03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

Well it’s been about one year since I got my 2003 Acura TL-S and joined Acurazine. It has been quite a journey. Here is an overview of what I have accomplished so far

JANUARY 2010
Pics from dealership




Day I brought it home 1/25/10


First mod: Intake Resonator Removal
Pretty easy to do and I did it on my TSX and RDX



Cleaned and conditioned leather and interior


First amateur wash




FEBRUARY 2010
The mods start picking up…

LED Interior






Custom LED shift gate made from printer paper and permanent marker







3A Racing Tips


Before:

After:





Experimenting with Plasti-dip…
B- Pillars



Grille



Wheels






HD Lip
I figured, 10 bucks, what the hell why not try it.




MARCH 2010

Mid-Muffler Removal




LED cupholders and rear vents




More fun with LEDs





Partial debadge




APRIL 2010

Painted engine cover




Repainted grille with real paint this time







Subwoofer and Amp install
This was quite an interesting experience. I have never done any audio installs before so I recruited a friend to help me out quite a bit. I also didn’t know how to use the search function on Azine yet




Jumping forward a few months, but this is the final setup:



Amp is seen through the pass through and subwoofer is sideways, similar to this picture. It gives me more trunk space.




MAY – AUGUST 2010: SCHOOLS OUT BITCH!
Modding season is in its full stride…

This is when I decided I was sick of my tan shit brown interior. I wanted something different but did not want to spend thousands on a custom interior. I researched and found out about Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric paint as well as SEM. But SEM was just too damn expensive (though it may be worth it).

Started off with the floor mats





My car at its first car show (Swap meet at Flowerfield)





First clay bar and wax







More LED mods





Got sidetracked even more and did some footwell lighting using cold cathode tubes





Back to the custom interior…
Tried out a black and gray theme




Stripped out the rear




To do the rear deck





Got an ebay account and got distracted some more…

Ebay SRI




3G Type S badge (not on the car anymore, don’t worry)




More custom colors…






Painted dash and steering wheel






Driver door panel




Center console




Decided that the carpet needed to be tackled so I started stripping the car




My dedications to modz, modding during a lighting storm






Gave the interior a much needed vacuuming




My “shop light” a.k.a. desk lamp




Got the carpet out finally





Andddd painted it black





Hit 100K!




Got sick of the dim LEDs and ordered some nicer ones on ebay






Wetsanded and polished head lights






Then I realized that the color combo I had done was hideous. So I changed it to just black and red.




By this time, it is around July and everyday was about 90+ degrees outside. I was working full time and traveling 30 min each way against the sun. I was getting cooked in my own car. Tint was needed.

Tint shop:




35% Tint done





Brakes were also shot so upgrades were ordered








Ordered myself a little gift for working so hard





As well as this off the BM




One day in early August, my friend (with the Charger) calls me up and asks me if I wanted to come do a photoshoot with some girls. I said I will be right over. (they are over 18 don’t worry)









My friend:





Now it is nearing the end of August and the semester is starting so I had to slow down on the mods

But one last mod for the summer…



Well that one didn’t go so well. The paint stuck GREAT to the vinyl on the seats, but not at all to the leather. But hey, no one had tried it before so I took the risk and went for it.


SEPTEMBER 2010

BAM! Get hit with a $600 bill for lower ball joints and various other necessities
And school sucks…


OCTOBER 2010

Started to get back into the groove of school and found some extra time…
…to hit 105K!


I already did the 105K service at 97K though.


Converted the SRI to a CAI




And painted some more interior stuff






Seafoam! 01tl4tl will be damn proud




Placement of 3G-S badge (not on car anymore)




NOVEMBER 2010

Springs and shocks installed. It was about time I lowered it… and boy, what an experience.

Eibach Pro Kit and KYB-GR2









Got tired of rummaging around my trunk in the dark at night so I went crazy with some cold cathode tubes




DECEMBER 2010

Picked up black TL-P rear seats from another member
(sorry no pics yet)

By this time, final exams are going on and I am just getting raped so no time to work on the car


JANUARY 2011

First snow storm of the new year!




Hit something. I have no idea what. But now I need a new bumper.




NY > DC > NY = dirty ass TL






New centercaps. Gonna wait till the Spring to put em on.




