Winter mods almost done (pic heavy)
Discussion
My first major round of mods to the car is almost complete, just waiting for the new wheels which should be here in a couple of weeks. This is what was being done:
- Full sound and thermal proofing throughout
- Further sound proofing material inside the rear inner wheel wells
- Bezel altered
- Double din head unit fitted
- New shift and handbrake boots in carbon effect to match the carbon flashes on my seats
- Custom shift knob
- Replace door glass scrapers
- Replace door glass due to bad scratches
- Rear Euro fogs being removed and holes filled
- 52mm Motorsport Rain Light as new rear fog light
- Lower rear valance and rear number plate surround in gloss black
- Calipers being re-painted Torch Red with black lettering
The soundproofing has worked very well and has resulted in about an 9-10db reduction in cabin noise which has made a huge difference, the readings were taken from a sound meter app so maybe not highly accurate but it certainly gives a good indication of what can be achieved. Apparently this equates to around a 50% reduction in noise. I still have some drone from the exhaust but everything feels and sounds 'tighter' if that makes sense. When considering what materials to use for the soundproofing I had two choices - a pre-cut kit from the US or buying sheets or panels from the UK. The material available in the UK was only slightly less expensive than the pre-cut kit but more importantly would take a lot longer to cut and fit thereby increasing labour time. I also came across a couple of items about putting sound deadening material in between the rear inner wing and tub and everyone who had done this recommended it.
This round of mods was intended to modernise the car and to reduce road noise whilst at the same time making music and conversation in the car easier to hear. I also wanted to replace the radio/cassette unit as it was more or less redundant and install a head unit that will allow access to current media and hands free through Bluetooth. When looking for the head unit I also wanted built in satnav if possible in order to get rid of the external Garmin that sits on top of the dash and its associated wiring. I came across a manufacturer called Pumpkin that makes various double din head units that appeared to have good reviews for a 'no-name' brand with good functionality at a very reasonable price and this was sourced through Amazon.
So far the head unit has exceeded my expectations particularly as it is at the lower end of the price scale for double dins. It uses the Android operating system which I was not familiar with but it is quite intuitive and relatively simple to use. There was not much in the way of instructions with the unit but a quick Google search gave me all the info I needed with the added benefit of being able to watch the YouTube tutorials through the actual head unit (!). The radio and Bluetooth functions work exactly as expected and the satnav is fine.
I also wanted to personalise the car with a few custom touches such as the shift knob and new boots for the shifter and handbrake. The shift knob came from a company called Lathe Werks Engineering in the US who were able to make the shift knob to my design and was the first this company had done. The boots came from Redline Goods who are a European organisation, I could have gone for leather with many options for colour and stitching but in the end I decided on a carbon look vinyl finish as it matched the swatches on the Corbeau seats.
The rear bumper has also been changed to get rid of the pig-ugly Euro fogs. I wanted the lower valance done in gloss black to match the other black elements of the car. I'd already done this with PlastiDip to see what it looked like,the only difference of the final version is that the black stops at the inner line as opposed to the outer line, this was recommended by my painter to give it more depth and I have to agree that it works. The reversing camera pokes through the number plate surround (now also gloss black) just above the number plate - the Euro models do not have reversing lights either side of the plate. I did away with the domed stick on letters and had them painted, this was also done to the front number plate fill panel.
Finally, my painter helped me source some replacement door glass as mine was very badly scratched and as I intend to tint sometime this year, the scratches would have been even more visible. To try and prevent this happening again I sourced a couple of new window scrapers from Rock Auto.
All work was done by Exotic Customs in Harlow and as always their work was outstanding.
Before pic with Euro fogs, Plastidip and stick on domed lettering:
It started with stripping out the interior
The bezel taking shape
Some plastic welding, this is from behind the bezel:
Inside the rear bumper with the patches in place
Carbon finish on the shift boot to match the seat patches
Neat, discrete but oh so bright rear fog.
Some pics when I picked her up, excuse the quality but they were taken on the phone and it was raining.
The new interior
Reversing camera goodness
Painted lettering
Gloss number plate surround, reversing camera, fog light and new plate
Close up of lens
A few days later the weather was a bit better....
