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*MODIFICATION JOURNAL* I got my hands on the girlfriend's Prius ...here is what I did.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by ucsbwsr, Sep 23, 2014.

  1. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Belgian Malinois? I made the mistake of asking my buddy if his Malinois was a German Shepard, now I pay close attention to the coloring of the face! There may be a company which makes a full length dog blanket, I have not checked but I imagine there are other people in the same position as you.

    If you have no luck finding a dog-specific cover you can look into tent tarps. I have an REI tent that comes with a bespoke "foot print" aka tarp that protects the bottom of the tent, it is nylon with a water resistant coating on one side, there are also clips at each corner. You may be able to find something like this that is similar dimensions to your cargo bay.

    Much appreciated! Your car was the inspiration to Plasti dip the front bumper.

    Also, my car has been stealing the spotlight (and garage) recently but my Eastwood roller finally arrived so when I have a free moment I will get to rolling the fenders and installing the SSR SP1s.

    I will be running a 10mm spacer in the rear but unfortunately the style of spacers I have are the design that have studs mounted in the spacer already, the issue I have is the 10mm spacer isn't as deep as the oem studs which interfere with the SSRs when mounted. Running a 15mm spacer or greater will be too much poke and will make dialing in the fitment extremely difficult.

    I think the best plan of attack will be to replace the oem studs with longer ones to accommodate the 10mm spacers and then but 2 sets of open mag-seat lug nuts to accommodate the oem wheels if they need to go back on, studs will stay on the car permanently.

    Evan

    [​IMG]
     
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  2. gmacfan01

    gmacfan01 Junior Member

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    haha no they are both pure breed GSD
     
  3. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    haha, go figure.... Great looking dogs!
     
  4. Vinnie_febs

    Vinnie_febs Junior Member

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    In case anyone still wondering if a retrofit is worth it or not, just view the video below. I think you will find a tremendous difference. Never been happier.


    Post this in the wrong thread, sorry. Asking Mods to move it over to "What Did You Do To Your Gen II Today" thread. Sorry
     
    #164 Vinnie_febs, Jun 13, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2015
    Daves09prius likes this.
  5. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Here is a little update. After some projects and repairs on my own vehicle I was able to get around to rolling the fenders and installing the new wheels. The fenders ended up being pulled more than I was expecting but I contribute that to my lack of experience and the Prius having fairly thin body panels although the lip on the rear fender itself is fairly thick. In addition to the rolling I trimmed the front liners. Considering this was my first time rolling I think it turned out ok.

    I will be adding 15mm spacers to the rear and once that is done I foresee some additional rolling and trimming of the rear bumper and bracket, it won't be very fun but I will do my best to make the modifications clean and functional.

    I am most pleased with getting some good rubber between this car and the ground, the previous Touranza tires were presumably focused on efficiency and not ride quality or performance so the V12s are a huge improvement. We are not terribly concerned with the mileage of this car so a small drop in efficiency is fine. With the added grip and footprint of the V12s this thing can really terrorize freeway onramps and connections.

    These wheels are not the best match for the Prius and it's overall theme, but they are just so damn cool! I really appreciate the wheels by themselves.

    Here are some pics of the wheels mounted up with some temporary ugly rear fitment.

    Evan

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  6. Justdidit

    Justdidit LVNPZEV

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    Nicely done!! Especially for your first time rolling fenders. You can barely tell the fenders were pulled ever so slightly. Most people wouldn't even notice.

    Is that Prius still at stock height?
     
  7. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Thanks, I am happy that it came out pretty clean but I would have really like to get the fronts rolled without being pulled. The added clearance with the pull makes the wheel sit tucked where it was perfectly flush before rolling... first world problems.

    Car is on new H&R springs and oem struts.

    Evan
     
  8. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    those wheels might not match the overall look of the car but they are killer. overall your car is one of the nicest looking on the site. (being a sci-fi dork I like doc willie's shuttle craft best).
     
  9. ContinuouslyVariable

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    I'm loving your mods, ucsbwsr. I recently purchased a second hand pine silver mica Prius myself (the color is called Opal Green here in the Netherlands) and am definitely going to take some inspiration from this thread.

