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Sir Fuzzy Logic, a 1g TSi rallycross and grocery-getter

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Dhan

Supporting Member
3,772
190
Apr 29, 2010
Denver, Colorado
Make/model: Eagle Talon TSi
Transmission: manual
Rust levels: 17 years on the East Coast
Mileage: 151,000 on chassis


Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Cleaning, new MAF, and Eprom
1.2 Drag strip, tune up, and rust
1.3 Small 16g, new bumper, new injectors, AWD brakes
1.4 Supra SMIC
1.5 LC-1, mudding, and paint job
1.6 Calibration and weight loss
2.0 Waking Up From Hibernation
2.1 Winter work
3.0 The 2015 Season Begins

1.0 Beginning
The newest member of the family. A 1991 Eagle Talon TSi that I plan to use for SCCA rallycross. For the meantime it'll be kept streetable, but eventually I'd like to shoot for some hill climbing events. That's a long ways off though.

How it looked in the CL ad
combined.jpg


I really enjoy SCCA sanctioned rallycross- which is basically autocross in the dirt/mud -because you get a chance to hone your technical driving skills and the racing is always a lot of fun.

The car is a bit rough, but I'm fine with it. Given the car's state, I won't feel as guilty when I begin tossing it around in the dirt :) This is DSM number three for me, so I'm jumping into this one with some prior knowledge.

In terms of mods, I have a vague idea where I'm headed. I may change my mind as things come up or issues arise, but for now the plan revolves around a small turbo and supporting mods. The reasoning behind a smaller turbo is the need for quick spool and minimal lag given the tight and fairly slow courses in rallyx.

All in all, a decent ride that just needs some TLC.
 
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1.1 Taking care of little things.


The car came with a homemade 3" turbo back (no cat), ebay 16g, poly mounts, knock-off Greddy bpv, and the BS removed. Stock otherwise.

motor.JPG

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ebay turbo.JPG


Another guy was interested in the 17" Talon wheels, so I sold them off and used some OE Talon swirlies I had. OP had the bpv vented so I found a hose that fit and recirculated it. Also replaced all the missing vac lines and corrected the mislaid ones.

Yes, that is rust in the fender. More on that sad story later :(
rear R.JPG


Deep cleaned the interior. Amazing what a little Simple Green will do.

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interior clean.JPG


Wasn't lucky enough to get an eprom, so off the ecu went to ECM Tuning for an eprom conversion. And as quick as I shipped it, it was back. Thanks again to ECM Tuning and their super fast turnaround time :thumb:

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The OP told me the air can was hacked, so I picked up an unhacked 1g MAF to get me by.

Major hackage!
maf.jpg


Strangely enough, the car runs about the same. Since getting my ecu back, I keep getting a cel. The codes are 13 which is the IAT sensor and 25, the barometric pressure sensor. I even switched out the MAF with my Laser's, which I know works, so there's something wrong with the wiring on the Talon.
The cel comes on during highway cruise around 3000rpms. If I let off the throttle, it goes away, but as soon as I get back on, it returns. Idling and city driving doesn't pop the cel.

Not hugely worried about it though as speed density is in this car's future.

What's more worrying is the drilled rotors that have hairline cracks developing around the holes. So a new brake configuration is in the works.

rotors.JPG


Tomorrow is 'run what you brung' at the local 1/4 mile track. Just for fun, we'll see how the car does :sneaky:
 
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1.2 Rust, new parts and 1/4 mile

So I went to the local ¼ mile track for the heck of it. Jeez, this thing is slower than a clock with no battery. The best I could muster was a 15.6 at 92mph. That was on tired summer tires deflated to 25psi, an ebay 16g, and 2.5 second 60' times. Nothing short of boring, I know. But I wanted to set something of a benchmark for when I try again down the road. I also got to meet WES_393, another Tuners member :)

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ECMLink is online and working, but I've held off on really tuning anything until after I've installed my first phase of mods and finished the initial maintenance.

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Blew my spending money on NGK plugs and wires, o2 sensor, a Forced Performance exhaust manifold, used Punishment o2 housing, and a second-hand Dejon tube. Plus I picked up all the necessary hardware for the turbo swap.

