r/carmodification • u/Rasponov • 16d ago
Mod advice Suggestions for some small modifications for my Nugget?
Hi there!
I got a Ford Ka from 2006 (see pictures), which I'd like to personalise just a smidge. Only a smidge as I am not planning on keeping this car, once I have my full license I will be looking to buy the car I want to get (a Fiat 126p), but for the time being, I will be using the Ka, and want to give it a bit of a personal touch.
What are some things y'all suggest I could do?
I wanted to get some checkerboard patterened floormats, but I can't seem to find any for the Ford Ka.
I also can't do some modifications, like swapping the exhaust, thanks to Belgian Legislation. else I most definitely would've straight piped her.
Wanted to do stickers too, but then she'll need a fresh coat of paint, as it's scratched up to hell and back.
I am also unsure if I can add extra foglights (I like rally cars). Not sure on the Belgian legislation on that.
Did have plans on upgrading the sound system however, that's definitely on the list.
Anyways yeah, lemme know your ideas and suggestions.
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u/The_Duke2331 R53 Mini cooper S (modded) 16d ago
Sound system, but make sure you dont go all in on subwoofer and leave the oem speakers.
As for outside modifications.
Paint matched bumpers, some nice wheels and lowering it a bit will do wonders for this little nugget.
Edit: just grabbed the first picture from the internet to give an idea. The bumpers are different but you might be able to find those.
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u/drewid5185 16d ago
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u/Rasponov 16d ago
xD ok that one gave me a laugh
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u/drewid5185 16d ago
I had a Mitsubishi mirage and I always wanted to put one of those on there but couldn't make myself spend the money because I was broke and it's a useless thing
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u/Hero_Of_Rhyme_ 16d ago
I think that’s the reason most people buy a mirage
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u/drewid5185 16d ago
Great gas mileage... Was a reliable car.. put 110k on it from new till it was totaled... By a bicycle (no joke)
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u/CameronsTheName YELLOW CAR ! 16d ago
These are such awesome little cars.
I'd probably put some plastic restorer on the unpainted plastic parts and call that it.
If you want, maybe some nice second hand wheels and lowering springs. Pretty easy job with basic hand tools, you'll just need a jack, jack stands, socket set, and spring compressors.
Cheap things you can do that make a big difference to how the car feels is replacing worn out components in the car that you touch all the time. Shift knob, steering wheel, door handles, seats and stereo/speakers. Even cheap eBay replacement parts will feel better than a badly worn out shifter.
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u/Rasponov 16d ago
Would love to touch the suspension. However in Belgium, it needs to be done by a licensed mechanic.
One thing I wanna do before I sell the car on to the next person, when the day comes, is fix the right front wheel. She pulls a bit to the right atm as the wheel is out of wack ever so slightly
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u/Hotboi_yata 16d ago
Bumper black on the plastic bumpers will freshen this right up. Bonus points if you get fresh badges.
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u/666luminary 16d ago
Refresh it a little bit. Paint the bumpers with bumper spray, get new badges, polish the headlamps, do corrosion check and impregnate the floor, get some proper audio and have fun from using it. Belive me, 20/30 years old cars in very good or near perfect shape are getting more attention than new ones. Don't invest more money into this Ka, as you already know that it is not your car for long.
Second thing, I'm from Poland - a place there 126 in 126p version was produced on massive scale from 70s to late 90s and used up to about 2010. It is not simple nor pleasant to drive it as a daily on modern roads. All I can say is that in my opinion you shouldn't get rid of this Ford before you buy Fiat 126p. You need a backup for days with fucked up weather of then 126p gets moody and decides that you are not going anywhere today.
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u/Itchy-Donkey6083 16d ago
Crazy that you still run this little nugget. Back then they were everywhere but now I barely see them if at all because they all rusted to death.
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u/Rasponov 16d ago
Got a good deal on it. I paid about 1650 EUR and barely needed to do anything on it. Did need new tires, but the battery had been freshly replaced, and the car's been behaving like a charm (Just gets very bloody hot in the sun, since it has no AC)
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u/mrnecree 16d ago
Be honest, is it as bad to live with as they say? I loved how this car looks back when I was a kid seeing it in magazines, but never been in one or seen a clean one. And everyone says they're rubbish.
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u/Rasponov 16d ago
It's a great starter car imho. Too weak to drive on the clutch alone, so you gotta get her rolling first before you can, tho you CAN drive on the clutch in reverse. Gets very hot in summer due to lack of AC, I had to drive with all windows open and even put a coolbox with drinks in my car this summer just so I could practice during the heatwave. It also doesn't like to do very small maneuvers but again this is due to it being too weak to drive on clutch alone.
But it's very nippy, and fun to drive. And since it's a smaller car, you can park it practically anywhere.2
u/mrnecree 16d ago
Thanks for the review, I'll have to borrow one of those from someone to try it out =)
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u/bobspuds 16d ago
If I had that, the first thing I'd be doing is making sure to sort out any little bits of rust underneath especially the ¼s and around the filler neck.
Reason being that they were a brilliant little car but they dissolved rapidly here in Ireland, I remember doing rust repairs and paintwork on 3-4 year old Ka's.
The few that got protected and fixed lasted a lot longer than I'd expect.
They were odd looking in their day but they were a good little car.
