LED replacement...

OK I mentioned it before but here are 2 pics of my fog light switch. I soldered in a resistor to reduce the current enough for the LED. This is a standard, run-of-the-mill, dime a dozen red LED; not one of those "HYPER" Leds you can get from eBay. This little sucker is bright enough and it is almost too bright - even with the dash light dimmer turned all the way down it's pretty bright, I might need a larger limiting resister - but for now it works and its fine.

Notice that little brown rectangle? - it's the original (now burned out) bulb. Once I determined the polarity of the leads I soldered my connections and oriented the LED to fit inside the switch housing. VIOLA! an LED powered switch that will last nearly forever... plus its red not a washed out amber.

If you wish to copy my idea you have to send me $10 for the useage rights. :)

Got something done...

OK - More tradegy, another inlaw has passed away only days since the last death in the family - this one completely unexpected.

spent a lot of my day off over at our new home. Measuring, planning, figuring out what has to be done before we move in. - Lots of work and only 30days to get it done - looks like the Mirage has to take a back-seat for a while.

Saturday I got off of work a little early and went home, father-in-law was mowing the grass, after relaxing for a few hours I went out to "just do something" to Misty... Found a busted rear passenger window... Doesn't that just suck. Riding mower kicked up a rock and chucked it through the window. Oh well - He already told me he would pay for it so I'm not really worried but that pretty much killed my mood for the rest of the day.

Today - As the title implies, I did get something done. I started off trying to clean up a hole I drilled through the firewall (originally for the NOS line) and fit a wire grommet into it for the alarm and some extra wiring... but the multiple layers of steel proved more than I could deal with... gave up on that - put some Dynomatt Xtreme over the hole and moved on. I decided to put the "sun-visor" tint strip across the windshield. This time a little smaller and a little lighter than before - keeping everything cop-compliant ( completely legal ;) ) And - this went well... I didn't have a chance to snap any pics before it got dark out but I'll get them tomorrow. And hopefully I'll have a chance to call the glass people as well... The duck-tape is oh-so-stylin let me tell you.

:)

Finally something more.

OK - A lot has happened recently. Quick run-down.

Got the broken bolt out of the dash, reinstalled all the painted pieces and the dash panels. Added some carbon fiber wrap on the mirror trim, around the fog light switch, and the dimmer switch/cruise control switch panel. (no pics of that yet)

Also replaced the burned out indicator bulb in the fog light switch with an LED.

Changed out the reverse strobe lights... instead of one strobe bulb of the dual unit in each of the taillights, I found another identical strobe unit on the discontinued shelf (for less than $6) and drilled another hole in the tail lights so now their are 2 dual strobe units in the car - one for each tail light, 2 stobes in each housing. Both turned up to the fasted flash rate.

Replaced the oem style wiper blades with a newer "I beam" style with a teflon blade. Nice look.

I ordered the roof yolks (support brackets that keep the sheet metal of the roof stable) after arguing with the people from the dealership about not needing "freight" to ship two pieces... They arrived.

Family member passed away. She was very old and everyone knew it was coming so it was not a great shock but it was still a lot to deal with.

Clutch went out and had to tow the car home.
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Got a new Clutch Master Cylinder and Slave Cylinder... needed to get a new clutch line and ordered one from Road///Race Engineering (GREAT COMPANY). Couldn't get a new one made at the local race shop for less than the $20 that Road///Race charges -Great Deal!

Got some more pics of the LED in the switch but they are still in the camera...
Got some other things that need to be "buttoned up":
(My new TOP TEN)
1. Install the Visor tint strip.
2. Put the matching piece of CF on the passenger door.
3. Solder and wrap the connections on the second strobe light unit.
4. install some RTV silicone on the CPS Housing. (its leaking oil)
5. Add the wiring for the LED Roof lights.
6. ***Isntall the new Roof Yolks***
7. Finish the rust removal and painting of some of the dash brackets (that can't be removed easily)
8. Install the window roll up modual on a metal bracket up under the dash on the hump.
9. Run the wiring for the windshield LEDs and the Alarm Siren.
10. Order the door handles, trim, and a new Brake Master Cylinder Cap from Mitsubishiparts.com

I hate rust, and I hate knowing that there is any lurking under some plastic trim pieces. In earlier posts I mentioned that there was rust that needed to be dealt with. Sure for the most part it’s just “flash” rust, or surface rust… almost like a dust, but its still there and it still bothers me. And you for the most part no one would ever see anything except the guy vacuuming the carpet (uh-that would be me) but I still know its there. So I set out to de-rust, clean, and paint all the exposed steel metal up under the dash.

