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Meotjaengi's Repatriated Tiburon

67K views 322 replies 55 participants last post by  Wombat Racing 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello! I'm originally from Los Angeles, but I have lived in Korea for over 2 years. Today marks the day that I am no longer a slave to the Korean public transportation system! (even though it is quite efficient) I am the new owner of a 2005 Tuscani Elisa (2.7L v6).

In LA, I still own a 2002 WRX (that would be considered 'stage 2' in Subaru speak). My WRX will always be my first 'love'. However, I trust everyone here not to tell her about my new Korean 'girlfriend'.^^

I am not Korean, but I can speak and read Korean (more than 95% of other foreigners, humbly speaking, but the technical words/explanations are still tough for me).

I really look forward to learning more about my car from everyone here!

Edit (5/27/12): Even though the Korean title for my car states that it is a 2005 model, I recently found a VIN on my car. Since Korean cars do not have VINs, this had me scratching my head. After doing some research, I found out that my car is actually a 2003 model that was originally sold in Canada, and last registered in Toronto in 2004. So obviously, this car has been "repatriated" to Korea (most likely in early 2005) and has undergone an F/L conversion. If only my Tib could talk!
 
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#2 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Sweet man, I'm sure we all would love to see pictures of your car. I'm curious if there are meets in korea that you'd go to. We are slightly obsessive of KDM Tiburons on here and would love to see some genuine pictures of the Tiburons you see over there. I hope you have a good stay here on the website.
 
#11 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

well, I have been getting home after dark this week so I haven't been able to take pictures of the Tuscani yet...and I just realized that I need to make 4 more posts before I can even link a picture to my post! So please be patient with me for a bit, I will post some pictures as soon as I am able. :3_wink:
 
#15 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Time for an update!

New parts/mods since December 2011:

SMA springs, new wheels, Kumho Ecsta 4X tires >> SMA springs, OEM struts, new wheels/tires - New Tiburon Forum : Hyundai Tiburon Forums
ARK shorty antenna
slave cyl mod
protective undercoating (summer torrential rains are coming!)
timing belt, all pulleys, and water pump replacement
polyurethane engine mounts
polyurethane swaybar bushings
engine vibration damper
new halfshafts (both cv boots had spewed their grease)
new lower A-arms (the rubber bushings were almost completely ripped apart/out of the hole)
Jun B.L exhaust (including headers)

The Jun B.L exhaust has a really smooth, throaty purr. It has a really nice resonating sound from 2700-3300rpm under load. Above that rpm it seems to quiet down a little bit (but that may be because I am outrunning my own soundwaves ^_^). Anyway, I am very pleased with it. I decided to go with the single exit because the dual exit design for this car is more for looks than performance in my opinion, and the single exit saves weight.

This exhaust is not ordered as a kit. Each piece is selected separately, which means it must be custom fitted to the car. Needless to say, it was exciting to see it as it was assembled and welded together! I feel truly fortunate to have the professionals at SMA (Korea) doing the dirty work on my Tib!

Here are some pics of the exhaust system and install:





next pic is the high flow cat


I believe the logo is laser(?) etched onto the tip


















:m_dunce: PLEASE do not "quote" this post! Thank you :3_bier:
 
#40 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

New parts/mods since December 2011:

SMA springs, new wheels, Kumho Ecsta 4X tires
ARK shorty antenna
slave cyl mod
protective undercoating (summer torrential rains are coming!)
timing belt, all pulleys, and water pump replacement
polyurethane engine mounts
polyurethane swaybar bushings
engine vibration damper
new halfshafts (both cv boots had spewed their grease)
new lower A-arms (the rubber bushings were almost completely ripped apart/out of the hole)
Jun B.L exhaust (including headers)
New parts/mods since June 2012:

Delrin shifter cable bushings
stainless steel braided hydraulic brake lines
stainless steel braided hydraulic clutch line
TWM Phantom Hybrid shifter knob
extra engine grounding wires
OverBoost aluminum radiator
new HLAs (Hydraulic Lash Adjusters)
new valve cover gaskets
NGM Lower Intake Manifold
NGM Upper Intake Manifold
phenolic spacer
System Upgrade 60mm throttle body (cruise control "delete")
new vacuum hoses
new IACV (Idle Air Control Valve)
fabricated intake with larger diameter MAF housing (short ram style)
HKS air cleaner (mushroom style)
new drive belt
new drive belt tensioner
new drive belt idler pulley
new power steering pump (w/ pulley)
new crankshaft pulley
ECU remapping (custom)
 
#22 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

That, sir, is a beautiful exhaust!
 
#23 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Dude: You have to red-out those yellow tail lights.
 

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#24 ·
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

Thanks for the positive responses!

@Johncrxsi - The headers alone were approximately $1100 US dollars...I would expect them to be more in the US due to shipping and distributor markup.

@Sharkbitten - now that I've driven a bit more with them on the Tib, I can confirm that they do. ^_^

@ShamanKJM - I'm on wrxtuners.com...We are a good group that takes pride in having fun while maintaining civility towards each other (unlike NastySock).
 
#25 · (Edited)
Re: Annyeonghassaeyo

It was a long winter this year and living in a rural area where temps consistently reached -15 to -20 degrees Celsius at night without being able to have covered parking was not fun. Besides having a parking brake that sticks at those temps, the Tib survived well. I did have to replace the door rubber because it stuck to the door jamb and became deformed when I forcefully pulled the door open (like an idiot). However, it is pretty cool to hear the sound of frozen rubber stretching...




My inspection day finally came this April and I passed. There are two iron rails that stick up from the mechanics "pit" underneath the car to measure ride height. If my car was 5mm lower, I would have been looking for a new crossmember and exhaust. I was literally laying on the ground, looking at the clearance, and whispering profanities as the inspector drove it over the pit. Thank you again atomicdeathmonkey for sharing your Korean inspection experience as it was very helpful to me...




About 10 days after inspection, my OEM radiator's plastic finally started to split on the front side where the plastic bends at approximately a 150 degree angle. Luckily, I found some high temperature bonding "goop" to fashion a makeshift repair that allowed me to drive the 60km to my mechanic/tuner (in the middle of the cold night with a engine cool down rest stop halfway). I found out two things that night; first, that driving at 90km/hr with no other cars on a 6 lane highway is torture and second, that sleeping with half my body in the trunk and the rear seats folded down is more comfortable than sleeping in the passenger's seat. It was worth it because the next day we installed a new aluminum radiator.




Not too long after that, the TWM Phantom Hybrid shift knob that I purchased from YZrider143 arrived in the mail. At first, the width of it felt strange but I have quickly come to like it very much. Thank you again YZrider143!!!

 
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