Andrew's 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GST

[Bigbeanbird]

This is the Build Thread for 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Reply below.

That’s a CLEAN ASS CAR..!! Very nice

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Wheel Selection

Winter 2022

During the prior summer's engine build, I had been exploring wheel options. With my goal of this being a drivers car, I really struggled finding a set of gold wheels in a width that looked good, while also not introducing too much rubbing. Most of the JDM wheels I like don't start having the correct look until the offset is +22 and at least 9" wide. While 2g's look absolutely fantastic like that, it would have limited the drivability. I settled on a 18x85 +35 maximum, and began searching for the right wheel. In the meantime, I tried on a set of Gold Advan's by Cook's house (AGAIN...get yourself a drifter friend. They have stupid amounts of wheels). While this specific set was a bit big with too much tire, it reconfirmed my Red/Gold theme.

As I was searching, I randomly browsed eBay for "18x8.5 5x114" and scrolled through the countless pages of wheels. Somewhere on page 5-8, I came across a Bavar Racing Wheels. I had never heard of them, but the look immediately jumped out to me. They had the correct shade of gold, correct amount of concave to the face, and fit the overall style that I wanted. I did some research and found out they are Flow Formed wheels, and are used by some for motorsports. I'm not the biggest fan of knockoff wheels, but I also believe in using what works the best. I had spent the last 6+ months searching for the right set of Advans, Volks, Works, etc and just couldn't find something off the shelf that I was happy with. Knowing that I still had a lot of work left (and most importantly money to spend), I settled on these for now and hit order. $1,400 later and they were at my door.

I reached out to my buddy Ned to help me ceramic coat the wheels to help keep them clean. We coated them and I ordered a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires, the same ones I had on my Mustang. I find them to be a great all around tire while remaining fairly quiet and compliant for street driving.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

That’s a CLEAN ASS CAR..!! Very nice

Thanks so much! The next few posts should show some of the finer details being addressed and cleaned up.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

May 2022

The excitement was at an all time high, and I brought the car home from storage. It was time to finally see the car come to life. In my opinion, wheels are the most important visual part to a car. The difference between a nice car, and a car that absolutely stands out can sometimes be as little as a wheel 2" wider or with a slightly different offset. I took some back to back photos to show the subtle, but HUGE difference between the Rota's and Bavar's.

While some might not even realize those are different wheels, it completely refines the look of the car. No longer did it just look cool, it now looks special. The proper wheel specs make or break a car, and for the first time the car looked proper.

The car now looked exactly how I imagined it, and I couldn't be any happier. While I wanted the car to be as stock mechanically as possible, I was missing the turbo noises that I remembered from my younger years. I grabbed a cheap intake and a 1g BOV, and through them on. It definitely made a difference in the overall enjoyment of the car and brought back the nostalgia that this entire build is based on.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

May 29, 2022

As summer approached, it was time to begin enjoying the car. There was still lots to do, but it was time to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. Cook was in town for a drift event/car show that weekend, and we planned to get the cars together with a larger group of friends. The engine had roughly 750 miles on it at this point, and was running great. I was cruising down the road and noticed the temp gauge rocketing up. Not fully sure what was wrong, I shut it off and coasted into a gas station parking lot. A quick hood pop, and immediately noticed the upper radiator hose hanging loose. It might be difficult to see in the photo, but the neck on the radiator itself broke and was stuck inside the hose. Not having tools on me, we walked across the street to a Northern tool, grabbed a pliers and a flat head, and began seeing if we could fix it. Luckily there was just enough left on the radiator itself, I was able to tighten it enough to grab until I could make it the 6 miles back home.

Back at home I had a long forgotten Koyorad radiator from my buddy Stephen's old 2g. while slightly beat up, it was still in pretty good shape and expected to work fine. At this point I really hesitated what to do. I did not want an aluminum radiator in the car, as I felt it would change the look of the engine bay. No longer was it going to be a stock build (with a BOV and filter), but it would change the essence of the build. The next day was the car show however, so I figured I would throw it in and make a decision the following week.

