My Mitsubishi 3000GT interior swap!!! Well, I didn't want to hijack anyone's thread, so here we go! The progress is definitely not going to be as fast as the Firebird swap guys, partly because my Fiero lives 50 miles south of me, so I don't see it every day, or even every week.. But this is where I'll show updated pictures and such of my swap. I have no actual pictures of the dash, but I bought it, and the door panels, and hope to start doing some work soon. I have my 3800 swap to contend with too, so I've got to work back and forth between the two. Anyway, here are some pics of what it's *supposed* to look like! The center console will need to be different, but I'm going to try 100% to keep the A/C controls! I love them. And the gauges I've 1/2 converted to Electroluminescent backlit instead of "Yellow-looking". The best part?? The 180mph speedo takes the same signal as the Fiero speedo! Cooool. Ok, here are the pics: (not my car obviously!) (Edit: the first picture is of a later year car, mine has no airbag, like the 2nd picture. I'm also installing the steering column. That was the inspiration - I already installed one of those in a Fiero. I hate "GM round" columns!!)
------------------ Bob Williams Multi-colored '87 GT, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)
[This message has been edited by Riceburner98 (edited 01-09-2003).]
I CAN'T believe I forgot to say what car it's from!!!! That's half the "coolness factor" for me anyway.. It's from a Mitsubishi 3000GT. The 91-93 ones looked like that, the 94-99's had a passenger airbag, and a slightly different steering wheel. My wheel is from a '98 3000GT VR4, which didn't have the steering wheel mounted audio controls. (Would be nice though..) My interior is actually from a '91 Dodge Stealth R/T, which is mechanically identical to the Mitsubishi, being that it was manufactured by Mitsu. (Even has Mitsu VIN numbers). Dodge just changed some of the exterior to make it butt fugly. (My opinion) The odd thing about these - you could get Grey, "Cream", and even RED interiors in the car, but only a Charchoal / black dashboard... I always thought that was strange. It's not going to be as direct a fit as the Firebird interior, I think it *may* be 1/2" (Aaaaargh!) too big, but we'll see when I get the Fiero dash out and this one inside the car at least. I matched it up to a spare dash, and it's very close. I'm going for 100% everythign working, from the gauges, to all the switches and climate controls. Obviously, I won't be able to use the "active aero" controls, or the "tour / sport" exhaust (Hmmm....) switches, but I'll make them do *something*. The fun part will be making the resistor-based cruise control stalk work with the Buick 3800SC's cruise module, which is switch-based, like the Fiero. (Side note - maybe the 3800's electronic cruise could be a direct swap for the Fiero's vacuum one?? The stalk switches look almost identical.) Also, I guess I won't be needing the "4WS Oil" light. (low oil in the 4 wheel steering system!) I'm going to put in a blue digital voltage gauge in place of a couple of the idiot lights, and replace the boost / water temp / oil pressure gauges with blue digital ones that I'm going to design. Cool! Naskie18, what don't you like about the gauges? The color, or just the overall style of them? I'm changing them to look like the Tach. in that picture, the Speedo is the stock lighting, and the Fuel gauge is what the "EL gauges" I'm working with look like before my modifying them.. (Too bright!) I want to get the door-mounted defrost vents working as well, if I can get the door panels to fit. Looks like the rear edge of them is almost a perfect match to the rear of the Fiero door, and the front will line up with the dash, but I'll need to cut about 4-6" out of the *middle* of the panel and splice it back together. At least then I won't have to deal with finishing the rear edge of the panel, it will retain the stock "slope" of the vinyl. If not, I'll do the foam/fiberglass method and use these panels as a base for the design. Maybe I won't have to trim the dash that way, if I can get the door panels a bit thinner... We'll see!! I'll post pictures along the way of what I'm doing. Will be kind of strange working on it in a car with no motor, and up on stands..... I start *waaay* too many projects at the same time!!!!
