Willz's 2001 GS

[ya boy willz]

Hi, I'm new to forums and this is my 01 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. Parents bought it about 6 months ago when we moved to Orlando and it's being handed down to me. It's pretty stock right now and nothing amazing but I still love driving it.









This is how the car stands as of right now. I'm obviously going for a ricer/sleeper look and don't care about the exterior at all. My main goal is to keep it running strong and get the turbo kit installed...then I'll worry about fixing up the exterior.

July 7, 2011
Engine Bay


Exterior




Interior







Turbo Parts










Mod List

Exterior
Wings West Front Lip [x]
Shine Street Rear Lip []
Shine Street Side Skirts [x]
Custom Black Tail Lights []
Depo Projecters [x]
V-HIDs 5000K 35W HIDS [x]
Black Painted Fake Vent Inserts [x]
Black Painted Calipers [x]
Rota Torque 17x9 []
Custom Grill [x]
Depo Smoked Turn Signals [x]
Debadged GS [x]
Black Rear Emblem [x]
Black Mitsubishi Eclipse Lettering [x]
Black Die Wheel Valve Caps [x]
Tapout License Plate frame [x]

Performance
K&N Short Ram Air Intake [x]
Mobil 1 Full Synthetic & Oil Filter [x]
D5 Concepts (Ebay) 2.5" Catback [x]
Optima Red Top Dual Terminal Battery []
Big 3 Upgrade []

Suspension/Brakes
Eibach SportLine Lowering Springs []
KYG AGX Struts []
DC Sports Front Strut Bar []
DC Sports Rear Strut Bar []
Suspension Techniques Rear Sway Bar []
GT Rear Disc Conversion [x]
Brembo Sport Series Drilled Rotors []
Hawk HPS Performance Cermaic Brake Pads (Front) [x]
Hawk HPS Performance Cermaic Brake Pads (Rear) []
Hankook Ventus V12s [x]
DIY Camber Kit []
EVO 8 Brembo Swap []

Interior/Sound System
Sony Xplod CDX-GT130 [x]
Red LED Conversion [x]
Cipher Automotive Black Racing Seats []
Cipher Automotive Red 4 Point Harness []
Cipher Automotive Seat Bracket []
Alpine Type R 10" Subwoofer []
Amp that works with Type Rs []
Clear Die Cigarette Lighter [x]

Turbo Progression
Evo 8 16G Turbo with 9.8 HotSide [x]
Evo 8 Stock WasteGate Actuator [x]
Evo 8 Stock Turbo Manifold [x]
Evo 8 Stock O2 Housing [x]
EBAY "JDM" Intercooler 27x5.5x2.5 with 2.25 inlet & outlet [x]
Stock EVO 8 Intercooler Piping [x]
Greddy Type-S BOV [x]
Walbro GSS342 255lph Fuel Pump [x]
Glowshift Tinted Series 7 Color Gauges [x]
-Boost [x]
-Oil Pressure [x]
Glowshift Triple Gauge Pod [x]
Autometer Phantom Series Gauges [x]
-Voltmeter [x]
EVO 8 FPR & Fuel Rail [x]
EVO 8 560CC Fuel Injectors [x]
D5 Concepts 2.5" catback Exhaust [x]
Magnaflow High Flow Cat
AEM UEGO Digital WideBand
K&N Intake Filter W/ Custom intake
EVO 8 ECU for Dual ECU set up or Manual Swap

Distant Future/Possible Mods
New Engine
New Transmission/Manual Swap
New Paint Job

[gtseclipse]

Looks cleanso far, try and keep it that way. Do the lighting, suspension, and a set of wheels.

[finesse49ers]

It looks clean and well kept.

[Chad]

Change out lights, suspension, exhaust, and new wheels for starts. Looks like you're on the right track.

[ya boy willz]

Update: 4/6/2010

Haven't really done anything to the car. Got bored and decided to paint the fake grille inserts black. They turned out decent in my opinion, could have been better. I also decided to fix the broken links of the pictures in the thread, and have updated my mod list now that I have more of an idea as to what I want to do with the 3G. Here are some pics of the painted fake grille inserts.







As always feedback is welcomed. Buying the MagnaFlow exhaust, Night shading the lights, and the grille are at the top of the mod list as of now.

[2003eclipsegs]

Defianlty new wheels then lower...Thats what I wish I did first..haha very clean..nice car to start moding how many miles?

[treehead]

Looking clean the most simple and cheap thing to do first is lights; front turns, reverse lights, tail lights, headlights. You could also look for some GT side skirts off of someone parting their car

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by 2003eclipsegs

Defianlty new wheels then lower...Thats what I wish I did first..haha very clean..nice car to start moding how many miles?