The radiator itself worked flawlessly. The OEM fans and shroud fit without any issues, and cooled perfectly. Even looking at this photo, I can see the moment that the essence of the car changed. However, it allowed me to make the first car show with the car later that day, and it was fully worth it. I cleaned up the car and headed down to the historic Milwaukee Mile Racetrack for the drift event & car show. My friend Brandon, an incredible photographer (check him out on IG @Doystermedia), grabbed a few photos of it under the stormy sky. It's kind of hard to tell from this angle, but we are actually parked on the infield road course of the Milwaukee Mile.

I didn't bring my own camera to this event, so I am grateful for Brandon grabbing these photos of the first show with the car. As the storms passed and we were about to head home, another friend Brandon parked his 2g next to mine and I grabbed a few cell phone shots of the cars under the sky. It was a cool moment as Brandon was the one who sold me the OEM headunit and Black Leather seats that I put in back in 2022. This was also the first time that it was parked next to another DSM. Anytime that you find multiple DSM's together in the wild is a special occasion.

I continued to drive the car for the next few weeks enjoying it while prepping for the next stages of the build. I snapped this photo while sitting at a stoplight on the way home one night. I reset the odometer when I first swapped the new engine in, so this is right before it was about to roll it's first 1,000 miles. This puts the new engine install at 136,328 miles on the chassis. Once I hit the 1,000 miles and felt confident in the engine, I tore the car apart for the next stage of the build.

PS - Check out the horrendously scratched windshield and gauge cluster cover.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Suspension Build

August 2022

The next major phase of the build began August 2022. While I was extremely excited to get it started, it was certainly a lot of work that would never be seen. The plan was to undercoat the wheel wells, and install all brand new suspension and steering components. The only steering components that would remain would be the rack and the inner tie rod ends, otherwise everything else would be replaced. My buddy Cook had recently undercoated the entire side of his new 240sx project car, and given me some excellent advice. I decided on an aerosol spray can for the wheel wells, and the highest quality suspension components that Rock Auto could muster. I put the car up on 4 jackstands and tore all of the suspension off the car. I began prepping the car by cleaning and pulling off as much old material as possible, and then scuffing the paint.

Before:

After:

After doing the prep work to all 4 corners, I began the literal worst part of the entire thing, masking. Anyone who has painted before knows that while it sucks, it makes all the difference to spend the time prepping and masking correctly. Car went up on all 4 corners and was masked.

The process is super simple, nothing special about it. The prep and masking takes 10x longer than the actual spraying. The key is to make sure you are consistent and spray it evenly. I chose not to do the entire underside of the car. If I had a lift I would have done the entire underside, but on jackstands it just wasn't worth it.

Some before and after pics after completion.

With the splash shields still off the car it looks only partially finished, but all of the remaining uncovered parts are unseen once covered up. Besides picking black clumps out of my hair for the next week, it was 100% a pain in the ass project, and 1,000,000% worth it. 99% of people will never realize the amount of work spent when they see the car, but that is completely fine with me.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Suspension Build (cont)

After the undercoating was complete, I moved onto the suspension and the remainder of the underside of the car. I cleaned up the splash shields as much as possible, and reinstalled those.

I then focused on installing all of the new suspension and steering components. Back in winter of 2021 I installed the lowering springs on the stock struts just to get the car low. Now it was time to transfer those onto the KYB AGX's that I purchase from Rock Auto at an absolute STEAL of a price. Or as I should clarify, what I THOUGHT was a steal of a price (a bit of foreshadowing possible???). I laid out all of the components new and old side by side and began the installation process.

I also spent a bit of time painting a few of the pieces.

The car was just about finished up, and I had a photoshoot planned with my friend Ben. The oil feed line was kinked, so I installed a 90* fitting (I did eventually replace the entire line to fix the permanent kink in the braided line).