I desperately needed to do something about the headliner. I thought about just painting it like I did the carpet, but the paint makes everything kind of crisp. The headliner needed to stay luxury, so I got a couple yards of black suede and went to work. It actually turned out be cheaper than buying 6 cans of paint.







Soooo that is all for now. The Spring semester is starting very soon and it’s going to be a tough one (Junior year Mechanical Engineering). So progress will most likely be slow. But I am experiment with different carbon fiber vinyls so we shall see what the next few months will bring to my doorstep.

As you can see, I still have quite a lot of work to do. A lot of minor stuff, like finish my LED gauge conversion, blackout headlights, etc. A major one though is to reupholster the front seats or get hold of a decent pair of black Type S seats. I am going to get them professionally dyed. I also need to get a new front bumper and lip kit, but I am going to wait and see was RonJon comes up with.

I also was thinking about getting the Sarona front bumper like the one that Rejekt has. I know it is a bit but I don’t think it would look too bad in all NBP. I really want my TL to be different. Just a thought…

Thanks for looking and a big shout out to everyone who has helped me out this past year
I will try to keep this thread updated and exciting!

02TL4ATL

iTrader: (1)

nice, you did quite a lot of mods to your car.

eleventure

wow pretty impressive. that's a lot of paint thought. haha. How did you go about painting the dash? looks pretty good from the pics.

silvertl510

iTrader: (1)

damn a good amount of some nice mods. good job

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Where did you get the foot pedal... things? The shiny silver pedals that say Type S.

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

Also, I'm pretty impressed at how well your interior turned out. (Except the red back seats)

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Good work! I give you props for all that you've done.

finalcross

iTrader: (3)

Damn, I'm surprised that you haven't blacked out your headlights yet since you love paint so much.

JDM Inspired

dam bro you painted madd shit!

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

thanks!

thanks man. i just taped off the windshield and surrounding area. the prep took about 2 or 3 hours alone just to make sure nothing went wrong. i didnt want to mess with taking the entire dash out of the car.

thanks

http://www.uniquestyleracing.com/19992003-19992003.html

thanks! yeah i wasnt too happy about the way they turned out. but im all about doing something unique. im going to get the seats and door inserts professionally dyed either a dark red like you see in BMWs or a dark brown.

thanks!

haha i know right? i was supposed to do them a while ago with a friend but i decided i really didnt want to mess up the resealing. i think i may go with some custom work from AckTL05 on the headlights.

hahah yes i did. costed less than an interior swap too

n1njai

iTrader: (3)

Wow...I mean it looks good, but the red inserts and what not are rice.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

so the blue inserts in a TL Aspec are also rice?
red interior in a BMW is rice?
i dont remember the last time i saw a riced out Civic with red inserts.




haha jk. yeah i can see why people think its rice. but honestly why is a bright color associated with being rice?

now the fact that i painted my leather....that is rice


im going to get it done properly though. i took a gamble using the paint on the seats and door inserts and i lost.

this is what i was going for by the way...
328i_Interior1.jpg&t=1

i dont think i am going to do that anymore though. i havent taken updated pictures of the interior yet. there is no more red in the car....at all.

JCharged

iTrader: (5)

Damn doing work. Mod bug always hits ya hard. Great progress. Like the headliner idea, I did the same thing.

anionrings

iTrader: (2)

Dang Doing work there...took me 5 - 8 minutes to read this thread...i felt like i was on a journey myself by just reading

n1njai

iTrader: (3)

I think that if you left the inserts on the sides like black, and had red seats and some matching accents on your dash it'll look better, I think rice was too harsh, it looks out of place how about that. I can see where you're going though, looks a little unorganized at the moment thats all.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

thanks

i think i will be wrapping the rear deck and maybe the pillars in suede as well. its a lot easier than i thought it would be.

haha thanks! i think i may get the "longest post of the year" award...

yeah i definitely feel that its unorganized as well. im trying to get everything situated and pick a theme and stick with it. i keep changing my mind haha.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

proof that my seats are not red anymore haha. i got the rears from another member's TL-P. should i just go ahead and buy the front seats as well?

i have black seat belts coming soon as well from another member.


finished the headliner! i think i might just paint the sunroof cover. its damn near impossible to take out.





there are a few wrinkles here and there but not in places people normally look. i am really happy with the way it came out

TlsNavi03

iTrader: (1)

Props for doing all this work.

