Well as pictured below , this is a picture of my ride last year when I just got the jspec bumper and lip ... and had the rims... well I am in the process of doing the car all over again , the cheap *** paint job that the guy did not my bumper will be done over again, the lip will be painted over ,, I have already sanded down the lip and it is ready for quite a few coats of primer then paint and clear coat .. the bumper will meet the same fate and the rest of the car will finally take a trip to the body shop to get painted and body work done to it...
Their should also be an addition of a carbon fiber hood , painted mirror , maybe a spoiler (got something in the works) and also some new rims ,,, been looking at 17's ... I am also configuring a set of side skirts.. I just need to get my hands on them then I can make them fit ... also will be getting rid of the attena and conjuring up a killer sound system.. tv's plus headrest?? , 2 12"s ?? still not sure.. but I know I have a lot of work to do , and I intend to make this a full and busy summer.. starting this weekend .....

This is what inspires me , everytime I look at this one picture below . I was just looking at it for like an hour. Just loving the stance and the agressive look of my car.

Amazing what a pic can do to a person to make him/her just be inspired ....
The Protege will be coming back , just harder this time ...... much harder ...
Bruce

 

hey bruce, I've always liked your car...

I have a few questions for you:

1) do you have any plans for your current wheels? what price would you be asking for them if you wanted to sell them?
2) how are you gonna get rid of the antenna? I assume you're going to replace it with something (another antenna)... but what ype and where does it go? I want to get rid of mine as well...

PS. why are you able to post pics and we aren't?? this is so unfair... you should at least enable the IMG code...

 

to get rid of the antenna you have to fiberglass or bondo over the hole where it was and then sand it down and have it repainted like i did... then you can add any kind of antena you want.. not sure what bruce is doing but i bought a shorty euro style antenna from ebay.. removed my headliner drilled a hole and installed it myself... not too hard really

 

oh, I see...

I wasn't planning on physically removing the antenna. I thought there's a way of... "hiding" it.

can you show me exactly what antenna you got and where you placed it? where is the "headliner"? please excuse my ignoreance

 

i have a pic on my cardomain site... will have a much better one this weekend when i have the new pics back from development... the headliner is the fabric stuff above your head in the car...

 

you got a sunroof installed? HOW?? how much did it cost you?

 

i don't want to take over bruces post... if you have instant messenger (wrongimage) or yahoo messenger (tdickins78) or something then you can send me a message on those or email me at tdickins78@yahoo.com and i'll answer your ?s there

 

you're right...
sorry bruce!

 

Hey, Bruce. I remember you bought a set of M3 mirrors. Any progress on that? Thanks.

 

1) The rims are already sold ... traded them for a kicker comp vr 12" in a box.... the rims were in horrible condition and the tires, well the inside of the tire was tottally gone , worn down to the metal liner of the tire(belts)..

2) Most likely the same method that politio described. Pull out the antena , fiberglass it and then sand the pillar and paint it over myself and then buff it out , unless I can find a good trustable body guy and have him/her do it. Then I will try to find another means of an antena . I won't have anything outside the car so that idea is dead. I more intend to have a internal antena and then go from their and decide where I will mount it.

3) That picture was an attachment..

 

I am not going to put them on the car. I got them and didn't like the way they looked.. actually just hated them, I only tried them on .. They are not a direct fit , more rather a custom fit. I sold them to (I think his aol name is Torpedo, or something) just waiting for him to send me the money,(soon I hope) cause I am getting tired of looking at them and about to throw them back on ebay...

I am just gonna paint the factory mirror Jspec style and leave it at that ...

Bruce

 

Well tomorrow morning , I need to take the protege to get a inspection done, good thing I didn't drop out the motor last weekend , shoot.
Then this weekend , Saturday I have a date, so need the protege and on Sunday I plan to pull of the front bumper and also try to pull out the motor , or atleast disconnect all the wiring.

Front lip spoiler
The spoiler has already been sanded down , I just have to bondo up a crack in it , from when I first got it and fitting it up , Still have to call and order the flexible primer and paint.
gonna give it like 2-4 coats of primer and about 2 coats of paint and then 1-2 coats of clear coat.

Front bumper
Will go through the same treatment as above as will the rear bumper.. there is a dent in the fender I will try to bang out and have painted over. There is also a scrape in the passenger door(damn kids) that I need to have taken out also.

At the same time I will be working on getting the motor in the car also ... so.. basically, I have a lot of work to do and I am nowhere near done.
Bruce

 

Thanks Bruce. I also doubted the way they were going to look, because I think RacerX has done a custom fit on his, and I am not sure if its our cars or the M3 mirrors, but they seemed to pointing up rather then staying horizontal.

 

Not a good way of doing body work. Neither BONDO or FG will stick to metal for very long. Use a welder and tack that baby up! You can then get an auxilary antennna that goes behind your dash (like I have) or one that goes in your headliner...

 

When you have your bumper painted. Always make sure that the person doing the work, Primes the bumper and then uses the right type of paint.. I noticed my front bumper chipping and cracking, obviously from someone backing into it . But then it flakes off.. I later realized that, My friend (dad's friend) did not use bendable paint and primer, but instead regular paint. So what happens. Someone taps your bumper and the paint cracks, instead of bending with the bumper...
By the way the Jspec bumper holds up to people bumping against it very well....
I will post some pics tomorrow...
OK lesson learned.
My car won't be going back there.....
Bruce