Showcar Build RS to GS Restoration Build

[Bland-Biscuit]

I took possession of my Eclipse two years ago today, and wow those years went by fast! I haven't made a ton of progress on the car yet, or put many miles on the odometer, but I'm very much enjoying the journey anyway. I've written some articles on this site, met some really cool people here, and am happy to own an Eclipse and be a part of this community.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

Just got back from the auto recycler with this gem!

It's the floor bracket for the 50/50 split back rear seat!

I tried to find a new one without any luck, and although this project is way down the to-do list, it's one less hard-to-find part to track down now for my GS conversion.

Not going to lie, I'm pretty geeked about this.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

It's a great day!!! I finally decided to buy a set of rims. I went with the 16" silver OEM 97-99 Eclipse GS rims, and am going to be wrapping them in Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, because, as far as I have been able to tell, that was the stock tire. Awesome that they still make them, and they are pretty reasonably priced too.

Did I mention this is a stock build, and that little details are my favorite?

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

It was a big day today! A new NTK camshaft and crankshaft sensor has the car running much better! I didn't feel like it was going to stall out at the stop lights, which was pretty awesome!

I also have a new set of windshield wiper arms, a new outer windshield cowling clip (mine was broken), a new battery (of the correct size), a restored battery hold down bracket, the correct OEM battery cover, and a new set of rims and tires!!!

The rims were from HH Auto Wheel & Trim. The center caps were new old stock, and as far as I can tell, the restored rims are an exact match. They look brand new!

Before:

After:

Unfortunately I had to drive the car in the rain for the first time... It wasn't supposed to rain, but of course it did... Oh well, what can you do?

I'm loving the new look! I can hardly wait to get past the maintenance and get the interior and exterior finished up!

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

The car is in storage, and has been for about a month. I forgot to update my build thread to mention that. Oops. I've been focusing my attention on trying to find a new job since I lost mine at around the same time though.

Anyway, I added 89 miles to the odometer this year, for a grand total of 96,872. I have driven this car 257 miles since I purchased it in the summer of 2019. What can I say? I love to drive.

 

[Widgmaster]

Okay Gary ... That's it… You need to surrender the title of that car to me. I get jealous every time I see your beautiful ride… Please Please Please
Just kidding bro...you can keep it...

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

Okay Gary ... That's it… You need to surrender the title of that car to me. I get jealous every time I see your beautiful ride… Please Please Please
Just kidding bro...you can keep it...

 

[Widgmaster]

Gary.... I am not a single man anymore... A Christian lady from my past.... out of the blue she called... said for some reason she was thinking of me.. We know how that happened. The power of prayer... Any ways. I am taking her out to dinner at her favourite food bag joint... It's called The Leakey Tank... It's a gas bar dinner out on the highway... We used to attend church together and after all the questions of marriage I got cold feet … Covid hit and we have not spoken since… All is good... She knows I just want a friend, and she has agreed to that...

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

It's the middle of winter so there isn't much going on with my car right now.

I did a thing today though...

After a lot of internal debate, I decided to buy a hatch with the high-rise spoiler and the rear window wiper. I purchased it from the same silver GS that I got the front bumper, rear seat bracket, and the door panels from. Seeing as how that one is a northern car, there's some rust on the hatch, but it isn't too bad yet, and everything else looks like it's in good shape.

I love the look of the rear window wiper on the 2nd generation Eclipse, and I always wanted to have one. Unfortunately neither my Talon of old nor my Eclipse came equipped with one, so I had no idea what was involved in that project. I kind of thought it would be a monster though. And I don't think I'm wrong... But I want to do it anyway.

TBH I'd rather have a hatch with the low-rise spoiler. I know it's not as popular as the high-rise, but I really like it. I just don't know if/when I will find one in good shape, and I didn't want the car to get crushed while I thought about it. These parts are getting rarer by the day, and it would be a shame to see yet another high-rise spoiler destroyed. If I never end up using it, I could always sell it. But to be honest, the darn thing has been growing on me, and I might restore it, especially if I can't find a decent low-rise equipped hatch.

In the meantime I am geeked to have another potential long-term project, and another huge part to store... Yay!

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I'd really like to put a high rise spoiler on mine. The only thing I'm really waiting on is for the car to need another repaint. I've got to close the holes where the end pieces currently are on the quarter panels.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

I'd really like to put a high rise spoiler on mine. The only thing I'm really waiting on is for the car to need another repaint. I've got to close the holes where the end pieces currently are on the quarter panels.

