Project: 1GB Talon Restoration and more

[Smitherines]

Heya guys, I started gutting the whole car for a total restoration. I couldn't find any good bodies without ROT on them, so I came to the conclusion that I was going to make the best of what I've got, and it doesn't seem to be a bad choice, because I've got some decent surface rust as you'll see, but it can be slowed if not stopped.

Now before you guys tell me that it's just a waste of time, waste of money, etc, don't bother.

Restoration Checklist:
Minimal rust under the car
Newer suspension, coated
Energy Suspension bushings
Strip anything rusty, coat, or get new
New AN teflon fuel lines
New factory pressed brake lines
SS Braided Brake Lines
Undercoat w/ chip and salt resistance
New wheel bearings
New brakes all around
Dejon or Thermal 3" Turbo-back no cat (Anyone have any 1g awd Thermal sound clips?)
NEW paint, same OEM colors
Rear end, Driveshaft, Axels coated
New weatherstripping all around
New fuel tank, coated (So my 93 doesnt evaporate or slosh out of the tank, and I'll finally be able to get more than a 1/2 a tank)


Engine Goals:
Freshen up the exterior of the engine a bit
New turbo SS feed line, and return
New Oil pan (SBR designed)
Remove B-Shafts (Until they come out with Kevlar belts)
New knock sensor (Tired of the 24 counts of "knock" on the datalogger, sensor leaking black fluid)
New dual oil pressure sending unit

Interior Goals:
Getting the original power antenna fixed
New interior, going all black
New headliner (Tired of the headliner always brushing my hair for me)
Getting either a new clutch pedal assembly, or welding rod
New gauges, most likely ProSport (Oil temp, Oil Pressuire, Mech Boost, Voltmeter, Fuel Pressure, Shift Light, EGT)


I probably cannot think of all the things off the top of my head right now, but I only want to do most of this stuff once, so I'm going to do things while I have other things removed, catch my drift?

Well by now, you're probably like, show me pictures dammit! I agree, but they're not pretty....

Heres the list in no particular order:

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[Smitherines]

BTW I love what you're doing. When I get out of school and can afford it (and another car) then I'll probably be doing the same thing.

I find that funny for the fact that I'm 18, I'm just finishing High School, and I'm doing this right now on a $10hr at 20ish hours a week budget. Thats not alot at all. But I hope you keep us updated on your endeavors when you come to that. Once you start cracking that first bolt or nut, excitement fills your senses. It's crazy stuff.

After the 92 is all said and done, there is a certain 300ZX I have my eye on, shell only. I also want to pick up 2g's, do a restoration job on them (not as expensive/extensive as this), and resell them.

But of course, one thing at a time. I need this car back on the road ASAP, but I'm not going to skimp on the quality of work, intensity, and extensively go through each aspect of the car. But all this will roll out in front of your eyes as I present more information and pictures. I'll know this car essentially inside and out by the time I'm done with this.

Another "product" of this whole project, is that I will be able positively contribute to the DSM community.

Lemme know whats going on guys!

-John

 

[Smitherines]

Tiny update, I've dropped the whole rear suspension, and rear end. Bumper cover is off too.

Next Steps:
1. Pull the rear metal bumper off with bumper shocks, junk.
2. Unbolt exhaust hangers from body.
3. Unbolt the 6 bolts that hold the Rear sub frame mounts onto the body.
4. Pull down exhaust shielding.
5. Pull off doors.
6. pull down side skirts.
7. Pull off remainder of spoiler.
8. Take hatch off and inspect carefully.
9. Pull down gas tank neck.
10. Remove hard fuel lines and brake lines going to the rear and put aside for inspection.

At that point, I can start stripping sections down, remove rust, and painting over the under body. The whole undercarriage needs to be done prior to bolting anything back up, because I need to put custom fuel lines in that run above the rear suspension. I'm essentially arriving at the mid-point of the project.

 

[Dream On]

What are you using to get off the rubberized undercoating?

 

[absolute_DSM]

and painting over the under body. The whole undercarriage needs to be done

Ahh youre right behind me! I just finished the undercoating of the entire car (97 GSX) and I have to say, its a night and day difference. Its so sexy. I dont remember what kind of undercoating you are using (I think you said POR15) but some say to keep it away from exhaust components. Just a heads up.

Keep it up, I love seeing cars that are nice inside and out/top AND bottom.

 

[silver bullit]

If i had the money id do the same thing but i am broke so it will just have to wait.

