'01 Eclipse Project
Aug 9, 2013, 09:16 AM
#1
'01 Eclipse Project
Hey all! 
Figured I would start a build thread for my 2001
Eclipse RS so here it is.
BACKSTORY::
I got the car off my little brother who bought it stock and in decent condition other than a few exterior blemishes. However it soon went downhill as he thought he was Paul Walker and could red line it at every. single. shift. On top of that he was too lazy to put in any wrench time so on a few occasions I forced him to go outside and change the oil, check his air filter, ya know the usual stuff. Despite my best efforts to teach the kid he ends up getting a few tickets for running a stop sign, and doing 90 mph. Which he then doesnt tell anyone about and gets his license taken away for a few days. Shortly after that we notice a crack in his radiator thats spitting water out from under his hood. He told us he fixed it but looking at it now it seems to have only gotten worse. And then apparently not thinking that he has to baby it for a while he continues driving Fast 'N Furious style and blows the head gasket!
So he gives up on the car. Unwilling to fix the head gasket and radiator. There it sat in the back yard as he tried to sell it, without so much as a for sale sign or an ad on craigslist. After months of sitting I was going to buy it for $500. Then a strange series of events unfolded involving my brother blowing the engine on yet another vehicle, a jetski, and my dad, I end up getting the car for free!
THE CAR::
So the car sat in the back yard for a while, and my lazyass brother didn't even clean the thing out. Here is how it sat then.
We will start off with the pretty-est side. lol
I hate the wheels... and most of all that wheel gap on par with the grand canyon... It only has one wiper, and the headlights are a bit foggy but im going to replace them anyway OEM Eclipse headlights are terrible...
Second pic. You can see the hood is a little effed up... and the extent of the fogged up headlights...
The ugly side. You can see where the fender was dented in when my brother bought it he took it off one night and tried to 'un-dent' it himself... Also idk if its something he did or not but the bumper isnt exactly hung right i think he forgot a screw when putting the fender back on... Also you can see all the brake dust plastered on those ugly wheels... it seems to be rusted now... :/
The back doesnt look too bad other than the stickers he plastered on it. I love that the bumper has 'mitsubishi' 'eclipse' stamped into it. Thats awesome!
Here you can see the clear coat on the wing coming off. The previous owner (before my brother) added the wing as the RS didnt come with one IIRC.
Solid proof of how lazy (and messy) my brother was with this car. Also how the hell did he expect to sell a car without at least cleaning the inside... *facepalm* im almost sad to say im related...
Now lets take a peek under the hood. You can see the battery is missing as my brother stole it for the jeep he was driving. for whatever reason he cannot understand that running the cars radio and charging your phone without starting it for hours on end kills the battery....
crack in the radiator. my bro attempted to patch it with something but it just made the hole worse...
And the head. I told him for ages to replace the valve cover gasket and the oil on the head would stop but he didnt listen and buried in there somewhere is the problem with the head gasket or the cracked head.
Anyway. I know it looks grim but I think I will be able to have some fun with it. So far I haven't really moved the car as I am re-renovating the garage. Once that is done I'll pull the car in there and really get to work on it. For now Im mostly going to be selling stuff off of it I dont want or need and collecting parts for it.
Im pretty set on turbo'ing it so Ive already made a few WTB threads here and been stalking club3g for deals.
GETTING STARTED::
So far Ive cleaned out the inside of the car and got two trash bags full of stuff and a small TV out of it... :facepalm:
I then found a good deal on lowering springs on craigslist, and the guy threw in a free K&N air filter for the stock airbox. Costed $50.
I bought a half sized radiator and fan with some amazon credit I had. Only had to pay the $25 for shipping! lol
I took off the exhaust and first cat because a friend of mine has the same car and the first cat split wide open on his. So I just gave it to him.
Same guy also needs a new AC compressor. So Im probably going to sell him mine and just strip all the AC parts out of it.
Also went to a junk yard and got an armrest (IIRC the RS didnt come with an armrest... wtf? lol) and also picked up everything I need to swap the drum brakes for disc brakes in the rear. Paid just under $100 for all that.
I have a big list of things I want to get done to the car. But I'll transcribe that onto here later. [EDIT:: I put it just below.] I just wanted to get this up for now. I'll keep this updated as best I can as I bring this car back to life. Should be a bit of fun I think!
