Ultimatum

opn0 · Jul 26, 2026

This is the Build Thread for Ultimatum. Reply below.

opn0 · Jul 26, 2026

Well... I bought a second DSM. This time it's a 2G and it's AWD.

No engine, no transmission. It hasn't run in probably over a decade or two. Got it for a good price along with a heap of parts to put on it, so this should be fun!

My Eclipse is mostly sorted and doing good, so I figured it would be fun to buy a project/weekend car. The Eclipse is my daily, so...

opn0 · Jul 26, 2026

Just cleaned the car up a bunch and gave it a quick wash before sundown. She's honestly looking really good. The paint is in better condition than I thought. It's not without damages, dents, dings, and whatever. But it's certainly a lot better than I originally expected!

Super pleased with it, and I'm super excited to start working on it :hellyeah:

opn0 · Jul 27, 2026

Dude I don't even know where to start.

I have enough knowledge on cars to get me in and out of trouble, but not much more than that. I did the exhaust manifold on my Eclipse, the battery, and other small shit... but electrical stuff and wiring is completely beyond my scope of knowledge. My engine bay is almost completely bare except for the motor mounts, a radiator, misc. plumbing, and what I think is a wiring harness? (Admittedly, never really took the time to figure out what that was. Again, I hate wiring :idontknow:

)

It's not as simple as just "oh throw an engine in it" and I know that, but genuinely where do I start? I'm in over my head, and it's sink or swim. I've always liked learning that way

But seriously, any advice, resources, or anything like that would be IMMENSELY appreciated! :thumb:

pauleyman · Jul 27, 2026

First place to start. What do you want the car to do? At a bare minimum since you don't need the car I'd buy a gallon of simple green, a bunch of brushes and just go to town. No better time to make an engine bay look new than when there is nothing in it.

Project management and building a dsm

I wrote this for another board some time ago and wanted to share it here.Project management.......Over the years we keep hearing opinions of this or that, how to build something etc but we rarely see something broken down (no pun intended) to more basic terms. I have been dealing with...

www.dsmtuners.com

schmitty_z · Jul 28, 2026

It all depends on your goals. Just want the car to run and drive as easily as possible? Or is this a long term rebuild, replace, repair project? Is this car going to be a daily driver, weekend cruiser, street/strip, show car, or auto cross build? All have unique pathways and differing amounts of effort, time, money and skill. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have 1000 pieces of a car laying around. I’ve found it best to focus on a few specific tasks in one section at a time to ease that stressful mess LOL

. Let’s say your first plan is to knock out front suspension. If this is just a simple driver rebuild, you might not splurge for expensive coilovers, aftermarket sway bar, or poly bushings and only replace what is worn with OEM equivalent parts. If this is a show car, you might take the time to pull every single nut and bolt have the subframe painted, fancy billet arms, nice coilovers, etc. So just really dial in on what you expect out of the car and the effort and budget you’re willing to put in. From there it becomes easy to prioritize where to start and get a plan of attack going.

GIB · Jul 28, 2026

I started with no engine as well. Replace the wires in the engine bay, even getting a brand new engine wire harness.I replaced everything else and regretted not doing that because I've had problems mostly with bad wires and connectors. Next thing, replace all rubber. Rubber was another crazy issue. Put some rust sealant in the engine bay also. These will bite you once you get it running if not.

opn0 · Jul 30, 2026

pauleyman said:
First place to start. What do you want the car to do? At a bare minimum since you don't need the car I'd buy a gallon of simple green, a bunch of brushes and just go to town. No better time to make an engine bay look new than when there is nothing in it.

Project management and building a dsm
I wrote this for another board some time ago and wanted to share it here.Project management.......Over the years we keep hearing opinions of this or that, how to build something etc but we rarely see something broken down (no pun intended) to more basic terms. I have been dealing with...
www.dsmtuners.com

Once I get paid, I'll get started on that!

schmitty_z said:
It all depends on your goals. Just want the car to run and drive as easily as possible? Or is this a long term rebuild, replace, repair project? Is this car going to be a daily driver, weekend cruiser, street/strip, show car, or auto cross build? All have unique pathways and differing amounts of effort, time, money and skill. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have 1000 pieces of a car laying around. I’ve found it best to focus on a few specific tasks in one section at a time to ease that stressful mess . Let’s say your first plan is to knock out front suspension. If this is just a simple driver rebuild, you might not splurge for expensive coilovers, aftermarket sway bar, or poly bushings and only replace what is worn with OEM equivalent parts. If this is a show car, you might take the time to pull every single nut and bolt have the subframe painted, fancy billet arms, nice coilovers, etc. So just really dial in on what you expect out of the car and the effort and budget you’re willing to put in. From there it becomes easy to prioritize where to start and get a plan of attack going.

