95’ Eagle Talon TSI

[JoshGSX95]

This is the Build Thread for 95’ Eagle Talon TSI. Reply below.

 

[JoshGSX95]

Update day for the talon! This being my first update post with this build this is sort of an inventory recap of what I’ve collected & I’ll try to include the prices I paid along the way to track how much everything cost me in the end.

Engine combo: let’s talk about what my available options are. Somehow or another I’ve manage to collect individual pieces of engines, I never found a good running complete long block in my area to start fresh with. So let the Frankenstein-ing begin.
I’ve acquired the following.

1: bare 6 bolt block = came free with the shell.
+ a 6 bolt crank I think I paid $25. Looks to be usable all the journals are smooth. (it was thrown in along with other misc. items when i purchased the spun long block & (V1 Fp 68HTA = $275) below)

1: complete 7 bolt short block with accessories (this came as a package deal, short block, AWD transmission + t case for $500. I really needed the transmission so the short lock was a plus. Depending on how you divide up the cost, let’s say it cost me $250 to keep things simple. $250 AWD trans, we’ll dive into that later into the build)

1: complete 7bolt long block with a spun bearing.
( I paid $100 for it with intentions of using the head from it. This engine was recently put together it had very little miles put on it, unfortunately something let go. Luckily there was no damage to the head.

so with all that being said I have 2 choices

• 6bolt bottom end + 2g head. This is a sick, well proven setup that can yield great results especially using a 1g big rod, 2g piston combo.
Or
• 7bolt bottom end + 2g head

Of all the 6bolt parts only I have the bare block, crank and flywheel. Nothing else timing & accessories wise. I could have sourced everything, however I felt my energy could be better spent considering i have all of the accessories + spare parts from both 7bolts.

With that being said, we’re going 7 bolt. I’ll save that 6bolt block for next time .

 

[JoshGSX95]

Now as a reminder this is my first engine build. For context if I had a complete (matching) running long block, I would attempt to do a simple rebuild at home. That would consist of the basics such as all new seals, composite head gasket, ARP head studs, new piston rings, Rods and main bearings, check all the clearances just to name a few things and call it a day. Just enough to get the car to move under its own power.

First word of advice to anyone new (and myself) with the idea of building an engine, clearly define what your power goals are for the car . Just remember this framework will shape the path you ultimately end up on. Not only will it prevent you from throwing money at unnecessary items, it will help others guide you.
​

Now with my circumstances with everything being mismatched, nasty from sitting, and in 100 pieces I have to start from scratch so no drive way build for me.

Spoiler alert: I’m over building the engine.
I’d like to daily it around 400hp on pump gas to keep everything happy with the long term plan of turning it up at some point down the road. For as long as I’m on the stock manual AWD transmission, moderate torque & reliability is the name of my game.

If you’re brand new to these cars, the stock engine can handle this with ease. Heck there’s videos of guys with bone stock 6bolts pushing 600hp on a stock engine. Granted the 6bolt is stronger, you get the idea.

A bridge I had to cross is, “if I’m going to spend all this money at the machine shop, am I going to just put stock internals, rods and pistons back in it?” The answer is no I’m not . With that beings said, although I have a power goal that stock internals can handle I plan on rebuilding with stronger internals to essentially bulletproof the engine for anything I can throw at it. Remember! This is how the snowball starts if you don’t catch yourself early!

for the fellow newbs I suggest these two books to improve your knowledge base and have a better understanding of these engines as a whole. It’s a good starting point. The blueprinting book helped prep me to get an idea of what goes on at the machine shop gave me a general overview of what can be done to engines. More on blueprinting when final assembly happens later down the road.


“Just tell us what your doing to the engine already!”
Ok ok finally I’m sorry for the wait. it’s time to head to the machine shop with that being said, here’s the plans for the engine.

I dropped the engine off at the machine shop today. I went with RAD AUTO machine in ludlow MA. In the past they’ve built engines that have been deep into the 8’s, so I feel comfortable about the work they do.

This is the list with prices attached

clean crank / hot tank	$100
Balance crank	$150
Polish crank	$100

CRANK FINAL COST $350

Clean / hot tank	$50
Pressure test check for cracks	$50
deck head	$100
valve job (more details to come)	$300
Oil port mod	No charge
oil drain back clean up	No charge

Head final cost $500

Clean block	$100
Magnaflux block	$50
deck block surface	$150
Bore .20 over	$350
line hone mains	$250
new bearings / balance shaft delete	$75

Block final cost $975

Balance rods + pistons	$150

More on those later
Machine work grand total so far $1975
When the time comes things might get added, but those are the main items for now. I suspect the engine is about 2-3 months out with how busy he his.