=======================
THE PLAN::
> Immediate Issues
- replace the head gasket
- replace the radiator
- get a new battery
- replace both headlight bulb plugs
> Other Ideas
- delete balance shafts since i plan on switching the timing belt and water pump anyway... (maybe?)
- Have head polished and checked while its off. (maybe?)
- Get adjustable cam gear for turbo (maybe?)
> Turbo It
X- Delete A/C
- Order shorter belt for A/C delete
- Evo fuel rail
- Evo fuel pressure regulator
- Evo or WRX injectors
- Injector Resistor Pack
- Evo or Walboro Fuel Pump
- GT Throttle Body (maybe?)
- Evo exhaust manifold
- Evo Turbo
- Evo Oil feed and return lines
- Evo Dump/02 pipe
- 3 inch Exhaust
- Intercooler to fit bumper
- Custom intercooler piping
- Blow Off Valve
X- Need clearer details on usable MAF sensors
- Tuning? Evo8 ECU or Evo8 ROM Flash
- Oil Sandwich plate
- Iridium Spark Plugs 0.03 gap
- Bigger spark plug wires
- Might need a new oil pan, will need tapped for oil return
- Gauges, oil pressure and temp, boost, AFR, EGT, fuel pressure, water temp (not sure if all or just a few?)
> Interior Plan
- Gut it
- Get rid of unneeded AC equipment
- Brother said the floor sometimes got wet out of no where. Identify and fix that problem.
- Remove sound deadening material
- Thinking about not putting upper pillars and roof back in. So get rid of excess material. And paint black.
- Clean up parts that will go back inside. Its REALLY FILTHY...
- Put in armrest I bought
- New seats. Stock ones are fugly...
- New steering wheel too...
- Install gauges in old vent holes and clock piece
- Delete interior mirror, KY laws only require a driver side mirror and either an interior or passenger side mirror.
- Delete rear seats
- Get RRE Auto Control harness belts
- Setup laptop for tuning, logging, and media
- Put in amp, and new speakers (maybe?)
- Relocate battery to cabin
- Short Throw shifter, and knob
> Suspension, Brakes, Wheels
- GT disc brake swap
- New Brakes and Rotors
- Super Blue brake fluid (or equivilent since its banned now...)
- KYB AGX Adjustable Struts
- Install lowering springs (thinking about getting coilover sleeves instead...)
- Add strut bars
- Add some form of harness bar
- Add bigger front and rear sway bars
- Find cheap new wheels. Stockers are FUGLY!!!
- DIY Solid Motor Mounts
- Id like to try making DIY brake vents (dunno if this will work after some inspection)
- LSD (quaiffe or phantom grip?)
> Exterior
- New fender
- New hood
- Vent hood. Thinking Evo VIII vent or Evo X vents and scoop. IDK yet...
- New turn signals front and back (maybe just diy black them)
- new head and tail lights
- Vent front bumper, evo style
- Remove any excess weight I can find.
- Fix wind sheild wipers
- Delete Antenna
- Delete Logos
- Delete 3rd brake light, KY laws dont require one.
- Delete window washer tank and nozzles
- Delete rear wing
- Get stratus doors, they dont have the 3 indentions... (maybe?)
- Plastidip Car, Im thinking a flat white...
- Make plastidip eyelids (maybe?)
Looks like a huge list I know... I plan on doing as much of the work myself as I can, and on doing as many DIYs as I can as well. Will I do it all? Probably not the whole list is subject to change lol. And if I do it will probably be a while before its done. My first goal is the motor and turbo, and make the interior usable... The rest will fall into place whenever it happens. Comments, Critisms, Ideas, Help are all more than welcome! This is my first non-daily-driver project car, and my first custom turbo car so I'm sure I will be asking a dozen questions. I havent posted this build thread on club3g cause they seem to hate on anyone who isnt already boosted, isnt driving a V6, and who ask questions... Making me kind of leery of posting there. They have tremendous amounts of info that I've been (and will be) using but supportive people seem to be few and far between... Unlike here I know there are several supportive members, and helpful people by the dozens! Wish me luck!
