Conversion

[Guest]

I like the idea of doing your own "conversion". I know other people out there will flame you if you do something like that. They seem to think it is silly to go making your car something it is not. I personally think it is a cool project for just about any car of done right.

[Guest]

Doh! this wasn't supposed to be a new post... oh well... OK!

 

So it is a question...

 

What do you all think of a prject that takes a base model or a particular model, and converting it to a "better" model, or making your own model?

 

Here's my situation. I love the gold Ann. badges on my 97' and the gold pin striping on the black exterior. So what I would like to do is find some Pontiac gold cross lace wheels (off GP or Bonneville, great tires, thicker sway bar, and change to dual muffler setup. Anyone have any ideas to add to this?

 

other things I will be doing is a folding seat swap (i want one!) and getting rid of the biege steering wheel and going black (bieg cloth interior right now)

 

Also, am I stuck with the stock computer and ship? or does someone make a module for the 97s?

[NORBI]

There is a lot of people here that had a base model car and converted it to a loaded version, i am one of those people that did that to my 88 CS. But if you are going to put something like "VTEC or M3, or even "Import Sports" on side then i wouldnt recommend showing that car in a public.

[88regal]

I say go for it. I mean theres nothing wrong with what your talking about in my mind, its practically the definition of customization, or a least your heading up that road. Plus, its not as though you're really making your car something its not- your not trying to make a Gran Prix into a Bentley or anything. It sounds like you have the right idea.

[NORBI]

I got nothing against customizing your car but if somebody starts putting bunch of stickers on it from other cars or put those :guns: FART CANS that look like a bomb which is about to get dropped and explode then i think most of the people here will agree with me on that. But other then that i think its fine to make your car to look like something else except for those Integras or Civics or just say Rice cars

[Guest]

my opinion on it is if you look at your car and say you really like it, but you are thinking that there is something you don't like (example will be looking at the cars exterior thinking that it looks good, but you think that it will look better with gold crosslace wheels) and it annoys you, then change it, make it custom, and MAKE IT YOURS!!!!!

 

Customizing (to me) is taking something that looks just like everything else out there, and making it NOT ONLY DIFFERANT, but putting a piece of your personality (or soul if you will) into it.

 

Look at me. My car is a 1988 Cutlass coupe (http://www.geocities.com/riven5415) that only came with the good radio, tilt steering, intermit wipers, cruise control, map lights, and lights under thehood and trunk. THAT IS IT. I was originally trying to make my car into an International until someone told the that it will never BE an internationsl.

 

You can take the car, and make it LOOK like an International, but if you punch up the VIN number, then it will come up as a 1988 Cutlass Supreme with a bench seat, column shift, and no power accessories.

 

That is when I quit trying to make the car into an international, and started trying to make it MINE. Now, I have painted all of the exterior trim BLACK, I put the stock 16 inch wheels from a 1997 coupe on my car, a bra, new badges (the newer style badges that they started using in 1992) a Custom SC badge (not the side of the car says Cutlass Supreme SC with the SC standing for Sports Coupe). I put V-6 badges on the fenders, removed the pin stripes, and bump guards, and put differant springs in the front as well as the rear lip spoiler (but not the lip taillights. I did put on the 1992+ style lights though). The result is a car that does not look like it did when I got it.

 

I am a lot happier, and even though it is not an International, I think that it is better.

 

Taylor

 

I will make a page shouwing defferant views of before and after pics so that you can see what I am talking about.

 

Taylor

[Guest]

you want a good comparison of what I mean about making a car yours? I made a page of before and after pictures of my car. Looking at them, I would personally swear that they were not the same car, but I did all the work myself, so I know that it is.

 

http://www.geocities.com/riven5415/comparison.html

 

Taylor

[SuperBuick]

I think I have you beat in the "looks 100% different" category.....

 

 

 

 

 

And that's not even including the interior...

[SuperBuick]

whya rent the images working, and what happened to my sig!!!!

 

-T

[SuperBuick]

lets try this again....

