It’s been close to 2 years of owning my Lancer, fondly christened “Phoenix”. The car itself will be 9 years old in August. The odo is closing in on 125,000 kms, having done about 15,000 kms since the restoration/rebuild in 2007, which one can read about here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...t-phoenix.html (Lancer overhaul - Project Phoenix)
An ownership report was long overdue, and since I have some time in hand now after being laid low by a back surgery, thought I'd give it a shot.
I won’t dwell much on the restoration process here, but a brief summary would help bring some context to this thread.
In a nutshell then:
- Picked up the used car at a very cheap rate, thanks to the depreciation calculations that my father’s company were using. The car had been my father’s personal ride (provided by the company) prior to that. I didn’t pass on the opportunity. I was well acquainted with this car, having driven it several times since it was bought in 2000. It was in good shape and was serviced regularly. The usual cosmetic aberrations, caused by Kolkata’s roads and traffic were present, but nothing that a paintjob couldn’t cure. There was no rusting, which was important. The mechanicals needed work – engine, suspension, brakes etc.
- Did an enormous amount of reading and studying to learn about auto restorations and the basics of automobile technology. Team BHP was the single biggest (though not the only) source of information and inspiration for this project. In fact, the whole exercise wouldn’t have happened otherwise. In retrospect, would have saved me a lot of cash… lol!
- Did extensive planning in terms of costs, logistics and implementation after talking to various tuners/modifiers around the country. Eventually decided to divide the project into 2 main chunks – cosmetic restoration to be carried out in local outfit, engine modifications to be done in Mumbai.
- Engine work included a full overhauling of the engine along with additional performance mods like porting + polishing, enlarged throttle body, oversized pistons and a three angle valve job. A custom made free flow exhaust and CAI (conical filter with an intake pipe) would complement the engine upgrades.
- Cosmetically, I derived inspiration from scores of Lancer photos floating around on the www, eventually coming up with a look that was sleek and sophisticated without going over the top. Interiors needed sprucing up, which meant repainting the dashboard and door panels in a new palette paired with good quality upholstery. The exteriors needed some repairs and a paintjob along with some subtle body kits. Opted for the standard SFXi front and side skirts and created a custom rear skirt. The front bumper got a nice mesh grille and was modified to fit Swift fog lights. The colour of choice was a foregone conclusion – it had to be black, and that too jet black, which meant no green/blue/red sparkles or tinges. Settled for a BMW black from the Standox catalogue.
- Tyres and alloys were chosen after even more research. The M6 replica alloys with Michelin PP2s came up tops eventually.
- A suspension upgrade was also on the cards, in the form of Pedders struts and springs.
- ICE upgrades were carefully planned, but each time I settled on something, I stumbled upon something new in the Team BHP ICE section that confused me and sent my plans for a toss! Highly dangerous section that is!
Some pics of the car when I got it:
contd...