FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
I am also very interested in purchasing the custom T trim piece and willing to test prototypes
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I am also very interested in purchasing the custom T trim piece and willing to test prototypes
Realized that I had no posted photos of the finished frunk with the all Tesla parts refresh. As I have said in the thread, it appears I now have the only nosecone Model S with the OEM Tesla refresh bumper and the original large frunk. As the photos below indicate, all of the original frunk trim has been replaced with the refresh trim. The fit in some places leaves small gaps but I'm rocking on a solution for that. Also SDR made a new frunk tub out of fiberglass -- that was a big surprise. Kudos to them for thinking of this.
More photos later.
s-hysteria
Member
Excellent. Also happy to test and help with UK manufacturing contacts or distribution here if needed.
Put the finishing touches on the frunk aprons tonight with rubber edge trim, one type to line the edge of the original frunk tub, the other type to close off unsightly gaps between the frunk side aprons and the new tub created by SDR in fiberglass. While I was at it I added a trim piece on the front edge of the lower frunk apron over the T, this to subdue wind noise and prevent water incursion. At last the job is finished! Some new photos:
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Destiny1701
22’ M3LR ‘DrkNite’/ 22’ MYP BliueRocket
Question...seems like other than the issue of creating a custom T support, you were starting with the older large frunk vs the smaller D frunks. If one owns an early 2016 'D' nosecone version and wishes to perform a facelift, seems like a new hood wouldn't be as much of an issue given all the rubber seals would be identical? Would there still be latch issues? Trying to decide whether to do this project with the bumper and look at a custom T support.
Not sure about that. If you have the smaller frunk the facelift hood seals might be just fine but that's just speculation on my part. I would go to your nearest SC and examine and take photos of a facelift frunk and hood compared to your D. That should help answer the question.
Cyclone
Cyclonic Member ((.oO))
Unless I misunderstood, this won't really save you anything. The pre-facelift D cars still had a bigger frunk tub than the refreshed cars (regardless of single or dual motor, or with/without the HEPA filter).
Destiny1701
22’ M3LR ‘DrkNite’/ 22’ MYP BliueRocket
Wasn't aware of that. I've looked at both pre 'D' and post D facelift frunks and they look identical.
It was the D motor towards the rear which made it smaller...not the actual bumper. I could be wrong but didn't notice any difference.
cmarshack
Member
@artsci - Nice work and what a great turnout!
I have a question about taking it the other direction. Below I have (very crudely) sized both the UnPlugged Performance Front Facia System below the Face Lifted MS. It appears that the custom Floating T Insert that UnPlugged system uses might just fit the OE Facelift bumper, and we already know it lines up with the Pre-Facelift MS.
DId you ever try to go down that route? I am curious if anyone has ever test-fitted the bottom edge of the UnPlugged Insert to the top edge of the OE Bumper. If that fits, then would I be correct in assuming that one could do this retrofit leveraging the parts you listed on page one, keep the stock pre-facelift hood, not worry about the frunk seals and use the OE bumper with the UnPlugged Performance T Insert (assuming they would be willing to sell it)?
I am anxiously awaiting my used MSP85 and already looking for mods...
I have a question about taking it the other direction. Below I have (very crudely) sized both the UnPlugged Performance Front Facia System below the Face Lifted MS. It appears that the custom Floating T Insert that UnPlugged system uses might just fit the OE Facelift bumper, and we already know it lines up with the Pre-Facelift MS.
DId you ever try to go down that route? I am curious if anyone has ever test-fitted the bottom edge of the UnPlugged Insert to the top edge of the OE Bumper. If that fits, then would I be correct in assuming that one could do this retrofit leveraging the parts you listed on page one, keep the stock pre-facelift hood, not worry about the frunk seals and use the OE bumper with the UnPlugged Performance T Insert (assuming they would be willing to sell it)?
I am anxiously awaiting my used MSP85 and already looking for mods...
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
This approach would work, however the vendor seems unwilling to sell just the T insert.
I think this would be a great business opportunity for someone willing to custom print the part
Without hijacking this thread, I feel like now may be a good time to step in and clear a few things up. We have stayed out of these threads thus far because we here at Unplugged truly encourage and embrace the process of tinkering with cars but I’d like to interject so there’s no misinformation and to hopefully help TMC members understand the project before taking it on.