OK here is the metal "crash bracket" located inside the steering colomn - NASTYThese are a few panels located up under the drivers side of the dash - you can see the surface rust I'm hating. This is with the Navel Jelly - Rust remover product applied...
You can see just how well this product works at removing the rust with little to no sanding.
And some good quality Rustoleum paint...

Some pieces are flat, some got gloss... wasn't concerned with the finish - just that they were protected from rust.

Here is one shot of a piece installed (passenger side inside under the glove box)

I’d love to get the carpeting done and back in the car but there is still a ton of work to get done like wiring from the trunk to the dash, wiring from the alarm to the center console, window roll up/alarm interface module, wiring from the dash to the engine, battery cable from the alternator to the trunk, and more sound deadening (Dynamat).

With that much work I figured that I should work from the top down, getting the headliner back in would be very nice as well and there is less to do. A little bit of 3M Window Weld for the new roof yolks and some more Dynamat on the rest of the sheet metal. A minor amount of wiring going to some LEDs that will be mounted in the top of the A,B, and C pillars. But I will be re-wrapping the headliner with a different material and of course the plastic pillars will be trimmed in suede. I got the roof yolks ordered and I’m waiting for them to be delivered.

Today I started putting the painted brackets back in, broke a bolt off (by hand mind you). I was really pissed – still am. Now I have to use an “Easy out” (or something) and try and get the bolt out… plus I saw 2 more pieces of metal that look like total crap (rust) that I need to treat. AND some of the wiring that needs to be done will be impossible to reach with the cover in place. I’m getting really frustrated. So I just bolted up what I had left and cleaned everything, I had to accomplish something and since the dash was dirty and dusty as heck I decided that I would just clean it, dress it and wipe the windows. It was a real downer.

Something new... Nah not really.

We went on vacation and encountered a bad alternator on our Ford Focus. Bought a new battery just to get down there, replaced the tensioner while there, had to have a tow dolly to get home. Thank God for Awesome-Inlaws. My last day off was spent replacing the alt. even though the test equipment said it was fine there was nothing else to replace. Everything else was new, belt, tensioner, batt. Cables are clean and tight, and the inline fusible link (most retarted thing I've ever seen - its put in there like an after thought). Anyway back to my car and purpose of this blog...

I have finished "restoring" my AC system, even bought more freon, but have yet to get to my buddie's shop and suck off the car.
AC system mods
New expansion valve, all O-Rings, Valve cores and caps, and drier.
Polished every hard line and the drier. (polished by hand with steel wool and then Mothers)
Ran Rubbing Achohol through everything, then a "professional" purge chemical.

If nothing else it looks good... the rest of the engine is dirtier than all heck - but hey it's progress. I've got to sand and paint (rust) a few more brackets up under the dash, then I can install/reconnect the radio and get some other wiring done.

Near future plans... some more dynamat extreme on the rear pillars and roof section, seem sealer on the roof supports, get the remaining tint off and repair the broken defroster lines... then I can retint the back and side windows, put in some fiberglass speaker boxes.... etc.... etc....

Here is the reality of 10 years of Florida Sun and rain. Not to mention multiple wax jobs and possibly over washing. I used to detail the mirage nearly every weekend. It looked great all the time... until I started slacking on it and now the damage is revealed...

Finally some Photos!!!

OK so I've had this for a while now but NO PICS... Well about a week ago my lovely wife snapped a few great shots of my car. I had to scale them down a bit so they would fit on here.

Ok, Ok, Ok, I know what your saying. No my car does not look that good. Thats my Mirage with a little bit of photoshop.

