Blacked out or Polished fmic setup for white car?? Pics please!!

[Caswell239]

Hey all I can't decide if I should go wIth a blacked out or polished fmic setup on my soon to be white car? I would prefer pics of both please! Thanks!!

[ictponder]

I don't see the point of having anything polished unless it's a show car only. Shiny stuff looks tacky IMO. I had my aluminum grill coated with a gunmetal color and it's looks badass while not standing out too much. Maybe not black but definitely not polished.

[Nationalmilkman]

You painting the silver GTO? Blacked out is better for "sleeper" look.

[IPD]

black ftw. i don't like bling that excessive. mine will have a black core & black piping. it will be about as "sleeper" as you can get.

[UTRacerX9]

I don't really care either way on the looks of both, but painting or powder coating it black... Black absorbs heat, and will probably make the intercooler slightly less efficient than a polished one. Don't know if it's a huge amount, but that's a big reason why people paint their engine bays black, to absorb the heat from the engine and exhaust.

[EvanH]

Black also cools off the fastest. So under movement, theoretically, it would be cooler than a uncolored one. And respectively, white, takes the longest to heat and cool.

[thor'svr4]

i never understood the whole 'sleeper black fmic' thing. anyone who knows what a fmic is will be able to spot one weather its silver, black, purple, blue, ect. anyone who doesn’t know what a intercooler is will just think its a radiator. So personally i like the polished. But to each his own. No matter what your car will look great, especially with new paint.

[Gearheadvr4]

I will always choose polish over anything else.

[i3igpete]

cores are so cheap, you'll probably spend more on a quality (i.e. thick) coating than the core is worth. if you do it on the cheap, it'll look like ass when the coating starts to chip away from road debris. i'd rather have the flexibility to change the core for $100 when i hit a big rock or something.

[MADMarc]

^ great point.

I say go with a polished core. You wont have to worry about getting a quality coating on it and just buff it out now and then. You going single or dual core?

I really thought I had another picture of the front end but I guess not so heeeere it is....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/MADMarc/Intercooler%20Install/2010-03-2795120130.jpg

I will try to shoot a fresh one of it at a different angle for you if you're interested.

[TwIzTeD_3kGt]

Black looks OE and classy. I like black. That said, I like to stand out from the crowd a bit.

^^ NICE license plate :)

[MADMarc]

Yeeea....I'm a nerd :P

[Lugnut]

IPS anodized mine and it is as sleeper as they come !!!

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/tazz_375/Car%20build/74.jpg

[GTOX]

^ Like it a lot. I've yet to install my oohnoo dual core front mount and have always wondered how I would like the polished look...

[MR2]

Black.

[Caswell239]

Thanks for all the replys. I'll be running a cianci novara bumper so if I do it polished it will stand out a lot with the large opening.
Yes the silver Gto is going white.
Madmarc I would love a couple more pics! Thanks

[oohnoo]

Polished for the win :)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn61/oohnoo_VR4/IMG_0141.jpg

[j2k4]

Black or polished can also be considered from the standpoint of laziness - there are reasons for black, and reasons for polished, but there's no doubt polished is a bit more labor-intensive.

Personally, I'd do polished on a white car.

As a sidenote, it pays to remember that polished deserves all the respect that chrome does not.

Chrome is for wheels, ffs.

[IPD]

i'm also not a fan of exposed piping. i plan on running mine behind the bumper; not in the side openings.

[TurboSinceBirth]

It depends on what you're doing with the car whether you want to stand out or go for more of a sleeper look. I think too much polished is overplayed. I'd probably go with a black FMIC.

[Toni]

I'm gonna have to say that a silver/polished fmic is the best for a white car. But I am of course also biased :)

http://www.penguinhosting.net/~bigmac/store/RT/tsp1110/IMG_0528.JPG

[IPD]

i'd have to agree with toni. any other color though...and i'd say black > polished.

[3KVT]

I think polished looks the best on white. Gives it a sick little smile look.

[Granny]

Got to love a man with big polished pipes hanging out the front. ;)

[MADMarc]

lol @ BOOST4TW. You guys get eight letters over there?

[Toni]

lol @ BOOST4TW. You guys get eight letters over there?

Yeah but apparently FTW stands for "Fuck the world" and was denied. I had to use a 4.

[Polygon]

I don't see the point of having anything polished unless it's a show car only. Shiny stuff looks tacky IMO. I had my aluminum grill coated with a gunmetal color and it's looks badass while not standing out too much. Maybe not black but definitely not polished.

My thoughts exactly.

I can appreciate people that have spotless engine bays with polished or chrome parts everywhere. However, I'm not a huge fan of too much polished stuff which I why I went with polished and then had it powder coated in a translucent smoked chrome. I love how it looks. I was considering doing black as well. So, black gets my vote.

[IPD]

My thoughts exactly.

I can appreciate people that have spotless engine bays with polished or chrome parts everywhere. However, I'm not a huge fan of too much polished stuff which I why I went with polished and then had it powder coated in a translucent smoked chrome. I love how it looks. I was considering doing black as well. So, black gets my vote.

yeah, i'm thinking of having the same thing done to my plenum/ valve covers. it's a bit too "blingy" for what i'm trying to do.

