1Gb Talon Rust Revival

[Silverspyder]

Something off on those hose's you replace... In the picture, it looks like you switch the lengths from side to side.

Good eye! I switched them after I took the pic, couldn't remember which side was which. All good now.

 

[Silverspyder]

Well, was going to replace the alternator and PS pump belts and get that all finished up, but I was sent the wrong belt for the PS pump. Sooo...back to the workbench to see what I have to work with in my pile...been sitting on a new hood release latch for awhile. The original one is quite gross. 30yrs of gunk built up.

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Upon removal, I noticed some surface rust...remember the name of my build? Gotta take care of it while I have the latch off...I just wire wheeled it and primed it for now. I need to order some more base color as I'm all out. And see that corroded bolt in the center? Yeah, if you've been following along you know that shit won't fly.

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So, that means time to remove a bunch of stuff (here we go down the rabbit hole again) to see how far it goes...

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That's better...and with that I noticed the upper bumper support bracket was getting kinda rusty again. I know I prepped and painted it when I installed my FMIC...so that was about a decade ago.

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Just wire wheeled and Ospho'd it for now...I think this time around I will POR15 all the upper bumper brackets. Now, back to the original item...

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Removed the rusty bolt from above (astonished it didn't snap) and decided I'd just better remove and treat this entire bracket before it get's too bad, but of course, I spoke too soon...the bottom bolt snapped. These small bolts up here are all class 4 bolts. Blows my mind they would use such crappy bolts in areas that see a lot of moisture like this. If they were bigger and more stout I would understand, but these are tiny 10mm bolts.

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You know the process. Drill out, retap and use higher quality fasteners.

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That was enough for today. It's a long process to prep and POR15 all these pieces so that will be for next time. Hope you guys all had a great weekend!

 

[Silverspyder]

Nothing too exciting this week. Lots of prepping and POR15'ing and then painting random parts. I hate doing this stuff because it take so long. So much waiting between coats...2hrs minimum between POR15 coats alone, so this process pretty much took all weekend.
First, the prep...wire wheel/brush, then OSPHO to convert and etch, then POR15, then top coat.

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Found some surface rust on the frame, so I took care of that while I was at it.

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All prepped and ready for POR15...

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and after...

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I topcoated with POR15 Top Coat in chassis black (matte black), and that takes about 3-4 days to fully cure. Next week I think I'll finish up the power steering/brake setup and begin ripping apart the front end a little more. I have some brand new front lower control arms to install.

 

[TCB91GSX]

When retapping, are you going a size up or using the same size?

 

[awdmonster1904]

Looks amazing keep up the great work

 

[jesse12345]

Hey man I love all the quality work your putting into this. I also used alot of that expensive por 15 and now my whole engine bay is semi gloss por 15. I absolutely hate rust so I know what your going through. Keep up the great work.

 

[Silverspyder]

When retapping, are you going a size up or using the same size?

Usually the same size, but if the threads get all screwed up I will drill one size bigger and retap. I ended up retapping to a bigger size more in the rear end where the rust was the worst (exhaust hangers, etc). I do ALWAYS use a higher class/quality of fastener though. That I don't slouch on.

Hey man I love all the quality work your putting into this. I also used alot of that expensive por 15 and now my whole engine bay is semi gloss por 15. I absolutely hate rust so I know what your going through. Keep up the great work.

It sucks, but I don't want to have to deal with it again. I've found the pack of 6 smaller cans is way more cost effective. A little goes a long way as you already know. ;-)

 

[DreamChaser7]

Nothing too exciting this week. Lots of prepping and POR15'ing and then painting random parts. I hate doing this stuff because it take so long. So much waiting between coats...2hrs minimum between POR15 coats alone, so this process pretty much took all weekend.
First, the prep...wire wheel/brush, then OSPHO to convert and etch, then POR15, then top coat.

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Found some surface rust on the frame, so I took care of that while I was at it.

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All prepped and ready for POR15...

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and after...

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I topcoated with POR15 Top Coat in chassis black (matte black), and that takes about 3-4 days to fully cure. Next week I think I'll finish up the power steering/brake setup and begin ripping apart the front end a little more. I have some brand new front lower control arms to install.

Are the new lower control arms OEM? If so where did you get them?

 

[Silverspyder]

Are the new lower control arms OEM? If so where did you get them?

Yes, got them from RTM.

