Had my LS for a couple of weeks, and the wife...

A

Archer28

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Still says it needs to look a bit "sportier".

Its an 03, and I'm considering having the chrome trim around the grill painted vivid red to match the car. I work as a teacher at a vocational school and I can have our Auto Body shop do most of the work, just have to buy the paint.

I'm also considering a spoiler. I've seen a lot on ebay, but they just don't have good pics. I've seen a shot on the forum here of a black one with a center support and a 3rd brake light that matches the shape of the trunk great, but I haven't found a source for it.

Where would be my best bet to buy paint for the grill and spoiler? Whats the best source for a nice spoiler?

Here she is currently...

vbpgimage.php
 
Archer28 said:
Still says it needs to look a bit "sportier".

Its an 03, and I'm considering having the chrome trim around the grill painted vivid red to match the car. I work as a teacher at a vocational school and I can have our Auto Body shop do most of the work, just have to buy the paint.

I'm also considering a spoiler. I've seen a lot on ebay, but they just don't have good pics. I've seen a shot on the forum here of a black one with a center support and a 3rd brake light that matches the shape of the trunk great, but I haven't found a source for it.

Where would be my best bet to buy paint for the grill and spoiler? Whats the best source for a nice spoiler?

Here she is currently...

vbpgimage.php
Click to expand...
http://www.spoilerdepot.com/
 
get the LSE grille... and if you really have the money get the LSE front bumper
 
and nothing like a nice window tint to really enhance the looks of a car and give it a slightly more aggressive/sporty tone. And it is functional
 
jumpman6235 said:
get the LSE grille... and if you really have the money get the LSE front bumper
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Agreed. The LSE grille is hot!

lseguy said:
and nothing like a nice window tint to really enhance the looks of a car and give it a slightly more aggressive/sporty tone. And it is functional
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Tinting is a very good first step.

IMHO there arent many spoilers that look good on the LS. But if you have the money to spend a nice lowering kit and/or larger wheels will also make a difference.

How do you like that pen stripe? I dont like them at all, does nothing for the car. But sometimes they arent worth the time/effort/money to remove.

My 2¢
To each their own.


n8
 
check out some of the galleries in here for the ls. some of these guys have some good looking, sporty lss.
 
Lincoln makes the "LSE" lip spoiler for the LS, which includes the 3rd brake light. LincolnAccessories.com only shows it fitting the '04-'06 LSes, but if it fits those, it'll fit an '03. The decklid on the '00-'02 LS is different than the deck lid on the '03-'06, so what fits an '00-'02 won't be an exact match for an '03-'06 (though it should be close).

As for the grille, buy the LSE grille (or an '06 grille); LSE grilles have body-colored surrounds with chrome bars. You can buy it pre-painted in Vivid Red Metallic, so it would be a straight-up bolt-on.

IIRC, Ken at LS Koncepts and Bill Jenkins at Team Ford both sell the LSE grilles and spoilers. Both have banner ads along the left side of the forum.
 
Thanks for the replies all. The LSE grill looks great, I just wasn't sure if it would bolt onto my car with the chrome surround (I'm guessing it replaces the whole stock grill assembly).

I'm not crazy about the idea of a spoiler, but if I did get one I like the one here:
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showpost.php?p=170417&postcount=5
just haven't found a source for it online. Lots of them on ebay, but who knows how well they match the lines of the car.

I'm seriously considering losing the silver pinstripe. It makes waxing a pain and interrupts the line down the fenders. I'll have to check with the auto body teacher on how tough it would be to remove.

Thanks T_Man, I drove 700+ miles round trip to pick it up in this color. I had a ball driving home. Looked down once between Atlanta and Knoxville and I was doing 110. That is officially the fastest I've ever driven and I thought I was doing 80 or so. A great driving experience.
 
Archer28 said:
Thanks for the replies all. The LSE grill looks great, I just wasn't sure if it would bolt onto my car with the chrome surround (I'm guessing it replaces the whole stock grill assembly).

I'm not crazy about the idea of a spoiler, but if I did get one I like the one here:
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showpost.php?p=170417&postcount=5
just haven't found a source for it online. Lots of them on ebay, but who knows how well they match the lines of the car.

I'm seriously considering losing the silver pinstripe. It makes waxing a pain and interrupts the line down the fenders. I'll have to check with the auto body teacher on how tough it would be to remove.

Thanks T_Man, I drove 700+ miles round trip to pick it up in this color. I had a ball driving home. Looked down once between Atlanta and Knoxville and I was doing 110. That is officially the fastest I've ever driven and I thought I was doing 80 or so. A great driving experience.
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Do you live near Knoxville? There is several LvC members living in the K-town area including me. We get together from time to time.
 
