Big Brake Kits and a new windshield/Entire RS Project thread

[EclipseParadise]

It looks like I'm going to need to replace my front brakes in about 1-2 months and I was thinking of getting a big brake kit. Hoping some of you could give me some suggestions (I'd like to keep the price around 500-600) ??

And my front windshield got cracked last week because of the damn heat. Does anyone know a place that will do it pretty cheap?

Thanks for any help,

Todd

[98spydert]

What kind of car do you have?

[EclipseParadise]

lol. my bad...i knew forgot something

it's a 98 Eclipse RS

[98spydert]

You can use the front brakes off of 95-99 AWD DSMs. The calipers are 2 piston instead of 1 and the rotors are about 1" bigger.

The only after market kit I've seen even close to 500-600 is the BAER kit. It's usually around $700-$800 but it's on sale for $649 from Hop Up http://www.hopupracing.com/bafrtrclbrsy2.html

Stock wheels won't clear 'em.

[speedy13]

You can use the front brakes off of 95-99 AWD DSMs. The calipers are 2 piston instead of 1 and the rotors are about 1" bigger.

The only after market kit I've seen even close to 500-600 is the BAER kit. It's usually around $700-$800 but it's on sale for $649 from Hop Up http://www.hopupracing.com/bafrtrclbrsy2.html

Stock wheels won't clear 'em.

Youll need at least 16's to clear the 2g awd/3000GT SL upgrade,but i've heard nothing but good things from doing this upgrade.You could always go one step further and install 3000 GT VR-4/stealth TT brake upgrade.These are 4-pot calipers!Here's the link: http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185350

Youll' probably need 17's to clear these rotors and calipers dough.

[EclipseParadise]

Thx a bunch for the brakes info guys...i have 17's on my car right now, so clearance should'nt be a problem.

I'm looking into that BAER kit right now.

If you have any more info/ideas for brakes or where i can get a pretty good deal on a new front windshield, you can e-mail me at EclipseParadise7@aol.com or just post more replies here...whatever suits you.

thx again 4 help

[EclipseParadise]

Well guys im making my final decision on brakes this week, and I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of how much it would cost to get those 95-99 AWD dsm?? Otherwise I'm still lookin at getting the BAER kit

Oh and as for the windshield...one of my friends referred me to a guy who will do it for a buck 20. thoughts?

[Jon]

Well guys im making my final decision on brakes this week, and I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of how much it would cost to get those 95-99 AWD dsm?? Otherwise I'm still lookin at getting the BAER kit

Oh and as for the windshield...one of my friends referred me to a guy who will do it for a buck 20. thoughts?

Sounds about par for the windshield. Call m&s about the AWD brakes... they'll be cheaper than the baer probably, but I've never heard anything bad about baer brakes... so, up to you. if you got the dough, go with what's best. being able to stop is more important than going fast.

[EclipseParadise]

Thx Jon.

Just purchased the BAER kit. Totalled at $765.57 if anyone else is interested. Will let you guys know how it goes in a few weeks when it gets here!

[98spydert]

Some before and after pictures and a little review would be awsome. I was looking at that set up also.

[EclipseParadise]

i will def. get some pics and make a review.

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

Not to bang your balls, but its an RS you dont really need bigger brakes than stock, just run some good pads, motul 600 fluid and stainless lines.

[EclipseParadise]

Hey I cancelled the Baer brake kit order yesterday because it was taking too long (said it wouldnt arrive for a minimum of 20 more days), instead i just purchased some Brembo slotted rotors and Gransport high performance pads and Earl's brake line kit. I'll let ya know how that all works out in a week or so. Oh, and ha my windshield replaced about a month ago for $145. Did an excellent job and only took about 20 minutes. Also recently I purchased the Symborski shifter kit and AEM's V2 intake.

[EclipseParadise]

Installed Dave Symborski's shifter kit today...took about an hour. I noticed a big difference right away! Just like I've heard several of you say, probably the best $36 you can spend on your car.

The intake, brake discs and pads come in on Monday.

[1BADTSi]

sweet link lee, ill probly end up getting that kit now, good price too!

[EclipseParadise]

i installed those slotted rotors, pads, and the V2 intake last monday (took me awhile to post this, sry).

if you have a non turbo and lookin to keep your car street legal then I highly recommend AEM's V2 intake. It's really worth the extra money. You will hear and feel the difference, plus it comes with the C.A.R.B.E. sticker on it, so it's CA legal. The intake pipe diameter is HUGE. It's like 4 in, maybe more. But that's also a bad thing -- the day after i installed it, some fag stole my air filter and you have to special order a new one. If you end up needing to do that, go to Whiplash and you can order it for $45. I tried all of the "universal high performance" filters, but the diameter is so big that those filters easily fit INSIDE the pipe. Oh and the reason it was kind of easy for someone to take my filter is because the new intake goes to the very left front of the bumper and to install the intake, i temporarily removed my splash guard -and that made it so you could actually see the filter if you looked from behind the wheel. Also I didnt hook my alarm system back up until later that day. so i guess i was asking for it to get jacked.

as for the brembo slotted rotors - great quality and a lot lighter than stock rotors. Also have a nice finish. The Gransport performance brake pads are excellent, except that they're fit very tightly so it can be a pain to put em in. The company i ordered Earl's brake line kit from, cancelled my order because it has apparently been discontinued? Anyways, my brakes are working again, and better than stock. and basically no squeal.

