This is the Build Thread for 1994 Talon project with QOL focus. Reply below.

I'm waiting on the weather to improve as it's rather slushy and wet outside. I'll update the list as I work my way through it.
Current to-do's include the following:

High priority work:

• Replace both front axles and investigate whether the oem ones make sense to rebuild (torn boots)
  • Replace transmission fluid during this job since it's necessary to drain it if you want to avoid a mess while changing the axles
• Drain and refill oil with fresh synthetic, replace oil filter
• Drain and refill transfer case and rear diff with fresh fluid
• Identify why the long bolt going through the transfer case isn't screwing into the transmission
• Finish soldering wiring harness for a new head unit
  • I started last month, but forgot about it
• Replace timing belt and associated pulleys, belts, tensioners, and water pump
  • This is gonna be a pain seeing as the OEM tensioner was discontinued before I bought the car

Low priority work:

• Track down source of singular broken wire in the engine bay. I'm thinking it leads to the power steering pump, but I'm not sure
• Identify source of dodgy wiring near headlights/fog lights on passenger front quarter
  • The "dodgy wiring" in question was just the connectors used to attach the horn, which isn't present on the right side. I assume it wasn't replaced after the car was crashed
• Replace front brake discs and pads. The old ones are pretty crusty, but still stop okayish(?)
• Flush brake system with fresh fluid and bleed
  • I'll need to do this again after installing my (not yet) rebuilt calipers.
• Remove and reinstall front right fender to eliminate the panel gap currently present
  • This seems to be the result of the aftermarket replacement fender being kinda shitty.
• Source a fresh front right headlight and side marker light
  • The current pair is a bit damaged, presumably from when that quarter was crashed into something. The side marker doesn't sit flush with the fender and the headlight sits further in than the left headlight
• Disassemble and troubleshoot leftmost hvac vent
  • The open/close selector sticks and won't fully open
• Repair the wiring for the ABS sensors
  • Both sensor wires in the front appear to have been cut through. The car has its ABS light illuminated on the dash, and is also missing a fuse for it
• Source a dash mat
• Clean/condition leather seats
• Repair the ginormous dent in the passenger's rear quarter
• Obtain new clip for the side spoiler pieces
• Obtain new antenna aerial
  • Most of it is present, but the long bit that sticks up in the air is missing. Only a threaded hole remains
• Re-glue the aero pieces to the doors and body of the car
  • The part behind the door on the passenger's side is coming off at the back, as is the passenger door aero piece
• Purchase spring clip for wheel center cap
  • The center cap was included, but not installed in the wheel. Can't find the clip anywhere, so I'll have to buy a new one
• Replace and/or upgrade speakers
  • Current ones sound quite thin, with a pronounced lack of bass. Unsure how much of this is due to the head unit, but we'll see
• Determine the condition of the front suspension
  • Front shocks were blown. Completely f***ed. Fixed now.

Here's a little one month update:
This February has had some uncharacteristically warm days, which has allowed me to take care of some of the maintenance work on my to-do list.

During an off day, I opted to finish soldering the new head unit's wiring harness. The new unit is a Kenwood KDC-x705, so it's got CD functionality. Though I probably won't take advantage of it very often, it's nice knowing that the option is available. It sounds a little better than whatever Jensen radio was previously installed, but I don't think it can compensate for the crappy speakers currently present.

Most eventful was the removal and replacement of both front axles, coupled with the transmission fluid replacement. The whole job wound up taking around 8 hours, all spent in an autozone parking lot. The most difficult part was by far removing the passenger's side axle, since it's pretty hard to get at with a prybar. I had to remove the battery, plastic battery box, and the metal plate it all sits on, all for the sake of maybe getting a better angle. There were a few more minor hiccups like breaking the rusty axle nuts loose and reattaching the intermediate shaft, but things more or less went to plan. I did almost forget to put transmission fluid back in the car though. The stuff I drained out was a silvery gray color. Not sure how normal that is, but I'm told it's okay.

