Nice work, it's beautiful!!

Planning on any dyno/quarter mile runs?

Looks damn good!

Thanks. All I did was clutch. lol.

Black lies in pictures. This thing is riddled with fine scratches >.>

The leaking tranny seal is probably my fault.. I overfilled.
Brought it back down to normal levels and added RTV just inside the lip of the boot. Slowed leak to a crawl.



Not yet. I just got it and still want to enjoy it. lol. It's developed a slight hesitation around 6000rpm (@ 25PSI) in second and power falls off at 6500rpm @ 23PSI.

ECMLINK reports 313hp at 6000 then drops to 200 by 7000. You can feel it fall on it's face. Also blew a little oil out the dipstick. ( blame that damn gas filter contraption on the VC to pre turbo inlet.

My boost leak tester popped apart at 17psi. scared the crap out of me. I hate the sound of popping balloons. Imagine PVC. >.<

I have two boost leaks. (fixed other 3)
1: The MBC (bad)
2: With MBC closed off... TB shaft seal (minor). Bleeds from 17PSI to 0 in about 30 seconds.

I have a slight thumping (not driveshaft.. I can feel it more in the pedals)..

And I need to be tuned. >.> I predict end of next season it will see a pass.

This was before the BLT @ 23PSI.
log.2015.08.30-01.elg



I don't even have basics checked yet like baseline timing. TPS volts are low with no throttle .39. Whole bunch of little things. Anyway.. setup is:

3" exhaust turbo back. No cat
PTE SCM61 Turbo
780cc injectors
Daschworks 340lph FP
Turbosmart BOV
Front Mount 28x 10
Aluminum Rad
6 bolt.
Arp studs.
BS elimination
ECMLink v3 lite
AEM Uego Wideband O2
AEM O2 gauge
Eibach pro lowering springs
Tokico Blue
Southbend Stage 2 Clutch w/ ACT Streelite flywheel.

She's looking good man!

Most of the guys on here run ECMlink; they are a wealth of information. Have you done spark plugs since you got it? (Sorry if it was mentioned)

Thank you! Wouldn't be possible without you guys.

New issue last night. Yay.

12.0 volts at speed. 11.6 at idle. Hello dying alternator. The Chuck curse is back.

Also, I am getting very annoyed with low speed/rpm driving. There is 0 slack in the pedal. Lightest pedal reading is 5%. and I had to press very slowly to get that. I get this jerky action when light on and off at slow speeds/rpm (between 900 and 2500 rpm)

So to update my list

- Saturn Alt upgrade and add ducting to cool.
- New EVC or MBC.
- Ensure baseline values (Timing, TPSV, etc) are good.
- Tune
- Fix sagging drivers door. Lots of movement at the bottom hinge. Rubbing fender.
- Change oil filter (slight leak around seal. I used a 2G fram oil filter when I should have used a 1G OEM)
- Strange feeling in the steering wheel (like an out of balance tire). Was fine before I took everything apart.
- Fix blown rear speaker. (stereo is off 95% of the time as I listen for stuff breaking. lol)
- Relocate the battery to trunk
- Build custom harness to clean up wiring.
- Change rear diff gear oil to heavyweight shockproof.
- Change front brakes to match
- Change interior carpet
- Change stereo. (current one flashes so brightly it's very distracting)
- Remove rear wiper assembly and nozzle.
- Change drivers window (badly scratched)
- Find out why hot air through vents is the only option no matter the settings.
- Continue rust treatment undercarriage
- Build custom fiberglass overlay for mid section of rear tail (hide the talon part)
- Build custom fiberglass sub enclosure off to the side
- FP Exhaust manifold + EGT probe and gauge
- Header wrap downpipe
- Good buff / polish of clear coat.

Dying or standard for the mitsu?

