SCP-1 Sport Trac Hood Scoop

These days most of us are fuel conscious. With the gas prices so high there are some that just can’t justify buying a big car or SUV any more, let alone getting the big V8 engine in it. But then there are lots of us that still want to look like we have a monster motor under the hood.

An easy way to accomplish this is to install a universal hood scoop to the existing hood of your car. There are no parts to remove. You will not need to get a new hood. However, once a hood scoop is installed it will appear like you changed the entire hood to accommodate this huge motor that you are hiding under your hood.

So you may have a few questions at this point, so let’s address some of them:

Will I get any better gas mileage with a hood scoop?
- No you won’t!

Will my car go any faster than it did before?
- No it won’t.

So then what will I get?
No doubt, you are sure to get some looks. You will turn a few heads, and you will make them wonder what it is that makes your car or truck so tough looking. Even the people that have the same type of vehicle that you do will wonder what motor it is that came with your car or truck.
In the end, it will surely get you attention.

Hood scoops are not expensive. Good fiberglass hood scoops generally run between $110 and $125 dollars unpainted, and a little bit higher if you want to have one prepainted and sent to you.

Installation is not hard. It’s just like installing a car spoiler. Usually hood scoops come with instructions and all necessary mounting hardware, which includes stainless steel screws, drill guides, 3M two way mounting tape, front inserts, and vinyl trim so your front inserts will not scratch your hood..

Before you purchase one, check the sizing of the scoop that you are looking at, and see if those measurements will work out on your hood. It’s better to find out if the hood scoop will fit before you purchase one rather than after, especially if you are having one prepainted.

There is no doubt that adding a hood scoop to your car, truck or SUV will help increase the resale value of your vehicle. Usually it is just by the fact that the buyer likes your vehicle better than any other that they have seen. Your car is different, and it is understandable to most that others that are looking at the same vehicle will think in this same manner.

This is what drives up the sale price. The fear alone of losing this vehicle to another buyer will make someone commit even earlier at a higher price just to they ensure that they get the vehicle that they want.

About the Author

Mike Briglia is the owner of Custom Auto Trim, a auto accessories company based out of San Diego CA. Find more information on hood scoops at http://www.customautotrim.com/

Body Side Molding

There are lots of reasons to install body side molding on your car or truck. Some may want body side molding for protection, helping to avoid those nasty door dings we seem to get when we park at a shopping center. Others may want to install body side molding just for looks alone, seeking to upgrade the appearance of the outside of the vehicle.

In either case, once you have found the molding that you like it is important that the installation process goes smoothly, and that you get your molding installed perfectly straight. Otherwise having wavy moldings on the side of your vehicle will make your vehicle appear to be dented, or the panels appear misaligned.

So here’s what you need to do in order to install body side molding professionally. You will need some masking tape, rubbing alcohol, anvil pruning shears (garden type), a grease pencil, a ruler, and a couple of clean towels.

First, use rubbing alcohol to clean the area where we are going to place the molding. Do not skip this step. Even brand new vehicles need to be cleaned in the same way. You need to remove any waxes or oils that are on the surface. This is to ensure a proper bond between the adhesive and the vehicle. Wipe on a generous amount of rubbing alcohol with a clean towel, and use another clean towel to remove the residue left behind by the alcohol.

Next, locate a spot on the door of the vehicle (usually the highest point) and make a mark with a grease pencil. Use your masking tape to create a horizontal line in this area. Tack the masking tape at the front of the vehicle where you are installing the molding and roll off enough masking tape so you can reach the other end. Keep the masking tape taunt like you would a string or chalk line. Keeping the tape tight, tack the other end of the masking tape (at the same height as your grease pencil mark) at the back of the vehicle. You can use your ruler here to verify your measurement. Then, press down all masking tape and repeat on the other side of the vehicle.

Next, cut your body side molding to fit, and to install, remove the release liner backing from the adhesive and follow along your masking tape line to get your molding perfectly straight. Make sure you bevel your molding 45 degrees at the front of each door so not to interfere with the door jam areas.

Once cut and pressed onto the vehicle, take a clean rag in the palm of your hand and press the molding firmly onto the vehicle. Make sure you do this step twice so to ensure full contact with the vehicle.

Remove your masking tape and clean up any residue left behind.

Thats it! Once installed you will have protection from dents and dings as well as upgrading the appearance of the outside of the vehicle.

About the Author

Mike Briglia is the owner of Custom Auto Trim, an auto accessories company based out of San Diego CA. Find more information on body side molding at http://www.customautotrim.com/

Case and point, in the Ohio Valley and the northeastern states like Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey, one of the most popular truck accessories on the market would be the truck tonneau cover. This is truck accessory purchase is totally weather related because people in the northeast have to put up with a lot of cold, wet and snowy weather in the winter and want to try to keep their truck beds dry if they can, and keep the snow out as well. Yes, a tonneau cover looks nice, and yes it might help you save a few gallons of gas on a nice long trip, but the main reason that customers ask for the tonneau cover would be to keep out the weather.

In the southern states like Florida, Texas or Arizona they have different problems to deal with. The sun! Can you imagine having too much sun? I know its hard to do, but when thinking about what auto accessories you want to add to your car or truck it has a lot to do with it. The sun can really beat / burn things up if left outside every day.

