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Evo GeneralDiscuss any generalized technical Evo related topics that may not fit into the other forums.
Please do not post tech and rumor threads here.
Sponsored by: RavSpec - JDM Wheels Central
Fortunate to have recently purchased another 2006 MR…
When you get an Evo today, you have to realize that they are old, so LOTS of parts need to be replaced, and LOTS of heavy maintenance and restoration needs to be done. I don’t care how clean of an Evo you can find, everything I have read suggests that based on age, you need to replace the Timing Belt. From there, it’s a deep (and fairly rusty) rabbit hole. So, although transaction values are one thing, “build” values have to be considered too. It has taken 4 months to get the below work completed to get my Evo to the condition that I want. STM Tuned and JD Customs had all the Parts I needed, and have the Evo dialed in!
Work completed:
Body Work:
- New JDM Rear Bumper, matched the lower center color to the ‘tow hook’ cover that is the JDM-OEM color – a super dark gray metallic. Using the support-bar, you have to remove the US-spec crash-bar. Mounting the license plate is tricky too. Retained the US license plate bracket for the lamps, but that mounting point is too high and ‘behind’ the bumper. The support-bar license plate mounting point is too low, so we retrofitted the bracket to get it just right.
- New Front Bumper, and new SE Lip Spoiler.
- Full re-paint on hood and front fenders, blending doors.
- Replaced all worn plastic pieces of wiper arms, front cowl, hood vent, and exterior mirrors.
- Replaced broken Antenna base, and shorty Antenna.
- Replaced Headlamps with new JDM HID MR headlamps. Waited nearly 4 months, and had to receive the order direct from overseas shipment out of England, and FedEx even sent me an import tax bill… but I got them!
- Replaced the front and rear Mitsubishi Emblems, installed the JDM “Evolution” trunk badge, and Evo X “MR” badge.
Mechanical:
- The Battery was wired to the trunk with poor mounting and poor wiring work. Relocated all wiring and battery to the engine compartment, sealed the wiring holes, and installed a small battery kit. This re-wiring was VERY extensive, to say the least.
- Replaced Trunk liner and liner tray
- Removed exhaust, suspension, sub-frame, engine, and transmission.
- Replaced Timing Belt, various gaskets and seals, repaired an oil leak, Replaced the Oil Pan, spark plugs, all filters and fluids, miscellaneous intercooler piping, and all Major Maintenance service items; spark plugs, filters, fluids etc, etc, etc..
- Replaced Clutch and Flywheel with ACT Streetlight flywheel, ACT ME2 Clutch kit with Sprung Street Disc, clutch release fork & shaft… The flywheel, release fork and shaft were all discoveries after disassembly, but STM Tuned had everything I needed IN STOCK! This clutch has a better-than-new feel now!
- Replaced Intake with AEM cold air intake… the fitment in the engine compartment was the main reason for the selection of this part.
- Retained the Mishimoto radiator, ETS Intercooler, and most of the intercooler piping that were on the car when purchased. Polished all forward-facing components.
- Replaced the corroded suspension with Tein Flex Z Coilovers.
- Replaced the Brake Rotors with Stoptech Slotted Rotors
- Replaced the exhaust with HKS Super Turbo Stainless Exhaust for JDM bumper. HKS claims they engineered this exhaust specifically to the Evo – it’s not too loud, and looks incredible.
- Exhaust shop installed a high-flow catalytic converter – (this car could almost be legal in California)
- Brushed off most of the corroded and rusted areas of the undercarriage as best as possible, and applied rust-protection coating to undercarriage, wheel wells, rotor backing plates, and a few other components.
- Reinstalled all components, and installed new Undertray shields, and miscellaneous under-hood shield clips.
- Decided to keep the OEM wheels on it for now, painted black.
- Had to do an alignment 4 times to get it accurate!
Interior:
- Replaced Ignition key switch
- Replaced HVAC switch bulbs
- Installed new Radio into top center position
- Removed all extra gauges, and installed new steering wheel cover, and the OEM center stack “pocket” (which was harder to source than any gauges – and makes the interior appear much cleaner)
- Replaced the shift knob with OEM Leather 6-spead shift knob
- Replaced the “MR” console badge
- Had to fully repair a seat track. Seat tracks and components are straight up “unavailable” in the marketplace.
- Installed JD Customs LED bulb-kit on the gauge cluster. (Note, had to use a non-LED bulb on the SRS indicator because it was adding voltage, causing the control module to think there was an airbag issue)
- Installed Steering Wheel sewn-Alcantara wrap
- And no Evo is complete without a set of fresh new floor mats.
What’s next:
- Tune
- Wheels
- Drive!
This forum, along with links and free quality information is invaluable if you’re willing to dig through the information. I appreciate every helpful post, and all of the Evo-specific content on this site. (And there isn’t an Evo video on YouTube I haven’t watched.) I share this info about my car to hopefully help the next Evo owner as the transition of Evo ownership shifts to near-restoration.
Fortunate to have recently purchased another 2006 MR…
When you get an Evo today, you have to realize that they are old, so LOTS of parts need to be replaced, and LOTS of heavy maintenance and restoration needs to be done. I don’t care how clean of an Evo you can find, everything I have read suggests that based on age, you need to replace the Timing Belt. From there, it’s a deep (and fairly rusty) rabbit hole. So, although transaction values are one thing, “build” values have to be considered too. It has taken 4 months to get the below work completed to get my Evo to the condition that I want. STM Tuned and JD Customs had all the Parts I needed, and have the Evo dialed in!
MASSIVE hat-tip to you sir - that's both through and quality work. I think you'll see your time and finances rewarded as we move forward, these cars are moving well beyond "cult" status and into legitimate collector grade vehicles.
Fortunate to have recently purchased another 2006 MR…
When you get an Evo today, you have to realize that they are old, so LOTS of parts need to be replaced, and LOTS of heavy maintenance and restoration needs to be done. I don’t care how clean of an Evo you can find, everything I have read suggests that based on age, you need to replace the Timing Belt. From there, it’s a deep (and fairly rusty) rabbit hole. So, although transaction values are one thing, “build” values have to be considered too. It has taken 4 months to get the below work completed to get my Evo to the condition that I want. STM Tuned and JD Customs had all the Parts I needed, and have the Evo dialed in!
