kevintk

Finally stoked to say that I am a proud owner of a Mitsubishi Lancer!
Early August (2012), I went to Anaheim Mitsubishi and picked up this 2012 Lancer GT. After seeing the car in a variety of colors, I knew it had to be blue, didn't want to be another driver in a *white, grey silver, black* car. So I'm proud to say that I bought one of the five remaining blue GTs in California

Anyways, I decided to make a progress thread of my car, as I plan to personalize and modify it in the coming months. Here I will post a nice variety of pics, and being handy with photoshop, I plan to do a lot of mock-ups.

I am also new to a lot of modding and have not worked on a Lancer before, so I hope this can be a place of advice and recommendation, and maybe some technical help.

3/23/13
Current mod list:
-Eibach Pro-Kit lowering spring set
-Plast-dip chrome nose trim
-Debadged back w/ exception of plasti-dipped diamond.
-Painted stock wheels
-Plastic radiator cover cut-out to air snorkel
-K&N Typhoon Intake
-Nite Shade side markers & center brake light
-Custom Thermal R&D axleback exhaust system
-Custom fabricated aluminum air ramp
-Window Tint

To do list:
-Replace current dash and interior trim with nicer (maybe carbon fiber) trim
-Install RA air snorkel
-Professional ECU Tune




Unfortunately, I do not have any good pictures of my car completely stock, so I will begin with the first modification I had done.

- Right off the bat, the lancer is a pretty tall car. So buying the right spring set and getting it lowered was a must. I went with the Eibach Pro-Kit spring set and had the car lowered at a quality shop. Very high quality product.




Before: (sorry for the crappy pic)



After:



The car drives fantastic with the new spring set. I am very pleased with the ride being smooth, yet more rigid and more responsive. Not to mention those mean looks



The next step was to get rid of the chrome nose trim. The car looks alright with the chrome detailing, but I think it may come off as slightly cheap. So I picked up some plasti-dip, removed the chrome piece without removing the bumper (which wasn't too bad) and gave the trim a clean and even 5 coats

Before:



After: I think it really improves the aesthetic of the car. More aggressive and sportier.



Here are a few shots of the car:

CruiseControl

Nice man!

pcamaliga

Where did u buy eibach pro kit for our lancer gt? Cn we use the same springs in the 2011 lancer gts? I really want to lower my car like yours

06evors

iTrader: (4)

Good mod list so far. The best thing you can dois to enhance the small things w/o hurting the drivability/comfort level. Congrats on the purchase and love that color.

kevintk

I got the Eibach springs from autoanything.com And yes, I am almost 100% certain that these springs will work in your 2011 GTS. It's a fantastic upgrade.
Here's a link: http://www.autoanything.com/suspensi...A2549A0A0.aspx

Thanks a lot man, I'm really happy with the car. I will post more pictures Friday or Saturday when the wheels are done being painted.

Newuser213

How did you take off the chrome trim? If let say you wanted a permanent paint (plastic dip comes off?) on the chrome trim, whats a good alternative? Does Mits sell a black trim you can swap?

kevintk

To remove the chrome trim, you need to access the screws behind it, some on the top, some on the bottom. This requires you to lift the hood, remove the air diffuser, and pop off the air intake. To get the bottom screws, you need to pop out the bottom grill piece. Youtube has some tutorials.
Plasti-dip is great because it has a clean matte finish that matches the grill of the car, but can be peeled off is so desired. As for alternatives, you could probably take it to an auto body repair shop and have them professionally paint it. I do not think Mitsubishi sells a black replacement trim.

Best of luck

Newuser213

Kevintk, did you get my PM?

kevintk

Just sent it.

joe210

Looking good. Man I should have gone with the blue. lol

I got the GT badge on the trunk.

diamondgirl

Very nice! I absolutely love color.

kevintk

Really cool, I was thinking of doing something like that on the grill. Just a touch of red.

Thanks! I love it too

joe210

I was thinking of doing something like that too but couldn't find one for the grille. I guess you got to make one.

Sirlanceralot

is that the same bumper as the RA or different specs? what all would need to be replaced for a 08 gts?

neogeo64

iTrader: (3)

Yep, it's the same Bumper.
There is also a way to remove the ring without taking off the the whole bumper in the Ralliart how-to forums.