The Modified, horrors and honeys, opinions and pics please

[outlaw118]

I, along with everyone on here have my favourite cars, and on occasion have "tinkered" with stuff in order to improve* either the performance, or looks of cars. But how far should you go? Wankspaniels with Corsas with Lambo doors and 22" rimzyo are generally agreed to be shit rather than shite, despite the poor chav in question having spunked his £6ph wages on it over the last year. Money doesn't buy good taste and all that.

A nice set of wheels, subtle suspension drop perhaps, is that ok? Smothering them with shitey plastic spoilers and sill extentions, then painting them pink? Wrong, i'm guessing.

Ebay examples.....

Horrible.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!

I don't mind that at all.

VERDICT: Otter Felcher.

 

So, opinions and pics please, interested in what everyone thinks is "acceptable" behaviour!

[Tonka]

I think subtlety is important if you are going to alter all the hard work a manufacturer puts in to creating a product, hence I give you my take on modifying your daily driver without making it too "in ya face"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Des]

The modified thing has changed over the years, it's a different story to improve a modern car, they don't tend to be as lacking in the first place and where they are it's a simple matter to just replace it with something better, that and the general lack of shame in modern society gives us many examples modified to look modified rather than for any improvement, and often to extreme detriment, with highly comedic results.

When I were a lad.... I bought a model of Gallant that had the Starion running gear, was only running on 3 so before I could use it I had to do the valves, but more important to me was removing the giant factory 'Turbo' lettering down both sides, the red badges, colour in where it was stitched into the seats with a marker and replace the bootlid to loose the ridiculous spoiler, so as to make the car look just normal and not too embarrassing to use. Little did I know I was doing the exact opposite of what was to become a trend.

[Mr Lobster]

Done well it can look really good. A nice set of wheels and slight lowering works for me, examples -

 

Fiat 127 by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

 

Vauxhall Cavalier by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

 

Mk1 GTi by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

 

R4 GTL by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

 

Renault 17 by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

[outlaw118]

@ Tonka......hmmmm...I'm guessing those plastic bits aren't standard? Stageas rock though, it has to be said.

@ Des, re: "disguising", I've done something similar on mine. Volvo V40 T4, without the T4 badge, and a 1.9D one in it's place. To the unknowing, I'm just a fat man in a Volvo, therefore easy target for him to blow away at the lights. RONG. I love it.

@ mr Lobster, yep like all of those, Cavalier perhaps a bit too low, and I've now got to go to work with a full on chubby re. the R4. Thanks for that!

[mk1_4dr]

I like tastefully modified cars. I prefer cars modified for power, with no aethstetic changes even more.

 

This is how escRot sat the day I collected it...

 

 

How it sat the last day it was on the road.

 

[Partridge]

I’m quite a fan of upgrading cars on the inside.

Here’s my 45 before:

 

And after I cribbed leather seats from one in a scrapyard.

[dollywobbler]

I like tastefully modified cars. I prefer cars modified for power, with no aethstetic changes even more.

 

That sums up my take on it. I don't understand modifying a car to make it good as a static object, but barely driveable. Slamming a car is just lunacy to me, but then I tend to live in areas where you NEED suspension travel. Personally though, I've never modified anything, though I've long harboured a dream to build a Porsche Estelle.

[Tonka]

I'm guessing those plastic bits aren't standard

 

Unfortunately it was on the car when it rolled off the boat...........

 

I did over a year's trawling of Ebay, Auto Trader etc viewing/driving quite a few before buying mine which confirmed that the standard brakes and suspension were OK for a boulevard cruiser but no good if you want to press on and make full use of the 4wd etc, similarly the induction and exhaust are too restrictive compared with a GTS/T Skyline and needed replacing, so I got one with a decent exhaust and a few trick bits then had a proper induction set-up fitted along with lowering springs, adjustable coil-overs and an R32 GTR front brake conversion before I took delivery just over 4 years ago, later on I changed the wheels and did all the tarting up so it stood out against all the other modified ones that were starting to come over and appear at shows. I know it's not everybody's cup of tea but it has the b*llocks to back up how it looks, it clears speedbumps and kerb edges on it's current setting, is an awesome tow car, keeps going in the snow thanks to the diff lock and can carry as much if not more than you average Volvo.

 

The bottom line is I bought a rare car which then became more popular so I modified it more so as to be instantly recognisable as mine, I used money left to me by my late Father to buy it and I intend to keep it as long as I can for that reason.

[purplebargeken]

Love the R4, that is really, really nice.

 

Subtlety rules and I would also settle for slightly lowered, different wheels and a slight interior upgrade. Those Rover 45 seats are great and very adaptable.

 

There are some true horrors out there

[Partridge]

Those Rover 45 seats are great and very adaptable.

 

 

They are. The leather is very, very good as well. When the time comes to weigh it in, they’re coming out and going in my lounge

[Spiny Norman]

Modified cars of the RR 'hit with a stick/wheels at 45 degrees to the bodywork' variety are wank, as are the Halfords ram raiders but done tastefully it can improve the look of a car. Trouble is, so few people have any taste these days...

Often all it takes is a set of wheels, as that R4 demonstrates.

 

Quite like the 127 as well but the suspension needs fixing before it could be driven on the roads round here, and that's always my complaint about modded cars. They might look kewl if you still grow bum-fluff on your chin but they'll drive far worse than when they left the factory.

