Okay, so the 2003 I've got has been under construction for some time...pretty much since 2004 (I bought it new in 03 from the dealer, but tried to be patient on modding it).
So far, the cars list of mods is only surpassed by the jinx that is upon it. I started with an interior swap, full 4 door Sunfire interior from a 2002. Very cool mod, but my "Interior guy" (had been a good friend for about 12 years at the time) did the swap for me over a weekend, but never really finished. He has apirations of 'Glassing the doors and dash, leaving them only partially assembled for easy later emovel. Yeah, it never happened.
Year later I made a trade with a friend trying to rebuild a car, a wrecked front end of and 2003, white one in fact (same as mine). The customer pushed upthe due date on it and needed it 4 days sooner then my friend could finish, so I traded him my painted (finished) hood, bumper, and fenders so he could get done. In trade I got the eyelids molded into my hood and shaved taillights on the trunklid.
Next I got tired of the 3rd brakelight in the back window (on the rear deck) and decided to get an Avalanche 3rd barkelight molded into the trunk. Another friend helped me do the work, but never got to finish it before he took a new fulltime job and abandoned my project. So now I had a whole in my trunklid that nearly matched up with an Avalanche brakelight. Looked nice from afar, but wasn't complete.
Then soon after quitting my job at Street Beat Customs to go over to Sport Compact Only I got clipped on my way home from work. Not alot of damage, but messed up my driver's fender, mirror and some of the door panel. The good news is that the insuranc paid off the damages and I bought a bodykit and new fenders. Never got them installed yet though, cause I had aspiration to make them into a widebody kit. So I drove with a dinged fender, no front bumper (I sold it thinking I'd have my kit on rather soon), and no mirror. Few weeks later the alignment was so knocked off that my front tires wore out almost within 2 weeks. So I had a blow out, and my great wife took it as a good time to get me new wheels and tires, since the tire with the blow out bent.
Now I have a bodykit in storage, fenders being widened into a widebody kit, and beautiful 19" wheels and tires that I love.
Then some Illegal aliens from my neighborhood decided THEY wanted my car more then me, and tried to steal it. First though they emptied it out of all the parts and pieces I had been saving to install, like Power Windows, new billet pedals, e-brake, and floor plates, my IS300 trunklid lights I was gonna use as taillights, and $800 of damage to the steering column. So I got the column replaced, and found they also stole the new locking lugnut keys to my new wheels.
I figured I'd leave the wheels on, with the "locking lugnuts" as bait, and got my "Interior guy" to install an alarm with tilt sensors and percussion sensors. So when they came back to steal the wheels, they'd trip the alarm and I'd Catch them.
Well, just like the rest of my interior, my "interior guy" left it unfinished, but promised "to get to it soon". Christmas Eve morning I go out to find my car on a jack with a whel missing, along with 2 other jacks scattered on the ground. They only got one, but had planned on more.
Now, several months later, when things are going "Good" again, prgressing towards my car getting finished, more luck strikes....and not the good kind.
On my way to work I'm on the freeway, as usual when traffic starts to stop. I stop to match, and an S-10 behind me DOESN'T and smashes into my back end.
So after spending the day in the hospital with a hurt neck and back, looking over my car at the tow yard, and otherwise feeling bummed about the whole situation, I'm waiting to see if the guy that hit me has insurance. You see, the cop took care of most of all the paperwork etc., while I was strapped to a back board. So I had little contact with the "assailant" who hit me.
So Hopefully the damage is repairable...but if not its the end of my modifying days for some time.
I'll still stick around though if I do get a new car (prolly a Rio Cinco from Kia, its inexpensive but drivable.) I still plan on helping make new product available for customizers, especially my J-body friends, through my friends new business Millar Auto Designs. So I will keep you updated.
My Car Domain
