looks good, i suggest cleaning out the bay now, or just dust off the aem pipe (btw, nice choice on the intake, better than a pipe from ebay, j/k)

 

yeah... i used the 500 degree w/ ceramic. now they have the 1200 degree, but i thought that would be a over kill!
i pretty much followed the diy section post!

about the chapstick- if you use the 120 paper instead of 800, you won't have to sand very much at all! the chapstick does sound easier though! i sanded it before paint just to get it real clean, and imo... it looks pretty damn good! lol

 

cleaning the bay is the next step... i would imagine that pipe is a ebay p.o.s.! was on the car when i got it!
i live on a gravel road, and it's a bit(h to keep the car clean! will be moving soon, so won't have to worrie about it gettin' so dirty so fast!

 

Vent clip Air fresheners FTMFW!! lol. Valve cover looks good, i should redo mine but i am lazy lol

 

lol... nothing like the new car smell in a 10 y.o. car!!

 

LMFAO thats the same stuff i use in my vents


also nice ground strap.LOL that looks alitle overkill...

i just got my Vtech honda valve cover today but it needs all new seals and a GOOD CLEANING before ill paint it.
guess ill have 2 valve covers to sell now.LOL



next thing ya need to swap out is that stock header..... will look TONS beter under the hood! good start!

 

That looks really nice man, good job with it. I like how you kept the letters silver.

 

can i just get rid of that ground strap thing all together, or do i need it?? what kind of wire should i replace it with??

next time i feel like painting something, i'm gonna paint the intake tube to match. it is just a tad bit darker of a red than the valve cover!

edit: i'm workin' on the header now... found a used dc sports4-2-1 two piece for $30! close to home too! it looks kinda rusty, so i'm gonna get some heat wrap on there! i think the heat wrap looks sick on bikes, so i'll try it on the car! lol

 

a.. well never cared for heat wrap myself... but to each his/her own

but with that ground strap just some 4gauge wire will do great...
id sugest some welding cables because of the flat black jacket so the wire blends into the engine bay realy nice! i think it looks ugly when people use colored wire loom or just a bright wire that sticks out like mad for no reason.LOL

i mean i have some colored wires on my battery BUT they are more for showing off and my stereo...LOL





think i paid 130bucks for my header at a local car show... fit was ok BUT they didnt have a rear O2sensor bung so i had to drill and weld in a O2bung.

if your close enough to that header tho id look into it before ya hand any money over....

 

^ wait a sec, if that's an aem intake, that's definitely not crap quality, that's a good piece. as for painting it to match, i wouldn't suggest because the thing is powdercoated and heat treated, not painted. and i say leave the ground strap, i like it more than oem sometimes. i've already got a strap for my battery, i think it works a little better, i just need a strap like yours to match the other one.