beecee's 2008 Pontiac Solstice on CarDomain

After a while I started desiring something more from my stock Solstice, stock can be so vanilla regardless of how awesome it is. So I spent my days reading posts on Solstice Forum which in-turn fueled my want for modifications. I read a lot and tried to soak up everything Solstice. I am still amazed at how Solstice owners are so involved with their cars. Amazed but not surprised, I'm addicted too.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So what did I do to satisfy my desire?
Badge removal

I decided to do a few light modifications and started off by popping all the badges from the back, all but the GXP badge and Pontiac arrows. It was scary to remove 15 individually stuck on letters, I fear scratches.

How to do it;
Badge removal

You could probably ask 10 people how to remove the badges from a car and get 10 different answers. What I did was use dental floss to pull up an edge and then grab the badge and pulled with pliers. That grueling process will get them off but be really careful not to scratch anything, you can even make scratches by trying to "roll" the adhesive off the paint.

I suggest you use a hair dryer to heat up the adhesive first, this will help you yank it off a lot easier.

Again, it may be tempting to "lightly" scratch at the adhesive residue left behind but don't do it! Instead start by cleaning off any sand or dirt that may have settled behind the badges, try getting a big bucket of warm water with no detergent and a soft micro-fiber cloth. Soak up some water and wash it like you are washing a baby's arse.

Next, heat up the left over glue residue with a hair dryer and use some car wax on a soft cloth to lightly rub it off. Clean again and wax the area.

I also removed the GM squares but left all the Pontiac arrows, you will find out why if you read on.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And then?
Visor warning sticker

The next thing I did was remove the visors from the car and paint over the warning sticker that's located on each visor. This meant that I wouldn't have visors on the car for a day and in Arizona that’s not the best thing for safety reasons. So instead of starting in the morning or in the early evening I started around 8PM so they would be dry and ready to go first thing in the morning.

How to do it
Visor warning sticker

Tools: T-27 star driver(male) to remove the visor.
Product: Performix PlastiDip, found at any hardware store.

Before

I don't have an after picture yet but just imagine it without that big ugly painted area.

After removing them you should tape newspaper over the mirror and the side you are not going to paint. I used the seam around the edge as a taping point. I applied two coats, waiting about 2 hours between coats. PlastiDip will give you almost the same exact look and feel, you will not even noticed you painted it.

I don't recommend painting the little door for the mirror, you will end up rubbing off the paint when opening it.

That's it. Easy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So what's next?
Pontiac Symbol Overlays

I liked the Pontiac arrows, they went well with the car but I didn't like the color of them.

I ordered a set of vinyl overlays that were made for the Solstice to cover the inner red area of the arrow.

This project was a little bit of a challenge since it required that I work with a tiny piece of vinyl and a razor to cut off excess after applied. My mind was overrun with thoughts of cutting up my paint job but everything went smooth.

How to do it
Pontiac Symbol Overlays

I ordered Pontiac Solstice overlays from a vinyl decal web store but I won't let you know where I got them because, Frankly, I wouldn't buy from them again. They took almost 2 months to send them to me. They made excuses and said it was lost in the mail, twice....When I asked them for my money back they said they had just shipped the third set. They amazingly appeared 3 days later.

Although all the arrow sizes were correct they were a little bit bigger than what they covered...makes sense. This meant that I had to get out the razor and do some careful trimming.
Be very careful! You will scratch the chrome around the symbols very easily. I fear scratches.

Before (below)

After - close up (below)

Almost all the other images on these pages are "after" pictures.

If you want overlays then I would suggest ordering from ccrgxp on Solstice Forums. He has very nice overlays.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've also tinted the windows as dark as legally possible in the state of Arizona. Tinting the windows made the car look 100% better.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anything else?
Horn Replacement

This was actually one of the first mods on my car. I couldn't stand what the horn sounded like before so I purchased a 121db horn at Auto Zone. It was a pain in the rear to change it out and ended up going to Pep Boys to finish the job.

How did you do it?
I removed the old horn first then I cut off the connector that was left on the wires. You won't need it since your horn will probably require a different connector. Be prepared to lengthen the wires that you cut the connector from because it will be too short for the new horn, I betcha it will. Follow the instructions that came with the horn and don't forget to remove the fuse for the horn before you start ;)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There has got to be more...
Splash Guards

Added front and rear splash guards (mud flaps) Paid 80 dollars for all four. They help prevent chips on the side of the car. I really didn't want to put them on but they are actually a must better solution than nothing at all. The sides of this car are pushed inwards causing the front wheel to constantly throw rocks and dirt at the side of the car. Not very good for a black paint job.
Before and After (below)

More After (below)