Figured I would start a build thread for my 2001
Eclipse RS so here it is.BACKSTORY::
I got the car off my little brother who bought it stock and in decent condition other than a few exterior blemishes. However it soon went downhill as he thought he was Paul Walker and could red line it at every. single. shift. On top of that he was too lazy to put in any wrench time so on a few occasions I forced him to go outside and change the oil, check his air filter, ya know the usual stuff. Despite my best efforts to teach the kid he ends up getting a few tickets for running a stop sign, and doing 90 mph. Which he then doesnt tell anyone about and gets his license taken away for a few days. Shortly after that we notice a crack in his radiator thats spitting water out from under his hood. He told us he fixed it but looking at it now it seems to have only gotten worse. And then apparently not thinking that he has to baby it for a while he continues driving Fast 'N Furious style and blows the head gasket!
So he gives up on the car. Unwilling to fix the head gasket and radiator. There it sat in the back yard as he tried to sell it, without so much as a for sale sign or an ad on craigslist. After months of sitting I was going to buy it for $500. Then a strange series of events unfolded involving my brother blowing the engine on yet another vehicle, a jetski, and my dad, I end up getting the car for free!
THE CAR::
So the car sat in the back yard for a while, and my lazyass brother didn't even clean the thing out. Here is how it sat then.
We will start off with the pretty-est side. lol
I hate the wheels... and most of all that wheel gap on par with the grand canyon... It only has one wiper, and the headlights are a bit foggy but im going to replace them anyway OEM Eclipse headlights are terrible...
Second pic. You can see the hood is a little effed up... and the extent of the fogged up headlights...
The ugly side. You can see where the fender was dented in when my brother bought it he took it off one night and tried to 'un-dent' it himself... Also idk if its something he did or not but the bumper isnt exactly hung right i think he forgot a screw when putting the fender back on... Also you can see all the brake dust plastered on those ugly wheels... it seems to be rusted now... :/
The back doesnt look too bad other than the stickers he plastered on it. I love that the bumper has 'mitsubishi' 'eclipse' stamped into it. Thats awesome!
Here you can see the clear coat on the wing coming off. The previous owner (before my brother) added the wing as the RS didnt come with one IIRC.
Solid proof of how lazy (and messy) my brother was with this car. Also how the hell did he expect to sell a car without at least cleaning the inside... *facepalm* im almost sad to say im related...
Now lets take a peek under the hood. You can see the battery is missing as my brother stole it for the jeep he was driving. for whatever reason he cannot understand that running the cars radio and charging your phone without starting it for hours on end kills the battery....
crack in the radiator. my bro attempted to patch it with something but it just made the hole worse...
And the head. I told him for ages to replace the valve cover gasket and the oil on the head would stop but he didnt listen and buried in there somewhere is the problem with the head gasket or the cracked head.
Anyway. I know it looks grim but I think I will be able to have some fun with it. So far I haven't really moved the car as I am re-renovating the garage. Once that is done I'll pull the car in there and really get to work on it. For now Im mostly going to be selling stuff off of it I dont want or need and collecting parts for it.
Im pretty set on turbo'ing it so Ive already made a few WTB threads here and been stalking club3g for deals.
GETTING STARTED::
So far Ive cleaned out the inside of the car and got two trash bags full of stuff and a small TV out of it... :facepalm:
I then found a good deal on lowering springs on craigslist, and the guy threw in a free K&N air filter for the stock airbox. Costed $50.
I bought a half sized radiator and fan with some amazon credit I had. Only had to pay the $25 for shipping! lol
I took off the exhaust and first cat because a friend of mine has the same car and the first cat split wide open on his. So I just gave it to him.
Same guy also needs a new AC compressor. So Im probably going to sell him mine and just strip all the AC parts out of it.
Also went to a junk yard and got an armrest (IIRC the RS didnt come with an armrest... wtf? lol) and also picked up everything I need to swap the drum brakes for disc brakes in the rear. Paid just under $100 for all that.
I have a big list of things I want to get done to the car. But I'll transcribe that onto here later. [EDIT:: I put it just below.] I just wanted to get this up for now. I'll keep this updated as best I can as I bring this car back to life. Should be a bit of fun I think!