In the southern states the most popular accessories that people add to their trucks are the stainless steel accessories including nerf bars, rocker panel moldings, billet grilles and truck bed rails. Why? Stainless steel wont burn, deteriorate, shrink, crack, fade or anything else like that. Thats one of the reasons that the southern folks like to dress up their trucks with chrome accessories.

Most of the time the influence starts at the dealer level, being maybe your local Chevy, Dodge or Ford dealerships in your area. They seem to be the guys that would initially test aftermarket accessories like these on your truck, and after they dress up and sell a lot of them in town, the potential new customers see these vehicles driving down the road and actually start calling the dealers asking for the parts they see.

Sometimes customers dont know what to ask for, for example a stainless steel nerf bar is sometimes referred to as a chrome nerf bar, a chrome tube rail, side bars or side steps, but many suppliers of aftermarket truck accessories such as those at Custom Auto Trim are well versed in synonyms in the business. They will know what you are looking for.

About the Author

Mike Briglia is the owner of Custom Auto Trim, a car accessories company based out of San Diego CA. Find more information on nerf bars at http://www.customautotrim.com/

Some wonder why such a rigid shiny tube on the side of a truck is called a nerf bar. Sometimes people refer to them side steps or chrome tubes because they cant grasp the concept of “Nerf Bar” as being a hard shiny stainless steel object. “Nerf” material, like the material used to make soft footballs, baseballs & frisbees you may have thrown around as a kid, doesn’t really relate to some hard chrome tube you would use to step on to help you step into your truck.

So here it is. The nerf bar was a tubular device that was originally intended to be fitted to the side of a racecar – often single seaters like a midget race car that competes on a race track.

“Nerf” is also a racing term that refers to a small bump (rub) between two vehicles. When one driver bumps the other car in order to pass it, they call it nerfing.  Nerf bars protect the sides of the vehicles and keeps their tires from rubbing. Without them, the fast spinning tires can come in contact with each other causing the cars to lose control, or flip. Sometimes having nerf bars on your truck is a good way to help protect your wheels and body kits, however rub a stainless steel nerf bar up against a concrete barrier and you can expect to need to replace it. I’ll have to say sometimes I wish I had the old style nerf bars, because I’d occasionally like to bump into a few people myself on the freeway, but I guess you just cant win.

It turns out that in some instances it is quite possible to do so without harming the part depending on the body kit part that you are working with, and it would obviously depend on the knot. So can I tie it into a:

 - Square Knot?   – NO
 - Figure Eight?   – NO
 - Overhand? – Well, read on…

Lets take a urethane Air Dam – it is very flexible and if you twist it into a million directions it wont break or crack, so I would say YES you can tie your air dam or probably even your side skirts in a pretzel shaped overhand knot. Let me just say at this point that i think you would probably be the only person that I know that has a knotted body kit, so good for you . However if it were fiberglass you would never be able to do that. Fiberglass parts are not flexible and if you try to bend them like that they will crack or break in half. Thats why people buy urethane body kits, for the flexibility alone. To prove the point we took a urethane front air dam (lip) by Wings West that was for an Acura Integra and took before and after pictures.

Here it is tied into a knot:

Here it is after we untied it:

Don’t miss this sale, it’s the best pricing of the year for Extreme Dimensions Body Kits!

Yep, with all the wonder this season brings, it also brings with it the busiest shopping days of the year, the crowds, and the long lines. But before you go all Bah Humbug on us, ho-ho-hold a minute and think about this: we’ve got a simple solution for you. If you’ve got any car fanatics on your shopping list this year (or even if you feel you need to reward yourself with a little something), CustomAutoTrim.com is the best place to do it, and we can promise you won’t have to wait in line and nobody will spray you with cologne!

Pop on down to our Blog section and check out the killer discounts we got going that are sure to make even the biggest grinch on your list crack a grin. And while you’re at it, take advantage of our coupon for even more savings.

Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve got chances for you to learn a few things, win prizes, and even make some extra cash. So sit back, get comfy, and settle in to spend a few moments with us on your favorite subject and mine—cars.

TIP SHACK

This month, we got the question:

Hey Mike, I want to put some accessories on my truck, but I’m afraid of drilling any holes in it. How can I fix it up without messing it up?

What a great question! We have LOTS of products for you that are EASY to install without drilling any holes in your truck. How about a set of nerf bars or fender flares? Each bolts on easily using existing factory drilled holes, so there’s no drilling required by you at all! Or how about a dash kit? Just peel and stick and you’ll look like a million bucks! Or how about a set of our altezza tail lights? They install easily just by removing your existing tail light screws and bulb and then reinstalling them into the new lens that we send to you. Quick and easy! Graphic kits are an easy installation too! And best of all, each of these products gives you a new look with zero risk, because all these changes are reversible if you decide you want switch back.

There are many easy to install accessories that can customize your truck without any major labor or drilling, sometimes in as little as just a few minutes. You can check out all of these products at http://CustomAutoTrim.com!

WRAPPING UP

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Just call our toll free support line at 1-800-232-6922. We’re standing by to help!

Alternatively, hit the reply button and I’ll get right back to you. We welcome general questions or queries, as well as comments and suggests. Thanks for your time!

Happy Holidays