In case you haven't found out by now, I have a pretty normal car right now. Just because it's normal, however, doesn't mean my warped mind doesn't have plans for it. I have a bunch of plans. So many, in fact, that I divided them into four catagories to make it easier to sift through! Enjoy!
WINGED VICTORY EMBLEM*****: One of the first changes I plan on making to my LeBaron is replacing the "pentastar" emblem on the grill with a "winged victory" one from a newer Chrysler car...most likely the Town and Country Minivans. To avoid too much association with a company I now consider as sell-outs, I'll remove the Chrysler logo from inside it, and replace it with the "LeBaron bird" emblem from the late-70's LeBaron. Once installed (held secure with a screw behind the bird) it will look great and make it appear to be its own division of Chrysler...
R/T EMBLEMS***: Another easy change would be to add R/T emblems to the front quarter panels (behind the front wheels) and next to the LeBaron nameplate in the rear. R/T, in case you don't know, is the performance brand among Plymouths and Dodges (much like the SS in Chevy or the Type R in Hondas). I don't think the R/T emblem was ever used on a Chrysler, but then again, i am distancing this car from its Chrysler roots...
MARK-CROSS VANITY PLATE*****: Many mid-80's LeBaron Convertibles were "Mark Cross Editions." Basically, it was the top-of-the-line LeBaron of that time. Each Mark Cross LeBaron had a 3" Brass nameplate that went in the engine bay and could be engraved with the name of the car's buyer. By drilling two small holes in it to permanently attach it to the engine bay (stock ones stuck on) and engraving my name in it...it will seem as though my LeBaron was made especially for me :)
HOOD SCOOP**: A functional hoodscoop is probably the most aggressive styling change you can do to a car. On the LeBaron, I'd like to cut a hole in the hood...and have a shaker-style scoop attached to the engine (like many Hemi Cudas...). By making the scoop a "shaker," it'd be easy to switch from a large performance-oriented one and a smaller style-oriented one. Best of all, the scoop would shake a little when I rev the engine :P
SPOILER***: A spoiler may be the only thing that comes close to comparing to the dramatic styling changes that a hood scoop can produce. If I got one for my LeBaron, it'd fall somewhere in between the bland, un-noticable ones and the obnoxious import ones. Also, since my car doesn't have single LED on it, I'll try to avoid buying one with that option included.
ENTIRE LIGHT-BAR LIGHTS UP***: Another project I'd like to do is to make the center light bar light up. With any luck, I could have it be slightly lit when my headlights were on, and brighter when braking. Using normal light bulbs if possible (no neons or LEDs), and wiring it through the taillights...it should come out pretty neat.
WHEELS**: Wheels are usually the first things people notice on a car. Stock, I had four "lace" hubcaps that looked really bad on such a sporty car. I later replaced them with some chrome hubcaps...which look better, but are still not quite what I'm looking for. Some inset polished aluminum wheels are my preference...with more traditional styles like 5-spoke or 70's mags. It's a tough task though, since I'd like to keep my stock 14" wheels.
STITCHED R/T EMBLEMS***: To go along with the outside emblems, I'd like to stitch some R/T emblems into the head rests of the front two seats. They'd be embroidered...which would look really good against the cloth interior.
PROTOTYPE ENGINE*:I have the standard 3.0L engine, sporting about 150HP. Kinda bland huh? Well, there are six or so rare prototype 3.0L engines built by Dodge. It features a twin turbo...and a massive 250HP. I'm waiting for the lottery!
Nitrous** If I can't find the money or the patience to get one of those six prototypes...I'm going to get NOS. Yes, its dangerous. No, I don't really trust it. But yes, I'll be beating your car at the stop lights!! There are tons of ways to do NOS, and with a set-up delivering 50HP, I should have quite a nice street racer!
Turbo V6*** In all fairness, the above two ideas are not going to happen. I wouldn't dare put laughing gas into my daily driver, and I dont have the money to buy one of those prototype engines. On the other hand, it wouldn't be too difficult to install two T1 turbos from a Chrysler 2.5L engine and have a custom built twin turbo. Who knows...
TRANSMISSION UPGRADE*: In case you haven't read my "changes" page yet, I already have a reinforced transmission. It'll hold up for a lot longer than the stock one would, but its still not quite as fun to drive. Newer Chryslers (like the 300M) have automatic transmissions that can be shifted when desired. If one of those units could be hooked to my 3.0, I would definitely snatch up that. In thats not possible, I could steal the transmission from a manual shifting 3.0L. Some day I'll have a 5 speed...sigh.
