By Jeff Glucker
We’re always daydreaming about upgrades or fixes to our vehicles, right? I have a healthy list of stuff I want to do for all of my machines. Heck, even my mountain bike is poised for some upgrades or modifications. On the Montero, I think about what it would be like with e-lockers. Over on the Jaguar, I’d love to get a bit more growl out of the exhaust and lower it an inch. And on my Benz… well, you know.
So what are you waiting to do on your vehicle? Share your modification goals with us below.
I have some pretty simple mods in front of me, I suppose. The new multimedia unit for the little Hyundai arrived today. I also have some extra lights lying around here all winter already because the car has poor factory lights. What’s holding me back with the lights is that I can’t find a simple way to get the cabling through the firewall. There’s also some odd behaviour if I touch the mount, see attached video, so I’m not even sure it works as it is supposed to. I’m a bit excited about the multimedia part, too, hoping it fits and cables up in one go without issue.
Find an existing penetration through the firewall and see if you can add that additional wire through the grommet. Or see where the antenna wire comes through–that could be in the door jamb or a kick panel. Or run the wire around the door weatherstripping to go inside a front fender and then under the hood from there.
I think your relay might be defective.
Thanks! The wire grommet is close to the steering wheel, hard to access from the inside. But I’ll have a second look at it, maybe layer today. The extra light would be good to have in the next dark season.
It’s worse with the relay. Maybe I can get a new one from the seller.
Mine are mostly in the “all you need is money” category. If I can find one I’d like to install the factory fog light kit in my Mazda CX-5 and I also want a headache rack and some auxiliary lighting on the truck.
I need to install these once the weather improves.
Honestly, just having that box on the shelf is kind of cool.
i’ve always idly fantasized about engine swaps. i’d really like to do one, just as a fabrication challenge and a rite of passage – how can i spend so long dreaming without trying it at least once?
i’ve done some some prep. i bought the version of my most recent car specifically because it’s not subject to state smog inspections, so i could swap it if i wanted. i estimate the cost at around $10k in parts, including a good deal of buffer, plus my labor. that would get me a Honda K24 attached to a 6-speed NB Miata transmission, plus all the adapters, ECUs, harnesses, driveshafts, etc that i’d need to get it running. that’s including a lot of off-the-shelf swap parts to simplify the job. (to save money and complexity, i’d also consider a straight Miata swap.) for the things i’d have to build, i’ve been buying tools and practicing fabrication on smaller projects. i’ve always been a tinkerer, but now i’m working towards a particular goal.
50% chance i never commit to it. if i do, good odds it crashes and burns, either figuratively or literally. lately i’ve been feeling the itch to sell my other car and just fucking send it on the swap, but i think i’ll wait a year or two. i’ve only had the car a few months and i have too long a project backlog already.
Rear locking differential for the GX460, with a factory switch next to the center locking differential.
I’d love to lower the Thunderbird and add front disk brakes. In my more ambitious daydreaming I’m doing a Coyote swap.