I took care of the oil change later that week. Simple and easy, though the filter made a bit of a mess on the car when I removed it. Now it's got some Mobil1 Advanced Full Synthetic 10W30 with an OEM Mitsubishi filter.

Most recently, I changed the spark plugs and the fluid in the transfer case and rear differential. There weren't any issues until I had to drain the transfer case, upon which I discovered that the fill plug was finger tight. Not a good omen. By contrast, the drain bolt was incredibly difficult to loosen, and
Oops. In writing this, I've realized a mistake I made. When I went to drain the transfer case, I removed the bolt circled in blue instead of the actual drain plug. Nothing drained out of the transfer case because I took out the wrong bolt. I'll have to iron this out next time the weather is nice, but it should be fine until then.

On an unrelated note, daily driving my Camry makes outings in the Talon considerably more fun by comparison. See you all again next month!

My goodness, It's almost June! (Now it actually is June) I've really been neglecting this thread despite some new developments. First off, is that my plans for this car have changed. I'm not content to have it simply as a daily driver. In early April, I took it to The Learning Curve, which is basically a learn to autocross sort of thing. It was over two days, and I had an incredible time. I'm in for the whole season now. I've since taken the car to the first and second events of the season so far, with another one coming up on June 13th and 14th.

Now, onto the work I've done since. Shortly before The Learning Curve, I replaced the thermostat+gasket, fuel filter, hatch lift supports, and front shock/struts. Ever since I bought it, the ride quality was always kinda crap. That and when you closed the hood, the whole front end would bob up and down with just a little effort. As soon as I disassembled the front shocks, it was obvious that they were dead.


With this glaring issue now resolved and the car riding better than ever, I was ready for my unofficial autocross debut. It was spread across two weekend days, with the first day having two smaller courses, and the second having a larger course that was basically the previous two smushed together. I was also assigned an experienced autocrosser to act as my "instructor", so basically ride along and give pointers. I was able to get a bunch of runs in, especially on the first day. At this current point, I think I'll benefit most from just getting more seat time. Here's a couple photos and videos from that weekend.



This last one's from day two, when I hit a cone and dragged it all the way back to grid.

This video (above) is from day one (the second course)

This video (above) is from day two (combined longer course)

Everything was smooth sailing until the day after autocross. The car made it to+from the venue on both days without any issues. I thought I was in the clear, so I decided to go on a late night drive with my good friend. Fun is had, and I'm almost home when my clutch pedal starts acting up and sticking. While parking, I had to pry the pedal off the floor once or twice, and it was clear that something was not right. I checked the clutch fluid reservoir and saw that it was empty save for some blackish grime.

Further inspection revealed that the master cylinder was leaking into the interior, and the slave cylinder was damp all over.


This was a problem that I could not ignore, especially if I wanted to attend the next autocross event. One rockauto order and a few days later, I was the proud owner of a replacement master+slave cylinder. Replacing both was quite the ordeal, and oh so messy. My hands were absolutely drenched in brake fluid, but the job got done and everything was back to normal. I believe I also bled all my brakes around this time, but I'm not sure exactly when.
Fast forward to a few days later, I decide to replace the rear pads/rotors because the pads are looking pretty thin. I could not have imagined the frustration that it would end up causing me. It turns out that both caliper pistons have seized and will not compress, even with a c clamp. Not to mention the ebrake component on the passenger side caliper is completely frozen (and the ebrake cable holder is rust welded to the ebrake cable). This is turning into quite the ordeal.

I'd also noticed an odd ticking/clackety noise that would disappear when I clutch in. I sent a video to my DSM tutor and he told me my throw out bearing's going bad. Shit. That's gonna be a hassle to replace, but I go and order a TOB and a clutch cause I might as well take care of it while I'm in there. Will that deter me from going to autocross tomorrow though? Of course not.

