My 06 MR has 145K miles on it, and the original starter finally quit after a week of slow starts.
I searched for a remanufactured replacement starter at local stores, and found the Ultima 19405 at O'Reilly's, which their system says fits, which I found out is mostly true.

I had no issues removing the OEM starter, even with the downpipe on, since it could rotate just enough to wiggle free.

When installing the new starter, I had to remove the two bolts holding the downpipe to the O2 housing, to give it more room to be installed. I didn't remove the downpipe from it's hangers or remove the cross members. The downpipe just had to shift towards the passenger side a few mm.

This replacement starter has longer studs on the end, for the starter shield, so they contributed to the need for more room.

I had two issues with the install:
1. The quick connect tab for the starter signal connector was straight, so I had to bend it 90° to point up like the one on the OEM starter.
2. The new starter has the two shield-mounting studs in positions that are significantly clocked from the stock positions (which don't match the image on the vendor's website) and these prevent the starter shield from fitting. I will have to modify the shield by drilling two new holes.

Should I be very concerned with driving without the starter shield for a week, or indefinitely, whether the weather stays dry or if it rains?

The attached photos show the 19405 starter installed.

This installation was much easier than the Mishimoto radiator I put on two weeks ago, after the original radiator sprang a leak at a seam.

 

$130 Chinese reman POS starter that doesn't even fit right.......or you can get an OEM starter from ExtremePSI for $200.

https://www.extremepsi.com/store/hom...ction=0&page=2

Return that turd and buy an OEM piece that will fit right.

 

The generic's work, you don't need the shield if you wrap your downpipe or other simple heat mgmt tricks. I figured it was an evo 8 starter cause I heard there were slightly bigger then the 9's but mine has worked over a year now for a little over 100 bucks.

 

I needed one right away, so shipping one wasn't an option.
The starter is already installed and works, and I saved $70, so I'll just drill holes in the shield.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

I forgot to mention, one major headache when searching for starters online was that certain websites that offer the make/model fit confirmation were wrong regarding the Evo. They would list starters for the regular Lancer's 4G94 and 4G69 as fitting the 4G63.