Cavalcade Of Colors
If you want to hit the big leagues of modifications, custom paint and graphics are a major step to that area.
Why you want them: Arguably, custom paint and graphics provide the most dramatic visual transformation of your Pontiac. Color choice is almost limitless and modern materials and application systems can provide for a mile-deep look and a brilliant shine.
How to live with them: You may spend upwards of $30,000 on a custom paint job given the labor and material costs of high-end systems. What do you do if you get a rock chip? If it's a multi-stage custom hue, you'll probably have to repaint the entire panel. If you plan on driving your Pontiac regularly, you may want to consider a less costly and easier to repair paint choice. The '00 T/A on this month's cover is a good example of adding graphics to the factory paint job to get a great look that can be repaired comparatively easily and less expensively if need be. If regular driving isn't a consideration, then a full-on 7-stage custom pearl paint job will serve you well. Just remember to travel with velvet ropes to keep errant belt buckles, jacket zippers and the Big Gulps of onlookers from causing costly paint damage.
Not-So-Raw Hides
Getting serious about the modification of your Pontiac will inevitably lead to contemplating a custom interior.
Why you want it: Custom seating, dash, and door panel designs and upholstery can make a huge impression from the driver seat and on the show field, especially if you have a convertible. Also, given the relative cost of materials and labor, and the imagination to create it, a custom interior reveals that you're serious about modifying your Pontiac to a very high level.
How to live with it: Super-expensive Connelly-matched hides and woolen carpeting may not be too friendly for regular driving or trips for ice cream with the kids, but for major impact it's certainly a high-class way to go. If you plan to drive your Pontiac and still want custom interior, however, there are plenty of lower-cost leathers and carpet materials that will look rich, yet wear well, and not be a budget-breaker that you'll be afraid to touch due to worries of repair costs. There are even some vinyl types available that a cow would mistake for leather, which are affordable, look and feel luxurious, and will age gracefully. Always work from swatches, don't just order from a catalog. Only you can decide which color and, most importantly, which texture is right for your ride.
Plate It
Chrome-plated engine accessories and anodized parts in myriad colors have been around seemingly forever (some owners even use gold plating) because they can make your Pontiac look great if done tastefully. Many companies provide hi-po parts powdercoated or plated already so the double benefit is built in. Also, always go the polished route for your blower install if you want maximum impact. You spent the money to go fast, so you might as well spend a bit more to show it off in the best way possible.
Why you want it: The usual scenario, if you're showing your Pontiac in a heavy-modified class, is the more brightwork it has, the better. Metal plating can dress up any area of your Pontiac and divert attention from less aesthetically pleasing aspects.
How to live with it: Break out the proper polishes for each plating type because you're going to need them regularly.