[Gearhead]

My thoughts exactly.

I can appreciate people that have spotless engine bays with polished or chrome parts everywhere. However, I'm not a huge fan of too much polished stuff which I why I went with polished and then had it powder coated in a translucent smoked chrome. I love how it looks. I was considering doing black as well. So, black gets my vote.
Have any pics? Sounds cool.

[Sin'sVr4]

My whole engine bay is polished, I like it. You open the hood and people are like damn! But intercooler, to much maintenance with bugs, rocks, etc to redo polish or paint. OEM is good IMO. I cant do the sleeper look with my GT-pro kit cause its so damn huge. Oh well, people see my pipes from a mile away

But, if i had to choose, polished gets my vote. rocks and road shit will just make it look horrible over time

[IPD]

that's why anodizing is awesome. paint/polish won't hold up to road rash like anodizing.

[Polygon]

yeah, i'm thinking of having the same thing done to my plenum/ valve covers. it's a bit too "blingy" for what i'm trying to do.

Yeah, I decided to do my plenum and valve cover in white. I am going to polish the lettering though.


Have any pics? Sounds cool.

Well, I haven't done the complete intake plumbing yet, but I can give you an idea of the powdercoat that I'm talking about.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444016_large.jpg

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444017_large.jpg

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444015_large.jpg

[j2k4]

that's why anodizing is awesome. paint/polish won't hold up to road rash like anodizing.

This ^.

[IPD]

it'll look especially awesome with white piping, white gear covers, and some other assorted goodies...polygon.

[Caswell239]

Well I was talking with my buddy who's the one painting it and we both agreed a flat black or gloss black engine bay. So to have some white accents like valve cover and gear covers would look nice. I'm familiar with powder coating, having done it in the past. But how does anodizing work?

[Lugnut]

Well I was talking with my buddy who's the one painting it and we both agreed a flat black or gloss black engine bay. So to have some white accents like valve cover and gear covers would look nice. I'm familiar with powder coating, having done it in the past. But how does anodizing work?

Anodizing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing)

[Polygon]

it'll look especially awesome with white piping, white gear covers, and some other assorted goodies...polygon.

Yeah, I've been debating with the smoked chrome and white for the I/C piping.

[thor'svr4]

that's why anodizing is awesome. paint/polish won't hold up to road rash like anodizing.

anodizing still scratches, it wont flake like paint, but a rock will still take the 'color' off. if you decide to go with anodized just be sure to read any 'cleaners' you use. Stuff like Greased Lightning and a lot of other good degreasers will eat at the anodizing and make it look like garbage.

black chrome would be cool though. still offer some 'flash' when you pop the hood yet not pop out quite as loud as polished.
http://image.turbomagazine.com/f/10030699+w750+st0/0705_turp_06_z+infiniti_g35_turbo_kit+intercooler_ piping.jpg

[Slacker1357]

I love this look. I think you just gave me more ideas when it comes time to getting work done to my NA


Yeah, I decided to do my plenum and valve cover in white. I am going to polish the lettering though.



Well, I haven't done the complete intake plumbing yet, but I can give you an idea of the powdercoat that I'm talking about.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444016_large.jpg

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444017_large.jpg

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4579/4889/23947444015_large.jpg

[vTaKwiTHsLiCkS]

I believe Brett's car has the black anodized ETS core on his white 99 front end. Should be the closest to the Novara bumper..

I think black core would actually cause the opposite effect of the sleeper look and actually draw more attention. IMO white car would need a polished core to retain the whole sleeper look.

[vTaKwiTHsLiCkS]

Pics of Bretts car.
http://www.3sgto.org/f6/winner-december-2011-car-month-winner-vr4tune-7145.html

Actually not as noticeable as I thought it would be.

Buddy's 99
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff146/weekend_racer/2011-09-04131323.jpg

My old 92 for MadMarc
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff146/weekend_racer/IMG_1091.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff146/weekend_racer/IMG_1090.jpg

Same 92 with 99 front end
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff146/weekend_racer/l_5d285b7abec045f79ed2f15266117826.jpg
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff146/weekend_racer/l_084a04e2a5b845dcb77208f4b557d37b.jpg

[vTaKwiTHsLiCkS]

Went for a ride in my friend's 3000GT VR-4 DR1000 car last night - Page 5 - MY350Z.COM Forums (http://my350z.com/forum/the-lounge-off-topic/367106-went-for-a-ride-in-my-friends-3000gt-vr-4-dr1000-car-last-night-5.html)

I believe white Novara front end with polished core?

[MeTarzan]

Went for a ride in my friend's 3000GT VR-4 DR1000 car last night - Page 5 - MY350Z.COM Forums (http://my350z.com/forum/the-lounge-off-topic/367106-went-for-a-ride-in-my-friends-3000gt-vr-4-dr1000-car-last-night-5.html)

I believe white Novara front end with polished core?

its not a Novara bumper, but I like that lip on the 99