GenVibe lurker goes legit
Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:25 pm
I have been lurking around here for the last 5 years but recently we bought a new Jeep Renegade for my wife and I took the opportunity to sell my 91 Toyota 4x4 while it still had good value, and step into main driver of our 2003 Lava Moon and Tunes Vibe. Kind of a change for me but I have always liked this car. When we bought it I debadged it the next day and other than some repairs and painting license frames and mounts to match the car left it alone. I did get the chance to buy 17x7 Scion wheels from a coworker. One of the pluses of working in a Toyota bodyshop. I miss that employee discount but I browbeat them into giving me bodyshop retail anyways! Well since I received the handmedown Vibe 4 weeks ago, I have bought Tein springs, painted the hood and top of fender semi gloss black(more to fix the peeling clear than style), sanded and cleared the headlights (adding a eyebrow to the top that brings the black farther down), changed a caliper, ordered a new front arrowhead and filler decals from Grafexwerks for the arrowhead and locks, painted the grills black (the lowers are broke but member on here is supplying new ones. 
), relocated front license plate from factory bracket to in front of lower grills (gave it a more streamlined contour by bending it and frame over my knee 
) and fastened it down with some new stainless theft proof torx screws. Never considered myself a "tuner" but I looked up the definition and "lo and behold" I have always been one. Can't do alot to this one because I have a 1974 Dodge Charger that likes to devour my money. I call it the "girlfriend". So far the Vibe is getting Tein springs, Tokico struts, new strut mounts, boots, calipers, master cylinder, rear brakes, hatch struts, top and upper rails painted black, wheels are probably going gloss black with custom silver arrowhead centers and open end lug nuts if I can find them. I have a Alpine headunit on the way which will go with the Alpine door speakers it already had. Also put a shorty 5 inch antannae on it. I am in the middle of modding the top rails into a cover so I hope it turns out because I like cheap. I have always had 2 rules to my restyling of any vehicle I own. The mod must blend with the overall look of the car and not stand out. And second it must look professional. My cheapest mod so far is adding short pieces of convoluted wire tubing to the headrest uprights for instant sport seats. Thinking about having Pontiac embroidered in silver in the head rests or middle of the seat cover. Since this is going to be my work vehicle I put the back seat down and am making a plywood panel to cover with carpet for the whole rear area to give the Vibe a australian Ute kinda feel. Just got a 5 inch tint band added to the windshield. Ordered some ColorBond to paint the light gray interior components Graphite color. That has always bugged me along with the A pillar (windshield for non bodyshop speaking peoples) moulding glaring at you as you walk up to the car. I'm leaving everything headliner area light colored because it needs help from the heat. Researching sound deadener and insulation to do some luxury mods. Almost forgot my new fender emblems from Sickspeed that have the engine callout on them. Those are going in front of the mirrors on the dividing line between the red and black. Some of my friends are never going to believe it because I have NEVER added a emblem to anything I have ever owned ! I once debadged a new lawn mower, painted the wheels a custom color and added hubcaps to please my OCD nature.
Other than getting it all cleaned and buffed (my wife likes to DRIVE clean cars, not ClEAN them) and fix the tensioner rattle, that's pretty much the story of the handmedown Vibe so far. I may add a Gt wheel, remove the second convertor and sound chamber and add a custom single inlet/ dual outlet muffler, replace the lower a arms with new and upgrade with Energy suspension bushings and detail the sway bars with some paint, Hotchkiss stickers, urethane bushings and some rod end end links. From there this summer may see me repainting the sides red and removing the outside rear door handles. I have always wanted to take the side mouldings off but someone cleared over them doing a repair keeping me from it. Its kinda funny but since driving it, I have notice the side moulding duplicates the lines in the tailights and on the side of the bumpers and want to keep them. Who knows........... I will add a pic if I can figure it out. I once looked up "computer literate" and it said, "anybody but you" which I thought while being true ,was pretty rude.
vibe resized 2.jpg
), relocated front license plate from factory bracket to in front of lower grills (gave it a more streamlined contour by bending it and frame over my knee ) and fastened it down with some new stainless theft proof torx screws. Never considered myself a "tuner" but I looked up the definition and "lo and behold" I have always been one. Can't do alot to this one because I have a 1974 Dodge Charger that likes to devour my money. I call it the "girlfriend". So far the Vibe is getting Tein springs, Tokico struts, new strut mounts, boots, calipers, master cylinder, rear brakes, hatch struts, top and upper rails painted black, wheels are probably going gloss black with custom silver arrowhead centers and open end lug nuts if I can find them. I have a Alpine headunit on the way which will go with the Alpine door speakers it already had. Also put a shorty 5 inch antannae on it. I am in the middle of modding the top rails into a cover so I hope it turns out because I like cheap. I have always had 2 rules to my restyling of any vehicle I own. The mod must blend with the overall look of the car and not stand out. And second it must look professional. My cheapest mod so far is adding short pieces of convoluted wire tubing to the headrest uprights for instant sport seats. Thinking about having Pontiac embroidered in silver in the head rests or middle of the seat cover. Since this is going to be my work vehicle I put the back seat down and am making a plywood panel to cover with carpet for the whole rear area to give the Vibe a australian Ute kinda feel. Just got a 5 inch tint band added to the windshield. Ordered some ColorBond to paint the light gray interior components Graphite color. That has always bugged me along with the A pillar (windshield for non bodyshop speaking peoples) moulding glaring at you as you walk up to the car. I'm leaving everything headliner area light colored because it needs help from the heat. Researching sound deadener and insulation to do some luxury mods. Almost forgot my new fender emblems from Sickspeed that have the engine callout on them. Those are going in front of the mirrors on the dividing line between the red and black. Some of my friends are never going to believe it because I have NEVER added a emblem to anything I have ever owned ! I once debadged a new lawn mower, painted the wheels a custom color and added hubcaps to please my OCD nature.Other than getting it all cleaned and buffed (my wife likes to DRIVE clean cars, not ClEAN them) and fix the tensioner rattle, that's pretty much the story of the handmedown Vibe so far. I may add a Gt wheel, remove the second convertor and sound chamber and add a custom single inlet/ dual outlet muffler, replace the lower a arms with new and upgrade with Energy suspension bushings and detail the sway bars with some paint, Hotchkiss stickers, urethane bushings and some rod end end links. From there this summer may see me repainting the sides red and removing the outside rear door handles. I have always wanted to take the side mouldings off but someone cleared over them doing a repair keeping me from it. Its kinda funny but since driving it, I have notice the side moulding duplicates the lines in the tailights and on the side of the bumpers and want to keep them. Who knows........... I will add a pic if I can figure it out. I once looked up "computer literate" and it said, "anybody but you" which I thought while being true ,was pretty rude.
vibe resized 2.jpg
Now lets see that ride of yours ..................