DIY Mods to Make Your C8 Look Even More Amazing

C8 DIY Mods were bound to happen eventually. But who knew they would be this cheap, easy-to-install, and effective.

As C8 DIY mods go, painting your engine cover and lighting your engine bay are so cheap and easy-to-do, there’s no excuse not to. A few crafty owners recently took to the Corvette Forum pages to share their latest work.

You might be thinking “What could possibly need modding on the C8?” But these simple, yet eye-catching DIY mods look magnificent.

DIY Mod: Engine Cover Paint

User N4Speed jumpstarted the discussion by posting some pics and info on his freshly painted red engine cover (a $500 option from Chevrolet).

I was planning to order a red engine cover, then I thought it would be a cool & easy project, given that we are all stuck at home these days.

N4Speed states that he used two coats of high-heat primer and three coats of red to achieve the look of his cover. Other forum members soon jumped in to ask about his materials and prep time.

I didn’t put any clear coat. I used Rust-Oleum primer and paint. About 1 hour for covering the chrome/silver inserts with blue tape. Removal of the engine cover takes about 10 minutes.

Later, N4Speed also shares some of the simple work that went into getting his cover ready.

I washed it with dish soap first, then used alcohol to further clean it. I put 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of red paint.

N4Speed cited this video for help with removing the engine cover (if it doesn’t automatically play at the 19:37 mark, skip to there):

Alternative Propositions

Overall, the forum members had mostly enthusiastic feedback. A few even shared their ideas on how to go about the project differently.

Forum member Modshack had this project to share in response.

1) adhesion promoter
2) 2 part WA132X spray (Ebay 262527549239)
3) Clear coat.Total <$50

Of course, not every member was crazy about messing with the engine cover as DDSLT5 would go on to share.

I’ve got a better idea for all C7 and C8 owners. Pull that ugly *** cover off completely. Especially for C8 owners. The plenum on the C8 looks pretty good – WAY better than that gay *** cover. Rip it off and let the mechanicals shine through!

DIY Mod: Engine Bay Lighting

DIY mods to your engine cover are cool, but ambient lighting in the engine bay of the C8 is simply a perfect compliment to the exotic look of the new ‘Vette.

User marknaggy13 gives us a look at the full potential of the C8 engine bay with his DIY ambient lighting.

Some will love it, others will be haters… but thought I’d share my $20 engine appearance package!

Marknaggy13 states that he used a simple battery-powered LED set from Amazon to create the ambiance.

The DIY mods received glowing support from kratedisease:

I have no idea who could hate on that nice accent lighting install.
Love the fact that you have the options to change colors.

#gallery-1 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-1 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Vegas Sam asks:

Do you have a pic of the installed location? I checked out the Amazon listing, did you use the magnets or tape?
Looks like a super easy thing to do.

Marknagg13 replied:

I used 3m double sided tape. I had some laying around so I used two big strips just to make sure it doesn’t fall off. The location is right underneath the rear view mirror camera. You can see a tiny bit of it on some of the pics.

Maybe not the best idea?

But not everyone shares the same confidence in 3M tape as StickerDick shares:

From my experience with the group I use to hang with, aka, Polaris Slingshot Drivers….. This group LOVES, LOVES the LED lights ALL over the vehicle, unless they went with professional grade installers and product, most of the time, the Amazon and Pep Boys type of LED’s would not take heat well, tended to fall off from the use of sticky tape and in general, started looking rough after 6 months…. not Hating, just not a Big LED fan, even though I did buy the engine appearance package on my C8. So, maybe I’m a hypocrite?

All in all, the ambient lighting seems to be a killer DIY mod. sunsalem added:

Hats off to the OP for getting creative in bringing out an actual highlight of the C8.
If only we could find more ways to transform this car into something it ain’t…

In Conclusion

If you’re wondering whether or not to mod your C8 Corvette… do it. Start with something simple like these DIY mods. They’re super easy and offer a massive bang-for-buck.

Photos: Corvette Forum

.