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Plus I got me a nice lookin' small 16g and WG from another member on Tuners. One bolt was seized where the turbo/mani meet. Took a good couple hours to drill and retap the hole. Turned out perfect though. I'm proud of myself :p

turbo.JPG


Did a little more poking around the darker parts of my car and found the tie rod is in need of replacement. The to-do list just keeps growing......ROFL

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Now, for the scary part. Remember how I said the car's got some rust on it? Well here's some nice shots of the worst of it....

passenger side rocker panel
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passenger side door is rusted all over the place.
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last is the rear passenger fender
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I went back and forth between ditching the shell and swapping the motor into something a bit less decayed :aha:
I think for now though, I've decided to just use the car as-is. The door can easily just be replaced and the fender rust is a day's Duraglass away from being fixed.

Next summer I'll be in a much better position to fix the major rust in the rocker panel using welded sheet metal, a Sawzall, and a grinder. As much as I'd like to address the issue now, living and working out of an apartment really puts some limitations on my abilities.

I'm going back to school to finish my 2 year welding degree this spring, plus my dad will be moved into his new house by next summer too. He always is willing to let me use his tools and he has it all. Everything from MIG welders to 1960s Sun testing equipment.
Plus, Colorado is so dry, the trees are bribing the dogs, so that'll help slow down the rust a little.

Next up, the turbo swap :applause:
 
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1.3 Turbo and Bumper


Got the new MHI turbo online and boosting. Made sure to use new hardware all around, and added new oil lines, along with cleaning the OE coolant lines. The knock-off bpv ended up being a boost leak (surprise) so that was switched out for an OE version.

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The PO switched out the front end of the car, because he wanted another DSM he owned to have pop-ups. I had a 1gb Talon bumper lying around, so I finished off his conversion. All lights work and the bumper is secured with new hardware too :thumb:

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A couple days later, I'm cruising down the highway and the car shudders and throws a CEL. It sounds like a Subaru and I realize it's only on three cylinders. I limp it home and get a code 41- "injector circuit error". Narrowed it down to the number two injector, so that meant new injectors and o-rings.

z3.JPG


Finally got my brakes. There was a hiccup in the shipping, but everything's here now :)

P1000179.JPG

 
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1.4 Supra smic

I don't think I'll be seeing enough air flow to warrant a FMIC, and the runs aren't long enough to really heat soak the stock side mount. But, I found a good deal on a Supra SMIC and decided to throw it on. Despite what some have been saying, with a little tweaking, everything fits acceptably so far.

Here's how I've got it mocked up so far.

OE SMIC "bleeding" oil from the stock pipes
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the new IC, still working on some ducting
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zip ties and baling wire for the time being :coy:
Photo849.jpg


I don't know about piping. So far this Dejon upper pipe fits. The lower pipe is a work in progress.

this box did contain awesome.......
Photo837.jpg

Dejon UICP and a 2g elbow
Photo838.jpg
 
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1.5 Supra smic, Paint, and Tune

So it's been a while since I've updated things for old Fuzzy. Part of that was due to it being wintertime and there being no rallyx races. I've also had my hands full with an AWD Talon that I picked up and you can see here...
sno.jpg


But now the weather's nice and it's rallyx season again! I got the Supra SMIC and Dejon pipe squared away.

smic1.jpg

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A boost gauge and an LC-1 wideband have rounded things out nicely.
gauge.JPG
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Took the car out for some fun at C.O.R.E. Still needs some fine tuning (I'm learning as I go), but everything is running pretty smooth.

mud1.jpg

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I was also tired of the matte black jalopy look. It didn't communicate that I was serious about my car, so I decided a change was in order. I had gallons of white Plasti-dip leftover from another project, so the work began.
Z1.jpg

Z3.jpg

Z6.jpg


So what better way to express the love you have for your car than by transforming it into a cow?
Z7.jpg

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Paint needs some touch-up here and there, but it turned out all right. Couple more little tweaks of the engine and this bull will be ready to hit the rodeo :hellyeah:
 
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1.6 Calibration and weight loss

Been calibrating via ECMlink like crazy. Smoothing things out and climbing up the steep learning curve of ECU adjustments. A lot of trial and error, but the forums are your friend! Got the car to stop backfiring when I let off the accelerator and tweaked things so the knock went away too.

