Nine Ball,

BTW, you have a bad @$$ corvette and you obviously have a sense of stye and artistic tallent. I give you props.

Don't think I believe you're wrong. It's just there are other styles that are really nice even if you personally don't agree with them.

Just because something isn't traditional and what everyone else does, doesn't automatically mean that it is bad style. People that stray from the norm must be careful though because it's much harder to pull it off right.

 

Clean and simple always works for me.

 

Nine Ball

Love your post. Was curious on one of the areas you posted. About Paint. You said make it like it could have been a factory option.
I was thinking of putting some true fire on my SS. Small amounts, sides and maybe the scoop. Not overdoing it, but noticeable. The whole point of me doing that is first off cause I like it (and we all know that thats all that really matters in the end), but so that people will notice it as OTHER than stock. What are your feeling on that.

Oh and for what its worth, your car is SICK

 

less = more

 

Ive been working on cars since I could crawl. before the age of 11, I was right beside my dad every night building a 37 plymouth street rod and a modified 55 chevy belair hardtop that we drove on the weekends and it still scored 986 out of a possible 1000 at a classic chevy show. Not bad for a driver.

My dad taught me what to look for and how to make things better growing up and I basicly adopted my eye from him. Growing up I could never leave anything alone. im still this way however. I have to modify everything.

Im lucky that I now build drag cars and streetrods/pro-touring cars for a living so I have a lot of experience on the outcome of an entire vehicle. heres some of the things I go by:

*always do your research on products before you buy anything to make sure quality and compatibility of other aftermarket parts is ok.
*less is more
*more is ok as long as its "hidden" such as luxuary iteams in the interior.
*dont give up halfway through and halfass it.
*if you cant do things yourself like interior/paint and body/ custom exhaust, try to find shops who shares the same interest as your car or a specialty shop that works on custom cars if you have the funds
*dont be afraid to ask questions
*go to car shows and see what works for you and what doesnt.
*chrome is good as an accent color if you can afford it.
*don't "make something fit" if its not working. Get a game plan to achieve the best fit and finish and make a new piece if need be.
*dont try to build cars overnight. Its better to take a year or two to build the car you want then do it in 6 months and not use the quality of parts you wanted. the outcome will show.

Again ask questions and opinions. I try to keep my pm box from being full and theres tons of other people here as well who would help in a heartbeat. This is a great place to learn.

 

one other thing.... its all in the details.

Don't have the mentality of just because you cant see it, it doesnt need to be addressed. Even though most won't see it, thats the stuff that sticks out the most.

 

What a great thread! I have been addicted to cars ever since I was about 5 as well. I have tons of model cars and diecast cars I have always tinkered with as well, but I didn't get full blown into working on cars myself until a few years ago. My dad always tried to teach me but I never listened to him. I agree with all 8 rules you have listed so far Tony and might add that a car can NEVER be too clean I always try to do one thing on my car that is unique and that no one else has or can duplicate to be different. I like seeing just a subtle touch of peoples personality in their car, just enough to say hey this pewter SS is different from that pewter SS but without going over the top.

I have the same thoughts that XLZ mentioned about black being the only real color that compliments pewter so thats been my theme. All the suspension, the painted hood scoop, Berger panel and calipers have been done in black. I did break the 2 color rule with my engine compartment but it was because I wanted the candy apple red powdercoating in there on some pieces and it turned out nicely IMO. I did this because if I ever get ahold of a 1st gen, it will be painted in candy apple red, the best color for a 1st gen IMO. Most people tell me my engine bay is how it should look like when it came from the factory which tells me job well done.

And the most important appearance choice to me is wheels, if the wheels are wrong on the car, nothing else is gonna work. Its the first major appearance mod that should be done IMO and don't do any other mods until the wheel selection is right.

 

I've customized several cars, click the link in my signature. A few of them have been featured in magazines, and I also shoot and write for GM High Tech magazine. It is safe to assume that my views on some styling ideas are industry accepted. If you want your car in a magazine, I'd pay some attention to the advice.

Don't do things that "cheapen" the look of a car. Too much add-on crap makes a car look too busy and distracting. Windshield decals, multiple fake scoops, neon lights, incorrect wheel offset, too many colors, excessive emblems or highlighted emblems, colored wire loom, etc... tend to make a car look cheap. Kind of like how a street prostitute would dress

If you have doubts about your own styling, ask yourself these questions before doing a mod:

1. Is this mod idea something that a 16-yr old kid would only appreciate? Or would anyone who enjoys cars agree that it looks nice?
2. Is this mod idea the cheap/half-*** version of what I really want to accomplish? Will it be obvious that I took the shortcut, and should I just save for what I really want?
3. Will this modification hurt the potential resale value of my car? Or improve it?
4. Does this mod idea flow with the theme and goals for my car? Does it interact and mesh with the rest of the car?
5. Is this mod idea just the latest trend that will die next year? (anyone remember 'splash' paint jobs? How about heartbeat style pin-stripes?)