Car was ready for an alignment and then it's first full photoshoot.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

First Photoshoot

August 25, 2022

This may be the post that I am most excited to make. I've known Ben for a few year at this point, and is the one who helped me understand the Mustang world (He has a 2015 GT on Air). Additionally, he is a super talented photographer and was pumped to shoot some photos of my car for me. I;m not going to spam this thread with photos from this shoot, and check out the thread with many more photos:

Thread HERE

These photos are over 2 years old, but are still my favorite photos to date of my car. This is the culmination of all the hard work to date. While there is still more to do, the car visually is 90% there. I've spoken with Ben just recently, and we are planning to shoot another set shortly after a few more exterior touches.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

September - October 2022

I finished the year up with a few different car shows and cars & coffee events. It was time to enjoy the car and all of the work I put into it. It was at this point in ownership that I truly realized the impact of the car on those around me. Every single event I go to, I have multiple people coming up to me telling me stories about their experiences with a DSM in their past. From the popular kid at high school, to a girlfriend's father, a kid down the block, or themselves owning one, everyone seems to have a story. Seeing their faces light up remembering their former years is the highlight every event I attend. I am not much of an extrovert, so it allows me to meet new people and have meaningful conversations. If I get nothing else out of this car as long as I own it, hearing those stories is enough by itself.

Another weekend cruise with my dad, and both of our significant others. It is such a joy being able to spend these days driving around with him.

Another 2g in the wild! I got the chance to meet Benjamin at a local C&C and see his beautifully built 2g. Two wildly different builds, but both super special to see together.

As fall wound down, it was time to make the trek back up to Cook's house to store the car for winter. In case it hasn't been said yet, I am unbelievably thankful for him allowing me to store the car safely out of mind. I'm getting old, and I don't want to scrape ice off my daily all winter.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

April - May 2023

For the first time since I owned the car, I picked up the car from Cook's in April without any major plans. I was excited to spend most of the year simply enjoying the car, while attending to minor issues as they popped up.

I brought the car home with a few events already planned. First up was a Cars & Coffee with Stephen and his wife Krisandra and her Viper ACR.

Next up was a cruise weekend with our buddy Chris with his Turbo CRX, Ned with his Civic Type R, and Stephen with his 900+whp Hellcat. These events aren't anything special, but when I think back on my favorite moments with the car, these are the ones that speak to me.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

First Major Issue

July 4, 2023

For a decade plus, I have been going to the 4th of July car show at a local dealership. The show itself is a "Classic Car" show at a Chevrolet dealer, and has been going on for 40+ years. It's kind of crazy to think that our 2g's now qualify for quite a few "Classic" car shows. This was the first year that the car was really ready and I headed there to hang out and show the car. As is always the case, I chatted with many people about their experiences in the sweltering 90* heat. It was such a beautiful day, but I had to cut the show short to make it to my in-laws for a party. I left shortly after noon and began the 1+hr drive north.

Driving down the freeway with cruise control on, and the car completely shuts off. Reacting immediately, I push the clutch in and coast to the offramp a few hundred feet ahead of me. As I sat there and tried to diagnose the issue in almost 90* temps, I was stumped. Begrudgingly I called my buddy Stephen and asked him to come grab me.

A DSM in it's natural habitat.

When I got home, I began digging into it more. After borrowing a better scan tool, I realized that there was no crank position reading. Odd, but the data was clear. I dug into it and found this.

It turns out that the wire itself came lose from the valley that it rests in, and just got cut by the belt. The belt itself looked absolutely perfect, so a new sensor was ordered and installed. Car started right back up and all was good to go. I have been extremely lucky to date with the minimal amount of issues to arise, but you can't really expect perfection with a 20+ year old car, regardless of how much you try to prepare.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

August - September 2023

I finished out the year simply enjoying the car. Everything was going great, except for one issue. The car seemed unsettled. There was a clunk in the passenger rear, and over our shitty broken Milwaukee roads the rear end would get lose when hitting potholes. I had been trying to track down the issue for the last year or so, but just nothing seemed to be wrong. Couldn't find anything lose, alignment was spot on, and everything was brand new (suspension, steering, etc). I figured I would dig into it this winter and enjoy the car the rest of the year.

A fun filled evening cruise to a local burger joint known for their Car shows. Stephen had purchased a old Cadillac and after some issues with our buddy Austin's Cadillac, we finally made it right before close. Twilight and neon signs make for cool photos. Once again cell phone shot. As I do more with the car, I started to get the itch to actually bring my camera with me. As I look back on these photos, I wish I had higher quality images.

