Greetings from Melbourne

[Pantera6]

Greetings All from Melbourne!

This is my ride - A Facelift 2000 model EC5W Type S w/ 5spd Manual, Recaro/momo interior, moonroof and roof-rails. It seems to be a bit of a rare beast - but more on that later. The car is factory stock with 55,000Km on the ODO when I picked it up.

Having come from a history of performance cars, I find the Legnum's (stock) setup to be very refined, with very good handling. My (performance) car history is as follows: 1968 Mustang notchback 289cid V8, 1984 Rover SD1 3500 V8 5Spd Man, 1994 Nissan Pulsar GTIR, 1989 Nismo BNR32 GTR with full HKS mods, 1994 Nissan Bluebird SES w/ SR20DE 5spd short ratio gearbox (NZ Domestic Spec), and a host of other non-performance cars since then - not worthy of mention on this forum!

My intro to the Galant came when a good friend of mine owned a 1996 mint condition EC5A back in New Zealand in the year 2000 - Compared to my then highly modified R32 GTR, I found that EC5A much more "drivable" on a day to day basis - and when those AYC bars lit up... it somehow felt more "in control" than what was a "mental" all or nothing pair of oversized HKS turbos that lit up all four wheels of my GTR.
Fast forward 12 years later - I had given up the performance car scene to progress on career/family until the need arose for a family station-wagon. The yearning never having completely left me...I thought this was the opportunity to get back into the performance car scene, so started looking around for the ideal used "Family Wagon". My short list was indeed short: Volvo 850 T5R or V70R (Manual of course), Nissan (Autech) Stagea, and the Legnum. I wanted to be able to "work" on these cars - to be, that's part of the attraction of ownership. I couldn't find any good Volvos and the couple I did come across were very high mileage. Although I have a very soft spot (and a lot of respect for the mighty RB26DETT Godzilla engine) the Stagea's shape didn't quite appeal...which left the Legnum.

I looked around for a good couple of months before I came across my Legnum in a dealership in Sydney - who couldn't seem to move it for what appeared to be a considerable amount of time. What interested me about this particular car was its factory combination of 5spd Manual, Moonroof, Recaro/Momo interior, factory roof rails, Type S Spec incl. AYC, rear privacy glass and high-vis dash. I did a bit of research on decoding the VIN (and I could be wrong here and happy to be corrected) but found that this may be the only EC5W with that combination built!!

From the Mitsubishi 8th Gen Galant/Legnum VR4 Registry, my VIN Decodes into the following:

Model: EC5W (Legnum)
Classification Code: LNGF (5 Door Estate/5spd Man/VR4 Type S)
Option Code: D48 (No info, but the main option pack seems to be Moonroof, Recaros/Momo Wheel, Roof Rails)
Exterior Code: T07D (Indigo Blue Paint)
Interior Code: 75J (No Info, but I think Gray suede Recaros, dark gray interior panels, and polished gray console trim)

With a bit of haggling, I put a deposit on the car right away, sight unseen, flew up to Sydney and bought it on the spot.

My plans for mods are reasonably light and I'm looking at either genuine Mitsi Evo parts or Jap performance parts built specifically for the EC5W. This car was going to be a daily driver, but given it's "relative" rarity, I have since changed my mind, and am hoping to keep it as original a condition as possible. However, because I do like working on the car, I will do some light mod's that are mostly reversible, starting with:

- Evo VIII Rims and 245/40-17 Rubber - to keep with the same rolling diameter of the stock 225/50-16 (already bought the rims)
- K&N Panel Filter (already fitted)
- Optima Deep Cycle Battery
- Cusco Rear Strut Brace
- Cusco Under Body Brace
- 100K Service Kit w/ Water pump etc.
- Full Amsoil flush, incl. Diffs, XFr case, Manual Box, Power Steering, AYC & AYC Clutches etc.
- Works Motorsports Evo X Short Shifter with Momo Anatomico gear knob and the complete derlin busing kit (Looks the closest to the stock shifter shape and bushings - will keep you all posted if I succeed)
- Evo Brembo Caliper and disk upgrade (Front & Rear)

Once I've upgraded the handling & braking (very happy with the power delivery and don't wish to change it), then I may consider a few more mods -

- Maybe...a Tein Wagon R basic coilover upgrade - just for minimum lowering of around 20-25mm
- Maybe...Fujitsubo Front Pipe and Cat-Back exhaust
- Maybe...Cusco or GReddy genuine EC5A/EC5W FMIC (if I can get it for a good price fro Japan)

I've planning to do as much work/servicing on the car myself, so my first project is building the electronic AYC bleeder box (schematics on Club VR4). I am grateful for the resources and knowledge that I'll be hoping to tap into on OZVR4 and ClubVR4 forums - when I get stuck.

I live on the west side of Melbourne and will certainly try and attend any future meetings that may be planned in Victoria. Hope to meet some of you in person and admire your rides!!

 

[Mel-D]

Hi and welcome,
Nice ride, manual and sunroof well done and a great intro

 

[godzilla]

Holy crap! It's practically brand new!!

 

[mills_88]

I was thinking the same thing, looks immaculate. Great find.

 

[naughtika]

is it just me or the car looks brand spanking new?

welcome btw

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Wow, nice pick up!

Exactly what I was looking for when I imported my Legnum (minus the roof racks). You'll love the car

 

[unclepaulie]

welcome to ozvr4 mate, that is a bloody nice and rare combo legnum you have there. you probably dont need it, but here's my handy template:


but all the info you need is here somewhere

eg:

http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.p...ook-here-FIRST. (index to lots of good stuff)
http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.p...ommon-problems (common issues/fixes)
http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.p...rum.-MUST-READ (all the info about these cars and their varients)
http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.p...taged-Upgrades (staged upgrades)
http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.p...tion-Info-HELP (production info)


and if you're wondering why you cant post a new thread, its cause you hav to be a donating member, which is $5.

i think that covers everything...most of that should keep you reading for a few nights. again, welcome

 

[jet150]

Welcome bud, good to see Legnum numbers rising in Victoria.

