What next?

P

phil.marsh

Buy & Sell Member
Right so I'm wondering what I should do next...
I've done airfilter upgrades,
Sound system upgrades
Just bought a boot release off will...
Im thinking of central locking?
But I really want silver coloured bumpers instead of the black plastic ones.
Anyone know of any mods that are simple for a beginner that would make my lovely little micra even better?
Cheers :D
 
New alloys - if you can't afford something in the high price range, a set of SR 4-spoke alloys are pretty decent, can pick them up off eBay for about £50 with locking wheelnuts, or about £300 to £600 if you can afford brand new with tyres.
De-badged, de-stickered, and de-bumpstripped, to get that clean look - easy to do, and doesn't cost you anything.
A cheap set of lowering springs, maybe 50/60mm lower than standard - or if you're working on a budget, just cut your standard springs.
Front splitter from your local scrapyard - VW Polo splitters are easiest to find, cost about £10, and fit pretty much straight onto the front or rear bumper.
Direct-fit backbox - something like a secondhand Sportex or Ashley backbox, about £30/£40 on eBay.
Coloured bulbs - yellow for sidelights and foglights for that Jap look, or blue headlights for the Euro look.
Lightweight windscreen wipers - about £10 to £20, easy to fit as well.
Raised bonnet - just need a handful of washers and some longer bolts.
Stubby ariel - £10 from Halfords.
Stickerbombing - FREE!

There is so much you can do to Micras yourself, it all just depends on what you want from your Micra and how you want it to look styling wise. And of course, it also depends on how much you're willing to spend and how confident you feel about doing some of the modifications yourself.

Most of this stuff can be fitted yourself with just a jack and a toolbox full of very basic tools. Keep an eye out on the forum as well, people are always selling second hand parts on here - particularly when returning the car to standard to either sell or pass on.

Hope this helps, I'm sure other people will be able to add to this!

Happy modding :grinning:
 
wouldnt sticker bomb LOL.

But yeah good post micra_dan.

some vw splitters arnt direct fit. my mk3 golf splitter wasnt. Im yet to see another on a micra. :p
 
John_1.0 said:
wouldnt sticker bomb LOL.

But yeah good post micra_dan.

some vw splitters arnt direct fit. my mk3 golf splitter wasnt. Im yet to see another on a micra. :p
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Maybe not go mad with the stickers, just a few. One on the fuel filler cap, a few on the rear and side windows. Wouldn't put on too many because it just looks tacky.

As for the splitters, MK3 Polo splitters are probably the best I've seen, and I've had quite a few. Whereas most splitters only have 3 or 4 holes where they fit onto the original car, the Polo ones have 5. There are 2 on either side - the 2 bolts/holes that hold the inside wheel arch on match up perfectly. You'll have to drill a hole in the bottom of your bumper for the middle hole to match up. And all along the whole length of the splitter are smallish triangular shaped holes, so as long as you don't mind drilling into your bumper, you can use as many bolts as you see fit. The plastic is also quite flexible, so instead of ripping your splitter off when you bottom out on a speedbump or pothole, it just flexes (Y). And I've had experience of ripping my splitter off before, it's not pleasant!
 
micra_dan said:
Maybe not go mad with the stickers, just a few. One on the fuel filler cap, a few on the rear and side windows. Wouldn't put on too many because it just looks tacky.

As for the splitters, MK3 Polo splitters are probably the best I've seen, and I've had quite a few. Whereas most splitters only have 3 or 4 holes where they fit onto the original car, the Polo ones have 5. There are 2 on either side - the 2 bolts/holes that hold the inside wheel arch on match up perfectly. You'll have to drill a hole in the bottom of your bumper for the middle hole to match up. And all along the whole length of the splitter are smallish triangular shaped holes, so as long as you don't mind drilling into your bumper, you can use as many bolts as you see fit. The plastic is also quite flexible, so instead of ripping your splitter off when you bottom out on a speedbump or pothole, it just flexes (Y). And I've had experience of ripping my splitter off before, it's not pleasant!
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yeah agree. i have one next to my exhaust and a car forum on my window. thats all tbh.

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bit of adjusting, cutting and its a winner, like i said ive not seen one in a micra yet!
 
John_1.0 said:
yeah agree. i have one next to my exhaust and a car forum on my window. thats all tbh.

bit of adjusting, cutting and its a winner, like i said ive not seen one in a micra yet!
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I got quite a few, just need an updated photo of them! 2 tow arrow stickers, 1 front and 1 back, Monster and JDMWAY on one side window, Insane and MSC on the other, and a mixture of JDM and brand stickers on the rear window, running up one side at a slight angle. I can't stand the shopping list on the doors, think it looks ####e.

