I worked on modding my grill today. The upper grill is close to being done. Haven't even started the bottom.

 

I have to find my roll of edge trim to put it on the bottom of the upper grill but I think this is about as good as it's gonna get

 

Looks good Maybe a good idea to dechrome the rest of the exterior?

 

Thanks! I thought about that and I actually bought some black plasti-dip but IDK how well that would hold up. I used bed liner and that stuff chips so I don't think plasti-dip would hold up...

 

Choose your battles indeed

 

I'm cheap and somewhat of an eBay ***** so I search for random parts quite often to see what's out there. I found this awhile back but they sold out quick. Well its back in stock so I figured I'd post it up here in case any of my fellow R50 brothers and sisters are looking for a cheap cat back. Just add the muffler of your choice and your all set.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-Polishe...r/282580369793

 

Thats a good deal!

 

I got my LED corner lights on. The nuts on the factory lights don't really fit the aftermarket housings so I'll have to find a size smaller. They look good though.

 

They look cool, I need this on my euro spec. Is there a wiring loom behind it? I didnt notice it behind the fenders on my R53

 

Those looks great! We have them right here and on sale : https://www.ecstuning.com/b-vinstar-.../v-170134~vin/

These are next on my list for my R52.

Yep wires are behind the arch, you could tap the front marker/turn and for the rear tap the taillight main light (not brake)

 

I ran into the same issue this weekend when I went to install mine. The fit and finish are better than I expected, but the studs on the back aren't even round.

 

The ones I got just had a wire that plugs into the factory bulb socket and the socket twists into the lens just like the oem lights. The link below are the nuts that are on the back of those type of lights. I don't know the size yet because I haven't had time to make it to the parts store but you will need 8 or them, 2 for each light. If the lights you get don't come with them, do yourself a favor and track them down before you start. I live in the middle of nowhere and have double sided foam tape holding mine in until I can get some nuts. The nuts are called "Thread cutting nuts". The aftermarket lights (at least the ones I got) have smaller posts and the oem nuts didn't work. If I had know there was any interest I would have taken pictures as I installed them for anyone wondering. The front is pretty easy to access but the back has two retainers holding the fender liners on at the bottom. I found it easier to jack the back of the car up a little so I could get a stubby screwdriver in there. I removed the 2 retainers and pulled the liner back just enough to get the nuts off. It was tight but doable. If anybody has any questions ask and I'll do my best to answer. I hope to get some nuts on the way home tomorrow and install them tomorrow evening or maybe by the weekend.
https://www.autozone.com/nuts-bolts-...ece/730184_0_0

 

Do yourself a favor and get them from ECS. I did not unfortunately, I didn't know they had them and I spent more. What I got also don't look as high quality. You want to get good ones if you get them because they live in a harsh environment and take a lot of spray directly off the wheels. Mine are not sealed well and I doubt they will last long term.

 

I'm not entirely convinced that all of these lights don't just come out of the same factory in China. Mine were actually less than what ECS is selling them for and look to be pretty much identical. I plan to use some dielectric grease and then heat shrink the connectors on the fronts to seal them. Do you not have fender liners in the front?

I ordered some new nuts yesterday that I think will work, but we shall see.

 

I still have my front fender liners in but I didn't have to remove any of the retaining clips to get to the back of the lights. Actually the front left lens didn't even have any nuts on it! And the front passenger side came out in 3 pieces, Looks like it took a big hit at one point but was still holding in there. I used electrical tape on mine but on mine the connections are inside the lens once you screw the socket back in. It has an O-ring on it too but I put some tape on there too just for good measure.

 

Huh. I have to remove either the liners or the front bumper to get to the front markers, and my fronts don't have a place to screw the existing sockets in. The rears do though.

 

I'll have to look when I put the nuts on. Maybe I can grab a picture....if I remember. I never seem to think about taking pictures until after I'm done. I found those thread cutting nuts by size sold individually at the local hardware store.

 

Picked up these second hand this week. Tein s tech. I'm REALLY hoping I can get them in this weekend. I still haven't made up my mind if I want lowering springs lol. I guess I'll figure it out once I drive with them installed. The front left OEM spring is broken. Just a small piece off the end but the car sits a little crooked and I don't remember that before. Its the same corner that took that nasty pot hole hit. I couldn't find that many people that have Tein springs and I don't think I saw ANY paired with Bilsteins. There about the only springs I saw second hand aside from factory springs, and I couldn't find any of them with the same color stripes. I'll update with some before and after pictures if/when I get them in.

 

I also saw this on the way to Walmart. I found it amusing. I didn't know we had our own landscaping company

 

I didn’t want as much drop as the Teins, and I wanted a straight-wound spring instead of the beehive shape.

 

Nice updates @JerBear . I love how smoked side markers clean up your fender lines. They restore the lines the designers had in mind IMO.

Looking forward to seeing how those springs sit with your diameter tires too. Hope the ride doesn’t get too harsh for the fam to enjoy a spin in the coops.

 

Can you explain "straight wound instead of beehive"? I'm not familiar with that term.

The drop on the S-techs are listed at 1.2" F and 1.1" R for the R53 so with my R50 being lighter and the fact I have IR plates on the front I'm HOPING for a 1" drop all around. I guess I'll find out when I install them lol. In addition to the drop springs, when these 195/50 tires are done I'm replacing them with 195/55 which has a 1" taller overall diameter which will effectively raise the car a 1/2". So the CAR will only be lowered a half inch from what it is now but I'll be killing an inch and a half of wheel gap....in a perfect world lol. I'm closing in on the one year since date of purchase for this car, I think I bought it last April, I'll have put 40,000 miles on it by then. So driving 40k miles a year my tires get replaced fairly often.

 

Yeah I'm hoping it doesn't destroy the ride either lol. It's about perfect now with the Bilsteins, but the springs could stand to be a touch stiffer. I'm really only worried about the loss of travel with lowering springs.

As far as the fender lights go, I agree. I noticed a lot of the Euro spec cars don't have them and I'm guessing THAT was the look the designers were going for. I think there a DOT requirement here. Andy wants the lights on his car, I should have just traded fenders with him lol. I probably would have if he was in the US.

 

The stock front springs - and I believe those Teins as well - have turns of varying diameters. They're shaped like a beehive and are pretty big in the middle. They contact the strut towers as a result. I can get more front camber with my Swifts that don't have the beehive shape.

 

Didn't know that. Thanks. From what I've read, swift springs are in a whole other level than Tein.