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Street Build '97 Eclipse AWD GS-T (2006 to Present)

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Guess life has interrupted his car updates, but let's all hope it hasn't interrupted his car. Or that he's sold it and got an Evo like my last favorite DSM build thread guy did. Still haven't forgiven @bettfootball for that.
 
He updated the mods? At least I think he did because I got a email he updated the thread.
 
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23JUN2014 - DSM Tow Truck
Unfortunately, my high school sweet heart, the '97 Eclipse GS that I DD'd since 2002, had seen better days and it was time for an upgrade. I always liked the idea of having a reliable mode of transportation and having something to tow the car to the track was a bonus. I decided a 1500 5.3L Silverado was the truck for me so I did some shopping and found the one I wanted.

Maybe it's time to turn the 2g into a weekend warrior/track only car now... :hmm:

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16SEP2014 - Adjustable Cam Gears
I was tired of looking at these things sitting on my shelf in the garage so I pulled the timing belt/cam gears quick and installed them. Nothing special, just a set of used BC's that I picked up from the classifieds but maybe with some timing adjustments I was hoping I could get more top end the next time out at the track. For now though, they're staying adjusted at 0*.

(Excuse the dust)

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For future reference...
Advancing Intake and Exhaust : This will provide the car with more bottom end power, and will decrease top end. Advancing both cam gears will move overlap earlier but will not increase it.

Retarding Intake and Exhaust : This will increase the cars top end, but will decrease low end. Retarding both cam gears will move the overlap later and but will not change the amount of overlap.

Advance Exhaust Only : This will help the cars top end, and it reduces overlap.

Retard Exhaust only : This will help the cars mid range power, very useful for cars with big turbos / big cams. By increasing overlap, It decreases lag significantly. Doing this will bring the boost on all at once. Very common DSM modification.

Advance Intake only : This will increase overlap and helps the cars bottom end and mid range power. This mod will bring the turbo on all at once, although isnt a very common mod for DSMS.
 
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Pictures dont work. Still gonna watch this thread all day for the updates.
 
17SEP2014 - FluidAmpr Harmonic Damper & Crankcase Pressure Sensor Install
I also picked up a BNIB Fluidampr from Paul (@99gst_racer) to reduce some of the torsional vibration from the crankshaft that the OE unit can't. Probably should have picked one of these up years ago and since I had already pulled the crankshaft pulley to do the BC cam gear install the day before, now was the time to slap it on.

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I also had always wondered what kind of positive pressure (if any) my crankcase was seeing under full boost. I picked up a AEM -1 to 2.5 BAR MAP sensor and threaded it into the PCV port of the valve cover. Not pictured but I used the Baro input from the MAS to log it...

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07NOV2014 - Tied the Knot
I found something, rather someone, that I enjoyed spending my free time with other than my 2g so we decided it was time to get serious and settle down. The good news though, she's letting me keep the car!

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Now that all the stress that comes with planning a wedding is behind me, I had more time and money to get back where I left off with the DSM, trying to resolve the valve float issues and launching the car.
 
26NOV2014 - ARP Wheel Stud Install & New Front Driver side Wheel Bearing
Every time I went to the track and installed my Hoosier DR's I cringed because for the tires to clear the rear knuckle I also had to use a 10mm spacer. Not having extended wheel studs and running a 10mm spacer is possible but hardly seems like there's enough thread going into the lug to be safe. Installing the ARP extended wheel studs were for piece of mind the next time I went out to the track with those spacers...

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I picked up a set of ARP extended wheel studs and went to work, unfortunately the first corner of the car I tried installing them on (front driver side) I found something unusual. The ARP's were impossible to install, even after pulling the wheel bearing I couldn't get them seated to the hub to press them in. WTF
After comparing multiple images of the OE wheel bearing, comparing it to the one I removed from my car, I came to the conclusion that the previous owner (from 2006 or earlier) must have had a aftermarket wheel bearing installed at sometime or another.

I ordered a new wheel bearing from JNZ and the ARP wheel studs fit just fine, can you see the difference?

