sfprankster's (mis)adventures modding a 2014 Prius Model Three

(Mis)adventures at Piercey Toyota...

TRD Lowering Springs Installed:

Through the magic of camera phone technology , Piercey Toyota and VISA...


My Faux Five getting dizzy on the lift...


I can see a set of white springs installed on the rear...


Fresh out of a bubble bath with the TRD springs installed...



Front wheel before mounting the TRD springs:
I can easily stack 4 fingers between the top of the tire and the fender lip, measuring just over 3".



Front wheel after mounting the TRD springs:
With the TRD springs mounted, less than 3 finger fit between the top of the tire and the fender lip, closer to 2.5, and measuring 1 .75".



Rear wheel before mounting the TRD springs:
Nearly the same as the front. I can easily stack 4+ fingers between the top of the rear tire and the fender lip, measuring just under 4".



Rear wheel after mounting the TRD springs:
With the TRD springs mounted, a little over 2 fingers fit between the top of the tire and the fender lip, and measuring 2".





Added bonus, 10k service also done today...

 

It dropped just about 1.5" up front and closer to 1.75" in the rear.

From the "yeehaw, ride 'em cowboy, let's go 4 wheelin' " style:


To the "elegant, classy, I'm not your soccer mom mobile" style:




I have a business trip tomorrow out to the Central Valley where I should see a little more drop after I get a few miles on them and the springs settle a bit.

 

Thanx!!!

 

The rears are CTX 15, driver/passenger AIR 80 and front visor CTX 5.

The CTX 5 is the darkest they carry.

They didn't remove the dots. They said they couldn't and the tint will stick to them with a little overlap. I can see them through the tint, but I don't notice them from the outside.

 

You can ask them if they have a small piece of a 30-35%, to lay over the dots and see if you can see them from the outside.

Radiator Fluid Reservoir Cover

The cover comes without any mounting hardware. You'll need to get a pair of bumper clips to lock the cover into place, available on Ebay, Amazon, etc.


Place the cover over the reserve radiator fluid reservoir and align the mounting holes with the tabs on the reservoir. Press a bumper clip into the hole and press the center to lock the clip. Rinse and repeat for the front mount and you are finished.


Take a clean towel and wipe all the sweat from your brow. You earned it!!! Now take a step back and admire all the hard work you accomplished...


Have to wonder why Toyota would place the mounting tabs so conveniently on the reservoir without adding the cover themselves...


Another mod so simple, a caveman could do it...




My PlastiDip (mis)adventures continues...

Been a while since I PlastiDipped the side hybrid badges...

We had another sunny and warm day in the Santa Cruz Mountains, so I completed the last two badges on the rear hatch...


I start by cleaning the area with a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water, a microfiber towel and a few cotton swabs. Let the area dry thoroughly and begin masking around the badges, leaving an inch or so, to make grasping the PlastiDip easier. I add some paper around my masking to catch most of the overspray. Any overspray beyond the paper can be removed with a microfiber towel.


I spray the white PlastiDip four light coats, allowing to dry 15-20 minutes between coats, to achieve an even coverage. Followed by two wet coats of the pearlizer, allowing to dry 30 minutes between coats.


Remove the paper and masking tape from around the masked area. Begin lifting the PlastiDip, maintaining tension along the edges of the badge. Just work your way around the badge, taking your time to maintain a clean edge, In some areas, it may be necessary to use a toothpick to remove the unwanted PlastiDip. Just lift an edge with the toothpick and slowly pull away from the badge.


I'm not quite satisfied with the all white hybrid badges, I'll probably make some carbon fiber vinyl cutouts and apply them over the original electric blue waves.





Another PlastiDip (mis)adventure...

Just playing around, trying to create a little contrast with all the black in the engine compartment. To continue with the white theme, I used white PlastiDip on the (fake) plastic valve cover. I did it the hard way, by masking the Toyota badge and Hybrid Synergy Drive plate, before I sprayed the PlastiDip. Again, I applied four light coats, allowing 15-20 minutes between coats for drying. I used a SHARP hobby knife around the edges of the masking before I removed it from the cover.