Question: what is "Experimenting with Plasti-dip…"

dykyy

Plasti-Dip is a coating that you can easily peel off. It works quite well for interior and exterior mods.

OP my question is; how much did the suede material cost you in total. I wanted to do this on my tl but am too cheap to pay 350 for a shop to do it.

Thanks!

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

yeah i got quoted around the same amount. there was no way in hell i was paying $350-400 just for the headliner. i didnt get the highest quality suede but i got 2 yards for about $32 from Joann Fabrics. the glue was industrial strength Loctite and it was $12 a can. i needed 2 cans. if you want, i can take a picture of the glue.

btw i recommend having another person help you with the headliner if you decide to DIY. itll make your life a lot easier. in my case, my mom helped me out haha.

02type-s

Brave man for trying some of that lol. ALl is a great experience tho, and the car is coming together nicely

xtremex626

iTrader: (1)

i have a quick question on the diy led shift gate. how did you exactly make it like that? i like it visible during the day even though i don't look at it to shift. it just looks much cleaner the way you did it. the one i have right now.. is just clear so you can't see crap during the day. and plus i wanted all the words and symbols but i only have p, r, n, d, 1, 2. i wanted everything the stock had.

for ex. p, n, d5, d4, d3, d2, 1<>2

--

and i did try and photocopy the shift gate but it's light barely goes through :x

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

thanks! yeah it is a great experience. i feel like i know my whole car (except the engine) like the back of my hand now. ive taken apart the interior so many times now haha.

to be completely honest, i dont remember exactly how i did it it was almost a year ago.

but it could just be that i have a decent copier, im not sure. i think i just put the shift gate in the copier and hit black copy. then i just used a permanent marker to shade in the black parts completely. the letters came out a little gray out of the printer. they were not completely white. but white enough for it to look decent. i used regular printer paper because light easily passes through it.

i dont know if that helped but thats basically everything i did.

TheMegalodon

Many bold choices on your mods and I like how dedicated you are to your progress. Considering it's only been a year you've done more than many of us have in at least three. Some great choices made that turned out great, and other questionable ones that were worth trying; I'm sure you know which ones.

Fantastic progress so far and I hope you get the interior sorted out. I'd really look hard for type-s seats, they simply look much nicer and sportier.

TlsNavi03

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the info!!

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Damn you did all of that in only a year? Nicely done sir

What kind of paint did you use for the interior parts? How's it holding up? I want Ebony interior but it's too pricey

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

thank you for the very nicely put comment

i do know which ones

it is very hard to find Type-S seats in good shape for a decent price. ive been looking for the past 6 months.

does anyone know which seats can be easily modified to fit? i know CL-S is a direct swap, but what about like RSX, 3G/4G TL, 6G Accord.

i was also thinking about getting racing seats but i am not sure where i would mount the racing harness because i want to keep my back seats.

no problemo

thanks! i used Duplicolor Vinyl and Fabric paint. it is holding up quite well on the door panels, dash, console, basically anything plastic or vinyl. but the key is in the prep work. Duplicolor says you do not need to do any, but trust me, do the proper prep work.

SEM also makes great paint but it was a little out of my budget.

nf3d0149ab

iTrader: (5)

A lot of DIY spirit here. Now it would be nice to see some wheels and/or performance mods to go with all the other stuff.

ParaSurfer1979

Exterior is nice but interior other than carpet and dash, the rest is just TOO much. Red footwell lights and th red inserts in doors. U wasted a lot of timedoing stupid stuff to then replace it... It's just a fiasco inside... If you don't like critisism then you should have never posted. I hope you dont think EVERY member was gonna say just great things about it right? REALLY? I hope not. Good luck with your project. Can not wait to see the next set of pix

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

wheels, yes. performance mods, not as much.

i have OBX headers sitting in my garage and plan to upgrade sway bars. but other than that, im not really interested in power mods. unless its a supercharger or 6 spd swap.

now if i bought a rear wheel drive coupe, it might be a different story...

haha thanks for the criticism.