To clarify, the Refresh Fascia System that we sell is our own design. We took design cues from the factory 2016.5+ Tesla bumper and then added the visual enhancements that we are known for, as our product line highlights the high performance nature of the car. Since we began in 2013 as Tesla owners and a neighbor to Tesla’s design studio, we set out to make our car and our clients’ cars feel more special and more differentiated. As such, our Refresh Fascia is not a factory design bumper, nor would we ever want to participate in a replica type of product. Our ethos is creating special items for those who want something more special (as we say, to “stand apart at the supercharger”). I say this because it seems that some were unclear as to what we are actually selling. While our fascia shares similarities to the Tesla factory bumper, the exterior design it is intentionally differentiated to look sportier (the easy part), the hard part meanwhile was overcoming the technical and engineering hurdles to make everything work just like the factory front fascia it replaces. Simply said, the shape both outside and inside is entirely different from the new bumper on the 2016.5+ cars, to the point that our fascia will not bolt up to a new Model S (side note - many new Model S owners have asked for our refresh design bumper due to the sporty shape differences, and since it won’t fit the new car we ended up creating the front lip shape from our Refresh that can be added to new cars).
Our Refresh only fits the nosecone generation Model S, allowing for the retention of the functionality of OEM components in a way that is simply not possible with a new Tesla bumper. We invested a significant amount of time and capital on R&D which is why we were in the pre-order stage for an extended time before releasing our first units at the end of last year. The result is a fascia that retains all factory lights, sensors, emblem and hardware in their original positions. Our work was developed and is produced in the US, and our factory production partner also has a history as a factory partner for Tesla as well as SpaceX.
Our Refresh Fascia System is a true plug and play system with the full install taking about 3 hours from start to finish. As you can see in reading through this thread there is a significant amount of work involved to try to utlize the factory front bumper to an older Model S and there are even more issues that have not been addressed. For those who have followed our work, you might have noticed that even Tesla themselves opted to utilize our Refresh Fascia when updating their Tesla Veteran’s special project car. Tesla naturally has access to their entire parts bin and staff, yet they opted for the Unplugged Performance Refresh on their own project (photo shown). Simply said, there are quite a number of issues that make a swap of Tesla factory parts not a path that is safe (in addition to the numerous hood and frunk related issues previously identified by others who have attempted it, the Autopilot sensor location, as well as the ducting and motorized louvers are all different. Even the 12V charging access requires our patent pending solution to resolve). Our emblem holder in itself could not possibly resolve the vast number of incompatibilities relating to cooling, AutoPilot and general safety. If it could, we would offer it surely as a standalone product since we always support the community from which we came, and share our passion for our own cars. If simply swapping the v-stripe and emblem holder were the easy solution, we could have launched that product a year and a half ago! Our complete system thankfully however does fully resolve all of the incompatibilities, especially the important ones involving Autopilot and cooling, in which all vital systems are kept in the original positions and operate seamlessly without any calibration needed which allow for a true 3 hour install (90 minutes with two techs).
We encourage everyone to enjoy their cars and to tinker with upgrades but we wish people to be safe in doing so. What we’ve found when developing our Refresh Fascia was that it was extremely complex and that there was no easy solution other than to start from the ground up with a solution that respects and leaves all vital systems in factory position and unchanged. As such, we do not foresee any simpler or more seamless solution than what we’ve developed (if we did, we would gladly make it). Utilizing just a modified v-stripe/emblem holder as above discussed addresses only one minor visual issue amongst a long list of more important issues (not to mention our piece is meant to work exclusively with our bumper cover design, being an integrated component of our Refresh Fascia kit). While we have no objection with people modifying and having fun with their cars, we would not want to put our name on an incomplete solution and as such we only put our name on the system we’ve created and which has been happily used by Tesla themselves and Tesla owners in various countries around the world. We are thankful to the community who has supported us in our mission and we are pleased to be a part of the discussion. We have a great deal of admiration for this community and we will continue to work hard to create future products that add value and make us all love our cars even more. If you have other items you’d like us to make, we would be absolutely pleased to consider it so please do let us know. We exist to support the community and to enhance the passion of Tesla ownership that we all share.
Lastly, for those who prefer to experiment on their own, we hope that you please just take extra safety precaution relating to anything involving relocation of sensors (the factory new bumper has different locations and no method to address mounting location of Autopilot), and also relating to the cooling and ducting upon which the car relies (the louvers are different size/placement, and the ducting behind the bumper is also different with the new factory bumper) and also please take caution on the hood latching and sealing. Visual improvements are great fun, but we want to make sure first and foremost that everyone out there is safe.
