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Colt's 03 GT

5K views 29 replies 10 participants last post by  Scorpio13 
#1 · (Edited)
So I've been hanging around on here for a while now, I guess its finally time to make one of these things. (WARNING: Pic Heavy)

Here's my Tib so far:




2003 V6 6-Speed

Member Album



Performance
Injen SRI
DC Sports Ceramic Headers w/ Random Technology Cat
DC Sports Exhaust
Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator
Mishimoto Silicone Hoses & 12" Electric Fans
NGK Plugs/Wires
Bosch 190 LPH Fuel Pump
Delrin Shifter Base & Cable Bushings
B&M Short Shifter

Suspension
Nolathane Polyurethane Control Arm Bushings

Tires/Wheels/Brakes
Stock 17" Wheels Powder Coated Black
BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2 225/45/R17
Stoptech Drilled/Slotted Rotors
Stoptech Stainless Steel Lines
Centric Reman. Calipers & Posiquiet Pads

Exterior
Diode Dynamics Angel Eyes
Diode Dynamics 6000K HIDs (Low Beams & Fogs)
Diode Dynamics LED Switchbacks
Clear Corners (With Custom Painting)
Custom Painted Tuscani Badges & Wheel Caps
Black Powder Coated Wheels
Mishimoto Blue Lug Nuts
Black Painted Fuel Door
FL Tail Lights
Wingless

Interior
Redline Shift Boot
Tuscani Steering Wheel Badge
Rear Seat Delete​




The list above will be updated with my current mods. I'll put a continuously-updated "wish list" here once I get it organized on my computer, but first a quick documentation of my progress so far:

My first car was a 2001 Grand Am that crapped out on me right before graduating high school. I could've just dropped a rebuilt or used engine in it, but I was broke (and I had paid cash for the car) so I decided to park it until I figured out what I wanted to do. Right around this time, I started looking at how much I could make over the summer, and what that could buy me. I had fallen in love with the Tiburon thanks to Forza 4 and a beautifully modified Tib I had seen when I was about 12, but I had no idea that it could actually be within my budget at 17 years old if I played my cards right. So I worked all summer and by the week before I started college, I was able to pay $3800 cash for a 2003 V6 Tib with a 6 speed, and put four brand new tires on it the day after I drove it home.



Annnnd then I was broke again.

So for the next six months, I tried to juggle 12 units at the nearest community college, working 20-30 hours a week, and the end of a 3-year relationship with a girl I had already picked a ring for (now very thankful I dodged that crazy bullet ;) ). The following spring saw me taking a semester off school to work and clear my head, doing a LOT of research into what I might want to start doing to my new car, and finally deciding to start with clear corners, angel eyes and HIDs:




Shortly after that, a new girlfriend and some time off work when the local economy slowed down meant that there was no money for the car for a while. Late summer of 2014 saw some paint: satin black for the stock 17" wheels, metallic blue for the front and rear calipers, and some beautifully custom painted Tuscani badges and wheel caps to match:




Then, a rather tumultuous autumn:

While visiting my girlfriend in LA, a 16 year old girl backs into my car trying to get out of a perfectly wide parking spot:



Her and her parents not having any insurance and me not having full coverage yet means its still there as of this writing..

Then spark plugs and wires, timing belt, water pump, and AC delete in preparation for another trip down to LA for thanksgiving:





After putting over 1200 miles on my car over the course of the 4 day weekend, I got back home late that Sunday night. The next morning, I blew my radiator on my way to school.
Luck was actually on my side though, because it was Cyber Monday, so Mishimoto was having a huge sale on their top-notch parts!




Spring of '15 saw me finally "starting" to really build my car. First a Shark Racing short shifter (crap), some Red Line tranny fluid, and Seafoam!



