some mods to think about, by a newb..

924guy · 07-01-2009, 09:37 AM

hey all,

I'm mulling through the list of things id like to "improve" on the insight, mostly for comfort/convenience at this point, Ill think of more mechanical thing after i know the car better. I did do a search of most of these items, some came up with great info, some didnt come up at all. but being a "car guy" I've always found it helpfull to run my ideas past a group of like minded people, and get feed back.
I should be clear this is all no budjet, or very low budget hand made or modified from pick and pull (salvage yard) parts. So buy this , its only $250.00 isnt really going to register with me. so here it goes:

1. center console with armrest- im thinking a honda civic (95-98 or so) should fit almost perfectly, as they have the center mount ebrake and narrow chassis? I can custom build one out of fiberglass if need be, but theres a better chance of actually getting it done if i can just pull a unit that will work from another car...

2. auto dim mirror- i can pull one from a salvage yard for under $20, im going to try and find one with the compass and temp reading (need the sensor as well) just for the extra cool factor..

3. radio upgrade: Ive already swapped out the door speakers with a set of good ones that came with my civic and i never installed, huge improvement. next up is adding a rear set, thanks to you all i now understand it prewired..good stuff! I have a almost complete car pc , including a 7" touchscreen hi res monitor. i know one of you had an enclosure fabbed up for a double din, and think i will do the same, but for the t/s monitor. im also thinking i can mount the cpu unit where the factory cd changer would go, i just have to check spacing. this will give me integrated gps, wifi, radio,obd2 readings, etc.etc.. but will also require a small amp to drive the speakers, ...
OR... i might just swap out the cassete deck with something slightly more recent from the shelf in my garage.. time for complex installs and fabbing up panels is tough to come by these days..

4. definately need to add an AFM gauge if i dont go with the car pc option..

5. id like to add some LED bulbs, but searching the posts, im unclear as to which ones work with out issue, seems a crap shoot. I will add some interior LED courtesy lighting, but nothing fancy, not looking for a bling factor, just utility..

6. TPMS- i think a tire pressure monitoring system is a great upgrade for the insight, though there are issues with the in tire sensors yeilding to moisture giving them a short life expectancy, i need to research this more.

7. FOG Lights are a must.. amber projector fogs are definitely on my must have list... just need to find a set that compliments the car, and are high functioning and not $300.00, more difficult than it should be i think...

8. just for kicks, i think ill add some hood strips and replace the decals. ive got my own vinyl cutter so i can play a bit...

9. window tint- also a must here in sunny florida, the window lines seem pretty simple, so i think i can do a decent job of that myself..

So thats a good start for me, ive got other ideas for the engine , but those are later on.. but i do want to look at the specs of the 1.0 and see what improvements can be made that yield both more power and efficiency. think intake and exhaust mods, and some other tuning tricks...

hyperclimber · 07-03-2009, 06:34 PM

Welcome.

Looks like you've got some pretty good ideas for your insight. I'm excited to see what you come up with. I did a whole sound system upgrade in my insight. I have a Kenwood head that is ipod/iphone compatible through usb. And also it has a 1/8" plug for watching movies on the ipod. I couldn't ask for a better deck. Although I have my own ideas about a 7" touchscreen monitor/iphone integration that is on the verge of being implemented, it looks like you've got some good ideas in that department.

as for the LED lights, there was a good write up about someone putting LEDs in their insight including part numbers etc. If it's not on IC, it could be on cleanmpg. I would suggest that article and see what you come up with.

fog lights... never had them, never had the need for them. and on the insight, I'm not quite sure where you would put them. They would just kill fuel milage IMO.

I've found that with mods, I seem to go for FE before comfort. a good example of this would be getting MIMA instead of fixing my cracked windshield, broken lock switch, and new windshield wipers.

If you're interested in simple mods for FE some basic ones can do wonders. But then again, it's all about who's hands you put the mods in.

good luck with stuff

**Hybrid-Battery-Repair** · 07-05-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 924guy

hey all,

1. center console with armrest- im thinking a honda civic (95-98 or so) should fit almost perfectly, as they have the center mount ebrake and narrow chassis? I can custom build one out of fiberglass if need be, but theres a better chance of actually getting it done if i can just pull a unit that will work from another car...