 

[DreamChaser7]

Yes, got them from RTM.

So you got me excited for a second there, . I was pretty positive those OEM parts were NLA for some time now. (mb573095, mb573096). So I contacted Paul at RTM and he verified those parts are aftermarket direct fitment. So my question to you is how did you find the quality, welds, fitment etc.?

 

[Silverspyder]

So you got me excited for a second there, . I was pretty positive those OEM parts were NLA for some time now. (mb573095, mb573096). So I contacted Paul at RTM and he verified those parts are aftermarket direct fitment. So my question to you is how did you find the quality, welds, fitment etc.?

I have a ton of stuff sitting around from when I bought them many years ago when I noticed that these parts were being discontinued by Mitsu. If I saw they were becoming limited or saw them for a good price, I'd buy them right away. Most of this stuff has been sitting in a box for a decade or more.

 

[Silverspyder]

Ordered some more fasteners this week. Here's what $400 of high quality stuff looks like. This oughta last me awhile.

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[KCDsmDude]

The attention to detail here is phenomenal.

 

[DreamChaser7]

I have a ton of stuff sitting around from when I bought them many years ago when I noticed that these parts were being discontinued by Mitsu. If I saw they were becoming limited or saw them for a good price, I'd buy them right away. Most of this stuff has been sitting in a box for a decade or more.

Wish I would have done that

 

[pauleyman]

Wish I would have done that

Don't feel bad. I stockpiled parts and a tornado took it all.

 

[Silverspyder]

Did a decent amount of work today. More priming, painting and installing some new stuff I got this week. Seems my Sundays are for ordering stuff I need, get them during the week, then install during the weekend. Working pretty well so far. got my paint and clear coat as well as my brake res cover and clutch res cover...black anodized to keep with my current color scheme. Also ordered some new door hinges as my passenger side door sags a bit. Ordered the door checks as well since my driver's side one has been messed up since the day I bought the car...unfortunately, I could only get one. I was informed that I purchased the last door check in existence from Mitsu. It is now a discontinued part.

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Here's those covers installed on the reservoirs. Keep in mind, if you change these out, you need to swap the gaskets/o-rings from the old covers to the new ones.

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Went ahead and painted/clearcoated the areas I had POR15'd last weekend.

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It made the front end look like brand new. I basically did the whole thing since it tends to get scratched up a bit over the years. While I was at it, I did the hood prop. I painted it body color, but also taped off the end and sprayed it with a rubberized undercoating.
Hopefully it holds up better that regular paint. Guess we'll see.

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While I was painting and cleaning the front end, I noticed a metal plate bolted onto the front, covering a hole near the headlight. Didn't seem to have a purpose, so I removed it to help with airflow to the air filter. Anyone know why this plate was there?? It was covering the hole on the left....this is the passenger side. While I had it off I figured I'd get it primed and painted body color to match it's surroundings. the weight savings alone will ad like 10HP right? ;-)

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While I have the front bumper off, I figured I'd snap a pic of the hella horns I installed a few years back. the stock horn is lacking pretty bad. Not anymore with this bad boy. This screams "GTFO of my way"!

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Another piece I got this week was the Volk Metalcraft crossmember system. I opted for option #2. Saves 16lbs over the stock configuration.

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I'm becoming quite a Volk fanboy. The guy just knows how to make stuff. the fit and finish is precise. the parts are beefy AND he includes the necessary fasteners. I've had Bulfab as well, and while the Bulfab stuff is great, the Volk stuff just fits better, and is also powdercoated already. I don't like have to putz around with stuff after I buy it. IMO, it better fit and fit well the first time. If I have to modify a bunch of shit, bend stuff and/or have to buy fasteners to even install it, or ask a bunch of questions about install I'm not too happy. Volk takes care of all of that AND even includes install instructions in case you need them. Here's where you install them btw. Pretty straightforward and easy as hell.

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Driver's side. Passenger Side. Crossmember bar. Took all of 10minutes to install.

also received my grounding kit today. I purchased this from Ray at pFb Products. He makes custom grounding kits for our cars and is a pleasure to work with. I went with black carbon sleeving and copper terminals. Some say grounding kits don't do anything, some say they do a ton. I say, who cares? I'm supporting a business owner who is actively making stuff for these old cars AND I'm replacing 30yr old components with high quality stuff. Win/Win in my book. My younger days of installing car audio made me VERY aware of how important a good ground can be. I'll start replacing some of the stock grounds tomorrow.