Testing out the Sea-sucker rack with the MTB. The sunroof is old and not the sturdiest, so I ended up not using the rack to transport the bike. But still made for a cool photo.

Remember how I said the installation of the aluminum radiator was a turning point for the car? That lead me down the path of sourcing some polished components. The engine bay no longer looked stock with that radiator, so I figured I would dress it up with some period correct pieces. The additional induction noise of the piping and Greddy BOV would certainly be enjoyed as well. I swapped them on to see how I would like it.

Before/After:

Before I realized it, summer was over and it was time to store the car. I once again brought the car up by Cook and put it aside for winter.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Finer Details

May - June 2024

I picked up the car in spring and had lots of little plans for the year. There were going to be two major topics to address this year: suspension and the fine details. Before I began work on the car, we had one quick trip back to our spot, Gus's.

First up was the suspension. Over the winter I spent some time diagnosing the issue by Cook. After pulling some components off the car, we had identified the issue, a completely blown rear suspension. Those AGX's shocks were basically fully blown. Honestly I can't remember if they were bad right out of the box, or if they blew pretty quickly after installation. All I know is that those ridiculously cheap AGX's from Rock Auto came back to bite me. Honestly I was happy with the ride quality of the Megan springs on those, but obviously being blown compromised the car. Instead of ordering a new set of AGX/s and risking the same issue, I decided to go the coilover route. I was beginning to drive the car harder and harder, and figured it would be nice to have some extra adjustability. I did some research and ended up choosing a set of Fortune Auto 500's, and put my order in during winter. After an initial issue with some miscommunication, the customer service was absolute top notch. I couldn't recommend FA enough with helping me out, and I was excited to get them installed and see how it changed the car.

While I was working on the suspension, I also took advantage of the opportunity and got a bunch of other details addressed. First up was a new antenna. Since I bought the car, it had the base, but the motor was missing. After trying to decide what to do, I ended up choosing a micro antenna from Amazon. It does end up sitting at a bit of an angle ,and fits "inside" the OEM base, but it looks better than what was there before. I'm happy with this solution for $15.

Next up was a HUGE improvement in my opinion, a new windshield. In my opinion, nothing improves the driving experience like perfectly clean glass. The original windshield was hugely pitted and scratched, and I knew 2g windshields were getting harder to source. I bit the bullet and $400 later I had a brand new windshield. Honestly, maybe the best $400 I spent on the entire car.

I picked up and installed a missing flywheel inspection cover.

And here is where the little details REALLY bring the car to life. First I started with a new VIN plate made by the one and only Jason.

I could not find a new heat shield for the hood, so I redid mine. I used a thin layer of sticky heat barrier and stuck it right over the existing material. Obviously I cleaned it the best I could to get all oil residue off, but the right side (Timing belt) obviously threw oil over the years. That side unfortunately did not stick perfectly, and it was tough to get the elevation change, but for $15 and some scrubbing, it came out as good as I could expect.

I then focused on the fog lights. Previously they weren't working, so I had taken them apart and cleaned them, and reconnected the ground nice and tight. This fixed the fuse blowing issue, and everything was good to go. Growing up on JDM car's in the 2000's, yellow fogs are a way of life and this was no different. I decided on a set of halogen yellow bulbs, and then a layer of yellow Laminex over the top. I wanted to stay away from LED's on this build, and wanted the lights to remain yellow even when off. I then painted the outer ring with a fresh coat of black nail polish to increase the contrast. This setup created the PERFECT amount of yellow light and tone. The yellow against the red is one of my favorite little aspects of the front end. Maybe one day I will take them completely apart and rebuild them brand new, but for the mean time they look perfect from 5 ft.

The side mount intercooler had a tremendous amount of overspray on it from the repaint before my ownership. While you really couldn't see it, I wanted to clean up as much as I could. I pulled it off and painted it with some fresh silver radiator paint. I also did my best to try and straighten the fins out, but that proved infuriating and I gave up pretty quick.

Working my way around the front end, after the SMIC was the ducting. I scuffed that up and shot it with a fresh coat of black.