Then my Injen SRI:




Then either a clogged fuel filter or a dying pump (or both) prompted new filters, a Bosch 190 LPH pump, and as a side effect, this:



Since I had to pull the back seat out to get to the pump, and I never really had any use for a back seat too small to fit anyone over 5'8" I decided to pull everything and keep it out. I'm currently in the design process (and waiting on a few other things to be checked off my list) for a custom rear cargo deck/audio system build that will hopefully happen next winter?? But in the meantime, weight savings!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Shortly after dealing with the fuel pump and filters and all that jazz, I received my beautiful new billet oil cap from Neztec Motorsports:



A broken fuel door meant a new replacement got some satin black before going on:



And now just last week (May 21) I received a beautiful B&M short shifter to replace the awful one I got a few months ago. And let me say this: as good as the Shark Racing one felt compared to stock, this feels twice as good compared to the Shark Racing one. Every shift is crisp and precise, and there is absolutely no clanking, rattling or abnormal play in the shaft. The difference in quality is just astounding. I know they've been discontinued for a long time, and I consider myself very lucky to now be the proud owner of one, but I will tell every 6 speed owner out there: if you can get your hands on a B&M short shifter, do it. No question about it. Just do it.



Finished off nicely with a brand new Redline leather shift boot:





And that brings us up to date, thanks for reading!

Stay tuned, I have a lot more planned for this little Tib…
 
#5 ·
Thanks! It's been kind of a slow process so far, but things should start picking up pretty soon.

May I recommend a blox racing weighted shift knob ;) excellent feel and it adds some good flavor to the interior, love the rest of the build. I'll stay tuned to see where it goes!
Thanks, and I've actually been looking for a good weighted shift knob for a while. The hard part is finding a good knob that works with the 6-speed's reverse lockout collar. I do like the look of both Blox and TWM shift knobs, but I think I might actually have something in the works for a custom-made stainless steel knob, we'll see where it goes though ;)
 
#4 ·
May I recommend a blox racing weighted shift knob ;) excellent feel and it adds some good flavor to the interior, love the rest of the build. I'll stay tuned to see where it goes!
 
#7 ·
Thanks! :) I've always been partial to a white/black color scheme, and the emphasis I'm going for with this car is clean lines; mostly white, tasteful amount of black for counterbalance, and subtle accents in a single color (blue for me) for the exterior.
 
#9 ·
Thanks! Yeah, it really is fantastic. I have the Delrin base and cable bushings from the group buy last November, and hopefully pretty soon I'll have a custom stainless steel shift knob. It already feels a million times better than stock though.

Small update, I finally got my windows working last night! Replaced the driver side motor and cleaned/re-lubed the track and cable on that side. The passenger side is having brush issues too, so it might be getting replaced soon as well. But after months of no AC, no window functionality, and no real winter (drought in California is getting bad) I'll finally be able to catch a breeze! Now that I got them working again, I'll hopefully be going in to get some tint done within the next couple weeks. Unfortunately, CA vehicle code says no more than 70% on the front windows, but I'm going to talk to the owner of the local shop and ask him what he's heard about the cops around here. If he says they don't worry about it much, I might try bumping it up to 50% or so. Worst case scenario, I get a fix-it and have to go back in to have it redone. Luckily, there's no restriction on the rear side and rear windows, so a good 10-15% will help keep things a bit cooler back there :)

My car is absolutely filthy at the moment (drought means water cutbacks, limited irrigation, and NO washing vehicles at home :frown2: ). But when I got done I was in the mood to take some pics, and I discovered my garage actually has pretty good lighting. So please ignore the dirt for now ;)


 
#10 ·
Small update:

The first stage of "operation wingless" is complete!





Obviously you can see a lot of work left to do just in these two pictures, I will be filling all the holes and repainting the hatch (and hopefully be getting rid of that scar on the fender), but there are a lot of other projects going on right now, so for now the holes will be temporarily water-proofed with bolts and rubber washers :p
 
#12 ·
Obviously you can see a lot of work left to do just in these two pictures, I will be filling all the holes and repainting the hatch (and hopefully be getting rid of that scar on the fender), but there are a lot of other projects going on right now, so for now the holes will be temporarily water-proofed with bolts and rubber washers :p
If you aren't already aware, there are plastic grommets at your local hardware store that work great for covering the holes. I used them for a long time and they worked great, you'll just have to get them in slightly different sizes to fit nice and snug.
 
