So I am getting ready to have my motor rebuilt for my 1997 Eclipse GS-T in the next month or so, problem is that I am not sure which shop to go with or if there is anything near me I should consider/stay away from. I have no plan to race this car, and it will mostly be used for a night out with my wife or cruises on my back country roads so I don't need anything crazy. I'm basically looking for an OEM rebuild for peace of mind.

Right now I am looking at having Strickly Performance do my rebuild, going with their OEM long block rebuild (http://strictlyperformance.parts/sh...m-rebuilt-long-block-1g-2g-dsm-evo-8-9-engine) and it looks like its going to be in the mid to high 3k range in regards to cost. I am completely open to other vendors and reputable shops, and even possibly having a local shop do it for more of a convenience. Obviously, Id like to go as cheap as possible without cutting any corners.

I have other considered finding a parts car that has a good running motor/trans and pulling/swapping the motor into my car. As well I have considered going to a shop locally (or close to local) that most importantly knows these cars and having them do it. I could really use some guidance/outside opinions from this knowledgeable community.

Any suggestions on a local shop/vendor? I'm located in STL MO (63052 area code), and I'm willing to drive a bit to find a good shop. Strictly Performance worth the money? Any other place cheaper? Is the price for an OEM rebuild good? Right now all I have is my wife to throw ideas at and could really use some other inputs.

Thanks for taking the time to read and help!

Quick edit: I currently I have a 7 bolt engine from my 1997 Eclipse GS-T with a spun rod bearing (at least that was the issue I was told it had). I would ideally like to stick with this block if possible. Id also only be looking at having a longblock built for simplicity.

I wouldnt want to use an engine from another car, its better to have a fresh rebuild, even if you get another engine that runs good, the seals and gaskets would be at best seeping oil from most places, and need pulled apart and replaced anyway. You can buy a fresh shortblock from either Mitsubishi brand new or get a company like English racing or Magnus to price you a shortblock or longblock, for 3k you should be able to get something pretty decent.

Thanks for the response motomattx, I am assuming id need to call English/Magnus to get the quote on the longblock rebuild? I'll need to look them up and see where they are located at, as this may affect costs/shipping etc. Also, I have never heard anything about crate motors from JEGs, are these reputable engines? This may be a great option for me! Id love to hear others views on these motors.

What makes you think you spun a rod bearing? It can happen, but typically on an unmolested stock car that receives regular oil changes it's not common to spin a bearing one day on the drive to work

I mean it happens but usually from oil starvation or contamination

Honestly, I have no clue, I am just going off what the previous owner told me (which I should mostly throw out the window). The car has sat in a garage for 5 years. I drained the oil and it had large goldish color chips/flakes of metal inside. Regardless, the motor is going to get rebuilt because I honestly want to make sure its done right and for the peace of mind down the road.

Audiyo said:

Honestly, I have no clue, I am just going off what the previous owner told me (which I should mostly throw out the window). The car has sat in a garage for 5 years. I drained the oil and it had large goldish color chips/flakes of metal inside. Regardless, the motor is going to get rebuilt because I honestly want to make sure its done right and for the peace of mind down the road.

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Those pieces are likely a bearing.

motomattx said:

https://www.jegs.com/i/ATK-Engines/...MI_OWHuOSQ2wIVlrjACh3xlwjHEAQYAiABEgJBrfD_BwE

Click to expand...

Crikey that's a 6 bolt and not a cheap one at that, but putting a 6 bolt in a 2g requires more stuff. I would just get a 7 bolt and call it good.

you might wanna try Performance Automotive

Any tips on what to have done or what to ask for when I call these shops? I’ve never had this short of work performed nor have I ever worked with a machine shop before. Should I basically use the list of things Strictly Performace does and ask for that? What I don’t want to happen is that I have a shop rebuild my longblock and I don’t ask for something I should have (like oil port ported, balance shafts removed or some sort a machine job) and then I kick myself down the road.

Murdertalon at this point the only thing that makes sense is to stick with my 7 bolt. No reason not to. Ideally I wouldn’t have to spend 3500$ on a rebuilt longblock. Anything cheaper wouldn’t be astounding.

Dustyboner these guys are fairly close to me. I’ll give them a call whenever I get a better idea of what I should ask for. At this point I’m not sure if keeping OEM internals and upgrading hardware, bearings and other odds and ends sounds the smartest or not.

How good of a mechanic are you? There's always someone unloading a brand new engine for 1/2 price around here or the Facebook groups.

I mean I’m no professional but I’d like to think I do a good job when I do things. I will be doing this engine swap myself along with all other items needed on this car in my garage. If you find or know of a new motor for half the price send them my way as if happily save the money and go that route. Just out of curiosity do you have any examples of this? Anything recently?

You'd have to do some searching around as I don't keep engine ads in my memory. I bought my manley I-beam, wiseco engine with arp hardware brand new zero-mile for $700. Balanced and blueprinted with machine specs. Not saying it always works out this way but I do see a lot of great deals out there.

Any other forums or specific Facebook groups you’d suggest?

Go to Facebook and type in DSM and you'll get a ton of groups saying buy and sell or classifieds. The biggest one is DSM Classifieds. You do have to be careful and know what you're buying, though.

Couple things to consider.. 1 balance shafts are your friend unless your going for hp records. 2 fluidamper harmonic balancer will never separate. 3 I think is the most important clutch alignment must be perfect.

Things I like, full weight fly wheels, south bend sprung clutches.

Don't take this as a final verdict, but it's a good read. I think having either an ATI or fluidamper is a real good idea either way.
https://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/keep-your-balance-shafts

Stay away from unsprung 6 Puck clutches (from personal experience) unless you are tearing the engine and trans often