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Slow going build for the 97 Eagle Talon TSi AWD

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talonxgirl

Proven Member
212
1
Nov 16, 2012
Indian Mound, Tennessee
In the Works: Plans for the Talon's Transformation

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Now that I finally found a structurally sound Talon, it's time to build. I've debated on whether to build it for racing or just show, and given it still has the original factory engine and most factory parts in it, I decided to keep it going the way it is and make a show car out of it, the engine being my badge of honor. You definitely don't make it 200,000 original miles in a car that hasn't been taken care of.

So we'll start off with some body work. A little rust repair And a fresh coat of paint, keeping the factory two tone paint scheme with the black greenhouse roof. It'll go to paint this spring or summer. In the meantime, I'll be doing some parts collecting, looking for new headlights, taillights, fog lights, badging, etc. All stock, no body kits.

We'll follow suit with the audio. I already have a competition head unit installed, but we need a nice amp and some good sounding speakers and sub woofers to go with it.

And next up will be the interior. With everything being a complete wreck, we'll most likely have it all reupholstered professionally. New everything in a black and blue theme.

And last but not least will come a tear down and rebuild of the engine and transmission. But that'll probably be quite a while down the road as long as I keep up the maintenance. The transmission will have to be either replaced or professionally rebuilt, since I'm sticking to the automatic setup.

But in the meantime, while Toothless gets its face lift, I'll post some of its history and how it made its journey into my possession. And how it got that ridiculous name. Lol.

.:Index:.
Plan: Post #1
History: Post #6
The Car: Post #11
Wiring Repairs: Post #19
Basic brake maintenance: Post #22
Ball Joint Replacement: Post #24
More Wiring Repairs: Post #25
New Plans: Post #27
 
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Great looking car man. hey we have a mitsubishi group. look up TNMOG on Facebook. we also have a website. TNMOG. We are primarily based out of nashville but have alot of members from clarksville. Alot of knowledge and help could come your way on the project from TNMOG, hope to see great things come from a fellow TN mitsubishi enthusiast.

I am sorry hahaha I just looked at your avatar and you might be a girl HAHAHA SORRY!
 
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smooth move perk ;) as for the name, "toothless", i can see some relation...

as far as the transmission, definitely have it rebuilt with some nice bits. (even better, learn to do it yourself, autos arent actually as bad as you think)

good luck, keep us updated and post more pics!
 
I sorry hahaha I just looked at your avatar and you might be a girl HAHAHA SORRY!

Lol. Don't worry. I'm kind of used to that. But the car only looks that good from the rain. Underneath all that water is some major paint fade and flat black spray paint over some good primer. Partially why cosmetic work is first on my list.

smooth move perk ;) as for the name, "toothless", i can see some relation...

as far as the transmission, definitely have it rebuilt with some nice bits. (even better, learn to do it yourself, autos arent actually as bad as you think)

good luck, keep us updated and post more pics!

Lol. I didn't name it. I just didn't feel like arguing with my seven year old brother in law.

We've been looking into it, but I've yet to find anyone willing to touch it. I'm going to see about taking it to a tranny shop back in my old hometown in Chicagoland. There were so many dsms up there that I don't think I'll have a problem finding someone to rebuild it.
 
.:A Tale of Three Talons:.

It all started with some car shopping for a graduation present. Being unable to afford a new car from a dealership (and not really wanting one anyway), I turned to craigslist.

Originally, I was seeking a 95 body style Camaro, and that was the first thing I looked at. But when I went to take it for a testdrive, I came to the realization that it just wasn't a good fit for a shorter person. Disappointed, I looked into other cars. On that list, a 96 Prelude, a 91 Laser, and last but not least, a red 97 Eagle Talon ESi. Obviously the first two didn't make the cut. I immediately fell in love with the Talon for the simple fact that I could drive it comfortably and didn't have to be sitting right on top of the steering wheel to see over the dash.

But two weeks after I bought it, the water pump went and took the timing belt with it. It sat in the garage for six months until my boyfriend at the time and I could fix it. Luckily there was no engine damage. But several months later, it was totalled in a three car wreck. I put it back together with duck tape and zipties, and put a big 3 on the hood with painter's tape, just for fun. The guys at my favorite junkyard dubbed it the NASCAR Talon after that. But it only lasted another month before the alternator went out and I decided it wasn't worth fixing and just saved it for parts.

Then it was back to craigslist, where I found a white ESi for 800 bucks cash. This one wasn't so pretty with a lot of rust. She earned the name Christine after I cracked a Talon joke as I was leaving the shop after having the ball joints replaced. I guess she didn't appreciate the joke, since I ended up taking her back a few hours later with a completely different problem.

But that car didn't even last a year. It threw a rod through the block and after pulling the engine and transmission, I discovered the true extent of the rust. There was nothing to secure the engine mounts to.

So I sent both to the junkyard and got 400 bucks and went back to craigslist once again, only this time I was smarter and headed south in search of a Talon that would survive long enough to get built.
 