Originally Posted by treehead

Looking clean the most simple and cheap thing to do first is lights; front turns, reverse lights, tail lights, headlights. You could also look for some GT side skirts off of someone parting their car

Thanks for the compliments guys. It has a little over 120k miles on it right now.

[2003eclipsegs]

Yeah after you do all the easy stuff go find a crashed evo and do a swap...good luck though hope she is still runing strong!!!

[ya boy willz]

I hadn't considered doing an EVO swap, but I'll definitely look into it. She runs great though. She'd only had two previous owners and by condition we got her in the miles must have been highway miles, or she was taken care of really well because she was in excellent condition.

[thateclipse02]

u got a nice ride and looks very clean to, ima paint my fake vents black looks good lol

[yahh]

Originally Posted by 2003eclipsegs

Yeah after you do all the easy stuff go find a crashed evo and do a swap...good luck though hope she is still runing strong!!!

Haha

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by thateclipse02

u got a nice ride and looks very clean to, ima paint my fake vents black looks good lol

Thanks for the compliments. And yea the car does look much better with the vents black, the faded gray looked pretty bad before.

[2003eclipsegs]

Originally Posted by yahh

Haha

Yeah do what yahh is doing haha but if she runs good run her till she dont run no more!!I think thats what Im gona do with my 3g then get a evo=D

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by 2003eclipsegs

Yeah do what yahh is doing haha but if she runs good run her till she dont run no more!!I think thats what Im gona do with my 3g then get a evo=D

lol yea I plan on running it till it doesn't run anymore and then sticking a new engine and tranny in her, or just buying a new 3g altogether. I wish I had the cash for a nice EVO

[2003eclipsegs]

Haha I don't have any cash for an evo hahaha I spent all my money on the eclipse hahaha but the eclipse should last me long enough to save up enough money to get an evo..well that is if I find a job hahaha

[2003eclipsegs]

Good luck with the car!!

[ya boy willz]

haha well then good luck saving up for the evo. and good luck with the 3G I'm sure it'll last you long enough as long as you take care of it.

[ya boy willz]

Update: 5/20/2010

Finally decided to get around to going to Advanced Discount Auto Parts and picking up a can of Night Shades.

I'll be Night Shading only the rear lights for now and I'll probably do the front turn signals once school is over, and after I buy some clear corners. I've heard the regular orange front turns night shaded look gaudy and I'd rather spend a little bit of extra money to have the car looking nice than doing a POS job. I'm also going to be picking up some Shine Street side skirts next week when I make a trip down to Fort Lauderdale. The side skirts from an 03-05 kit should still fit a 2001 since the only thing that changed was the front bumper right?

I'll have more pics up over the weekend once the lights have been night shaded.

[Eclipse03GS]

Car looks good so far. Keep up the good work. Yeah, the shine street side skirts will fit your car. The only body style differences between the 00-02 and 03-05 are the front bumpers.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by Eclipse03GS

Car looks good so far. Keep up the good work. Yeah, the shine street side skirts will fit your car. The only body style differences between the 00-03 and 03-05 are the front bumpers.

Ok that's good to here. I'm gonna be snatching those up in a week and then i have to get a price quote on painting them. Thanks for the compliments.

[Chad]

On the right track

[treehead]

Good choice with the niteshading, it'll make a big difference

[quicksilver01]

Looks good so far.

[MoeGT]

goodluck! looks good so far.

[Got Rice Boy]

Looking like a nice clean stocker. You look like you have a good mod list, and it seems like you know how to take care of your car. Good luck with everything! Can't wait to see the progression on this.

[ya boy willz]

Thanks for all the compliments guys. I will be night shading the tails tomorrow morning and then wet sanding and buffing them to get a nice clean shine sunday morning. Hopefully they come out looking nice.

[03Quicksilver3G]

Originally Posted by quicksilver01

Looks good so far.

Silver FTW!

[wright06jhs]

I like it. Well kept and clean.

[MrPremere]

Take a full day and give Er' a full detail. From Claybar to paint cleaner, the works! and youll love it even more!

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by MrPremere

Take a full day and give Er' a full detail. From Claybar to paint cleaner, the works! and youll love it even more!

I most definitely will. I haven't washed her in quite a while. Thanks for all the compliments guys, I'm in the process of nightshading the lights right now. Does anybody know how long you should let the night shades cure before you apply clear coat? The can says dries to touch in one hour, safe to handle in 3 hours and cures in 24 hours? It is completely necessary to let the night shades cure for a whole day or is 6-8 hours fine?

Also does anybody know how to remove the third brake light from the car. I know it has two screws but I unscrewed those and they still didn't come out. Do I have to use some force to pop them out, or is that only the red cover comes out? I'm completely lost and any help would be appreciated.