Yeah, that's the part I'm not looking forward to. I will have to really think about what I'm going to do. I plan to replace the front bumper, fenders, fuel door, add the side skirts, repair some scratches, and fix all of the dents. The paint is already damaged on the roof, and if I swap out the hatch it's just one more part to repaint... Given all that, I'm not sure if I want to keep the car red or paint it white.. Luckily I have a ton of maintenance to finish first, which gives me plenty of time to think about it.

Do you already have the spoiler? Any idea where to get gaskets for it? I haven't found any anywhere, so I think I will need to make some?

 

[Widgmaster]

This is a perfect material for making your own gaskets...

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[Bland-Biscuit]

Sadly, this happened:

I had no idea they were going to crush the car today. I am really glad I was able to get the hatch and the special edition gauge cluster before that happened.

I didn't get everything I wanted off the car, but I'm pretty sure I got everything I need to get the rear wiper working if I install that hatch.

But yeah... Another one bites the dust.

 

[Widgmaster]

Looks like this one going in?
.

 

[Wizeman76]

That is such a sad sight.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

Looks like this one going in?
.View attachment 652385

Yeah, it was an Eagle Talon with red interior. ☹

 

[hughes_22]

Do you already have the spoiler? Any idea where to get gaskets for it? I haven't found any anywhere, so I think I will need to make some?

There used to be a guy on FB that sold the gaskets, but I reached out to him nearly 2 years ago and never got a response, but saw where others had gotten gaskets after I reached out, so who knows if there's any out there anywhere. I'd try the route above? I need to try something different on mine as I think I have some leaks. Also need to get the other outer holes welded or something, body filler didn't last long haha

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

My favorite yard got a new Eclipse in, but it was in a really bad accident and all of the parts that I was hoping to pick for my project were damaged. I was able to save the side mirrors though, and I'm thinking about buying the hatch because of the low-rise spoiler. It looks like it survived the accident, but it has a decent amount of rust on it, and I'm not sure it's worth it or not...

I am hoping I can find something in better shape before the crusher returns. I am told I have a few months to think about it.

 

[dsm_ribbitpoison]

My favorite yard got a new Eclipse in, but it was in a really bad accident and all of the parts that I was hoping to pick for my project were damaged. I was able to save the side mirrors though, and I'm thinking about buying the hatch because of the low-rise spoiler. It looks like it survived the accident, but it has a decent amount of rust on it, and I'm not sure it's worth it or not...

I am hoping I can find something in better shape before the crusher returns. I am told I have a few months to think about it.

View attachment 654847

Looks like this one was a total loss. OOF.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

Looks like this one was a total loss. OOF.

Yeah, pretty much. The side mirrors survived somehow, but other than that, there wasn't much else that I could salvage for my project. I will probably be back for various odds and ends before the crusher comes back, but it doesn't look like there is much left that I can use.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

It might officially be Spring now, but Michigan didn't get the memo.

I haven't been able to do much to the car over the winter but I did buy a Chilton's manual for the 1990-98 Eclipse recently and I've really been enjoying that. There's nothing like a nice relaxing read after work on cold Michigan evenings.

Other than that I've been buying parts as I find them. Rock Auto restocked the left rear Cardone weather-coated caliper the other day, so now I have a complete set!

I love how these look; they are silver, and should look great on the car. Unfortunately it will probably be a few years before I get to the rear disc brake conversion, but oh well.

The project inches forward...

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

I have been buying parts for roughly two and a half years to restore this car. This year, I am hoping to FINALLY make a big dent in the deferred maintenance and (fingers crossed ) stop the oil leak in the engine. The weather is finally improving here in Michigan, and I am getting closer to scheduling some time at the mechanic. I can hardly wait!

Speaking of the weather, today was a beautiful day so I installed a set of manual mirror covers. My plan is to replace the side mirrors with a power set, but I need to rewire my doors first and I was tired of looking at the uncovered cables in the meantime.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

In the meantime, it was a beautiful day so I installed a set of manual mirror covers. My plan is to replace the side mirrors with a power set at some point, but I need to rewire my doors first and I was tired of looking at the uncovered cables.

Where did you find the covers? I've swapped over to power mirrors now so I no longer need them but I searched for a set for over 2 years with no luck. The originals are too brittle at this point.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

Where did you find the covers? I've swapped over to power mirrors now so I no longer need them but I searched for a set for over 2 years with no luck. The originals are too brittle at this point.

I got lucky and found some at a local junk yard, and one in the classifieds a while back. They all have at least one broken mounting clip but they still work.

 

[Bland-Biscuit]

It finally happened! My car is in the shop to make a huge dent in the deferred maintenance. The goal is to get my engine healthy. If all goes well, the car will be running in top shape soon.