New to DIY

[Impromp2]

Hey all! I’ve been a proud owner of a Pontiac for almost ten years now. I have an 05 Pontiac Aztek...yes, I know...and cannot be prouder to have it. In those ten years it has proven quite durable on long haul trips, from an impromptu New York excursion to a twelve-hour straight drive to Jacksonville and multiple Gatlinburg trips in between. I have just recently decided to give the ol’ girl a facelift and that decision is what brought me here. It amazes me the amount of disdain the general populace has for the Aztek, almost as much as the lack of ANY modifications or special “extras” available online. Hopefully I can glean some good pointers, hints, tips and tricks to get my girl looking as good as she runs. Thank y’all and I’ll be around.

[Ringo64]

Glad to hear you love your Aztek. Great cars, really too bad they are despised the way they are by the rest of the car world. 
 

Got any pics of your Aztek?

[gandhi_2006]

Honestly, I thought the Aztek was far ahead of its time.  I liked them.  And the rear tent attachment,  that was freakin cool.  I think its funny how people gave it crap, but if you look now, so many car companies took that idea and made it a little better.  Like I said, ahead of its time. 

I would still buy one.  And welcome bro!!!

[Frosty]

My wife and mother-in-law both had one. They both loved them. They did what they were made for. The media has vilified the cars as "angry dumpsters on wheels" (that's the worst review I read at least).  Its unfair but that's now what people have been lead to believe. As you know, people who owned them, loved them.

The aftermarket has not singled out the Aztek for lack of performance upgrades, but rather, most FWD platforms in general. With the possible exception of the supercharged 3800s, you find very little aftermarket parts for virtually any FWD GM, Ford, and Chrysler product. An occasional header or cold air kit is about it. Let's face it,  FWD cars and SUVs are not considered muscle cars or trucks and thus (so says the aftermarket) not deserving of our love (e.g. abundance of products).

So to trick out an Aztek, you have to be creative. Old hot rodding tricks come into play here. To lower it, you will have to get custom springs made - I am not a fan of cutting springs to shorten them. A new custom cam grind for your motor. A cold air kit - you may have to make from a universal kit. You may have to have someone make a custom set of headers and an exhaust. Find someone to re-flash your ECM. Upgrade your brakes to drilled and slotted rotors and upgraded pads. Go thru your vehicle's control arms and body bushing and replace any damaged or deflected bushings to reduce body roll or sway. Check / replace your sway bar end links if they are bad.

Exterior wise how about either a traditional flame job, or a true flame paint scheme? How about paint with either pearl or metallic in it?

Ghost flames? Skulls?

All the art work from every one of Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album covers? 😁

Edited March 27, 2020 by Frosty

[Impromp2]

19 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Glad to hear you love your Aztek. Great cars, really too bad they are despised the way they are by the rest of the car world. 
 

Got any pics of your Aztek?

I’ve tried adding a photo but, unfortunately, I am on mobile and the photo wouldn’t load up. I’ll attempt to get one up here as soon as I am able.