 

pretty much from other's. Then I'd just modify it a bit so that I didn't completely copy them. lol.

 

yup....what you said is very true...but no matter what there will be people that will disagree.
Ok...Gonna go out on a limb here...My car is far from done by any means.but its getting there.
www.cardomain.com/id/ramairdave
Nine Ball...What is your opinion of my mods? I have a few little things diff. removed the XM system from the interior, trimmed up the gauges inside, put black letters in the pontiac letters since I got the black wheels and have black grilles in the sides and front grille area. I am having the tips of the wings lightly airbrushed on the front bumper cover just to have a lil hint of black up front to break up all the pewter. Some day when I get it done I want it featured...but that is a ways off. H/C is coming/ then Katskin charcoal leather with Suede inserts if I can find them done that way. and lots of little subtle things in the future plans.
Dave

sorry I dont have a lot of new pics with the Black wheels.

 

I see something I like and improve upon it. An unoriginal idea with a twist. I also try and think up new ideas on my own but always keep them subtle and smooth. I have a few up my sleeve right now....

 

I have Dragon's stainless Ram Air badges on my SS. It's a 97 so *technically* I can pull the look off appropriatly

 

I agree with what most people are saying, going for a "clean" look is the best way I can some it up. I also love the mixing of old and new. I really want to build a big-block fourth-gen, paint it marina blue and put some nostalgic wheels on it...maybe someday.

 

I really like this thread and it makes me reflect on what I have and what I've been through with cars. Before I had a 4th gen I really just wanted a ws6. When it came time to upgrade to a 4th gen I didn't have the $ to get in a ws6. Then I saw what a Firehawk looked like. After missing out on a few (still no $)I stumbled onto a 99 blue formula (that was nice and I could afford) and then saw a 99 NBM Firehawk Formula with chrome five spokes feaured as the pilot car on firehawk.org. It embodied everything I wanted mine to be. This would be a great starting point for for the car so I got the wheels and hood. I also took note of stainless steel products from DragonZ28(front bird rear inlay and side vents). I also borrowed the idea from NineBall's blue formula with white xenon drls next to fogs and it looks so clean going down the road. Then I used the ideas of the ls1tech board about taking off the sidemolding and side emblems to really clean up the side. I have lowering springs going on this week to finally ditch the 4x4 look. My final twist on the car will be ceta black canopy and mirrors and tinted windows. So Nineball LS1 Tech and that SLP Firehawk pilot nbm formula has been my inspiration. So the car is uniquely mine, has the right stance has little to no markings, appropriate accents, borrowed ideas from accepted cars, a theme, and people not even noticing the upgrades I have made to it. I enjoy it and I think it stands out for being simple.

 

I forgot to add, Hash stripes FTMFL

 

I know mine doesnt look too great. I dont have too much money for being in college. I've been drawing since I was little, I kinda quit in the last few years. But I agree less is definately more. I like the clean look alot, some nice badges are nice but I'd say no more than 3 on the car (fenders and rear bumper) a good detail goes a LONG way, wheel/tire selection, even exhaust tips. I'll be finishing up wiht my car once myy wheels get here and we'll see how it looks

 

Your car is tasteful. Pewter is a difficult color to customize, since it is more of a 'classy' color that looks more appropriate on luxury cars than sports cars. I tend to prefer polished or chrome wheels on pewter cars, to keep with a classy/luxury theme. Something like a 6/7 spoke iForged, or a mesh style wheel. Your black ones look good, but you need more black accents to tie in with them. They attract the eye too much compared to the rest of the car, because of their sharp/bold color.

Maybe get a custom painted pair of black stripes on the WS6 hood, whether on the side or on the top of the scoops. Decals are okay, but everyone does decals. I see you molded in the nose panel, so I know you appreciate paint/body work. Then maybe a black lower rear bumper area. Things to accent the wheels, and tone down the pewter some. An even cooler idea would be to get some black carbon fiber laid on top of the scoops, then masked off like a pair of stripes, then painted and clearcoated. Haven't seen anyone do that yet. The lower rear bumper could also be done like that.

 

The mods I've made on my car, all have to do with what I work with. I previously worked on Porsche race cars, and fabricated a lot of things. I also drove a lot of them.

Driving those cars, and driving an F body are at two different ends of the spectrum. But, I've managed to dump enough $$$ into the suspension of the car, that it finally handles pretty well. The stance is perfect, and that definately grabs peoples attention instantly.

