first off let me say im not talkin about ss hoods or ss spoilers or stock repro wheels or any "mod" that could have been bought as factory on a more expensive model. because IMO those arent appearence mods.

now on with the question. i see it all the time. its either it has to be fast in a straight line only and cant have anything changed on the outside except for either big and littles and stock everything else or the above mentioned factory repro parts. and if its got the factory stuff or even any small actual appearence changing mod, it MUST have performance mods to back it up.

so two questions here:

1. why cant the outside appearence be changed with anything other than factory parts or small addons (carbon fiber interior pieces)

2. why must the appearence "mods" done be backed by a whole slew of performance mods to save it from being called "rice"?

PS. im not attacking anyone, this is an honest to god question ive had for a long time. plus its also driven by the fact that there ARENT really any appearence mods (custom designed hoods, non-extravagent bumpers ect ect ect).

 

its very difficult to keep the "lines" of the 4th gen f-body, at least on the outside.

 

Because people are insecure.

 

because they walk a thin line already. Even the factory body kit for the SS i find somewhat ricy. But yeah, mostly because of the insecurity thing.

 

You find the factory hoodscoop and SS spoiler ricey?

 

I wouldn't say it's a taboo, it's just that most of the people on the street that have extensive appearance mods done to their vehicles tend to drive like idiots. I think a lot of people subconciously respond to styling and automatically come to a conclusion about how fast a car is just by the way it looks. And since speed is like a status symbol these days, a lot of people choose to do appearance mods because they don't really know what to do under the hood- or they do modify it with an intake, an exhaust, and a "programmer" because they believe all the stories about how it makes their vehicle feel like a whole new car.

Personally I don't care if a guy wants to blow a bunch of money on a carbon fiber hood and then leave it unpainted because he wants to show it off. The point is if you want to do something to your car, hey it's yours, just don't expect everyone's opinions to fall in line with yours.

Was this just a general question or is there something you were considering for your car? IMO there's not a lot to do to an f-body to make it look a lot better anyway. An SS hood, some 17" rims w/ at least 275s all around, tinted windows, lower ride height, maybe some stripes if it has the right color. Maybe some blackouts (also color dependent). Altezzas, 20s, spinners, superwings, stickers, etc all look retarded, especially on an f-body.

 

no, actually. I meant the body kit, as in ground effects.

 

OH! I was going to say I thought the factory did an awesome job, especially on the LS1 cars. I do agree though with the factory GFX, they look too much like an afterthought.

 

Just seems like GM actually got it right to start with in my opinion.

One of the attractions of my SS was the clean lines mated with the solid performance.

Most, if not all of the GFX packages I've seen just look tacky and non-functional IMO.

If that's what trips your trigger, I say go for it. I'd rather spend the loot on a blower or something along those lines....

Later,
Allen

 

actually thats the exact reason i asked it. because there ISNT anything to do to my car. i have like 4 hood options and no aftermarket spoiler options. no gfx options ect ect. plus im tired of every pic on fbody sites being a different angle of the same car. sure they may look pretty decent but theres only so many ways you can see an ss hood, ss wing and zr1 wheels before it starts to look bad.

but ya, ultimate reason was because of the lack of anything to do visually to the car.

 

Because I've seen f bodies with all that **** and it looks retarded. I think most people agree too.

 

I think appearence mods are a waste of money on any car. Tint is ok, maybe some messing with headlights or tail lights but other than that you are just changing how your car looks. If you don't like how your car looks, then why do you own your car? I can understand wanting to make it look like another model(SS hood on a z28) or something like that, but ground effects look like crap to me.

I think the comment on the lines of the car is a good point too. On a boxy car, it isn't so noticable. On a car like a 4th gen, you lose all those curves and sexyness.

Thats just my opinion though of course. I would rather have power than pretty, but hell I have neither right now.

 

atleast in response to the lines comment, these cars are pretty much wedges with a few body lines here and there. it wouldnt be too hard to change the looks. i mean look at a 97 compared to a 98. look pretty different and its only a bumper and hood change really.

and on another note, i dont own a 4th gen. i own a 3rd gen which actually do look good with gfx and to add to that it came stock with them.

 

Yes 3rd gens look much better with gfx because they're basically squares. a smoothing out of any kind looks terrific on them.

 

very few know how to pull off a car with aftermarket pieces of any type.

anyone that thinks this is very close minded. build your cars how you like them, understand that not everyone will like what you do no matter how much others may like it. also understand that if it looks like hell 99% of the popualtion will let you know in one way or another.

if it's done right or serves a purpose then it's a worthwile modification. if you do a few things right many will compliment, if you do alot of things right some will pay you.