[scarr]

I tinted, waited 24 hours, wetsanded, cleared, waited 24 hours, wetsanded, rubbing compounded, then waxed. but then again i wanted good looking, shiny tails. i like to overdo things to make sure they look good.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by scarr

I tinted, waited 24 hours, wetsanded, cleared, waited 24 hours, wetsanded, rubbing compounded, then waxed. but then again i wanted good looking, shiny tails. i like to overdo things to make sure they look good.

Alright man, thanks. I'm planning on just leaving them to dry for 24 hours then wet sanding and clearing them tomorrow morning. I'll then wet sand and rubbing compound/wax them after about 8-10 hours. I also want my tails to come out real nice and shiny. Did you do your third brake light also or no?

[scarr]

no... but i am doing a project (read: secret, and something actually NEW and never done before, and involves a microprocessor) on it. also since my car is patriot red, the third brake light blends in nicely, and really doesn't need it. on a white car though, i would do it.

[ya boy willz]

Alright. I will definitely be following your ride thread to see this super secret mod. And ummmmm my car's not white it's silver lol

[scarr]

meh, silver is just dark white.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by scarr

meh, silver is just dark white.

This is true.

[ya boy willz]

The Night-Shading is COMPLETE. They came out pretty good in my opinion. Could have been better. I'll have to do the Third Brake light later. Have to give thanks to Crimson GT for the great how-to . I got a little camera Happy so if your really interested, or bored, all the pictures can be here Tinting Experience May 22 o10 pictures by willzeclipse - Photobucket.

Before









After











All Comments welcome.

[DHaughton27]

They look OK...they could use a little more shine but not bad for a first try
I'm having the same problem with trying to get my tail lights to shine...the bumper lights came out good but my tails are dull and it looks wierd because they are soo off

[Got Rice Boy]

Too dull for my taste.

[scarr]

what are you guys doing when you tint them?
here is what i did:
clean them (i used glass cleaner)
wetsand (cause there were imperfections)
clean again. (prep is key, don't be lazy)
tint
tint
tint (i did 3 light coats)
behold the shine (serously, at that point i had 10x the shine of your finished product)
sleep (let it cure for 24 hours-ish)
clean
wetsand
clean
clear coat
(behold the shine)
sleep 24 hours again)
clean
wetsand
clean
rubbing compound
wetsand any missed areas (the edges were a little orange peeley)
rubbing compound
wax

are you skipping steps?
all wetsanding was done with 2000 grit sandpaper)

[ccarrillo717]

Originally Posted by scarr

what are you guys doing when you tint them?
here is what i did:
clean them (i used glass cleaner)
wetsand (cause there were imperfections)
clean again. (prep is key, don't be lazy)
tint
tint
tint (i did 3 light coats)
behold the shine (serously, at that point i had 10x the shine of your finished product)
sleep (let it cure for 24 hours-ish)
clean
wetsand
clean
clear coat
(behold the shine)
sleep 24 hours again)
clean
wetsand
clean
rubbing compound
wetsand any missed areas (the edges were a little orange peeley)
rubbing compound
wax

are you skipping steps?
all wetsanding was done with 2000 grit sandpaper)

I did the same steps but I didnt use wax... I used a rubbing compound and they came out shinny and not flat black

[DHaughton27]

Originally Posted by scarr

what are you guys doing when you tint them?
here is what i did:
clean them (i used glass cleaner)
wetsand (cause there were imperfections)
clean again. (prep is key, don't be lazy)
tint
tint
tint (i did 3 light coats)
behold the shine (serously, at that point i had 10x the shine of your finished product)
sleep (let it cure for 24 hours-ish)clean
wetsand
clean
clear coat
(behold the shine)
sleep 24 hours again)
clean
wetsand
clean
rubbing compound
wetsand any missed areas (the edges were a little orange peeley)
rubbing compound
wax

are you skipping steps?
all wetsanding was done with 2000 grit sandpaper)

I did all of the following except for the things highlighted red

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by scarr

what are you guys doing when you tint them?
here is what i did:
clean them (i used glass cleaner)
wetsand (cause there were imperfections)
clean again. (prep is key, don't be lazy)
tint
tint
tint (i did 3 light coats)
behold the shine (serously, at that point i had 10x the shine of your finished product)
sleep (let it cure for 24 hours-ish)
clean
wetsand
clean
clear coat
(behold the shine)
sleep 24 hours again)
clean
wetsand
clean
rubbing compound
wetsand any missed areas (the edges were a little orange peeley)
rubbing compound
wax

are you skipping steps?
all wetsanding was done with 2000 grit sandpaper)

I skipped that. I'm gonna try to wet sand and use rubbing compound again and see if that helps. how many coats of clear coat did you use? I used two of both Night Shades and Clear coat.

[scarr]

OH, curing is a REALLY important part. if it doesn't fully cure, you are just kinda swooshing it around.

and when you wetsand, about how long were you doing it? i must have done 10-20 minutes for each reverse light. i did it all by feel, not looks. kept feeling for impurities, roughness, etc.