 

[Smitherines]

What are you using to get off the rubberized undercoating?

No clue, , thats what I'm trying to figure out now.

Ahh youre right behind me! I just finished the undercoating of the entire car (97 GSX) and I have to say, its a night and day difference. Its so sexy. I dont remember what kind of undercoating you are using (I think you said POR15) but some say to keep it away from exhaust components. Just a heads up.

Keep it up, I love seeing cars that are nice inside and out/top AND bottom.

Well I've actually got another week or so until I paint underneath, but I don't care much for the exhaust, I'm keeping the stock exhaust shielding for now, and if something does happen, I'll see it when I upgrade my exhaust. Nice job though man, take some pictures and post them up in here, I'd love to see how yours came out.

I have a DSM BBQ over here this weekend, so when I get home Saturday night, I'm heading back out into the garage, and then I'll update.

 

[Smitherines]

Just providing a little update to let you guys know that I haven't given up on this project....yet.

I've been making frequent visits to Mitsubishi Graveyard to purchase the body parts that I needed. I've also been working around certain vendor websites putting together a shopping list on what I'm going to have to purchase, so when the time comes, I'll just place the order and be on my merry way.

I severely shortened my goals list, to only the necessities to get my car running again. I miss my car terribly. So I am pretty much purchasing everything new OEM, to get her back up, but at least she will be a decently clean car.

I picked up a 2g exhaust manifold, and a 7cm exhaust gasket, so I'll be doing a little bit of porting work on the turbine housing. If I can get my hands on a 2g O2 sensor housing, I will do the same also. I may also tap the EM for an EGT probe.

I am not going to purchase the teflon lined SS hose anymore, because I was informed by a hydraulic company that the Aeroquip High Performance line of hoses and fittings aren't suspectable to fuel permeation, unlike Goodridge, Russel, etc. Turns out that particular company (Aeroquip) is one of the main manufacturers of aeronautic fuel parts.

Instead of the rusty stock struts I have, I am going to purchase the GR2 set, even though they are OEM replacements, simply because they are cleaner, and I'm sure my 15 year old shocks aren't feeling the love anymore. Tomorrow I am going to go down to the auto parts store to find out what the longest length of brake hose they carry is, so I know how I'm going to be running the new brake lines from the middle of the car all the way back. The car is getting a new rear left caliper and a parking brake cable for that side so I have the convenience of using the parking brake again instead of always leaving it in gear and it still managing to roll down driveways and hills and whatnot.

The car is getting new brakes all around, nothing special for now. Down the road, probably during the fall, depending on how my next project car purchase goes, I'm going to be looking at 2g "big brakes" and SS brake hoses to stiffen up the brakes.

I also forgot when I put my SBR 3800 series clutch in, to shim the clutch fork pivot ball, so I will be doing that to raise the engagement point. Depending on what the clutch pedal assembly looks like, I will be ordering a new one, if the current one is beyond repair.

I found mold on the carpet jute, so I will be rolling around without a carpet for awhile until I pressure wash the carpet, and get new jute. I will also be replacing the headliner fabric with either black or dark gray down the road.

Alongside the turbo port, I'm still going to be investing in SS feed and return oil lines, as the stock stuff leaks pretty bad, especially the return. And I assume I'm going to do the same with the water lines down the road.

I figured out that I shouldn't paint over the broken bolts, that I should remove the bolts first, then paint. So this threw me off for the longest time, because I didn't have the time nor funds to continue the project, but now I've got both of those, and the car is going to come together real quick after the underbody is prepped and painted.

This weekend I should be removing most of the broken bolts and retapping the holes. And hopefully I can pick up the pressure washer tomorrow and get some paint on this car this week. After that, I can touch up the suspension and slap that all on in a day. Then spend a day cleaning up the engine, and taking out the Bshafts and fixing this and that, and the following day, drop the engine back in, fire up the engine for the first time in 7 months (I should have video footage of that), and then call up the insurance company to get her back on the road.

Again, I want to stress that I am still intent on finishing this car, and even sooner now. I feel that I did take on too much, I should have left the engine in and just done the underbody of the car, then at a later date do the engine bay, then later down the road, repaint the car. Just a lil update. I promise to update much more frequently, and take more pictures.

Thanks for reading guys,
John Psaras

 

[Mr Peepers]

I seriously give you credit for doing this. There is no way to be more satisfied with your car than tearing it down and building it back as your own.

