LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Hey Scionlife, I haven't formally introduced myself to the community. My name is Fred Abalon and I'm currently in school for nursing. I got my 09 FM tC on my birthday of when I turned 18 in 08 with 27 miles right off the lot. My car's name is Alexxis (corny I know...), which I just dubbed her this year. Hope you enjoy it.

Warning: I grew up playing a lot of NFS games and Midnight Club so you may run into some weird pictures! And I don't like taking pictures (not even myself) so please excuse the low budget camera quality.

Just got my car and happy as hell... I had no idea what the modding world was like but I learned once you start, there's no stopping.




My girl had an 08 Silver TSX so fueled by pride and jealousy, I quickly added HIDs and an AFE intake...

After installing those, I began to look on scionlife and noticed you can paint your rims... Boy, did I wanna be different. So I went into a red phase...



I got lots of props, and lots of haters, comments from both sides fed my charisma and I desperately started to look for ways to mod my car on a low (and I mean "no job" low) budget.



So hell, I painted the insides red and the emblems. For an 18 year old, breakdancing foot ball player - this was cool lol I even got a lil stubby antenna that I painted red just for the color scheme. Fun fact: I dressed color coded, matching shoes with clothing, and all that bologna so I wanted my car to match

After countless tickets and acting like a big shot. I then ordered a short shifter from doctor isotope, which eventually screwed up with the shifting of my gear. I might've installed it wrong, but that was an extra 200 I had to cough up just to replace it.

I've been through 2 systems so far. Sorry no pictures to show for, didn't find it necessary to show off at that time since it was just a box, but I had:

1st System Setup:
Kenwood DDX-712 Headunit w/ 1000w Kicker Amp and 2 12" MTX Subs (which took up my whole trunk)
All panels replace with MB quarts components

2nd System Setup (Current):
2 din Clarion (forgot the model) w/ builtin Bluetooth w/ 1000w Kicker Amp and 1 12" Kicker Solo Baric (the square version)
All panels replaced back to stock, had to sell
Current setup hits
And I added a Viper Alarm System with a 2 way remote starter


At that time, I thought the body kits on cars were the only ways to really stand out a car from another. What I'd do to be different back then... So I got some S techs. Thought it would make the red rims look cleaner but still got haters.

So to roll with the normal crowd and the "been there and done that"s, I decided to get black rims. 18x8 Drags from Discount Tire Direct. I got em installed at Wheel Warehouse - really friendly people here and they'll take care of you and your car. Oh and I got some APT fogs




After a couple more tickets and learning my lesson (4real this time) and slowing my ___ down on freeways and residential streets, I decided to get one more speeding ticket before I was sent to the Philippines to do a 2 year nursing course.

...
7 lonely months passed
...

My lifestyle changed greatly, I lost 70 lbs. I matured a lot more, lost some "friends", realized the importance of family and close friends, and was more grateful for the things I have - such as my car, and to be alive. Education meant life, and all that stupid s*** I did wasn't a waste but it did open my eyes.

Came back to find I had my old wheels on my car... eww... my Drags were on my moms Solara (curb rashed and all...) so she got an Audi and gave me my wheels back...



On me and my car's 2 year anniversary and my birthday, I decided to get a car wash a Nohl Ranch Car Wash. When the man was done washing my car, he decided to press the remote start button after he parked my car on gear and didn't put my e brake all the way up and then... BAM! ... right in Alexxis' kisser.



(and I got that license plate holder in the Philippines)

(Besides my friend in the reflection, you can see the it was parked in gear and the e brake wasn't up all the way)

It just had to dent my bumper and my hood + bend the inside brackets and I got quotes from up to $3500 just to fix it. Sadly, I was only on liability in my insurance under my parents so I didn't get anything...

I started to look for myself and I got a FG Kaminari Reverse Cowl Hood for $300 and coincidently I got a Kaminari Kit from my cousin for $200 bux. (Ironically, at this time I liked the OEM dropped down to the floor look, and now I'm getting that body kit I always wanted in high school... lol)



I got it correctly put on at a place called Car Stereo Connection in Anaheim. They restore muscle cars, tints, and install alarms/stereo systems, but since my buddy knew the owner, he did the job.




And the finished product...




... In 2011, I was still rocking an OEM exhaust. So I hit up peterng026 for his awesome Tanabe Concept G exhaust.




After a week, I was thinking it was still missing something... So I got Wade Vent Visors (a knockoff version of Weathertechs) and a Wink Mirror since my parents jacked my Broadway mirror...




As of now Alexxis looks like this
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV




Trust me, I wanna go lower, but I can't afford any more potential expenses that may occur when I'm too low e.g. scratching side skirts, running over my own bumper, not going up driveways normally, and going out of my way to drive normally without any worries.