=======================
THE PLAN::
> Immediate Issues
- replace the head gasket
- replace the radiator
- get a new battery
- replace both headlight bulb plugs
> Other Ideas
- delete balance shafts since i plan on switching the timing belt and water pump anyway... (maybe?)
- Have head polished and checked while its off. (maybe?)
- Get adjustable cam gear for turbo (maybe?)
> Turbo It
X- Delete A/C
- Order shorter belt for A/C delete
- Evo fuel rail
- Evo fuel pressure regulator
- Evo or WRX injectors
- Injector Resistor Pack
- Evo or Walboro Fuel Pump
- GT Throttle Body (maybe?)
- Evo exhaust manifold
- Evo Turbo
- Evo Oil feed and return lines
- Evo Dump/02 pipe
- 3 inch Exhaust
- Intercooler to fit bumper
- Custom intercooler piping
- Blow Off Valve
X- Need clearer details on usable MAF sensors
- Tuning? Evo8 ECU or Evo8 ROM Flash
- Oil Sandwich plate
- Iridium Spark Plugs 0.03 gap
- Bigger spark plug wires
- Might need a new oil pan, will need tapped for oil return
- Gauges, oil pressure and temp, boost, AFR, EGT, fuel pressure, water temp (not sure if all or just a few?)
> Interior Plan
- Gut it
- Get rid of unneeded AC equipment
- Brother said the floor sometimes got wet out of no where. Identify and fix that problem.
- Remove sound deadening material
- Thinking about not putting upper pillars and roof back in. So get rid of excess material. And paint black.
- Clean up parts that will go back inside. Its REALLY FILTHY...
- Put in armrest I bought
- New seats. Stock ones are fugly...
- New steering wheel too...
- Install gauges in old vent holes and clock piece
- Delete interior mirror, KY laws only require a driver side mirror and either an interior or passenger side mirror.
- Delete rear seats
- Get RRE Auto Control harness belts
- Setup laptop for tuning, logging, and media
- Put in amp, and new speakers (maybe?)
- Relocate battery to cabin
- Short Throw shifter, and knob
> Suspension, Brakes, Wheels
- GT disc brake swap
- New Brakes and Rotors
- Super Blue brake fluid (or equivilent since its banned now...)
- KYB AGX Adjustable Struts
- Install lowering springs (thinking about getting coilover sleeves instead...)
- Add strut bars
- Add some form of harness bar
- Add bigger front and rear sway bars
- Find cheap new wheels. Stockers are FUGLY!!!
- DIY Solid Motor Mounts
- Id like to try making DIY brake vents (dunno if this will work after some inspection)
- LSD (quaiffe or phantom grip?)
> Exterior
- New fender
- New hood
- Vent hood. Thinking Evo VIII vent or Evo X vents and scoop. IDK yet...
- New turn signals front and back (maybe just diy black them)
- new head and tail lights
- Vent front bumper, evo style
- Remove any excess weight I can find.
- Fix wind sheild wipers
- Delete Antenna
- Delete Logos
- Delete 3rd brake light, KY laws dont require one.
- Delete window washer tank and nozzles
- Delete rear wing
- Get stratus doors, they dont have the 3 indentions... (maybe?)
- Plastidip Car, Im thinking a flat white...
- Make plastidip eyelids (maybe?)
Looks like a huge list I know... I plan on doing as much of the work myself as I can, and on doing as many DIYs as I can as well. Will I do it all? Probably not the whole list is subject to change lol. And if I do it will probably be a while before its done. My first goal is the motor and turbo, and make the interior usable... The rest will fall into place whenever it happens. Comments, Critisms, Ideas, Help are all more than welcome! This is my first non-daily-driver project car, and my first custom turbo car so I'm sure I will be asking a dozen questions. I havent posted this build thread on club3g cause they seem to hate on anyone who isnt already boosted, isnt driving a V6, and who ask questions... Making me kind of leery of posting there. They have tremendous amounts of info that I've been (and will be) using but supportive people seem to be few and far between... Unlike here I know there are several supportive members, and helpful people by the dozens! Wish me luck!
Last edited by bakuro117; Aug 27, 2013 at 09:14 AM. Reason: Added ToDo/Parts list.
