Electric Blue Time Machine - '91 Laser

[MacMarty15221]

This is the Build Thread for Electric Blue Time Machine - '91 Laser. Reply below.

 

[Dericsh]

Thanks for coming to share your cars stories. I love the throwback wedding photo, so awesome.

 

[92Turbski]

Welcome! The wedding pic is so cool, love it. Must be in PA, I recognize those state and IM stickers. Haha.
Looks like you've got an arsenal of parts and cars! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Rob

 

[MacMarty15221]

Thanks for the welcome! I'll have a ton of questions, and share ounces of progress.

In the interest of making some quick visible progress, cheaply, I'm going to wrap this car myself. Product of choice is 3M 1080 G337 Gloss Blue Fire. I got a remnant from a local shop and did the pop-up covers first. (It's all about the pop-ups, after all, amirite?) Bought some more vinyl online, and now dipping a toe in by starting with the least-curvy panels first.

Today it was the passenger door, which left me with a puzzle. QUESTION: How does one get the outer belt rail weatherstrip off without destroying it? I savaged the one that was on this door, no loss since it was mostly silver and weathered. (Putty knife for leverage, from the OUTSIDE.) I now see that there are clips stamped into the inner face of the outer panel - the one circled in red got mangled, the one circled in green got luckier. It's very evident that the weatherstrip is a snap-down-into-place part. I have some better ones on the parts cars.

Is there any best-practice, prior art, or known trickery used to detach this strip? I suspect I can make a bunch of little wedges from wood, and lift the weatherstrip over the clips from the inside the door space. But that's just my uninformed guess, I prefer to "make only new mistakes". Any suggestions from experienced hands would be ENORMOUSLY appreciated.

 

[Dericsh]

That blue

For the belt moldings: remove the mirrors, start in the front and roll it up and towards you.

Credit : @DreamChaser7

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/the-battle-of-eris.530833/page-3#post-153870872

Be careful! They are nearly impossible to find in good condition. The last new old stock set sold (as part of a fundraiser) for $1000!!!

 

[Tina94]

That wrap looks incredible! Looking to do my 90 laser just a shade lighter. Can’t wait for more pics.

 

[MacMarty15221]

Thanks, @Tina94! One thing I've learned already is that my wrap work looks best in a photo taken from 6 ft away. Someday maybe I'll be able to have it painted properly. Or, if I find another good Laser body, and a pile of $$$, I'll get THAT painted up properly and transfer all the parts.

 

[MacMarty15221]

Today is "I'd rather be lucky than good" day.

I'm lucky to have @Dericsh and @DreamChaser7 give me a big boost on removing belt moldings. I'm also lucky that one of my parts cars had some REALLY NICE moldings on it. It's possible that these are replacements, they have just a wee bit of weathering on them, as compared to the section that has hidden under the mirror for all these years. (Photo 4.) Either that, or it was garage kept all its life.

So, details! I did follow the advice about starting at the mirror end. I also removed the glass, I think this is key. (Used my jump box to run the window down to where I could reach the bolts that hold the glass to the mechanism. Sparky!) I did go ahead and make some small wooden wedges, and they made it REALLY EASY to disengage the clips one by one, right down the line. The *pop* sound when they release is very satisfying. It was then trivial to roll the molding outward with no hassle, oil, or damage.

Speaking of nice parts, the Turbo Eclipse GS these moldings came from still has its original rear bumper, complete with the 3D molded lettering. Free to a good home, if anyone's going down this same restoration path. I'm in Pittsburgh, and if necessary I can probably get this to the next Shootout somehow.

 

[DreamChaser7]

I’m just figuring it out as I go, . If you plan to remove the rear quarter glass mouldings I’m very much in need of learning how to do those next without ruining them, gotta get ‘em off for proper painting. FSM just shows what order but not how to.

 

[MacMarty15221]

I’m just figuring it out as I go, . If you plan to remove the rear quarter glass mouldings I’m very much in need of learning how to do those next without ruining them, gotta get ‘em off for proper painting. FSM just shows what order but not how to.