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[Widgmaster]

So much talent in one fellow... I hope Elon Musk invents the cloning machine soon so I can have one of you too. Imagine having your very own @Silverspyder . Let him loose in your garage and you come back to find your cars been overhauled. Sort of like Chip Foose and his gang all wrapped up in one man.

 

[Silverspyder]

So much talent in one fellow... I hope Elon Musk invents the cloning machine soon so I can have one of you too. Imagine having your very own @Silverspyder . Let him loose in your garage and you come back to find your cars been overhauled. Sort of like Chip Foose and his gang all wrapped up in one man.

I appreciate that man. This is what happens when I'm left to my own devices.

 

[Silverspyder]

You ever have one of those days working on the car where you feel like you really didn't do much because you did just a bunch of little things? Yeah, one of those days.

Was tired of holding my hood up with my jack handle, so figured I'd get the hood bracket reassembled so I can use the support again that I just painted. Looks awesome and shouldn't be rusting or looking like crap for quite awhile I think...

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I then spotted another nasty bolt and attached bracket I wanted to get taken care of while I was working on the front. You know the drill. Wire brush, prime, paint. Anytime I see these unusual brackets I want to get to them before they get worse. It's not like you can just go and pick up a new one of these. Before and after.

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While that was drying, I figured I'd do some general cleaning, replacing bolts and clamps...Am I the only one who removes entire sections so I can clean under them?

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Replacing some old, rusty and loose tension clamps on my vacuum lines I still have left. Of course, black ones.

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While I was on the firewall, figured I'd get the brake and clutch res's reinstalled.

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Then decided I'd better get the front end reassembled a bit as these parts were taking up real estate on my workbench. First up was the new hood latch assembly. I wanted to post these first couple pics here in case anyone ever has an issue with the release cable's routing through the bracket. It's pretty straightforward, but pics always help.

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Then to reinstall with all new hardware. But first...clean all the threads in the brackets and on the body. Look at all that crap. New bracket looks great and is now protected from further rust. If you want to see what it looked like before, just scroll up a bit...

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[Widgmaster]

By any chance is your paint code R70 Patriot Red Pearl? I am having difficulty finding someone to make me up an aerosol can. Napa does this but they do not have a chart to go by for the code.

 

[Dericsh]

Making great progress!

I wonder what our options will be for door checks moving forward, just dealing with broken squeaky ones I guess

 

[Silverspyder]

By any chance is your paint code R70 Patriot Red Pearl? I am having difficulty finding someone to make me up an aerosol can. Napa does this but they do not have a chart to go by for the code.

Mine is R65 Bluish Red Metallic. I always order my touchup paints from www.automotivetouchup.com Put in your year, make, model and all the colors and codes will pop up and you can choose what you need. I just did a search for your eclipse and it popped up no problem. You can get it in a rattle can for sure. That's what I always use for my touchups.

 

[iugrad92turbo]

Looke good I use volk stuff too he is a really nice guy. He lives 45 minutes from me and I plan on getting the cross member kit not sure what options I think 3 he told me

 

[Widgmaster]

I know about www.automotivetouchup but they will not ship to Canada. I was thinking of using a parcel post service but that too is difficult due to Covid. With all the restrictions on border crossing.

 

[Silverspyder]

Lots of little things done again today. Replacing bolts with better stuff, painting a few things. Cleaning the nooks and crannies of the engine bay. I spent some time getting the left side of the engine bay buttoned back up...PS belt and alternator belt. Cleaned up the wiring and re-wrapped some of it with new tape. With the Kiggly alternator pulley you need a bigger alt belt...I'm still not convinced it will work. Still feels kinda lose to me and I'm maxed out on the adjustment of it. Guess we'll see when I fire her back up eventually.

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Also decided to get the clutch system finalized. Installed a new OEM slave cylinder while I was under there.

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I've always hated the bolts I was using for the J-pipe as it's such a difficult area to reach so i got some small-head 12-pt bolts to replace the old ones. these oughta make it much easier to reach and tighten. then I replaced the coolant temp sensor. I've had it sitting around for years, so since I have the radiator out, now was the time. Look at this old nasty one I replaced.

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Tomorrow I will be installing the Kiggly HLA and replacing the valve cover gaskets while I'm at it.