Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Brother, the interior looks wicked!....congrats!

But I am so sorry to hear about the trunk equipment.



National Acura Meet-June 6th/Kansas City. Click here for details and to sign up!



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ionojimbo

i would always work at another persons garage to work on my car. cant trust people where i live. im really loving your steering wheel. its a perfect match

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, man...to boot, I'm also doing a Stage 2.5 exhaust mod, which is the mid-muffler delete and an Aero res.

Yeah, Dave...I am quite upset about it. I might file this under homeowner's, waiting to hear back from the claims agent. As old as the gear was, it still retails for close to $1500 for the setup :wtc:

Thanks, Steve! We're getting there. The BIG interior mod is coming the weekend of May 22nd or so...so much so, I am taking 2 days off from work and have already told the missus that if she has any desire to spend time with me that weekend, grab some gear and meet me in the car She said OK , which may or may not be a good thing!

Thanks, man! I'm getting another sub/amp combo, but this time...this time, I am going to remove the rear seats and bolt the f*cker to the framework...plus I will be installing a rather nasty 'surprise' should anyone try this shit again.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Lip looks great, bud. These aren't comps, but separate woofers/tweets. I purchased them from Sonix Electronics. The woofers didn't really do much...I will say that it absolutely gave me more midrange and highs, but you will absolutely lose the lows...for now (I don't think they're fully broken in yet)...but coupled with a nice subwoofer, it's GOLDEN.

The tweets on the other hand...NICE. Do that right away. The difference is astonishing and immediately noticeable. Do yourself a favor and hit them up first, you will be amazed at both how crappy the OEs are and how much better the system will sound thereafter.

It's Clutch

iTrader: (6)

Every mod you have done has been done flawlessly. Good job. Sorry to hear about your equipment being stolen, hope Karma strikes those thieves back.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Well, what's new, all? Coming off the crushing defeat delivered by the neighborhood thieves, my "light at the end of the tunnel" was quickly snuffed out by my insurance carrier ALSO rejecting the claim. (THANKS, ASSHOLES) Coupled with the nigh infinite amount of hours I'd been pouring in to work as of late, this was going to be a joyous occasion, but lo, life had other plans.

...but life moves on. In other funny news, my car was wayyyy overdue for inspection, something I had put off due to an SRS light being on thanks to an OPDS code. So, 7 months later, I decide it's finally time to bite the bullet and get 'er done. So like any engineer, I perform my necessary research and determine the standards for inspection...NONE of which states that an SRS light will cause a failure. NICE. Like any GOOD engineer, I also did a quick risk analysis and discovered that I'm going to have to pay a fine of up to $200...AND UP TO 30 DAYS IN JAIL?! Ohhhhhh, fuuuuuu... Of course, my natural inclination was to freak out and call a lawyer who basically said, get it inspected privately...NOW. Some of the ex-jailbirds had fun with this news at work, namely one guy who said he's going to commit triple-homicide if I get locked up so he can "tap that sweet ass". Cherish the thought, James. Unfortunately, I passed inspection and crushed his romantic yearnings, but he took it well, lol.

With a particularly hot weekend up and coming, it's now time for me to REALLY start to bring the TL towards glory, so let's get working. First up on the agenda is going to be tinting the sidemarkers and some painting, but with a DM-twist, of course!

First, we're starting off with a 1k-grit wet sand and a wipe of some mineral spirits to ensure good adhesion.



Next up, time to mask off the reverse lights



Now, it's time to paint. We're going thick as hell, maybe about 10 coats in total. I have the time an resources, so why shirk the job?



MOMENT OF TRUTH...did my tape stick????



WHEW, it did. NOW...Does the finish look a little strange to you??? HMMMMMM??? Let's look a little closer, shall we?



OH, MY!







...that's right. DM has a few tricks up his sleeve. Time for a new post.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Alright, time to work on some auxiliary items. In keeping pace with the other items, let's hit up some other ones. I painted the chrome door handle strips and the rear darth vader helmet while we were at it...



Also, since the original 3M tape was rotted to hell, might as well as put a fresh new layer on...GL trying to pull this one off, thieves.



I also decided to do a little LED jobber for the glovebox, since I'm cheap as hell and didn't want to pay $5 for a stupid little bulb I can DIY in 20 mins.





NOW, let's see some money shots, eh?