Oh, man, do I hear you! There is SO MUCH that the manual does not say, especially in terms of order-of-operations.

I kinda have an idea I'm gonna try on the rear quarter glass moldings. Happily I have spare part cars, so I can afford to attack one molding savagely, hoping I can learn to do the others without damage. The vertical molding looks like the hard one. Glued in place, non-reusable. :/ We shall see.

 

[DreamChaser7]

Ya I saw that in the FSM and it bummed me out not being able to get any more. Oh well guess I will have to mask that part off if I paint the black pillar section. Looking forward to someone else being the guinea pig and seeing what to do and not to do! Glad you have extra parts!

 

[MacMarty15221]

OK! I found some answers for our friend @DreamChaser7, how to get two of the trims off of the back quarter window. Let's start at "done" and work back from there. I found three types of clips, as shown in the first photo.

Top trim is held by the 4 blue clips. Open the liftgate and pry off the trim, working from the top down. Once the trim is off, the 4 clips are easy to remove. All stainless steel, no rust here! The J-hook on the blue plastic clip engages the J-hook on the metal clip. If you pry from the OUTSIDE, you'll break the plastic J-hooks for sure. (LFMF)

Individual steps.....

The blue clips are identical. (Until they crumble..)

And the metal clips INSIDE the trim piece.

 

[MacMarty15221]

Similar game for the bottom trim strip. Pry upwards from underneath. The front clip has just one screw, NOT stainless. (Leftmost green arrow.)

The next two are nifty 2-part clips. (Additional green arrows in photo above.) I got the outer portion out no problem. The under-portion screws into the quarter panel, and is also stuck in the window adhesive.

The rearmost clip was stubborn. (Orange arrow.) I've managed to break them all so far.

Next work session: getting that vertical (glued) trim out without destroying it.

 

[Tina94]

OK! I found some answers for our friend @DreamChaser7, how to get two of the trims off of the back quarter window. Let's start at "done" and work back from there. I found three types of clips, as shown in the first photo.

Top trim is held by the 4 blue clips. Open the liftgate and pry off the trim, working from the top down. Once the trim is off, the 4 clips are easy to remove. All stainless steel, no rust here! The J-hook on the blue plastic clip engages the J-hook on the metal clip. If you pry from the OUTSIDE, you'll break the plastic J-hooks for sure. (LFMF)

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You are a hero. Best explanation, and with a handy graphic too

 

[DreamChaser7]

Got a close up of the rear lower clips that broke and how they are oriented by any chance?

 

[MacMarty15221]

Here is the rear lower clip. (Photo from RIGHT side of car.) It's molded as one piece, and it extends under the glass and is stuck in the adhesive. I have a suspicion that all of these white ones were into the body BEFORE the adhesive was applied, in order to help align the glass in place during assembly. (And I bet the vertical strip was glued in last.) Made assembly easier, I reckon, but it doesn't do -us- any favors. :/

Holy smokes! Mitsubishi seems to still stock some of this stuff! It's MB479268.

Glass & Hardware for 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse | MITSUBISHI WHOLESALE AUTO PARTS

www.mitsubishiwholesaleautoparts.com

 

[DreamChaser7]

I’ve gotten my hopes up multiple times with that website and the like, only to receive a message after they let my order go through that the parts were discontinued and NLA. Best thing to do is call before placing order and have them check. From what I’ve been told these are all long gone, but please let us know if you get a different answer!

 

[92Turbski]

Those little parts would be perfect candidates for someone who has a 3D scanner and a 3D printer. If anything, just inventory the scan on a good part.

 

[MacMarty15221]

Ooooo, thanks for the warning. I was going to rip the vertical non-reusable trim strips out of my car and get some new and shiny ones. I tell you one thing, though, at least the website gives us the part numbers for all of this little unobtanium stuff.

That leads me to another Big Question: what’s an authoritative reference for DSM parts? I downloaded a PDF parts document linked from here, but it doesn’t drill down to ALL of these little bits and bobs. It looks like it was originally a microfiche or computer-based format.

