^ i like that

 

x2!!..

 

Alright... so the night went umm... 80% ok maybe? I started with the sway bar removal/install. Well, to sum that up, it didn't go as planned. The old sway bar bolts were sooooooo corroded that when me and Frank were removing the ones which hold the perches to the chassis, we snapped 3 of them off! Basically, we managed to get the old sway bar out, but the new one wasn't going in... especially since the sway bar kit requires that you re-use those 6 bolts. As well, the snapped off bolts are still inside the holes, so those will need to be drilled and tapped before new bolts can go back in place. Whether or not we have the tools to do such a job, that's doubtful... however, the guy who we're renting the garage from is a mechanic so I may be able to somehow get the car over to his other garage and get him to do it there. Anyways, here's a few snapshots of that much...





Ok, after admitting defeat on that front, it was time to tackle the lower tie bar. This went ok.. little bit of muscle had to be used on the bolts, as well as the tie bar. RRM had powdercoated over some of the threads which I needed to use in order to adjust the bar to the required length... and being one of little patience, I basically just tightened the bar over the painted threads.. which was a bit rough. As well, putting 90 ft/lbs of torque on the bolts with about a foot and a half of room to work with is quite tiresome and tedious.



Finally, the next 3 mods sorta happened at the same time. It was getting late, so Frank, being the stand-up guy he is, installed the front strut X-bar and rotors, while I engaged in battle with the rear strut bar. Frank did a perfect job with the rotors and front bar, and he was finished that before I even had the 2 nuts tightened down on the rear bar. I had the left side one on and started by a couple threads, but the right side was determined not to thread on. Somehow it looked as though the strut bolt was on an angle, but it was the bar itself I believe. I think the RRM stuff is just a little TOO precision made!! lol... because it resulted in some tight fitment for sure Anyways, Frank managed to get the nut on, I tightened down the second, and got to work replacing the interior trim/lining pieces. It was super late by this time, so it was getting very tempting to give up and leave things as-is, but the job had to be finished. The side liners of the trunk needed a slit cut in them to accomodate the strut bar, so with a little rough measurement and cutting, that was finally done as well. By this time, Frank had gone home to sleep for work in the morning, and it was time for me to close up shop... Here are a few more pics from the last mods done:






And so concluded another busy night at the garage. There may have been a few more details that I could throw in somewhere, but I'm tired and it's time for bed But, for those who may be wondering from reading my whole build thread, yes, my subs fit back in the trunk perfectly.

Finally, I also ordered a 8000K HID conversion kit today, so that may be my next mod. Either that or remove the trunk lid tomorrow and get it brought to the body shop for the Evo 8 spoiler install. I'll update when it happens! G'nite!!

 

This is most definitely the most detailed and interesting build up threads I have ever read. All your mods are so tasteful and I keep coming back to see what tasteful mod you are putting on next. Great Build!

 

NICE PICS.. great write ups.. i would have loved to see how those rotors went on.. its too bad you cant drive your car immediately.. i wanna hear some feedback..

 

Yeah, I'm dying to get her out on the road for a test drive myself. For all I know, I have every bolt in the car too loose now and she'll fall apart the minute I take her out the door!

As for the rotors, they aren't hard... just a matter of removing the wheel, then 2 bolts on the backside of the caliper which holds it to the C-shaped shield/support behind the rotor. After that, you slide the caliper off... keep the brake lines attatched while doing that. From there, the stock rotors should come right off. You may need to tap/bang in a circular pattern with a hammer between the wheel studs because the rotors usually seize on really well (on mine they were seized on to the point where I thought for sure I had forgotten to remove a bolt somewhere). Don't tap on the actual rotor braking surface itself... just in the odd case you want to re-use the stock ones sometime down the road. Just tap the surface where your rim would have been making contact with the rotor. Once the stock ones are off, replace with the appropriate aftermarket one, and reverse the procedure. You may end up having to push the brake pads back into the caliper if you find they are getting in the way of sliding the caliper back on the rotor. When re-tightening the bolts on the back of the caliper, ensure that they're "snug" but don't over-tighten them. With one of the bolts, I'm not sure, but it may have begun to strip with a bit too much pressure. You can give it a really strong turn, but don't go to the point where you're putting everything you have into it. You'll know how tight once you're doing it.

And that's that... can't wait to see your rotors installed as well... and, where are those rims we talked about for your car?!? Lol

PS: I almost forgot... even if your hands arent greasy when doing the rotor install, still make sure that you have a can of brake cleaner. Once the rotors are on, you'll want to give the rotors a good covering in cleaner to remove any film or residue which may have formed/been deposited on them. It's just another one of those steps to ensure it's done right.

 

thanks again for another great write-up.. why dont you make a how-to.. and ill add pics as soon as i do mine.. im tempted to fit them with my stocks..

 

I don't understand what you mean here...

 

these rotors are bigger than the stock 1's.. therefore they require atleast a 15 or 16 inch wheel to fit..

 

Ohhh... mine are stock size, just drilled and slotted. I'm not sure about brake upgrades. You sure they're bigger though? Usually the bigger rotors would only be offered within a big brake upgrade kit like the Willwood one... ?

 

i assume they are.. lol.. i dont really need to put them on until i get rims really.. but im tempted..

BTW i must give you props on the suspension upgrades.. nice to see another Lancer come up at the same time as mine..

 

Same to you.. your car is coming along nicely!! It's a bit too bad about my sway bar however... I wish I had been able to install that last night. I'm not sure how long it will take me to get those old bolts drilled out and tapped for new ones. The salty air here is killer on cars and those bolts seemed to be such low quality that in a way I'm glad that I'll have to replace them. Just a matter of having a nice enough day to get her to a garage to have the work done. Maybe a test drive will be in my near future yet!?!? It should also be interesting to see what you ES guys feel like with no sway bar in the rear, since my old one is sitting on the floor of the garage right now The weather will have to clear up A LOT before I take her out on the streets though. We'll see I guess... Keep up the good work, and thanks for the positive comments everyone!

Ordered and on the way:
-8000K HID Conversion Kit
-Rexpeed Vortex Generator
-Ebay Black Housing Tail Lights

Here and awaiting install:
-Evo 8 Wing
-Progress Sway Bar /w Upgraded Perches

 

make sure you get a vid when you take her out.. and nice list of mods on the way.. i got a couple things on the way as well.. but none of them will make a big enough difference without RIMS!!..

 

Hey Newfoundlancer do you have the new spoiler on yet. I want to see how it looks. I love looking at your thread. its so inspiring

 

Hehe thanks I haven't been up to the garage yet since the other night when we did the suspension mods. I have to get up there and take the trunk off to bring it and the wing to the body shop. Being Friday now, I'd say I'll get up to remove the trunk over the weekend, then drop it off on Monday. Beyond that, I don't know how long it'll take to be finished, hopefully only a few days tops. I'll keep y'all updated thou