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Old 06-02-2010, 11:44 PM   #132 (permalink)
RobertSmalls
Left Lane Ecodriver
 
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA
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Prius C - '12 Toyota Prius C
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Update. The power supply for my grid charger has arrived. Now I just need some electrical odds and ends to piece it together, and I should be in the business of grid-charging both of my batteries with a single cord.


New aeromods, including the boat-tail, are on hold. I need to bring my existing aeromods up to a higher standard of design and craftsmanship first.

My goal is to be able to park the car at a diner on cruise night with a smirk on my face. Although many historic car enthusiasts won't "get it", at least they'll think I'm competent at restoration and customization. This means I have to get rid of the lumpy fiberglass, chipping paint, mismatched colors, exposed fasteners, and inconsistent textures. That's an awful lot of work, but it's necessary.

If/when I can achieve that level of quality, I'll see if I can build a boat-tail that looks like it was put there on purpose by someone who knew what he was doing.



Is it true that people expect cars to have symmetrical grilles?

The Insight's radiator is mounted off center. The stock car has a 36" wide grille with 12" of dead space to the right of the 24" wide radiator. I need to expose about 18" of radiator to airflow in the summer, and less than 6" in winter. I currently have the right half of the grille blocked, but if I were to make it symmetrical, I'd only be able to block six inches on either side. If I also stipulate that the license plate be somewhere near the centerline, then any lower grille block at all becomes impossible.

Maybe I need to tear off the body-colored lower grille block and replace it with a recessed, flat black coroplast grille insert.



And yes, I see the massive gap between hood and bumper cover. I will apply more mallet, and probably chip more paint in the process.
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Last edited by RobertSmalls; 06-02-2010 at 11:51 PM..
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