Purchased my first 1997 GST (help)

[DSMike97]

Hey all, my name is Mike and I'm new to this forum, so looking forward to meeting some great people here
(Pictures below!)
Anyways, i just purchased my first white 1997 GST with only 90k miles, so to begin with it came with quite a few upgrades for $2,700. Great deal by the way!

Positives: Came with new headliner, new carpet, a short throw shifter, act 2000 series clutch, HKS BOV, intake (HKS as well), Apex'i N1 exhaust (Megan Racing down-pipe; 3.5").

Negatives: Ugly Blitz side-skirt and rear bumper body kit. (i hate body kits), replacement front bumper cover that is black, no turbo wing, and ripped front seat.

**Now for the real question, i need to decide on good rims. What is the bolt pattern? I know they have 5 lugs, but it can use any 5 lug rim??

Thanks guys, and i truly appreciate all your help, expect me to be back here posting some new topics in the near future!

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[EriClipse]

Hey welcome to the forum
Looks like a good buy
and the pattern is 5x114(5x4.5)

 

[DSM4me44]

Welcome!

Did the guy tell you that is what it had on it? Because....

1. You say you have an HKS bov. However it looks like an RFL style one.

http://www.3sx.com/store/catalog/bov-generic-rfl-style-03-thumb.jpg

2. I don't think HKS makes intakes for our cars, only filters (green in color).

3. Megan Racing makes 3" downpipes for our cars, not a 3.5" to my knowledge.

Correct me if I am wrong on any of this.

I, as well as the rest of us on here, are here to help. I point these things out so that any issues you may have, we will have correct knowledge of the parts on your vehicle.

Happy boosting!

 

[DSMike97]

Yeah that's what he told me, and so me being so new to this vehicle said... "cool!" .

But hey man, thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[TofastForU_99]

yah its a turbo xs BOV and do your self a favor and either get a gm maf so you have it vented correctly so you wont run into any problems down the road or get a 1G bov and recirculate it back to the stock maf. but yah keep up the good work i was in the same boat when i bought my gst ugly kit that i have not replaced yet

 

[DSMike97]

Yeah , but for 2,700 i seriously could not hold back
I'm just on a hunt to find an oem 1997-99 rear bumper and sideskirts. (both sides)

 

[nyTalonTsi]

Welcome. Looks like you got yourself a little project on hand for a good price. Take your time, be patient and do alot of research, i myself bought a 2g dsm with a full blitz bodykit ripped it off the same day i got it. Good luck.

 

[DSMike97]

Yeah thanks bro! Lol yeah i want to rip it off the same day, but need to find some oem body work and that's a pain.... i love the stock look

 

[97ClipseDSM]

Welcome and congrats on your purchase. Try to look for factory side skirts at a junk yard, Im sure you can find a GS Eclipse. I know someone who is selling a 2Gb front bumper and rear bumper. Well I dont know the person but I saw an ad on craigs list in Virginia.

I remember my first DSM purchase back in 2002, man oh man was I excited about being turbo. Since then, Im at my DSM #5 or 6, went from fwd to awd, then back to fwd few years later after i failed to find a good awd. weird me.

I would start off by fixing all the cosmetic flaws, such as the ugly body kit, then maintainence (change plugs, wires, change oil, spray parts cleaner to get rid of old oil so you can check for leaks, check for boost leaks, etc. After that, then you can start having some fun with the car (mods). Trust me, im experienced with this, in the long run youll be better off if you do maintainence first.

 

[DSMike97]

Hey thanks man! i appreciate it.
Alright, that's definetly great advice.. i'll keep that in mind. Yeah i'm beginning a very fun car project.
So basically, just clean all the parts i can?

 

[nyTalonTsi]

If your gonna be driving that 2g now, id do the maintainence first then the body. New timing belt components(t-belt, balance belt, timing belt tensioner) and what ^^ posted.

When i bought my 1st 2g it wasn't my DD so thats why i tore off the body kit while also finding the running issues.

 

[97ClipseDSM]

Thanks for reminding me talon, I meant to say do maintainence first, i just couldnt help looking at those side skirts without getting mad..why would anyone do that to a perfectly fine body..i can only imagine how i would feel if i bought my first dsm with a blitz body kit on it. Anyways, do what talon said as well.

Your car has 90k miles, its possible the timing belt has never been replaced. One good way is to open the timing cover and look at the belt. Does it look old, do the teeth lineup, does the tensioner feel ok? I know someone new to DSM's wouldnt know but perhaps the best thing to do is find some local DSM buddys who know about these cars and have them help you.

A great tool is a data logger. Go to digital tuning, inc. and spend $125 for the obdII cable, go on ebay and get a palm m100 or palm m105. The data logger will tell you alot about your vehicles performance, fuel trims, temps, timing, etc. This is one tool that i would never drive without. Imagine driving down the road, have a CEL come on. Instead of panicking, you can find out the codes right away and msot of the times youll know the reason the CEL came on. Quick adjustments, and your good again.

