How to install a wing, so stop asking…

I realize that my small corner of the automotive internet has many forays that delve here and there into topics which as a whole seem to lack cohesion. I realize that this is more evident after a small sampling of posts which may seem like the ramblings of a mad man or the brain storm of someone who is in desperate need of Adderall. But I promise in time, these ramblings will pull together. I have many an idea for new body styling ideas, many an homage to pay to the parts and people that have come before me. So in keeping to the spirit of non-exclusivity I find myself today with the desire to share random tips and tricks I’ve picked up through the years working on cars or watching professionals work on cars.

Installation of a wing/spoiler…

It’s come to my attention that installing a wing or spoiler has become somewhat of a lost art. Manufacturers no longer provide installation instructions that are more diligent than “Drill a hole, bolt it in, good to go.” And rightfully so, given the understanding that said spoiler should be professionally installed anyway. However, imagine my reaction when I started receiving calls from body shops whom require installation instructions, FOR A WING. It’s difficult that these men and women are trusted to straighten frames and replace doors but can’t figure out how to drill 4 holes for a wing. I digress, the following is one of I’m sure many ways to properly or acceptably install a wing.

Providing this is not an OEM wing to replace another OEM wing, God help you if you can’t figure that one out. 

First, use straws bent to resemble a “T ”shape. Proceed to insert one end of the straw into the bolt holes located on the bottom of the wing, and then tape them into place.

Next, measure your trunk for symmetry while properly marking the locations for where the wing should rest. I’d use masking or painters tape to do this.

Now, place the wing on your trunk in its desired location. Undo the tape that was holding the straw to the wing, and tape the straw to the trunk instead. Once you remove the wing, the straws should be attached to the car, with a tip of a straw protruding upwards as a marker for EXACTLY where to drill.

Cover the surrounding area with more tape, to protect it from scratching should the drill slip while making the installation holes.

Once the holes are drilled and all the tape and straws have been removed, use double sided tape on the underside of the wing that is to make contact with the trunk, this will allow for cushion should the wing vibrate under higher driving speeds.

Finally, bolt the wing to the car. I always recommend using washers since this could help prevent water from leaking into your trunk.

You’re done, put away your tools and go for a drive. 

eBay's Impact on Your Car

We’ve all heard stories of hardships of those from generations past. Poverty, famine, and lawlessness ran rampant while our ancestors struggled to survive these brutally harsh conditions. As awful of an analogy as that may be, I too can look back to see the difficulties that today’s generation will thankfully never have to face. My life has and always will revolve around cars; and my lifelong love affair with gasoline and horsepower shows no end in sight.

Aero styling always held show rather than go and I was fortunate to be at the forefront of the body kit revolution when it finally became popular culture in the late 90s. My calling came when I purchased my first Veilside body kit. From there it was nothing but more fiberglass and less speed bumps.

a special place in my heart. I admit; I’ve always swayed towards

Like most, I dove into the body kit industry head first selling body kits by the tonnage. Shelves emptied faster than they could be stocked. A few select companies imported the merchandise stateside, while others managed to carve out their livelihoods and retailers, wholesalers, and other various third parties. And for a while, the industry thrived. People were prosperous, careers blossomed, and everyone’s cars started to look really good.     

Not too long thereafter, the guiding hands of commerce lead consumers away from brick and mortar stores along with their middlemen in the form of eBay. Suddenly prices plummeted and sales soared as traditional stores were replaced with eBay stores. Industry standards were slow to adjust, thus pricing structures were severely lacking. Coupled with no rent, and little to no overhead costs this meant that anyone with a computer and industry connections can take part in commerce reserved for those previously confined to commercial spaces. One after another companies fell, losing ground to the digital era and the eBay revolution.

Fast forward a half decade or so and we find ourselves in today’s plateaued market. Sales on eBay remain strong while certain websites round out the majority of sales. Traditional motorsports stores have given way and most have mainly changed roots into the performance minded territory and/or service. Where a customer would have typically gone to a store for a special order (as most stores did not stock body kits for logistical reasons), body kits, wings, and hoods are now either a click or a bid away. Over all this netted bigger savings for consumers and larger profits for manufacturers. A necessary evil at the cost of the middle man? Perhaps. But in the end it seems all is well in the marketplace. One can only hope that cost and market stabilization is followed by quality and build standardization as well.

LEXOTA!

 One of best selling cars on the road today is the Toyota Camry; in 2007 Toyota revamped their flagship vehicle with defined (and straight) body lines and lights that look to be derived from a more luxurious brand. In keeping with the market trend, more was better. So the chassis and overall wheel base of the car was enlarged giving the Camry a more distinguished and stately look.

Like many other car manufacturers, Toyota has other brands under their umbrella. Each brand is marketed specifically towards different demographics. Lexus is the luxury brand with price tags that can range closer to the 100k mark; while Scion is marketed to the younger generation with their sporty designs, upgradeable parts sold factory direct, and a price that makes it affordable to a larger portion of the population.

In some cases Toyota and other manufacturers alike will offer very similar cars across their different brands. Case in point: the Camry and the Lexus ES series or even the Nissan 350z and Infiniti G35 are strikingly similar cars. Which brings us to my first foray into styling suggestions that bridge the gap between Honda and Acura, Nissan and Infinity, or even Mercedes Benz and Smart.

Here are some photos of a Camry which would greatly benefit from a Lexus style facelift; also shown. 