In addition to the new windshield, I wanted new mirrors. Not wanting to paint a new set, I found these stick on mirrors that go right over your existing glass. I added a set on both sides of the car, and the difference just takes it over the top. Not shown, but I also replaced the rear view mirror with a much more fresh mirror purchased used. The entire view out is now perfectly clean, like a new car. This completely livens the car up, and if nothing else, I highly suggest everyone do this to their long term projects.

Last up, and most importantly, a new logo for the front bumper. Obviously the bumper isn't OEM, but without the Mitsu logo it looked bare. I decided on a 3000GT logo (MB814979) and had my buddy Ned install it. I am way to OCD to handle these small details myself, and would second guess the placement for the rest of my life. Better just to have him do it.

Lastly not shown, some Boosted Fabrication bumper brackets to help tighten up the front bumper. It's not perfect, but that is the fender itself. I'm not replacing and repainting fenders, so its as good as it will get for now. Front end done and it completely transformed the car.

To finsih it all up, some Mitsu goodies from my good buddy Troy.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

July - September 2024

I spent the remainder of summer enjoying the car, bouncing from car show to cruise nights. The car was performing flawlessly at this point, and I began pushing it harder and harder prepping it for a few fall trips. A good buddy picked up a E46, so we did a few cruises together.

I then made it to my first Cars & Coffee event at "The Throttlestop", a high end car & motorcycle consignment dealer in Elkhart Lake (Home of Road America). Fantastic event with a ton of super nice cars. As always, even with a ton of higher end cars around, the DSM got tons of love. I also got premier parking right under the sign.

Photo from my good buddy @troygundrumphoto.

Went to another random Cars & Coffee event another weekend. They seem to be popping up everywhere.

A small group of us got together and did a short day cruise out and back enjoying the last of the summer weather.

At this point I began to finalize the prep for my big trip. 2,000+ miles around the center of the country. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but the car was performing flawlessly. So I said screw it, packed the car full of tools and camera gear, and headed out to hang with a bunch of Porsche's.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Overcrest Rally 2024

October 8-13, 2024

This is what I had been building the car for. All of the decisions and work put into the car was for one purpose, driving. I have been listening to the Overcrest podcast for years, and wanted to join one of the events. The combination of attention to detail and driving nirvana caught my attention, and I was determined to attend when the opportunity presented itself. Most events happen on the west coast, but when they announced the Arkansas rally, I jumped at the chance to apply. I am thankful to have been accepted, and on October 8th hit the road from Wisconsin down to Arkansas. I won't fill this thread with photos from the trip, but check the link for some awesome photos of a tremendous trip on some tremendous roads.

CLICK HERE

 

[MyBoostedGST]

November 2024

The Overcrest rally was a resounding success. I pushed the car HARD, beyond what I thought it was capable of, and it just ate it up. Then I put the A/C on, set cruise control at 80mph, and cruised the 10+ hours home. I could not be more proud of the car, and myself for getting it to this point. I was hooked on the rally, and couldn't wait for the next one.

Luckily for me, we had a smaller scale weekend cruise with friends planned for just a few weeks later. Our local group of friends, now sporting a variety of different cars, finally planned the weekend drive that we have been talking about for years. Bright and early, before the sun rose, we headed out to meet up with the rest of the group.

Cook just finished his 240sx. These photos do not do this car justice. I might just have to do a seperate post on this, as the attention to detail is insane. Tons of JDM, NOS parts, and specialty pieces throughout. I am not a 240sx fanboy, but this thing is incredible.

After the weekend I sent the car off for its annual winter hibernation up by Cook. This was without a doubt the most enjoyable summer I had with the car yet. I have some more plans with the car, just step by step.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

February 2025

Over the years with the car, there has been one nagging issue. The seats. While I love the look, the driver seat has lost all support. Driving for more than an hour and my back begins to hurt beyond all comprehension. That Arkansas trip, while a blast, was absolutely miserable. It may sound extreme, but I have gotten to the point that if I can't figure out a comfortable seat solution, I'm not sure I will keep the car. I considered redoing the stock seats, but that is quite expensive to end up with a 20+ year old seat. Comfort has come a long way, and I'm only getting older. I had been eyeing up a set of Recaro Speed seats, but $2,500 on seats is a lot of money to drop not knowing if it would make me happy. I'm looking for comfort rather than bolsters, and that is tough to find in the small seat size we need, while also not looking completely out of place as most modern seats do (Looking at you Recaro Sportsters).

