customizing my '12 GALANT SE

[WEAPONS-GRADE]

installed the EIBACH springs the other day. besides the performance benefit of being a little lower, the car also looks much better. gotta adjust the mud flaps, though, because i installed those before lowering the car, and now they sometimes rub going over speed bumps and such.

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here's what the car looks like with the new springs and 5mm spacers:

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just installed LED strips on the headlights. sounds corny but they actually look really good. i'll post pictures of the car when it's done, i just have one last thing i wanna do to it before it's complete (looks-wise).

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installed the RRE header this weekend. looks and sounds great. gotta finish up with a custom exhaust and i'll be pretty much good to go. she just needs a tune now...

[mcshinigami]

How's that header working out? Get any noticeable power from it? I'm feeling like that's my next want.

[WEAPONS-GRADE]

@mcshinigami - noticeable power from what i've done so far? i donno, i think it's all in my head haha. but i gotta say, even with just an intake and header upgrade, the car is way more fun to drive.

[mcshinigami]

Awesome. I'll keep that on my "To Do" list

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just bought RRM's ECM piggyback unit and timing box. i confirmed with their head engineer that even though these were designed for the 4G69 LANCER RALLIART, they will work on our cars.

i will install them as soon as i do the custom exhaust work next month. i'll post a follow-up review of everything once i'm done modding.

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just installed the timing box and the car is now tuned to run on 89-octane as opposed to 87-octane gasoline. it may be a placebo effect but i think it sounds better, too.

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the custom exhaust is done. i eliminated the rear cat and went with a 2.5-inch pipe the whole way back. the car is now cat-less (RRM's header has no catalytic converter). i went with a smaller MAGNAFLOW resonator and a smaller MAGNAFLOW muffler. kept the stock tip, but i'll have to repaint it because of the new weld.

for comparison, the stock exhaust system has two cats, a bigger resonator, and a bigger, more restrictive muffler, with the pipe being about 2 inches.

the car really sounds good now. can't wait to put the upgraded pulley on in a few weeks; it'll sound even better. i'll post a video when she's all done.

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pics from the exhaust shop:

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installed the lightweight underdrive pulley today, and what a difference. she drives better than she did brand new. it's all coming together, at last.

up next (and maybe my final mod) is the ECM piggyback unit. gonna solder that fucker on in a few weeks. check back soon.

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forgot to add that while swapping out the pulley i also swapped out the stock motor mounts to the RRM ones. they're meant for the LANCER RALLIART but i can confirm they fit on our cars, too. this mod is a must for guys who track their cars.

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just ordered RRM's forged aluminum pistons. these will increase the compression to 10:1, so i'll most likely be running 93 octane once the pistons are installed and the car is tuned.

this is addicting.

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ordered the ported/polished intake manifold and the ported/polished head for the 4G69. that should be pretty much all the parts left to complete my build. gotta re-tune the ECM piggyback unit to take into account all the additional stuff i bought, since i didn't think i was gonna take it this far. i wanted to keep this project N/A, and i think at this point there's nothing else i can really do.

it's gonna take a few weeks to get the pistons and other stuff i just ordered, since they don't really stock parts for this engine anymore. so i probably won't post anything until after everything's installed. until then, lemme know if you guys have any questions on anything i've done. like i stated in my very first post, i do all the work on my car on my own (except for the exhaust work, because i don't have the right tools for that). if anyone needs help with anything, feel free to shoot me a message.

also, i've noticed that all the older pics that i've posted have disappeared. i think the site i use for hosting pics is shitty. i'll post some pics of the car when all the work is complete.

[KaoticKronos]

Thanks for all the pics. I'd love to see the whole car, though. Some of the images don't show up. I've got a '11 galant and would like to see what other people have done.

[Mitsu_vic1228]

I have a 2012 galant es I have managed to work and build up.. On D2 coilovers, obx headers, injen short ram intake, RRM underdrive pulley and magnaflow catback exhaust.. Which now changed the muffler to borla but stayed with the mandrel bend piping. And if I'm not mistaking first 4g69 galant to be dynotuned from road race here in the west coast.

[Mitsu_vic1228]

How can I upload pics from my phone to here??

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installed the aforementioned head, intake manifold, pistons, and ECM unit. she's a real sleeper. so fucking fun to drive, too, considering this car is FWD. not quite as quick as my other ride, but it's a daily driver and the stop-and-go traffic here makes it tough to open her up sometimes. anyway, i'll post some pics of the car when i get a chance to do a shoot. other than that, this project is complete.

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had a custom hood fabricated. it's got a scoop to direct air to the intake. it's like a reverse scoop, actually. it doesn't stick out, it's recessed into the hood. not sure really how to explain it, you'll see when i post some pics. i was thinking about putting in heat extractors, too, but then decided against it. it's not like i'm pushing 300 HP with this thing. they would look cool, but this car doesn't warrant having heat extractors.