2G Baby's First DSM Adventure... Advice Wanted

[granta335]

Hey all, wanted to share an adventure I've been on over the summer, as well as ask for some advice.

At the start of the summer, I started seriously looking for a project to take on. I wasn't looking for anything too complex (looking at cheap DSMs was my first mistake), but something running and driving that I could learn on and have fun with. I ended up biting off more than I can chew.

I found a listing in a town three hours away from me that for some reason caught my interest. It was a 1999 Eclipse "GSX." Exterior looked good in pictures, tan interior wasn't in too bad of shape, and the engine would start and run but die when given throttle. I did some research, consulted with some friends to see what they thought, and we figured it had the potential be an easy fix. Boy was I wrong.

Regardless, after a couple weeks of thought, I decided to grab some cash, a trailer, and a friend, and go take a look at it. When we got there, it was a lot worse than it looked in the pictures. The paint, which was either plasti-dip or spray paint, looked awful up close, but I figured somehow, I could remove it. I had seen plasti-dip removed with goo gone before. I had drove three hours with a trailer, I was excited, and I had the cash in my pocket. Bad combination. The car started with a jump and drove up onto the trailer, and it came home with me for $3k.

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It was only after I got it home that I realized my mistake. After running the VIN, I discovered the vehicle was originally an RS. It was still technically a GSX with a 4g63 and AWD, but it was someone's Frankenstein back in the day. On top of that, I never looked underneath the car. Just the wheel wells. I was aware of some rust in the wells, and a small patch on one of the towers, but I didn't think too much of it until I found the frame rot underneath the pinch welds. Whoops. So, needless to say, I decided not to dump any money into it and just get it out of my apartment's parking lot.

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Enter Shawn. I thank my lucky stars that I met him. Shawn reached out to me after listing the car, and we settled on $2k. I was honestly surprised I got that much back for it. Shawn told me he planned to use the car for parts. I mean, it made sense. After seeing the undercarriage, I had no plans of taking that thing on the road. It was what he told me after, though, that really caught my interest. He told me he worked at a hot rod shop in a neighboring city for years as his primary job. DSMs were his side hobby. He mentioned that he was currently building one, and that he has built thirteen previously. THIRTEEN. That's a lot! This guy really knows his stuff about DSMs and cars in general. Long story short, I have been talking with him since July, and I am interested in purchasing his latest build.

I visited his home a couple of weeks ago to see the car in its current state. I brought a couple friends who are a bit more knowledgeable about what to look for when buying cars just to make sure everything looked good. As of right now, the car is a rolling shell. It is a 1995 GSX. The real deal, not a Frankenstein like the last one. It is a rust-free (yes, we checked) car that came from Arizona. The engine from my car was deemed to be a good donor engine, so that will be rebuilt and dropped in the '95. The 5-speed AWD transmission, also from the black Eclipse, will be rebuilt and put in as well. It will also receive a black interior with red driver/passenger seats and a new paint job. The car is currently red, but the plan is to change the color to white. And of course, the high-rise spoiler will be returned to its proper place.

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Now, I'm looking forward to seeing this car come back to life, and I hope I get to be the lucky one who gets to own it. When he's done with it, it's going to be practically brand new mechanically. I will be just what I'm looking for. Reliable, fun, and something to tinker with as it gets older. As far as I'm aware, it's going to be relatively stock with the exception of a 16g turbo from an Evo, and anything that would need to be changed to compensate for that, as well as an exhaust. I am expecting the price to be between $8-10k. That seems like a lot for a car like this, but with the condition that it is in along with the work that has been/will be put into it, I am happy to accept that price given that it is as advertised.

As I wait for more updates on the car (which I will happily share here), I am trying to compile a list of things to look for/ask about when it comes time to visit Shawn again.

If anyone has any tips or tricks that they recommend I do when inspecting the finished product (aside from the basics, of course), let me know! I feel like I've learned a lot already from my mistake with the black Eclipse, but I believe that some mistakes happen for the right reason, and I'm trying hard not to mess up this time. If you read all this, thanks! Throw some comments at me!

