So here I am as a newb, though this is like my 9th DSM having bought my first 92 GS nt brand new in 1992. I joined Club DSM when I first got internet in 1994 which soon convinced me to trade on a GSX. Back then you couldn't wait for the day's publication of the Talon Digest to see who found something new / faster, when people debated endlessly over whether to cut the air can or pull the restrictor out of the stock boost solenoid. Running high 12s was amazing, 11s was godly, and 11.0 was the unbreakable barrier. Anybody who was on DSM IRC would remember me as John M.
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After a few 1g AWDs (and an 89 Mirage turbo, and 91 GVR4 #746) and two Stealth TTs, I went Subaru for a while. I bought an 05 Legacy GT brand new and when it broke a ring land in factory config I had it rebuilt and added an FP Green, FMIC, and supporting mods. That just taught me the hard way that Subarus don't like making 400+ whp reliably and when it spun a bearing I sold it.
So here I am with a DSM again. This one is "Project Cheapskate", to have a fun to drive car that doesn't cost a fortune. I went FWD because of that; it won't eat clutches and I won't destroy something while going for a killer launch. All it should cost me is tires.
I picked up a 91 GST with a 50k-mile old rebuild (apparently just the top end, and with ARP studs) and a huge stack of maintenance records. The receipts show it has a big 16g, unknown upgraded fuel pump, and a CF clutch only 800 miles ago. Clutch master & slave cyls are new. Radiator is new, ball joints & such have been replaced, even the hatch struts are new. It's an "ok" repaint from 12 years ago and was never taken care of so it's crap again. I plan to do most of the prep myself and get Maaco to spray it - lots of success stories on Youtube with that method. I see no reason to pay more for a paint job than I did for the car! The last owner had it painted Indigo Ink, a Toyota/Lexus color, and I like it. It's very close to the stock blue my 92 GSX was. The roof will go back to black as every Eclipse should be.
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I bought a parts car, a 93 Talon NT, and it will help convert the front to the 1GB look. I don't dislike popup lights but the other front just looks better to me, and it's easier to buy parts for. I'll end up parting out the rest of the NT later on. Two of my stock wheels are bent so I'll probably run the Talon wheels instead. I don't mind 16s - they just need 225/50 instead of 205/55 on them and I'll be fine.
I've taken a while to learn the current state of the DSM world. It appears that FWDs are SOL when it comes to exhaust options. This car has a custom press-bent 3 inch from the turbo back, and I actually like the way it's totally hidden in the back; just a turn-down is all that's visible. Somewhere along the way I missed the trend of having mufflers aimed out at a 45-degree angle. Is it so hard to aim straight out the back? And why would vendors abandon the FWD items - it's not like it's hard to keep one or two exhaust systems on a shelf somewhere, and why toss the jigs used to make them?
I'm not ashamed to say I'll use an ebay FMIC. I just want more cooling than the stock IC and I'm not shooting for big HP numbers. My car came with Dejon IC pipes and I'm a bit wary of surface rust inside them. For me, IC piping should always be aluminum or stainless.
Right now the car is at 16 psi and it pulls great. The transmission has ZERO issues which was a big reason I said yes to the purchase. I have stock Evo injectors to install and once I adapt the old Palm logger cable that came w/ the car to work with the TMO software I've had for 20 years, I'll start bumping the boost up. I have a Innovate wideband in case I want to get more serious, but again, dropping $1k for the ability to tune the car really isn't in keeping with the budget mission. I haven't pulled the ECU yet to check whether its eprom and to see if there are any capacitor issues.
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My biggest surprise? My antique DSM will be sporting an antique TRE MASC, brand new on a shelf since the late 90s! It's in the car now and works great. Once I drop in the Evo injectors I just flip a DIP switch and keep on rocking. Back in the day we tuned w/ an EGT gauge and a SuperAFC with knobs on it
As everyone knows, 1st gear is already useless. It will hook if I drop the boost to around 14 psi, so I plan to rig a custom setup that uses one MBC for 1st gear and switches to the other after that. Cheap, easy, effective!
Right now the car's only issue is it won't idle. As soon as it hits "warmed up" status it starts rapidly cycling from 1100-1300 rpm. I've chased leaks for a while and every time I think I'm there, it isn't fixed. Perhaps the injector seals are leaking and of course the new Evo units have new seals w/ them. Otherwise it may be the throttle body -- luckily I see someone here offers a rebuild service and that would be fine with me.
The drive belts squeak (old age and perhaps contamination). The PS pump leaked out the pressure switch (Talon will offer a replacement switch). The AC needs freon but puts out coolish air now. Someone cranked down on the valve cover gasket so it leaks like hell. They used crap-brand gaskets so the thermostat leaked. I fixed that only to discover another leak between the tstat housing and the engine. Great!
