Hi Guys,

Reading through all these How-Tos has got me very excited. It is obvious that there is sooo much you can do with your Evo in your own garage which is great. As someone who doesn't own a lift and just has basic tools, which mods should I hand over to the shop? Which mods require specialty tools or a lift?

 

It's not a question of what parts you can add, but rather what parts can you add in your garage before safely driving the car to get it protuned for the parts you add. You can't just add parts and drive off, depending on the parts involved. So the sky is the limit as to what you can try and do, but be cautious of what you add because you may not be able to safely drive it after you do. That's why some parts people add at the place they are getting tuned. EBCS for instance, you wouldn't want to run that without tuning for it quickly.

 

 

Only thing I have not done in the garage yet with my Evo was pull the motor. But its totally possible, just have not had to do it yet. Everything else has been done with a jack, jack stands, and random tools over the years. But I also tune so I do not have the problem of garage locking my car after part changes. Although I have sent base e-tunes to people to at least get them to a local shop with a pro tuner. There is always a way.

 

I think the most important part of this game is that you have a great relationship with a master tech.

I try to do everything at home as much as possible (although most are small and minor), but I always take the Evo to my master tech to take a look at my work if I'm not 100% certain. The dealer charges me only $60 or so for a quick inspection like that. So far I'm fortunate that I did all the wiring works and small mods correctly.

If some mods require specialty tools or specialty knowledge, I don't mind paying the master tech generously to get it done right.