I know, I know. I'm one of the hugest supporters of the 95-96 smiley bumpers on the board. But, in light of my recent accident, I might have to get my bumper replaced. If I do, part of me wants to go for the 97-99 look. But I have a couple of concerns. I'm afraid the 97-99 front will clash horribly with a 95-96 rear and 97-99 skirts w/o door caps (and changing the rear isn't an option). I keep hearing Darth Vaders voice in my head, "come to the dark side, Jaeson. . ."


Smiley face 4 life!



Jaeson
'96 Eclipse RS

16.537 @ 84.00 mph, 2.489 60'

keep the smiley imo. :)


New/More Mods Comming... New 1/4 Times In March/April

either keep the smiley, or get the "upgraded, crazy evil smiley", which is the 97-98 Talon large mouth bumper....

if you go for the talon one, you could just fill in where the Eagle logo is on the nose and do something to your liking..

stay with smiley

i say do what you want, the 97-99 front with 95-96 rear looks good, i have seen it. it is unique to an extent. do whatever makes you happy, or is the cheapest. :thumbsup

97-99, imo. You won't regret it.


-------jezreel
hrc stage 1, sfmu, ml, prokits, egt, boost gauge, apexi tt, haydans tranny cooler, costum dp, dynotune fp gauge. gst muff, turbo spoiler

nothing like driving with the windows down and the music low: i love hearing the turbo spool, swwwhhhttt!!!!
thanks for www.kaptainmyke.com for the sig hosting :thumbsup

TO SMILEY! i wanted to swap for a while, but i fell in love with the smiley bumper and the factory fog lamps...looks hot imo

i want 97+ too but i do kinda like ours the way they are.

Upgrade dude.

I say upgrade to the "crazy evil smiley" also, which is the 97-98 Talon large mouth bumper. Just fill in the eagle logo. That is the best stock 2GNT Bumper and would look awsome with your setup!

Upgrade to either the 97+Talon or 97+Eclipse. But if you do stay smiley...take the damn "teeth" out! It looks so much better with out it and a mesh grill in there.

definitely upgrade to 97+ to match those skirts...i dont think the smiley matches the 97+ skirts at all

Originally posted by 96rs-t
definitely upgrade to 97+ to match those skirts...i dont think the smiley matches the 97+ skirts at all

yep u got the skirts, just get the bumper now

i think the smiley face looks good, although it does clash with your 97-99 skirts..doesnt flow imo.i think you'll like the 97-99 front if you get it, but if not definately go with the 97 talon bumper..sick

Thanks everyone. I'll probably just get a new smiley. I was reminded that, IMO, 97-99 front and sides together make the car look kinda pregnant. And I'll pass on the talon bumper, its too agressive for my tastes.


Smiley face 4 life!



Jaeson
'96 Eclipse RS

16.537 @ 84.00 mph, 2.489 60'

Smiley

smiley.. I went from blitz back to smiley because aftermarket bumpers = pain in the ass!!!!

Originally posted by run4cvr
Smiley

CRIPES I want to rip that idea off... Did the middle of the bumper sag at all after removing the grille stuff?

Clay, our cars look dead alike from the front. I just noticed that. I painted the inside of my headlights black and cut out my grill slats last summer. I even have the stock sidemarkers. Mine hasn't sagged at all with the slats cut out, that metal piece still runs along the bottom of the bumper cover and gives it plenty of support. Smiley rocks, and Oslo Green Pearl owns.

As for cutting out the center pieces, how did you all go about doing that while keeping it looking good? I'm afraid that it would show where the pieces were cut out at.


Smiley face 4 life!