I wanna get it running as soon as possible, but I also want to leave a ton of headroom for if I decide to go crazy later. So I guess a moderately built street car/weekend car is the end goal haha.

GIB said:
I started with no engine as well. Replace the wires in the engine bay, even getting a brand new engine wire harness.I replaced everything else and regretted not doing that because I've had problems mostly with bad wires and connectors. Next thing, replace all rubber. Rubber was another crazy issue. Put some rust sealant in the engine bay also. These will bite you once you get it running if not.

It's definitely going to be a pain in the ass, but yeah I definitely should take the time to learn about electrical shit and replace a bunch. :cry:

pauleyman · Jul 30, 2026

opn0 said:
Once I get paid, I'll get started on that!

I wanna get it running as soon as possible, but I also want to leave a ton of headroom for if I decide to go crazy later. So I guess a moderately built street car/weekend car is the end goal haha.

This statement is very vague. Try and be objective about what you want the car to do and where it will go. List the constraints first. The top of the list is usually money, 2nd is usually time.
I recommend taking each piece of the car separately. Suspension, drivetrain, motor, interior, exterior etc. Start with what you NEED, not what you want. A successful project will depend upon the plans you set. Make a reasonable plan and follow it. I can tell you this, plans change all the time, usually because of the first two constraint I listed. It's why my own project is still on hold.

opn0 said:
It's definitely going to be a pain in the ass, but yeah I definitely should take the time to learn about electrical shit and replace a bunch.

opn0 · Jul 30, 2026

pauleyman said:
This statement is very vague. Try and be objective about what you want the car to do and where it will go. List the constraints first. The top of the list is usually money, 2nd is usually time.

Goal is ~400-450ish horsepower at the wheels. Not enough to make it undrivable, but far more than I'll need.

Time and money are constraints, but I don't spend a lot of money on anything else. I'll have about $800 every month that I can put into the car without feeling it. I also have a ton of free time, but I have been meaning to start offering photography services again, so that's subject to change.

pauleyman said:
Start with what you NEED, not what you want.

That's the idea! That's why I'm trying to gauge what takes priority before I spend money on a single part.

I appreciate you! :hellyeah:

pauleyman · Jul 30, 2026

Well as we've stated maintenance first. Unless you have history I start every car with new timing belt, water pump, hoses etc. Full fluid change and then check brakes, seals and do some cleanup. After 30 years I stress if at all possible get the car sorted out in stock form and put some miles on it before doing anything. Meanwhile you can think about how you want the car to behave. I noticed you only listed horsepower. What about handling? Brakes? Driveability? Comfort? Some of that stuff may matter to you. Some may not. I look at the car as a whole. If youre already satisfied with other areas you may not need to do anything but I would still do maintenance.

opn0 · Jul 31, 2026

pauleyman said:
Well as we've stated maintenance first. Unless you have history I start every car with new timing belt, water pump, hoses etc. Full fluid change and then check brakes, seals and do some cleanup. After 30 years I stress if at all possible get the car sorted out in stock form and put some miles on it before doing anything. Meanwhile you can think about how you want the car to behave. I noticed you only listed horsepower. What about handling? Brakes? Driveability? Comfort? Some of that stuff may matter to you. Some may not. I look at the car as a whole. If youre already satisfied with other areas you may not need to do anything but I would still do maintenance.

I've been sifting through the parts that came with the car and I've been trying to figure out what I can refurbish. I do agree that maintenance on the things that are currently ON the car is definitely a high priority.

I prefer engaging driving more than top end speed, so I've been looking into suspension components, but those will come far later. As for brakes, I'm still researching what would suit my use case best.

I apologize if I seem naive or just plain dumb, I'm genuinely just trying to learn cuz I've never BUILT a car like this before!

pauleyman · Jul 31, 2026

opn0 said:
I've been sifting through the parts that came with the car and I've been trying to figure out what I can refurbish. I do agree that maintenance on the things that are currently ON the car is definitely a high priority.

I prefer engaging driving more than top end speed, so I've been looking into suspension components, but those will come far later. As for brakes, I'm still researching what would suit my use case best.

I apologize if I seem naive or just plain dumb, I'm genuinely just trying to learn cuz I've never BUILT a car like this before!

The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask. You're doing fine.

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