    I noticed the mirror caps have turned back to their original color. Didn't you like the black caps?
     
  10. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Sorry for the delay. Glad you find the car inspiring! I removed the Plasti Dip from the side mirrors when I was showing a family member how Dip acts during removal and I never got around to recoating them. They look fine either way IMO.
     
  11. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Finally dialed in the rear fitment. The process included adding 15mm spacers, rolling + pulling fenders, trimming rear bumper and bumper bracket, cutting oem studs to accommodate spacers.

    Since the Prius has a solid rear axle and flexing the suspension to test fitment (like lowering the vehicle's wheel onto a wooden block) wouldn't be 100% accurate I loaded up the rear of the Prius with about 300lbs of weights. I then climbed into the cargo area and would jump up and down to compress the rear suspension, I can only imagine what my neighbors think of a 6'8" guy in his girlfriend's car throwing his weight around like a gorilla.

    It passed the garage rest and after a short drive around town, so far so good. I have a hunch that it will still rub slightly with heavy loads or large compressions at speed but if it does the wheels won't be contacting much material and should be worn down quickly (if I don't address it sooner).

    Evan


    Before:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Much better:
    [​IMG]
     
  12. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Removed various yellow stickers from the engine bay...

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  13. Burna J

    Burna J Knot Right Performance....

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    The stickers have to go... :cool:
     
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  14. Justdidit

    Justdidit LVNPZEV

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    Cars looking good! Got any pics of the Rigid LED fog setup?
     
  15. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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  16. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    As it turns out I didn't do enough fender work to accommodate the added width of those 15mm spacers. I heard that there was some rubbing but I didn't expect it to be so substantial.

    Under closer investigation I see the tire popped out part of the forward fender edge, essentially creating a blade that would "slice" tires instead of "rub." Luckily I caught this in time before any serious damage occurred.

    As a kicker my girlfriend and I are moving down to Orange County and she was about to drive 400 with a car FULL of stuff so I had the morning to work on the fenders and resolve any unwanted contact. It was a little stressful but I got it all done in time. I am happy to report that she completed the voyage with only a couple "rubs" during large compressions on the highway.

    This Prius could really benefit from a load-leveling airbag system to help compensate for suspension sag during high load periods.

    Evan

    I wasn't expecting the tire to contact the fender this low so it wasn't rolled during my last session. Since it wasn't the tire contact the fender and pulled it inward, creating a blade.
    [​IMG]

    No bueno
    [​IMG]

    Fender: 1 Tire: 0
    [​IMG]

    Tire is the fender's lunch
    [​IMG]

    Tools
    [​IMG]

    After 1
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    After 2
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    After 3
    [​IMG]

    Loaded up 1
    [​IMG]

    Loaded up 2
    [​IMG]

    Loaded up 3
    [​IMG]

    Loaded up 4
    [​IMG]

    Looking good under weight!
    [​IMG]
     
  17. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Did the GF throw you out, because you damaged her car?! LOL ;);):D
    Never mind! I should have read your post first.......
     
    #177 orenji, Aug 9, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2015
  18. ucsbwsr

    ucsbwsr Active Member

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    Not much has happened with this car recently but here are a couple pics...

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  19. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    That has got to be the best looking Gen II out there.
     
  20. LamboGuy

    LamboGuy Junior Member

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    Congrats on the SSRs Evan these are my favorite wheels!
    I just got myself a 08 prius and before putting more than 20 miles I ordered a set of 17x8 ET35 to run 215/45 do you think that will work with a little fender rolling?
    Based on your input the outer edge in your set up 18x8,5 ET47 should be roughly equivalent to 18x8 ET41 so in my case I guess the wheel edge will stick out 6mm...

    I also ordered a set of Megan coilovers that I'm planning to install at the same time - so maybe I can dial a little bit of extra camber if it doesn't clear - what do you think?

    Also what kind of rear sway bar you use? I would like to give to the car slightly lift off oversteer

    Thanks,
    Christos
     
    #180 LamboGuy, Dec 5, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2015