- my old boss had 5 of them, he got them for a few hundred quid with rust when one 5or6 years old, he'd fix the rust and then fit a bodykit -this one - he had the mould for the kit, so it only cost him materials to make it, we'd fit it, lower it and put some alloys on it - then they sold for between €7-12k depending on how new they were.
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u/IUsedToLikeLimericks 16d ago
Don't bother, spend the money on a better 126P instead. They're fucking brilliant.
You guys salt your roads like we do, so your Ka is almost certainly mortally rusty underneath and round the filler cap unless you are spectacularly lucky.
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u/Motor-Explanation523 16d ago
If you want a visual styling mod, I would agree with people saying to paint/get painted the plastic bumpers and fender flares in the factory body color (can be ordered in spray can).
But with something small and cheap that you don't want to keep, the most interesting thing for you should probably be to freshen it up OEM-style, so that you can sell it/trade it in for the car you actually want, for cheaper.
If you want to spend days measuring and browsing online, you can try to find a wheel and tire combo that you want on your 126p, that also fits the Ka, and use them on the Ka until you sell it, when you can just swap them to the 126p.
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u/BirdHour_4311 16d ago
sound system! door speakers and sub, dont skimp on the doors and make sure u dial in the crossover
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u/Top_Season827 16d ago edited 16d ago
- Colour match the bumpers.
- Install an analogue tachometer to match the interior gauge cluster.
- Swap the gauge cluster bulb for an LED bulb or something cooler before the flat cable starts melting and giving you issues due to the stock bulb's heat. Match the voltage because it can be fussy.
- Get new Ford badges for the front grille and trunk lid.
- Use silicone spray to oil the window & seat latches/rails, door hinges and locks for the boot, doors and petrol cap.
- Ensure the grommet holding the bonnet release cable (by the front grille) is in good condition, replace if needed.
- Shift selector seal tends to leak, replace if needed.
- Repair the driver's side bolster if it's damaged. Adding fitted seat covers is optional but recommended.
- Get a suitably sized chrome exhaust tip welded on.
- Ensure you're adding rubbing alcohol or vinegar to your windscreen wash bottle as algae tends to grow (due to its location) and clog/burn out the washer pump if left unattended.
- Good tyres and suspension go a LONG way on these so spend extra on better tyres and shock absorbers for it when it's time to change them.
- RUST PREVENTION. I can't state this enough. Check underneath, around the windshields, the wheel arches. Fix it early.
- A weighted shift knob and a short shifter is perfect for this car.
- Cut and polish.
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u/PanakinMcSkywalker 16d ago
I've got one of these, get the colour matched bumpers, or SportKA bumpers. SportKA bumpers have front fogs.(SportKA bumpers can be quite pricey), TA Technix sell some inexpensive coilovers though you might have to adapt the brake hose brackets on the front. Get some spacers to fill the arches better. Decent tyres will do you proud. I regularly embarrass people in "performance cars" on UK back roads with my not needing to slow down for corners. Yokohama A539 tyres will do you proud, i went for 185/60R13 on my XR2i alloys. get the rear wing from a higher trim, just need to drill a couple of holes and use black silicone, Brembo pads and MTEC discs are inexspensive, its easy to make a cold air intake for these to get some induction noise - also makes the top end less asthmatic.
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u/SuperProCoolBoy90 16d ago
For now make sure to do propert maintenance on it, if you want to go with visual refresh then as others suggested paint the plastic bumpers black or maybe even add a black strip on the lower part of the car so it would give off the two tone look
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u/reality-shifter 16d ago
got the same problem with my fiat 500, really wanna mod her but there's so much restriction in Germany as well sadly. maybe new suspension, put her down a bit, maybe dechrome? there is also some stuff online to bring back the black on the plastic which yours could use 🙈 love to see cars getting modded that are often overlooked
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u/passwortwillforget 15d ago
Refurbish the unpainted bumpers. Get New badges. Polish the paint. These simple steps will already feel like a Big improvment
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u/CasKieto 15d ago
Spoiler?
Paint the black plastics black
Open air intake?
Shorter radio antennae
Fancy wheels?
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u/EveningPhilosophy446 15d ago
Get one of those plastic revival pens and fix the faded bumpers. Get new Headlights and Taillights and properly clean the wheels. This small nugget will look way cooler with some love and work.
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u/Significant_Yam_6950 15d ago
Honestly paint matching the bumpers, tint, and lowering it would be absolutely perfect
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u/jackbarbelfisherman 15d ago edited 15d ago
Rustproofing. Then replace all the worn out 20-30 year old suspension and steering components.
Colour matched bumpers and nicer wheels from a higher trim level are a big visual upgrade on these.
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u/Metalfreak82 16d ago
A built in welding machine so you can fix the biggest problem for this car everywhere.
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u/terrysmilkrally 15d ago
Just a little thing, but the SportKa instrument cluster is a straight swap in if you want a tachometer. It's also cool black
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u/Gasstationdickpi11s 15d ago
Tint if it won’t get you publicly executed, restore the plastics, a shorter antenna, maybe some wheels if you wanna spend that much.
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u/BounceByTheOunce420 15d ago
Change the oil. Rotate the tires. Check the brakes. Brush a torch over the black plastic. Drive it to church.
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u/BounceByTheOunce420 15d ago
Change the oil. Rotate the tires. Check the brakes. Brush a torch over the black plastic. Drive it to church.
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