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My next problem with the install was figuring out how I was going to resolve my lug nut issue. Since I run OE Evo rims I had to use a mag style lug nut and washer, which are nearly impossible to find open ended. I thought I'd get creative and "modify" them, taking a jig saw to the top and making them an open ended mag lug nut like I needed.

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26JAN2015 - Started It Up & Washed it for Car Show
Every year the company I work for, Intel, hosts a car show for its employees to show off their hobbies and talk cars with their coworkers while they're at work. The show isthe last week in February so I dusted the engine bay and I quadruple checked everything I had done to the car the last few months, since the car hadn't started since April, and I fired her up. Only a month away!

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23FEB2015 - Making Carbon Fiber Bumper Shutters
I had been wanting to grab a set of bumper shutters to help with aero at the track and while the Angry Aero shutters Boostin' sells function perfectly fine, I thought if I was going to pay $150+ for a set I wanted a real carbon fiber shutter that was hard mounted and not a piece of vinyl that was held on with 3M. I had spent a few months prior researching different carbon fiber thicknesses and its pliability, once I determined the best thickness and the size that I needed I ordered a sheet of it and started mocking up the shutter.

To get the shape and size I wanted I made a shutter out of masking tape, then drew the outline of the shutter around the fog light and trans/oil cooler vents. Since these were going to be hard mounted I left a 1" overlap around the opening in the bumper so there was plenty of material to secure the shutter to.

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Next, I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some black construction paper to "mock up" what the shutter would look like after it was cutout of carbon fiber.

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Once I felt comfortable with the shape of the construction paper shutter, along with the bolt spacing that would secure it to the bumper, I made the leap and started cutting up my carbon fiber sheet to shape it into a bumper shutter, then drilled the mounting holes. The passenger side is just a mirrored shutter from the driver side one I mocked up.

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After drinking a few beers for the confidence I needed, I started drilling the mounting holes in the bumper. Leading up to this point it didn't seem like a big deal but once you start drilling (24) 3/8" holes in the bumper it will make you take a few more measurements... LOL

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YYYYUUUUUSSSSSS! They fit perfectly and looked amazing, just like I had hoped. Let's just hope that drilling holes in the bumper for these things means a lower ET at the track...

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24FEB2015 - Intel Employee Car Show
Going to a work function, even if it is a car show, would seem rather boring but so many people work at Intel it's rare to even talk to someone outside of the 4 or 5 people you work directly with. I enjoy the Intel car show because I'm always surprised at the builds that show up that you'd otherwise never see or the people you recognize in the halls and you'd never guess they enjoyed wrenching on their car as much as you do.

I tossed on the Hoosiers since my car isn't a show car with its 18yr old paint job, I can make it look like it belongs on the track though. The carbon fiber bumper shutters survived their maiden voyage on my 9 mile drive into work too... LOL

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04MAR2015 - New Clutch M/S Cylinders, Speed Bleeders, Alignment Check & Evo IX Wheel Refresh
As much as I LOVE my wife she can make it a PITA when I need help bleeding the brakes or the clutch. Fortunately, bleeding either is few and far between but when I do need help she drops everything and heads out to the garage (wish I could say I do the same when she asks for my help with something) but then in a bit of uncoordinated fashion pumps when I need her to hold the pedal and holds the pedal when I need her to pump. I wanted to replace my clutch master/slave cylinders with new OE units I had bought but dreaded asking my wife for help and the price of a proper bleeding pump is too expensive - enter Russell Speed Bleeders.

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These things are inexpensive, turn a two person job into a one person job, and speed the process up to boot! I ended up buying a set for the clutch slave cylinder, the front 2g AWD brakes & the rear Evo Brembo's. Here's a shot of the install into the slave cylinder, I didn't get a photo of them in the calipers but you get the idea. They functioned just as I had hoped, I was able to bleed the clutch and brake lines by myself and it was a helluva lot faster than I remember the last time I did it with my partner in crime.

