Sept/oct/nov Modifications

99GXE10R · November 11, 2009

Hey guys, So it's been a while since i've posted, and i've just finished with a bunch of mods on the car, so i thought i'd put something together to show you all :)

two things though; excuse the dirt, most of the work was done just after a dust-storm came through, and excuse the gaping hole above the driver side headlight (new bonnet is sitting in my lounge room at present, waiting for painting)

First up, i've gone and bought myself a Pioneer AVIC-F900BT head unit. It incorporates reverse camera (installed into keyhole on bootlid), DVD/DIVX/CD etc, full ipod integration, GPS and a Bluetooth connection to mobile phone. Most of this is pretty standard stuff, but i felt like having it installed would bring the car forward a few years.

now to the headlights, i found a set of brand new genuine toyota black satin finish headlights ex japan, on eBay for around AU$600 (about 330 GBP)

after receiving them, i've noted a couple of things. the reflectors have a blueish tint on them which has made the beam noticeably whiter, even when using the original globes. also, i think these lights may be from an early altezza or perhaps a base model, as they don't have the motors for angle adjustment.

before:

after:

in this photo you'll also notice i've painted the grille matte black. figured "why not" since it'll be replaced when my TTE front bumper arrives.

The hardest part of the job was getting into the bolts behind the far corners of the lights. According to the install manual the front bumper needed to be completely removed, and having not done this before i thought i'd RTFM and do what it says.

Also fitted are some black chrome fog lights, with yellow globes (bit of a JDM look going on)

I've also painted the wheel hubs satin black to cover up the rusty/grey standard look, and painted the calipers as well, with some high-temp spray picked up for AU$10 at autobarn. I went with a bonzey-gold sort of colour, i thought red would be a bit too loud for the look i'm going for with this car. i originally wanted that brembo bronze colour found standard on the nissan Z's and GTR's, but this colour seems to do the job.

from this:

to this:

a couple more before & afters of the front end:

i've also thrown on some smoked chrome side indicators, picked up on eBay for around $50.

That's just about it for now, next on the list is painting the wheels a darker colour, i'm thinking the dark grey from the 18" rims that appeared on later models. I've also ordered a TTE front bumper and a stabilizer kit, just waiting on confirmation of the order from TTE.

I would also like to get some black-housing tail lights for the car, but i've had a hard time finding what i want. the standard fit ones from the later models aren't dark enough.. i'm considering DIY.. is this an easy enough job to do with the tail lights?

Cheers guys

janey · November 11, 2009

Wow you have been busy - looking good :D Though I think a bucket & sponge may be helpful

There's a guide on doing the rear lights here

99GXE10R · November 12, 2009

Wow you have been busy - looking good :D Though I think a bucket & sponge may be helpful
There's a guide on doing the rear lights here

Thanks for that, what a brilliant guide!! i think i might just try to do it myself, managed to find some dark ish ones on that lextasy website, but they're black-chrome and i can't decide if i wanna spend $400 US dollars on them!!

Cous3 · November 14, 2009

Looks great!! Really like the whole Black grill/lights effect you got going on.....Really well done.

Keith

99GXE10R · November 14, 2009

Looks great!! Really like the whole Black grill/lights effect you got going on.....Really well done.
Keith

Hey Keith, thanks for that :) i think it'll look even better when the TTE bumper goes on. I'm thinking of keeping a matte black badge on the grill for the TTE bumper too. I'd like to change the mesh on the TTE bumper to a thicker honeycomb style too, similar to what ormi has going on... too much to think about!!

i guess we'll see.

MorrIS200 · November 16, 2009

just ordered my sports grill so i think next it will b the darker headlights for me. looks good mate.

also how much did the in car stuff set you back if you dont mind me asking.

dandydons · November 16, 2009

some nice mods there mate - but your car seems to be sitting a bit high - large gap between wheels and arches? what size wheels /tyres you got on

99GXE10R · November 17, 2009

just ordered my sports grill so i think next it will b the darker headlights for me. looks good mate.
also how much did the in car stuff set you back if you dont mind me asking.

Thanks mate. yeah the dark headlights look the goods. there's a DIY post about painting the headlights yourself, but the lenses on mine were clouded and knackered, i really couldn't be bothered to try and fix it all, so just bought new ones.

the in car stuff actually turned out quite cheap in the end, the unit itself comes fully loaded (ipod cable, gps antenna, Bluetooth module, microphone etc). some other brands charge extra for the add-ons you want. i paid AU$1500 for the unit, and AU$250 for fitment. this works out under 1000GBP all up. i'd put the little pound sign in but my keyboard doesn't have one :S

so all in all it worked out pretty cheap, especially when you consider the features of the incar setup.