I now work on BMWs, and again, these cars are on a totally different level. I run iForged Seneka wheels. A 10 spoke design, very common on a variety of BMW cars. BBS came up with the design, and they are still timeless.

Two of MY personal thoughts on what makes a car stand out, are the stance, and the wheels. It can be a POS Honda, with fair paint, and a shitty sounding exhaust. But every now an again, someone manages to put a decent set of wheels on it, and a driveable, but low stance. Something like that will always stand out in my eyes, along with the rarity of the wheels. If it's the same damn TT2s I see all the time, I'm not impressed...

I grew up around Porsches with my father. But ever since I was a kid, I've loved SBC/BBC power, and Fbodys. They may not have the same amount of class, and performance. But they make up for it in other areas. My car is really an extention of all that. Very clean on the outside, some handling/power to back up it's looks. And lots of little subtle mods to set it out from a crowd.

For instance, my wiper cowl is currently off. I'm sanding down all the texture, and spraying it the factory gloss black. Subtle, and may not even be noticable. To those who know what is there from the factory, will instantly pick it up.

I've always liked the smooth, down to business European lines. With handling among their best attributes. I like to think of my car as a street machine. It kills the corners, goes great in the straights, and looks the part. It attracts a butt load of attention, and it's daily driveable if need be.

Euro/American TA of sorts. I'd give it a 15/85% ratio.


EDIT: GREAT thread by the way!

Rob

 

Well, I didn't really get into cars untill about my senior year in highschool... Since then I've graduated from my "buy anything I can find at Pep Boys" mentality to:

1) Visualizing my overall goal for the car BEFORE I EVER PUT ONE MOD ON IT... This saves money and trial and error time...

2) Borrow from the car's heritage... If it was cool 40 years ago and still is it will probably be cool 40 years from now.

3) "Take the ugly out" (as the amazing Foose would say)... Be it antennas, stance, side mouldings, etc... Get rid of the ugly before you start adding on to it.

4) FACTORY FACTORY FACTORY. The finished product should look like it could have come from the factory. Maybe more along the lines of a factory concept car, but it should have a factory feel to it and a factory "sturdiness" or reliability... No huge ugly rims, spoilers, paint jobs, etc... Just classy...

5) Also along the lines of less is more. Again, from the Foose mentality, people should DISCOVER your mods not have them shoved in their face. IMPROVE more on the car rather than just CHANGING the car... I love nothing more than to hear a friend say, "Oh I didn't realize you had... (ex. power antenna, etc...)"

With all that said my favorite modifiers are GMMG. I LOVE what they did to the ZL1 cars and the Dick Harrell cars, the ZL1 cars even more so though...

They made a car that SHOULD have rolled out of the factory....

Following all of that I am setting out to build the ultimate "Z28"... Not an SS clone but what a Z28 should represent...

You can click on my link for more info but basically using as much factory parts I could find:

Out handle a Vette: I have a crap load of suspension stuff already done, brakes are coming.

Perform better with less: My little 346 will get CNC ported LS6 heads and M4 Magic Stick soon to make a proven 450 to the wheels. First Gen Z28's had a 302, I'm sticking with the 346 instead of throwing in an LS2 400 to keep this theme... And my nitrous kit is always a nice little addition...

Look like a Z28 on the outside: My car has Z06 rims, not SS rims. It has the Berger panel. It has the BEST Z28 EMBLEMS EVER (the 1974 Z28 emblems). It has an SS spoiler but is getting a Sunoco Smooth Cowl (in the mail tommorrow) and I am going to put on the sides of the cowl a 346 emblem (black with chrome outline) from Year One that is made to look like the old 302 emblems Z28s had...

And look like a Z28 on the inside: Black on Chrome theme with the gauges and interior pieces, 4pt roll bar, black leather seats (coming)....

Finally SOUND like a Z28: I didn't jump on the GMMG exhaust band wagon... I did that with the Trans-Am but it doesn't have the old school cam'd out sound that old dual flowmaster muffler style cars have. A 4" Mufflex with a Spintech muffler and dual 3" pipes out on the other hand... Well, once the heads and cam are in there will be no sweeter sound

SO basically: heritage, improved upon factory styling, and timeless class inspire me... Which there is a lot of on this appearance board (unlike other appearance boards hence my time is all spent here)

 

haha...Thanks Nineball...you mentioned the one other thing I had planned and that was the rear CETA color insert. Your right though... I have been trying to come up with a way of integrating the black a lil bit on the paint color but its a hard decision...like you said..decals...everyone does them and I really dont like them. I have considered something along the lines of black on the paint but just havent put it together yet.

I loved the chrome wheels I had on it but EVERYONE has them now hah. I really like the HP EVO's and almost got a set but got these locally instead. I still love those wheels! Wanted a matte black set with polished lip.

Have a good one man!!