Trying to tackle the erratic idle now. It's not idle surge. It's more like something gets stuck mechanically. Example: I'll be driving and let off the gas and go into neutral. The revs fall to either 550, 750, or 1100. So I'll give the throttle pedal a blip and try to get it to fall to 750. It's more of an annoyance.

So I replaced the throttle cable with a non-cruise unit, switched out the TPS sensor, and WD-40ed everything. I think the problem lies in the throttle body itself. Grabbed a TB rebuild kit from Sno the MOD, so that's now on the to-do list. But if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know :pray:

My J-pipe setup makes BLTs a major hassle, so I rigged up a leak proof extension.

BLT5.JPG


Speaking of boost leaks, it's never ending! Found one of the injectors to be leaking (again), so took the rail off, replaced O-ring, then go to put it back together.....just my luck. Broken bolt. Took a while, but drilled the broken bolt out and the thread was saved :applause:
BEFORE
screw B5.JPG

AFTER
screw A5.JPG


Also shaved a few pounds off the cow, which included the following:

~A/C system 33 lbs
~Rear wiper & motor 2.5 lbs
~Rear spoiler 16 lbs
~Stereo system15 lbs
~Rear seats & belts 38 lbs
~Plastic interior panels 25.5 lbs
~Cruise control 6 lbs
~Sound deadening tar & rubber 15 lbs
~Fog lights 2.5 lbs
~Carpets & headliner 23 lbs
~Center console & door panels 24.5
~Radiator fan 6 lbs
~Spare tire, jack & tools 30 lbs

Total 237 lbs

Not to mention the countless brackets, bolts, and randomness that's been taken out. Car didn't come with ABS either, so that's a plus.

Some of what was removed.
weight5.JPG

Sound deadening tar coming up.
Pile5.jpg

Sound deadening.
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Striped.
clean5.jpg


I am keeping the heater because it gets mighty cold in the later months of racing and I don't have a trailer, so I drive the car before/after the races.

Future weight loss plans include: gutted doors, lexan windows, lightweight battery, and a fuel cell big enough to save some weight, but also get me to/from the races. Removal of power windows, power belts, and the misc braces in the rear. Would like to find some lighter seats too.

A quick "cow tip" (get it :p): take a shop vac to the interior and the engine bay. Removed 3 lbs of dirt, grime, and weight!
vac B5.jpg

vac A5.jpg


After removing all that weight, I felt it was time to add some back on. Threw an ST sway bar on in the rear.
IMG_20121206_100658.jpg



Next race is on July 7th, so until then!
 
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2.0 Waking Up From Hibernation

It’s been a long while since the Cow Car has gotten any attention. Between buying a house, college, a new job, and girl problems; no progress has been made.

Last race was in July of 2013. Car did well, but the driver was out of practice. In the AM I hit a sandy berm and bottomed out the front passenger side. Also went over a T-post or two. Supra SMIC was smushed and the bumper and door trim got mangled. To top it off, that was a missed gate, which is a ten second penalty.
?temp_hash=c009c79aa51167654ae24dd7b78952b6.png


PM was no better when I wiped out the finish line in my fifth run of the day and hit something like fourteen cones. Each cone is a two second penalty, so after the math, I was good for dead last place in my class of Modified 2WD.


Car held together and made the trip home, but the mangled intercooler made for a slow trip. I jerry-rigged everything together with duct tape but major boost leaks plus interstate driving forced me to pull off a couple times to resituate everything.
As soon as I get back into the city, the clutch pedal goes limp. Only a few miles from home, just my luck! :rolleyes: So I call a friend, tow the car, and I covered it for the winter. It ended up sitting all summer of 2014.


Fast forward to now when I finally have my life in order. The limp clutch ended up just being a dead slave cylinder which was a quick fix. Car fired right up after sitting for 15 months straight :applause: Loaded it up with new gas right away and discovered about a hundred new boost leaks developed during its long nap.


