To be really honest, working within a limited budget when it comes to doing a project on a Honda, Toyota or should I say, anything except a Suzuki is not the wise choice. Here are some points that'll help you out.
1. Always keep a provision for some miscellaneous expenses like changing the mechanical parts of your car because why not?
a. Always get the car mechanically done first, before starting your project exterior wise, you wouldn't want your gorgeous car to make funny noises (turn it into a headturner in a different way)
2. Don't start the project if you're uncertain about your budget
3. The denter/painter won't tell you about the cost of your paint job until and unless they inspect the car physically, but for a good paint job, keep a budget of around 100k ATLEAST
4. Don't go for a conversion if you're on a tight budget because the conversion alone will cost you around 60-70k
Here's a break down of the cost
a. Headlamps & Tail Lights (25-30k)
b. Hood, Fenders & Trunk (30-40k) and this depends on your luck because I bought the fender for 7k and the trunk for 15k and it's still EXPENSIVE thanks to COVID and the ban on import of half cuts. So now these kabli dealers are more like jewelers, or even richer than them, because you're in need of those parts and they'll sell them for a fortune thanks to your need!
5. The insulation sheet and all the other cherries are to be catered later when you've got some spare cash left in your pocket. There are many brands offering insulation sheets starting from as low as 8k per role that'll cover your entire car but then again, saving a few bucks won't give you the quality that you'll be expecting, so better to get some research done first before making the investment. The role I bought is for 16k (including the delivery charges) and it's made in UK, much lighter in weight and does the job well and good.
6. There's a visible hike in the prices of almost everything in the past year thanks to COVID, the body kit that was sold for 5k an year back is now sold for 10-12k including the spoiler, I was going to buy a set of TYC headlights for 16k and they're not even original, so don't expect that you'll find anything cheap, especially for a civic EK
7. A sunroof that'll be good enough to install won't be less than 60-70k (I'm talking about the original sunroof here) but the aftermarket sunroofs are available as well for around 20-30k with DRAIN & DRIPS guaranteed.
8. The most important part of the car, the shoes, the wheels! A good set of JDM wheels will cost you anywhere from 30-40k when repainted (if they're authentic JDM) otherwise chinese replicas are available in the market as well for around 20-25k but then again, those 15s weigh around a JDM 18 inch wheel thanks to the metallurgy they're made with.
I hope this answers your query in detail, I'll be adding some more details to all these points in the next episode.