I installed (with the help of one friend) the intake, brake pads and rotors at the same time - took about 2 and a half hours, in case you're wondering. the intake probably took 35-40 min.

Last Thursday I ordered some Denso iridium spark plugs and 10mm Magnecor wires. That should make some kind of difference...but I've never done any work with ignition so I might get a little lost on the install. They should come in either at the end of this week or beginning of next.

If you have any helpful advice for me, it is always appreciated. I'm trying to keep my car CA street legal, but I want it to be fast. I also plan on selling it in a year or so.

thanks,

Todd

[1BADTSi]

pix :evil:

[EclipseParadise]

i can get some pics but this is finals week for me, so i can't take them until saturday or sunday, and the quality might not be great cuz the only digital camera i have is on my cell phone.

so check back 4 pics saturday afternoon, maybe friday night =p

[EclipseParadise]

Installed the Denso Iridium IK20 spark plugs and Magnecor R-100 10mm wires last night. =)
It seems like I'm actually starting to make progress with my car lol.

I'm actually mad right now because my the screen on my camera phone isnt working and idk y. can't get any decent pix until i can get my hands on a working camera. sry guys!

I'm saving for the next few things to do: greddy evo 2 exhaust, 4:2:1 headers and maybe those JKL gunmetal tail lights for fun.

What do you think??

[Shane916]

I'm saving for the next few things to do: greddy evo 2 exhaust, 4:2:1 headers and maybe those JKL gunmetal tail lights

Header singular :)

[98spydert]

Shane, you nazi :lol:

[Shane916]

Sorry :( I cringe every time I see/hear that. After all we don't say.. Hey! I want to get a new manifolds! or intakes! or turbos...now injectors would be ok because there is more then one. I don't know..i'll shut up now.

[EclipseParadise]

hey everyone

im planning on ordering the Greddy Evo 2 cat back exhaust next week, and im installing it at my friend's house so i can use his digital camera when im done. i'll post up several more pics aside from the whopping one i've uploaded lol. sry to keep you waiting.

also how do i post the images in this topic so you guys dont have to go look for the pics in the galleries?

[98spydert]

You can post it in the gallery then link it here like this:

http://www.URL.com

replace the 'URL' with the web address to the picture in the gallery. Right click the picture then copy and past the URL from the properties menu.

[EclipseParadise]

Here's the first round of pics...i'll have more either this weekend or next.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/a367b3c2.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/2bf2e26c.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/7d2ac2ce.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/14482638.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/9c288397.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/IMG_0124.jpg

[EuroEclipse]

wow. looks good. it's the colour as mine. haha.
now it's time to get that exhaust in and some 97-99 side skirts. :) you going to do anything exterior wise? or are you leaving it pretty much stock except for the 97-99 front bumper?

[Shane916]

dang Todd, I think you have the only car that will pass smog in the entire Sac-DSM :D very clean though. just need to degrease the engine bay :D

[EuroEclipse]

i'll pass smog :) my car doesn't run. so they can hook up the sniffer all they want. haha!

but i don't have to smog either... :lol:

[EclipseParadise]

wow. looks good. it's the colour as mine. haha.
now it's time to get that exhaust in and some 97-99 side skirts. :) you going to do anything exterior wise? or are you leaving it pretty much stock except for the 97-99 front bumper?

thx. yeah i was hoping the exhaust would come in today, but i guess i'll have to wait til next week. I'm going to get the greddy 4:2:1 stainless header next, but i'm not sure what i will do after that. I want to turn this into a show car eventually, and i know what i'm going to do for the exterior: cf hood, cf hatch, cf roof scoop, paint the rest of the roof black or dark grey or something that will go well with cf, put on the AIT racing widebody kit, the new gt bomber rear bumper from vis racing, and a new front bumper but i haven't decided which one yet, and think i'll paint the rest of the body two-tone red. tell me what u think.

dang Todd, I think you have the only car that will pass smog in the entire Sac-DSM :D very clean though. just need to degrease the engine bay :D

lol. i'm trying to keep it legal for the most part. what do i use to degrease the bay? i tried using a damp cloth but that didn't do much.