My Vision Now Reality

I’ve been fortunate enough to have gone through many cars in my life, some were fast and some were pretty; but none of them came that way. I’m not one to conform to normality, nor do I find content easily. I pick my builds carefully and I pick my parts carefully. With each project; I wield a vision and craft my way to the automotive equivalent of an NBA championship. I started with a Honda, and built a modern day low rider. Then a Lexus that bridged luxury and exotic styling and finally a Mercedes that went from soccer mom to European sport.

Fortune continues, as I found my way into a career that I love. It would seem; boys that love cars grow into men that build them. And this career of mine allows me to contribute on a level that goes beyond showing off a car. I lend assistance to those who share my common drive. And at times, I get caught up in the hustle of the market that I forget what drove me here in the first place.

Like many of you, I have a list of cars that I’ve always wanted to own. And for each car; I have a vision of what I’d do to it. I look at the body lines, the lights, and the stance and think, that car would look great with a bumper that looks like _______, or a hood that looks like ______. Most often inspiration comes from around. I may look at a new car and think the concept looked better, and if I think so, maybe others do as well. So someone should make aero products to appease. Enter my career.

In a series of posts yet to be titled, I’m going to present a car. Probably one from my personal list, next I’ll provide other cars from which styling cues should be considered. Love them or hate them, it’s my brand; which is exactly what makes this all go wonderful. If you hate mine, create your own. If everyone did this; then maybe we can revive the spirit of individualism again. And invoke a time when conformity wasn’t an option. Have you ever walked up to a car in a parking lot and thought it was yours only to find out you parked a few spaces down, or another row over?

Signature Style Chevrolet Camero

Iconic sports cars are far and few between. Seldom does a car demand devotion through sheer lineage and prowess. Naturally the team here at Vision Autodynamics jumped at the chance to help define the landscape of the modern muscle car when Chevrolet introduced their revamped Camaro.

Originally code named Panther, Chevrolet introduced the Camaro as a competitor to Ford’s Mustang in September of 1966. Since then, 5 generations have passed and with each evolution bringing with it a heightened sense of aesthetics and performance.

Today’s Camaro features retro styling cues reminiscent of the 66 Camaro, and debuted amid rave reviews as a concept model in 2006 and 2007. A production vehicle was available in the spring of 2009 but was branded a 2010 model. With this, we began our daunting task of taking something everyone wanted, and turning it into something everyone had to have.

With tools in hand, Vision Autodynamics crafted aero parts with design and function in mind. Spending hundreds of hours in design before wrench work began. We designed our parts with a nod to the homage of generations of Camaros past, ensuring that each vent and curve was resolute and contained purpose. Diligence ensued with proper R&D to further insure the parts were going to be of proper fit and finish. The finished product is what you see before you; our offering to those fortunate enough to own a piece of Americana and to those demanding quality with a side of nostalgia.  

Introducing, the VFiber SS1 and SS2 aero packages for the 2010-2011 Chevrolet Camaro.  Available as a package and as individual pieces as well. Please contact us for availability and pricing. 

Your Car, Your Story with Vision Autodynamics

In an effort to reach out to enthusiasts, consumers, and aficionados alike; Vision Autodynamics would like to give others a chance to shine a light on topics otherwise not discussed, or to feature cars that deserve reciprocation of the same attention that went into building them. There is a gap between displays of automotive prowess within public view and the unseen fiduciary actions taken by those entrusted with the ability to produce the very products that endears the term; prowess. With that being said, we invite everyone to submit their stories, questions, concerns, and cars. Periodically, we will feature these topics and hopefully take one step closer to an automotive world that isn’t lacking of full disclosure. I implore readers and contributors alike to check back often or subscribe as updates are close and plenty between. And on that note, we bid you a good day. Thank You.       

The JDM Connection

The JDM Connection

Our society is one of fads; today’s en vogue is tomorrow’s mediocrity. The same status quo finds itself into the automotive universe via trends such as oversized exhaust tips, exaggerated wings, and spinning wheels. Some fall as meteorically as they had risen, others flame out in a blaze of glory. In either case, at one point; tomorrow’s punch line is today’s desire.

Once in a while a trend comes along and it transcends our collective view of cars, racing, and the automotive lifestyle. One such trend is the JDM craze that struck the United States in the early 2000s. What used to be body kits and clear corners gave way to lips and ambers. That’s right, thousands were being spent to make cars look like, well; the way the same car looks in Japan right off the show room floor. Purists went to extremes to convert their rides into JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) replicas with right hand drive conversions (Japanese cars have drivers sitting on the opposite side from American drivers), wheels, headlights, taillights, even windows.

So why the obsession you may ask; it boils down to homage. For those who pledge allegiance to their cars, may wish to honor its pure roots. Spending large amounts of money and time to track down, purchase, and install parts otherwise deemed normal in the vehicle’s country of origin. For others, it’s a “This is how much I know about this car” statement. Not many people know that a 1997 Honda Del Sol is available in Japan with a robotic arm that rises from the trunk to remove the car’s top. But the person who does know is the one who’s spent a small fortune sourcing the parts and converting the car here in the US. Or the 2003 Subaru WRX STi, who’s Japanese counterpart has different headlights which concentrates its beam of light to the driver’s side of the car illuminating the side of the car that one would drive closest to the curb with, since in Japan cars are driven on the opposite side.

This trend, if you can call it that. Has lasted through the years and has proven itself to be a viable sub culture to automotive enthusiasm from coast to coast. It is individualistic, and expressionistic; the makings of which are artistic in nature and not easily dismissed. And though our fiduciary commitments may not be JDM in nature, we salute the efforts and patronage of those whose homage was found deserving of a few words of homage itself.