redraif

Thanks for seeing the difference in my mods. I really appreciate that and your honesty. Mostly the fact that you did it in a non-flaming way. I wish more people would understand the difference.

1991tealRSt-topGuy

your perception is still kinda skewed..................putting GFX from a TA onto a base firebird......no way in hell is that rice!

adding a camaro spoiler to a firebird, nope not rice

adding a huge aluminum wing to your car that you claim adds downforce?

DING DING DING DING!!! RICE!!!!

you can improve the appearance, theres nothing wrong with having a V6 and adding ground effects from a TA

if you have ANY f-body though, and you add say, a shogun front bumper and a fartcan, then you have rice

what you want to do to your fibird, doesnt seem like rice at all

1991tealRSt-topGuy

hey no problem

the cars not really my style, but atleast you dont have clear tailights or a fartcan

i do think that you put alot a thinking and planning into your car

its very creative

heres what i am doing to my teal RS: Z28 wing, Z28 hood

those are my kinda "mods"

for my other Z28 i am getting a cowl hood

joezero

I don't see how you can call putting a body kit on a car personally customized. If you were to go through with something like the picture at the top of the thread, and custom made that stuff, to me that would be personally customized. I see a dozen different imports with the exact same body kit around here. I don't see their cars as custom. I see it as they wanted a sports car but were dumb enough to buy a civic and try and turn it into one.

Take Redraif's car as an example. She has modified the stock body, and used parts that were never even meant for a firebird. To me, her car is totally custom. Somebody that gets an 82 camaro, and puts 92 ground effects on it, to mean that's not custom, that's just adding factory options. It's like, if somebody got the power window motor and actuator out of a wrecked f-body and replaced their manual windows with it, that isn't custom. I'm about to add power windows to my car, I don't see that as customizing. I'm also about to shave the door handles, to me that is something that I would consider custom, because you can't go out and buy doors with no door handles, you have to make it.

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

The funny thing is, most of the bolt on body parts are stock F-body...the front and rear ground effects are modifed 84 TA, the side pieces are 91-92 Z28 (though installed lower, and without the door piece...I never would have thought of it, but to me it looks better), the lower spoilers are stock 82-up Firebird (the front is two, v-cut and joined back together at an angle), and the double rear wing is 88 RS lower, stock 82-92 upper. The mirrors are 97 Trans Am. Only the hood (Suncoast) is aftermarket, the rest is owner modifed and installed GM...its just that none of it came on the car. I would consider the car a mild custom, but it does seem radical in comparison to most third gens you'll ever see. I think she integrated all the pieces very well, in a way that almost looks like the factory could have done it. Combine that with the shaved handles, locks, gas filler, antenna, the clear markers and the popup delete, and it gives a clean look...no single mod jumps out and grabs you, which is the way a custom should be. It may not be for everybody, but it gets far more attention than my low 12 second SS ever did!

omnipotentgoku

iTrader: (1)

(yes they are vette rims)I made slight modifications to th back of the car, but they are not evident in that picture. Although my car is an IROC I am constantly plagued by people telling me I need to change the lights to the newer grid pattern. This is what I did to the lights. ( a subtle difference)

The lights before




The lights after







A slight mod.. but im all for customization. I will eventually have the doors scissored as well.

devianb

When I first saw Redraif's car a year ago, I thought "that's an ugly looking thirdgen." Since then she changed things around a bit and it blends together well. It looks super sharp now that it has a fresh coat paint. Her car is what I would consider a custom thirdgen. The reason why I make a big deal about custom body work and mods is because I can go out and see a stock thirdgen at anytime, but a customized thirdgen really catches my eye and interest.

CrazyHawaiian

I still think you have a misconception about 'rice.' It has alot more to do with the attitude of the owner than the way the car/truck looks. Everybody thinks that the 'rice' style came from Japan or something when in fact the 'ricers' here in the US are trying to copy GT racing style. Its sad that just because some fools go for that look, now anyone going for that look (even if they spent the money for functional parts) will automatically be considered rice. I mean alot of people tease and tease, but look at a pic of the GT Corvette C5R. There is some definate GT styling on a domestic. I think it looks nice, and its functional.

I'll agree with you that there is alot of 'rice' here in the US. Stupid non functional bodykits and huge heavy non adjustable wings. Ricers are the guys who put that on AND (here's the point) AND they think it makes them faster. If the owner is some fool who thinks boltons will get him into the 12's ... so all his mods are for appearance only but he still thinks he runs 12's ... then he' a *****. If he modded his car for appearance and knew that boltons will not make him fast and he knew that he couldnt hang with v8's then I would not conider him 'rice.' He just likes the look and style. Nothing wrong with that. Alot of people mod cars because they like the style. Look at the whole lowrider and soundoff scene. Those guys spends lot of money to have stuff that looks and sounds cool. There is a huge difference between spending money to look good, and spending money to feel fast. Calling someone a name just because of the way their car looks is ignorant. If you dont know the driver then how can you know anything?