#11 ·
Looks great! Love the look of the blue NGK plugs and wires been meaning to go pic myself up some but haven't been able to find a great price on them. Keep up the good work!
 
#13 ·
Sorry it took me so long to get back on here, but thanks! As for the plugs and wires, I paid around $115 for the 6 Iridium plugs, the set of wires and the UIM gasket from Advance Auto last fall. If you order online from them, use the code TRT30 to get 30% off, every time :grin2:

If you aren't already aware, there are plastic grommets at your local hardware store that work great for covering the holes. I used them for a long time and they worked great, you'll just have to get them in slightly different sizes to fit nice and snug.
I was actually not aware of those until I saw your post, so thanks for the tip! It's actually so damn dry in California right now that I was able to just leave the holes open the 2 weeks or so it took me to get around to filling them right (see next post).
 
#14 · (Edited)
Okay, so it took me way longer than it should've to get these pictures up here, because it's been done for like 3 weeks. But anyway, here it is!

Initial sanding:


Aluminum tape to support body filler:


Filled (pre-sand):


And finished product:








All in all, I am absolutely thrilled with how this turned out. The final sanding could've been a little better (there are still a few dimples/uneven contours in the filler), the color was just universal "oem white" so it's only 99% match to the original, and I would still like to do one or two more rounds of wet sanding and another coat or two of clear (second coat hazed a little because I was running low). But for my very first endeavor in any kind of bodywork/sanding/painting EVER, I am very pleased myself. It looks professionally done from a distance, and even up close it looks really good until you start looking for the flaws.
So I'm calling it. Operation Wingless: Success! :wink2:

Coming up next:

 
#15 ·
Wow, awesome job on filling the holes. I think I'll copy your approach, I've been trying to figure out the cheapest/easiest way to do it. A while ago I decided to move on from the grommets and use clear packing tape to cover the holes (much like you did with the aluminum tape) and then I plasti-dipped the entire trunk so you couldn't tell there was tape. It came out alright and looks better than the plastic grommets, but after seeing your work I'm gonna have to do the same soon!
Is the aluminum tape easy to work with? Does it need bare metal to bond to?

Side note - I only mention this because I noticed it myself recently, neither of us have the rear wiper and we both have the fluid sprayer up on top... I thought about that the other day while looking at my car and realized I totally forgot to take the nozzle off/fill that hole when I removed my wiper. Wasn't sure if you kept yours on purpose or not haha
 
#16 ·
The aluminum tape is really easy to work with, you just cut it to size with any sort of razor blade/utility knife and peel the backing off, then stick and smooth. I would recommend pressing it all the way around the hole and working the wrinkles out first, then using a smooth rounded tool to sort of press it in around the inside edge of the hole, creating the "dimple" you see in the pictures I uploaded. It may not make much of a difference, but I felt better knowing that the tape was actually pressed tight all the way around the hole before I laid the body filler. Also, I'm not sure that you absolutely have to get it down to bare metal, but I read that it was a good idea somewhere, so if anybody reads this and knows why that is, please enlighten us :grin2:

And yes, I did completely forget about the sprayer nozzle too haha. I just noticed it the other day, so I think I might take care of that this weekend.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hey guys, so this update is long overdue, because I've had these in for over two weeks, but here ya go:





They're not new - some of the reflective finish inside the housing is starting to peel - but I got a hell of a deal on them, and they look great, so I'm stoked.

That being said, I've hit a stroke of bad luck over the last several weeks. I finally ordered my poly motor mounts from SFR (the ones you press in), bought my headers, was ready to order the rest of the exhaust, and as I was going down to the nearest Harbor Freight to pick up a little 6 ton shop press (to press the mounts in), one of my rear brakes started dragging. So after driving an hour and a half back home with an intermittently dragging brake, I determined which side was having issues and checked the usual: debris/ buildup on the pads, stuck e-brake cable, under-lubricated or dirty caliper guide pins - everything was fine.