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You should check out IPT for the transmission, I've read nothing but good things about them, I plan to buy a transmission for my gst from them eventually

I've been looking into them as well. There's also a shop out here that uses Jasper transmissions I've looked into. I just don't know if they have one available for my car.
 
I've been looking into them as well. There's also a shpp out here that uses Jasper transmissions I've looked into. I just don't know if they have one available for my car.

No offense to jasper, they have great stuff, but if you can find a reputable, local shop, have them rebuild it (as long as they dont try to bend you over on it). Keeping the rebuilders and machinists in business is worth while, as it is a dying art. The more we get away from prefabbed and mass rebuilt parts/assemblies, the better IMO.

Plus, then you get a trans/engine built how you want it, for close to the same price as a mass produced piece (plus you can generally get a warranty too).

Good luck!
 
No offense to jasper, they have great stuff, but if you can find a reputable, local shop, have them rebuild it (as long as they dont try to bend you over on it). Keeping the rebuilders and machinists in business is worth while, as it is a dying art. The more we get away from prefabbed and mass rebuilt parts/assemblies, the better IMO.

Plus, then you get a trans/engine built how you want it, for close to the same price as a mass produced piece (plus you can generally get a warranty too).

Good luck!

That's what I want to do, but no one I've talked to is willing to rebuild my trans. But I have awhile before I need to really think about it. I'm going to just take care of the little stuff for now.
 
.:Toothless the Talon:.

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My badge of honor

Well, this car has made quite a journey since leaving its manufacturing plant in Normal, IL at the end of 1996. It was sold from an Aurora, IL dealership in January of 97, where it spent its first few years of life. From there it ended up in North Carolina, where my now husband picked it up. Made a few trips to Tennessee and back, and then ended up staying in Tennessee, where, in need of a new daily driver, I found it on craigslist.

Now, I had to choose one of three: 3 grand for a red manual ESi with a full body kit in Memphis, 2 grand for a black manual TSi in Knoxville, and 2500 for this beautiful automatic TSi AWD with all the bells and whistles. I had my eye on this one from the start. To me, it was the best buy for the package, given I had no idea how to drive stick at the time (and even now I still suck at it). So I snatched it up. Then back to Illinois it went, getting me a nice speeding ticket along the way home (first time driving a turbo charged car. Oops), before heading back to North Carolina a few months later and now it's back in Tennessee, where it's going to stay for probably the rest of its life.

And now for the pictures!

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The not so flattering side of the car

As you can see, the car isn't so shiny without the rain. And there's some mild rust on that rocker and the camber's off, courtesy of a curb I hit to avoid getting t-boned. Also resulted in a broken rim and blown tire, hence that random mismatched rim. Side marker's also missing, but I've picked up a new one recently.

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Epic grossness

And there's that nasty paint fade I mentioned before. Gross.

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Oops...

The nice scar left by a 2011 Focus that hit me in a Walmart parking lot. I about totaled her car going 5 mph. Good thing these bumpers can take quite the beating. Lol. For the record, she hit me.

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???

No idea what that piece is called, but any ideas on how I can fix it? Not a big fan of random chrome pieces. Lol.

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Wiring disaster

There's my awesome stereo head unit. It sounds amazing as is, with only the back speakers working at the moment. But that mess needs to be rewired desperately and it's probably going to be done within the next few days. I miss my music. :(

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Got leather?

Here's the reason why I'd rather just have the whole interior reupholstered professionally. Everything is torn apart and there is water damage galore.

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Messy messy

As you can see, the headliner's sagging, the sunroof panel is missing the cloth completely, the visors are ripped to shreds, and there's some major water damage.

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Close-up of some water damage

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Oops...again

I hate to admit it, but that was my doing. I got sick of the controls getting stuck under the panel, and in a fit of rage, tore the piece off to solve the problem. But I already have new door panels and controls in the basement, so it's all good.

76783_312779738822185_1125940291_n.jpg

Broken panels

Now this I am looking for. Those two panels in the hatch are broken, as you can see. And I'm also missing the little knobs to hang the back piece on.

154669_312779315488894_1634858743_n.jpg

The horror!

Well, it's finally happened. I've just discovered this lovely present on my left strut tower...

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Firewall

...and it's made it's way down the firewall. I don't know how far it goes, so it looks like the internals are going to be coming out when it goes to paint afterall. :(

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Fully stock internals

Everything is stock, except that battery. We pulled that out of a Porsche when I needed one to get home one day. It's going to be replaced soon though.

As for the name, it came with it. My seven year old brother-in-law named it Toothless after the black dragon in How to Train Your Dragon. And rather than argue with a little kid, I just let it go and the name has kind of grown on me now.
 
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That thing needs some TLC and many trips to the salvage yards for parts, but its got potential. I love the 2gb Talon. Best body style dsm period.
 
That thing needs some TLC and many trips to the salvage yards for parts, but its got potential. I love the 2gb Talon. Best body style dsm period.

I agree. That's why I kept buying them. Haven't found any other car that looked so interesting, besides the unaffordables like Lambos.