- Full sound and thermal proofing throughout
- Further sound proofing material inside the rear inner wheel wells
- Bezel altered
- Double din head unit fitted
- New shift and handbrake boots in carbon effect to match the carbon flashes on my seats
- Custom shift knob
- Replace door glass scrapers
- Replace door glass due to bad scratches
- Rear Euro fogs being removed and holes filled
- 52mm Motorsport Rain Light as new rear fog light
- Lower rear valance and rear number plate surround in gloss black
- Calipers being re-painted Torch Red with black lettering
The soundproofing has worked very well and has resulted in about an 9-10db reduction in cabin noise which has made a huge difference, the readings were taken from a sound meter app so maybe not highly accurate but it certainly gives a good indication of what can be achieved. Apparently this equates to around a 50% reduction in noise. I still have some drone from the exhaust but everything feels and sounds 'tighter' if that makes sense. When considering what materials to use for the soundproofing I had two choices - a pre-cut kit from the US or buying sheets or panels from the UK. The material available in the UK was only slightly less expensive than the pre-cut kit but more importantly would take a lot longer to cut and fit thereby increasing labour time. I also came across a couple of items about putting sound deadening material in between the rear inner wing and tub and everyone who had done this recommended it.
This round of mods was intended to modernise the car and to reduce road noise whilst at the same time making music and conversation in the car easier to hear. I also wanted to replace the radio/cassette unit as it was more or less redundant and install a head unit that will allow access to current media and hands free through Bluetooth. When looking for the head unit I also wanted built in satnav if possible in order to get rid of the external Garmin that sits on top of the dash and its associated wiring. I came across a manufacturer called Pumpkin that makes various double din head units that appeared to have good reviews for a 'no-name' brand with good functionality at a very reasonable price and this was sourced through Amazon.
So far the head unit has exceeded my expectations particularly as it is at the lower end of the price scale for double dins. It uses the Android operating system which I was not familiar with but it is quite intuitive and relatively simple to use. There was not much in the way of instructions with the unit but a quick Google search gave me all the info I needed with the added benefit of being able to watch the YouTube tutorials through the actual head unit (!). The radio and Bluetooth functions work exactly as expected and the satnav is fine.
I also wanted to personalise the car with a few custom touches such as the shift knob and new boots for the shifter and handbrake. The shift knob came from a company called Lathe Werks Engineering in the US who were able to make the shift knob to my design and was the first this company had done. The boots came from Redline Goods who are a European organisation, I could have gone for leather with many options for colour and stitching but in the end I decided on a carbon look vinyl finish as it matched the swatches on the Corbeau seats.
The rear bumper has also been changed to get rid of the pig-ugly Euro fogs. I wanted the lower valance done in gloss black to match the other black elements of the car. I'd already done this with PlastiDip to see what it looked like,the only difference of the final version is that the black stops at the inner line as opposed to the outer line, this was recommended by my painter to give it more depth and I have to agree that it works. The reversing camera pokes through the number plate surround (now also gloss black) just above the number plate - the Euro models do not have reversing lights either side of the plate. I did away with the domed stick on letters and had them painted, this was also done to the front number plate fill panel.
Finally, my painter helped me source some replacement door glass as mine was very badly scratched and as I intend to tint sometime this year, the scratches would have been even more visible. To try and prevent this happening again I sourced a couple of new window scrapers from Rock Auto.
All work was done by Exotic Customs in Harlow and as always their work was outstanding.
Before pic with Euro fogs, Plastidip and stick on domed lettering:
It started with stripping out the interior
The bezel taking shape
Some plastic welding, this is from behind the bezel:
Inside the rear bumper with the patches in place
Carbon finish on the shift boot to match the seat patches
Neat, discrete but oh so bright rear fog.
Some pics when I picked her up, excuse the quality but they were taken on the phone and it was raining.
The new interior
Reversing camera goodness
Painted lettering
Gloss number plate surround, reversing camera, fog light and new plate
Close up of lens
A few days later the weather was a bit better....
looks great! I ripped out the rear of mine to do some sound deadening using dynomat type stuff. Next I plan to do the front cabin, replace seats with something a little more supportive and replace the stereo, hopefully in time for the Holland trip - however now need 4 new tyres before that trip so saving up for those!
What HU did you go for? Currently we have the bose/nav and whilsts really good, its a little dated.
What HU did you go for? Currently we have the bose/nav and whilsts really good, its a little dated.
Z28DUNC said:
Followed your progress on CCCUK and Facebook. It looks the mutts nuts! 
Whats next?
Thanks. Wheels next! I ordered a set of Forgestar F14's back in November, I am hoping they will be here this week. I've gone up a size - 18x9.5 on the front and 19x11 on the rear.Whats next?
PHCorvette said:
looks great! I ripped out the rear of mine to do some sound deadening using dynomat type stuff. Next I plan to do the front cabin, replace seats with something a little more supportive and replace the stereo, hopefully in time for the Holland trip - however now need 4 new tyres before that trip so saving up for those!
What HU did you go for? Currently we have the bose/nav and whilsts really good, its a little dated.
It was a Pumpkin unit which I got from Amazon, I did plenty of research and they have a pretty good reputation and I have to say I am really pleased with it.What HU did you go for? Currently we have the bose/nav and whilsts really good, its a little dated.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012VMR250/ref=wl_it_dp...
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