Finding parts for hail-damaged 2gb talon

[kenamond]

So we had this hail storm, and now I get to fix up my Talon. I decided to do some improvements while I was at it. I'm in the process of tracking down parts. Many of them will be used, some will be new OEM replacements, and some will be aftermarket. I'll get some from Mitsubishi, but I'm wondering about some of the parts and where I should get them. Any answers would be appreciated.

They'll have to replace the roof, and I can't find any roof parts, even though the insurance appraiser found it on his laptop for $350. I don't know where the part ends, though, so I don't know if it'll include the unibody B- and C-pillars or just the B-pillars. Any of you who've gone through this, I'd like more info on it.

If the roof is cut off where the hatch starts, I may be able to keep the rear quarter glass assembly (small triangular windows above the quarter panels - including the mouldings). I read on thedsmgraveyard.com that they found they can't re-use those assemblies, so I'd have to buy new ones ($144 each new). So I need to know the roof situation.

I'm also going with some carbon fiber parts to try pulling the CG to the rear a bit (why not...I have to replace the hood and fenders anyway). I'm thinking of a paint scheme that covers parts of the hood, bumper cover, fenders, and doors and leaves the CF visible elsewhere, but I can't find OEM-style CF fenders.

I've searched off-and-on for 3 days now, and I've seen several of the CF vendors on this site and elsewhere. I've seen several who sell CF hatches, but I don't know how big of a deal it is to drill these to mount the OEM 2gb spoiler. I recall reading something years ago about drilling CF hoods for hood pins and assume this would apply to the hatch, but any info on this would be helpful.

I see many CF doors ($$$$!!!) but I don't want to lose the side-impact protection of the stock doors. Is there a compromise like steel frame bonded to CF panels?

Anyway, here's the parts list with what I know, what I don't know, etc.

• CF Hood. Probably from VIS, maybe OEM, maybe EVO style. AndysAutoSport.com has them both
• Vent grille (aka windshield cowl). Hail broke it. New OEM. Mitsubishi dealer.
• CF fenders. I can't find any OEM-style CF fenders, and I don't want extra vents and crap. Know any vendors with reasonable prices? My paint scheme idea requires CF fenders, but I might settle for OEM fiberglass fenders and paint the "CF" part of the paint scheme black.
• CF door shell. I'm concerned about crashworthiness. Some have CF outer panel with steel frame. Any vendor recommendations with reasonable prices for a pair? Also, I want the 2gb Tsi door strakes, so I have the same concern about drilling the CF panel to accept the strake clips.
• Drip moulding. Mitsu dealership. I had mine replaced years ago, and they weren't rubber-coated. They were gloss black paint, but the hail dented them. The OEM parts are rubber-coated. Anyone know where to get the all-metal ones? This is the trim along the roof above the door glass.
• Upper weather strip (seals top of door glass to car). It's worn out. Don't know where to find it, but I'll try CAPS (on my wife's PC atm) and call the local Mitsu dealership. This goes along the front, top, and rear of the door glass. It'll be off to replace the roof, so I figure I'll replace it.
• Driver tail light assembly. Hail broke it. autopartsfair.com ($78) or thedsmgraveyard ($38). The first one says very good condition, and the picture for the second one looks good too, so I'll probably do the 2nd one.
• Quarter panels. Don't know yet if they can pull the dents on them, but I have an old wound on the passenger corner that'll need to be cut off and replaced. I don't know if that means they'd replace the whole panel. autopartsfair.com has them used but in good condition for $341 each including shipping. The 2gb TSi's door strake extends onto the quarters, so I guess I have to drill the quarters to accept the strake clips.
• Roof. Can't find any. I skipped the sunroof option when I ordered this car back in '96, and I'm thinking of getting a roof wih sunroof. Anyone know if this is a bad idea? Know where I can find one with a sunroof? I'd have to get the new headliner and sunroof assembly, and I think the interior lights are different than a hardtop.
• CF hatch. AndysAutoSport.com has them ($604+S&H) and autopartsfair.com has OEM replacements for $251 (incl. S&H). I imagine I can re-use the glass, but I'd need new moulding. And I already mentioned my concerns about drilling CF for a 2gb talon spoiler.
• Emblems. Anyone know a good place to get the "16V DOHC TURBO", "TSi AWD", and "EAGLE" emblems and the emblem in the triangular recess on the front bumper cover? Mine are pink (front emblem is non-stock silver) and the "i" in the "TSi AWD" emblem got knocked off by hail. I don't know if they came in silver for some other color code of paint, but if they have silver, I WANT 'EM! I'm replacing my damaged front cover, and I'll see if I can remove that silver emblem, but if I can't, I need an extra.