 

[kenamond]

Get this out of your system while you can. Mortgage, wife, kids, retirement funds, college funds, home improvement funds, etc. will make it difficult later in life. I make a buttload more than you and have less money

You could probably find REALLY solid 1gs in the southwest. No humidity, no rust. But the paint, interior and rubber trim are trashed by the sunlight, and the wind and dry climate lead to sandblasting that tears up the exterior even more. My '97 has *no* rust, but the dash plastic recently started delaminating in front of the instrument cluster bulge. I keep it in a garage as much as possible (home and work), so the sun isn't getting to the exterior as much.

I'm really glad to see someone doing this. I'd do it if I had the time/money. I decided I wanted a TSi AWD after seeing a 1g much like yours around town many years ago. When the 2gb Talons came out in '96, I had just got my first "real" job and went down shopping within a week. This was my first new car, and I don't think I'll every part with it. But I still really like the 1gs and wouldn't mind picking up one just for the sort of project you're in the middle of. But time/money always get in the way.

Heh...your car is almost as old as you are!

 

[Smitherines]

Get this out of your system while you can. Mortgage, wife, kids, retirement funds, college funds, home improvement funds, etc. will make it difficult later in life. I make a buttload more than you and have less money

You could probably find REALLY solid 1gs in the southwest. No humidity, no rust. But the paint, interior and rubber trim are trashed by the sunlight, and the wind and dry climate lead to sandblasting that tears up the exterior even more. My '97 has *no* rust, but the dash plastic recently started delaminating in front of the instrument cluster bulge. I keep it in a garage as much as possible (home and work), so the sun isn't getting to the exterior as much.

I'm really glad to see someone doing this. I'd do it if I had the time/money. I decided I wanted a TSi AWD after seeing a 1g much like yours around town many years ago. When the 2gb Talons came out in '96, I had just got my first "real" job and went down shopping within a week. This was my first new car, and I don't think I'll every part with it. But I still really like the 1gs and wouldn't mind picking up one just for the sort of project you're in the middle of. But time/money always get in the way.

Heh...your car is almost as old as you are!

I'll be quite honest with you man, I wouldn't travel that far for a car for many reasons. Uncertainty would be the first reason. It would be like buying a car off of eBay, you don't see it until you pick it up or it is shipped to your house.

And I do foresee the expenses I will accumulate within the next couple years, as this will be my first year going to college, but I feel that I will always have a project car to keep me busy. If I wouldn't be working on the house, I'd be working on the car and visa-versa. And I like that!

Honestly the only problem I will have after this process is complete, is the fact that I cant see what in god's name is going on inside the frame rails. So I think the solution for that, or for at least most of it is to get one of those hand pump pressurized plastic tanks that people use to shoot pesticides and other stuff, and put the nozzle through one of the breather holes and shoot it a couple times.

All I know is I miss my car. Really bad. I get sick sometimes when I think about it.

I'm going to take some more progress pictures this weekend to give you guys a sense of whats going on.

 

[Smitherines]

Picked up all the parts to run -6 AN SS line from the actual pump to the filter today. I purchased 20ft to be safe. Anyone actually know how long of a cut I do need to complete this? I'm hoping I have alot of extra material left over for running water lines and etc.

 

[01QuadDak]

Just an FYI, por15 is pretty much crap.
All it is is a super tough paint that locks the stuff below, bwlow, and the stuff above, above.
It had no "rust converting" abilities, which is key to stopping rust and preventing its spreading. Do a few searches on some of the musclecar forums, and you'll see what i am talking about.
You need a a solution with phosphoric acid in it. The phosphoric acid will have a chemical reaction with the rust, and convert it into a chemically neutral agent. Look at all the structual coatings for rusty structures, and i can almost guarantee that there will be phosphoric acid in it. I beleive it is also known as OSHPHO, but i may have the name a litte wrong. You can find straight phosphoric acid in pool supply stores, but you will need to dilute it a bit.
I can back this up a little bit, as i am in the process of restoring/building a 1970 plymouth duster, and soon to be a 1967 plymouth barracuda. I get pretty obsessive compulsive about this stuff, so i did a crapload of reasearch on it, before I made ANY decisions.
The products that really stood out to me were eastwoods rust encapsulator, i used that on my control arms after sandblasting them, and some stuff called picklex-20.
I used the picklex on my calipers and brackets on the talon before i painted them, and they withstood the winter with no signs of chipping bubbling, or rust. I am pressty confident that they will last years on my DD talon.
Its kinda interesting to watch the stuff work, almost all of the rusty areas turn a black color, and the rest of the metal surfaces get and oxidised-whitish look to them.
As far as the framerails go, if the metal is bubbled as bad as it looks in the pictures, it NEEDs to be replaced, typically when the metal is bubbled like that, the rust has started on the one side, and traveled through the metal completely.