If you talk to him and he says 'Man my exhaust made me go from a 16.5 to a 14.9 and then when I put my wing on it went to a 14.1' now thats a *****. If you talked to him and he said 'Yeah I know its slow but it looks cool and its fun to drive' then thats not a *****. You'd be supprised that alot of Import owners are the later. If you actually talked to them instead of just calling them names. Of course you will always have true ricers. Its not Import/Dometic specific. Every group has them.

devianb didnt say 'I want to mod my car like this because then I will be able to hit 200 mph!!' He wants to mod his car like that because he likes the way it looks. In no way would I consider this rice. I fully support anyone who wants to mod their appearance to suit their likes. Nothing wrong with that.

And nothing is wrong with cars that are stock. Its just when the guys who own the stock cars tell us 'OMG I cant believe you're doing that to your car' it gets irritating because they haven't put as much time into the appearance of the car as you did. They have no idea how much that costs, how much labor it took for you to do it. They just shoot you down and talk smack because its different. What can I say?

LT1guy

iTrader: (1)

Well said Crazy Hawaiian!!!

:hail: :hail:

devianb

Thanks CrazyHawiian, that's what I was trying to say, but did not know how to say it. I'm not good with words. Yes, I like the style. It is the style that I look for. That bit about who is a ***** and who is not really clears it up for me.

91Zman

I wonder if it pisses the asian people off or even find it offensive when people call them and others ricers. Then again maybe they are too mature to even let that bother them,who knows.I think the whole ***** stereotyping is stupid anyway.

devianb

I think it is stupid too. Remember when certain cars used to be classifed as ******* or Ghetto?

91Zman

I guess some people either have no taste,don't care what their car looks like or too poor to be able to take care of their cars the right way.

1991tealRSt-topGuy

key word! functional

it NEEDS that styling...............

I'll agree with you that there is alot of 'rice' here in the US. Stupid non functional bodykits and huge heavy non adjustable wings. Ricers are the guys who put that on AND (here's the point) AND they think it makes them faster. If the owner is some fool who thinks boltons will get him into the 12's ... so all his mods are for appearance only but he still thinks he runs 12's ... then he' a *****. If he modded his car for appearance and knew that boltons will not make him fast and he knew that he couldnt hang with v8's then I would not conider him 'rice.' He just likes the look and style. Nothing wrong with that. Alot of people mod cars because they like the style. Look at the whole lowrider and soundoff scene. Those guys spends lot of money to have stuff that looks and sounds cool. There is a huge difference between spending money to look good, and spending money to feel fast. Calling someone a name just because of the way their car looks is ignorant. If you dont know the driver then how can you know anything?

not trying to nit-pick but alot of the "ricers" around here are cocky *** morons

thier parents buy their cars and 99 out of 100 of these "ricers" dont know a fart-pipe from a hole in their a$$

how do i know? i TALK to them

no exxageration!

CrazyHawaiian

Ok cool. At least you know where I'm comming from then. You've seen and talked to the worst. Sorry you have to deal with those kinds of ppl. I dont like ricers either. Waste of space, time, and money.

The reason I always talk so much about the whole thing is because of my stang. Its a small displacement (2.3ltr) turbo domestic. Really different from most domestics. American performance companies dont carry many parts for this car. And if they do carry part for it, they usually suck. They will never put good R&D into parts like this for a small displacement 2.3ltr turbo domestic because majority of the buyers are big displacement. Instead I look to performance companies from other countries (like Japan) that specialize in sport compact turbo performance. I'm trying to adapt these parts and concepts to my domestic.

So people see a 'fart can' on my domestic and they wanna talk shyt. I get pissed off when people think '*****'. I get pissed off because the parts I use shouldnt define me. My attitude and the way I carry myelf should define me. So what if they dont know this muffler is made of titanium, flows better than any american counterpart, and was specially deigned with backpressure in mind to help me spool faster. That wouldnt matter to them. It looks like an Import muffler so I must be a *****.

:lala:

devianb

I have to use parts from other countries too since not a lot of American companies sell parts for the 2.8L V6 for rear wheel applications, but there are thousands of parts and power adders for the front wheel drive applications because sport compacts are popular.

devianb

Updated version

devianb

2

joezero

Looks good, although I kinda miss all the extra vents. Is there a hood like that avaliable? I've seen ones like that for the 93-97 camaros, but I haven't seen a third gen with that wide of a scoop. I wonder if you could just make the scoop, bolt it to a stock hood and then cut out the area underneath.