Point is, start with maintainence, change the side skirts, and monitor the car for about a month or so before you start to get mod crazy. I made a mistake with my first turbo dsm purchase, I started modding it to hell without paying 100% attention to maintainence. In the end, it cost me over $15,000 in maintainence, engine rebuilds (2 bottom ends, 1 head), 1 transmission, axles, etc. And worst of all, counting all the days it ran, it ran about 30 full days in over 2 years.

Good Luck and hope you enjoy your DSM.

 

[97ClipseDSM]

Hey thanks man! i appreciate it.
Alright, that's definetly great advice.. i'll keep that in mind. Yeah i'm beginning a very fun car project.
So basically, just clean all the parts i can?

I use brake parts cleaner to clean old oil buildup, usually found around the engine & or transmission. Make sure you dont spray it over some plastics. You dont have to clean every part but if you have the time for it, go right ahead. Make it look nice and pretty.

First thing I usually do when i buy any used car, is change the oil (I dont care how new or old the oil is), I simply do not trust someone elses oil change. Put in 10W-30, and always and I mean always buy a Mitsubishi OEM oil filter at the dealership. You would be amazed how much better mitsu oil filters are than any auto parts store brands. your oil pressure will be a bit higher and mitsu oil filters are known to better protect.

 

[nyTalonTsi]

I use brake parts cleaner to clean old oil buildup, usually found around the engine & or transmission. Make sure you dont spray it over some plastics. You dont have to clean every part but if you have the time for it, go right ahead. Make it look nice and pretty.

First thing I usually do when i buy any used car, is change the oil (I dont care how new or old the oil is), I simply do not trust someone elses oil change. Put in 10W-30, and always and I mean always buy a Mitsubishi OEM oil filter at the dealership. You would be amazed how much better mitsu oil filters are than any auto parts store brands. your oil pressure will be a bit higher and mitsu oil filters are known to better protect.

Agreed. Also stay away from the fram oil filters on a dsm, ive known ppls 1gs catching on fire because of them.

 

[97ClipseDSM]

Someone around my area is selling a 97 bumper, side skirts, etc. I would call him to see if he can ship to you.

eclipse parts

 

[DSMike97]

Thanks for all that great advice guys. That's great to know definetly. I have all of this written down.
And would he be able to ship the kits to Nevada??

 

[rEclipserGST]

You said you have most of this written down already. But things i see right off the bat that need fixed are the following:

Air filter - looks beat, either needs cleaned or buy a K&N
BOV - needs recirculated and/or swapped, (use the Search button and read up on how to do that.)
Change Oil - Synthetic
Spark Plugs - NGK
Spark plug Wires - NGK
All belts and worn hoses ( its almost 2009, they stopped making these cars... change ALL hoses.)
Check the turbo for shaft play ( in-out, side to side)
Boost leak & Compression test

Then exterior/interior. Classifieds will be your new bestfriend and you will be checking it EVERYDAY. Trust me, I know. Im still in the beginning stages of my car. Weight reduction and Free Mods are what Im doing right now.

Search, read, and have fun. Post any questions you have about your car AFTER you search.

 

[meliketoball]

Nice buy and good price! Oh and by the way, that's not a HKS blow off valve. It looks to be a turbo XS BOV. Go ditch that and get a BOV you can re-circulate.

I wish my car was below 100k.

 

[chico904]

With everything being stated already, I don't think the wheels look bad!

 

[rich3389]

You said you have most of this written down already. But things i see right off the bat that need fixed are the following:

Air filter - looks beat, either needs cleaned or buy a K&N
BOV - needs recirculated and/or swapped, (use the Search button and read up on how to do that.)
Change Oil - Synthetic
Spark Plugs - NGK
Spark plug Wires - NGK
All belts and worn hoses ( its almost 2009, they stopped making these cars... change ALL hoses.)
Check the turbo for shaft play ( in-out, side to side)
Boost leak & Compression test

Then exterior/interior. Classifieds will be your new bestfriend and you will be checking it EVERYDAY. Trust me, I know. Im still in the beginning stages of my car. Weight reduction and Free Mods are what Im doing right now.

Search, read, and have fun. Post any questions you have about your car AFTER you search.

Wow, it has been 2009 for almost 4 moths now!

 

[Dsmj89]

The bolt pattern is 5x114.3.
Congrats on the purchase by the way and good luck with her. Get her back to oem looks and do all your maintenance first before modding it.

 

[k2crasher]

Hey, welcome to the forum. Looks like you pick up a nice car. I agree the stock look is way better, good luck on sourcing all the parts. The first thing I would do besides maintenance and a full tune up is get a upper timing belt cover. I never understood why anybody would take those off??

 

[aaronhawk60]

good deal, do a little searching and you can find the oem parts to get rid of the body kit. Make sure and do all the normal maint then have fun upgrading and there is a ton of good information on here.

 

[Silver 95 GST]

Nice ride!

About the oil. If it wasn't already running synthetic, changing to it can cause leaks. Stick with regular oil made from dinosaurs.

 

[Sp1kE]

hey man.

Looks like a great start.

For some local dsmers go to: ca.dsm.org
Its a Canadian board and there are a couple regulars on there from ottawa that could probably help you out with any hands on/inperson stuff if you needed anything.

Otherwise keep reading/posting on here, theres tonnes of info!