New Project

[eeyoresride]

I bought my wife an 02 mp5, so I get her 98 pro es. I was on another forum, and they said there were more 2nd gen headz over here, so I'll be lurking around here more.

Right now funds are tight, but I'll be getting some cash soon, so here's my project-
98 Pro ES

It needs a new water pump and belt. It'll need a new battery too.
-The front struts are leaking, so I'll swap out everything with progress springs and Tokio shocks.
-DIY the intake, probably just put a cone in to replace the airbox.
-Precut, preshrunk tints from Gila Films- 35% all the way around, with designs in 50% to darken it up.
-New rims & Tires. I really like Rota Slipstreams, but I might get OEM Miata rims and powdercoat them black.
-Thinking about a flatblack paint job, no clear coat. I have a friend who does tattoos and airbrushing, so he'll hook me up with some graphics
-upgrading the speakers with some poineer and a new headunit (not sure what kind just yet)
-Polish the headlights
-Clear corners from Ebay
-mask & tint the rear lights
-Replace all the bulbs with LEDs from Jaimstraight
-seatcovers- I don't care if they're ghetto ones, just something to cover up the brown.
-new exhaust, catback... TAKING INPUT ON THIS~ what kind of exhaust/mufflers does everyone have? I don't want it to be too loud, unless I can find a gravity flap.

Any input would be appreciated.

[beetle_orange]

get JDM Taillights. since you have a 98 already the white and red tails would be a perfect match to your white and red center trunk piece. you can check it out on my signature.

[pigeon]

contact intruder, he has some of those cheap ebay clear corners sitting around i believe....

protege es, means you have a BP right?

[Henchman]

Yep, welcome to the club, the ES club! My project is moving along too slow though...college funds are not ideal when building a car.

[eeyoresride]

Hey Thanks for all the feedback.

Yes, BP power, 1.8 DOHC. It used to be my wife's car, so it is very stock, and kinda girly (ribbons and bumperstickers and stuffed animals, hence my screen name)

Thanks for the info about the clear corners. I'll drop Intruder a line.
How much are the JDM tails?

What kind of exhaust set ups does everyone have? I'm thinking about getting 2.5 pipes, but I'm not sure what muffler I should get.

[pigeon]

there only like 10 members here with 2nd gens with 1.8L engines

i totally pulled that number out of my ass, but im really just saying theres only a few...
ask the first gen people bout exhausts, most of them have the same engine as you

[95ProLeila]

I have an oval magnaflow, sounds pretty good, I'm assuming your car is stick, b/c if it's auto exhaust could get really annoying really quick. I'm not sure tokico's fit on the 2gens, but don't quote me. Bruce would probably know better than me. I would say you could do a lot better than pioneer speakers, too. Check eBay and maybe make friends with your local shop, the rears are kind of a pain, because you have to mess with the particle board thing, but it's not too too bad. The other thing to watch out for is end of year clearances at audio shops, a lot of times they'll have huge discounts on last years' models which are probably just as good as the new stuff. Hope this helps =)

[Henchman]

I don't think tokico's are even made for the 2nd gen. I was looking into that before putting my coil-overs in. Low and behold, my car had kyb gas struts...STOCK! So that was awesome. Gab makes a great racing strut for the 2nd gen, just not a good ride. Anything kyb will fit I'm sure, as long as it's made for the car.

[95ProLeila]

I have KYB GR-2's they suit my needs just fine, got em from tire rack for a decent price.

[Kelly]

they also have them at www.horsepowerfreaks.com. I paid like $230 shipped for mine.

[beetle_orange]

if you are talking about the KYB struts i saw a set for our protege on ebay for like $180 plus shipping.

[Kelly]

lol, so like 230 shipped...it was probably horsepowerfreaks selling them on ebay.

[95ProLeila]

IIRC hpfreaks was more than tire rack

[beetle_orange]

lol, so like 230 shipped...it was probably horsepowerfreaks selling them on ebay.

not really. its only about $191 shipped. here's a link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7958865728&category=33590&sspagename=WDVW

[eeyoresride]

Yeah, I did some research and Tockio's only fit on 1st gens. So it looks like I'll be going with KYB's. but it's no big deal.

I found some kickass OEM rims, Already powdercoated!


I've been poking around www.partsexpress.com for speakers. I know some Saturn Tuners who use home stereo speakers (Goldwin 6.5's for $11. each) and they said they work just as well as name brand speakers. If I do front staging, I can put the midbass in the doors and horn tweeters in the extra pocket under the radio. ehh, but i don't know if i want to go that far.

Anyone know where I can find a gravity flap muffler tip other than the ones for boats?