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After seeing my car on the set of Hoosiers it made me realize I needed to do something with the wheels that have my street radials on them. The Evo IX wheels on my DR's are powder coated semi-gloss black and have a painted to match center cap with red diamond stars on them. My street tires that are on my car 95% of the time are shot with black primer, which is really a dark gray, along with the center keeps leaving a very unfinished look. I pulled all (4) wheels and rolled them into the back and did a $20 rattle can gloss black paint job, then taped up the Mitsu logo and hit it with some red. Just like new(ish) and it only took a few hours of my day... Just need to hit the tires with some cleaner to get the tape residue off of them from the repaint.

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Since I've had the chromoly rear subframe and toe arms I've been making it a point to check my alignment every few months to see if its moved on me. Import Face-off (IFO) was coming to Tucson March 15th and the track's about 115 miles away, I wasn't going to race but I wanted to make sure my alignment was perfect before I made the 230 mile round trip. I had a few hours to kill before my wife got home from work so I drove the car up on my alignment rack and checked everything quick. Couldn't be more happier with results so far, nothing has changed and everything's holding up well.

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15MAR2015 - Import Face-off Tucson, AZ
I would have loved to put the DSM Tow truck to work and haul the 2g down to Tucson and make a few passes however, if you haven't noticed by now I haven't done anything to fix my valve float. I think a part of me wanted to just enjoy driving the car, since I hadn't for awhile, and not worry about getting down the track faster...

A few friends from Phoenix wanted to make the trip so we met up and started our 115 mile journey South.

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...and one last shot before we hit the road back to Phoenix. The car ran great and it made me realize how much I missed driving it on the street.

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I know you have been busy but thanks for the update you got married, not too long ago right. It's been a while since updates too I'm sure we'll look for more.
 
24MAR2015 - Got 99 Problems & My TOB's One
Just when things were looking up. Car was running and driving great, the only problem was there were no problems which always leaves you wondering whats going to break next. Well, fortunately I noticed something didn't seem right so I decided I should investigate further before a $30 part snowballs into a few thousand dollars.

On my drive to Tucson for IFO I noticed that my clutch pedal release point wasn't consistent, it kept moving. I didn't think anything of it because I just installed a new master/slave cylinder just a few weeks before and I thought maybe it needed some more adjustment. Checking the slave cylinder during the adjustment something didn't "feel" right so I removed it and tried giving the shift fork a jiggle and I couldn't get the shift fork to slide freely on the input shaft. It felt seized when I tried to move it... After consulting with some of the site staff (thanks Tim and Donnie) for their opinion on the matter, then having Shepherd confirm what they had already said, it was time to drop the transmission because the general consensus was the throwout bearing was trying to seize on the input shaft sleeve. I rolled up my sleeves and got everything off the car but the transmission, called it a night and I'll hump the transmission off the block first thing in the morning.

*Excuse the mess* :sosad:

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25MAR2015 - Dropped the Transmission
Did I mention how much I hate dropping the transmission? I especially hate it when I drop it and the reason I dropped it for disappears, like it never happened, and my car is playing mind games. Remember when I said the shift fork wouldn't slide freely back and fourth and 3 of 3 transmission experts all said the TOB was probably trying to seize on the input shaft sleeve? :mad:



After consulting my DSM buddies (site staff) we came up with a few theories...
- The TOB was worn into the collar a bit and when I swapped slave cylinders the bearing moved passed it normal range of motion and got hung up on the lip that was created.
- Somehow, someway, my fulcrum (pivot) ball had a fat ass washer over shimming the shift fork. (I really have no memory of shimming that pivot ball when I installed the ShepTrans in 2011)​

Either way, it doesn't matter now. I placed an order with ExtremePSI to get a new pivot ball and OEM TOB.

Here's a few photos I took after ripping it all apart.

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06JUL2015 - Me Realizing I'm a Lazy Asshole
Yep. Not necessarily an update but a realization. Somewhere between March when I dropped it and now, when I took this photo, I realized that I had literally procrastinated 3 months. In my defense though, I turned 30yrs old in May and wasn't sure I could install a transmission by myself now that I'm halfway to 60. LOL

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Congratulations, man. This will officially be the first time a DSM has ever had to have the transmission removed :) It sucks you have to remove the whole thing for that stupid bearing.
 
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