Car mods no one seems to do any more
Discussion
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
Going to the breakers yard (a rare thing in itself nowadays) and getting bits from higher spec models to fit to your lower spec model.
Interior lights, fancy trim etc.
Actually if you are still on the young'in end of the market thats pretty popular. Since Corsa VXRs, Fiesta STs etc are all impossible to insure plenty of folk get poverty engined SXIs and fit the trim, bumpers and sometimes badges of vxr. As such people charge an absolute fortune for the parts, recently discovered this well I was helping my friend look for a set of vxr seats. They where the first thing gone in all breakers & folks online where selling them for £1000+Interior lights, fancy trim etc.
Polished alloy rocker covers, chrome cover that slipped over the coil, chrome or polished alloy covers that slipped over SU carbs (assume you all know what SU carbs are 
), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle 
Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
Spare tyre said:
Impasse said:
A red light tucked away above the rear diff.
Never heard of that one I'm only a youngen though, what was the purpose if anythe actual use of the light shining onto a polished or white painted diff pan is a tactical tailight for military vehicles ...
Hugh Jarse said:
Agree and whats more surprising they look crap on anything else apart fom a Range Rover Vogue
Nothing wrong with 3 spokes ;-) , heres my 310bhp 9000 Aero.PS: The 3 spoke design is nothing to do with Saab's later (2002 onwards) Badge Emblem. The Saab 3 spoke wheel came out in 1984 on the 900 Turbo 16v Aero. And were from then on called the "Aero" wheel. Later superseeded by the "Super Aero" wheel as on my 9000 Aero. Which has a deeper dish on the rim.
ChilliWhizz said:
Polished alloy rocker covers, chrome cover that slipped over the coil, chrome or polished alloy covers that slipped over SU carbs (assume you all know what SU carbs are ), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle
Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
I was a Stromberg man ), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
I remember when car dealers would put "coachlines" (or go faster stripes) in their car advert descriptions. As if that would sway the decision to buy the car.
Aftermarket seat covers. Seem to remember my dad having them in his cars in the 70s and 80s. It was probably to cover up bare vinyl seats.
And on the same theme, furry steering wheel covers!
After market stereos with removable fronts, to deter thieves.
Stick on blind spot mirrors for your door mirrors.
Blacked out rear lights.
Aftermarket rear spoilers. (Which could usually be seen on standard Escorts, Astras and Novas)
Wheeltrims. Putting cable ties on your wheeltrims to stop them being nicked or falling off.
Aftermarket seat covers. Seem to remember my dad having them in his cars in the 70s and 80s. It was probably to cover up bare vinyl seats.
And on the same theme, furry steering wheel covers!
After market stereos with removable fronts, to deter thieves.
Stick on blind spot mirrors for your door mirrors.
Blacked out rear lights.
Aftermarket rear spoilers. (Which could usually be seen on standard Escorts, Astras and Novas)
Wheeltrims. Putting cable ties on your wheeltrims to stop them being nicked or falling off.
ch108 said:
Wheeltrims. Putting cable ties on your wheeltrims to stop them being nicked or falling off.
Still done by owners of Nissan Micras - not to stop them being nicked though.I recall once stopping to cut off a set of cable ties someone had put on an Astra's wheels - the woman got a puncture and couldn't get the wheeltrim off!
As for things not done - what about the "Jason / Tracey", or "Kevin / Sharon" stickers that used to adorn front windscreens.
Or, for the really bye gone days, the stickers you got from every seaside town in the UK and adorned your rear window with them. My Dad simply had one that said "we've been everywhere"!
Spare tyre said:
I would always fit a 3rd brake light to all new cars, I guess now that they have been a standard feature since the mid 90s there's no need
What else don't we do anymore
I fitted one to my van as part of it's "facelift" to a MK7 rear end, I would do the front but I actually prefer the looks of the MK6!What else don't we do anymore
Back in the day the high level brake light was optional on the higher end models so people fitted them, was always funny when people fitted spoilers with them in, but left the one in the window, making it glaringly obvious that the spoiler, whilst being OEM was not original & that their car was poverty spec!
Trabi601 said:
Aftermarket head unit, 6x9s on the rear shelf.
Modern head units are different shapes and in some cars there isn't a head unit as such, MY old s40 had a "display unit", a "CD Unit" & a "Keypad Unit" in the dash, with a separate FM tuner and Amp in the boot, all spoke to each other via fibre-optics and a common failure is water getting into the amp in the boot.I did look at fitting a head unit after breaking the "display unit" (little LCD screen) and being quoted £550 for a replacement unit (with an additional £120 labour if I wanted them to fit it!!
I guess this, combined with the fact that standard units are pretty good these days has slowed the "stereo" market, and is why Halfords concentrate on Bicycles, Sat Navs & roof boxes now?
Saabaholic said:
The Saab 3 spoke wheel came out in 1984 on the 900 Turbo 16v Aero.
I owned one of the first of those cars into the UK, it had those Cromodora 3 spoke wheels which I think are called Super Inca. Looked just like these fitted on someone else's 900:
I much preferred the cleaner 3 spoke look on later cars like the Ruby or Carlsson. Those early wheels also weighed like a tonne despite being made by a famous Italian wheel manufacturer who back then was making one of the most iconic wheel design ever conceived for Ferrari. I guess these wheels must have cost a fortune back in the day.
matchmaker said:
ChilliWhizz said:
Polished alloy rocker covers, chrome cover that slipped over the coil, chrome or polished alloy covers that slipped over SU carbs (assume you all know what SU carbs are ), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle
Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
I was a Stromberg man ), those big plastic wind deflectors that fitted into the drivers side front window, stick on compasses & ashtrays, plastic instrument binnacles and chrome extra switch panels (for the new spotlights), quick/short shift gearstick kits, and those spotlights that the blue bit in the middle Oh, and radial tyres so you could go round corners quicker
Webers or DellOrtos here.
NJH said:
I owned one of the first of those cars into the UK, it had those Cromodora 3 spoke wheels which I think are called Super Inca. Looked just like these fitted on someone else's 900:
Yep, after the 99T Incas.
But the first Saab three-spokers were definitely the Aeros on the 900T16S in about '84.
All the variants-on-a-theme came later.
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