Sunday, November 29, 2009

Blacked out 2010 BMW M3

So, what do you do when you already have one of the hottest cars on the road? Make it better. The stock BMW M3 comes stock with a lot of really nice parts. The problem is that they're stock. The same parts and the same style that everyone else has.

In this case, an injection of style and attitude comes from simply cleaning up the factory style by blacking out all of the factory supplied parts. It's dramatic, but you don't really notice what's been changed unless you compare the before and after photos.

After.

In the front, the headlights and front reflectors were tinted and the chrome grilles were painted matte black. The lighter tinting on the headlights allows them to remain completely functional.

In the rear, the stock taillights were tinted. The lighting still shines through the tinting when the lights are active, but this really cleans up the look at the rear.

The trademark "M" fender vent/blinker light inserts were painted matte black and the indicator light was tinted.
The stock "M" staggered lightweight 19" wheels were powdercoated a matte black finish.
These are the before pictures for comparison. A few touches make a lot of difference. Even on hot cars, stock = boring.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Mazda3 ipod input.

Sometimes it's the little things. Anyone that's ever had an ipod will tell you it's the greatest invention ever...and if it's an iphone you'd fight someone that tried to take it from you.

If your car doesn't have a way to play it, it's super-frustrating. Fortunately, if you're clever enough there are ways to modify most factory car radios to do what you want them to do.

In this case, parts from 3 different companies were used to make it happen. First, you have to convince the factory radio that it's connected to an Alpine CD changer. Then, you have to convince the Alpine CD changer port to be RCA connectors instead. Finally, you add a cable that converts from RCA to an iPod dock connector to get line-out from the iPhone. That way, you get the best possible sound and it even doubles as a charger. Problem solved.

Neat.


As seen on MTV's "Cribs". Really.

Monday, November 2, 2009

50Chevy wheels.

Chopped and 'bagged '50 Chevy traditional rod.

Here's a neat way to update your style without breaking the bank: Powdercoating. These wheels started out a rusty chrome. The new powdercoat finish is super-durable and has lots of style. A set of clean wide-whites completes the look.

Before.
After powdercoating.

Whitewalls ship with a blue coating to protect the white,
but you can already see how cool this is going to look.
Ironically, with the air let out of the bags you
don't even see most of the wheels and tires!
Shout-out goes to Scott @ Pirate Customs for cleaning up the
bodywork and shooting the flat black paint.