So... 90% sure it's a seized piston. I was able to get just enough free movement in it to let me drive the car for another couple weeks until I could order the parts, then things got worse:



I must've picked the nail up pretty close to home yesterday, because it went flat overnight. Luckily, I noticed it as soon as I pulled out of my garage, so I very carefully pulled back in and started to swap my spare on when things got quite a bit worse:



Seized lug nut led to trying harder, which in turn led to a sheared-off stud.

So she's parked for a couple weeks. Luckily, I had borrowed my sister's old Jeep when the rear brake caliper first seized up, so I was able to drive that around today. And I'm going to be looking at a much nicer back-up car next Monday, so that's exciting. But in the meantime, I went to the bank today and was approved for a small loan to supplement my emergency repair fund so I can do a whole bunch of things at once, and do them 100% right. The main thing is an (almost) full brake system overhaul. I'm planning on basically everything from the knuckles out, plus stainless lines. So I started this thread to get some help making sure I'm not forgetting anything.

But besides the brakes/hubs/bearings and all that boring stuff, I actually have some exciting things that will be happening, including:
- 4 new tires
- powdercoating the stock wheels (because my rattle can job was kinda ~meh~)
- sexy blue lug nuts
- stainless clutch line from HEL
- new slave cylinder
- SFR poly mounts
- cat-back exhaust (so I can install headers/exhaust and the SFR tuned ECU I've had since last December)
- maaaybe do some body work so I can finally ditch that nasty scar on the rear quarter panel?

So anyway, that's what I have in the works. Stay tuned for more fun, guys!
 
#19 ·
Wow that's quite a bit of bad luck you ran into all at once, sorry to hear. During my last brake job my rear calipers looked like they'd need an overhaul or replacement soon so I'm dreading my next brake job. Don't forget to find one of those blocky piston-reset tools if you haven't already. Your new tails look awesome though! Looks like you have a whole lot of awesome stuff planned, good luck overcoming the set-backs.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the positive words, man! I do have one of those blocky piston tools on the way, along with a bleeder tool, a big a$$ breaker bar and a bigger torque wrench.

Obviously the circumstances are less than ideal, but I am very excited to finally make some real progress on this build.

Nice 03, I have a similar vehicle and seem to be on a similar performance / modification path. I love Tibs in white.
Thanks man!
 
#23 ·
Hey guys, so it has been way too long and I've hit way too many road blocks along the way, but she is finally back on the road! I finished up the last few things around 3 o'clock Saturday morning, drove up to a quiet stretch of divided four lane highway to bed in my brakes yesterday morning, and she has been running like a champ. There will be many a picture and video to come in the next few days, but for now just a list of all the fun new things that have happened since my last post:

-New hubs and bearings x4 (fronts pressed in & out myself at a friend's shop)
-Centric reman. calipers x4 (and PosiQuiet pads)
-StopTech drilled & slotted rotors x4
-StopTech stainless steel brake lines x4
-Moog ball joints x2
-Moog tie rod ends x2 (definitely the biggest pain because of seized jam nuts that eventually required a ton of PB, a torch, and a 24" pipe wrench to break loose)
-Black powder coating for the stock wheels (as I said before, my rattle can job was ~meh~ so I had them done at a local shop and they look fantastic)
-BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp 2 in 225/45/17 x4 (haven't really pushed them yet but they feel wonderful so far - very grippy even in the rain today)
-Mishimoto blue aluminum lug nuts (hate all you want, they look great and I got them dirt cheap because of an Amazon special)
-Mishimoto magnetic oil drain plug
-DC Sports headers w/ Random Technology cat welded in
-DC Sports catback exhaust (this combination of my Injen intake, DC headers/exhaust with the Random Tech cat sounds phenomenal - low and smooth all the way with NO RASP and NO CEL yet)