I can handle these minor issues and get the cosmetics dialed in. The seats are in great condition as is most of the interior. What isn't good can be sourced from the parts car to make it pretty decent.
Anyway, I don't know what I will be able to contribute here, but here I am!
After a few 1g AWDs (and an 89 Mirage turbo, and 91 GVR4 #746) and two Stealth TTs, I went Subaru for a while. I bought an 05 Legacy GT brand new and when it broke a ring land in factory config I had it rebuilt and added an FP Green, FMIC, and supporting mods. That just taught me the hard way that Subarus don't like making 400+ whp reliably and when it spun a bearing I sold it.
So here I am with a DSM again. This one is "Project Cheapskate", to have a fun to drive car that doesn't cost a fortune. I went FWD because of that; it won't eat clutches and I won't destroy something while going for a killer launch. All it should cost me is tires.
I picked up a 91 GST with a 50k-mile old rebuild (apparently just the top end, and with ARP studs) and a huge stack of maintenance records. The receipts show it has a big 16g, unknown upgraded fuel pump, and a CF clutch only 800 miles ago. Clutch master & slave cyls are new. Radiator is new, ball joints & such have been replaced, even the hatch struts are new. It's an "ok" repaint from 12 years ago and was never taken care of so it's crap again. I plan to do most of the prep myself and get Maaco to spray it - lots of success stories on Youtube with that method. I see no reason to pay more for a paint job than I did for the car! The last owner had it painted Indigo Ink, a Toyota/Lexus color, and I like it. It's very close to the stock blue my 92 GSX was. The roof will go back to black as every Eclipse should be.
I bought a parts car, a 93 Talon NT, and it will help convert the front to the 1GB look. I don't dislike popup lights but the other front just looks better to me, and it's easier to buy parts for. I'll end up parting out the rest of the NT later on. Two of my stock wheels are bent so I'll probably run the Talon wheels instead. I don't mind 16s - they just need 225/50 instead of 205/55 on them and I'll be fine.
I've taken a while to learn the current state of the DSM world. It appears that FWDs are SOL when it comes to exhaust options. This car has a custom press-bent 3 inch from the turbo back, and I actually like the way it's totally hidden in the back; just a turn-down is all that's visible. Somewhere along the way I missed the trend of having mufflers aimed out at a 45-degree angle. Is it so hard to aim straight out the back? And why would vendors abandon the FWD items - it's not like it's hard to keep one or two exhaust systems on a shelf somewhere, and why toss the jigs used to make them?
I'm not ashamed to say I'll use an ebay FMIC. I just want more cooling than the stock IC and I'm not shooting for big HP numbers. My car came with Dejon IC pipes and I'm a bit wary of surface rust inside them. For me, IC piping should always be aluminum or stainless.
Right now the car is at 16 psi and it pulls great. The transmission has ZERO issues which was a big reason I said yes to the purchase. I have stock Evo injectors to install and once I adapt the old Palm logger cable that came w/ the car to work with the TMO software I've had for 20 years, I'll start bumping the boost up. I have a Innovate wideband in case I want to get more serious, but again, dropping $1k for the ability to tune the car really isn't in keeping with the budget mission. I haven't pulled the ECU yet to check whether its eprom and to see if there are any capacitor issues.
My biggest surprise? My antique DSM will be sporting an antique TRE MASC, brand new on a shelf since the late 90s! It's in the car now and works great. Once I drop in the Evo injectors I just flip a DIP switch and keep on rocking. Back in the day we tuned w/ an EGT gauge and a SuperAFC with knobs on it
As everyone knows, 1st gear is already useless. It will hook if I drop the boost to around 14 psi, so I plan to rig a custom setup that uses one MBC for 1st gear and switches to the other after that. Cheap, easy, effective!
Right now the car's only issue is it won't idle. As soon as it hits "warmed up" status it starts rapidly cycling from 1100-1300 rpm. I've chased leaks for a while and every time I think I'm there, it isn't fixed. Perhaps the injector seals are leaking and of course the new Evo units have new seals w/ them. Otherwise it may be the throttle body -- luckily I see someone here offers a rebuild service and that would be fine with me.
The drive belts squeak (old age and perhaps contamination). The PS pump leaked out the pressure switch (Talon will offer a replacement switch). The AC needs freon but puts out coolish air now. Someone cranked down on the valve cover gasket so it leaks like hell. They used crap-brand gaskets so the thermostat leaked. I fixed that only to discover another leak between the tstat housing and the engine. Great!
I can handle these minor issues and get the cosmetics dialed in. The seats are in great condition as is most of the interior. What isn't good can be sourced from the parts car to make it pretty decent.
Anyway, I don't know what I will be able to contribute here, but here I am!