[speedy13]

nice ride man.I use to have a 95 gs,I loved it.here are some pics.
http://dsmtuners.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=34404&catid=member&imageuser=24374
http://dsmtuners.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=34410&catid=member&imageuser=24374

I had intake,Header,exhaust,High flow cat :wink: , AFX Underdrive pulley,Jeep throttle body ported to 60 mm,and port matched intake mannifold.I also had a short shifter,sportlines on agx's and a strut tower bar.It was a cool learning expirience.If you want a little more umph you definatly wanna get the underdrive pulley,it'll feel like when you put the aem intake on it all over again,while your at it,you can get the screaming demon coil pack to take advantage of those nice wires you got.you can get those at howell automotive.You can also get about 8-10 more whp if you tune with an afc.If you want a big umph,just give that baby a bottle.easiest way of going fast in a 2gnt,and you can take it with you when/if you sell the car.good luck with it,shes a beauty.

[EclipseParadise]

I had intake,Header,exhaust,High flow cat :wink: , AFX Underdrive pulley,Jeep throttle body ported to 60 mm,and port matched intake mannifold.I also had a short shifter,sportlines on agx's and a strut tower bar.It was a cool learning expirience.If you want a little more umph you definatly wanna get the underdrive pulley,it'll feel like when you put the aem intake on it all over again,while your at it,you can get the screaming demon coil pack to take advantage of those nice wires you got.you can get those at howell automotive.You can also get about 8-10 more whp if you tune with an afc.If you want a big umph,just give that baby a bottle.easiest way of going fast in a 2gnt,and you can take it with you when/if you sell the car.good luck with it,shes a beauty.

thx a lot dude. i'm eventually going to get the unorthodox racing underdrive pulley and a couple aem tru-time adjustable cam gears, but not for a while. I think I'm going to get that ignition coil before i switch to exterior though. Would you recommend the screamin demon over MSD's coil? Also, i have no experience what so ever with an afc so i'm not sure how much good it will do me?

[EclipseParadise]

yay. Got and installed my GReddy Evo 2 cat back exhaust last night!! Took about an hour with me and 2 friends - one of the old bolts was being a b!tch and took like 20 minutes and probably 4 ounces of wd-40. Otherwise it bolted up nicely, and i can't be more satisfied with the look or sound of it. Definitely noticed a new oomph in performance throughout the rpm range. It sounds really nice with my intake. The first pic is of the new exhaust with my friend 'the ph/f/at man' and the other 2 are during and after removing the old exhaust. Also i added a pic of one of my coilovers cuz i noticed i didn't put one up.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/newgreddyevo2.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/myoldexhaust.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/staninaction.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/mycoilover.jpg


Also, i've got some questions (mostly from last post)
Would you recommend the screamin demon over MSD's coil? Also, i have no experience what so ever with an afc so i'm not sure how much good it will do me? And do coil packs just bolt up or are there special procedures i'll have to go through when installing?

thx guys.

[Shane916]

I haven't touched the ignition so I can't comment on that. But the AFC would be a waste of money.

[98spydert]

I'd recomend the AFC over an ignition upgrade any day. A car with plenty of spark is going to benifit more from a tune than even more spark.

[Shane916]

how much tuning can you do on a N/T with stock fuel with an AFC?

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

Don't get rid of you stock parts, I sell stock exhaust and air intake parts to people all day long who threw their old stuff out.

Leave the stock harmonic balancer (crank pulley) on there.
your rod bearings will thank you.

420a have a hard time staying together in stock form (connecting rod bolt failures are VERY common)
and the modular clutch set up is a joke, the pressure plate is riveted to the flywheel and cannot be removed,
The flywheel is not directly bolted to the butt of the crank it bolts to a flex plate (like a torque converter)
this design works ok for lower rpm operation, but where Dodge put those nice rivets for the pressure plate is where the flywheels come appart in four nice pizza slice shapes that go through the transmission bellhousing, radiator, hoses, wiring harnesses and maybe your big toe.

The engine has potential to make HP but you will have to go through and chase down the weak links just like any other engine,
Except for the 420a has no real swapable engine that will bolt in that is better in stock like trim, (like the boat anchor 7 bolt 2g's have the 6 bolt to use)

If you put a good set of rods and pistons in it, you should be good for 300whp, then the crank will break and nobody makes a forged crank for the 420a............unless you drop a SRT-4 lower end into it......

[EclipseParadise]

Yeah i've been saving most of my stock parts - intake, exhaust, springs, spark plugs and wires.

I need to know how much I can do until I should rebuild the engine and/or get an upgraded clutch (thinking about Clutchmasters fx200)? i currently have about 103,000 miles.