Your splitter looks pretty nice actually, it's a lot bigger than mine but my car sits lower. I only had to chop about 2cm off my splitter on either side, and it sits a bit further back as well (Y)
 
John_1.0 said:
not a fan of the tow stickers tbh, unless it going on the track regulary i dont see a purpose.
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I've used my K11 on a few trackdays, just for ####s and giggles. Used it on the odd drag race as well (not Santa Pod, but still legal :wasntme:), so they kind of work. Would prefer the tow straps to be honest, but can't see how they'd fit on my K11
 
I'm trying to find same colour bumpers Instead of the black plastic ones
5284f897-e27a-d968.jpg


I've found a super S style black plastic one on fleabay it's not Nissan own but it's to fit a k11. It's got the fog light holes etc
 
phil.marsh said:
I'm trying to find same colour bumpers Instead of the black plastic ones
I've found a super S style black plastic one on fleabay it's not Nissan own but it's to fit a k11. It's got the fog light holes etc
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I think colour coded bumpers are generally pretty hard to come by, since people prefer them to black bumpers and always snap them up as soon as they go up for sale. Just keep an eye out on eBay (but I'm sure you already knew that lol (Y))
 
Tbh black ones wouldn't look to bad but I'd rather colour coded ones.
There's so much I want to do to my car but so little money :(
 
phil.marsh said:
Tbh black ones wouldn't look to bad but I'd rather colour coded ones.
There's so much I want to do to my car but so little money :(
I guess I could spray them with plastic bumper paint they sell in halfrauds... How do you think it'd look?
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Colour coded ones do look better, but it depends on what colour the car is. Dark coloured Micras don't look so bad with black bumpers. And white Micras as well, come to that. And yeah, money is always a problem if you want to do any serious modding. But like I said, you can do a lot yourself with a simple box of tools, a jack, some axle stands, and your local scrapyard. That's the beauty of Micras, they're just so easy to work on, and there is an endless list of things you can do to them ;)

Personally, if the bumpers are looking a bit shoddy, I'd give them a really good polish to see if any marks will buff out. Failing that, you can get the spray on stuff, just as long as it's back-to-black
 
phil.marsh said:
What about spraying the Plastic ones silver? Or should I just not bother lol
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I wouldn't bother. That's only worth doing if you can match the exact colour of the car. Which, considering these K11s have gone through about 15 years of rain, snow, ice, bumps, scrapes, washes, and general wear and tear, is going to be slightly less than impossible. I'd just tidy your current bumpers up, and keep an eye out for some colour coded ones. Chances are, if you can actually find some, they'll be from a car of roughly the same age, which has also been subject to the same everyday conditions - they'll be more likely to match up, colour wise (Y)
 
Sweet :)
Well I'm going to go for that plastic super s style bumper (£15 can't go wrong) and I will update you all on it. Going to fit the amp I won on eBay for my 6x9s when I'm home should be interesting... Is it possible to split the signal from the RCA? Because that's what I'm planning to do, one to my sub, other to the 6x9 amp.
 
phil.marsh said:
Sweet :)
Well I'm going to go for that plastic super s style bumper (£15 can't go wrong) and I will update you all on it. Going to fit the amp I won on eBay for my 6x9s when I'm home should be interesting... Is it possible to split the signal from the RCA? Because that's what I'm planning to do, one to my sub, other to the 6x9 amp.
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Good man, you definitely can't complain for £15 (Y). Hope you get it, the Super S bumpers and fogs look sick.

And yes, the signal can be split. Just buy a splitter from Halfords - basically a little plastic box with one hole going in (surrounded by metal on the inside), and four coming out (again, surrounded by metal). The wire goes in one end, then you get however much extra wire you need to split it, up to four ways, all tightened up by an allen bolt. I did it to mine when I had a sub, amp, and 6x9s - I ran the 6x9s, door speakers, passenger speakers, front speakers, tweeters, and sub off a seperate battery in the boot. All the speakers and stuff were wired up to the head unit, but controlled seperately from the amp, which was located in the glovebox, when I still had everything in. It was just a case of splitting all the leads - power, ground, and remote. So it can be done. Just make sure you have enough wiring!

Can't wait to see where you get with your K11, looking forward to the next update :grinning:
 
Aha that's the exact one I bought the other week :D
And I will keep updating as I go along.
Been tempted to come to the next meet but I've heard nothing about it lol...
 
phil.marsh said:
That's what I ment :)
What about splitting the switch&live? I.e splicing into it in the boot for the amp?
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Oh right lol. Yeah, you should be able to splice it. I mean, I used the splitter for mine, but they cost about £20 each and I had to use 3, so you'd be better off just splicing it since you're working on a budget. Actually, thinking about it, I've still got all my wiring for the speakers, sub, and amp. Bar the RCA cable. But I do still have the splitters, if you're interested?
 