------------------ Bob Williams Multi-colored '87 Mutt, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)
[This message has been edited by Riceburner98 (edited 01-09-2003).]
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02:46 PM
naskie18 Member
Posts: 6258 From: Commerce Twp, MI, USA Registered: Jun 2002
Didn't the first line of the first post say it was a 3000GT swap, or was that just edited in there? 'cuz I thought it said in there initally that it was a 3000GT swap. Oh well, maybe I'm just losing my mind. I just don't like the guages in general, I think they'd be better in red than in the blue/teal color, but I don't even like the way I think they'd look in red. Best of luck to you on the conversion, I'm sure it'll look great when you get it finished
Nick
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02:54 PM
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Hehe.. Yeah, I keep going back and editing things that I forgot, or spelled wrong. Like I stuck in another pic of what the gauges look like in daylight. I try to type too fast and keep screwing up. My original plan was to use late 90's Saturn gauges in an all-custom fiberglass dash, to look like a Ferrari F550 dash, but I think those gauges looked similar to these too. (I even bought 3 Saturn clusters to play with! Doh) I've just always liked the 3000GT, and owned a '98 Eclipse (hence my screen name) and just got to like Mitsubishi stuff.. Call me nuts!
Riceburner98. 1st that will be an awesome swap. I hope that goes well. 2nd I really like the 3800 s/c swap so that will make your car doubley awesome. 3rd correct me if I am wrong. Your signature says "Multi-colored '87 GT, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)" but the picture shows multicolor part but in 87 the GT's were fastback. So did I get this right. You converted from a fastback to a notchback. If so that is the first time I have ever heard of anyone doing that. That is very unique. I would like to see it all the same color. 85 GT's are one of my favorite body styles. Please clear this issue up for me though. Good luck. Lonzo
------------------ If you find my advice useful please rate me. 87 GT Holley Side Scoop---DELETE K&N Air Filter Home Page
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10:39 PM
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Well, it's a strange story... My original sig (I just changed it today) said "multi colored GT". But I've since bought an '87SE with a straighter, less rusty frame, and have switched my efforts to that car. The blue panels that are on the SE in the picture are actually from *another*, 80k mile '87GT, that I bought all the panels from someone else. (after I got all the parts off, he said "I really don't want to work on it anymore. If you had brought a dolly you could take the whole car." AAAARGGHHH!!! 80k mile BLUE GT!) The red clip that is still on the SE is going to be replaced by the blue GT clip that's about 10 feet behind the car, out of the picture. Like I said, waay too many projects at once! So I changed my sig to "'87 Mutt" instead. It'll be an '87SE frame with an '87GT body, '98 Buick 3800SC engine, and '91 Mitsu interior. It's a mutt! But it will be a damn nice looking mutt, if I may say so. The gauges are really going to be the *easy* part, I think. The speedo uses the exact same 4000 pulse / mile signal, the tach is from a 6 cylinder. Haven't played with the gas gauge yet, but then the other 3 gauges I'm doing with digital, so that's another story. The '87GT *is* actually being turned into an "SE" for a friend that's buying it. He likes the notchback style better. And it makes me a few $$ by selling the fastback clip. Fun!
------------------ Bob Williams Multi-colored '87 Mutt, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)
This looks so great I had to call a yard at once and get a hold on a dash, got one from a 3000gt 93, is that the same you got? And wich parts should I buy (centerconslole or only dash and doorpanels)? Its a long drive to pick the dash up so I cant look at it myself. What do you think the differences will be and how much of work? If you succeed Im the first to follow in your footsteps!