Aug 9, 2013, 11:17 AM
#4
Yea i usually only look around the RA forums and they've been a bit dead ever since truth got boosted LOL! I would really love to Supercharge my RA some day. But I'd rather get this running first so I'll have something to drive during down times.
I'll get my ToDo, and Parts lists posted later today. LOL I have so many notes and bookmarks floating about between my office and home its ridiculous. I'll get it all compiled and posted here so everyone can see the plan and It'll make it easier for me to keep track of it if its all in one place too.
I'll get my ToDo, and Parts lists posted later today. LOL I have so many notes and bookmarks floating about between my office and home its ridiculous. I'll get it all compiled and posted here so everyone can see the plan and It'll make it easier for me to keep track of it if its all in one place too.
Trending Topics
Aug 12, 2013, 08:28 AM
#8
Just wanted to real quick say, "THANK YOU!" to everyone who has been sending me offers on parts! I really appreciate it! Problem is Ive had so many offers Im gunna need to sit down and really compare prices and packages. If I havent gotten back to you yet I apologize, I will get back with everyone ASAP. Thanks again everyone!
I'll also try to get some newer pictures of the car posted when I can too. Although there isnt much difference other than it missing the header, and all the junk being replaced with parts. lol
Im debating now on whether to fix the head gasket and get it running again to make sure there arent any other issues, or dive straight into the turbo build and hold off on making it run again until its boosted... lol
I'll also try to get some newer pictures of the car posted when I can too. Although there isnt much difference other than it missing the header, and all the junk being replaced with parts. lol
Im debating now on whether to fix the head gasket and get it running again to make sure there arent any other issues, or dive straight into the turbo build and hold off on making it run again until its boosted... lol
Aug 22, 2013, 08:27 PM
#9
Havent had a lot of time to dedicate to the Eclipse yet but I did get a little time with it today. Here are some pics of the aftermath.
Removed the old busted radiator
Removed stock intake system, coolant overflow tank and bracket, and battery tray
Interior looks a tiny bit better without all the junk. Too bad I replaced the junk with parts lol! Two inch lowering springs and a free K&N air filter in the box on the floor, Big brown box is a radiator fan, white box is the mini radiator, stock exhaust manifold heat shield on top. and in in the back floorboard where you cant see in an old blanket are all the things I need for the disc brake swap.
And here is the current condition of the engine bay.
And a close up of the head. Obvisously the valve cover gasket is blown. Looks like Cylinder 3 has lice. Im not real sure what that stuff is Im assuming its crunched up particles of what use to be the head gasket. Can someone verify? And just below the head you can see the block has a bit of oil under cylinder 1 and 4 but between 2 and 3 it looks kinda torched... maybe where heat was escaping those two cylinders??? IDK...
Im starting to second guess myself about this build... Part of me wants to continue it simply to do a turbo build and get the experience. But another part of me really wants to just fix it, clean it up, and sell it so that I can pick up a 1g or 2g DSM... Its all because of the DSM/Evo Shootout!!! I saw too many bad *** DSMs now its making me want an AWD Turbo! :P
Removed the old busted radiator
Removed stock intake system, coolant overflow tank and bracket, and battery tray
Interior looks a tiny bit better without all the junk. Too bad I replaced the junk with parts lol! Two inch lowering springs and a free K&N air filter in the box on the floor, Big brown box is a radiator fan, white box is the mini radiator, stock exhaust manifold heat shield on top. and in in the back floorboard where you cant see in an old blanket are all the things I need for the disc brake swap.
And here is the current condition of the engine bay.
And a close up of the head. Obvisously the valve cover gasket is blown. Looks like Cylinder 3 has lice. Im not real sure what that stuff is Im assuming its crunched up particles of what use to be the head gasket. Can someone verify? And just below the head you can see the block has a bit of oil under cylinder 1 and 4 but between 2 and 3 it looks kinda torched... maybe where heat was escaping those two cylinders??? IDK...
Im starting to second guess myself about this build... Part of me wants to continue it simply to do a turbo build and get the experience. But another part of me really wants to just fix it, clean it up, and sell it so that I can pick up a 1g or 2g DSM... Its all because of the DSM/Evo Shootout!!! I saw too many bad *** DSMs now its making me want an AWD Turbo! :P
Aug 26, 2013, 09:48 AM
#11
LOL Yup thats why Im going back next year! :P
Well I think Im going to just keep this car and use it as a learning tool. I got it for free so I might as well.