Here is a vague list of modifications I'm planning on doing (eventually...like over the next year):

greddy 4:2:1 header
aem tru-time cam gears
unorthodox racing underdrive pulley
dc sports front and rear strut braces - carbon steel
dc sports lower tie bar
camber kit (havent decided which brand?)
Venom 400 ECU
60mm throttle body (this will work fine with my aem v2 intake, right?)
maybe the venom intake manifold (MAYBE)
either speedin demon or msd ignition coil
steel braided clutch line
b&m short shift kit
steel braided brake lines

everything else is exterior or looks and i posted that earlier i think. so...anyone wanna answer my newest questions? please?

[EuroEclipse]

if you want to degrease the engine bay, go grab some simple green industrial strength. it works great.
make sure you cover all your wires and electrical stuff. spray it with the degreaser and then take a bucket of warm soapy water and wipe it down.
hose it off and you're set. that's how i did my show car back in the day. it came out really nice.

if you want to go the extra mile, go get the stuff they sell at autozone to spray on your hoses and valve cover to make it bling bling. grab some mothers car polishing compound and hit up the metal stuff in there. if you want to go for the distance, grab yourself some sand paper and polish everything to a mirror and then hit it with the mothers.

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

Mods all look great

toss that under drive crank pulley

that 60mm TB will be a good upgrade, those 420a's have little rinky dink throttle bodys on them,

just make sure you pull off the upper intake manifold and port the opening up to 60 mm

[EclipseParadise]

Mods all look great

toss that under drive crank pulley

that 60mm TB will be a good upgrade, those 420a's have little rinky dink throttle bodys on them,

just make sure you pull off the upper intake manifold and port the opening up to 60 mm

y toss the pulley?

and i've never ported anything? lol. need help on that one.

[EuroEclipse]

porting is easy. just be sure to wear some rubber gloves... metal shavings feel good on the hands...
get a dye grinder or a dremel and some porting bits.

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

Mods all look great

toss that under drive crank pulley

that 60mm TB will be a good upgrade, those 420a's have little rinky dink throttle bodys on them,

just make sure you pull off the upper intake manifold and port the opening up to 60 mm

y toss the pulley?

and i've never ported anything? lol. need help on that one.

when you pull off the throttle body, the opening on the intake manifold is not 60mm so you will need to port it to match your new TB, or its kind of pointless to even run it.

the thing with the stock crank pulley, yea its big and heavy but it has two parts to it and they are attached by a ring of rubber which cancels out all or most of the harmonic vibrations in the engine, if you install the UR part is one solid piece of aluminum......its not a dampner whatsoever, these harmonics are what cause bearing and rod failure.
In my own opinion UR should not be allowed to sell those pulleys, but then I think neon and clear tail lights should be banned also.

Oh and that stock balancer will NOT come off unless you use the right puller, its not like the 4g cars where 4 bolts and bam it falls off

[Shane916]

I'd take Jonathans advice :D

[EclipseParadise]

alright thx again guys. im gonna go ahead and knock off the underdrive pulley. it would be a bad choice. when should i worry about getting a new clutch kit (thinking about the clutchmasters fx200 or fx300?)?? same with an engine rebuild?

[EuroEclipse]

is your clutch slipping? if not, then you can do it at anytime. how many miles are on the car? no need to rebuild if nothing is wrong unless you just want to put new pistons in and bore it out.

[EclipseParadise]

is your clutch slipping? if not, then you can do it at anytime. how many miles are on the car? no need to rebuild if nothing is wrong unless you just want to put new pistons in and bore it out.

it's not slipping yet, but i'm kind of nervous about it. car has about 103,500 miles on it

[EuroEclipse]

well you can replace the clutch if you want as an upgrade then. better it be new and broken in properly than to find it slipping on you one day.

[EclipseParadise]

ok. At least I dont have to worry about the clutch right away...i thought someone said the stock tranny holds up to 190hp
i'll probably get the clutchmasters fx300 kit in like 6 months or so.

Continuing with the progress on my car:

I just bought the 2 piston big brake gsx calipers from frank(turkf26), not going to put them on until i get steel braided brake lines and quality performance brake fluid though. I'm still undecided which brand i'll get the lines from though - it's between Goodridge and Russell, i can get either one for about $90. Earl's kit recently was discontinued. Also I've decided that I will order MSD's performance ignition coil soon.

[Shane916]

did you ever get the hatch/rear of your repaired?

[EuroEclipse]

goodridge lines all the way.
i think with all the bolt ons on the NT, kachur only made around 155fwhp on a hot day. so you should be good for a while.

[EclipseParadise]

did you ever get the hatch/rear of your repaired?

no...i've decided i'm going to get a carbon fiber hatch to replace it.

So Goodridge it is. I'll order those soon and get some quality brake fluid and put on those calipers. I think brakes will be completely done after that, it would come out: brembo slotted rotors, Goodridge stainless lines, GSX 2 piston calipers, Gransport performance pads, and some kind of quality braking fluid.

[ja3dawg]

since youre doing a big brake front why not go witha rear disc conv also...

