Saturday, November 7, 2009

Your car or your transportation

When it comes to car tuning, more often then not there are two sides, and the line between them is very defined. On one side you have auto tuners, these people will always be able to look at a car and see ways to make it more personal and add to it so it will not be a stock car. On the other side you have your non-tuners. these people might buy a car with many options but once they buy it, it will stay in pretty much the same shape, size, and look stock until it finds a new owner.

Auto tuners are different from others in many ways. The way we can look at almost any car and see potential to make it our own, whether we buy it new and fully loaded or used with anywhere from a few minor problems to needing to be completely rebuilt. Some tuners don't even understand other tuners. If your into having a new car with all the newest and best options you may not understand why someone would buy an old car that needs major bodywork and a complete overhaul, and vice versa. But if you put these two people in the same room they will be able to talk cars and much more in a matter of minutes. Not only this but they will also understand each others want to not just own a car but truly make a car their own.

Non-tuners will buy a car with lots of options or very little its up to them. But these people will buy a car and do nothing more than just drive it, wash it, maintain it, and then resell it or get rid of it. Non-tuners will not get rims or buy aftermarket parts unless they are a cheaper alternative and replacement part that will not require them to make more changes to make it work. Non-tuners will buy a car that they can afford and maintain it as best they can but not look to personalize it or create something unique to them. If you put a non-tuner in the same room with a tuner the two will find it very hard to relate to each other about what they do and don't do to a car. For a non-tuner a lot of times the outlook of its a waste of money, and if it's not broke why change it or fix it are the way they look at automobiles.

This is not to say that the line is solid and can not be crossed or that an owner can't change their outlook on cars and go one way or the other. But for a lot of car owners you either buy a car to commute from point a to b and back or you buy a car and make it your car.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Winter Body Work

Okay, over the winter I have a lot of plans I'm trying to bring into and add onto my car. First of all a personal thank you must be extended to AGI aka widebody_Q, a friend of mine from a few car forums who has had lots of input and helped me out on many things I have been stuck on or needed help with. He has come up with most of the idea's for my body mods that I am trying to tackle over this winter. He has also been someone who I can rely on great info on how to bring my car to that nice low level ride height I hope to get to sometime in the near future.



My plans for the body are to Buy a few different bumpers and have a shop do some custom plastic welding and body work to blend them together and make them flow with my cars factory design. Ideally I want to add these custom bumpers, and have them be eye catching but at the same time look like they belong there and could have come from the dealership with them as an upgraded option. My Plans are to purchase JDM front and rear bumpers for the F50 Cima, the Japanese version of the US Q45. I will be having a shop cut these slightly under the chrome trim lines and Plastic welding to other bumpers to them. The front bumper will have the lower part of a Mercedes Benz S550 front bumper added to it retaining the S550 lower bumper grille and keeping the S550 fog lights. As for the rear bumper I will be adding the lower portion of a BMW 745 rear bumper. I will be having some vents cut into the rear to make it look a little more aggressive and adding some red LED lights into it.

With all of the bumper work AGI and I have come up with there will be some slight additions to the front fenders. Both fenders will be getting a slight pull before next summer in order to house my new wheels and let them fit the car even though they are a little more aggressive then the Q45 was originally designed for. The pull will fit them very nicely especially once I get some coil overs or add air suspension to my current set up. Also being added to the car over the winter to go with all the other body work will be some Wald fender inserts. I think these look very nice and will flow with the overall style of my car. I plan to add some LED's behind them so that at night there will be a little more attention brought to them and they will act as subtle side markers. I will try to add some pics to help my descriptions of all of the work I plan to do and give people a better idea of all the pieces that will be combined and added to my car and hopefully by spring, I will have a finished project to post with pictures for all to enjoy.

With AGI's help and imagination I hope to incorporate all of these into my Q45 flawlessly over the winter. I will do my best to keep this and all of the forums I'm on updated and add some pics of the numerous parts and progress made over the winter months. Hope everyone can appreciate the work I am trying to do to my car and hopefully the final outcome will be something that everyone will like, and if not like at least appreciate.

Thanks and stay tuned for more!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Changing of the season

With the changing of the season many people notice the change in weather or change in temperature. Maybe because that is the most easily noticed. To some the change in seasons brings a new sports season, or the end of one. To some of us the changing of seasons brings all of this and more.

For those of us that like to modify or customize cars with each change in season comes a change in our rides. Whether it is just a change of rims or something else. Many car enthusiast myself included use the seasons to some extent. Here's how the changing of seasons affect me and my car.

I'll start with summer because I think this is the same for most people. Summer time is the time to show what you got and see what others think. It could be new rims, a new audio system, maybe you changed up the body, or the interior. Either way summer to me is a time where modding slows down and I try to just keep the car clean and fresh everyday so I can drive my car and be proud of what I've done. Then as the Summer comes to an end, its time to remove the rims and save them from the harsh winters in the northeast.

As Fall hits I make sure the rims are off and stored so they are good to go for next year. I take the fall to try to save up some cash and start buying things that I can try to add to my car over the next few months. Fall usually brings my mind to wheels checking to see if anyone is selling a set that I think might fit my car really nicely or possibly change up the whole appearance of my car and bring me to some other level, build-up, or style. I also use the fall as a time for planning. I sit back and think about where my car is and where I would l like it to be and how to go about progressing from point A to point B. With fall coming to an end it is time to prioritize and start buying parts. This fall I already bought some more aggressive rims for next summer, a very nice set of customized S550 fog lights. And have been discussing some other parts and ideas with a few trusted friends and other auto tuners. Hopefully this winter brings lots of good changes.

Then the cold winter hits and parts arrive and others are ordered and searched for. In the cold months of winter it is not the most ideal time or temperature to be out working on, under, or in your car, so I try to take advantage of friends with garages and do as much as I can indoors. This winter I have a lot to work on. One set of headlights is already ripped open in hopes I can change them up a little bit and make them stand out a little bit from other Q45's I am trying to find some parts to incorporate the fogs I have just bought into my car and make them not only fit but look like they belong there. I will also have to pull my fenders a little so I can get my new wheels to fit just they way I want them to. Also would love to get my suspension set so I ride at the height my car should have been designed to be at. So the winter is a busy time for me and my car and often carries over into the spring before I manage to get everything I planned on doing over the winter done.

Then spring starts. I have to finish up what I can and decide if some of my projects and ideas will have to be put on hold until next fall or if I can try to get them done in this last season so I can enjoy them for the summer. So with most of the winter mods done and a few wrapping up its time to give the car a good detailing or two and start getting ready to enjoy the summer. As the spring ends I know its time to polish everything up, finish off the last of my winter projects, and get my car as ready as I can for the coming summer months. And then it starts all over again.