All Blacked Out GT FINALLY

[SOberman001]

Well boys,
I want to first thank all the Gents who provided me advice on the gas cap replacement. There were a few choice curse words trying to get the press nuts off on the fuel filler tube but after cramping myself into the wheel well for hours, I finally got the gas cap, lugs and wheel center caps changed over to black. I really like the look vs stock and thanks to Ben Gilbertson this was a reasonably priced mod if I consider my time to be worth nothing.

The pic isn't the best but the car is Gunmetal and the flat black wheels look great and Ben had good advice to go with the gloss fuel cap since it matches the shine air ducts just 1.5ft away.

Again, thanks to all.

IMG_5657.jpg

[ViperPete]

Nice job! Looks good.

[ACRSNK]

Looks great!

[99Vipers]

[Martin]

Looks awesome - and you might want to consider one more really simple thing. I put smoke tint wrap on my side markers, and while it isn't something that anyone will likely notice, it really cleans up the profile of the car. The side markers will still work just fine, and the smoke tint is easy to apply - and it makes them almost disappear into the wheel wells. The guy that wrapped my car suggested it, and at first I thought it would be useless, but now that I look at it, I'm glad I did it.

[Martin]

Really easy and inexpensive to do, too. Just pop off the lights, install the film while overlapping the curved areas, and pop them back in. It makes a huge difference, albeit subconscious to most.

[Terminator02]

Nice looks great. It's really a deep and beautiful color. If it was venom black I'd recommend actually accepting the current red side markers by going red on your gas cap viper logo and center caps but not sure if it works on gunmetal. For a more "murdered out" look go with a good ceramic window tint and smoked side markers. Would look nasty!

[SOberman001]

Thanks for the tips on the marker lights and the compliments. Love this color car and it is all the restraint I have not to by an ACR in the same color

[dmann]

Definitely like and looks really good on the gunmetal paint.

[SOberman001]

I agree with Martin on the side marker lights. Here's a pic of my Gunmetal GTS after I installed a set of smoked light coversAttachment 25516

TheMadMachinist, did you install your front splitters yourself? or did they come with the car? I am thinking of getting a set and they look great on your car.

- - - Updated - - -

Really easy and inexpensive to do, too. Just pop off the lights, install the film while overlapping the curved areas, and pop them back in. It makes a huge difference, albeit subconscious to most.

How easy is it to pop off the lights? I did not enjoy the experience of taking the entire wheel well off to change the gas cap.

[BJG32]

Thanks for the compliments Scott! I bet now that you've done it once the gas cap won't give you so much trouble. For me it's a 1 hour job start to finish with the proper tools... not sure why you had so much trouble....but the new look was hopefully worth it!

Curious how you got that final nut off? Did you use the flexible extension I suggested?

Lugs, center caps, and gas cap look great. Thanks for sharing the photo...

[SOberman001]

After trying a very small 10mm socket wrench and then a ratcheting open ended wrench, I did use the flexible extension which I was surprised worked. I didn't think there was enough room to get that tool bent around all the corners and still have it square up to the nut but it worked and a single push of the drill throttle to reverse it off and the nut came loose. It wasn't much fun to put back on but I used a similar technique to push it on and twist it just a bit to tighten (not sure if that was required or not). I tried putting it back on a few ways but my hands don't fit back there and I kept dropping the thing. Once, I dropped it and it went straight into the detached fuel hose and into the gas. Not sure what motivated me to search in there but it was there and I used a funnel with a screen to catch the part as the fuel dumped into a gas can. I can definitely see how doing it again would take so much less time and anyone who can do it on a lift, would benefit from not trying all this from the hard garage floor.

All that said, I hope it fall off and if it does, I may never notice it unless the fuel car bezel (surround) chips my paint. Seems a normal bolt and nut fastener would have made much more sense than the way they did this, but I am no engineer so there must be a reason.

[dmann]

I agree with Martin on the side marker lights. Here's a pic of my Gunmetal GTS after I installed a set of smoked light coversAttachment 25516

Already mentioned, The aero looks good on your car. I am too looking to add it soon.

[BJG32]

After trying a very small 10mm socket wrench and then a ratcheting open ended wrench, I did use the flexible extension which I was surprised worked. I didn't think there was enough room to get that tool bent around all the corners and still have it square up to the nut but it worked and a single push of the drill throttle to reverse it off and the nut came loose. It wasn't much fun to put back on but I used a similar technique to push it on and twist it just a bit to tighten (not sure if that was required or not). I tried putting it back on a few ways but my hands don't fit back there and I kept dropping the thing. Once, I dropped it and it went straight into the detached fuel hose and into the gas. Not sure what motivated me to search in there but it was there and I used a funnel with a screen to catch the part as the fuel dumped into a gas can. I can definitely see how doing it again would take so much less time and anyone who can do it on a lift, would benefit from not trying all this from the hard garage floor.

All that said, I hope it fall off and if it does, I may never notice it unless the fuel car bezel (surround) chips my paint. Seems a normal bolt and nut fastener would have made much more sense than the way they did this, but I am no engineer so there must be a reason.

I agree....those nuts make zero sense. Glad you got it worked out!