Ive got all the parts thanks bud!!
Just wired the amp in and OH MY GOD!!!! Before my 6x9s where so ####e they couldn't even be heard.
But now I have my kenwood amp in and the sub and the door speakers the sound!!!!!!!! It blew my mind!!

I'm so glad this forum exists you guys are all so helpful :)
 
phil.marsh said:
Ive got all the parts thanks bud!!
Just wired the amp in and OH MY GOD!!!! Before my 6x9s where so ####e they couldn't even be heard.
But now I have my kenwood amp in and the sub and the door speakers the sound!!!!!!!! It blew my mind!!

I'm so glad this forum exists you guys are all so helpful :)
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Ah, fair enough mate. Been trying to get rid of all my stuff for ages lol.

6x9s are definitely so much better through the amp, they sound a lot crisper, and it's nice to be ableto control the volume and stuff seperately. Just a shame that with my 2" straight through exhaust system and 4" backbox, as soon as you go faster than, say, 1mph, you can't actually hear anything inside the car.

And we do strive to help as much as we can, especially since the whole Micra modding scene is a small community, particularly in the UK :grinning:
 
I was a bit skeptical of getting a micra to start off with but then I just kinda fell in love with them.

Now I just can't stop spending money on it making it better and better :)
 
phil.marsh said:
I was a bit skeptical of getting a micra to start off with but then I just kinda fell in love with them.

Now I just can't stop spending money on it making it better and better :)
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Mate, once you've caught the Micra bug, that's it - you'll never stop loving them. I mean, I'm getting either a BMW E46 325Ci or a Lexus IS200 at the end of the year, but I'll be keeping my K11 and just constantly modding it - I work on it pretty much every day, and seem to buy a new mod at least once a week lol (Y)! They're so cheap - to buy, insure, tax, good MPG (normally - mine is pretty bad at the moment), you can buy so many mods for them, they are easy to modify, cheap to modify, and actually quite nippy. My 1.0l is off the clock at 120mph! They are just so underrated.
 
phil.marsh said:
Howww??? My micra doesn't reach that fast and I have a 1.0 as well.
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Because of all the engine mods. 2" straight through stainless steel fully de-cat Janspeed exhaust system (manifold, midpipe, and back pipe, all welded together to form one pipe), straight through 2.5" Jap-style backbox with 4" outlet, heatproof exhaust wrap from manifold to backbox (2 layer thick, 75% overlap), K&N performance air filter, Pipercross cold air feed, SR fuel rail, 1.6 Almera injectors, NGK iridium spark plugs, new HT leads, removed lambda sensor, and ECU remap. It's been lowered by 90mm front and back, OMP strut brace front and rear, 15" alloys with 195/45/R15 tyres (upgrading to 215s soon (Y)), and the interior is completely stripped (so it weighs a little over 600kg - standard, they're just over 700kg I think).
 
Oh, selling is probably a long time away. Might even keep it and just drop a 1.3 into it lol. But yeah, keep an eye out (Y)
 
agree with the modding bug. i was never a fan of these untill i "had" to buy one. and over these 2yrs of owning i love it! i dont think i want to ever let it go. :p

still got a canny list of things i want to do so...
 
I don't really want to let go of mine either. But I can get a BMW E46 320Ci coupe with a 2.0l 24 valve straight-6 (about 150bhp standard, 140ft/lbs of torque - rising to 180bhp with a full de-cat exhaust system, forced induction, and re-map) for about £3000, and insured for £700. My Micra, by comparison, is £900 to insure with all my mods. I'll get another Micra at some point though. But that might not be until the end of the year
 
joshbl said:
Or you could just buy a 325 with 192bhp as standard :p The later models had 218bhp
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I've tried a quote for them - takes it up to £1500. Can easily get 200bhp out of the 320Ci. At least, that would be the plan. Either way, I'm determined to get one as my everyday car, then have a pre-facelift K11 as a project car
 
Lol, definitely. I want a 1.3 SR that's either converted to run on bike carbs with a custom induction kit, or a small Garett turbo at low boost pressure. Maybe aim for 140bhp, stripped out at 600kg? (Y)
 
phil.marsh said:
I just want a better micra for my next car. Maybe put a bike engine in it?? Or even a 1.6?? ;)
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Bike engine would be a hell of a lot of effort lol, better off getting a 1.3 SR or Super S and doing similar mods to what I've done. Or an SR20, and turbocharge it (Y)
 

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