In the time it sat, the injector O-rings became brittle and cracked into pieces. So I picked up some new ones from our friends at extremePSI. Kind of annoying because this is the third time the injector seals have failed on this car. Was very careful with reassembly this time and hopefully the extra dollars will go farther.
Also, the DP rusted and broke apart during the Cow’s hibernation. My neighbor was nice enough to weld in a new flex section for me. He's offered to repair the rust on the body but I don't feel as if subjecting him to that kind of torturous project is very neighborly.
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Found a replacement Supra SMIC from another member on the forums for a great price. What luck! I'll be throwing this on soon. This time I'd like to mount it properly. Last one was just suspended by the IC pipes and a single metal strap.
Here's a shot of the new and old SMIC. The old one can still hold some pressure and ironically fits better, but it's in bad shape and would need to be reseated.
?temp_hash=c009c79aa51167654ae24dd7b78952b6.jpg


Just for fun, a comparison to an OEM 1g SMIC and the Supra. Much thicker core.
?temp_hash=c009c79aa51167654ae24dd7b78952b6.jpg

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Lastly, I got some Yokohama A035 gravel tires from Peter, another DSMer/rallycrosser. They’re made of a medium compound rubber, which makes for a stiffer sidewall and does better against the abrasive off-road courses. They'll make for much improved grip over the softer Winterforce tires I’ve been using. The snow tires get shredded on the rough surfaces especially in a FWD setup like I have. They are also susceptible to de-beading, which is what it sounds like - tire comes off the wheel. A de-bead is usually a red flag which causes a DNF.

The new tires smell great! Here they are in the back of my AWD Talon.

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Still have lots to do before it's race ready on November 1st, but these are the latest highlights. Like I mentioned in a past post, I'd like to cut back on the weight some more. May pick up some inexpensive seats to replace the sofas that are in there now. Plus there's lots more unused wiring that could be cleaned out.
I pretty much missed this entire season, but life gets in the way sometimes and that's just the way it is. There's always the 2015 season!
 

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2.1 Winter work

Not a lot to report. Aside from getting the car ready for this coming season and just maintaining it, there haven't been any major changes.

One day it was snowing really hard so I rebuilt the throttle body to eliminate it as a source for leaks.
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Also have been removing weight where I can. Hatch struts, rear brace, ABS equipment, etc. Hard to see in this photo, but I brought it by the scales and it weighed in at 2,640 lbs. with maybe two to three gallons of gas. Minus myself (170 lbs.) the car is right around 2,500 lbs.
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Still too heavy in my opinion, so the weight loss campaign will continue. I'm sure Lexan windows, carbon fiber hood and hatch, would cut some pounds, but that would be leaving the "budget-oriented" spirit of this car. Still looking to replace the power locks and windows with roll-up and manual systems. Finding a non-power steering rack is proving to be a challenge as well.
 

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3.0 The 2015 Season Begins

After almost a year hiatus, the Cow Mobile kicked off its return at the opening 2015 rallycross race. The race was out at Colorado Off-road Extreme (CORE)- about an hour east of Denver. Here's a shot of the make-shift pits area....

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Prior to the race I installed some hard-as-a-rock Summit Racing seats. They’re primitive, but they get the job done. I more or less did what Nate did and reused the stock seat brackets. I separated the brackets and rails then used a piece of metal stock laterally to support the seat.

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New hardware, some harnesses, and we’re ready to go. Saved a bit of weight with these seats too.

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In sticking with the Eagle Talon Superleggera theme; I removed the rest of the ABS parts, cleaned up the wiring to electronics that’re deleted, and got rid of some miscellaneous parts and brackets. Probably ditched another 5 pounds, which was promptly negated by the 8 pounds of dust I collected durinng the first race.

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The Cow Car didn't too badly at the opening rallyx. I’m a little rusty behind the wheel, but I managed 3rd in my class of Modified 2WD and 11th overall out of 85 racers that day. Most of the competition was AWD Subarus so not a bad start.

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Goals for before the next race include getting some “backyard body work” done. I’m tired of plastic body parts flying off mid-heat and being returned to me by the course workers.
 

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