[Bronx11]

Originally Posted by scarr

what are you guys doing when you tint them?
here is what i did:
clean them (i used glass cleaner)
wetsand (cause there were imperfections)
clean again. (prep is key, don't be lazy)
tint
tint
tint (i did 3 light coats)
behold the shine (serously, at that point i had 10x the shine of your finished product)
sleep (let it cure for 24 hours-ish)
clean
wetsand
clean
clear coat
(behold the shine)
sleep 24 hours again)
clean
wetsand
clean
rubbing compound
wetsand any missed areas (the edges were a little orange peeley)
rubbing compound
wax

are you skipping steps?
all wetsanding was done with 2000 grit sandpaper)

I do the near exact same process as scarrs's minus the time in between cures. The wet-sanding and rubbing compound are essential to producing a shine. If you want, using car polish after the compound will make the lenses shine more. It helps if you have a orbital buffer while sitting down and using your lap to keep it in place.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by scarr

OH, curing is a REALLY important part. if it doesn't fully cure, you are just kinda swooshing it around.

and when you wetsand, about how long were you doing it? i must have done 10-20 minutes for each reverse light. i did it all by feel, not looks. kept feeling for impurities, roughness, etc.

I sanded for like a minute maybe. I'm kind of a uhh aggressive sander usually and I didn't want to F up a pair of taillights . I'm gonna take them off again later and sand them down and then give them a good buffing and wax. It'll probably have to wait a few weeks though, because school is being annoying

[scarr]

well, 2000 grit is like...sanding with notebook paper, you could sand for HOURS and not take a full coat of nighteshades off.

[ya boy willz]

Update 6/2/10

I just picked up the Shine Street Side Skirts that Phateclipsegts had for sale on the forums. I made a trip down to SFL with my brother to visit my friends Memorial day weekend and met with him to purchase the side skirts. He is a great guy and gave me an amazing deal, Thanks again Jon.

I will be getting a price quote on painting these and test fitting them this weekend. I will also probably sand and polish the taillights again also this weekend to give them a better shine.

[ya boy willz]

Haven't been on here in a while. I finally got around to fitting the SS Side Skirts on the car and decided I'd post up some pics. I still need to get them painted and find some mesh to put in the gaps. I have no clue when I'll get around to doing that though.

[ya boy willz]

Update 8/17

The car is now at 127k miles. Before anyone starts to say change your timing belt and water pump it's been done, as well as a new radiator being thrown in and motor mounts. A few minor cosmetic changes have been done and here they are.

"Custom" grill



Debadged GS, Black Rear Emblem, Black Mitsu Eclipse lettering


Smoked Depo Turn Signals



That's it so far. Also did some really small things but i don't have pics. Mod's list has been updated also. All feed back welcome as always.

[scarr]

is that a ... windows bug screen?
honestly i think the straight up and down-ness, and thin lines of the grill look cheap. BUT it honestly is better than nothing (that is all you need: a rock getting in there and busting something.)

[JPflip509]

the mod list confused me as to thinking you already had it on ur car...i was like wtf?

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by scarr

is that a ... windows bug screen?
honestly i think the straight up and down-ness, and thin lines of the grill look cheap. BUT it honestly is better than nothing (that is all you need: a rock getting in there and busting something.)

It's actually fencing from Home depot. There's like four layers folded into that shape. It's not that great looking but I didn't have $80 to go spend on a good looking grill and it does prevent rocks and bugs and all kinds of shiz from flying in there.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by JPflip509

the mod list confused me as to thinking you already had it on ur car...i was like wtf?

The only thing not on the car is the SS side skirts, and that's because they're off the car right now to get painted. If you look at the post right above the one with the updates there's pictures of the skirts on the car though.

[Got Rice Boy]

Originally Posted by ya boy willz

The only thing not on the car is the SS side skirts, and that's because they're off the car right now to get painted. If you look at the post right above the one with the updates there's pictures of the skirts on the car though.

Ne he means your first list with the check boxes. He thought everything was already installed, he didn't understand that it was mixed in with future mods as well.

[ya boy willz]

I didn't know my mod list was that complicated

[jaloosk]

Originally Posted by ya boy willz

I didn't know my mod list was that complicated

Usually a mod list is something you've actually accomplished. What you've got there is a wish list.

[Got Rice Boy]

Originally Posted by jaloosk

Usually a mod list is something you've actually accomplished. What you've got there is a wish list.

Yeah but he did put check marks next to the ones he has.

[ya boy willz]

Originally Posted by Got Rice Boy

Yeah but he did put check marks next to the ones he has.

It's both a mod list and a wish list. I don't see a point in seperating what you've done and what you haven't yet. When you make a to-do list you don't split it in two.