SalR Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Hello I'm Sal, joined this forum to see what mods and customs are out there for the Fusion...been an avid car guy all my life and enjoy customizing my cars to suit my personality, being 52 I was involved in the early 90s car culture, at that time I had a custom Honda Accord coupe, I really enjoyed fixing her up and I'm hoping to do the same with the Fusion. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 1 hour ago, SalR said: Hello I'm Sal, joined this forum to see what mods and customs are out there for the Fusion...been an avid car guy all my life and enjoy customizing my cars to suit my personality, being 52 I was involved in the early 90s car culture, at that time I had a custom Honda Accord coupe, I really enjoyed fixing her up and I'm hoping to do the same with the Fusion. Hi Sal and welcome to the Ford Fusion Forum! We have a lot of friendly and helpful members here, and quite a few who are also into modifying their Fusions like you. Stay around, do some searching, ask questions and good luck. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangster Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Welcome! Would love to hear about specifics for you car and your end goal, and remember when posting to be as specific as possible on your car, much easier to suggest things knowing year, model, and engine, and anything else related to what you are looking for. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 Welcome, Sal! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) Thanks for the welcome! Well she's a 2008 Fusion SE With the 2.3L 4 banger & a 5 speed auto, Black with a black leather/cloth combination, so far I've tinted the windows and installed a Pioneer KEH150mp HU, I'm currently researching adding a Rockville 10" powered bass tube in the trunk, Ive also considered a set of Steeda 1" drop springs with some tower braces but with the crappy roads in Jersey IDK if I'm going to do that, she currently has 146,000 on the clock but is in 100% mechanical condition and very clean with the exception of the dash area around the airbag, I got a recall notice for the air bag and hope the Ford dealer can repair it, being she's used she has a few nicks and scratches (nothing major) I will be addressing in the spring when the weather breaks here, of course I'm looking to do a retro style 90s build with her possibly a body kit and wheel change, all my cars back then were super clean and had high wattage sound systems, as far as performance I'm leaning toward leaving her pretty much stock form for reliability purposes maybe adding a cold air kit, I just want a nice head turning sedan, if I decide to drop it I may go with a set of 20s on it. I've looked at a few body kits but haven't found any I like yet. here is a pic of the way she looks right now... Edited January 27, 2020 by SalR 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponyguy Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 Howdy, Mr. Sal... Nice looking Fusion there... a dark colored car with a little chrome to add sparkle equals a sharp car... And I see a nice looking 1997 Grand Marquis hiding behind the Fusion in the background... I just traded my 2004 Grand Marquis for my new-ish Fusion last week... still have a soft spot in my heart for Ford's "Panther" cars... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 If you have bad roads in your area I suggest avoiding installation of 20" wheels as the reduced (almost no-existent) sidewall height will make the ride totally bone rattling. Plus the wheels get damaged very easily by potholes and curbs. I would avoid spending money on a CAI as it doesn't produce any increase in performance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted January 29, 2020 Author Share Posted January 29, 2020 (edited) Appreciate the complements guys. Thanks for the info about the CAI, I didn't think it would make any sort power difference anyway, I would probably need to drop a lot of work into the engine to reap any benefit from it (I assumed it would mostly be aesthetics for an added "wow" factor when opening the hood), as far as the wheels go it's already sitting on factory 18s with VR rated tires, I think it would look really sharp with a 1"drop though, my other plans are a strut tower brace, halo headlights, clear front side markers and a billet upper and lower grill, maybe an LED underglo kit and possibly side mirrors with directional lights on them and Some under dash LEDs. Pretty much all the dumb crap we did back in the 90s which is the look I'm going after...lol Edited January 29, 2020 by SalR 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Post pictures as you progress. Would be interesting to see what you come up with for side mirrors with directional lights. I have searched periodically with no success. One thing that you didn't mention was adding gas struts for the hood - the OEM prop stick doesn't add any wow factor. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponyguy Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 9 hours ago, SalR said: Appreciate the complements guys. Thanks for the info about the CAI, I didn't think it would make any sort power difference anyway, I would probably need to drop a lot of work into the engine to reap any benefit from it (I assumed it would mostly be aesthetics for an added "wow" factor when opening the hood), as far as the wheels go it's already sitting on factory 18s with VR rated tires, I think it would look really sharp with a 1"drop though, my other plans are a strut tower brace, halo headlights, clear front side markers and a billet upper and lower grill, maybe an LED underglo kit and possibly side mirrors with directional lights on them and Some under dash LEDs. Pretty much all the dumb crap we did back in the 90s which is the look I'm going after...lol I agree about the 20" wheels... The Underglow kit is illegal in some locales... and, frankly, looks kinda tacky anyway... IMHO, of course. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) On 1/29/2020 at 7:28 AM, SalR said: Appreciate the complements guys. Thanks for the info about the CAI, I didn't think it would make any sort power difference anyway, I would probably need to drop a lot of work into the engine to reap any benefit from it (I assumed it would mostly be aesthetics for an added "wow" factor when opening the hood), as far as the wheels go it's already sitting on factory 18s with VR rated tires, I think it would look really sharp with a 1"drop though, my other plans are a strut tower brace, halo headlights, clear front side markers and a billet upper and lower grill, maybe an LED underglo kit and possibly side mirrors with directional lights on them and Some under dash LEDs. Pretty much all the dumb crap we did back in the 90s which is the look I'm going after...lol 15 hours ago, Ponyguy said: I agree about the 20" wheels... The Underglow kit is illegal in some locales... and, frankly, looks kinda tacky anyway... IMHO, of course. Agree. Underglow lighting is thankfully illegal pretty much everywhere. It is pretty tacky. Clear sidemarkers are also illegal. They must be amber. I wouldn't bother with the strut tower brace unless it is only looks you are after. The Fusion is already very ridged and the brace won't provide any additional benefit. Put the money saved on the CAI, strut brace, and sidemarkers into a modern headunit with Nav and Android Auto. Edited January 30, 2020 by eGuru 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyross Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Clear sidemarkers could be legal if they have an amber reflector, and the light itself glows amber. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Yeah I agree about the underglo kit...I remember all the ball breaking by local law enforcement when I had them on my Honda back in the day, any of you guys ever drop one of these? I like the look but I'm afraid to screw up the ride, my Honda sat on Eibach springs and KYB struts back in the day, stiff ride but I was younger then and didn't care I was in it for the looks...I like the idea of upgrading my head unit, I bought the Pioneer because it was reasonably priced had HPF and a LPF with sub control built in. I would rather fill the entire factory stereo space with as double din setup instead of the single din and the pocket filler piece. As far as the clear markers go the set I'm looking at have an amber led that goes in them, so they will glow amber when on but will be clear when off. How hard is it to remove the front bumper assembly? I've researched replacement of the headlight assemblies and the grills and both require removal of the bumper ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 For front bumper cover removal, search the forums or YouTube. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I had the clear side markers on my Fusion since 2010 with amber LED bulb. No issues driving in Jersey with them at all. Pictured below with a 1 1/2" drop, with 18s, 20s would be rough with NJ roads. Welcome aboard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 9 hours ago, fusionff said: I had the clear side markers on my Fusion since 2010 with amber LED bulb. No issues driving in Jersey with them at all. Pictured below with a 1 1/2" drop, with 18s, 20s would be rough with NJ roads. Welcome aboard. That's a nice looking fusion, that's pretty much the look I'm going for, low and clean. I really like the halo projector lights and the billet grill look, I figure I'd gather the parts and do the whole job at one time (headlights, grill and side markers) I've been looking at Steeda springs and KYB struts the 1.5 drop looks good, how's the ride? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 On 1/30/2020 at 8:57 AM, eGuru said: Agree. Underglow lighting is thankfully illegal pretty much everywhere. It is pretty tacky. Clear sidemarkers are also illegal. They must be amber. I wouldn't bother with the strut tower brace unless it is only looks you are after. The Fusion is already very ridged and the brace won't provide any additional benefit. Put the money saved on the CAI, strut brace, and sidemarkers into a modern headunit with Nav and Android Auto. I was checking out the newer head units I found a pioneer FH-X830BHS I like. It's a double din, has HPF, LPF and sub control, 6 2V line level outputs and bluetooth. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I am surprised that your choice of a new headunit isn't one with a large LCD touchscreen so that you can have convenient navigation map display, etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Not into the touchscreen HUs, I guess my "old school" is showing, it would be more convenient, but I have a Honda Pilot Turing edition that we use for "road trips" most of the time, that has full navigation, DVD player, 6 disc system from the factory, the Fusion is my personal car for me to customize the way I want. My wife drives the pilot most of the time but it's too pedestrian for me there is a million of them on the road. I like to stand out from the crowd, you don't really see any older fixed up Fusions on the road. Edited February 1, 2020 by SalR Mispellings 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 On 1/29/2020 at 8:38 AM, eGuru said: Post pictures as you progress. Would be interesting to see what you come up with for side mirrors with directional lights. I have searched periodically with no success. One thing that you didn't mention was adding gas struts for the hood - the OEM prop stick doesn't add any wow factor. The only thing I've found is a stick on LED light that I dont care for, I was researching replacement mirrors with the lights molded into them but haven't found any yet but I haven't sat down and really looked for them either. I like the lift arm idea, do they make a kit to retrofit them onto the car? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eGuru Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 1 minute ago, SalR said: The only thing I've found is a stick on LED light that I dont care for, I was researching replacement mirrors with the lights molded into them but haven't found any yet but I haven't sat down and really looked for them either. I like the lift arm idea, do they make a kit to retrofit them onto the car? The gas strut kits are available from Steeda and Redline Tuning or you could make your own (like I did). See my posts in this thread: For the mirrors, I was considering modifying them myself by cutting a slot and inserting an acrylic window and LEDs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 8 hours ago, eGuru said: The gas strut kits are available from Steeda and Redline Tuning or you could make your own (like I did). See my posts in this thread: For the mirrors, I was considering modifying them myself by cutting a slot and inserting an acrylic window and LEDs. Sounds like a good Idea...I'd wanna practice on some junkyard mirrors first. Be nice to come up with a kit to do it with. You could probably pick up mirrors fairly cheap from a u pull it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusionff Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 On 2/1/2020 at 1:53 AM, SalR said: That's a nice looking fusion, that's pretty much the look I'm going for, low and clean. I really like the halo projector lights and the billet grill look, I figure I'd gather the parts and do the whole job at one time (headlights, grill and side markers) I've been looking at Steeda springs and KYB struts the 1.5 drop looks good, how's the ride? The ride was great, just a bit tighter than the stock ride, only a slight roll in the curves compared with stock. The car felt amazing after the new springs were installed, which were Ford Racing Springs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SalR Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 On 1/28/2020 at 1:50 AM, Ponyguy said: Howdy, Mr. Sal... Nice looking Fusion there... a dark colored car with a little chrome to add sparkle equals a sharp car... And I see a nice looking 1997 Grand Marquis hiding behind the Fusion in the background... I just traded my 2004 Grand Marquis for my new-ish Fusion last week... still have a soft spot in my heart for Ford's "Panther" cars... Thanks appreciate the compliment...the Grand Marquis is for my son, he starts driving this year so I wanted something safe to start him out, I figure whats safer than a full size body on frame sedan...lol...picked her up for $100 not running needing a fuel pump I believe, it was owned by an older couple, it was the wife's car and she passed away a couple years ago and the car has been sitting in their driveway ever since, the old guy I bought it from started it once a month until it wouldn't start anymore, he though maybe it ran out of gas...no such luck...not getting any fuel but starts up on spray, its only got 160,000 on the clock which is nothing on these cars, my '96 Town car had 329,000 when I sold it and the guy is still driving it! so this spring I'll get started getting her back on the road. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponyguy Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.