Jaeson
'96 Eclipse RS

16.537 @ 84.00 mph, 2.489 60'

I have 96 with a 97 front and it looks okay, I'd rather have the 97 skirts but oh well. I also cut out my front grill when I had intercooler, I can send you some pics if you want. All you have to do Is take a handsaw and cut it out (watch out for the radiator) then take a rough file and file the stubs down.
Alvin

96 RST

http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/inbox/view.html?id=4193961127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imagestation.com%2Fpicture%2Fsraid99%2Fp45653afedba6629e15fd2139c2f81811%2Ff9fac4a7.jpg&caption=old%20029

Star turbo kit /Starion FMIC / GReddy Type-S BOV / Missing Link / Custom APEXi- GReddy 2.5" exhaust / MP 60mm TB/ Nology wires / Joe P BC / Southland Dual Friction clutch

im a 97-99 front end fan

looks more aggressive to me

I only like the 95-96 fronts on the turbo Eclipses. The power strip just looks freakin' awesome on them. The plain 'ol smileys are alright but in your case I'd go with a 97-99 front.

i took the front bumper off, used a large pair of scissors and cut the "teeth" out, then i took a chip stick from a wax i had and went over it..instead of being retarded yellow its now a semi red

Originally posted by EclipzeGamer
As for cutting out the center pieces, how did you all go about doing that while keeping it looking good? I'm afraid that it would show where the pieces were cut out at.

Just trim more from the inside of the bumper.

Originally posted by GhEttOrAiD
smiley.. I went from blitz back to smiley because aftermarket bumpers = pain in the ass!!!!

Originally posted by run4cvr Smiley

CRIPES I want to rip that idea off... Did the middle of the bumper sag at all after removing the grille stuff?

No it didnt sag at all. Just had to remove 3 inches from the inside of the bumper to get back on with the FMIC.

I lOOoovE your ride Dave41079! Oslo green rocks! EclipseGamer, you might want to consider lowering or adding a kaminari kit =) i still like the 97-99 over the smiley.

Man, if I had the money to lower it, I would in a heartbeat. The only reason I am considering a different bumper is because the insurance will cover it. I've pretty well decided that I'm gonna stick with da smiley, and probably gonna chop out the teeth too. The really sucky thing is I'm gonna have to clear the corner from the new headlight again to match the old one. Gah that is annoying!


Smiley face 4 life!



Jaeson
'96 Eclipse RS

16.537 @ 84.00 mph, 2.489 60'

i would get the 97-99 front if i were you. I have 97-99 skirts with no door caps and i think it looks better that way :thumbsup

I like my Talon smiley

Check my SIG

the smiley owns all

95 Talon smiley looks better than 95 Eclipse smiley to me.

Hey, I have a 96 RS and am considering this same thing, though I prefer the 97-99 bumper. If I get one, what should I consider for side skirts and a rear bumper, though I personally like the 95-96 rear bumper. Also, how easy is it to install a 97-99 bumper on a 96 anyway?

Thread resurrection!!! Hehehe. :P Oh, about your question. I think its pretty easy to change to a 97-99 front. You just have to get the 97-99 headlights though. Not sure how it would look like with 95-96 headlights and a 97-99 front.

Originally posted by SonicYan
Thread resurrection!!! Hehehe. :P Oh, about your question. I think its pretty easy to change to a 97-99 front. You just have to get the 97-99 headlights though. Not sure how it would look like with 95-96 headlights and a 97-99 front.

Yes, besides getting the 97-99 headlights, it's no different to bolt up. The 95-96 headlights are too big for the 97-99 Eclipse bumper covers. Eagle covers use the 95-96 style in all 2g years.

So, installing 97-99 headlights shouldn't be too hard to install, right? What about side skirts? I don't have any right now so I'm looking for something that would look good with a 97-99 front bumper and a 95-96 rear bumper.

Originally posted by bladerunner
So, installing 97-99 headlights shouldn't be too hard to install, right? What about side skirts? I don't have any right now so I'm looking for something that would look good with a 97-99 front bumper and a 95-96 rear bumper.

Yes, they bolt up the same way. Both versions of the Eclipse side skirts look good.

So where is the best place to get side skirts? I can try a junk yard, but how much would I expect to pay if I get 'em from Satan?

Originally posted by bladerunner
So where is the best place to get side skirts? I can try a junk yard, but how much would I expect to pay if I get 'em from Satan?

from satan over 500 dollars, from a junk yard i got both sides without doorcaps for 130 shipped
www.car-parts.com