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manoverboard987's 1998 Cool White 2.0L

10K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  dnyed 
#1 · (Edited)
COMPLETED MODS
EXTERIOR
• Dark Navy Blue Dual Pinstripe
• Honda S2000 OEM antenna (7")
newbeetle.org side window decals
• Tinted Windows, 30% all around
• Front and Rear Blue/White Euro Emblems
• Euro Blue/White Hubcap Emblems
newbeetle.org license plate frame

INTERIOR
• Dash Accent Color-Coding
• Inside Door Handle Color-Coding
• Shifter Accent Color-Coding
• Monster Mats
• Door Panel Color-Coding
• Bud Vase Color-Coding
• Radio Surround Color-Coding

PERFORMANCE
• K&N Drop-In Air Filter
• Removed Rubber Seal from Top of Engine Compartment
• Snowbox-ectomy

AUDIO
• JVC KD-SX990 Head Unit
• Pioneer TS-1640R 2-ways (2 sets, F+R)

LIGHTING
• Disabled DRLs
• Clear Corner Lenses + Screw Covers
• G3 Altezza Taillights
• Sylvania Silverstar Corner/Signal Bulbs, F+R
• Red 194 LEDs for Rear Markers
• Clear Third Brake Light

COMPLETED REPAIR/MAINTENANCE
• Brake Light Switch Recall (11-28-2005)
• Brand New (Stock) Brakes (12-27-2004 / 71232 mi)
• Fixed Broken Driver-Side Window Switches
• Replaced Rubber Antenna Gasket Between Roof and Antenna Base
• Replaced Cabin Air (Pollen) Filter (03-07-2005)
• Replaced Cracked Serpentine Belt (08-17-2004 / 67628 mi)
• New Battery (01-02-2004)
• New 205/55-16 Bridgestone Insignia Tires + New Spare (05-02-2004 / 64747 mi)
• Tune-up/80k Maintenance (timing belt, water pump, thermostat, plugs, wires, fuel filter) (01-04-2006)
• 4-wheel alignment (01-27-2006)
• Replaced Left Front Wheel Bearing (3-20-2006)
• Replaced AC Compressor, Drier, Expansion Valve and all the seals (--2006)
• 2 New Bridgestone Insignia SE200 Tires (--2006)
• "Recharged" K&N Air Filter (8-12-2006)
• Cleaned da MAF (8-12-2006)

----------------------------------------

My NB is a 1998 Cool White 2.0L with the Sport Package (Alloy Wheels and Foglights), the Convenience Package (Power Windows and Cruise Control), and ABS. (Guess you can say that makes her "fully loaded".)

Got her used from a Toyota dealership with 52k and one owner. Not a bad first car.

here's the pics I decided to save from the old org since they were some of my faves:











my favorite:

 
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#2 ·
most recently, i got my windows tinted, did a Meguiar's Tech Wax-ing, and found my new favorite tire product, Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance High Gloss Long Lasting Tire Protectant Gel aka Meguiar's Grape Jelly. (it's also the longest name for a product i've ever seen.)

tinted windows 1:


tinted windows 2:


aah that Tech Wax shine:


ditto on the rubber:
 
#3 · (Edited)
on the docket:

clear third brake light:


front and rear euro emblems:


euro wheel emblems:


i've got the wheel emblems and the brake light.

these mods are to be completed this weekend, unless my euro emblems don't come in tomorrow or saturday, cuz they havent yet.

watch for how-to pics to accompany. maybe even a how-to thread, if i feel up to it.

later.
 
#4 ·
always a good sign when you see these 4 logos on the box:


everyone together now - "ooooh, aaaah.":


kinda screams facelift, doesn't it?:


tomorrow morn, before it gets too hot outside, these shall become one with my car.
 
#5 ·
ok - installation went splendidly.

pre hubcaps:


post hubcaps:


rear end:


The rest of these were taken 2 days after. I had to wait for a day with enough blue and white in the sky in order to... well, you get the idea.





I zoomed in on the clouds (and me) reflected in the emblem:








The clear third brake light is definitely my favorite part on my car. It ties in the altezzas and clear corners quite well; incredibly moreso than the stock red one. My friend said "I definitely like this whole setup [blue emblems, clear everything] much better than the stock ensemble." Ditto.

So that does it for me in the mod department for this semester, unless something amazing goes on sale. The clear screw covers i just ordered from squeebug dont count. The rest of my money has to go towars other cool things like food and gas and cable.

Oh. And if you ever acquire a clear third brake light of your own, and intend on installing it, might i suggest taking a gander at this How-To i wrote. It's a fairly simple process, but this'll take any guesswork out of it.
 