[EclipseParadise]

since youre doing a big brake front why not go witha rear disc conv also...

I would really love to, but I don't know exactly what i need for that, or of a place that sells kits?

[EclipseParadise]

Update on my RS:

Installed MSD Blaster Coil pack today. So ignition is finally done.

[EclipseParadise]

since youre doing a big brake front why not go witha rear disc conv also...

I would really love to, but I don't know exactly what i need for that, or of a place that sells kits?


So I found out everything I need for this and I'm going to work on it over time...Getting the GSX parts soon, but I wont be installing anything for a while because i'm going to get new slotted rotors all around, all new pads, brake fluid, and stainless steel lines all around...so yup, lots more money being thrown into this and i'll need some more time to gather it. I'd say a maximum of 3 months from now, but probably in a month and a half.

I just ordered a really nice radar detector (Escort's Solo S2), which will come in next week, and I'll be ordering the matching GReddy header in a week or so.

Keep a watch on some updates. I'll be taking more pictures when the header is installed also.

[EclipseParadise]

UPDATE:

Today my friend and I installed the B & M short shifter kit and GReddy 4:2:1 stainless header. The old header was a real b*tch to get off - took like 2.5 hours!! Def. wasn't expecting that. Anyways thats my update. I'm thrilled with the short shifter and the nice lil boost of power/torque the header gave me. Also learned on the fly that the shift kit is basically adjustable for how much shorter you want the throw to be - basically anywhere from a 30% to a 75% reduction depending on how much you tighten certain things. However, the bigger the throw reduction, the stiffer shifting gets. I set mine at about 75 because I figure I'll get used to the stiffness, and i'm hoping a counterweight or super light weight shift knob can help me get over it. Took some pictures of the work in progress, but no after pictures because it was dark when we finished. I'll get some in the next few days and put them up though.

Also, I'm selling that Radar detector because I found out my best bro already got one for me for my b-day coming up in a month. So if any of you want a nice wireless detector for $250 (i got it new 2 weeks ago for 330 on sale, its been used three times) holla at ya boi with a PM.

[EclipseParadise]

Oh and almost forgot...

Either next week or the following week, I will be doing the following:

Front 2g GSX 2 piston caliper conversion
Rear 2g GSX disc brak conversion with rear sway bar
Goodridge stainless brake lines all around
Axxis ultimate kevlar/ceramic hi-perf pads all around
EBC slotted and drilled rotors all around
Painting all 4 calipers (color still undecided, help me decide? please?)
obviously new brake fluid

-I already have all these parts, the only reason it's going to take a week or two to do this is because I want to use a real hydraulic lift to this big project, and so I'm trying to schedule a day for me to come in and use one of my school's lifts. If you have any suggestions, let me know...also, i really do not have any clue as to which color to paint my calipers or exactly what kind of paint I should use...Already cleaned them up for paint with a wire brush though.

[EuroEclipse]

they have those caliper kits at Kragen and Autozone. they're from Duplicolor. supposed to be really good. never used it myself though.

[98spydert]

I didn't use the kit, but jut bought a $5 can of caliper high temp black paint and it's held up for the last 9 months. I thought it would burn off or just look like I never painted it but it's still lookin new. Don't forget to prep.

[TurboRacerGSX]

You can use the front brakes off of 95-99 AWD DSMs. The calipers are 2 piston instead of 1 and the rotors are about 1" bigger.

The only after market kit I've seen even close to 500-600 is the BAER kit. It's usually around $700-$800 but it's on sale for $649 from Hop Up http://www.hopupracing.com/bafrtrclbrsy2.html

Stock wheels won't clear 'em.

my lowest price i can go on that kit is 687.00. that means they bought a few kits at a time and are probly only making 10 or 20 bux off each kit. not bad pricing on thier part.

[EclipseParadise]

You can use the front brakes off of 95-99 AWD DSMs. The calipers are 2 piston instead of 1 and the rotors are about 1" bigger.

The only after market kit I've seen even close to 500-600 is the BAER kit. It's usually around $700-$800 but it's on sale for $649 from Hop Up http://www.hopupracing.com/bafrtrclbrsy2.html

Stock wheels won't clear 'em.

my lowest price i can go on that kit is 687.00. that means they bought a few kits at a time and are probly only making 10 or 20 bux off each kit. not bad pricing on thier part.

I'm pretty sure that's not the case because that was the first thing I tried ordering back in like august, and hopup kept telling me i had to wait becuase the kits were being made....after almost 9 weeks of waiting for them to be shipped, i gave up. so not bad pricing if you're willing to wait for 'em.

[EclipseParadise]

prepped and painted the calipers and sway bar red over the last 3 days. Looks nice, cant wait to put everything on. I'm thinking the rotors (only missing piece to the project) will be in by Wed. next week, and if that's the case i will have it all done either next thurs/fri or the following week for sure. i'll take plenty of pics, but give me some time to put those up.