 

[Black_Ice]

That has to b the cleanest legnum I have seen in a while..and definitely rare combo..

 

[eyecandy]

Very nice mate, welcome.

Love the gray interior

 

[GMan]

Wow, your car looks to be in mint condition! Welcome to the forum

 

[chiliie]

Welcome bra... Looks like you scored a very tidy well looked after leggy! Where bouts in the west you from? Im in tarneit but spend a lot of time in Caroline springs...

 

[VOLK]

Holy crap that thing is mint. A good buy indeed. No need to build the AYC switch box, Evoscan does the trick.
Maybe I'm gonna buck the trend here, but unless you've got track time planned, Brembos may be a little unnecessary. DBA 4000/5000 rotors and good pads will stop you fine for street use. Spend the money elsewhere, ie on the inevitable exhaust, cooler, boost and tune

Welcome aboard man. Pics of the Gti-R & BNR?

 

[Pantera6]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and kind words regarding my ride!

Yes, as some of you have observed, my VR4 is (now) in near new condition. When I first got the car from the Sydney dealership, the exterior had started to show its age (12 years now) and it seemed like it probably sat in a dock somewhere for some time; however, the engine bay, underbody and interior were immaculate - confirming the low mileage.

It took a lot of elbow grease to get the exterior looking the way it does now. For those interested, I've had good experience with Meguiar's products in the past and that's what I used to get the car to its current condition (I should disclose that I've got no commercial interests with Meguiar's). I washed the car a couple of times consecutively after the long drive down from Sydney with Meguiar's Gold Class car wash, then used the Meguiar's quick detailing clay bar kit for the whole body (twice). Then, I used Meguiar's Ultimate Compound to cut the paint (and get rid of the oily finish that I think was a product of the professional grooming done by the dealership) and finished it off with Deep Crystal Polish, followed by Ultimate Yellow Wax.

Also worth mentioning that I used Autoglym's Bumper and Trim gel for all the uncolored plastic bits and by the way... this stuff is absolute magic in revitalising all rubber parts (even more so than plastic). For Type S owners, they really do the job on cleaning up the rubber between the fender flares and the body. One last tip...I used some Florsheim shoe leather conditioner on the Momo Steering Wheel and Gear knob and Meguiar's Plastix for all of the plastic light lenses. What you see in the pics above is the final result.

For those of you with factory roof racks that have faded (like mine were), going over it with some Ultimate Compound followed by the polish and wax will get it back to looking new again!

Holy crap that thing is mint. A good buy indeed. No need to build the AYC switch box, Evoscan does the trick.
Maybe I'm gonna buck the trend here, but unless you've got track time planned, Brembos may be a little unnecessary. DBA 4000/5000 rotors and good pads will stop you fine for street use. Spend the money elsewhere, ie on the inevitable exhaust, cooler, boost and tune

Welcome aboard man. Pics of the Gti-R & BNR?

Thank You for the tip re. Evoscan - that makes it much easier! I take it the latest version of the Evoscan software with the OpenPort 1.3R data logging cable and AYC Support (pin 9 deleted) should do the trick?

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics handy of the Gti-R and BNR32, mostly due to the fact that my ownership of these cars were pre consumer digital camera days (circa 2001); There were a couple of pics of those cars on the NZ Gti-R Owners Club website, but that site has long been taken down!

 

[mookers]

Your car looks spectacular. With such a rare combination, why was the dealership having such a hard time moving it?

 

[Pantera6]

Your car looks spectacular. With such a rare combination, why was the dealership having such a hard time moving it?

Thank You!

I think the dealership had a hard time due to a variety of factors.... it was just after the X-Mas season, so perhaps sales were very slow. When I stumbled on the car, I was watching it for over 3 weeks and took another 2 weeks of haggling with the Sales guy before I put the deposit.

I also think it may have been due to the fact that they themselves (the dealership that is) did not realise that the option combination was rare for a Legnum. They seem to sell a lot of high-performance Jap imports, and there was another black (auto) Legnum there when I went to pick up mine, so to them....it may have been just "another" Legnum! And, the exterior didn't look anywhere near presentable like it does now. Of course, I didn't make known (to the car salesman) the fact that this car was rare!

Yes, so a lucky find - she sits in a very cozy and spacious semi-climate controlled garage and will be pampered as long as I own her!

 

[cyber_scriber]

Welcome and tidy looking car. Good intro, too.

Yes, series 2, manual, Recaros, Momo, hole in the roof, and indigo blue is a very rare combo. The only thing I can think of that is rarer would be if all that was in the sedan shape

I reckon you should still use it as a daily. Sure it's rare, but that really only matters to VR-4 enthusiasts. If you ever decide to sell, the average Joe Blow isn't going to know or care about that rare combo. A VR-4 nut may pay a little more for it over a "regular" VR-4, but it won't appreciate like a gullwing Merc or GTO. Drive it, enjoy it and enjoy it often - that's what it was made for!

With the Evo rims, I'd be looking around 225 or 235 width tyres in a 45 series profile.

I agree with Volk on the Brembos. Great to wank over but unless you do track days, I think you'll find a decent pad, rotor and brake fluid upgrade is more than up to the job and you'll still be OK if you get a flat tyre (the space saver won't clear Brembos).

 

[BuzzPuppy]

Nice to have this example of a fine Series II here in Melbourne. Welcome aboard

 

[mcs]

I want your engine bay, its too bloody clean .

 

[casuarina26]

Hi there & welcome, nice pick up there