Low-Budget Cosmetic Mods.

[j30]

i have a few home made aestetic mods i have in stored if im able to buy this car. like; shodowline, bumper tuck, all red tail lights and im gonna sand down the chrome part of the grill and paint it black. also i was possibly paint the wheels black. as you can see i am very low on funds, and was wondering if i should not bother with some, or which ones should i do first. what do you guys think?

[Dozyproductions]

You can get some basket weaves, or just save up and not worry about cosmetic mods for now.

[franco90]

True so true

[EN318isPDX]

I'd say ruffing up the chrome and painting it would be the cheapest thing you could do. Repaint the trim on the doors, it looks pretty shotty in that pic.. Get rid of the bottlecaps is what id save up for.

[j30]

i was thinking that but most of it can be done for real cheap even free since i have lots of tools around. most i would spend would be on paint, tape and newspaper right

ive looked at write ups and threads about bumper tucks and all red tail lights and shodowlining already. BTW i got to thank the r3v members that took the time to make those write ups for ppl like me

[george graves]

Don't paint your wheels black, gray or any other shade of rice. It's screams "I mod my car with a rattle can"

[j30]

lol i was thinking the same thing, but thought i might try something different

anyone have pics of a car with black bottlecaps? JW

[smonkbmw]

dont invest more in spray paint and materials to spray paint bits on your car then you invest on fixing what may need fixing. thats a matthew mayhemism right there.

[j30]

dont invest more in spray paint and materials to spray paint bits on your car then you invest on fixing what may need fixing. thats a matthew mayhemism right there.

yea i know what you mean but i'm not planning on doing it all at once, i was planing on doing a few things here and there gradually. but i probably would want to do the bumper tuck first, its an 88 anyone out there trying to donate plastics lol.

[thornado327i]

Your best starting mod would be replacing worn gaskets and things like timing belt, plugs, wires etc. Hell, you could even post it up in "mods thread".

Tune first - fun later.

[wolfgangstbd]

tucked metal bumpers look pretty good u may end up liking em alot and just forget about the plastic. A tuck is free plastic bumpers look to be a pain to install plus since its purely cosmetic its seems a little bit pointless.

[j30]

the owner has changed the timing belt, clutch and front end struts within the last year
i plan on doing the fluids ASAP
how much will it cost to replace the worn gaskets?

[Alkasquawlik]

Your best starting mod would be replacing worn gaskets and things like timing belt, plugs, wires etc. Hell, you could even post it up in "mods thread".

Tune first - fun later.

+1, make sure you have all the maintenance done first.
you dont wanna put money into your car, even if it is just a small amount, only to have your car's engine crap out on you.
then youre really fucked, and from what you said, you wont be able to fix it.

the cost of a timing belt and water pump is not much at all compared to a new m20

[thornado327i]

how much will it cost to replace the worn gaskets?

That depends on which (if any) of them are worn... Seriously - before you tuck the bumpers make sure everything works fine, or you might end up having a car solely for taking pictures.

Check all the bushings, locate any possible leaks, squeeking and cracking noises - anything worth checking.

If any of you find my opinions amusing keep in mind that I come from a country where trusting the seller is the worst thing you can do. Our market is full of "perfect shape, driven only on sundays by an old lady and kept in a garage" old BMWs that turn out to be quickly and poorly fixed junk on wheels.

[318isbmw]

i was thinking that but most of it can be done for real cheap even free since i have lots of tools around. most i would spend would be on paint, tape and newspaper right

ive looked at write ups and threads about bumper tucks and all red tail lights and shodowlining already. BTW i got to thank the r3v members that took the time to make those write ups for ppl like me

Bumper tuck would be something nice, simple and looks good and easy as well.