I'm thinking I'll finish suspension next = front sway bar probably from suspension techniques, DC sports strut braces front and rear, and DC sports rear lower tie bar. of course i'll be painting the front sway bar red. not painting anything else.

[EclipseParadise]

It's that time again. Yup. Whole lotta new stuff. And Pics, lots of pics. This includes the following:

B&M Short Shift kit
GReddy 4:2:1 stainless header
Front 2 piston GSX caliper conversion
Rear disc conversion
Rear sway bar
slotted and drilled rotors all around
kevlar/ceramic pads all around
stainless brake lines all around
and possibly more that i've forgotten to mention. just ask if you're not following the pics.

Here goes:

Stock shifter
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse003.jpg

B&M shifter
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse004.jpg

stock header with heat shield off
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse005.jpg

new GReddy header vs stock
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse010.jpg

new header installed
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/e6a6fe9d.jpg

[EclipseParadise]

continuing on....

parts involved in brake project (rotors not pictured here though)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse017.jpg

my old front brakes (Brembo slotted rotors now 4 sale, barely used)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse020.jpg

new painted 2 piston calipers, rotors, pads, and stainless line (disconnected for easier visibility)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse021.jpg

center console during e-brake and srs-ecm/airbags disconnect for rear brake conversion
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse024.jpg

Rear DISC BRAKES DONE!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse030.jpg

Bad pic, but proof of rear sway bar (it's red)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse031.jpg

Finished shot of car with new brakes
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse028.jpg

my friends and I removing the original drum brakes knuckle (what a B*tch that was...)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/todds98eclipse025.jpg

[EclipseParadise]

And there you have it. A complete RS to GSX brake conversion plus sway bar and steel braided lines. progress on the RS. The whole project took a total of about 8.5 hours with myself and one friend always working, and two others working with us a little more than half the time.

Any questions/comments?

By the way, it now stops on a dime, great pedal feel. However the sway bar occasionally touches the exhaust piping which creates some rattling. I'm going to put some kind of dampener on there to keep it to a minimum. And please dont say i need to wash the car, because everyone has already told me. I'm getting it professionally detailed on Saturday.

[EuroEclipse]

DAAAAAAMN!!!

[EclipseParadise]

well, next on the list is audio. I've decided to take a break from performance for a little while...I'm going to have a completely custom job done in my trunk, but I'm not going to over-do it, i promise. Just to the point where I feel it's clean looking, sounds good, and is show-worthy. I just talked with my audio-guy today and we're going to get that started either next weekend or the following weekend. So stay tuned. I should just title this thread my page of progress and projects.

And if you wanna be nice, next Tuesday's my b-day so say happy b-day. lol, jp. But do wish me good luck on fighting my ticket next wednesday (yup, day after the b-day, its lame).

if you want to check out my car domain page, go here:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2207618

[EclipseParadise]

well. Audio is now finished...2000 w Rockford Amp running to two Xcursion Audio 1500w (each) subs, and Kole Audio power capacitor. Used 4 gauge wiring. The brother-in-law of my friend did all the work. Took out the spare tire and he built a compartment for the power cap an amplifier down in there, with a plexiglass cover. Custom built boxes for the subs also. Everything was covered in beige carpeting that matches my interior. Everything cost me a little under a grand. He's re carpeting the back of the back seats next week because my old setup had the amp mounted on the back of the seat and the carpeting there had to be slashed for the wiring to come through.

I also got and installed a custom made (by JBS Customs) carbon fiber shift boot for looks. and it does look good, but i need to get a different shift knob now cuz the stock one doesnt exactly flow with cf style.

Here's a pic of the audio setup and the cf boot.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/IMG_0337.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/IMG_0340.jpg

[EuroEclipse]

looks good man. time to detail the car and get it completely clean.

[DROOPY209]

well. Audio is now finished...2000 w Rockford Amp running to two Xcursion Audio 1500w (each) subs, and Kole Audio power capacitor. Used 4 gauge wiring. The brother-in-law of my friend did all the work. Took out the spare tire and he built a compartment for the power cap an amplifier down in there, with a plexiglass cover. Custom built boxes for the subs also. Everything was covered in beige carpeting that matches my interior. Everything cost me a little under a grand. He's re carpeting the back of the back seats next week because my old setup had the amp mounted on the back of the seat and the carpeting there had to be slashed for the wiring to come through.

Get rid of the capacitor, get a high-output alternator that puts out around 150 amps. When you get a chance, get rid of those 2 seperate boxes and build a single fiberglass box that fits right behind your back seat, that way you can have a trunk to put stuff in every now and then. You can keep the amp in the place it is right now.

Those enclosures take up too much room and are in an awkward location, you would lose some points in a show with them.

Looks good.