#6 · (Edited)
washed my car today. i've figured out that i do it for fun.

took these pics i'm really proud of.







the last one shows how dirty it is under my hood.

of course, it rained out of nowhere 3 hours after i finished washing. it always rains at most a day after i wash my car. good thing to know that if i ever want it to rain, all i have to is wash my car.

sure they're all of the same thing, but this IS the photos forum, so oh well.

my A/C is making my engine idle extremely rough, so fixing that potential problem is what im saving all my pennies for right now.
 
#10 ·
haven't updated in a while but a bunch has happened.

first off, i got the waterpump/timing belt maintenance done (and got new plugs and wires and a new fuel filter at the same time). the car runs like a dream now - no more ticking and the rumble-rumble is virtually gone.

i also got new speakers for christmas. they're Pioneer TS-1640R's:


tons more bass than stock, but the problem is that the stock speakers had plastic brackets attaching them to the doors which kept the bass going towards the cabin, whereas these speakers are screwed right into the metal, so the bass gets dispersed thru the door panels and muffled. i'm looking into dynamats to help alleviate the problem.

the next upgrade on the audio front is a new set of cleaner tweeters to complement the cleaner speakers.

i didn't get any interior painting done over the christmas break, but i plan on doing it bit by bit. i've got the exterior pretty much where it's gonna get for the time being, so i'm concentrating my work on restoring the interior. 3+ years of hardcore daily driving has taken its toll on things like door sills and door switches, etc.

the next major mod i'm saving up for? wheels and tires.

updates as they happen.
 
#11 ·
well, on a impulse, i picked up a couple of sets of these:



its partly justified seeing as how they were on sale (thanks to GINA for that tip).

(yes, i already have silver/amber bulbs in, but i've not been impressed with how bright they are during the day (actually, at all times). it's definitely not as bright as an unpainted light bulb would be. after seeing a couple cars around campus with them, i'm positive these will make me happy on that front.)

are these bulbs worth hot dogs for dinner for a week? ya. probably.

install and comparo pics to follow.
 
#13 · (Edited)
finished up installing the silverstar corner bulbs. i'm pretty impressed with them overall. (only downside i see is the price.)

the difference between the light they give off and the light my silver-painted bulbs is quite noticeable. here you can see the difference in the glass itself, as i hold them both up to the sun:

(silver bulb is on the left, silverstar on the right.)

my main reason for upgrading was that i wasn't impressed with the visibilty of the silver-painted bulbs during the day, more succinctly in the sunlight.

here's the difference between silver-painted and silverstar in the sunlight (both pictures are the turn signal illuminated, not just the parking light):


(it might have a little to do with the angle, but the difference really is this noticeable.)

and the difference at dusk, that weird time of day where everything changes color and you're not sure if you really need your lights on but you put them on anyways because everyone else has theirs on and you're better safe than sorry:


and as for what they look like inside the housings?

in the fronts, a really cool bluish iridescent that you only see from certain angles:


in the rears, more blue than in the front:


mod grade awarded: A- (for the price)

 
#15 · (Edited)
hyakugojyuuichi said:
But what happened to your center caps in the last picture?
Heh. i was waiting for someone to point that out.

as it turns out, the center cap stickers i bought on ebay weren't the stamped and painted piece of metal that is the actual euro center cap.

these were a little clear gel thingy stuck to a piece of brushed aluminum.

the weather here has been cold an wet the last couple weeks, and the front passenger side sticker didnt like that too much. it basically peeled off like an orange peel:


so now i'm running 3 blue stickers and one shiny chrome circle.

EDIT: i've decided to glue it back on somehow.
 
#16 ·
if you ever decide to park under a tree, make sure that it's not a berry tree which has berries ready to fall and is frequented by birds.

apparently, that's what i parked under last night...







the windsheild was worse - about 1/3 of it alone was covered.

i wasn't mad at the tree or the birds, but rather kind of awestruck at sheer quantity of mess. besides, emergency car washes after class are kinda fun!

next week is spring break, with many changes to come...

stay tuned.
 
#17 ·
the post spring break update:

- working under the car went splendidly. the snowbox is history, and so is the pesky burnt out foglight bulb. even though i had intended to take the snorkel off as well, i decided to leave it on because it made more sense to me that the intake should suck the cold air from where the snorkel ends as opposed to the hot air from where the airbox is. i dont drive thru water high enough for it to be a problem (the snorkel end is > 6 inches off the ground). the car runs a little cooler (as in not as much hot air escapes from under the hood after it's turned off), and (this may be me, but) it seems like when i slam on the gas, there's less hesitation.

- while the car was jacked up, we found out that i need some new front struts. when the jack stands were at equal eight, the passenger side tire was off the ground, and the driver's side wasn't. i've decided to replace the rear shocks too because... well, why not. i'm looking for something a little better in response than stock, but still relatively inexpensive. i'd really like the Bilstein monotube Sport Struts and Shocks, but they're way out of my price range. therefore, i'm looking towards the Bilstein Touring Class double tube Struts and Shocks. i found a store online where i can get the 2 struts and 2 shocks for ~$250.

