. As far as overkill, that's in the eye of the beholder. As long as you still like it, then who cares what others think.

[jkm311]

Now that I have seen your painted headlights, I might add that to the list! Although, that might not work so well if I don't upgrade to the projectors... Perhaps I can whip up my own (removed)-print, though. That won't take any practice on my end! Bah-doom ksssh.

[Wolfman213]

Unless you get projectors, do not paint you headlights. It will definitely lead to bad results. I've heard of people using HIDs in black housings, but I haven't heard of anyone using halogens in a black housing though.haha, just don't hurt yourself!

[ou.grizzly]

Great to see another MI Member here.. You should check out the Regional Forums for upcoming meets.

[jkm311]

Thanks, Grizzly. I'd love to hit up a meet some time. I have a few minor mods to do before hand, but I'm getting to a good place with my Abyss (trying to keep it as stock as possible, but with a hint of custom). I want to tint the windows, and pursue the headlight bulbs Whelan is educating us all on. Blanco Diablo gave me some good instructions on painting the front grilles black, too. Not fun, but necessary next purchase: new tires. With all the city driving I have been doing for the past 3 years, 40,000 miles is all I got out of my RS-As. Bummer. That was my tint money.

[ou.grizzly]

Well I am mod-free so do not feel too bad. The Vibe for me is a go-kart, gets me from point A to point Z.

[jkm311]

Funny, that's EXACTLY how I describe the Vibe, each time someone asks how I like it. "It's like a go-cart for adults!"No worries about being mod-less. My restlessness on making my Vibe "my own" is why I am so drawn to this particular web community!

[Blanco_Diablo]

Do you have any pics of your painted tails? Saw you had mentioned taping off the reflectors in another thread a while back, just curious how it came out.

[jkm311]

Sure thing, Blanco. They turned out great, with the VHT Nightshades, of course. I was apprehensive to paint them too much, so I didn't. What you see below is only two coats of VHT after I sprayed one coat of primer. I made sure the taillights were super clean and dry, and it was easy. The taping around the tailgate, bumper, etc was a bit tedious, but worth it in the end. I just didn't feel like uninstalling the tails, so I spent my time taping off and applying newspaper all around each taillight. Separately taping off the reflectors was actually kind of fun. I just used standard 3M blue painter's tape, applied two rows horizontally for good coverage, and here's where it gets fun: Run your finger nail along the edge of the reflector. Feel the ridge? I purposely let the tape overlap this area, then took my finger nail to make an indention in the tape itself around the entire edge of each reflector. At this point, razor-blading became ridiculously easy. Heck, certain parts of the tape began ripping, just from my nail. Ran the blade along my indention, then removed the extra painter's tape: A perfect tape off to keep the reflectors free of VHT, and shining in all their legal glory. And now, the pics (very low quality, hasty camera phone shots ):

[Crabbycrab]

Wow, those look fantastic. Sounds fairly easy and a lot bang for the buck.Quote »(trying to keep it as stock as possible, but with a hint of custom) Exactly.

[Blanco_Diablo]

Thanks man... they look great! May have to do that soon Did you hit them with any clear coat at the end of the process?

[jkm311]

You know, I didn't. And here's why: When I put clear on my engine bay parts, the clear turned what was a nice, even red paint job into this awful hazy mess. The can was newly purchased, I waited long enough between coats, and generally kept it shaken enough. Took me polishing my engine cover after it dried to make it look somewhat as nice as they did BEFORE the clear was applied. That was frustrating.Now that being said, what you see on my tails is the last of two VHT layers applied. It DOES have a more flat appearance, but not overly so. Believe me, I want to match the vibrance of the Abyss paint and factory clear coat as much as the next guy, but I wussed out. Err, I mean, didn't want an hour's-worth of work to go down the drain. However, I did paint my front grilles with your instruction in an IM a year ago, and they turned out GREAT. Those are glossy as the hood, and the front looks far more complete now. My first pic in this garage is deceiving, because that was before I painted the front grilles. I will be doing a whole new overhaul of this garage in the spring, so you'll get a better idea of what I've done. And the fact that I now own an SLR digital will make a big difference, too.

[BLargal]

I have yet to see anyone else with a Vibe around where I live in michigan would like to see someone else with one, first day I had it and went to work some stupid kids wrote "(removed)" in the dirt on the back of my car lol.

[jkm311]

Both of those statements are unbelievable!And I used to live in Novi, too. Don't worry, now that you're on this forum and driving a Vibe, you'll begin noticing more of these cars and all their idiosyncrasies before you know it. Keep tabs on the Hell meet, and most likely we'll be meeting each other. Have fun, West-sider.