I have been a member on here for awhile, and have had 3G's (and 1 M45). I have learned alot of cool tips and tricks here and am really hoping that I can get some input on my plans. I am an Industrial Designer so I do consider myself an artist and want my car to reflect me and not just be a copy cat.
My current ride is a '12 GS loaded. I had an IPL when they first came out...but it did not work out for me as I do a lot of driving in traffic and the 6mt was not ideal for traffic. Not to mention...the gas mileage was terrible!
So anyway....I have a very limited budget to start with...but a little at a time is the plan.
This is the plan so far:
DBA 2pc T3 ClubSpec on front - Purchased
DBA 1 pc T3 ClubSpec on rear - purchased
Goodridge Phantom Brake line - purchased
Hawk HPS pads front and rear -Purchased
Stillen Gen 2 intake - Purchased - decided on this for ease of maintenance
New 20" TSW Interlagos Rims wrapped in new Hankook v12 - Purchased
Fast Intentions CF CBE - PURCHASED!!
Whiteline Bars front and Rear- Puchased (changed from Hotchkis originally)
Cusco Strut Brace - Purchased
KW V3 or Eibach Pro Street, or Stance or BC or?????? coil overs - Pending / OR maybe Swift or Eibach springs only with Koni's.

NEW ADDITIONS:
Gloss Black Grille - DONE
Tinted taillights
Tinted fronts
Gloss vinyl wrap on front bumper splitter area
Gloss vinyl wrap on roof

My color scheme is going to be GS / Black and Orange / Burnt Copper and Black under the hood
I am powder coating my Akebonos candy orange and then doing black vinyl Akebono decals. I am also powder coating the Stillen intake tubes the same candy orange to match the calipers. I am painting the engine cover burnt copper and gloss black along with the braces on the Cusco bar (orange). I have some good ideas for design on the Stillen urethane covers as well as some of the plastics.... going to draw and design a geometric tech look design using octogons and other primary shapes....should be very cool and individual. I want it to be classy...not trashy...

I was thinking I would paint my sway bars orange as well. Going to gloss black the front grille with the logo left chrome...or maybe just make it all black. Going to add a rear CF diffuser but need advice on some skirt kits....there are so many....
I will post pics of my mod process...I am tearing the car apart tonight....going to be a busy weekend!
need advice on skirts / coil overs / engine tune / roof wraps / rear wings / fog light upgrades and engine compartment ideas. thanks for listening....sorry to rattle on!
oh....though I would post some pics of my old M and my current ride...I
I will take pics of the whole process...including the painting and post them...look forward to hearing whatever body thinks....and hopefully learning more!

 

Wow, nice list of mods in your hand or pending, yep, you'll be a busy bee for awhile
Haven't heard much on the Eibach coilovers, nothing but great feedback for the KW3s though. Have fun w/ your install & all the decisions left to be made. BTW, nice past g and the present one is just waiting for your magic wand
Enjoy!
And in for pics!

 

thanks....I am thinking the KW's are the way to go...pricey but good....but hey..its just money right?
I have a ton of stuff I am trying to sell in the forum as well..the OEM stuff and some DBA rotors....any tips to get rid of this stuff? it is where my exhaust and coil over money is coming from!

 

ok....first stage is apart....wheels and rotors off; brakes drained.....ready for Goodridge steel lines, DBA rotors tomorrow...going to remove the front grille and start that paint process tomorrow as well...question is...full black or leave a little chrome like the midnight grille? opinions anyone? Also pulling apart all the plastic (engine cover, etc) under the hood...all the bolts...going to powder everything orange and some stuff black....going to look sweet.
Oh...and I want to give props to my neighbor Mike...he is a retired mechanic and is giving me a hand.
pics below...
oh and my cats are like...dude...what the hell are you doing...

 

I'd go full black on the grill and leave the emblem chrome. As far as selling stuff, as long as you have enough posts just list them in the marketplace here and G35driver.com if it won't let you list them you can always pony up for a premier membership to get them listed right away.
BTW some nice headlight work would look great w/ the rest of your plans, it's a bit of a PITA to remove the lens covers if you haven't done it before, but the effort is worth it. If you do plan to paint your headlights be sure to swap out the stock lens for a TSX lens, much crisper cutoff w/ a nice blue flicker.
www.theretrofitsource has them along w/ butyl sealing tape.
Painting the tails is a great look too, I did mine GTR style but mine's a sedan. Here's a nice coupe link if you're interested~
https://www.myg37.com/forums/picture...per-gloss.html
Have fun and don't scare off the cats w/ all your swearing

 

Sounds like some good fun. Sub'd to see how this turns out

 

Thanks a ton blnewt....I was looking for something like that for my tails. I am a very good painter and detail guy so this is right up my wheel house.
On the TSX lens....is the REALLY hard to do? I so want to paint my lights...but I hear you have to cook your light assembly....does not sound like something I am comfortable with!