 

[SortaStock]

This is a great thread! I've been a DSM fanatic since I was 15. My first car was a 1991 eclipse 1.8L. my second was a 1992 eclipse 2.0 n/t. I loved that car. They say that guys always fall in love with their first car...

I'm working on a parts list right now, as I plan to buy a 1992 eclipse gsx and I'm going to do a body-off restore on it and build it and aim for 12's with full interior.

And who knows, eventually, these clean cars might actually appreciate in value.

Good on you for working to restore. So many guys just look at the motor and how to squeeze more power with worn out used parts on their deteriorating 16 year old motor .

 

[Smitherines]

Just an FYI, por15 is pretty much crap.
All it is is a super tough paint that locks the stuff below, bwlow, and the stuff above, above.
It had no "rust converting" abilities, which is key to stopping rust and preventing its spreading. Do a few searches on some of the musclecar forums, and you'll see what i am talking about.
You need a a solution with phosphoric acid in it. The phosphoric acid will have a chemical reaction with the rust, and convert it into a chemically neutral agent. Look at all the structual coatings for rusty structures, and i can almost guarantee that there will be phosphoric acid in it. I beleive it is also known as OSHPHO, but i may have the name a litte wrong. You can find straight phosphoric acid in pool supply stores, but you will need to dilute it a bit.
I can back this up a little bit, as i am in the process of restoring/building a 1970 plymouth duster, and soon to be a 1967 plymouth barracuda. I get pretty obsessive compulsive about this stuff, so i did a crapload of reasearch on it, before I made ANY decisions.
The products that really stood out to me were eastwoods rust encapsulator, i used that on my control arms after sandblasting them, and some stuff called picklex-20.
I used the picklex on my calipers and brackets on the talon before i painted them, and they withstood the winter with no signs of chipping bubbling, or rust. I am pressty confident that they will last years on my DD talon.
Its kinda interesting to watch the stuff work, almost all of the rusty areas turn a black color, and the rest of the metal surfaces get and oxidised-whitish look to them.
As far as the framerails go, if the metal is bubbled as bad as it looks in the pictures, it NEEDs to be replaced, typically when the metal is bubbled like that, the rust has started on the one side, and traveled through the metal completely.

That's going a little overboard especially with this car. I mean, if what the other guys said what true, and it most likely is, I can find a solid car in the southwest, and thats when I would go "balls out" on it and make it perfect, but I am taking something that isn't the best and just making it a little better. So if it lasts me 5 more years, then starts to get back even after this, then Ill look for another body. This isn't a muscle car where it would be imperative to make sure everything is squared away. Plus in a couple years this car may become strictly race, and it wont see any DD action in a winter and will be stored in my garage.

As far as I understand the consistency of the frame isn't bad, and I will know for a fact after I sandblast it this week. If everything is fine, then thats that. I will then apply the POR15 over it, which by the way is pretty much the same thing as the Eastwood Rust Encapsulator, except the Eastwood product you need to remove all the rust, and then apply, which would be the same thing I'm doing with the POR15. POR15 actually cures with the presence of moisture, so if you apply it OVER the rust, it drys out the rust and stops it in it's tracks. Now I'm sure it doesn't remove 100% of the moisture, but it must do a pretty good job. Remember I am still taking it down to the metal, I'm not just applying it over what you see in the pictures.

I appreciate your commentary though, and I would heed your advice if the car would be worth alot after this, but it won't, its just my fun, fast, everyday car right now. I'm already $2000 down right now so far, and I'm not even done yet. I just want to get it done, and looking alot better. I dont want to pour performance money into a shitbox. So again like I said, even if this prolongs the life of the car another 5-10 years, Ill be happy, and then at that point, if shit did start rotting, id probably fab up new sections of framerail. But what can I expect from a car that was living in a heavily salted environment?

Good luck on your muscle restos, Dak.

Back to my plans, I am hopefully picking up the sandblaster today, and then will start as soon as I pick up the blast media this week. The car will definitely have paint on it that same day.


EDIT: I looked at the other containers I have, and Metal-Ready, a POR15 product, has Phosphoric acid in it.