To clarify, the Refresh Fascia System that we sell is our own design. We took design cues from the factory 2016.5+ Tesla bumper and then added the visual enhancements that we are known for, as our product line highlights the high performance nature of the car. Since we began in 2013 as Tesla owners and a neighbor to Tesla’s design studio, we set out to make our car and our clients’ cars feel more special and more differentiated. As such, our Refresh Fascia is not a factory design bumper, nor would we ever want to participate in a replica type of product. Our ethos is creating special items for those who want something more special (as we say, to “stand apart at the supercharger”). I say this because it seems that some were unclear as to what we are actually selling. While our fascia shares similarities to the Tesla factory bumper, the exterior design it is intentionally differentiated to look sportier (the easy part), the hard part meanwhile was overcoming the technical and engineering hurdles to make everything work just like the factory front fascia it replaces. Simply said, the shape both outside and inside is entirely different from the new bumper on the 2016.5+ cars, to the point that our fascia will not bolt up to a new Model S (side note - many new Model S owners have asked for our refresh design bumper due to the sporty shape differences, and since it won’t fit the new car we ended up creating the front lip shape from our Refresh that can be added to new cars).
Our Refresh only fits the nosecone generation Model S, allowing for the retention of the functionality of OEM components in a way that is simply not possible with a new Tesla bumper. We invested a significant amount of time and capital on R&D which is why we were in the pre-order stage for an extended time before releasing our first units at the end of last year. The result is a fascia that retains all factory lights, sensors, emblem and hardware in their original positions. Our work was developed and is produced in the US, and our factory production partner also has a history as a factory partner for Tesla as well as SpaceX.
Our Refresh Fascia System is a true plug and play system with the full install taking about 3 hours from start to finish. As you can see in reading through this thread there is a significant amount of work involved to try to utlize the factory front bumper to an older Model S and there are even more issues that have not been addressed. For those who have followed our work, you might have noticed that even Tesla themselves opted to utilize our Refresh Fascia when updating their Tesla Veteran’s special project car. Tesla naturally has access to their entire parts bin and staff, yet they opted for the Unplugged Performance Refresh on their own project (photo shown). Simply said, there are quite a number of issues that make a swap of Tesla factory parts not a path that is safe (in addition to the numerous hood and frunk related issues previously identified by others who have attempted it, the Autopilot sensor location, as well as the ducting and motorized louvers are all different. Even the 12V charging access requires our patent pending solution to resolve). Our emblem holder in itself could not possibly resolve the vast number of incompatibilities relating to cooling, AutoPilot and general safety. If it could, we would offer it surely as a standalone product since we always support the community from which we came, and share our passion for our own cars. If simply swapping the v-stripe and emblem holder were the easy solution, we could have launched that product a year and a half ago! Our complete system thankfully however does fully resolve all of the incompatibilities, especially the important ones involving Autopilot and cooling, in which all vital systems are kept in the original positions and operate seamlessly without any calibration needed which allow for a true 3 hour install (90 minutes with two techs).
We encourage everyone to enjoy their cars and to tinker with upgrades but we wish people to be safe in doing so. What we’ve found when developing our Refresh Fascia was that it was extremely complex and that there was no easy solution other than to start from the ground up with a solution that respects and leaves all vital systems in factory position and unchanged. As such, we do not foresee any simpler or more seamless solution than what we’ve developed (if we did, we would gladly make it). Utilizing just a modified v-stripe/emblem holder as above discussed addresses only one minor visual issue amongst a long list of more important issues (not to mention our piece is meant to work exclusively with our bumper cover design, being an integrated component of our Refresh Fascia kit). While we have no objection with people modifying and having fun with their cars, we would not want to put our name on an incomplete solution and as such we only put our name on the system we’ve created and which has been happily used by Tesla themselves and Tesla owners in various countries around the world. We are thankful to the community who has supported us in our mission and we are pleased to be a part of the discussion. We have a great deal of admiration for this community and we will continue to work hard to create future products that add value and make us all love our cars even more. If you have other items you’d like us to make, we would be absolutely pleased to consider it so please do let us know. We exist to support the community and to enhance the passion of Tesla ownership that we all share.
Lastly, for those who prefer to experiment on their own, we hope that you please just take extra safety precaution relating to anything involving relocation of sensors (the factory new bumper has different locations and no method to address mounting location of Autopilot), and also relating to the cooling and ducting upon which the car relies (the louvers are different size/placement, and the ducting behind the bumper is also different with the new factory bumper) and also please take caution on the hood latching and sealing. Visual improvements are great fun, but we want to make sure first and foremost that everyone out there is safe.
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Bump. Wanted to see if anybody is interested in getting a custom T-piece manufactured to make the retrofit fit the stock bumper work.
Morristhecat
Member
I totally am! But I admit I'm a bit concerned given the complications Unplugged mentions above. But if it works, i'd grab one for sure.
The guy who offered to help me manufacture the piece has not responded to my inquiries, so I'll go to my sources in China.
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
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