Solomon's 2GNT Build ('98 RS)

[BLACK'98DSM]

The only thing holding me back right now is lack of a head to work with. If anyone knows where I can get a good 420a head, preferably low mileage, definitely contact me! I found one on Ebay for $500, needs rebuild and unknown mileage

I would just try to re-use my head but I know it's probably tired at this point. it's been shaved/decked a few times and I'm not even sure the cam caps are the original matching ones. It worked fine while I used it but at some point the clearances will be out of question. I did get this head from a junkyard after all. And I sold the original head from my car, which of course I'm now regretting

 

[tunernewb92]

Doesn't the belt just lose slack sitting, did you try rotating the engine over and see if it was still slack? I think thats pretty common. I remember because I did the exact same thing as you once and thought the tensioner had failed but after a lot of digging into it, it seems thats normal. I've noticed all my 4G will do that if they sit for a week or longer.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

It may be normal but I never got it to regain tension. I played with it for a while.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Unfortunately, no updates on the engine at all. But I did just place an order for some billet door handles. I am officially tired of snapping the plastic ones. I've been wanting them for a while but just now decided to pull the trigger. I got them from our buddy @b00st3d
Once again guys, use this as a reminder to support our DSM vendors! It's tough for these guys and gals to keep producing parts with a small market!

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I finally found a low mileage cylinder head. Today I stopped by the machine shop to get some oversize valves ground in and put some Brian Crower titanium springs & retainers in. I've got it torqued to the block now and am almost ready to put the Crower cams in and get it timed up. I'll hopefully have it running again in the next couple of days. The fuel in the tank is probably 6 months old now so I need to get some fresh fuel in it.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Got the drivetrain fully assembled and functional. Had to take it for a ride to test everything out. Even with fuel from April, she feels very strong. I did stop by the gas station to top it off with some fresh fuel. At the moment the hood is still off. It needs a repaint due to scratches from the storm damage in March. And you can see the mirrors are green, those are power mirrors I got from a parts car. Decided to upgrade those since the storm knocked the glass out of my other ones. Once I wash off all the greasy fingerprints and get some things painted she'll be ready to get back out. I have big plans for 2023...

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Alright so I made the decision to repaint the entire car as soon as Spring comes around. For the first time, I don't want the car to be black anymore. I wanted something more interesting; something that will really pop out at you. But still a sense of being subtle. I've been looking at a lot of different colors, and after months of contemplating I finally came up with the one I'll be using. This color is named Emerald Pearl. Which, not a coincidence, is an OEM Chrysler color. I went ahead and hurried to test spray both side mirrors with it and cleared before it gets too cold for the season. This color is beautiful. It's similar to the factory color on my Prelude but much darker and a much higher metal flake content. The plan is to apply it over black primer and probably use 4 coats of clear. With a cut and buff this will be really nice. I don't think I've ever seen a DSM in this color and I'm absolutely excited to see how it turns out. The roof will definitely still be imperfect because of the severity of the dents it has but I'm going to do the best I can to pull them out. I think I can straighten it up a bunch compared to how it is now. The paint looks a bit different in pictures than in person but you can still tell how nice it's going to be. Anyway, here is also an engine bay picture from a couple weeks ago when the engine was finally back together. Already since the picture I have been making changes. I'm gutting the entire drivetrain wiring harness and starting from scratch with an MS3, standing alone. I've noticed a few people looking for OEM manual ECU's and my original was still in great shape so I'll probably sell it here on the classifieds. Also the engine, trans, and nearly everything else is all coming back out as well so I can properly paint the engine bay and surrounding areas. I'll say it's really on my damn nerves how many times I've removed any given part from the engine bay, but I'm fast at it now anyway. Many more updates will come soon. Since I'm not hiding the car most of the winter like I did last year, maybe I can get something done. As of right now my '92 Eclipse is put on the backburner. It has it's own garage space to sit in for a few months or years if need be. I recently decided to 4g63 swap it since the 4g37 was roughed up. But that's another thread for a later time.

 

[Dericsh]

That looks like a great color!

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

I like that color too!!! Very Pretty and can't wait to see the whole car!

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I haven't had as much time to work on the car lately as I would have liked to. But it's coming along, one step at a time. I have the billet handles put in and handle assemblies painted. I had to replace some of the plastic bushings for the rods because they finally fell apart on me. Also I started chasing a growl noise from the transmission. The plastic cage on this bearing had fallen apart so I got a new bearing assembly and a new race for it. While the trans is apart I'll go ahead and install the new OEM input shaft bearing I bought a while back when they discontinued them. Once this is done the trans will be 100% good to go since I did some work to it in 2020 as well. I'm still blueprinting the rest of the drivetrain. I'm considering swapping the 10.5 pistons for some 12:1 and knife edging / balancing the crankshaft. But also I'm tired of the car being down so much so I might just get it running again first and drive the shit out of it for a little while. The whole car won't get painted until Spring anyway. Although I'm looking into fixing the body work on the roof very soon.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

It's been over a month since I took the trans apart and I just reassembled it today. While I was in there I noticed my reverse synchro and bearing were both damaged and finding new ones was tough but I got them. The car will be drivable again in the next couple of days. As soon as it's running, it's area in the shop really needs to be cleaned up. I also haven't been able to finish my shop LED lighting with the car in the way so that will get done.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

April 1st is test and tune night. I will be ready. I'm very excited to get the car out and see where it's at but also slightly worried that something is going to break. Weak spots will be revealed if they exist. A finished paint job is on hold until this happens.