[EclipseParadise]

haha...I was just browsing through this topic from the 1st page to the last, and came to the thought..."wow, i've really come a ways with this car and understanding it."

And without the members of this forum i dont think i would have gotten even this far. So here's a quick outlook on my plans for the car now:

i'll be doing these things in the following order (i mean the categories, not necessarily installing the parts in this order)--

performance:
Rear strut bar (just ordered the front)
front sway bar
performance engine rebuild (forged parts where applicable, lightened cam gears, underdrive pulley, 60mm throttle body, clutchmasters fx300, boring .20 over, port and polish, porting intake manifold to 60mm, any suggestions welcome cuz im looking at having all this done by winter at latest)
bigger injectors (what size should i get? and should i get hi-flow fuel pump?)
stainless steel clutch line
s-afc II (comments?)
get car performance tuned
minor cosmetic things to be done randomly

exterior:
wide body kit (the nx wide body, 10 piece kit includes side skirts)
TSC front bumper
undecided rear bumper
shaving the spoiler
cf hatch (VISracing)
cf hood (invader style from VISracing)
T-top conversion (this will be fun)
paint job including something special 4 the wheels(i still need a good body+paint shop)
i have something very special and custom in mind for the tail light centerpiece
keeping stock outerpieces but probably getting painted to match my paintjob
new window tint
some decals in thanks to everyone who helped me (including sac-dsm.com and m-s recycling if jonathon allows it lol)
undecided mirrors (i dont want ricy looking flashy lights on them, but i dont really like the f1 style either)
remote controlled/motorized gullwing doors conversion

interior:
bucket seats in front
re-upholstering (seating+flooring to be perforated leather beige, everything else in black including the ceiling, black will be going up from the sides)
doing trim in cf
momo shift knob to go with my cf shift boot
thinking about the cf door panels
"tv in the middle of my steering wheel" lol (still thinking about this one)
additional 4 channel 250-300w amp and new more powerful 6.5's and 6x9's
new alarm (this is coming in a couple weeks)


it's going to be beautiful when im finished. i really hope it looks good enough to make people have to remember to breathe when they see/hear it. After all performance is done i'm taking her to infineon for a weekend and maybe to sac raceway for a 1/4 time.

I also want to enter it into shows and hopefully win some money with her when she's good enough to enter and place. Like i said before, im always open to suggestions/comments

[EclipseParadise]

just successfully installed:

DC Sports Carbon steel front strut bar
Matrix Racing Projector Headlights w/ clear lenses and white halos

sorry no pics at the moment - i dont really have time to upload and stuff before i pack for the trip. so give me a few weeks.

[EclipseParadise]

put in the rear DC Sports carbon steel strut bar today.

i'll be wiring up the halos either today or tomorrow.

next up and coming project is perhaps the biggest one - full-on performance engine rebuild including new lightened pulleys, fuel related things, machine work, clutch, etc. probably wont be starting this massive project until august or september.

[EclipseParadise]

Guess what time it is...
YUP it's update/photo time!!

in here we have:
front strut bar
rear strut bar
new tires
poor pic of my halos
kinda bad pic of new projectors in daytime


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/frontstrutbar.jpg
DC Sports Carbon Steel front strut bar----^

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/rearstrutbar.jpg
DC Sports Carbon Steel rear strut bar----^

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/federaltiresV.jpg
Federal perfromance tires 225/45/17....V Rated----^

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/0728062322.jpg
White Halos included w/ my projectors from Matrix Racing (bad pic) ---^

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/projectors.jpg
Matrix Racing Projectors - Black with clear projectors (daytime pic) ---^

[EuroEclipse]

those halos look nice. need to get some better pics of them at night though :)

the car is coming along great man. keep it up.

[98spydert]

Lookin awesome man, those strut bars are the best looking ones out there. You've got the cleanest 2G non turb that I've EVER seen. Keep it up.

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

Yea he actually spends money on nice stuff!!!

Someone needs to get him in a 1g AWD car!!!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[98spydert]

Man there was a really nice 100% stock AWD 1G at the track last night that this kid just picked up. Looked to be in excellent shape and the first thing he starts talking about is free mods and home made/hacked this and that. Made me teary eyed :(

[TurboRacerGSX]

i cant stand dollar/free mods, i dont care what power or torque they give you, how are you proud to smoke someone after puting 20 bux in your car?......anyways this kid needs a turbo kit on this car if you ask me. eclipse has no performance without a turbo.......i can get them for a great deal i believe. hmmm never looke dinto a kit like that. ill have to do that. more to come.

[EclipseParadise]

well...believe it or not, it looks i'm going to be selling her --^ in about a month or so. And whoever buys it from me better take damn good care.

[98spydert]

What's going to replace it?