Replace the cover by aligning the cover to the three pins and rubber grommets and pressing downward gently.

 

Another LED (mis)adventure...


Footwell LED's, from amber to white...


Passenger Side:

Changing the passenger side entails removing the panel below the lower glove compartment. This panel is held in place with three clips on the front edge and an insert on the rear. To remove the LED housing, simply release the plug by pressing the tab. Insert a small flat screwdriver or panel tool on the sides of the mount, to release the clips, and lift upwards to remove.


Once you have replaced the LED housing and reconnected the plug, make sure you insert the pin on the rear of the cover into the white plastic bracket on the firewall. If you forget to do this, the panel will rattle around. Reinsert the clips in the front and you've finished the passenger side installation.



Driver side:

On the driver side, there a two screws that need to be removed to remove the panel under the steering column to gain access to the LED housing. Again, using a small flat screwdriver or panel tool, release the LED housing from the interior panel. Unplug and replace with the white LED housing. Press the LED housing into the panel mount until you here a click and reconnect the plug. Insert the pin on the rear of the panel into the white plastic mount on the firewall and replace the two screws on the front.



These LED's are available in red, blue, purple or white, from Share Style on the Rakuten Global Market.

Another simple mod, requiring a minimum of tools(#2 phillips screwdriver and a small panel tool or small flat screwdriver)...

 

Thanx!!



Just having a little fun modding while work is slow. Beginning this weekend, work ramps up dramatically and I won't have time to play around with many mods until late in March or April.

Lowering the Front License Plate...

From:


To:



Remove the license plate and frame to expose the screws holding the license plate mount onto the front bumper cover. Remove the screws and license plate mount and set aside. Notice the ridges left in the plastic from the dealer installing the license plate mount. Quality workmanship...



The license plate mount has a curved surface in the rear, with a pair of hooks that catch the lower grill. If you are going to reuse the mount, the hooks give limitations as to where you can mount the license plate. Since the hooks provide a secure hold on the lower portion of the mount, I placed the mount 3/4" higher than I originally wanted. Measure on the front lower grill and mark the locations where the screws will attach. Drill a pair of 3/16" holes into the lower front grill and attach the mount using the original screws. Re-attach the mount and the license plate/frame to the lower front grill.


For the remaining holes in the front bumper cover:
I lightly sanded and cleaned a pair of 5/16" nylon plugs, available at Ace Hardware or Orchard. This allows the paint to have a strong bond to the plugs surface. I applied two thin layers of white paint to prime the surface. After allowing the paint to completely dry, I painted over the white paint with Toyota 070 Blizzard Pearl touch up paint, using the supplied brush in a single direction. Again, after allowing the first coat to dry for an hour, a second coat was applied. After another full 24 hour drying period, I applied two coats of a clear enamel to finish painting the plugs. I know, a lot of work for a pair of $0.30 plugs.



Drill the holes in the front bumper cover out with a 1/4" drill bit. Using a larger size bit will pull the plastic of the bumper cover, and create small ridges, that the plugs will not mount flush against. Take a SHARP hobby knife and remove very small amounts of the plastic until the plugs insert with some resistance. Insert the painted plugs and press until flush with the bumper cover.

 

Well, another "blame it on OCD" (mis)adventure...




Black Center Console...

Having a Pioneer AVIC-6000NEX HU installed several weeks ago, I have had an issue with the HU adapter being black against the gray center console ever since. It was distracting and I never liked the contrast in the center of the dash.



Today, I finally did something about it...