 

The heating part isn't bad at all, the main PITA is separating the headlight covers from the housing, if you get ready to do this I can give you a few pointers. It does seem kind of daunting putting parts of your beloved car into an oven but it's no biggie, and changing out the lens isn't bad and makes a huge difference, also looks really nice in there since it's crystal clear

 

quick question for you...on coil overs...I do not want to lower my car too much. I am doing a Fast Intentions CBE and I do not want to be sracping...which ones? I spoke with Luke today at THMotorsports and we talked about Stance Super Sport +. But the thread he sent me looked like the the car sat lower than I want...what brand has the most adjustability? I know KW v3's are good, but I also heard those go low...what about BC BR or ER ?

 

Most of the true coilovers have a nice range of adjustment, the coilovers w/ shocks & separate springs in back often start out low, even at the highest setting. My Megans along w/ BCs are low from the start, I'm at zero gap and only have about 1/4" more to raise it safely (leaving enough threads on the collar). I believe the Stance coils are true coilovers so should start out higher in the back. The thread he sent may have showed the car lower than the highest setup.
HTHs

 

Have you considered swapping the wheels from your M to the G and vice versa? I've seen pictures of what I am talking about and thought it looked better.

 

not a bad idea except I sold the M! Those rims were sweet and the Pilot sport tires rocked. I was not too happy with the rotora's though...it was one of the first BBK for the m's and it had issues. They made a ton of noise and there was zero customer support.
I just got a set of 20" TSW Interlagos wrapped in Hankook v12. They look great. I want my car to look nice but I am not into scraping and especially after spending 1500+ on the FI CBE, I do not want to tear up the CF cans.
I am rocking new 2pc DBA T3 ClubSpec in front and single piece T3 ClubSpec in rear. All new Goodridge Phantom lines and Hawk HPS pads.
I am doing new powder coat on the rotors (burnt orange) and I think they will look sic on the DBA's with the TSW rims.
I REALLY need help on choosing a coil over that will drop my car about an inch or so..but not too much. Also...do you have to get alignments done all the time once you do coil-overs?
Attached are pics of Akebono tear downs and new TSW's....I also did a sweet color study for the paint under the hood. Going with a polished copper and piano black. Going to look awesome and unique. I will post the color studies I did as well.
I also want to paint my grille, but the thread that I read where a ton of people broke their radiator shroud has got me nervous. I have a 2012....any helpful hints other than remove the water bottle that anyone can give me so I can paint my grille gloss black? Has anyone else tried trimming those two little pins by the water bottle back as one guys suggested?
I will continue to post the progress on my build......the plan is starting to come together.
looking forward to the feedback.
Vic

 

Painting the Grill yet removing it is not hard yet you dont have to renove the whole shroud... just losten the tabs out take out the screws gently pull up the back by the motor and pop it comes free just open enough to stick your arm in and grab a 10mm socket wrench and loosen up the 5 bolts and 4 tabs and out it comes just pysh lightly or it will scratch up the sides... mask it off with tape to help one side at a time...


I have the SS's and yes they start off low but the Adjustability up or down is fantastic... can go 0 gap and pending how the dampener is set it can go soft yet smooth... I'm running now 25 1/2 front 25 3/4 rear on setting 10 just for fuel... wanted to compensate fuel weight yet kids..
Front I have at 8 a little softer and no bounce...

Luke is Great at TH and thats where I purchased mine just a lil over a mo ago... you can go to Vossens post up thred and see how my stance is... I'm low... but the ride for a True coilover... #1 imo..
Price too... though recommend getting the extensions on the rears to help adjust the dampening...

 

As for alignment I had one done 2 weeks after all was settled... though no front kit needed, no rear either just a toe kit and done... the SS's are awesome... see a pic on Vossen post up thred towards the end you'll see my G.... I'm low but Sweet!!!

Ill get another alignment in 6 mo since this is ny DD and travel to LA and San Diego but no issues thus far! your G is going to look Great once it's all done!

 

Blair'n - thanks for the tips on the grille. No use doing it yourself to save money if you just break stuff!
I spoke with Luke today and he seemed knowledgeable as well as honest. he did mention the extensions for the rear...I like the look of the ss setup as well. Just want to make sure that my car will not be too low. The price is very fair for the ss+ when compared to other mfgs. I am going to Willow Springs to track the car in July. Would like to have some coil overs on before then...