Here’s a general outline of what the engine will look like, as of right now the bottom end is set in stone and I already have *almost* everything for it, the head is still being figured out but this is what I’m leaning towards.

264,272 / 272,272 (Delta, HKS, BC)
Kiggly beehive kit
valve seals
Stock valves
3g lifters
Arp cam tower bolts

V1 FP 68HTA

Bottom end
Polished crank
King XP rod & main bearings
Arp main studs
Arp rod studs
Manley H beam
Manley pistons 9.0:1
OEM Mls head gasket
Standard Arp head stud
Oem timing
Oem water pump
Oem oil pump
Evo 9 reinforced belt

 

[JoshGSX95]

I also was given the opportunity to buy a parts lot off of someone today. Now I didn’t anticipate spending this much $ this week I was solely focused on the engine, but when something like this comes along you can’t say no. here’s what it included.

Since I got everything in a package deal it’s hard to break down the cost for each item, I’ll just divide the cost between the 3 big groups of items.

Brand new, powder coated VC with -10AN bungs. I plan to pair this with a sealed Calan catch can. $100 this was priced separately from the other items

STM oil cooler kit
Evo 3 oil filter housing
STM ss clutch line
Gaskets, hardware
$300

And for the grand finale,
New CTSV front calipers
Used evo 8 brembo rears
New Cobra front rotors
New Evo 8 rear rotors
New project mu type ns rear pads
New power stop Germanic pads front
New All mounting hardware
New CTSV brake swap adapters
3g brake booster and master cylinder
New STM evo 8 brake lines
CCdesign fab (I think) 4 inch intake
$400

$800 for everything, im just really thankful that’s all. I hope I can help someone out like like this in the future because I was blessed today.


This might be my last big update until the engines done at the machine shop. I have random small stuff on the way from Japan right now, I can post those next week when it shows up along with any other small parts hauls I get until it’s assembly time on the engine. There’s still work to be done on the chassis so anticipate those updates as well. Thanks for reading

 

[JoshGSX95]

update on the shell: after getting the ball rolling last week on the engine I kept up the momentum and i decided to dive into the shell over the weekend.

Here’s the starting point, got the wheels, fenders and hood off to start.

Removed all the suspension components. This was surprisingly easy, considering some of the bolts were missing or hand loose .

This stuff is in rough shape. i plan on replacing as much as I can.

Wiped down the subframe and wire wheeled some of the surface rust off. Weighing my options with how I want to refinish the subframe, the underside has more surface rust than the topside. I was quoted $250 to get it stripped & powder coated. I may clean it up the best I can, give it a paint job, fresh poly inserts and move on to the next thing.

View attachment 738756

Next steps are to finish cleaning the wheel wells, I have one side almost done. I plan on doing some sort of undercoating or raptor liner for the wheel wells. Patch the strut tower, then it should be ready for paint in the bay. More to come.

 

[JoshGSX95]

Small update: Parts from Japan came in today! I ordered on July 19, warehouse had to check availability then the parts shipped on 7/25 and arrived on 8/1. 13 days in total not bad.
MD308086 - timing belt tensioner $50
MD182537 - tensioner pulley $33
MD156604 - idler pulley $37
Shipping was $27 / $147 total

 

[HaveBlue83]

Looking good man! I just went through a bunch a this stuff on the Talon I got. Good to see people still doing real build threads. It's a dying art!

Nobody comments, they just hit like now. Facebook ruined the forums :/

 

[Capt Obvious]

Build threads are definitely a dying artform. I love them.

 

[JoshGSX95]

Looking good man! I just went through a bunch a this stuff on the Talon I got. Good to see people still doing real build threads. It's a dying art!

Nobody comments, they just hit like now. Facebook ruined the forums :/

Hey! thanks man i appreciate it & Thanks for checking it out. This is my first time building a car so I thought it would be cool to document the journey. I’m glad to know others enjoy watching and following along it helps give me some motivation.

I’m a relatively new member to the website so I’m not familiar with how things used to be, but I’m glad I can contribute to the build thread space.

I just checked your build thread out quickly you put some serious time into that car!

 

[HaveBlue83]

Hey! thanks man i appreciate it & Thanks for checking it out. This is my first time building a car so I thought it would be cool to document the journey. I’m glad to know others enjoy watching and following along it helps give me some motivation.