------------------
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09:28 AM
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Wow, I just realized where you're writing from!! I'm amazed you actually found a wrecked 3000GT over there. I bought basically just the dash, door panels, AC controls, and gauges / switches. I only got the dash down to the "radio" part. It's basically just the dash part, with no center console attatched. You may be able to use part of the center console, where the radio is, but I didn't grab that because I figured I'd have to do way too much to it to make it fit and it'd be easier to just make that transition piece and the shifter piece from scratch. The '93 should be exactly the same as mine, without a pass. airbag. But you *can* use one with an airbag; like the firebird, you'd have a big empty space for something. Also if you want to use the steering column, it'll take a bit of welding. You need to cut the very end of a Fiero column off (probably any '80s GM column will do) and weld it onto the end of the Mitsu column to make it fit the Fiero steering rack. Then you have cut off and move the Mitsu's "tilt bracket" a few inches to make that fit. I stink at welding and I was able to do it! As for the door panels, I'm hoping they'll fit, but I'm not 100% sure. I matched them up with my Fiero door, which still has it's panel in place, so it was a bit hard to tell. But it should be close enough, if it's shortened a few inches. What I'm *not* sure about, is how much "hollow" space there is behind the dash, to fit over the Fiero's air ducting and brackets and stuff. I really need to strip the Fiero and get the Mitsu dash in to figure that part out. I hope to figure out the "adapting" electronics for the column controls and stuff, and possibly make them available to others.. I can't wait to get started! I wish you luck in your's! You'll probably get it going quicker than me too... I need to take some time and get this going.
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11:14 AM
FieroRacer Member
Posts: 672 From: Lakeside, Ca, USA Registered: Aug 2001
There are, as I could tell from the national wreckyard database, one 3000gt wrecked in this country so I'll snap it quick It was fronted so the interior is intact. I mean, it could have been smashed into pieces too.
But as I am slow too, I am working on the body as well, Im not sure if I'll get finished before you!
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04:32 AM
PFF
System Bot
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Well... It's been below freezing for the past week, so I haven't gotten my butt outside to do any work on the dash.. I still need to get down there with my camera and the steering column. I put the dash in place, and with some work, I think I can do it. Just need to see where the steering wheel is going to end up to get the dash in the right spot. The biggest issue is going to be at the doors - the corners of the dash where they meet the doors are about 2-3" above the metal of the door. In other words, if I were to continue that part straight towards the window, it would almost block the mirror. So either a transition piece or cutting down of the dash will be in order. Then the door panels.. I'm thinking I'll have to just make modified "copies" of them out of fiberglass. They will work with modification, but I think it'll butcher them too much to be worth it. And the ones I have are already in not-so-good shape, and are made out of some type of pressed-cardboard looking stuff, and some of the vinyl is coming up in places. Definitly going to re-cover everything in new vinyl when I'm done. I'll have to take some pics and measurements, and update!
------------------ Bob Williams Multi-colored '87 Mutt, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)
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12:12 PM
lou_dias Member
Posts: 5348 From: Warwick, RI Registered: Jun 2000
lou: It's close! The car is in Dartmouth, on Collins Corner Road. About 2 houses down from Jaygee (think that's her screen name..) My girlfriend lives in New Bedford, but is in school now; I used to work on it when I went down to visit her. A friend lets me store it in his back yard, but with no garage it's impossible to work on it now. If the car had an engine, I'd run the heat... But that's not going to happen for a while...
------------------ Bob Williams Multi-colored '87 Mutt, a work in progress! (Got my 3800SC, installation to start very soon!!!)
Bob... That is awsome! I hope that I can come up with something that looks as good as that... I have to finish the other two projects first. Keep us up to date on the progress.
------------------ BlueGT
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02:08 PM
Jan 18th, 2003
lou_dias Member
Posts: 5348 From: Warwick, RI Registered: Jun 2000
Unfortunately I haven't started it, only turned it over with the starter. I did most of the wiring harness work at home, then brought it to the engine and started hooking it up. I've cut and spliced a bunch of wires on the engine, but still have some to go. Unfortunately it's stuff I can't do away from the engine. I have the engine in a crate inside a 1/2 built "shed" that I'm supposed to heat, if I ever finish building the shed. Rignt now it has a roof to keep the "rain" out, but not ready to heat. Lots of work to go!
that will look awesome in your Fiero, I'm sure!
