new to the DSM world

[tibbyfool]

Ill be recievening my first 1995 eclipse GSX in about 2 to 3 weeks. Prettyshure im going through a mid life crisis and have always wanted to own a all wheel drive eclipse. I live in the colder more desolate part of wyoming and i currently work at a giant coal mine as a hual truck mechanic, I turn wrenches professionally so im no stranger to it

basicly i bought a 1995 Eclipse GSX from a lady whop owns a small dealership in town. and races these 2nd gen Eclipse. Its currently not running but was assured it was a runner. you can see it in my profile pic.
im guessing that the car is pretty much stock and only real impressive thing its got done to it is some sorta high dollar exhaust( not shure) its missing the turbo she parted it to a anther DSM that she had.

My ultimate goal is to get this as a hopped up daily driver. Im not shure if 300hp is to much. If not what will it take to achive this. The car is an automatic(down side) with 130k on it. She tails me i can can get me very nice turbo for it for a little extra!!

also considering buying her personal car for 5k its got alot ow work into it. black on black leather 1998 GSX. for 5k

this car will not be my daily driver, but will be my cruise and snow weather driver. so i can have fun with it,

anyone got a reasonable build plan with me turning the wrenchs for about 3k inparts. lookin to achive an aggresive daily driver but not lookin to sacrafice daily driveablity and longevity. I assume the right blot on parts will do the trick

 

[ghoti]

I'd recommend you get a knowledgeable (3rd party) mechanic to look at it before you buy it so you know what the car needs to get it back running.

 

[FLASH1970]

I'd find out what it needs to get it running. Make sure you are able to turn it over and compression test the engine, check the end play on the crank... If all it needs is a turbo, you can take the intake snorkel and just run it to the throttle body elbow and the car will run. It'll be really slow, but it'll run. A 5 speed may be more fun to drive, but an auto will be quicker, more consistant, and break less parts. There's a "TECH" tab in the upper left hand corner of the webpage that has an upgrade path. But if the engine is healthy... it shouldn't be too hard to get to 300hp.

 

[krazy4]

Automatics are where its at!

 

[2GJeremy]

300whp is not to much for a GSX at all. Really if you use your imagination and a bunch of money you can have as much horsepower and torque as you want . But like everyone else said, find yourself someone that knows what they are doing to look at the car and see what it needs to be running.

Anyways, Welcome to the DSM World from a fellow DSMer in Ohio!

 

[Eclipsekustomizer]

300 Is easy man. I made 300 atw with just 560cc injectors, set of cams and 190 fuel pump, and a e3 16g turbo, 18 psi put a tune on it and done.

 

[WES_393]

lookin to achive an aggresive daily driver but not lookin to sacrafice daily driveablity and longevity. I assume the right blot on parts will do the trick

You assume correctly. Here' my recomendations:

Stock internals, maybe a light rebuild - This will keep the driveability factor high and the price low.
16g or Big T28 Turbo- Both can handle 300hp and are also great for fun daily driving since they spool fast and pull hard.
650-1000cc injectors- 650's would do the trick, but no harm in going up to 1000 so long as you have the tuning mods to support them.
SAFC or DSMLink for tuning- DSMLink might be a bit much for 300hp as an SAFC would handle you goals. However, the SAFC is limited to about 650cc injector size. DSMLink is nearly the same price, much more powerful, and has a built in datalogger that most members are familiar with.
Larger fuel pump- a Walbro 255 would be optimal, but a 190 rewired would definitely get the job done.

Those are the basics for reaching your goal. Other supporting mods would be an upgraded intake, intercooler, an adjustable fuel pressure regulator, exhaust, head studs, and all the important maintenance such as the timing belt. The stock 2g blow off valve won't hold up to higher than stock boost and the stock clutch won't handle much more than 300hp. But if you shopped smart you could easily get all of the things I listed for 3k with some cash left over for broken parts. Hope this helped!

 

[Skorcher]

I would check the tech articles on a good path. I agree 300hp is not a whole lot, but should still be a fun drive.

 

[dsm'r sk1mp]

My suggestion would be bringing a dsm mechanic that's knowledgeable of these cars to look at it. Compression check ect. Ect. I would also use tech threads to decide whbat fits YOUR budget and comfortability. learn everything your car has and what its capabilities are with the parts your not going to change. A stock bottom end 4g is good for around 420-450hp they come with forged internals and are much more stronger then most think.

 

[Richrd]

I agree bring a mechanic along to check out the car for you. A Compression test is a must! Algo it would be a good idea to get some history on the car. How was it driven,how often was it abused,and what caused it to be side lined.the history should give you some kind of idea what kind of car your getting,a good base for a reliable project or a peice of junk that was beatn on and broke down due to accesive abuse & poor maintenance

 

[1g20g]

I would do like everyone else and get a 3rd party person to check the car out. 300 is very easy in these cars. I'm doing the same thing making my fwd a dd but more than 300. Good luck.

 

[steve]

My suggestion is to get yourself a copy of the Factory Service Manual for the 95, copies of the 1G and 2G DSM Technical manuals which explain the general features and some critical information on how things work you won't find elsewhere to start with. Read them, read the upgrade paths, and then when you get the car try to identify all the normal wear and tear items that have already been delt with and what's left to do. If there is any question put it on your list and do it again.

At 130k I'd make sure the trans get a full inspection. The autos can be made to be fast but if they haven't been treated right in the past you might want to start with fresh frictions and flush out the coolers. The TCU in these cars has capacitors that are know to leak and the time to have them replaces is while the TCU is still working not after it fails.

If you get lucky the car will have a EPROM version of the 95 ECU (the only year they were used) and save you the cost of locating one or converting the non-EPROM for turning the car. replacing the factory ECU code for DSMLink is one of the best tuning options available.

Real new MHI 16G turbos aren't very expensive, don't be tempted to get a eBay or used turbo.
A 16G, some bigger injectors, DSMLink, and a front mount intercooler will provide a lot of fun and still leave you with a car you could let a girlfriend drive you home from the bar in when your overserved.

 

[tibbyfool]

well i talked to the lady today, im buying her virgin black 98 GSX from what i understand its got about 80k on it only mods are aftermarket exhaust and intake other than that bone stock for around 4500$ id much rather start with a clean nice car than cobble one back together with random parts that doesnt leave much in my budget about 500$ what is the single most effective upgrade for these cars thats about ill i can afford now but im getting a much better car than the 95 GSX that doesnt run and have no idea what it will take to get it on the road