I mostly use craigslist these days. Junkyards are hit or miss and you never know if a part's actually functional. At least with craigslist you can get some history from the person who owns the car. I just got off my probationary status, so I'm going to be giving the classifieds a chance when business picks up.
 
I enjoy the salavage yards for interior stuff, never know what your gonna find.
 
I enjoy them too. It's always an adventure traipsing through a junkyard. I remember having to climb to the only avenger on top of a stack of five cars to get some random part for my old Talon. Lol. I haven't found too many good interior parts though cause of rain damage. People leave hatches open and doors open and by the time I get to them the glass is all out and most stuff is ruined.
 
I agree. That's why I kept buying them. Haven't found any other car that looked so interesting, besides the unaffordables like Lambos.

I mostly use craigslist these days. Junkyards are hit or miss and you never know if a part's actually functional. At least with craigslist you can get some history from the person who owns the car. I just got off my probationary status, so I'm going to be giving the classifieds a chance when business picks up.

Look for Steve Miller Parts on this forum. He has alot of good parts. I have used him for ten years and he has never failed me concerning the parts. He is fair and just. I have kept my "Miss Bitchy" alive and well because of him.

Thank you for this post, I was feeling as if I was the only one constantly getting hit, fixing and the getting hit again right after I repaired the damage.
 
Look for Steve Miller Parts on this forum. He has alot of good parts. I have used him for ten years and he has never failed me concerning the parts. He is fair and just. I have kept my "Miss Bitchy" alive and well because of him.

Thank you for this post, I was feeling as if I was the only one constantly getting hit, fixing and the getting hit again right after I repaired the damage.

Miss Bitchy? That sounds like another Christine. Lol

Yeah. I've come to the conclusion that owning a DSM is just one big adventure. There's always something to do with it and it's always a puzzle and you meet a lot of interesting people and have some pretty crazy experiences along the way. Like if it weren't for Toothless, I wouldn't have met my husband and we wouldn't have our beautiful baby girl.
 
.:Faulty Wiring:.

Well the wiring disaster has been fixed, no thanks to my idiot ex boyfriend.

And when I went to install a new blower motor, I found a lovely wiring disaster that was more than likely the cause of my heater malfunction. I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but the whole wiring harness was fried. So my husband replaced the wiring for the existing blower motor and now it sounds like there's a chainsaw under the dash. That will get resolved soon, as soon as weather warms up. I'm thinking the replacement wiring isn't pushing enough power or the short caused damage to the existing blower motor. Either way, it will get fixed.

I plan on adding pictures and possibly a video of the horrible sound later once weather permits.

[ame]
 
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I've got the chainsaw sound too with my blower motor, if i happen to get a chance to figure it out first i'll let you know what causes it.

EDIT 3/28:

My fan was full of acorns. apparently my DSM used to be home to a family of very hungry rodents. Was much easier than expected to remove though. 3 t27 screws and 1 Philips and its out.
 
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Oh my. LOL. Mine used to be home to hornets last year. That was a fun mess to clean out. Yeah. I about had a heart attack when I found out how easy the thing was to deal with. LOL. They make everything else on the car practically impossible to deal with and I was expecting to have to rip apart the whole dash to replace the blower motor. LOL
 
.:Lost and Found:.

Well I finally found those long lost brakes I've been toting around in my travels for the past 2 years. And just in time, too! The Talon was in desperate need of new back brakes. I've just been holding off because I knew I had that set laying around somewhere and I wanted to use it before I spent money on new. I'd like to upgrade next replacement. But for now, with money tight with a new baby and the work scene dead, I have to resort to taking care of the basic maintenance versus building for now. But new brakes means we're halfway to being road worthy again. XD
 
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I didnt think vehicles in TN rusted that much, Im from pa. We have some rust buckets up here.
 
I didnt think vehicles in TN rusted that much, Im from pa. We have some rust buckets up here.

Toothless isn't rusted at all compared the the other two I had. I'm originally from Chicago. That's why I quit buying cars from there. LOL
 
.:I Told You So:.

Well, as I predicted, the Talon is yet again out of commission.

Cause: Husband not heeding my warnings about replacing the bent control arm.

He called me about a month ago asking me to come get him after work. First words out of my mouth: "Control arm broke, didn't it."
"Yep."
So I go out to get him and find my poor Toothless sitting on the roadside, tire smashed up into the fender and ripped to shreds, axle dragging on the ground. So we hauled it off the wrong side of the road with a tow chain and left it at the old fire department parking lot, since that's as far as it would go. We went back and winched it onto a trailer the next morning and dragged it back to the house.

So now it sits in the middle of the driveway with 3 broken control arms and a broken axle. >.<

I have every right to say I told him so. LOL.

Parts have been on order for awhile, but the store keeps giving us the wrong ones. So hopefully it'll get fixed soon.

I'll have pictures of the horrible sight soon.

Sorry I have no pictures of the control arm mess. The phone they were on got stolen. >.<
 
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