So it's gonna cost a few bucks to bring my beloved DSM beyond where it was before the hail damage, but I just decided, "I'm past due for a new car, don't want a new car, want my existing car." So I'll get a loan, dump a load of cash on my car, and end up with a "new" car.

Thanks for any help and for reading this beast of a post.

 

[USER_22]

Sounds good man, any pics of the damage?

 

[Bluesideup]

I'm parting a 2GA Talon so if I have anything you'd need just let me know. The tail lights are in great condition and it's a sunroof car. The metal door trim has been stripped and would be good to paint.

How much weight do you think you'll save with all of the cf? I would guess the cf doors are meant to be used with caged cars running door bars.

 

[vanilla gorilla]

Yeah Id like to see pics of the damage ( Im an aspiring body/paint guy). But your ideas sound good. I know someone makes CF fenders, Project2g has some, you could PM him and see where he got them. They should be able to repair and damage on the quarters. I dont know anything about replacing roof skins though.

 

[kenamond]

Sounds good man, any pics of the damage?

I'll take some later. The hood, roof, and hatch are totaled. The doors, fenders, and quarters are another story, but I'll get estimates to see if replacing is less than the labor for fixing. I also have a crushed passenger rear corner; not too much, but that quarter is crushed at the point, and the hatch is twisted a bit and flattened a bit. Also, I looked under the car after the "incident" and think I see a bit of buckling in the rail. I'll get all of that fixed as part of this.

I'm parting a 2GA Talon so if I have anything you'd need just let me know. The tail lights are in great condition and it's a sunroof car. The metal door trim has been stripped and would be good to paint.

How much weight do you think you'll save with all of the cf? I would guess the cf doors are meant to be used with caged cars running door bars.

Name a price on the driver's side tail light or PM me. I'll have to find out about the roof skin from the body shop; I want to save money where I can by doing work myself, but I don't want to make it harder on the body shop or piss them off. I also need to find out more about what's involved in switching from non- to sunroof. The CF doors are pretty pricey, but they are more of a treat for myself in the process...if they don't save weight or aren't safe for street use, I'm not gonna get them. I've heard that CF part weights vary from manufacturer, so I need to do more research to find out weights of the stock and CF parts from different vendors. The hoods aren't that much more expensive than a OEM replacement in excellent or new condition, and the non-OEM options add a cool touch.

Yeah Id like to see pics of the damage ( Im an aspiring body/paint guy). But your ideas sound good. I know someone makes CF fenders, Project2g has some, you could PM him and see where he got them. They should be able to repair and damage on the quarters. I dont know anything about replacing roof skins though.

I'll look into project2g's fenders. I've found CF fenders, but none are OEM. I don't like the vents and scoops and nonsense they have in the moulds. As I said, the passenger quarter has some collision damage and may need to be replaced. The driver quarter may be fixable, but I'll talk to the body shop about whether fixing vs. replacing is cheaper and go that route. I'm considering trying some of the repairs myself, but I've *never* done body work before.

Thanks for all the replies. Anyone know what part of the roof gets replaced? I guess I need to go downstairs to my old PC where my CAPS database is installed and find out more about the panels I may be replacing. What web sites are there that a body shop or insurance company might contact to find these panels like roofs?

 

[Bluesideup]

I'll PM you with the parts list.

Usually the roof skin center is a separate piece but the 2G doesn't really have drip rails. Maybe once we see the pics it'll be easier totell. I agree with not pissing off the shop though, dont want to wait until next year to get the car back. Is it bad enough that paintless dent removal won't work?

 

[kenamond]

I'll PM you with the parts list.

Usually the roof skin center is a separate piece but the 2G doesn't really have drip rails. Maybe once we see the pics it'll be easier totell. I agree with not pissing off the shop though, dont want to wait until next year to get the car back. Is it bad enough that paintless dent removal won't work?

My neighbor has a Subaru WRX STi that got similar damage, and they're doing paintless dent repair as a first cut, but there were a few cracks in his paint on some panels. The dents in my roof and hood are worse than his, but not by much. The problem is that there are a lot of dents. I'll find out from the body shop about which option would be most economical. Aside from paint, I can do a lot of this myself (hood, fenders, drip moulding, quarter glass, hatch (not the glass), vent grille, and tail light) if I replace the panels, so that's just the cost of the parts.