Future mods:
- Color matching interior with FM and White
- Installing white cathodes in the footwell
- Custom FG sub box so my back springs doesn't sag from all the weight
- Anzo Tail lights
- repaint my calipers
- steering wheel control harness

Simple and small mods so I can drive from home to clinicals within the next 2 years. After I'm an RN, then I'll be dropping some money on Alexxis. I've seen a couple of these guys with coils, systems, and turbo kits selling them for dirt cheap. Just wait for 2 more years lol

-------------------------------------------------------------

My girl got an BSP xD on 18" TRDs and Clazzio Seats. Just installed some HIDs (which are hella bright) and a wink mirror. Awaiting on some S-techs and still perfecting the "stick shift" but time will take its place.



She's going for a Black, White, and Purp theme so it'll be interesting. Welcome any tips or suggestions. Thanx

peterng026

iTrader: (2)

Looking good Fred!

emrules2001

Great progress and great story man. The kit on the car definitely looks clean. Keep it up, and maintain the idea that if you dont have a lot of money to mod, make wise decisions and do it right the first time.

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Thanks guys, this time around I think twice or 3x for what I'm gonna do with my car and life. So far no tickets since I got back so I must be doing good ha "knock - on - wood"

eignub

looks great man. love the body kit. got a pic of the winks? im trying to decide if i want to put one in my car also.

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man, I had to either choose from a new oem unpainted or a whole kit that cost a hundred less. Just hadda find a lil more mullah for the paint ;p

I'll post some pix of the mirror outside and inside the car by tonight. I definitely recommend it, functional, and stylish.

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Here's some more pictures of my current mods. Eignub, the wink mirror pictures are in here too for your reference:

Clarion VX400


I know lots of wires, not trying to impress anyone, but it gets the job done and done loud.



AFE Short Ram Intake (Dirty): combo that with the present concept G and it sounds beautiful like a heart beat, in goes the air, and out from the back...


Wink Mirror
(Outside)


(Inside)

eignub

ah, so that's how it mounts up, just like a regular mirror. Do you happen to know how wide it is? And are you still able to use the sun visors? Great looking car man.

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

^^^^^
Thanks again man, the wink mirror is about 35 inches long. And yes I'm still able to use the sun visors, but the wink mirror is already like a permanent sun visor.

I've seen a couple people here take off the sun visors or put bigger brackets and mounted underneath the headliner, but personally I think mounting it to the windshield is the best way. If I was a real perfectionist or **** from how the silicone looked from the outside, I would recommend getting a tint shop to put a square inch of tint 6.25 inches left and right of the center of the windshield to get that clean look lol

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Installed Oznium Cathode lights synchronized to my dome lights...


Viola!

Irishguy0224

iTrader: (10)

Looks good, but im not a fan of the body kit and yup, imma say it anyways... Needs MOAR low

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Haha thanx man, to be brutally honest, I dont quite like the body kit either. If I can go back to stock I would in a heartbeat (any trades?... jk)

Another thing is I noticed my fronts are higher than my rears. Not because of my subs but its because the springs wasn't seated right. Today, imma seat it properly because at the moment I'm rolling with a 3 in. finger gap on my front right and a 2 in. finger gap on my front left... Wherein my rears are no finger gap at all...

eignub

There are a lot of guys in my club that have 1st gen tcs, i could ask if they would trade? bet they would be willing to pay for shipping both ways for a nice kit like that.

those pics just sold me on the oz cathodes. i have the dealer optioned led bars installed right now, but those cathodes are so bright i'm definitely going to get them instead.

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Haha I'm gonna rock the kit for a little bit longer, but I'll definitely be considering on a trade later in the future.

The cathodes I got actually served its purpose when I installed them. I don't have a switch to it yet (because I'm kind of electrical illiterate) but when any door opens it lights up wherein I can see things on the floor e.g. stethescopes, term papers, and anything else important.

Jaybus

Nice transition, I'm with you on the stock look. Like the rims!

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man, it took a while to realize there are ways to change the look of your car from any other tC without putting a body kit ha

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

UPDATE: girlfriend's ordering me some raceland coilovers next week. gonna get moar low!

10gxiong

Looks great.

eignub

so i picked up a wink mirror for myself, but i need some info from someone who actually has one. a lot of reviews say that the mirror shakes and the angle gets messed up constantly when using the windshield mounts. And also, there are reviews saying the mounts dont stick to the windshield very well (maybe just need a better brand of silicone adhesive stuff?) . have you had any problems like that?

LETZgoBUDDY

iTrader: (2)

sorry, I haven't been on for a while... got some new raceland coils last week and i'm trying to find a place that would do an alignment because I'm pretty low. i'll post up pics later.

no, I haven't had any of THOSE problems with my wink mirror yet, but the only problem I have had was since the mirror itself is actually pretty heavy, it wears out the joints of the windshield mounts, so when I hit a pretty big bump (which I normally dont unless it's speedbumbs :[ ) the joint gives way any by that time I'm looking at my knees shifting... either from that no problem at all ha