I began by removing the shifter bezel. Lifting with a small panel tool on the driver's side, near where our knee rests, remove the bezel. There are a pair of plugs(eco/pwr/ev, 4 way flasher and park) that need to be removed from the bezel, then set aside. Next up, was the trim panel with the forward drink/cup holder, along the passenger side of the console. Lift this panel directly upwards, to release the clips holding it in place. The panel surrounding the HU is somewhat fragile, so take your time removing, working around the edges until the clips are free. There is another plug(kph/mph selector and clock settings) that needs to be unplugged. The last panel to remove contains the Start button. Simply pull towards the driver's seat to remove. Unplug the connector and set aside. Now the HU is exposed and easily removed. The Scosche head unit adaptor is installed into the dash using four 10mm bolts at the rear corners of the adapter. Once removed, another six phillips screws attach the adapter to the HU.



Now the real fun begins...

I removed all of the switches from the panels and masked the silver ring on the shifter bezel. Once masked, I wiped everything down with a microfiber towel moistened with 50/50 mix of alcohol and water before I began painting.

The Start button is held in place with a pair of clips on the switch housing. Once released, the Start button pushes out of the front of the panel. The pair of switches on the shifter bezel are connected slightly different. The Park button uses the same style as the Start button, with a pair of clips and also pushes out from the rear of the bezel panel. The eco/pwr/ev/4 way flasher switches, housed as a single unit, has several pins protruding outward into a cage style holder and need to lifted from the rear of the panel once the pins are released. The last switch to be removed, the kph/mph selector and clock setting, uses the same style cage housing and releases from the rear of the panel. Reinstallation of the switches is a snap(pun intended).



Once all of the panels are painted and fully dried, re-installation of the console panels is in the opposite order of removal. Make sure all clips are aligned and press the panel firmly to lock into position.





...and Viola, a black center console has appeared through the magic of Photoshop...


Sure wish my Clazzio beige/black seat covers would arrive...

Where 'o where are my Clazzio's..
Where 'o where can they be...




hmmmmmmmm...

...wonder how I can change all of the green LED's in the console, steering wheel and door switches to purple LED's...

 

Another (mis)adventure in the Engine Bay:

Received another package from Japan, containing an inverter cover, mounting bracket and a pair of push connectors...



The stock inverter cover is quite small and leaves some of the wire harness exposed.



Inverter Cover Removal:
I began by removing the clip from the bracket, near the rear, left corner of the inverter. This retaining clip holds a portion of the wire harness to the inverter cover mounting bracket. Remove the single 10mm bolt holding the mounting bracket in place. Lifting the bracket slightly, you will see a second clip holding the wire harness, located lower on the left side of the mounting bracket. Press the tab to release the clip from the bracket to provide a little slack in the harness, allowing you access the back side of the bracket to reach another pair of tabs(white plastic), releasing the last wire harness retainer. I used a small panel tool to release the small "L" shaped pin holding the bracket onto the inverter. A small strip of double sided tape is all that holds the stock inverter cover in place. Working around the edges, this is easily removed to expose the inverter.



Inverter Cover Installation:
To install the mounting bracket, follow the above steps in reverse order. Remove the ground wires, held in place by a 10mm bolt, to allow the new inverter cover to go over the metal ground tab. Align the hole in the cover and bracket and insert a push connector to lock the cover in place. Last step is to reattach the ground wires securely. Remove the ground wires, held in place by a 10mm bolt, to allow the new inverter cover to go over the metal tab. Align the hole in the cover and bracket and insert a push connector to lock the cover in place. Last step is to reattach the ground wires securely.


Now to somehow find the patience to wait for delivery of a few more shipments from Japan.


Stay tuned, there's always another (mis)adventure coming soon...



Footwell LED Update:


Much brighter than the stock amber LED. I can actually see the pedals without any other light source...

 

Toyota's too cheap and needs to hit a lower price point to remain competitive in the US.

My theory anyways...

 

Krylon Fusion Satin Black

 

Another (mis)adventure in the Engine Bay:

I received another small package from Japan. This one, with a nice personal touch. Included with the ECU cover was an origami crane inside the box.



Located next to the fuse box in the engine compartment, just snap the ECU cover into place and you're done. This little cover really cleans up the look of the mass of wires coming out of the ECU Connector.


This is another simple, no tools required mod. So simple, even a caveman could do it...