 

 

 

 

[SuperBuick]

Yes, those four pictures are all pictures of the same car!!!!! :shock:

 

-T

[Guest]

I like my ecterior color, and I have finally found a GFX kit that I like. Most of my stuff has been interior. Your exterior is about the same as my interior.

 

Taylor

[SuperBuick]

So is my interior (the same as your interior)!!!!

 

I have a quad-bucket cutlass interior with carbon fiber trim. The center console houses a custom guage pod. Soon it will be a 5-speed...can't wait for that!!!

 

BTW I really like what you have done to the car, it is really impressive and, like I pointed out, reminds me alot of my regal. I noticed your front seats have some cracking. go to http://www.leatherique.com, they have some great stuff and I've seen it work WONDERS.

 

-T

[Guest]

actually, I am going to relpace the seats with Graphite Leather ones, so I am not too worried about it. That was actually the original DRIVERS seat, but I took the cover off, and put it on the passenger seat. The 9current) drivers seat is actuall in good condition, and the rear seats are in EXCELLENT condition (except for the leather being dried on the tops of the head rest). I wanted to replace the passneger seat, but now that I have changed the interior from the GOLD/BLACK to solid GRAPHITE I want to replace them all together.

 

Taylor

[SuperBuick]

How hard was it to take the cover off the leather seats and switch them?

 

-T

[cstyle73]

Dam, none of the pics show for me

[SuperBuick]

Thats because I had my computer offline, my b. they oughtta work fine now.

 

-T

[NeverSayDie]

damn...that's one nice regal

[SuperBuick]

THANK YOU!!

 

-T

[Guest RedCutlassSL]

Is that for real the same regal? Cuz, wow, that looks sharp. it went from granny to cool. nice job

[Guest TurboSedan]

i finally got my International series mouldings on the underside of my car today, i only had to drill like 20 holes but damn, the car looks SOOOOO much cooler now....and lower too but yeah, i have pics of my car right after i first got it....14" steel wheels with wal-mart special hubcaps, no tint, no International moldings, sat like a 4x4, etc. the interior was bench seat, column shift, no sport pod, Delco tape player, base cluster blah blah. my car looks completely different now, inside and out. if i parked my car as it is now next to how it was, it would look like a high end European sport sedan parked next to the most boring family car ever. well, almost anyway.... if anything, LOWER it. stance is everything have fun moddin' your ride yo

joshua

[Guest]

Wow, now that is a sweet job on that Regal! SCHWET!

 

Heheh, oh do I know what yo uare talking about with Ricers. Which is kind of funny, since I owned a 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS for a year and a half. I never did the sticker thing (I had thought of turning it into a STi version, but I came to my senses)or the coffee can muffler but nice rims, awesome tires, struts, rear sway bar and springs. After all that, I felt it worked better stock! LOL! well that car is past history so oh well.

 

I think I will do some nice photos of my car stock, then as I go along, document the changes. ARgh! I hate winter in Wisconsin. It does look kind of cool with the glossy black steel wheels/winter tires on it though... in a sick sort of way hehe.

[Guest]

... and a great job on the Cutlass Taylor. I poured over the pics on your site, very very nice. That's the kind of stuff I am talking about.

[SuperBuick]

Is that for real the same regal? Cuz, wow, that looks sharp. it went from granny to cool. nice job

 

yep, its the same car! sometimes I wonder why I didn't just get rid of it because it looked so dumb when I first got it. I don't realize how I was able to see through the haze of grannyness to see a sporty looking car. In the end, I'm glad I kept it though!!!

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

-Tom

[Sailor77]

Back to the original question...

Making your car custom is what the "custom" car market is all about.

AS LONG AS you don't try to sell it as what it is not.

Look at all the wanna be Z28s, BOSS mustangs, ect...

If you can't buy a base model, spend a whole lot less and get the same ride as some one that spent $5000 more, what is the good of having and sharing our knowledge?

Your car is your car. Wanna paint it pink with sea green pok-a-dots then do it... That is just my 2 (or 3) cents...

 

Superbuick....just you wait until I get my truck painted. I will do some before and after pics that will make you a jealous!!! And I still wanna drive the regal to check out the suspension.