Constrictor 98TA

I did all these mods last year, but since Im sorta new to this board, and many of you may have not seen the pix on the "other" board, I thought I'd repost them here.

Some of these mods will get mixed emotions as I know not everyone is a fan of them, but here goes:

Mitsubishi Eclipse Aluminum fuel door:


After painting (it looks like the paint doesnt match in this picture, but it really does)




Streetglow White Neon underhood light:


Test fitting of light. I cleaned up the cuts, and used black door trim around the edges to give it a finished look. There is also a rocker switch near the fuse box so I can turn the light on and off under the hood without having to get back into the car.


Red Cold Cathode Interior Lights: This one gets the most mixed reaction, but I think it gives a nice evil glow the interior of the car. Right now, I have it wired to the "illumination" wire behind the radio, so the lights come in when the headlights are on (like any footwell light would), but I have a manual switch to turn them on and off as I please. Although I do get mixed reactions on the internet, when people see them in person, the reaction is always positive.





Painted Red brake calipers with Trans Am vinyl decals:


I took the calipers off the rotors, but left the lines connected, sanded it down to bare metal, removed the brake pads, and shoved newspaper inside the caliper to keep paint out, and covered the whole wheel well and fender with a sheet and sprayed the calipers with 3-4 coats. Then let it dry, applied the decals, then shot another 2-3 coats of clear enamel. Its held up so far and is very easy to clean.

I have a ton more pix on my site, along with some new mods planned for this year.

Steve1969LS1

iTrader: (1)

Very nice.. love the painted fuel door (sure looks better than the el-cheapo factory one with the "nose")

Does the light run off battery power?

Like the brakes but now you need some eradispeeds (since you have drawn attention to the brakes with the nice calipers)

Face it.. it NEVER ends

Zero_FactiX

I like all of it. How did you match the fuel door paint to the car was it a pro. job or walmart paint?

SSTAR

.

XtinctHawk02

bigMAC

Looks pretty good

WhiteDeathLS1

iTrader: (1)

I Like all of it, especially the hood light idea.

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

What modifications were needed to make that fuel door bolt up? Any cutting?

Constrictor 98TA

Yeah, I know it does...my car isnt anywhere near what you did to yours, but Im getting there slowly! The hood light is wired to the BATT side of the TCS fuse junction in the fuse box. Since my car doesnt have TCS, that spot wasnt being used anyway. I have an inline rocker switch and a 5A fuse before the light.

I took it to a local body shop with the old fuel door and had them match it. Normally I like to do things myself, but I have no experience professionally painting things, and this was something that was going to be very visible, so I wanted it done right!

Yeah, a little. The stock door is held on by rivets, so you need to drill those out. Once those are out the old door comes right out.

You then need to remove the black plastic cup that goes around the fuel neck, and that will expose the metal lip. The hinge for the new door is a little larger than the old one, so you need to take a Dremel and grind a little but of the metal away (none of this is visible once the door is mounted).

Those 6 allen screws are what hold the door to the fender. You'll need to drill a hole into this same lip that you cut for the hinge for the two left most screws. The other four dont need any special cutting or holes drilled, you basically just need to put a small washer and nut on the back side of the screw and put those behind the fender, and when you tighten the allen screw, it will clamp itself to the fender.

I know it sounds like a lot, but if I had a picture of it, it would make a lot more sense and its not hard to do at all. Everything you cut or drill into is hidden by the new door, and you will not be able to see any of it.

You have to remember, this door was meant for an Eclipse and not an F-body. The size is exactly the same, but the contours of the door are a little bit off. It can be made to fit very closely, but its not perfectly. If you are a perfectionist and want it to look stock, you won't be happy because the bottom edge wont line up 100%. Its not noticable in these pictures, and most people will not notice it either. Of course you will cause its your car, but I think the slight imperfection isnt that noticable, and the new door looks so nice, I can deal with it. Plus, this is an F-body we're talking about here, mis matched body panels are part of the game!

BAD ASS TA WS6

iTrader: (5)

Amen to that...


Car looks good, I've never seen that mod done, and painted after. I like that much better than just the brushed aluminum door. Don't really like the lights, but thats no big deal. Calipers look , I'm doing mine the same way, but with chrome brackets.

Rob

PontiacFan

iTrader: (104)

Fuel Door looks nice, ...,

Kens_02SS

iTrader: (11)

Looks good

Constrictor 98TA

Thanks again everyone for the comments. I cant take credit for the Eclipse fuel door, although I did the install myself, I wasnt the first to come up with it. There used to be a walkthrough on the internet on how to install it with some pix, but I dont remember where its from.

And for what its worth the underhood light is functional. I got tired of not being able to see my engine bay at night. With the hood up and the light on, you can see everything!

Gr8WhtLS1

Where do i get these Red Cold Cathode Lights i like that
is it difficult to install?

NightHawk

iTrader: (1)

www.elwirecheap.com

msbz_ls1

iTrader: (1)

looks badass and i disagree the interior lights glowing..does make it look evil in the cabin...HEHE...id like to do some of those same mods..

Keep it Up LOOKS GREAT>..you can do **** to my car ne time wit out asking after seein those mods .

1QUIKWS6

iTrader: (61)

Just an FYI, It's not a good idea at all to chrome the caliper brackets. Without going into great detail, during the chroming process the part can be affected by 'Hydrogen Embrittlement' This will significantly weaken the metal structure and could cause the bracket to fracture under an emergency condition - right when you don't want it to.

I have a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, but if you don't believe me - just give one of the engineers at Baer a call and ask them about chroming these brackets - they'll tell you the same thing.

I'm sure there are people out there that have done it and will reply that they have had no problems. All I can say is - They have had no problems SO FAR!

In the end - it's your car/your life

The painted fuel door looks great on your car - I left mine with the natural finish as I have a Black T/A with various S.S. & aluminum accents in other areas.

-Jay-

DopeFedZ

iTrader: (34)

everything looks nice. good job

RaNsOm

iTrader: (2)

hmmm, i like the interior lights...might have to do that one myself

Kirby

Like the interior lights. Have the same thing on my car but in blue.