 

It must be my age, but fitting even posher seats into an already comfy Rover is my idea of a mod worth doing!

[Shep Shepherd]

One of my favourite 'modified' cars remains the Venetian Red T-reg Capri 1.6L with white Wellers, RS steering wheel and 'S' tailgate spoiler that used to knock around the village in Kent I grew up in until the late 1990s. It just looked right

[Partridge]

Modified cars of the RR 'hit with a stick/wheels at 45 degrees to the bodywork' variety are wank, as are the Halfords ram raiders but done tastefully it can improve the look of a car. Trouble is, so few people have any taste these days...

Often all it takes is a set of wheels, as that R4 demonstrates.

 

Quite like the 127 as well but the suspension needs fixing before it could be driven on the roads round here, and that's always my complaint about modded cars. They might look kewl if you still grow bum-fluff on your chin but they'll drive far worse than when they left the factory.

 

It must be my age, but fitting even posher seats into an already comfy Rover is my idea of a mod worth doing!

 

Agree with you on pretty much everything there. I think if you’re going to modify your car its only worth doing if you improve it in some way. Weather that be in how it looks, performs, and yes, how nice it is to sit inside

[John F]

... that's always my complaint about modded cars. They might look kewl if you still grow bum-fluff on your chin but they'll drive far worse than when they left the factory.

 

Not necessarily true - standard suspension will be set up for a compromise between comfort and roadholding, which won't suit every driving style. That's why some 'sportier' versions are lowered as standard.

[Negative Creep]

I've modified mine a bit. Not to everyone's taste but just faniced a bit of cheap fun, and the car was hardly in museum condition anyway. Ordered some lowering springs today, thankfully resisting the many people who have been telling me just to chop them

 

[bub2006]

My robin is standard out side and in. The crack in the wing isn't and neither is the coat hanger Ariel or missing bumper though! Gets a few giggles as i drive by from the local chav brigade. Had a few try overtaking me but they couldn't manage it. Ride height is standard and obviously three wheels so corning isn't as good as a conventional car( even though can still outcorner a few Muppets) mine has been tweaked under the bonnet. Approx 58bhp at the wheels which don't sound a lot but the car weighs sub 450 kg

[Mike D]

Here are a few of my previously modified efforts - mostly wheels and a lowering, some stickers!

 

Sierra XR4i

 

Capri 1.6LS

 

Hilux Surf - although raised and biiig wheels!

 

Mini Sprite

 

Mazda MX6

 

Datsun 1200 Estate:

 

Mitsubishi L200

 

Porsche 928S2

 

VW Mexican Beetle

 

[vulgalour]

Dollywobbler would never modify a car, oh no.

 

I like modified cars, I don't always like the modifications, but I like that people are able and willing to change their transport to their own taste. Some cars don't need modifying, they're great straight out of the box, but some need a lot of help to be what you want them to be. I think this is why some of the really absurd modifications are done to really quite mundane cars while the really subtle stuff is reserved for cars that are already pretty competent at doing what the owner wants.

 

If I had to drive around in a Coarser I'm pretty sure I would want to put gullwing doors on it and half a tonne of fibreglass and silly lights because life's too short not to! These days I've gone with cars that are absurd out of the box, that way there's less for me to mess up because they're just as unreliable and daft and style-challenged as I could hope for.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Here's an excellent and sensible modification I found on an eBay car:

 

 

This chap has fitted wheels which allow him access to the brake components and exhaust without having to jack up the car or remove the wheel. If more mods were like this, to make maintenance easier, then I'd be more supportive of them.

[Mr Lobster]

Wish I hadn't sold the red R4, it did look good like that.

 

R4 van has a few mods but subtle stuff -

 

Renault 4 F6 by Mr Lobster, on Flickr

 

R5 seats for comfort, R5 Turbo wheels then just small cosmetic bits robbed from elsewhere in the Renault range. I actually think it'd look ok lowered a touch but then I'd struggle to get it in the garage and it'd spoil the ride so its staying where it is. That and getting the rear torsion bars out is a job I really don't fancy.

[mk1_4dr]

Mike, you've had some cracking cars! That Capri on those japanese wheel looks fabulous.

[Mike D]

Cheers Dave!

 

And Mr. Lobster, I think you have pretty much nailed R4 styling C'EST VRAI! Maybe a tad of drop on the red one like you said, but I think they both look immense

[cort16]

I'm not against it. It mostly looks totally shit if it's rat, involves things bought from halfords or it involves modern wheels on old cars.

I really need to get an MOT on this so I can drive it again.

 

arches by cort16, on Flickr

[bub2006]

My car could be classed as rat look but it isn't forced on it. The robin just has its typical marks,dings and scratches a well used 22 year old car is expected to have. I laugh at the "individuals" in the dub scene. Loads round here. I am individual so i make my car look battered and slam it to the deck. Just like all my individual mates sort of thing!!

[RichardMoss]

I like the look of this one - but then I would, it's mine

[ruffgeezer]

Here is mine, not sure which side of the coin you guys reckon it is, but the only original bits really are the shell and the dashboard!

 

[SambaS]

Spotted fuck outa this on Tuesday. Thought of this thread.

 

[Shep Shepherd]

Is that a Kia Sportage?

[Lacquer Peel]

53 plate?