 

[pat white]

With a solid chassis and rebuilt drive train ur a lot better off than picking up a running but unknown car ..as you have experienced ...wrong car can be a money and time pit ..hope it all works out for you !

 

[gdb1039]

Find out of the engine is a 6 bolt or 7 bolt, try to find out what car the donor parts came out of so if your looking to upgrade down the road you know what your working with.

 

[chrysler kid]

you are in way over your head. sell the shell and back out of the deal. these cars are 30 years old and will always need work. they will never be a turn key car to have fun in. you dont know anything about working on cars and that isn't going to change because you paid some guy to put a motor in a shell in your back yard.

that may sound insulting, but unless you want to be a master mechanic these cars are always going to screw you over

 

[granta335]

Found out of the engine is a 6 bolt or 7 bolt, try to find out what car the donor parts came out of so if your looking to upgrade down the road you know what your working with.

Engine is a 7 bolt (I'm pretty sure... It's originally from a 2G). Majority of donor parts are coming from the one I sold him.

you are in way over your head. sell the shell and back out of the deal. these cars are 30 years old and will always need work. they will never be a turn key car to have fun in. you dont know anything about working on cars and that isn't going to change because you paid some guy to put a motor in a shell in your back yard.

that may sound insulting, but unless you want to be a master mechanic these cars are always going to screw you over

I appreciate the input. The shell isn't mine. I am aware that there will always be some kind of work to be done on these cars, but as Pat said, I'd be better off in something relatively fresh than someone's project that I know nothing about. I am not unfamiliar with working on cars. I have been helping my dad work on our cars for some time now, including basic maintenance on our daily vehicles, as well as working on our 1979 Ford F250. I may not know how to pull an engine apart like some people, but I am more than willing to learn as much as I need to know to keep one of my dream cars alive. I have been keeping in touch with the seller, learning what I can about the car, and we'll see how things turn out. Nothing is set in stone!

 

[CrackedDSM]

In no way shape or form do you need to be a master mechanic to have a reliable dsm. Common sense and willingness to learn coupled with the ability to stop before something is broken is all you need. Mechanic skills can be learned.


These cars are reliable AF. The issue truthfully is undoing or fixing everything that’s not been done or not been done correctly. Which can seem like the entire car sometimes.

Ignore the negativity. Keep doing your thing. My only gripe is I’d rather you do the work yourself even if it takes 3x as long, but I’m not you and can’t make decisions for you.

 

[pauleyman]

So many of these cars have been abused, besides the age issues that any car would suffer you have the stuff that people do wrong or don't do at all.

 

[granta335]

Keep doing your thing. My only gripe is I’d rather you do the work yourself even if it takes 3x as long, but I’m not you and can’t make decisions for you.

I hear you. I would love to do the work myself, but I don’t have the time or place to do the messy and extensive stuff at my apartment. I feel like if there’s anyone I had to trust with this, I found the right guy. Hoping that’s the case.

 

[CrackedDSM]

I hear you. I would love to do the work myself, but I don’t have the time or place to do the messy and extensive stuff at my apartment. I feel like if there’s anyone I had to trust with this, I found the right guy. Hoping that’s the case.

Oof yeah, missed the part about the apartments. I feel you on that one.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

My first car that I ever worked on myself was a 1992 eclipse with a 1.8 that I bought a haynes manual for and did a 2.0 swap in my carport after finding out the original block had a crack in it. I then bought a project 1990 GSX with 1st gear and did a trans swap and a poor-mans engine rebuild (rings, bearings, new valves, etc) in that same carport and drove that car for 20k miles before selling it. After that I went through roughly 20 DSMs, finding them in project condition, putting them back together, and selling them for reasonable prices to other DSM enjoyers. If it wasn't for me jumping into it and being determined to learn simply because I enjoyed the look of this platform, I would have missed out on learning about cars and also at one time owning a Talon TSI that the late Don Polk had personally owned and worked on.