This summer was going to be the period to finally figure out a seating solution, and I caught a break. My buddy Stephen had a set of Braum seats he wasn't going to use. Knowing that I was so undecided about what to do, he threw them at me and told me to test them out. While Braum wouldn't be the long term plan, free seats are better than nothing, especially since it would allow me to confirm that getting a higher end seat would fix the issue. If these seats don't improve the feel of the car, difficult decisions will have to be made.

I went ahead and ordered a set of Planted seat brackets, and began the install. I was well aware that the sliders might be an issue, especially being over 6ft. We began the install and immediately realized it would not work. Using the Planted bracket, the sliders and the Braum seat, my head rested against the headliner and the steering wheel touched my legs. No matter how far back I tilted the seat, it just wasn't going to work. We proceeded to take the sliders out and install the seat directly to the bracket, hoping it would give me enough headroom. I was ecstatic to sit inside and have enough room to move around safely. All was good with the height, however we noticed another problem. Even with the seats mounted as far back as possible on the bracket, the steering wheel was in my stomach. After some measuring and using some wood blocks for bracing, we determined that in order to fit the seat, we were going to have to modify the bracket by adding metal to the back. We proceeded to rework the bracket to fit the seating position that I need.

Test fitting the seat.

Yours truly doing fab work (I have absolutely no idea what I am doing).

Modifying the brackets by adjusting the location of the front holes. You can see how far back the seat has to move. Initially the front seat holes bolt in the very front of the bracket. We are talking a good 8-10" rearward.

And the most difficult part of the process. The rear bolt holes ended up roughly 8-10" off the back of the bracket, and we needed to build support. We butted a piece of steel against it, and then braced it underneath with another. Knowing what I know now, I would not have bought the Planted brackets and simply built my own (Or bought cheaper ones and reinforced it myself). But now it is done.

We almost finished the fab work, but ran out of time. I sent the brackets home with Ned to finish the welding. In the mean time, I also swapped in a brand new gauge cluster cover, completing the view with new glass all around. It's hard to get a photo of it, but in person, it is a huge difference.

Lastly, it was time for my annual wheel fitting. This year was extra special, a set of OG bronze TE's. Unfortunatley they are a bit small, but beggers can't be choosers. I wish TE's at sub 9" had this concave face, but alas they dont. This setup looks so unbelievably good though, and gives it an aggressive look.

I also tested the new bronze that TE uses for the TE's. Just not the same IMO. These were also 18's though, which I think is more "street" style than the smaller 17" meaty setup in the first pics.

I headed home for the remainder of winter, while we finished up the brackets. I would be heading back up in April to pick up the car and finish installing the seats.

 

[Bigbeanbird]

August - September 2023

I finished out the year simply enjoying the car. Everything was going great, except for one issue. The car seemed unsettled. There was a clunk in the passenger rear, and over our shitty broken Milwaukee roads the rear end would get lose when hitting potholes. I had been trying to track down the issue for the last year or so, but just nothing seemed to be wrong. Couldn't find anything lose, alignment was spot on, and everything was brand new (suspension, steering, etc). I figured I would dig into it this winter and enjoy the car the rest of the year.

A fun filled evening cruise to a local burger joint known for their Car shows. Stephen had purchased a old Cadillac and after some issues with our buddy Austin's Cadillac, we finally made it right before close. Twilight and neon signs make for cool photos. Once again cell phone shot. As I do more with the car, I started to get the itch to actually bring my camera with me. As I look back on these photos, I wish I had higher quality images.

View attachment 761785

Testing out the Sea-sucker rack with the MTB. The sunroof is old and not the sturdiest, so I ended up not using the rack to transport the bike. But still made for a cool photo.

View attachment 761786

Remember how I said the installation of the aluminum radiator was a turning point for the car? That lead me down the path of sourcing some polished components. The engine bay no longer looked stock with that radiator, so I figured I would dress it up with some period correct pieces. The additional induction noise of the piping and Greddy BOV would certainly be enjoyed as well. I swapped them on to see how I would like it.