Still coming soon:
-SFR poly motor mounts (ordered 3 months ago, still nothing...)
-HEL stainless clutch line & Centric slave cylinder (just haven't gotten to it yet - will remove the delay valve before installation)

All in all, It's been a great learning process as I continue to do all my own work. I haven't checked the alignment yet (I actually work at Big O Tires now so I can even do that myself, but we were way too busy Saturday for me to get it on the alignment rack) but I got it very very close to where it was when I put everything back together, and I'll check it out tomorrow at work. I also haven't had a chance to take many pictures or sort through the ones I have, but I'll be doing that as soon as the weather clears up. In the meantime, here's a teaser pic as a reward for sitting through another wall of text ;)

 
#24 · (Edited)
Great progress as usual, I bet your car feels great with all of those new parts! As I was scrolling down I noticed the black scuff marks on your rear driver fender, have you ever considered using one of those "magic erasers" to try and get it off? I've used them before (on non-car applications) and have had great results. HOWEVER be careful to only use them in the exact area that you need, because all these "magic erasers" are is extremely high grit sand paper. It wont take your paint off but it WILL fade your clearcoat if you rub on it too much.

Unfortunately one of my friends came over with one of those erasers one day, he went around his car using it on every little spot he could and praised it like it was god. Then he came over to my car and did a quick run-around while I was inside my house grabbing something, which is the day I found out that they fade clearcoat. Now I have a bunch of small areas that are slightly faded... something only I would realize, but they're definitely there and I'm definitely not happy about it -_- TIL: don't let friends touch your car.

But, just an idea for you. They will take the black marks right off, just don't keep rubbing after that though. Great work, I envy all the awesome things you've done.
 
#27 ·
Okay, I've put it off long enough. Here's another update or whatever. :grin2:

As I said in my last post (in November...yikes) last fall saw me leaving the Tib on jack stands in my garage for about two months while I did:
-all new hubs & bearings
-ball joints (Moog)
-tie rod ends (Moog)
-reman. calipers (Centric, w/ Posiquiet pads)
-drilled/slotted rotors (Stoptech)
-stainless steel brake lines (Stoptech)
-polyurethane control arm bushings (Nolathane)

-DC Sports ceramic headers (bought used w/ Random Technology cat welded in)
-DC Sports exhaust
-black powder coating for the stock 17s (done at local shop L&L Powder Coating, fantastic job)
-BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2 in 225/45/17
-Mishimoto blue lug nuts





The headers and exhaust sound absolutely amazing, I fall in love with the sound more and more every time I drive it. I'm still working on getting a good video but trust me, it is pure sex.

The combination of new/more aggressive tires, brand new ball joints & tie rod ends, and these Nolathane poly control arm bushings make the Tib handle like a dream. I always loved the way it handled before - it felt super tight compared to the old beat up trucks and jeeps I was used to driving when I first bought it - but it's amazing how much of an improvement I felt in just those little "in-between" parts that are so often overlooked. Still on deck for suspension is Megan Racing coilovers, front & rear strut bars (definitely DC for the rear, that double bar design is hot), Ingalls Smart Arms, and a phatt rear sway bar (unsure on what's still available - suggestions?) along with sway bushings and end links front and rear.

And as a side note, part of me misses my blue calipers, and I might still paint the new ones at some point (plus now they would perfectly match my lug nuts) but that's pretty far down the priority list, plus I'm working a lot right now so time + energy = nonexistent.