Here is the original un-touched photo, just reduced in size.

just a little update

ordered my expansion valve today. Need to get some gas tomorrow. Gas prices have been going down a little... saw $3.79 today on the way home, pretty good I guess. Car is still making that horrible chattering (valve tick) noise. I'm tired of adjusting them and I don't know whats causing it to get worse. Could it be from all the lucas stop leak crap that I put in thinking it would help quite them? Tomorrow I'm going to try some stuff that is a detergent based additive (not a thickening agent) that says it is specifically designed to quite noisy lifters and valves.

clean

Ahhh… A vacuumed car is nice, even when you don’t have any carpet. Not much else has happened for a while. There was a ton of sand (yes sand- contrary to what my wife believes, even though I we are in Alabama there is sand in my car) in the front floor board and little bits of “stuff” all over the place – it was really beginning to bother me. I cleaned out the car after the brake job incident and since having the passenger side seat at least partially bolted into the car it looked (and felt) a lot better to drive. Later I topped off the air in the tires. Exciting stuff huh?

Oh yeah, I talked to another mechanic friend of mine, we worked together all day last Sunday and had nothing good to do but talk, so I learned ALL about my AC system. Turns out I have an expansion valve, not an orifice tube. And according to him, it’s the most common thing to go out on imports and it’s not very expensive – of course it is special order and will take 3 days to get in. And I of course since it’s a closed system anything related to it needs to be replaced at once (or it will have to be re-vacuumed and recharged), so I’m going to get a new set of valve cores and caps and a new receiver dryer. Altogether I should be able to have my AC system completely recharged and working for less than a hundred. That’s when I can really say Ahhh…

A little help from above

Ok so last week I was supposed to go work on my brakes.

After packing up the car, getting all the parts and supplies I got to my friend's shop and realized that I didn't have the lug-key (that pesky little security device to keep theives from stealing my o-so-hot factory rims). Thanks to crappy cell phone connections I never got anything done. Except for hanging out with some guys in a garage then getting some chinese - nothing got done to Misty.

I "rescheduled" for another day after work, but that day just didn't happen, I found more important (and relaxing) things to do instead.

So last night I finally made it back over to the shop (with the key this time) and got right to work. Tearing apart the passenger side front caliper revealed - nothing out of the ordinary, normal caliper for an 11 year old car. But I bought a rebuild kit and figured I might as well use it, just to "freshen" things up.

Everythings stripped and cleaned, then I spray it all down with some nice bright red caliper paint. It said "quick drying" apparently the humidity was too high and it never dried. So wipe that now cruddy tacky mess off and get back to rebuilding the calipers... everythings all set except the cylinder gasket - thee most important part (it's what holds the brake fuid in when you press on the brake pedal). The new gasket that came with the kit just won't fit.

Even after having Malcolm (owner of the shop) try everything he could and ruining both new gaskets we come to the realization that I'm going to have to replace the caliper. It's 8:30 at night. After one phone call, Malcolm finds one for like $50 at an Autozone about an hour away, he has it put on his account and put on hold to be picked up later. He decides to leave and go get dinner and I stay and work on the Mirage. At this point I'm saying to God, "What am I going to do? This was supposed to be a simple little brake job and now I'm going to have to leave my car at his shop, buy another caliper, and find even more time to try and finish this project. And I don't really have the money in the budget to go buy anything". A little voice says to me "Just go back over to the parts washer and look in the drain, use the gasket in there." So I did. And it FIT!

I don't know why I'm so supprised - with God anything is possible. Since finding Jesus and asking to be saved... Stuf like that seems to happen more and more.

It took more work and I had to dismantle the dirver's side caliper as well to replace the dust-boot, but around 10:30 Malcolm helped me bleed the brakes and by 11:00 I was on my way home with new rotors, pads, and freshly rebuilt calipers... all with a little help from above.

(I still need to go back and paint them - they look horrible)

Wrong parts...

Frustration. Aggrivation. And other "-ations".
Yeah so even though I'm technically a "professional parts picker outer" the computer system I use on a daily basis and depend on... sometimes stinks really BAD!