 

[Smitherines]

This is a great thread! I've been a DSM fanatic since I was 15. My first car was a 1991 eclipse 1.8L. my second was a 1992 eclipse 2.0 n/t. I loved that car. They say that guys always fall in love with their first car...

I'm working on a parts list right now, as I plan to buy a 1992 eclipse gsx and I'm going to do a body-off restore on it and build it and aim for 12's with full interior.

And who knows, eventually, these clean cars might actually appreciate in value.

Good on you for working to restore. So many guys just look at the motor and how to squeeze more power with worn out used parts on their deteriorating 16 year old motor .

Wow dude, you've been registered here for 2 years, and that is your first post, I'm honored.


Also, you cannot do a body-off restoration on these cars, they are unibody's. The body and the frame are "one".

You wont believe how nice the AWD pulls, its pretty sick, even stock. Good luck on your future endeavors.

 

[Auto RS T]

Picked up all the parts to run -6 AN SS line from the actual pump to the filter today. I purchased 20ft to be safe. Anyone actually know how long of a cut I do need to complete this? I'm hoping I have alot of extra material left over for running water lines and etc.

You will only need about 12 or 13 feet of -6AN to get from the tank to the fuel filter. Make sure that the line tucks well and doesn't have a chance to snag or get caught on road debris etc.

Keep up the good work on the restoration. Its a lot to handle... trust me I know.

 

[Smitherines]

Picked up the sandblaster today, and tomorrow I'm getting the blast material....for free . My respirator system is also coming tomorrow. Thursday I will blast and paint the back half of the car. I think I'm going to order the rest of the parts for my car tonight.

Can someone help me determine the color white my car has? The plate under the hood is unreadable. It's the white/black panda.


John

 

[kenamond]

As far as they described in college, rust is a chemical reaction between iron, oxygen, and water. It's not contageous like a disease. I suspect that if you can get rid of any pockets of rust via sandblasting, you get rid of hidden nooks and crannies that could hold air and water. But if whatever you're putting over the frame when you're done holds out water and air, then I suspect it will keep rust from developing for the duration you're talking about.

That's my $0.02.

 

[SortaStock]

Wow dude, you've been registered here for 2 years, and that is your first post, I'm honored.


Also, you cannot do a body-off restoration on these cars, they are unibody's. The body and the frame are "one".

You wont believe how nice the AWD pulls, its pretty sick, even stock. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Yeah, 2 years, one post... not bad eh? I just use the dsm sites for learning... I don't have a dsm right now, so I don't have much need to post..

And yeah, I guess I use body off resto to loosely... I'm used to talking about camaro's and trucks

 

[Cobrasatellite]

I know im new to the dsm community but its awsome to see this effort into a dsm. As for por 15 its awsome ive used it on a few of my restore cars (im a muscel car and Classic car guy) and it works awsome. It works great right over the rust but I also sand before putting it on mainly for the smouth finish. Be carefull not to then your metal to far grinding.
All this talk about takin care of em makes me feel bad about my 91 laser rs parts car. It probally couldve been nicer then the eclipse I got it to fix up. Best of luck

 

[Smitherines]

Im taking a break from blasting. It seems that alot of this junk is coming off and there is VERY clean metal underneath. The blaster uses so much air that my 5hp 100gallon compressor cannot keep up and is recharging every 30seconds of constant blasting. So I am going to go gather some of the buddies up and get them over here with drills and wirebrush bits and bang this bi*** out! Then whatever I cant nail with the wirebrushing process Ill blast and take care of it. I left the camera in my moms car so when she gets home Ill snap some around 8pm. Ill be back!

John Psaras

 

[Mr Peepers]

Ah, the fun of sandblasting with a small compressor I hear you. I'm sure you know this but don't use anything but ceramic tips, I've even tried case hardening the steel ones but they still wear out too fast.

 

[Smitherines]

Ah boy, the wirebrush didnt do shit. I bought this really abrasive disk for the drill, I just cant find it...someone moved my ES bushings box also with no trace. Noone knows anything...

 

[Mr Peepers]

A wire brush or even wire wheel on a high speed drill doesn't work *well* for heavy rust, it will basically only polish the surface of the rust. A good scraper for the heavy stuff, then some kind of sander or similar with heavy grit sandpaper is about the best that I've found when dealing with rust. Besides a sandblaster, big compressor, and heavy abrasive media of course

It's a pain, I know.

 

[absolute_DSM]

Ahh wire brushing brings back memories. What a mess.

That thing must have some good rust on it.