I’m a relatively new member to the website so I’m not familiar with how things used to be, but I’m glad I can contribute to the build thread space.

I just checked your build thread out quickly you put some serious time into that car!

I have known that car since 09, always wished it was something! Finally got to make it how I wanted it.

Just took it for a short test drive again....it's good to enjoy it. You will get there too!! Stay on the forums. This place is a wealth of info. I been here a long time

 

[JoshGSX95]

Weekend update: I made some good progress on the wheel wells today

The driver side is just about wrapped up, all the seams are exposed and clean of any factory seam sealer. I’ll swing back and give it a look over before paint prep to finalize it but for now Im comfortable with moving to the next side.

To get it to this point I did this side in a few different steps to get an understanding of how each attachment worked.
1. I used the drill with the soft wire brush to knock off all that black road grime / dirt you can see in the first photo.
2. After that I used the Angle grinder with the purple disc. It eats most areas with sealer straight down to bare metal. If you have a really thick area of sealer you’ll have to work at it and keep the rpm high on the grinder, don’t let it bog down from your applied pressure too much.
3. Drill with soft wire can be used on thin areas of sealer for tight spaces and finish work.

tools used: drill and angle grinder.
Soft wire brushes in different sizes
Purple grinding discs
Hard wire spiral brushes

Passenger side

For the passenger well I only used the angle grinder with the hard wire wheel & cup wheel. It’s a little messy as the wire wheel heats up the road grime dirt and it sticks if you don’t brush it off right away.

On this side I got all this done in about 1.25 hours. It’s not as pretty as the other side yet but I got almost all the seam sealer off in that time. I’ll have to spend a little more time cleaning everything up but it’s almost there.

There’s an elephant in the room that I have been putting off. This car at some point had a passenger side strut tower repair. When I first got the car the repair was covered with Bondo and primer. I didn’t like how bad of a job they did with the Bondo so I started to sand it when I first started the engine bay and this uncovered a few things.

After sanding and sanding, the palm sander poked a hole in the strut tower. Come to realize they used fiberglass to fill that triangle sized hole when they welded the patch in.

Now I haven’t thought about this patch much up until today when I was grinding everything underneath the patch. My original thoughts was to just weld in a tiny patch for the triangle and call it good but now there’s another small hole next to it.
I’m weighing my options here, and one of them is to redo the entire patch and extend it past where the two uncovered holes are.

The metal patch itself isn’t horrible the welds are just boogery is all. Underneath it tells a different story. I took a look through a hole in the (frame rail?) and can see some rust up in there. so now that I know it’s there it’s hard for me to be ok with keeping it risking it just getting worse, instead just re do it all.

So on the next episode here’s what you can expect.
1. Finished passenger side wheel well
2. I think we’re gonna get the can opener out and cut out that patch. Clean up the metal underneath it etc. now in order for me to replace it I’m gonna have to look into a small welder (harbor freight special is calling my name). I’ve never welded anything before so that should be a fun lesson.
• Acquire some 16 gauge (stainless steel?)

 

[JoshGSX95]

marketplace find, straight cut oil pump gears with OEM Mitsubishi stub shaft. $145 shipped

 

[JoshGSX95]

Marketplace find, I was super excited to find this.

Calan Jcsautomation vs3 catch can, $110 shipped with lines

 

[JoshGSX95]

Forgot to update the build thread, picked up the engine from the machine shop a couple weeks ago!

I couldn’t resist and I had to mock everything up to just see what it would look like fully assembled.

Only major changes made while at the machine shop was that the crank had to be cut 10/10. I had already purchased std king xp racing rod & main bearings so I just ordered the .25 bearings. I found them but they’re definitely required some searching.

I asked for an oil port mod as an after thought after we wrote all of the major items on the invoice paper but unfortunately it didn’t make the cut. With the head being already machined, cleaned and assembled I don’t know that it’s possible / worth doing it now?

so where I’m at currently, I’m putting together a list of tools / items I need to assemble the engine.
only thing I need to purchase is the piston rings to assemble the short block.

I don’t know what the next update will be, I just know it’ll be something. It may be acquiring some new tools , there may be a big parts order coming from Japan soon, time will tell. Until next time .

Btw here’s a side by side before and after of the block.

 

[JoshGSX95]

Got some goodies in the mail
Since I’m starting from scratch I needed every gasket. My options ranged from cheap $80 kits, $180 felpro / topline kits, or pay over $250-300 for OEM complete engine overhaul gasket kit.