- i also reattached the center cap that fell off with some 3M Emblem adhesive.

- the only interior paint i got done was redoing the inside door handles, the bud vase, and the radio surround. those are the parts that had worn (or, in the case of the bud vase, cracked and scratched) the most. i found some metallic flake silver that closely resebeled Reflex Silver and looks better than what i had on before. the parts are still at home as i have yet to polish them.

- ever since i had them replaced a while back, the front brakes have been squealing a vast majority of the time. i've had them checked out by 3 different shops and everyone says nothing's wrong - they just make noise. i'm tired of the squealing brakes, so this summer i'm springing for some EBC Green Stuff pads.

- i've determined that sometime over this summer, i'll be switching to Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil too.

for now, i'm off to finish silly Linear Algebra homework so i can leave Tallahassee right after class and get en route the the 12 Hours of Sebring! If you're goin', i hope to see you there! i'll hopefully have a lot of pictures to post in the Photography forum, including some of the new TDI powered Audi R10. mmmmmm. i can't wait.
 
#18 · (Edited)
eh- no pics of sebring like i said there would be. the main reason is that my camera sucked. it took forever to actually close the shutter after i pushed the button, so i missed pretty much every car. and then the battery died after hour 6 of the 12.

but look what i got for my birthday!



a Kodak Z740 5.0MP camera with 10x Optical Zoom and a plethora of other features. (twas a huge surprise. i was told it was too expensive then i end up finding it under the wrapping paper.)

so i took it for a test drive today, and i figured out that the better the camera is, the worse of a friend lighting becomes. you can see what i'm talking about in these pics. the first 2 are from a nicely wooded park and the second 2 are from a shady area under the bridge in the pic. i liked these pics so thought i would share them.









(the hubcaps are off because i did a pretty thorough wheel cleaning over the weekend and have yet to equally thoroughly clean the caps.)

i was trying for the dramatic artsy lighting and off-center subject what-have-yous. and i was trying to work with the angles of the bridge in a few shots. (i also fear that i'm developing post-many-pics-of-the-same-thing syndrome.) but fear not. i shall improve my photgraphy skills a good deal now that i have a camera with potential.

and i'll have plenty of beetle related stuff to shoot too, given my list of summer mods. check out the first post of the thread for the running list.
 
#19 ·
Dude! Sweet setup you have going on here! I never saw your car until today. Color me impressed. No interior shots. Is this a sign of improvements on the horizon or it just needs as much lovin as the outside has been getting?

It really looks great! I'm glad Cosmodydouchebag didn't rip you off like they did me.

Might have to steal your pinstriping though. Yup. Yellow maybe?
 
#21 ·
there were some interior pics at one point, in my old org thread, and then the photo server i was using lost them all, and i could swear i reloaded them to my old org thread, but i can't find them. but yes, i'm doing a lot of painting this summer, so i guess i should post them here as before pics...

oh! i know where they are. they're in this thread: Post your Interior Mods!

but i'll post them here too.

i've already done a bit of painting:

the 5 pieces on the dash...



the 2 door handles...



the radio surround and bud vase...



and the shifter and shift plate thingy...


as you can tell, i'm goin for a silver on white on black paint scheme. i've since repainted the 2 door handles, the radio surround, and the bud vase. they got scratched up and worn since i never polished them or anything. they've now got a bunch of clear and a coat of turtle wax.

the rubber crap has been peeling constantly, and you can tell my carpets are starting to get worn down a little. so you were accurate in saying that the bulk of the beetle love has gone to the exterior. that's not to say there's none left for the interior. all the broken switches and hanging wires and carpet floor mats and whatnot in the pics have all been replaced/taken care of.

so this summer, i've gotta do the 2 center dash pieces (upper and lower), the 4 door panels, and the center floor console. that'll wrap up the theme and the interior will look a lot cleaner than it is right now. plus, now i know how to best remove the remaining rubber crap. ;)

and feel free to take the pinstriping. the toyota dealership did it before i took delivery. i liked it so i didnt argue. it highlights that line of the beetle and makes it look more streamlined. (at least that's what i see.) and yes, yellow.
 
#25 ·
got my org license plate frame...



i got the blue so it would follow the silver/blue/white color scheme back there. it fits in nicely.

(yeah, i know its not a "mod", but i figured it was worth posting. you've gotta represent for the org after all.)
 
#26 ·
Nice white buggy!! GO WHITE BUGS!! I never see too many of us lil white ones. I love the berry pic... I think I'd cry if I saw that on my bug. :( Your Euro emblems look hot... I'll keep that in mind.

One question, how on Earth did you remove the "shift plate thingy?" And do the ends of the shifter just twist off like I think they do (because I keep twisting them...like a loose tooth that I just don't really want to pull out yet...LOL!)

Thanks if you can help me out... and great job!!
 
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