Visual Improvements

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This page will outline the tweaks and changes to the car, to make driving a little nicer and/or make other drivers look twice and/or impress the hell out of whoever is in the passenger seat. Performance modifications and routine maintenance items are on my Repairs & Mods page.

Quick list:

  • Chrome under taillights painted black
  • Pioneer speakers
  • Reverse lights tinted
  • Sylvania Cool Blue® headlights (click here for 98+ headlight removal instructions)
  • Windows tinted
  • Carbon fiber dash piece
  • 1999 P71 grille
  • Pinstripe removed
  • Aiwa CD/CDR/CDRW player
    Approximate total = $715

    Product Reviews:

  • LED Brakelights



    Detailed list:

    • 8/xx/02 - Got four Pioneer TS-A6867 speakers and a Dynamat 10415 Xtreme Door Speaker Kit from crutchfield.com for $217.97 (free shipping special).

    • 1/21/02 - With the rest of the car blacked out, I felt that the backup lights & rear chrome were sticking out like a sore thumb. So I used the leftover carbon fiber applique from my dashboard project and covered the chrome, I may take it off later and just paint the stuff (NOTE: 17-Nov-02, carbon fiber removed and paint applied). I also grabbed some Nite Shades tint for the reverse lights from VHT®, p/n SP-999. That's a 7oz can for $6.99, ouch. The results are good, but I may have gone a little too dark... pic

    • 1/5/02 - Decided to try some different headlights since the stock ones are pathetic. Sylvania's Cool Blue® 9007CB were $14.99 each. They are an improvement over stock, seem to be whiter and brighter (the light is not blue as the name suggests, thank goodness!). Worth the money, I'd say. For an easy way to remove the headlight assembly (makes bulb changing a little easier), click here.

    • 12/27/01 - Finally found a good price on window tinting. $229 for everything but the windshield, this was at Buzz Off Auto Accessories on Maple Rd in Troy MI. 35% on the door glass and 20% on the back glass, just perfect for me. Pics page

    • 11/7/01 - Carbon fiber dash installed! Looks really nice, 100% better than the brushed aluminum and 100,000% better than factory woodgrain. Had to invest in a heat gun but what the hell.

    • 9/xx/01 - Sanded cheesy woodgrain graphic off interior pieces. For now it has the appearance of brushed aluminum (it is aluminum under the woodgrain) but I have plans to cover that up too. Brushed aluminum doesn't fit into the "blackout" concept, but it's still better than woodgrain!

    • 9/29/01 - Peeled chrome plastic strips off the bumper covers front and rear. Once I black out the chrome pieces under the taillights, this'll be one mean Vic. View the transformation in this 106kb image file.

    • 9/25/01 - Got my glossy black grille in the mail today ($40 shipped)!! It's the 98-00 style, not the '01+ honeycomb style. Installed in 5 minutes or less. Looks very sharp but I desperately need to get rid of the chrome plastic insert in the bumper cover.

    WARNING!! Do NOT buy parts from these websites!! WARNING!!


    • 9/14/01 - Filled in decklid holes from the "Ford" emblem with nylon plugs from the hardware store. I had to slightly enlarge the stamped holes with a drill so the plugs would fit.

    • 9/11/01 - 9/13/01 - Removed pinstripe with cotton rags and lacquer thinner. Then used Meguiar's® ScratchX™ and Gold Class Wax™ with adequate results. I expected better from Meguiars but, whatever, at least my pinstripe is gone.

    • 9/8/01 - Polished some of the scratches out of the digital dash using Blue Magic® Plastic & Plexiglass Cleaner, $3.99 from Autozone. The result was not spectacular, but a definite improvement. Never use dry paper towel to clean off your instruments. I removed the trim panels surrounding the gauges for ease of cleaning.

    • 9/3/01 - Removed "Ford" and "Crown Victoria LX" badges from decklid. View cleaned-up rear end. Used fishing line to get behind the badge and cut into the black rubbery adhesive so that the entire thing came off in one piece, then used Professional Strength Goof Off® to remove the remaining adhesive from the paint.

    • 8/4/01 - Removed factory tape player and installed an Aiwa CDC-X507M head unit.




    What I'd like to do


    • Explorer 16x7 rims ($250 on ebay)
    • Free-flowing exhaust (mufflers only: ~$200, cat-back ~$600)
    • Install mild subwoofer in trunk
    • Replace factory speakers ($150?)









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