Hey guys how is everything? I just got my box last week and i have done all of the cheap mods i have heard about, i.e. tilting the seats back with washers, painting calipers, and adding the air filter. Any ideas on anything else? I want to put in interior lighting but im scared to do it because i know nothing about electronics. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Have a great 4th!

 

Clear corners. < Tech section
Interior LEDs < Tech section


then my personal fav, the JDM Clock mod. turn back the time to Tokyos time zone. Thats authentic JDM right there

 

Do you honestly have your clock set to Tokyo time?

 

DIY ground wire
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29261

or

Change out the headlight bulbs with the Luminics or Silverstars (don't touch the bulbs with you hand, unless you are using gloves or a tissue (no lotion))

or

Change the message on the stock stereo.
I'm not sure what the url is on here, but I know it's in the radio instruction booklet.

Those are some of the small things I did when I got my car. I dropped so much money on it that I didn't have much money on mods.

By the way if you are not confident then don't do it. There is a saying. . ."Hesitation kills."
I'm not saying don't do it yourself, What I am saying is if you are not sure about something get someone who knows what they are doing to help you. There is less of a chance of screwing things up. Plus there are tons of people on scionlife who can help you, just ask, and don't listen to the people who aren't so nice. good luck and have fun.

 

Clear corners and other light housing mods are easy; interior lighting is good and easy to figure out; Headliner re-wrap is sort of involved, but materials cost <$50; painted panels are cheap and dramatic, but you have to do the prep work right.

As far as advice for interior lighting: It's easy, just learn how to power and ground your lights and start mounting them in unexpected places.

 

hahaha. no SuperCrunchyAction i dont. M@ (Opr8r) posted this awhile ago as a joke that its something to do

 

hey thanks for all of the replies so quickly! All of the stuff sounds great. As for the interior lighting. Is there a place i can learn to power and ground the lights? That is what is holding me back. Im all ready to go but i just dont know how to do those things. I know it has to be pretty easy but i just need somewhere were i can see it in action. Thanks again guys!

 

Debadge rear.

Candy tails.

 

This is one of the best forums to look on just search or use the tech articles. If you actually need to see it done go to a shop and ask some questions. Most shops won't give you the time of day. But there should be a shop in town that might help you.

 

You might want to check out my website and see the cheap products we have available and ready to ship out to you. :D

www.precisionmuffler.com

Just about everything needed to customize your box.

 

remove the rear tow hooks , remove header support brace , cut down stock shifter for a ghetto short throw , remove ugly scion emblems , cut a coil or two out of the front springs for a semi lowered look. umm i'm trying to think of all FREE mods.

 

Spend $5 at AutoZone and get brake caliper paint and paint not just your calipers but your drums as well. The factory coating on them is thin and cheap. It iwll begin rusting before the end of winter.

In your case I would go with a nice black or red, depending on your wheels. Silver may do well. My car, an RS 2.0, looks nice with yellow. Many people who thought that yellow calipers/drums on a Solar Yellow car would be too much yellow, but AutoZone had an exact color match and it looks sweet.

Anyway, it's a cheap mod, and one of the essential mods too.

 

ouch, ricer bounce

 

hey thanks for the info guys. As for painting the calipers and drums, i have already done my calipers in red and i like how it looks alot. I have seen some major resistance to doing the drums. Any idea why that would be? I think if i did do them it would be in black. But anyways, i will keep you updated and thanks again!

 

nope.

 

Also, do you paint both the rear and front drums or just the rear. If you dont the front i guess you have to remove the caliper. Do you then have to bleed the brakes? I really dont know what im doing when it comes to this stuff. Also, would candy tails look good with my kind of taillights? i like how they look now and ive only seen the stock ones done that way.

 

The drums are already black. I think you may be confusing rotors and drums. Drums are the housing you see in the rear. Rotors are the round shiny deals which the calipers squeeze to slow your car down. In the picture of mine below, you'll see the rear drums are painted red, the front calipers are painted red, and the front rotors are unpainted. Do not attempt to paint them.



There's a thread on how to paint the calipers and drums somewhere around here. No bleeding necessary.

Some people dislike the painted drums look, and most state that there is no good reason to bring attention to the fact that you have drum brakes, since they are seen as a cheaper, uglier, and poorer performing brake compared to disc brakes.

I didn't realize you had the TYC tail lights. Don't touch them, they look good just the way they are.

 

haha yeah thanks, i realize how stupid that question sounds now. I was so confused because i couldnt figure out why you would ever want to paint the breaking surface. Wouldnt it just rub off instantly once you use the brakes? but you are right for sure, i was getting confused in terminology and even in use so i appoligize for that. I guess its one of those stupid noobie mistakes that everyone always moans about. And as for the rear drums, i dont think you should be ashamed of what you have. so what if i have drum brakes and they are cheaper, uglier and poorer performing, if i want to paint them red i will paint them red. Its def. for each his own but we shouldnt care what they say. By the way, i do like how yours look and i think i may do it tommorow. Thanks for everything!

 

Pinstripes can dramatically change the appearance of your car and only cost like 6 bucks.

 

To each his own. Personally, I like the rears painted to match. Also, the factory paint is thin and will rust through. Here is my car. The yellow does look better than stock, but with these wheels black drums don't do well with yellow calipers.