Picked up the car this summer as a "weekend project", and have been slowly getting her ready to see the streets once again ever since. I bought her non-running from a kid who was tired of the "continuous problems" he was having with her. Turns out, all she needed was a little "TLC" and an owner who knew what they were doing and understood the potential for a car like this. What started as a weekend project has slowly evolved into an almost full restoration of a 1g AWD Eclipse (many parts replaced listed below), thanks to a few DSMers who were kindly willing to lend their advice, wisdom, and even a few spare parts to my cause.
It hurt my heart to see such an awesome low-mileage DSM in such neglected shape...From the looks of the car, at least a couple of her four previous owners really cared about her; it is evident by her near-mint exterior condition that she has been garaged most of her life; her low mileage attests to the fact that she was most likely a Weekend Driver for many of her sixteen years. She boasts a full engine rebuild with less than 10,000 miles, an ACT 2600 clutch and ACT flywheel, and a few other goodies (listed below). My goal is to get her back as close to stock as possible, then start modding from a clean slate as early as mid-to-late March.
Parts replaced/maintained so far:
New ECU
New Fuel Pump + Rewire
New K+N Filter
NGK plugs and wires
Timing Belt/Drive belts
Replaced injectors
Replaced Fuel rail
Replaced FPR
New fuel filter
Removed, Cleaned and Resurfaced Fuel Tank
New ISC
Replaced ECT and Coolant Gauge Sending Unit
Cleaned and polished throttle body
New Throttle Body + Intake Manifold Gaskets
New Battery
Replaced all rubber fuel lines
Replaced most coolant lines
Replaced most vacuum lines
Fixed lots of misc. random scary wiring issues
New Autometer SportComp boost gauge
New JoeP MBC
A good Seafoam-ing
Changed/Flushed all fluids
Polished valve cover (started, unfinished due to laziness and sore muscles)
New Exhaust Manifold (have, but not installed yet)
Stainless Steel Exhaust Mani studs (ordered)
New Pop-up motors (have, not installed yet)
New hatch struts (have, not installed yet)
Re-install stock Fog Lamps (have, not installed yet)
Timing Belt + Exhaust Manifold Covers (have, not installed yet)
Total cost of parts (so far): $750.00 (approx)
Total cost of labor: $0.00
