I am doing research for my friend who has finally decided to mod his 1999 TL-P, and i have a couple questions regarding upgrading the body to look like a 2002 or 2003

1. Are the taillights interchangeable between the different years?

2. Can the front clip (finders, bumper, hood, ect.) off of an 02-03 fit a 99 model?

3. Are their aftermarket options for the grill on a 99, besides the custom made one I saw in the DYI section (just in case we cant fit the newer front clip)?

I am sure these questions sound really dumb to most of you but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Hey welcome and I know others will chime in on this topic but to answer all your questions. You can convert the 99 to a 03.

You will need the right and left front fender, hood, grill, front bumper, headlights, new radiator support mounts, wiring for the fog lights. But that's optional.

The taillights are interchangeable but you will more than likely have to use some electrical tape to keep the connectors in place because the connector holes are slightly bigger.

Basically it can be done. But your going to be investing in many upon many hours of labor and money. For all that you mines well find a 02 or 03 model and trade or exchange that for it.

That's my two cents...

Sent via BlackBerry

 

1.easy, just have to make sure to swap the wiring on the taillight itself over too (should plug in no problem) (can't recall exactly what different about the wiring, but it is), and they are bolt on

2. yes but not cheaply (unless of course you already have to repair a damaged front end), so easier to just start with an 02-03; and not too many people have done it, so really no DIY on it

3.aftermarket, no (that i know off), but other factory options, yes (from the inspire and saber in japan, so "H" badges instead of "A")

 

besides 02-03 front end doesn't look all that great when you compare it to the 99-01 front end. the high beam spot has to big circles which looks way out of place and the headlights are just to big to begin with.

personally i only like how the fog lights were made in with the front bumper.

99-01 seems to carry over the headlight configuration into the 3rd generation too. just because the 99-01 headlights were smaller and in the 3rd generation they just made them real skinning in height and wide in width.

 

To each his own. I did the conversion and I'm very happy with it.

I like the 99-01 more classy front-end look, but I like the 02-03 more agressive look!

 

Personally i think the 02-03 has a better looking front end (and i have a 00)

 

 

^ i dont.

99-01= classic sedan look

02-03 was the beggining of the direction acura has taken today.

 

^ but I agree

 

I see what you mean, but I really like the overall look of 02-03 models. The lights look more sexy to me I have a 00, don't get me wrong, I like it, but if I had to choose........ 02-03

 

the TL front end history:

96-98


99-01


02-03


04-06


07-08


09-


96-98
the front end looked okay. classic look for a first generation. it gave a business look to it the headlights looked fine.

99-01
the front end looked awesome and you can see it carried over the previous generation headlights a little

02-03
the front end just looks to big and wide, so is the grille and the high beam space (eyeball) looks strangely weird and doesn't even look like the previous model or next generations (3rd) the fog lights was a nice addition however.

04-06 & 07-08
now those front ends look sporty and luxury and at the same time has some traits of the past generations. the headlights look slick and went from the nose of the car--->big to thinning out to the edges

09 and to whatever the future holds (i hope looking better than 09)
these front ends look so out of place and certainly not previous acura looks. i mean the grille is out of place and looks like a beak.

all in all i'm not hating or saying anything about the 02-03 front upgrade. i'm just saying it doesn't look anything special when comparing it to the 99-01. now the 99-01 has a classic luxury sedan look

 

Some of you need glasses or to have your eyes rechecked. The 02-03 no where near has the beak that the 4th gen has. The only reason that the 02-03 headlights were bigger than the 99-01 is because they had to raise the hood a inch to clear the J32A2 motor

 

for not having it in the 99-01's

and that was the ONLY reason they put the bigger headlights on, did not know that (also remember the TL-p still had the A1 like yours)



also lost, for the 02-03 ones yes there is too much "grill" on them, but i think part of that is because of the amount of chrome on the front end does not help make it look smaller ethier (look at the painted A-spec grills, they do not look nearly as big, as the normal chrome ones)

 

well i never knew that to begin with. it still looks funny. to me the 3rd gen looks aggressive and luxury. the 99-01 looks like a classic luxury sedan and the 02-03 just has a funny looking front end but the wheels on those years were neat. i like the tl-p and type-s stock wheels.

the grille just looks wide and it is a little to much chrome. look at the 3rd gen front end grille. the grille looks exactly like the 99-01.

 

easy for every one else:

could not seem to find larger


anyways the painted grill with the painted headlights really tones it down, kinda how it should of came for all the 02-03's out there, but then we be complaining of that


also just painting the center bar (with the "A") black or something would help tone it down some

 

So what, should they have made 2 different front ends, one for each motor?

 

could've continued the old front end , not pratical, but possible if they wanted too

 

wow it looks just like the 99-01 model but the lights are still there. how did they manage to do that model?

and i never knew it was due to the type-s engine being different than the regular engine. so it made sense for them to make the front end a little bigger. and plus i think it was cheaper to make the regular 02-03 tl-p the same as the type-s even thought the regular had the 99-01 motor.

02-03 headlights still look funny, though

 

i don't think it was completely for that reason though, but it was a helping factor though, plus it was due for a freshen up anyways (honda normaly does that every 2-3years), just this happened to be a bigger freshen up then they normally do