i do not think i wasted a lot of time. how would i know how things would turn out if i had not tried it? everything is trial and error here because this is my first car that i actually own and modify. next time around i will be more focused on a theme/goal for the car.

yeah maybe i did stupid stuff, but hey im only 20. i can get away with doing stupid stuff for a couple more years until i graduate college

by the way, the red footwell lighting and red door inserts are a real eye catcher at nighttime car shows. a lot of people come up and talk to me over the guy next to me with the dime a dozen 2010 Camaro. but of course some people do not like it. its all good

thanks again for your input though

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

had enough suede left over from the headliner to do 1 A-pillar. i shall go to joann fabrics tomorrow and get another 2 or 3 yards to finally finish it off and put my interior back together.

i dont understand why shops charge so damn much to do this kind of stuff. its only slightly labor intensive







and here is the glue i have been using in case anyone was wondering...

ThreePointTwoTeeEl

iTrader: (1)

I hate my Fern Interior. I can never do anything with that color.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

swap it out

VietGuy03

iTrader: (4)

MAAAAD props for all the work! I view modding as one of those true labors of love!
Reminds me of the days when I worked my TL.

On a side note if you like your current suspension might I recommend coilovers? I think you will appreciate the adjustability and sometimes the degree of versatility they offer.

So... when is the 6-Speed Swap coming? lol, I thought for sure when you had your whole interior out the 6-Speed would be laying around somewhere random to be installed. :P

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

thanks man!

i do want to upgrade to Function and Form but this winter is actually bruising my TL more than expected. i am glad i am not any lower than i am. im pretty comfortable with the drop i have now. its about 1.5 finger gap in the front and 0.75 finger gap in the back.

haha as far as the 6 speed swap, my transmission is doing okay so far but whenever it dies, i should have enough funds to do the swap.

however my next large purchase will be a new front bumper and a lip kit.

thug lyfe

looks good man..that's a lot of devotion to the car. just wondering why you didn't paint the front seats tho? does the paint chip off or rub off? it looks pretty funky with tan seats and black headrest.

also i kind of liked the red. i think it would've been cool if you went ahead and did a full red interior like on some of the MY02 s2000's. or even just red seats, inserts, and carpet. i think some new wheels and lip kit and you'll be set!

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

Duplicolor does not stick to leather. it flakes off. SEM leather paint will stick, but it is expensive and as far as i know does not come in any color other than variations of black, tan, and gray.

i am still considering having a shop dye the seats. its about $800 for the front and the back though.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

did a couple more interior panels in suede.


C-pillar driver side




Rear deck piece passenger side



that deck piece was a BITCH. so many contours that are unseen when installed but still matter when wrapping it. it didnt come out perfect like the other panels, but hey what are you gonna do... i saved $125 per panel over a shop doing it for me.

tri2tun

iTrader: (5)

Wow - so this is what you were talking about w/ ur interior swap. Very nicely done - I appreciate all DIY mods and good on ya for trying things out.

The black suede on the pillars and overhead are a great touch - how does it hold up against lint/dust? I know the lighter colors don't show up the dust as much.

BTW - I know you've been painting a lot of interior stuff, but ever thought about just painting PARTS of the seats, do a two-toned scheme like the 3G's? Specifically, black and gray?

Anyways, I'll get on the seatbelts ASAP for yah - and I'll throw in the black floor mats if you're willing to come down here and help me take out the pillars and overhead for wrapping in suede lol

Great job with the ride overall!

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

A-Pillar passenger side




C-Pillar passenger side




Done:

A-Pillars
C-Pillars
half of rear shelf
headliner

Whats left:

B-Pillars
other half of rear shelf
sunroof cover (might just paint it in place)
visors (might paint as well, the mirror poses an issue when wrapping. or i might get the shop to do em)

i am forced to work only a few hours a day because my garage is more or less in the 30-35 degree range. each piece takes about 2 or 3 hours, except the rear shelf piece which took 4 hours total. remember i am no expert. so i am being extremely slow and careful. with temperatures dropping this week to the teens, progress is going to be slow. the glue has a recommended application temperature of 65-95 degrees, so i am having a lot of trouble getting the glue, as well as my hands (cant wear gloves doing this kind of work), to work. i am trying to use a heat gun to heat up the parts but its only kinda working. hopefully the glue sets properly!