I bought an armrest off ebay. I'm putting it in this week, but it seems very nice.

It is ebay item 390002032832 and there are still some left.

924guy · 07-11-2009, 10:34 AM

thanks for the feedback!

I just got back from a 3000 mile trip across country (though not in the insight, too small for the whole family on a trip like that) so havent had a chance to before today to respond.

I tried to look at the armrest, but couldn't find it by item number, maybe the listing is too old? i am very curious about though, so if you have pictures you could post, that would be awesome.

as for the fogs, living in south Florida, and often taking trips in the more swampy areas, fogs are a requirement for safe driving in my opinion. the fog can get so thick in the early morning, you sometimes cant see ten feet in front of your vehicle with out them, so every car i drive gets a set of amber fogs at some point. there are now several varieties of very small projector fog lamps to choose from that should sit snugly in the grille without inducing too much drag. i just need to shop a bit and try and find an effective set at a reasonable price. i use PIAA amber projection fogs in my truck, piaa's arent the "end all - be all" of fog lights, but they're fairly inexpensive and made my recent trip much safer while driving through the mountains in Georgia..

as for the radio / car pc option , i've been thinking about it a bit and will try and fab a modified version of the existing radio housing(using caned foam to make a mold, then carving it to fit) , expanding it to fit my 7" touch screen monitor, and adding a space for a laptop usb dvd/cd-rw drive which i already have. ill also have to build an enclosure for the atom based cpu (ive got a great compact case for it just a bit bigger than a car stereo) in the factory spot for the dvd changer. i just need to figure out the power.

ill have to search for the LED article, but as for all mods, ill be doing them myself. im fairly comfortable with most all things cars, and comfortable with everything from wiring to welding , though not an expert at any of them, i muddle my way through and learn along the way, and enjoy it that way

JimIsbell · 07-11-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 924guy

I tried to look at the armrest, but couldn't find it by item number, maybe the listing is too old? i am very curious about though, so if you have pictures you could post, that would be awesome.

I made mine out of varnished wood and put a door in the top so I could still reach the plastic dish between the seats. Then I velcroed a small cushion on the top that can be removed to wash it occasionally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 924guy

so every car i drive gets a set of amber fogs at some point. there are now several varieties of very small projector fog lamps to choose from that should sit snugly in the grille without inducing too much drag. i just need to shop a bit and try and find an effective set at a reasonable price.

I have a $14 set of fog lights (live on the Texas coast) that I got from Harbor Freight. They fit in the end of the air intake slot on either side where they probably make the car more aerodynamic and dont hurt the air flow to the radiator.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 924guy

as for the radio / car pc option , i've been thinking about it a bit and will try and fab a modified version of the existing radio housing(using caned foam to make a mold, then carving it to fit) , expanding it to fit my 7" touch screen monitor, and adding a space for a laptop usb dvd/cd-rw drive which i already have. ill also have to build an enclosure for the atom based cpu (ive got a great compact case for it just a bit bigger than a car stereo) in the factory spot for the dvd changer. i just need to figure out the power.

Look at the "Computing in an Insight" thread to see how I mounted my 7" VGA monitor under the radio. It looks factory and is easy to see in that location with less reflection than a higher mounting would have. I run GPS/Mapping, OBD-II Diagnostics and Virtual Dash, Microsoft Audio (I have 11.5 hours of digital music on a thumb drive) that transmits from the HP Thin Client (that sits in the net behind the seat) to the FM radio so all in car audio functions remain the same and I also have WiFi that continuously jumps from WiFi source to WiFi source as I drive through town and allows me to use MagicJack for an in car telephone and I have a rear view camera.

The MagicJack is not yet working fully to my likeing and the rear view camera needs some tweeking as does the 7 minute boot time but all the other stuff works fine and the audio is out of this world.