I say that to say this; Don't be afraid to get into these cars. That being said, things are a bit harder to find vs 15 years ago, so it'll be much more expensive than it was for me back then. However, learning hands on is probably the best way to go about it in my mind. If you have the money and you have the determination to do it; do it. There's so many people here and resources available to guide you through every step of the way.

It'd sincerely be easier to get something that's in running condition that just needs a little work opposed to what you're looking at, but it CAN be done if you WANT to do it. And it's always exciting to me to see people get interested in these vehicles and try to get them back on the road. At the end of the day, which one would feel more rewarding to YOU? Building something from the ground up or buying something that you just need to swap a throttle body on?

 

[chrysler kid]

ill be more specific

build the car to be reliable, dont tell this guy you want a certain horse power. just tell him you want it as close to stock as possible with no oil leaks. once its a reliable car you can modify it and learn in your own free time as you go

if you treat this platform like a regular car it will act like a regular car. I daily drive my 96 gst but it is so close to stock that I can handle any minor maintenance things that happen without having to worry about extra issues that come from modifications.

 

[curt-s]

"we figured it had the potential be an easy fix. Boy was I wrong."

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There's some stuff you can do at an apartment, thus saving cash. Assemble your cylinder head there. It'll save you a couple hundred bucks in labour and you'll learn a ton.

The problem with having someone else do everything for you is when you end up on the side of the road, you'll have no idea if it's a simple fix that you can do with spare parts (always keep a few on hand if you don't have CAA/AAA, and even if you do..). You'll burn through cash towing the car to a shop because you're relying on someone else's work again.

 

[granta335]

I appreciate it, guys! I spoke to Shawn again recently and it sounds like he’s planning to do a rebuild on the motor. New rod/crank, piston rings, etc. As far as I am aware, it’s going to remain as stock as it can be with the exception of the Evo turbo. I also requested a list of parts when he’s done, which he agreed to so I’ll have that to go by.

I really do wish I had the place to work on it myself, but like I said above, I have no place to do the dirty work. I’m looking forward to having essentially a fresh car to start on and learn on as I drive it and work on it.

 

[curt-s]

With the Evo turbo, I assume you're talking about a Evo 3 16g?

That's going to require a bunch of nonstock parts anyway.

"As stock as it can be" in this regard is probably everything in the head and the pistons/crank. You should be fine with those being refreshed. However, if you're overboring the block to clean it up, just be mindful of getting OEM pistons in the correct oversize and choose a good piston-to-wall (PTW) clearance for your power level with cast pistons.

Otherwise, you'll need: bigger injectors, an AFPR, a bigger fuel pump, a way to tune for those new injectors, and a new downpipe if you're also using an Evo3 O2 housing.. You're fine with the 2G MAF, at least

looks like you already have a J-pipe, though it's going in the opposite direction they usually are, probably because of how the core end tanks are situated which we can't see.

 

[granta335]

With the Evo turbo, I assume you're talking about a Evo 3 16g?

Correct, Evo 3 16g. I figured it would require some modification, but I trust that Shawn knows what he's doing. I'll definitely be asking him about it though. I did ask for a parts list when he's done.

 

[granta335]

Got some pictures to drop. The engine is ready to go, and the body of the car is almost ready for primer.

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[granta335]

Waking this thread back up. This has all taken longer than I anticipated, but I guess the timing was right so I didn't have to store the car during the winter .

The car is close to ready, shooting for Sunday. I have a few more pictures of the car painted as well as the interior and engine bay, which I'll post later.

I've started putting together a list of questions to ask when I go see it. What are some of your suggestions of things to ask about/look for?

Thanks in advance.

 

[granta335]

Some more photos from the build

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[granta335]

Car is done. Check out this thread:

2G - Looking at a car, need opinions.

Been following a build since last August. Car is finally ready and I’m not sure if the price is right. 1995 GSX, essentially a VIN swap. Rebuilt 7-bolt motor, trans, t-case, lots of new parts. Interior is decent but paint job only looks good in pictures or at night. Poor masking, dripping...

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