I have a 2011 ralliart. I was recently in an accident and rather than throwing my ralliart away i decided i wanted to do a little project. I want to turn my ralliart into an evolution x. Now while some say "just get an evo", its easier said than done. For one, im a college student, not sponsored by mom and dad. Most of all, i had such am emotional attachment to the car that i just couldnt give it up without at least trying to bring it back to life. As for the damage, the engine is pushed back but still intact. Its only bent in place because of the motor mount. Both fenders on the right and left side are damaged, and there are only a few minor dings in the frame. My plans are to convert my ralliart into an evo as much as possible. Since im going to be spending money bringing it back to life, i may as well spend a more making it to my liking. All the parts that need to be replaced, will be swapped with performance parts. My main worry is the body. There are several body kits out there that will give it the evo x lool im going for, but i dont want to spend money i body kit that will look awful. My main question is, would an OEM evo x body kit fit onto the ralliart frame? Would it be a direct fit or would modification be needed? If not, what body kits would have the best look and quality? Thank you for reading my thread, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

So you can put evo fenders on an RA and i have seen a guy here locally put evo fenders on a Lancer but its looks funny because the rear is too skinny. You can see some people talking about it here : http://www.evoxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55465

As far as the body kit goes I havent seen any that look 100%. Ive seen this body kit on a car before in person http://www.carid.com/2009-mitsubishi...ts-301670.html but it didnt look right, the side skirts and fender flares didnt look right. I cant really explain what I mean it just didnt look like an evo it looked like a lancer with fender flares. With that being said maybe with enough bondo and a fresh paint job you could make it look good

 

A cool idea. But pause and add up the total cost. The rebuilt vehicle will only be worth the payout of a Ralliart (if in another accident) and few people would buy it later (salvage title) to cover the investment you will make (in time and $$).


What would the cost be for a similar mileage used EVO X?


What is the risk that as you get deeper into the project that you will find more damage than you thought? It happens pretty frequently.


It will be hard to find a salvage EVO X for parts because 'most' (statistically speaking for a performance street car) will already have the front clip damaged too...


Are you going to add the S-AWC and all the sensors? Computers? Or is this a cosmetic build only?


Just some things to consider, if you have not already...


If you still decide to do it - please document for us the build with pix and a running total of time and money spent.

 

Well my plans wasnt to change out just the front fenders. If those do fit, than i could imagine that everything else would fit too(rocker panels, bumpers, sideskirts etc..). So id just end up switching out the body. I have looked at body kits similar to that one, my only problem would be if it's all even, and would arrive ready to instal with no modification. Also, since most are made from fiberglass and plastic, if it would hold up the same shine and feel as painted metal? Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

Thanks for the reply. While i have thought of all this, the cost of restoration may not exceed my initial investment. I paid no where near msrp price or the car. I paid 13k for roughly a 30k car. As long as I don't spend more than 15k in restoration, ill be happy. As for the function and looks, my main focus is the body. As long as i have the evo x look, i could mod it to perform just like an evo. I had it tuned with a cobb accessport tuner so i had s-sport mode and launch control. I never had a chance to test it out but it was there. Theres a few other things i have to replace. A few pumps, some electric that were destroyed in the crash. If i can buy a evo x for salvage that was damaged in the rear for cheap than i should be all good. I will definitely be posting pictures as my progress goes! I have to see or hear of someone changing out the entire ralliart body kit for an evo and looking just like one, so if it hasnt happened, i plan on being the first.

 

Personally I don't think it is worth it but to each their own.
I believe in performance over aesthetics. I love the fact that I have a Ralliart that looks like a Ralliart and is a Ralliart but has more power then a stock Evo X.

My $0.02.

 

ah - ok. Looks like you have good plan, then!


Keep us updated on progress!

 

Ive given tons of thought to whether itd be worth it or not. I fell in love with my ralliart but my true love is an Evo X. I think itd be nice to bring back my ralliart and make it more powerful than ever before. I think itd also be nice saying "yeah i drive an evolution x" but on the inside ill know its my ralliart. In the short time that ive had ive been through a lot with it. Itd be cool to let more memories be made.

 

^What he said^

I'm not sure how many cars you have modified in your life, but most of us have modified many and we all know you will never get the money or time you put into a car when you either have to sell it or when reality hits you and realize the money you wasted.

It's cool in theory what you want to do, but this type of project is going to be at least twice as much money and/or time as you think it will be.

The main reason I would not do it is because the car was wrecked. You can only see so much of the damage that was actually done. You won't realize the rest until later on. There is a reason why most buyers don't buy wrecked cars.

Use the money to pay down your school loans so when you graduate from school and are making more money you can get a car that runs circles around a Ralliart.

 

There are plenty of wrecked EVO X cars out there for sale for parts. If you are going to do it, the main thing would be to start collecting the parts you need. Pull the engine, trans and everything out of the engine compartment to see the true extent of the damage. There may indeed be more damage than what you are seeing. If any part of the unibody is pushed back, twisted or whatever, it will need to go on a frame/body machine to pull it all back straight. Write up a parts list of what you will need once this is done and then any parts you want to upgrade to a more suitable performance part. Finding a wrecked EVO X for a parts car would be a great start if you can afford it. You could use the rear quarter panels off a wrecked EVO X if not damaged and much more if you have the mechanical ability to do it. There are many options and that depends on how creative you are or want to be. Good luck with it all and I look forward to seeing how it goes. I have a lot of experience in bodywork and paint and know what it would take to do this.