View attachment 761787

Before/After:

View attachment 761788

Before I realized it, summer was over and it was time to store the car. I once again brought the car up by Cook and put it aside for winter.

View attachment 761789

Got to thinking about your posts, nothing bad except, putting away for the winter..!! I just don’t like that phrase.. of course I’m in so cal so winters are pretty nice but there is snow on the hills if you want to go snowboarding.. I feel your pain though..!!

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Got to thinking about your posts, nothing bad except, putting away for the winter..!! I just don’t like that phrase.. of course I’m in so cal so winters are pretty nice but there is snow on the hills if you want to go snowboarding.. I feel your pain though..!!

HA! 5 mins under a Midwest chassis and you would understand why everyone here puts their car away. I do dream about being in an environment where they don’t salt the roads with 55gal drums of salt.

 

[Bigbeanbird]

HA! 5 mins under a Midwest chassis and you would understand why everyone here puts their car away. I do dream about being in an environment where they don’t salt the roads with 55gal drums of salt.

.. yeah,I totally understand the salt situation.. BTW,I really, REALLY like your car man.. very nice (other woman as my wife says)

 

[bettfootball]

Love it. Where did you get the new cluster lens???

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Love it. Where did you get the new cluster lens???

Right on Amazon. I searched for the part number MR114696 and it popped up. Turned out to be a new OEM piece. Got lucky there.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

April 2025

I headed up to Cook's in mid-April to install the seats and bring the car home. I also took the opportunity to throw a few replacement parts to clean the car up.

I still need to clean up and paint more brackets in the bay, but at least this cap looks much better.

New wiper arm cap. Luckily this is a new OEM piece as it is the same as comes on the Montero's. I will be painting the wiper arms with SEM Trim black this summer. You can also see the horrendous overspray from somewhere in the cars past.

While rummaging around the garage, I came across an old set of solid shifter base bushings. Between these and the underhood bushings, it really tightened up the shifter feel.

The big change was the seat installation. The brackets were finally painted and welded, and the install went decently smooth. The only issue we had was that the rear mounts now hung over the rear bolt holes, so you have to wedge your arm underneath to get the bolts in. To help speed this process up, I actually installed another stud on the passenger side rear of the driver seat. Seat install is now much easier. The seats are super firm, maybe almost too firm. If they had a 1/4" of padding on the top it would likely be the perfect amount of supportive with a cushion layer. However as they sit, they are much more enjoyable than the broken in stock seats. The bolsters hold you in more, and overall they just improve the "sporty" feel of the car. It definitely changes the overall feel of the car, which I will get into more later.

Overall, a huge improvement.

After the seat install, I brought the car home to start some more work.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

Re-Evaluation

A lack of emotional connection...

Over the winter I had been thinking about the car quite a bit. While discussing Ned's next car purchase, we got on the topic of the DSM. When someone asked me if I loved the car, I blurted out "NO". At first I was surprised with my answer. But then I decided to look inwards to try and understand why I felt that way. I've had some incredible memories with this car recently. I was extremely happy with the progress of the car and the quality as it stands. I was immensely proud of the work I put in and what I had personally accomplished, pushing my abilities. The car was everything it was supposed to be, but I just didn't have that connection.

As I tried to dig deeper into the reasoning, something became clear to me. Looking back over the years, the Mustang was my favorite car that I have owned. Let's dig into that. Why was it my favorite? Was it the best car I've owned? Without question, Yes it was. When the car was stock however, I was bored with it. It is a fantastic vehicle and I completely understand why so many people like them, but it just didn't give me, in the famous words of James May, "The Fizz". Well then how did it become my favorite? As I struggled to understand the complexities of what I was feeling, I asked myself why I chose the Mustang over any prior DSM I've owned.