[Shane916]

Indeed, what are you going to get Mr. Todd :)

[OldDirtyNoSeven]

well...believe it or not, it looks i'm going to be selling her --^ in about a month or so. And whoever buys it from me better take damn good care.

You should have no problem selling it,

Any well taken care of car will bring good money, and will be easy to sell,

Heck I got $4k for a 16 year old mitsu truck!! HAHAHA

[EclipseParadise]

well. i can only bring myself to replace a good car with another good car...and so my next car will be a C5 corvette (insert gasp here, cuz i will be car insurance's bitch). But it's one of my fave cars and there's a lot of things i can do with it. Im probably going to swap in an LS2 and referee it....or an LS7 if i can find one for an affordable price. I was originally thinking about getting the new eclipse gt but i think its time for me to go rwd for a while.(without doing a conversion that is :wink: ) oh and yes, i will be taking out a loan of like 6 thousand. im not a rich boy unfortunately.

BUT I will definitely be getting another DSM, probably in a few years. And I'm going to be working on other people's eclipses so im not abandoning the community.

[EclipseParadise]

here's some candy you can listen to....its after the cat back is on but before the header...still pretty nice though.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/th_postcatbackexhaustvideo.jpg (http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/?action=view&current=postcatbackexhaustvideo.flv)

[EclipseParadise]

here are some pics (bad ones, bc effin photobucket now demands you to pay to upload larger pics :evil: )

both are of my trunk, one in day time and one at night (there's a different amp in there right now cuz mine's in a shop) --

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/newtrunk.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/LEDs.jpg

[EclipseParadise]

Hatch now shaved/debadged and repainted!! Here's my audio/interior/exterior guy at work (at night). he is responsible for my entire trunk by the way. if you want work done by him, pm me. he does just about everything cosmetic/video/audio/interior (i.e. headliner, seats...) etc.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/0921062029.jpg

Here's the finished product. Can't believe i found perfectly matching paint at Kragen. it's called director red. we also applied some black primer. (sry car was dirty...he just painted it, and i was excited lol)

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/0921062219a.jpg


And here's the painted valve cover with polished letters...paint is actually a bit more red than in the pic.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e133/EclipseParadise/0921062206.jpg


NOW I'M OFF TO HOT IMPORT NIGHTS. HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE.

[EclipseParadise]

hmm...well i guess i never really updated this thread since HIN, so here goes.

my car still did really well at HIN - my friend and I cleaned her up. a week later i was offered several sponsorships...currently i have 16 sponsorship agreements, and several still pending. most sponsors are cosmetic related, i.e. video, audio, body, paint, lighting, doors.

after getting so many sponsorships offered, i decided to keep my car until i've finished with it. However, within the next 350 days or so, almost all progress on the car will not be performance related. i do have big plans for it though...its going to be a hell of a year. after i've completely used up everything my current sponsors could give me, i will be getting another 420a engine and building it from the ground up as a top performance turbo engine, for which i will be spending ludicrous amounts of time researching. im getting another engine, so i can keep one stock setup for when smog comes around, but im eventually planning on making it a show/track only car. i want to convert to rwd if possible. and way down the round im switching to a 6 speed setup.

anyways, look out for the things i have planned for this car. definitely some creative stuff. i hope you've liked my taste so far.

[98spydert]

convert it to AWD, that would throw people off. a turbo AWD... RS lol

[Shane916]

haha yeah and wouldnt smog just be a joy.

[EclipseParadise]

convert it to AWD, that would throw people off. a turbo AWD... RS lol

yeah...only problem for that is, i think i would need to have a 4g63 engine since you need the awd tranny for the swap. i'm totally game for doing a full gsx conversion (awd and turbo engine), but i have absolutely no idea how i could smog that. someone mentioned to me that i could referee it or something but i dont know anything about that. plus i really dont want to get stuck changing everything about the car just to pass smog.

[EclipseParadise]

my friend found a referee shop here in nor cal, so eventually i'm going to talk to them about how i could legally make the full gsx conversion (engine, and awd setup) work so i could pass smog and such. just letting you guys know that im serious about all my project ideas. there is one cool thing that i'm having done (as in I'm not doing it myself for once) to my car in around 5 months from now.

update:

completely emptied out the cat converter and stuck it on. that made a BIG difference...sound is a bit throatier, but the flow is way better. very noticeable mid-high rpms.

note: the hollowed out cat is just another stock one i picked up. i'm keeping my original one for when smog comes up.

[EclipseParadise]

the car is now for sale. go check the sale forums. time for this baby to go.

[raven4011]

Car is now mine. So far I like it alot, extremely stiff suspension, and there are some vibrations that i'm looking into but all in all it's a great car. Re-painting next week, which should clean it up alot. Then i'm going to go for asthetics...

[my3awds]

Congrats on the car purchase. Probably the only clean 420a left in the area, as most in the area have cheaply put body kits on them. GL with your new toy :)