The rotors, pads, caliper rebuild kits, and guide pins were all wrong... way too small. The Big-Wheel I had when I was 5 had bigger brakes than what this thing suggested - but of course I didn't see that until after parts were paid for and had to be special ordered.

Now I need to measure my setup and double check that what the Electronic Parts Catalog suggests is indeed the right size parts for my car. I could go into more detail about how wrong it was but - I've been told that I can be Too Detailed (and long winded) so I'll just leave it at that.

Wednesday has been penciled in for some shop time at my friend Malcom's garage... ahh a lift and a big professional grade compressor... in a garage with lights and a concrete floor... Can you say Joe-HEAVEN?

OK - another post already...

It's been a while since my first post I know. So ok here it is... my second one.

Brakes and money [to spend on my car] two things I don't have much of. We have been saving for a while now to repair and upgrade various aspects of my car. Notice the word "we". I used the word "we" not "I" because now that I am a married man with a family... there's more important things out there than having a totally tricked out car. Plus without my wife helping me put money aside from each paycheck I wouldn't have any money set aside to do anything. So that being said, "thanks honey, thanks for the help". -back to the car stuff...

I need new brakes. I'm past the slight squeak and they are starting to grind a bit everytime I stop now. So since money is an issue I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck. Big brake upgrades are out. I did a lot of research and have found some great factory alternatives. Like a lot of car manufactuers Mitsubishi "cross-engineers" a lot of things. Meaning things from one model will fit another model without having to change or modify much else.

I was faced with a few options. My ultimate choice would be twin piston calipers from an Eclipse GSX (if you don't know, that's the all wheel drive turbo charged version - one of the best cars that they ever made). Well as awsome as it is to know that all the parts are available and original Mitsubishi parts and everything will fit... I would have to get larger rims to fit the bigger rotors and calipers - not currently an option (new rims with tires would run upwards of $600).

Another option would be to swap out the rotors meant for a 2000-2001 Mirage Sedan with ABS. This combination would be bigger (bigger is better) than what I have but not by much and it's still a lot of work and money. But these would fit with my current oem alloy rims. The current rotors are about 9" in diameter, while these are about 11.5 (if memory serves). Problem is, even with my discount, I'm still going to need over $300 for everything... more than I can spend at the moment and the brakes are becoming unsafe.

The third and final option... boring but the most affordable, and at this point still a MAJOR upgrade from what I've got now. No drilled and slotted or no cryogenicaly treated rotors... not going to spend the extra money since ultimately I still want option #1. I'll be refurbishing and rebuilding my existing calipers, replacing the oem rotors with standard rotors and replacing the pads with standard semi-metalic oems. At this point it's a necessity and I can still make it look good and perform well. Hopefully, eventually, I will save up more and be able to get larger (and wider: ie better handling) rims that will allow for the GSX calipers that I've always wanted.

it's nearly 10pm now and I'm bushed so here's where it ends. More technical data and possibly some pics to come soon.

History 101

The History of my Mirage (AKA Misty):

I bought my 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage LS Coupe (originally black with a tan interior, but we'll talk about colors later) in the early months of '98. She had 3 miles on her. While at first I fought the new body style, after taking her home for an extended test drive, I fell in love. In 1997, the LS model contained a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine, distributer-less capacitive discharge ignition, and bosted a 9.5:1 compression ratio. Of course, this stout little sports car has a 5 speed manual transmission. As any car guy would agree, if it's not manual, it isn't worth driving.

This was my second mirage. My first mirage was a 1995 coupe. I bought it used because it's what I could afford. But I soon discovered how much fun it was to drive and work on.

My car has gone through a lot of changes, a few accidents, and was the target of many different "plans" but it has always been a reflection of my personality. And, although my wife rolls her eyes at most things I tell her I want for my car and she often thinks I spend too much time in the garage (instead of with my family and little girl), and some people say it's just a stupid car, I still love my car.

I am constantly adding to and changing parts of the Mirage. I'll post pics and updated info as I continue to build my dream car.