 

[pauleyman]

Ooooo, thanks for the warning. I was going to rip the vertical non-reusable trim strips out of my car and get some new and shiny ones. I tell you one thing, though, at least the website gives us the part numbers for all of this little unobtanium stuff.

That leads me to another Big Question: what’s an authoritative reference for DSM parts? I downloaded a PDF parts document linked from here, but it doesn’t drill down to ALL of these little bits and bobs. It looks like it was originally a microfiche or computer-based format.

The dealer software. ASA or the older CAPS software. It's been online for decades

 

[MacMarty15221]

I learned two things today. (1) When doing any -serious- work involving the dash and/or wiring nearby, it -REALLY- helps to take out the four bolts that hold up the steering assembly, and let the whole thing drop into your lap. (2) I fabricobbled an LED that I can stick onto the self-diagnostic connector. After fiddling with the wiring harnesses, it is -REALLY- nice to see the ECU give a happy steady blink. (Even if the car cranks but won't start. Even if the dash indicators are doing strange things. Even if .... you get the idea.)
...

 

[19Eclipse90]

Ooooo, thanks for the warning. I was going to rip the vertical non-reusable trim strips out of my car and get some new and shiny ones. I tell you one thing, though, at least the website gives us the part numbers for all of this little unobtanium stuff.

That leads me to another Big Question: what’s an authoritative reference for DSM parts? I downloaded a PDF parts document linked from here, but it doesn’t drill down to ALL of these little bits and bobs. It looks like it was originally a microfiche or computer-based format.

As Paul stated, CAPS or ASA for Mitsubishi. PAIS for Chrysler. Those PDFs you’ve downloaded are 99.7% as good as CAPS or ASA, though. Regarding parts that are common to each make, only very rarely is there a part number in one that isn’t in the other. Sometimes, they’re just a little more hidden. Sometimes, there isn’t a number in either. In those cases, there isn’t much you can do other than make a post to see if anyone else might have some information regarding “that part”. Even then, and as you are figuring out, having a part number is half the battle; availability is the other half. Just some related thoughts on the matter.

I like the wrap job! May need to consider that for mine in the future. Nice work!

 

[MacMarty15221]

As Paul stated, CAPS or ASA for Mitsubishi. PAIS for Chrysler.

Last night I went looking online for a place to download ASA in particular. All I could find were software-forwarding sites loaded with "Download this Blocker Now!", and one that was in Russian. I suppose there are DSMs in Russia, but I ain't downloading that no way, now how.

If anyone in this community can forward legit download legit installer files via Google Drive or Dropbox for these tools, I'd be forever in your debt. Please PM me and I will provide a DropBox location to drop them into.

 

[MacMarty15221]

OK! Today I'm gonna make @DreamChaser7's day.

I've decided to scrap what's left of my '91 Eclipse shell, so I've started pulling off any remaining bits I might want in the future. Today that was the rear quarter windows, and I was hoping to rescue those "non-reusable" strips of vertical molding. Totally successful!

Based on lots of YouTubes, I started with a 3' length of 80-lb-test fishing line that I had on hand, to perform the "friction" method of adhesive cutting. Rather than do the inside-outside game like we have to do for windshields, I just started at the rearmost pointy end of the window, and just sawed the line back and forth, working toward the front of the car. Worked great! Once I got about 8" completed, I lifted that back end up a little and put a random bolt in, to hold the gap open. I -did- have to work the line around some of those bottom-edge clips. In this regard, the woven fishing line was very helpful. Once I got things separated about 80% along, the remainder parted easily. (Photo 1) Man, whatever that adhesive is, it was still stretchy after 30 years! (Urethane?)

I was delighted to see that the C-shaped "non-reusable" trim strip came off easily. It is only glued to the body, and not to the glass. (Photo 2) I was interested to see that like many of our other hard-to-find trim strips, this one is a plastic coating over a core of sheet metal. So, seems like we ought to ask our friends who are scrapping too-rusty cars to scavenge this part for us, so the community can have parts in the future.

....

(I thought that was my 30th post - glad to get out of probationary status.)

 

[DreamChaser7]

That looks like fun! I agree. Save everything! Lol