Now it's the day of. I roll up and I'm running heats two and four, working three. Means my lunchtime is between 9:30 and 11am. Whatever. I manage to get a video of a friend's third run, which is nice. Now it's heat two and it's my turn. My fastest of the day is my second run (of six), pictured below.

My fifth run is considerably rougher by comparison. I hit either five or six cones.

I still wind up having a ton of fun (as expected) despite lackluster performance in class and in my later runs. I've made peace with the fact that I am not class competitive in the slightest (B Street Touring), plus that wasn't my goal to begin with.
Next up on the repair list is my front brakes. On the way back from Sunday's event, I notice a worsening metallic screeching/scraping noise coming from the front on braking. Undoubtedly brake related, and I'd had the foresight to order pads+rotors a few months prior around the time I bought the axles.
Here's the state of the driver's side inner pad:

Think it's still got some life in it?
The calipers/pistons were a little crusty, but still compressed like normal (unlike the rears).

I replaced the pads/rotors/clips on both sides, and made sure to liberally grease the slide pins. Also a generous helping of anti seize between the hub/rotor and rotor/wheel since the previous rotors had rusted themselves to the hub. I wouldn't have been able to remove them if not for the threaded holes in the old rotors (and the conveniently matching threads bolts I had on hand).


Would you look at the time?! Seems that we're due for another autocross event, this time on May 3rd. My first three runs of the day were pretty rough in part due to rain. I DNF-d all three in my first heat, and managed to spin out in runs two and three. Run three is attached below:

By the time my next heat came around, the rain had tapered off and we were getting a bit of sun. The resulting track conditions were a lot more friendly to my shitty 8yr old all season tires (Sentury Tourings anyone?). I also had the privilege of riding along with a few other people, which cemented the next mod in my head... tires. Here's run four.

Like the one before, I enjoyed this event tremendously. Everyone's been quite friendly, and I've even had a few people walk over to reminisce about their (or their friend's) old DSM. The next one wouldn't be happening for more than a month though, so I had plenty of time to get some necessary work done.

Side quest time! I was browsing marketplace, and I saw someone listing a 1g hatch with glass for free. Knowing that glass can be difficult to source for these cars, I figured I might as well go pick it up. I made a trip out there (~50/60 miles) in my Camry, only to find that the hatch was too big to fit in the backseat or trunk. That left only one viable option: removing the existing hatch, driving topless on the highway, and then mounting the spare. It went pretty smoothly, although the wind noise was understandably pretty crazy.
Here's the before:

And here's the after:

Once I got back, I promptly swapped the hatches again as the spare was considerably nastier than the original. Judging from the wing that was originally on it, the hatch belonged to a 1GA Talon(?). A nice find regardless.

Around this time I'd also placed an order for some summer tires to replace the tired old no-name all seasons that came on the car. Fast forward a few days and it came time to actually get them installed. I bought them from Costco, and I had to stop by in person to schedule because you can't select cars from before 2000 on their online scheduler. They got me taken care of though, and I'm now the proud owner of some tires that don't suck.


Now we're fast forwarding again, this time to last Wednesday. The month prior, I'd ordered some parts from rockauto that were supposed to be rear calipers (they were not) and instead turned out to be front single piston calipers. I found this out when I tried to replace the rears, only to notice that the mounting holes were wrong and they lacked the handbrake mechanism. Not my finest moment. The only remaining option was to find someone to rebuild my calipers, but fortunately a quick search in the DSM Facebook group helped me find Josh Bachman. No idea if he has a page on here, but if you're reading this, Thank You! I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be able to get them sent back to me in time for the next autocross event (June 13/14), but we'll have to see. If not, I guess I'll have to beat on my Camry.
Here's everything bagged up and ready to go.


Anyways WOW that was a long recap. Finally done though, and I'm sure there will be more to write about in the coming months. Stay tuned! (hahaha you get it? dsmtuners?? stay tuned?!?)