EvolutionM - Mitsubishi Lancer and Lancer Evolution Community - Project Super VIII

Long story short, I built an Evo X over a year ago (build thread here: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...re-thread.html) and sold it. I loved the car but always had a soft spot for the older generation.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten...3/IMG_2052.jpg

So I bought one. A completely stock, 2003 VIII with more mileage than I liked but still better than buying a used and abused modded one.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo203.jpg

Drove it around stock for a bit and got right down to business. First up, the lights were so cloudy I couldn't stand looking at them.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo275.jpg

Busted out the Megiaurs Headlight Restoration Kit and went to town on those faded looking headlights.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo274.jpg

After some good ol' fashion elbow grease (and a bit of cursing) Voila! The lights looked as good as new.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo276.jpg

We all know exhaust mods are the single best bang for the buck on these cars so I didn't waste much time scraping the factory exhaust system for some Tomei goodies.
A lovely Expreme Ti exhaust system was in order. How can you not want to put this on your ride when it weighs around 10lbs and costs just a hair over 1K?!
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo207.jpg

I broke my rules of riding dirty and decided to run a test pipe since I wanted to see how much juice I could squeeze out of the motor before installing a cat and being kind to the environment again. The Tomei titanium test pipe would be a worthy contender.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo205.jpg

While I was at it, I figured if I'm replacing the back half of the exhaust system I might as well replace the front half and sure enough, another Tomei product -the Expreme downpipe and outlet were utilized.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo206.jpg

To change the outlet I figured it would be easier to take the turbo off. If I was taking the turbo off then changing the exhaust manifold only made sense. I didn't want anything too crazy with long tubular bends that would heat soak the engine hence why the Tomei Expreme manifold appealed to me.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo204.jpg

Off came the turbo setup, I was actually surprised how easily it was to remove. I remember my old 1G DSM days fighting with the turbo to remove it. I'm glad to see they improved it on the Evo.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo208.jpg

I may sound like an infomercial here but I can't praise the Tomei parts enough for their quality and fitment. I've been building cars for a while now and there's nothing more that I hate than parts not fitting right or missing pieces. The Tomei stuff always bolts on like stock and comes with every damn gasket and bolt you need to install it.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo209.jpg

There's no struggling with reaching the exhaust mani bolts, Tomei's done a good job providing adequate clearance.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo212.jpg

Tomei also makes a shiny heat shield for its exhaust manifold and it will do a good job of containing the exhaust manifold's heat. You can also use your stock heat shield for a more stealth look if you so desire.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo225.jpg

Outlet pipe fitment=spot on.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo213.jpg

Tomei provides header wrap for both the manifold and downpipe but I'm not a huge fan of it due to the moisture that it can trap and eventually decay the pipe so I left it off both pieces.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo210.jpg

Now that's what I'm talking about for a straight and light exhaust system.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo270.jpg

Having used the Expreme Ti exhaust on my Evo X, I knew what a work of art it was, those pie cuts and welds make my JDM soul proud. One problem though, my USDM bumper was in dire need of replacement since I ordered the JDM version of the exhaust that's shorter.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo211.jpg

I called my man Russell at Mitsubishiparts.net and had him ship me a new JDM bumper and oh whats that you see, a IX front bumper? I had to get it as well because sorry VIII owners but the IX bumper is so much nicer.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo217.jpg

Big US impact friendly bumper looks NO good. Time for it to come off.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo228.jpg

Now there's just the dilemma of what to do with the crash beam? The easy way out is to just leave it off but I'm a sucker for doing things right so I decided to modify it.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo230.jpg

After lots of cutting and drilling I had the mounting plates removed from their brackets.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo231.jpg

Measure twice, weld once. Lining up the brackets I put the welder to good use and blasted some beads down to ensure these brackets would never come free.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo232.jpg

Presto, modified bumper beam done and neatly tucked up to clear the JDM bumper.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo233.jpg

Now came the not so fun part, stripping the inner skeleton off the USDM bumper (I hate drilling out rivets, takes SO long) so it could be reused on the JDM one.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo234.jpg

I spent more time mounting up the license plate then securing the rest of the brackets. This one takes a bit of modification to the USDM plate bracket but as you can see its very doable and your US plate will fit just like the JDM one would.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo236.jpg

Secure a few bolts and all of a sudden the Evo takes on a much slimmer, more aggressive look.
http://www.petertarach.com/wp-conten.../05/evo238.jpg

Alright that's it for now Ill be back with more very soon! Hope you enjoyed reading all this.