Until i had this installed, i didn't realise these cars come with their own amp. with a decent head unit, you get a KILLER sound :)

99GXE10R · November 17, 2009

some nice mods there mate - but your car seems to be sitting a bit high - large gap between wheels and arches? what size wheels /tyres you got on

hey cheers mate :)

yeah i've thought in the past when i look at photos it seems to be riding a bit high, but i think it's just the angle of the photos... a proper side angle doesn't look half as bad:

dandydons · November 17, 2009

some nice mods there mate - but your car seems to be sitting a bit high - large gap between wheels and arches? what size wheels /tyres you got on

hey cheers mate :)

yeah i've thought in the past when i look at photos it seems to be riding a bit high, but i think it's just the angle of the photos... a proper side angle doesn't look half as bad:

Yeah - maybe just the angle - doesn't look so bad side on. All it needs now is a wash..

99GXE10R · November 18, 2009

some nice mods there mate - but your car seems to be sitting a bit high - large gap between wheels and arches? what size wheels /tyres you got on

hey cheers mate :)

yeah i've thought in the past when i look at photos it seems to be riding a bit high, but i think it's just the angle of the photos... a proper side angle doesn't look half as bad:

Yeah - maybe just the angle - doesn't look so bad side on. All it needs now is a wash..

=P i'm on it!!

got some meguiar's waterless wash, worked an absolute TREAT last time so now all i need is the time to do it!

Asi · November 19, 2009

looking nice mate.

99GXE10R · March 10, 2010

So, being a new year, and months since my last post, i thought i should probably get back on here and let everyone know where we're at...

First up, sorry for taking so damn long between updates!

and now, just for something different, TTE front bumper!

replacement bonnet and bumper all painted by a very capable friend in the industry.

in the above photo i've still got the IS300 foglights in, which aren't connected.

Curiously, i've noticed the clip to connect the wires is a different shape to the clip on the standard ones, even though both are genuine Toyota items. This means without knowing how to re-wire it myself, they're as good as useless! so if anybody wants a set of JDM yellow/black chrome foglights for their car, let me know before they make their way back to eBay.

The reason i'm shifting them is because i got out the "nite shades" tail-light tint and went to work on the original "mirror chrome" foglights i have:

Even with a pretty thick tint on them, they still shine nice and bright

I've also painted the wheels Gunmetal, and matched the centrecaps. not the best job, but looks fantastic.

When i got the TTE bumper i also put on the TTE exhaust (something that i've noticed not many people have around here)

Well, i think that's just about it for now folks. another 6 months from now i'll be off my "P" plate restrictions and legally able to drive a supercharged car, which by my track record will also be right on schedule for my next post ;)

Let me know what you all think of the recent changes :)

hawk77 · March 10, 2010

Looks good mate, really good. I've polished my car this last weekend with some Bouden or something and it gave a real shinny finish. I'd go turbo if I was you (more room to move up) but than again is ur money. Where did you get the bumper from?

99GXE10R · March 11, 2010

Hey mate, cheers for the feedback. Yeah, i guess i could look at a 2JZ swap or something. i don't know if i really want ridiculous power or whether the bump from the supercharger will be enough... hard to tell.

yeah mine is in desperate need of a polish!!

i got the bumper direct from TTE, sent over from Germany. i wouldn't really reccommend it if you're having it shipped to Australia, unless you've got a few parts you want to order from them. Reason being the cost to ship the bumper is 400 euros on its own, putting aside the cost of the part itself, painting etc, and I also had to pay import duties on it all !! all up the TTE shipment of just 1 bumper and axle back exhaust cost me about $2200 Australian dollars, plus painting. if i'd have known about the import duties beforehand, i might not have even done it. on the plus side, they don't charge any extra shipping if you want to get extra parts like exhaust or suspension..

That said, i still don't think there is a single front bumper out there that looks as good as the TTE one so i guess its sorta worth it in the end.

Dimitris Papamichail · March 11, 2010

Nice bumper mate!

chloesdaddy · March 21, 2010

hi mate car looks realy nice, nice bumper have you still got you fog lights if so how much do you want for them

99GXE10R · March 21, 2010

hi mate car looks realy nice, nice bumper have you still got you fog lights if so how much do you want for them

Hi Mate, yep still got the foglights, i'm a bit worried about selling it on the forum 'cause i'm not a gold member, and i don't wanna get a ban.

anyway i'd be looking to make about AU$300 after shipping, if that sounds reasonable.

as i said i'm a bit reluctant to get myself in trouble on the forum and get a ban so if someone can let me know the best course of action, that would be great!

Cheers