Hi Ken,
No I'm in Virginia. Knoxville is around 4 hours for me, but I live in the middle of nowhere (hence driving so far for an LS).
Heck, I'm an hour from Walmart.
I'm about 2 hours north of Bristol.

Forgot to mention, I added some more shots from today to my gallery if anyone wants to take a peek.
 
I LOVE that color... Definately the LSE grill, and some nice looking wheels/tires will sport it up for sure.


Bozz
 
Archer28 said:
T Man where did you find that caliper paint in vivid red?
Your LS is awesome!
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Thanks Brother.

The paint is from PaintScratch.com. They can match any factory color from your paint code or VIN number. I order it in spray cans and it works great. You also need to get a spray can of their clear coat too.

To paint your brake calipers, just clean everything really well, then mask off what you don't want to paint. Spray on a high temp primer first, then 2 coats of color, followed by 2 coats of clear.

I've done this for years on all my vehicles and the paint has never burned, flaked or peeled.
 
T_Man said:
Thanks Brother.

The paint is from PaintScratch.com. They can match any factory color from your paint code or VIN number. I order it in spray cans and it works great. You also need to get a spray can of their clear coat too.

To paint your brake calipers, just clean everything really well, then mask off what you don't want to paint. Spray on a high temp primer first, then 2 coats of color, followed by 2 coats of clear.

I've done this for years on all my vehicles and the paint has never burned, flaked or peeled.
Click to expand...


How long did this process take you to do all four?
 
Boomhower said:
How long did this process take you to do all four?
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2 to 3 hours. Masking the non-paint areas is the most time consuming. I allow about 15 minutes in between coats and move from corner to corner as they dry.

You can always remove the calipers and paint them off the car too, but I've found that painting them on the car with masking is quicker.
 
Archer28 said:
I'm not crazy about the idea of a spoiler, but if I did get one I like the one here:
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showpost.php?p=170417&postcount=5
just haven't found a source for it online. Lots of them on ebay, but who knows how well they match the lines of the car.
Click to expand...

Archer - that looks like the spoiler I just installed on my LS. It was an OEM Lincoln spoiler that I found on Ebay for about 70 bucks - cheaper than alot of the aftermarket ones. And of course it fit perfectly!

LS2.JPG
 
I see a spoiler on some of the LSE like a small lip, that would look really nice. TRY SOME CARBON FIBER B-PILLARS!! ( i got made fun of for thinking that it would look nice on my car but i think it would look mega-sport on the red)
 
I just took a good look at your car. I'd agree with others...you need to get the LSE kit from LSKONCEPTS.COM and install it.

And when it's time to replace tires? I'd take that opportunity to go to www.tirerack.com or www.discountiredirect.com and get a Tire/Wheel package in a plus 1 configuration (18 inch diameter) to really sport it out
 
HDDave said:
Archer - that looks like the spoiler I just installed on my LS. It was an OEM Lincoln spoiler that I found on Ebay for about 70 bucks - cheaper than alot of the aftermarket ones. And of course it fit perfectly!
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Thats the spoiler I'm after HDDave. Great buy there, glad you found it. How did you know it was an OEM spoiler? Did the vendor just have the one?

Deliciousdaly, funny you mention the carbon fiber. I have a vinyl cutter and while playing around with cutting some lincoln symbols, and eyebrows, I thought I might order some carbon fiber "look" vinyl and see how it looks on the pillars (and maybe for eyebrows).

lseguy, I love the look of the LSE kit! Someday, someday;) Right now if I make a big purchase, it will be to extend the factory warranty.
 
Heads up guys....

Archer has a 2003 LS and you are looking at spoilers for a 2000-2002 LS.

You should be aware that the deck lid on the 2003-2006 LS is slightly different in shape than the 2000-2002. A spoiler made for an earlier LS may not fit perfectly on a later model. There may be some minor gaps at the base of the posts where the spoiler meets the deck lid due to a change in the curve of the lid.

The aluminum deck lid usually conforms to the shape of the mounting surface, but you still need to be careful of what you purchase and how you install it.
 
FYI this is a 2002 LSE spoiler I got at Spoilerdepot.

It was "bendy" enough to fit my 03 with no gaps...

Kinda hard to see in this pic

surround.jpg
 
Check my gallery for a Vivid Red LSE with Eibachs, SSR wheels, McLaren Grille, Tinted windows.:)
 
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