A harsh reality set in. Honestly, I don't particularly inherently LOVE the DSM platform. Let me be very clear about this, I don't inherently love the STOCK platform. Sure, I find the power capabilities of the 4g to be awesome. I think the 2gb Eclipse might be the most beautiful "reasonably" priced cars out there. But what I do absolutely LOVE, is the relationship that I have with the platform. I spent my youth obsessing over the car, researching bigger turbos and saving every penny I could to make the car faster. The thing that has kept bringing me back to wanting to own another DSM is my experience with the car, not the actual platform itself. Makes sense. So then why am I not feeling like I used to? Am I just getting older, in a different spot in life? Is there any way that it could simply be HOW I am using the car?

Back in Post #3 in this very thread I said the following line; "I forever felt like something was left un-finished. " What is this DSM missing that I loved so deeply in the past? It's unfinished.

For some reason, I had talked myself into keeping the car stock. The pendulum swung from one extreme to the other. There is no way that I was going to make a DSM as fast AND reliable as the Mustang was, given my budget and the dwindling part availability of these cars. So I had decided that the car had to remain stock. I love seeing absolutely mint stock 90's cars, and I figured I could enjoy the car that way. A super clean, stock DSM that would become a comfy cruiser would be a cool piece of history to own, so that is what I decided the car would become. As I owned it though, I just never fell in love with it. Out of boredom, I decided to start researching and familiarizing myself with the old upgrade paths I used to read about; 16g, 190 pump with rewire, W/B, DSMLink, injectors, etc. Before I realized it, 4 hours had passed and I was more excited about the car than I had been in years.

It hit me like an absolute TON of bricks. By "requiring" that I keep the car as stock as possible, I was holding myself back from what I truly loved about the car; making it my own. The process of modifying it, working out the upgrade paths, saving the money, working towards something is what I enjoyed most about the DSM. I spent the same amount of time and energy, and a lot more money, making the Mustang my own. That is what I loved about the Mustang so much. It was complete. I started a project, saw my vision completed, and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. I cut absolutely no corners with the car. There was literally nothing else I wanted to do to the Mustang. The car, in my opinion, was possibly the greatest Mustang ever. Even to this day, I have never seen another Mustang that I liked MORE than mine. It was perfect, and that made me beyond proud of what I created. THAT is what I was missing with this DSM.

At that moment, everything changed with this car. I opened myself up to anything and everything I wanted to do with the car, and immediately I began to fall in love with it.

 

[MyBoostedGST]

With the world opened up, I brought the car home and began making it my own without restrictions.

First up was to swap in a double din car play unit. Partially for convivence of navigation, and partially to update the interior, the new touchscreen is phenomenal. I ended up choosing a PLZ MP-926W unit. OLED with wireless Apple Carplay, and a price tag of $160 is everything I could have ever wanted. It took a little bit of work to get it to sit decently (some washers behind the bracket to space it out), but the end result is pretty good. A well designed 3D printed radio bezel could make it fit perfectly inside of the trim piece, but as it sits it fits flush up to the back of the trim. The amount of work it would take to get a new custom made trim piece would be much more than its worth, with how close it fits now. Additionally, the manufacturer allows you to put a custom boot screen on the unit. I only have a few hours using it so far, but it seems to work quite well. It does take about 15 seconds from key on to fully loaded with Car Play active, but the actual responsiveness of the unit while using is quite quick (that was my biggest concern). I'll continue to use it over the summer and see if it breaks down at all.

Finding a double din with a volume knob is surprisingly hard. I understand as on my daily I only use the steering wheel controls, but it severely limited the options for this car.

I wired in the harness to an existing adapter I had in the garage, and made a quick connect for the subwoofer and ground. I enjoy the process of wiring and routing to keep things clean.

And finally the result. Boot screen only stays on for a split second, but it adds such a nice touch.

Closer view of the installation along with fitment to the trim bezel.

Another reason for the new double din was to utilize the subwoofer that I had laying in the garage. With a built in amp, its the perfect balance of bass, ease of removal, and most importantly cost (free). Here it is mocked up to make sure it works. This summer I will be working on building a new wooden trunk floor and securely mounting the subwoofer with a quick connect for the wiring.

The installation of the seats and the new stereo completely changed the feel of the car. No longer was I concerned about keeping the car stock, but I now felt like the car was starting to become MINE. As I began driving the new setup around, it reaffirmed my new feels surrounding the car. It wasn't time to make the car stock, it was time to make the car mine.