So what I ended up doing was piecing together my own OEM kit. This includes

Gasket name	Part number
Head gasket MLS x2	MD349347
Metal Rear main seal housing	MD172170
Rear main seal	MD359158
Oil cap seal	MD311638
Valve cover gasket	MD186784
Spark plug gasket x4	MD186785
Half moon seal	MD050536
Camshaft seal x2	MD372536
Front cover gasket	1064A040
Front main seal	MD343563
Balance shaft seal	MD343565
Oil pump drive shaft seal	MD365697
Oil filter housing gasket	MD185528
Int. mani. gasket	MD192031
Ex. mani. gasket (Evo MLS)	MR323654
Water pipe O ring	MD030764
Castle nut O ring	MD041021
Oil pickup tube gasket	MD183240

With a few additions

Trans / tcase
Tcase input	MD723202
Tcase output	MR983368
Axel seals
Front left	MD719710
Front right	MD707184
Rear	MD707184
Tranny output	MD723202

Everything shipped was $414, I’m hoping to sell one of the head gaskets to offset my cost slightly to come out to around $264.

There’s a few things i have to source such as one of the cam cap plugs, throttle body gaskets, I may try the reusable silicone gaskets for oil pan, tstat.

P.s check out this packaging! Super organized.

 

[pauleyman]

Cam plug is discontinued. Use what you have. Find a used one or maybe this one.

Rix Racing Intake Cam plug

This is a cap to block off the intake cam when using a 95-96 style cas it is printed with a high temp epoxy like resin — use a touch of rtv around the lip during installation.

rixracing.com

 

[JoshGSX95]

I just realizes my last update was 8 months ago
Time sure does fly. As all of you know sometimes life steps in. I had some bumps happen throughout this year, I ended up catching acute Lyme disease back in July, so I was up until then I was part collecting and then everything pretty much came to a halt. I’m thankful I caught it as quickly as I did but I still had my fair share of symptoms.

Anyways, I’ve still been at it behind the scenes. I actually find that staying active with the build thread keeps the momentum going. So with that said im going to (gotta say it in present tense vs saying im gonna try to) be more active.

These photos are collected over the past few months. A few updates, a few changes have been made. Let’s start with new parts collected!

Kiggly beehive springs
Kiggly HLA
AEM adjustable cam gears
Topline 3g lifters
Arp cam cap bolts
Billet GSC S2 cams
Huge shoutout to Wesley P. For these.

So if you remember before I posted a set of used rods and pistons I had. after putting some thought into it I decided not to go with them, along the idea of putting used parts in a new engine I just wanted peace of mind.

Just your standard eagle rod h beam
CP pistons, 10:1 with HD pins

I just got the rods back from the machine shop for a final pin fit

I decided to change directions on my headgasket and head stud choices. The biggest reason is I don’t know the RA on my block or head. The plan was standard arp and OEM mls. I’m going with SCE Vulcan cut ring and L19. I planned on selling the studs and gasket to offset the price of the new stuff. So far I have the gasket, just have to get the studs ordered.

So onto the cylinder head. So if you remember it came form the machine shop already assembled with all stock components, so I had to disassemble. This is where things got fun. After measuring everything, I noticed I had some funny business going on.

Long story short, if you wanna deep dive into it, I posted here about it. This graph shows it

Turns out exhaust valve positions 4 & 6 were under spec. I asked my machine shop local to me, and he told me the hydraulic lifters will make up for it. With that being it went on to assemble the head

I now respect the keepers and learned to treat them nicely like a lady or else your patience will be tested

This is pretty much where we’re at as of today. Next order of business is to get the l19’s in.

 

[HaveBlue83]

KEEP GOING!!!!

 

[JoshGSX95]

KEEP GOING!!!!

I needed this thank you I should have another update soon. The short block is patiently waiting for me to get to it. PATIENTLY. It’s practically harassing me at this point. I have everything ready for assembly.

The next update will most likely be in this order
• get crankshaft balls removed to clean (slightly skeptical about doing it myself. I’ve never used my tig welder before and I’ve never tapped something. As I’m writing this I’m also realizing the theme of my build thread is doing everything for a first time & so far I’ve gotten up to this point.) once that’s done
• wash short block to prepare for final assembly
• final assembly of short block

 

[HaveBlue83]

DSM 4 LIFE! just think of the first time u hit boost and some kid snapps his neck lookin.

keep going!