SuperSupraRacer
12-05-2004, 08:23 PM
I'm sure a bunch of people have complained that their xmods (with the exception of skyline owners) sit too high off the ground. so this tut is to help you folks on how to lower your xmod, while maintaining drivability. there's no need to cut your springs when lowering your car, unlike some other methods that are just for show. so here we go...
1. get your tools: superglue, a sharp knife, 60 (give or take) grit sandpaper, screwdriver.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_001.jpg
2. let's start w/ the lowering. the first step is to take off the rear body mount. it's this piece, and it's held on by one screw only.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_002.jpg
3. you also want to take off your front bumper, giving you access to the the front body mount (the slit in the plastic where the front clip fits).
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_003.jpg
4. remove your front shock assemblies, and then remove the front clip.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_004.jpg
5. now we begin the manual labor... take your front clip, and where the foremost part extends, cut it off (carefully); then superglue it back on, aligning the bottom edge w/ the bottom edge of the main part.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_005.jpg
5b. just in case you weren't robot-precise, sand the sides of the remodeled front clip, as well as the front side. my clip has been sanded down pretty far.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_006.jpg
6. eye the approximate distance you moved the cut-off portion of the front clip; now look at this part of the your body (circled)...
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_007.jpg
...and sand it down approximately the same distance. you need not be exact; afterwards you can adjust the height using little dabs of superglue or by sanding it down a bit more.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_008.jpg
7. test fit! reinstall the front clip and rear body mount; try to clip the chassis back onto the body. very likely, it won't fit very well, so you can shave down suspicious parts (circled).
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_009.jpg
notice i removed the wing mirror mounts, as well as the center brace underneath the hood. it probably wasn't necessary, but i didn't know what was contacting, so... hehe.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_0010.jpg
8. if your front clip isn't going in very easily, you can reduce its dimensions again and/or shave the front body mount like this. i just took sandpaper and sanded away at the top and bottom.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_0011.jpg
9. test fit again. the chassis should go in without excessive resistance now. put your front bumper back this time. notice that the chassis is now "farther up" into the body now.
looks really good, doesn't it? but we ain't done yet.
10. very likely your wheels will rub on the bodywork now that it's lower. use whatever method you need to eliminate the problem material (circled).
11. another problem you might encounter (depending on car) is that the bodywork often hits the ground before the suspension has moved much at all. simple solution: sand away the offending plastic (circled).
12. final test fit. if there are any problems still, consult the previous steps. if none, you're done. enjoy that sleeker looking xmod you made
yes, i know i forgot my exhaust pipe.
--- BORROWED FROM color0 on xmodworld
1. get your tools: superglue, a sharp knife, 60 (give or take) grit sandpaper, screwdriver.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_001.jpg
2. let's start w/ the lowering. the first step is to take off the rear body mount. it's this piece, and it's held on by one screw only.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_002.jpg
3. you also want to take off your front bumper, giving you access to the the front body mount (the slit in the plastic where the front clip fits).
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_003.jpg
4. remove your front shock assemblies, and then remove the front clip.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_004.jpg
5. now we begin the manual labor... take your front clip, and where the foremost part extends, cut it off (carefully); then superglue it back on, aligning the bottom edge w/ the bottom edge of the main part.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_005.jpg
5b. just in case you weren't robot-precise, sand the sides of the remodeled front clip, as well as the front side. my clip has been sanded down pretty far.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_006.jpg
6. eye the approximate distance you moved the cut-off portion of the front clip; now look at this part of the your body (circled)...
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_007.jpg
...and sand it down approximately the same distance. you need not be exact; afterwards you can adjust the height using little dabs of superglue or by sanding it down a bit more.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_008.jpg
7. test fit! reinstall the front clip and rear body mount; try to clip the chassis back onto the body. very likely, it won't fit very well, so you can shave down suspicious parts (circled).
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_009.jpg
notice i removed the wing mirror mounts, as well as the center brace underneath the hood. it probably wasn't necessary, but i didn't know what was contacting, so... hehe.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_0010.jpg
8. if your front clip isn't going in very easily, you can reduce its dimensions again and/or shave the front body mount like this. i just took sandpaper and sanded away at the top and bottom.
http://www.xmodworld.com/albums/album142/lowering_0011.jpg
9. test fit again. the chassis should go in without excessive resistance now. put your front bumper back this time. notice that the chassis is now "farther up" into the body now.
looks really good, doesn't it? but we ain't done yet.
10. very likely your wheels will rub on the bodywork now that it's lower. use whatever method you need to eliminate the problem material (circled).
11. another problem you might encounter (depending on car) is that the bodywork often hits the ground before the suspension has moved much at all. simple solution: sand away the offending plastic (circled).
12. final test fit. if there are any problems still, consult the previous steps. if none, you're done. enjoy that sleeker looking xmod you made
yes, i know i forgot my exhaust pipe.
--- BORROWED FROM color0 on xmodworld