Here you can see some of the sparkle, I REALLY need to get an SLR, this image sucks.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Damn that paint has some sort of pearl to it. I like.

diskinnect

iTrader: (2)

man i really love what you've done with the car. carbon fiber overlay interior looks really sick. and it sucks to hear that you got your speakers stolen=/

Morrissey25

iTrader: (4)

Damn... tons of work... Keep it up. I can't wait to see the finished product.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Ok, let's shift gears for a minute and talk MAINTENANCE. For anyone on this forum, Maintenance should come first...ABOVE ANY AND ALL MODS, PERIOD, END OF DISCUSSION.

At 65k, we're going to change:

(1) Oil
(2) Air Filter
(3) Seaform
(4) Tranny Fluid
(5) Chevron Techron
(6) Coolant
(7) Power Steering Fluid



We also have some brakes in the work, but thanks to HEELTOE's abyssal delivery time, that's next weekend.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Ok, FINALLY. FINALLY I got the exhaust installed. I am having a 'Stage 2.5' thang going on, and that is: mid-muffler delete, Aero 25 resonator, and Type-S mufflers. The exhaust note is SWEET. VERY subtle, audible primarily from the +2k range up. At cruising speed, you won't even notice it. SO, in retrospect, if I did it again, I'd have removed the res altogether. Either way, it's friggin great. For those requesting sound clips, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow when I can tear through the parking lot at work.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

NEXT MODS:
- Wetsand of painted parts
- Polish of painted parts
- Fabrication/design of circuitboard for LED radio

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, man!

Yeah, I appreciate the sympathy, man...really do miss them...

This was only 2 days...I'm just getting started!

mmade22

Love this thread OP! Keep it up son!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

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flowgoode

iTrader: (1)

Awesome work man!

Mjakaz09TL

iTrader: (7)

Nice ass!! Im liking the exhaust tips. Never seen anything like it.

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

DM....ur diy skillz are dope! im subcribed to see the final outcome!

sho_nuff1997

iTrader: (2)

Awesome work! I love the exhaust tips.

bzyrice

iTrader: (10)

Whoa how did I miss this thread?!?! ACK?! Thanks for the shout out man.. been busy with some stuff on my own, so haven't ventured past my subscription list lately..

But exhaust is insane?! Thats gonna be a B!tch to clean, but I know you will be up to the task! Nice paint work! Cant wait to see what mods come out of you. .hehe I know they be sooo original. The LEDs are sooo sick.. My soldering skills suck, other wise I would start tearing every little thing apart haha..

Keep up the good work! And you will see me more in this thread now that I am subscribing to it! haha..

diskinnect

iTrader: (2)

wow powder coated exhaust tips lol thats different. props

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

This fawking circuit design is going to drive me mad, but I have to get this done tonight

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, brother! Some of your threads inspired me to pull the trigger on the TL!

Thanks!

Just warming up...

Everything should be wrapped up by mid-June, save the wheel painting...I'm talking to a particular paint vendor to see if certain steps can be omitted.

Hell yeah, my man...my goal is to do things other's haven't done, and the rest of the mods, I am hoping, will reflect that.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, man...you and a few other WDPs help keep me in 'friendly competition mode', so by all means...thanks for pushing me!

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

BOARD IS DONE! I'll be doing a mock-up with LEDs tomorrow, etching this week/next.

wrxyboy

iTrader: (2)

im assuming these are smd leds. What size did you use?

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

More great work from Dan! Awesome, bud.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

PLCC-2, 3mm total width, I am estimating a 0.75mm gap between the leads, I am going to confirm this in the morning. Total Cu footprint was increased so I can properly center the LED...although I hope that it's the lateral dimension requiring adjustment, not longitudinal, LOL

At least I can sell some of these once it's proven

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

More importantly...when are we getting some boom back in the trunk? Get some ghetto rig you won't cry if they steal. Audiobahn crap for me all day Errr day.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Wow....look at those exhaust tips!

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

WORKLOGS HAVE BEEN MERGED. Thanks, Steve!

Thanks, my man...for both!

Jays_04TL

Dude DeathMetal you got skillz man!
Sorry to hear about the audio equip, that does hurt.
Man you got me inspired to do some work
on my ride now!

BTW Nile Rocks!!!

Phambam12

WOW im really considering this

Red Voodoo

Looking good, as always. I enjoy watching your bouts of creativity. They sit well with your car.

HokAy

someone smell a roof spoiler coming? lol

AD-TL04

Wow you really put a lot of work into this car since you got it and it shows! Looks great man

It's Clutch

iTrader: (6)

Speechless. Awesome skills man.

Sound Murderer

iTrader: (1)

as a newcomer to this board i gotta say you and a few others give the n00bs something to strive for

top drawer man,top drawer

rsxs9400

looks good bro, im gonna have to swing by soon and do the 65k with you!