Hey fellas, I think I know what the popular answer will be to this but I wanted some opinions since I am 50-50. I have a Del Sol that I have had for over 10 years and the body styling is really getting out of date, it was built back in 04 and has graphics, in a perfect world I would love to redo the whole outside, remove the body kit for OEM, change the hood, get oem fenders, get carbon fiber lip etc, but I just don't have the money to do any of that at the moment, I'm on a shoe string budget. So the question is, do you guys like the car in it's current state better with the graphics or without them? Usually it's an obvious answer I think to get rid of graphics, however without changing anything else I'm not sure if it takes it from ricey with graphics, to still ricey and just plain looking without them, in other words rice biases aside, does it actually look any better?

Here is some pictures with and without, you can see my professional photoshopping skills (AKA MS Paint lol)

With:




Without:

 

This is a tech section. Your post has absolutely zero tech to it. Maybe you should try the appearance section?

 

Oh crap my bad, let me repost

 

I'm not sure how to delete my thread here, can an admin be so kind as to delete it for me? I screwed up! I have now posted it in the cosmetic section, thanks!

 

FWIW remove graphics, at least it will look a tad bit cleaner. And buy your stock components one at a time if you really want to go back to stock on your budget. It's not like you did something drastic like me and molded all kinds of stuff to the body with headlight conversions. Your car can easily go back to stock if you really want to.

 

Don't worry about it, I reported it for you. An admin will be by eventually to lock or move it.

 

Thanks so much, I appreciate it.

 

That's kinda what I was thinking as well, thanks for your input.

 

Personally if the body is staying the same, I think it looks more complete with graphics than without.

Without it looks only partially finished and still needs work, with graphics it looks like designing and building is complete. Looks clean and well done.

I mean look at it, the graphics tie in the carbon fiber hood and the blue brake calipers. It's homogeneous. Without the graphics, it looks incomplete.

It's like building a hotrod with custom paint and after 5 years saying you want to go back to stock..... I say leave it, but that's me.

 

I say leave em, **** it, bring bodykits and graphics back.


I'd rather see that than tunacan fenders and cheap "hellflush" wheels anyway.

 

+Tomcat39
+2LEM1

Thanks for the input, I guess my intuitions on how close a call this is was justified, the point 24TEN made was exactly why I am 50% for removing them and the point you two make is exactly why 50% of me just thinks to leave it. MORE OPINIONS are very welcomed! I hate indecision! Help hahaha.

 

I would remove them but that's just me. Honestly stock fenders and a different front bumper and it would still be suuuuper clean. I loved that style when it first came out. Back when Tim the Stick was running 10's in his d series. The kaminari front would look nice with that setup & you already have that rear. Or oem with shaved aux and a molded lip. If you do replace the front bumper you cant go stock without a bigish lip or it will look weird. You did say on a budget so with that being said its really your call. If the paint is faded or anything I wouldnt remove them because it might look weird in those areas. I also wouldnt remove them if your not going to change the front bumper. Its aggresive as fock so no point in trying to dial it down just by doing 1 thing. I think you would have to do 2-3 to change her perception from super aggro to supa clean!

My 2cents

 

Good points, yeah I would definitely get a lip for the front if I got an oem bumper, My only concern is I know I will have to modify an oem bumper to make my intercooler and lines fit, I don't really have the money to mess with any of it yet anyway though.

I heat gunned a section of the graphics today and peeled it back about 3 inches and I didn't see any paint fade surprisingly, but I do take care of it and wax at least 2 to 3 times a year. I just WISH I could find a good condition white del sol that someone is parting out and buy all the body parts I need, I think I could get it cheap and not have to pay to paint anything.

 

REMOVE all hideous parts/mods:

- paint
- wheels
- body kit
- front fenders
- front and rear bumpers
- gauge pod (it's obviously not turbocharged)
- hood
- "euro" corner lights

 

Nah. Leave it the way it is. Bring the car a little closer to the ground and call it a day. I like this style alot better than the "Flushgang" bullshit.

 

I'm broke right now , so I can't do any of that. That said, gauge pod is functional, has boost gauge (it is turbo charged, has T3T04E on a B18C swap). But yeah, as mentioned in my post I would love to revamp the whole outside, any rich people want to donate to a de-rice project is welcome lol.

 

I actually like some of the hellaflush stuff but you're right some people take it to funny extremes. I am on adjustable coilovers, I thought about dropping it another half inch or so, but I'm already scraping on my driveway as is #Lowlife. Anyway, thanks for the input! I got some thinking to do over the next few days.

 

I'm playing around with some no cost ideas, am I crazy or does this look kinda nice?



I've seen rims done with duplicolor metal cast paint and they come out really good from what I've seen, the color I demo'ed here is almost identical to one of their gold colors.

 

Figured I'd post a resolution to my thread, I bit the bullet and pulled the graphics off, I figured it can't get any worse looking and I was just tired of graphics. There was no fading under it surprisingly, only problem was under the main black graphic part, it must have used a different adhesive because it yellowed the clear coat underneath, but the yellowing is going away, I think it was just chemicals in the glue and now they are evaporating out! 5 days with the them off and it looks almost normal now where it was yellowed. Anyway, I decided to do the chrome lip on my rims in anodized blue, I used the duplicolor metalcast. Here is how it came out:




I wish I could do more to de-rice it but I think it's at least more tasteful rice, I like it much better than before and I only spent 100 bucks.

 

X2

 

Better then 80% of the crap that gets posted on HT.