At the top of the priority list right now is a full FL front end:
-headlights
-bumper
-fog lights (& bezels)
-upper & lower grills

I was already planning on doing it at some point, but it got pushed up to the top of the list when this happened a few weeks ago:




With nothing but a little fatigue and distraction to blame, I shamefully present the first and only damage I have caused to this car. It was just a light pole in a nearly empty parking lot leaving work, at about 2-3 mph, but it cracked the bumper, bent the fender and hood a little bit, and broke the headlight mounting tabs off the housing. I got it temporarily stitched up with zip ties (#JDMdriftbro) to keep the rain off my HID ballasts:



I'm still super pissed at myself. But I prefer to look at broken things as opportunities to upgrade. And even though money is kind of tight right now, I'm getting ready to sell my snowboard and all my related gear to pay for the parts I need to order. As always, I will be doing all the work myself, including paint (using a friend's gun and compressor, thankfully) and hopefully I'll be able to tweak the fender and hood back into place.

So after I take care of that whole tragedy, the next things on my list are:
-poly motor mounts (ordered some from SFR like 6 months ago and never got them, now they won't answer my emails. So I think I'll just fill them like @KelConquerer)
-installing the new slave cylinder and HEL stainless clutch line I have sitting in my garage
-replacing a couple power steering lines that have started to leak (& switching to some good stainless worm screw clamps)
-maybe some tint before summer really sets in
-probably angel eyes for the new headlights at some point

The next big thing on the list - maaaaybe by the end of the year - will be Megan coilovers & some spacers for the stock 17s (new wheels are in the future, but I'm keeping those plans under wraps for now, even though it's nothing crazy and it'll probably be another year and a half before I can get them :( )

But anyway, thanks for reading! I'll try to be more active in the near future :p
 
#29 ·
So after I take care of that whole tragedy, the next things on my list are:
-poly motor mounts (ordered some from SFR like 6 months ago and never got them, now they won't answer my emails. So I think I'll just fill them like @KelConquerer)
-installing the new slave cylinder and HEL stainless clutch line I have sitting in my garage
-replacing a couple power steering lines that have started to leak (& switching to some good stainless worm screw clamps)
-maybe some tint before summer really sets in
-probably angel eyes for the new headlights at some point
Hey man, just wanted to let you know that I filled my front and rear mounts about 10-15k ago and they're still holding up beautifully. I had a chance to get under the car and check them out this past weekend while replacing my exhaust and they have yet to develop any visual issues. Some claim theirs have "chunked out" over time but IMO I say do it right, prep them properly and you shouldn't have issues. Even if mine do start to fail at this point, the process to make them was so cheap and simple I would do it again. I would use the polyurethane from McMaster-Carr, some use that window-poly that comes in a tube but I did tons of research on this before I did mine and most who used that method ended up failing.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask! Good luck, they're an awesome mod.
 
#30 ·
Thanks, it's been a lot of work but it's all a learning experience and a labor of love. And yes, FL conversion has been planned for a long time, this damage just kind of put a "rush order" on it. I already have the tail lights as you can see, and I actually bought a set of headlights from a user on here last fall but they were damaged during shipping and he gave me a refund (after I paid to ship them back of course). So I'm still at square one for the front end. Once I have the money I'll start really looking on here for used parts and stuff.

Hey man, just wanted to let you know that I filled my front and rear mounts about 10-15k ago and they're still holding up beautifully. I had a chance to get under the car and check them out this past weekend while replacing my exhaust and they have yet to develop any visual issues. Some claim theirs have "chunked out" over time but IMO I say do it right, prep them properly and you shouldn't have issues. Even if mine do start to fail at this point, the process to make them was so cheap and simple I would do it again. I would use the polyurethane from McMaster-Carr, some use that window-poly that comes in a tube but I did tons of research on this before I did mine and most who used that method ended up failing.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask! Good luck, they're an awesome mod.
I'm glad to hear yours are holding up well! My stock rear mount is pretty badly stretched/torn, so even new rubber ones would be an improvement. But I am definitely a stickler about sloppiness in my car so polyurethane is happening. Haha :p

I'll probably be following your process to a T, so I'll also order from McMaster-Carr. I even have a friend with an Integra I'm going to ask if she wants to fill her mounts so I don't wind up wasting too much material. I'll definitely let you know if I have any questions once I get started.
 
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