Got the A/C compressor and bracket pulled out. Installed it into a friend's 2000 Eclipse GS hes been without A/C for almost 4 years now he looked like a little kid at Christmas when it started blowing cold air!
I also have a hornets nest under the hood lol. They've been kinda chilling and just watching me work but Im going to need to be working right under them soon. So Im probably going to have to evict them soon... Not looking forward to that... haha
I need to make another trip up to the junk yard. I want to find a V6 throttle body, and get the door shells off of a Dodge Stratus coupe so I can delete the 3 dent lines in the doors. lol
In the mean time Im going to start taking the intake manifold, fuel rail, and such out. Slowly making my way down to taking the head off.
Well I think Im going to just keep this car and use it as a learning tool. I got it for free so I might as well.
Got the A/C compressor and bracket pulled out. Installed it into a friend's 2000 Eclipse GS hes been without A/C for almost 4 years now he looked like a little kid at Christmas when it started blowing cold air!
I also have a hornets nest under the hood lol. They've been kinda chilling and just watching me work but Im going to need to be working right under them soon. So Im probably going to have to evict them soon... Not looking forward to that... haha
I need to make another trip up to the junk yard. I want to find a V6 throttle body, and get the door shells off of a Dodge Stratus coupe so I can delete the 3 dent lines in the doors. lol
In the mean time Im going to start taking the intake manifold, fuel rail, and such out. Slowly making my way down to taking the head off.
Aug 27, 2013, 08:57 AM
#12
Alright,
Sent out a bunch of messages and did some searching for parts. I have a big spreadsheet with all the offers Ive had and other essentials for the turbo build. Soon as I hear back from a few people Im going to start ordering things.
Ive decided to get the engine turbo'd and running before I start spending much money on making it look decent again. Im still going to clean up the interior as soon as I can and probably start gutting it. I noticed the other day that the rear passenger side strut mount is nearly rusted out... and Im not planning on lowering the car until it has new struts on it. So ordering the adjustable KYB AGX's has been added to my to-do list... I dont understand why KYB never made adjustables for the Ralliart... would have been nice...
Sent out a bunch of messages and did some searching for parts. I have a big spreadsheet with all the offers Ive had and other essentials for the turbo build. Soon as I hear back from a few people Im going to start ordering things.
Ive decided to get the engine turbo'd and running before I start spending much money on making it look decent again. Im still going to clean up the interior as soon as I can and probably start gutting it. I noticed the other day that the rear passenger side strut mount is nearly rusted out... and Im not planning on lowering the car until it has new struts on it. So ordering the adjustable KYB AGX's has been added to my to-do list... I dont understand why KYB never made adjustables for the Ralliart... would have been nice...
Sep 13, 2013, 07:30 AM
#13
I got my Injector Resistor Pack in the mail yesterday. Fuel Rail and FPR should be in today I believe. And I am still waiting on the Turbo, Exhaust Mani, and O2 dump to show up. I'll post pictures as soon as I get everything in.
As far as the work on the motor goes I just got some tags to start labeling all the ends of the wiring harness so I dont forget where everything goes. Hopefully I will get to start working on that tonight after work. Soon as I replace that head gasket I'll get started on putting all the turbo stuff in!
As far as the work on the motor goes I just got some tags to start labeling all the ends of the wiring harness so I dont forget where everything goes. Hopefully I will get to start working on that tonight after work. Soon as I replace that head gasket I'll get started on putting all the turbo stuff in!
Sep 13, 2013, 08:32 AM
#14
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I sold my 2002 gt eclipse for the evo downpayment. Don't get me wrong, I Love my evo, but everyday I miss that eclipse. Great car, fun to work on, and a pretty good group of guys on club3g. I was debating (for all of 5 minutes) whether or not to sell it for the evo or just ripp supercharge it. Or just put in the 4g engine
Love seeing these things built! If I ever get a chance I would love to pick up another one for a fun little project. Best of luck amigo!
Love seeing these things built! If I ever get a chance I would love to pick up another one for a fun little project. Best of luck amigo!