You can adjust the slack on the throttle cable by loosening off the 2 bolts on the back of the intake manifold and sliding that plate left and right. Personally, I like mine snug, but not too tight. If there is absolutely no slack, as the car heats up, the throttle will actually open a bit causing an idle surge. (Don't ask me why, I haven't been able to figure it out... you'd think the cable would stretch when it's hot, not condense.... Then again, it might be something in the pulley assembly for the cruise control.)

She was singing happily at 13.1 - 13.6 since I got her. Just last night I noticed 11.6-12.0 while cruising. (Ty ECM link for your brilliant Boost Voltmeter option reminding me to check)

Will take a look. I don't want much slack, but the second the gas pedal moves. I'm at >= 5% throttle. Not sure adding a tiny amount of slack will help but worth a shot. Thx for tip.

Another question for you DSM'ers. I want to go with the Self exciting Saturn Alt as shown here: http://www.motorcityreman.com/91scse1.html

Do any Canadian Vendors sell this setup? 1 Wire install would be great. I know RTM has the alternator.. but not the SE regulator or do I just order the Alternator and Pigtail and suck up doing a little more wiring.

So a little update...

I fixed the door sag. Removed fender. Loosened all door hinge bolts jacked up the door using 2ft long piece of wood wrapped in towel and placed on jack. Raised it about 1" above where it should be. Tightened all bolts. Once weight of door came back down. I have a level door. Yay. Success!

I then got a little A.D.D. and started a project I should have saved for later. Custom sub enclosure. (I wanted a small break from mechanical).

Tape Job.


Fiberglassing. Things went a little wrong towards the back of the car. There will be a bit of work to clean up inside of enclosure.


Outside of car after curing. Basic shape made.


Back view.


Anyway.. while that was curing.. I took another stab at the TPS bottom bolt. There is NO way I can get any tool in there. a tiny 8mm socket is too long. Hits the fuel rail. I even tried just the little drill screwdriver tips you get in kits.. It's too long on it's own. Less than 3/4" clearance between fuel raid and the bolt.

I may try and sacrifice an 8mm socket and cut it short or it looks like I will have to remove fuel rail or TB

That looks wicked, I want to do a sub install in my slow car so I can enjoy some sweet tunes!

That sub install looks great, I'm going to be pulling the subs out of the car I'm working on, too much weight, haha.

Like I say, I ground down an old 8mm wrench for clearance at that tps. If you don't have one, I don't mind giving you mine because I no longer have a stock TB.

Thanks. My problem was I was trying to rush it. I used too big pieces of cloth. I am going to spend a lot of time fixing that mistake.

Thank Mike. The clearance between bolt and TPS is ok. The socket is thin enough. It's length. Pardon the cheesy imagery.



nothing can squeeze in there.. even if I get the socket on it.. it will be butted up right against the fuel rail.



The TPS almost sits right against the rail.

Just remove the three bolts from the fuel rail and move it out of the way enough to get to the bolt. I dont even unhook the fuel lines or anything, can usually sneak it out that way.

I ve never seen that regulator used in any install Ive ever seen or helped with. I only run the L wire on my SOHC low amp saturn alternator and its worked fine for me for 3 years now. Mind you I dont run a huge amp with subs. With large a large amp, you may wanna run the F wire.

If I move the fuel rail, do I need to replace the o-rings on the injectors as recommended by some vfaqs?

This would be nice.




Thanks. Car has (2 preamps?I'm guessing, still haven't examined them down by the passenger footwell) and 2 amps (350W and 700W). I'm tempted to nuke the 700W one for the 4 main speakers.

If you dont pull the injectors out of the fuel rail then you wouldnt need to. Worst case they may come out of the lower seal at the head, but ive never had an issue getting them back in and seated without leaks.

Now if all the seals are super dry and brittle, I would take this opportunity to replace them anyways.

Hey, when your doing the fiberglass, do you brush the resin on and then lay the fiberglass mat on top, then more resin? Or do you soak the fiberglass mat first then lay it on?

I just used fiberglass for the first time and while it came out decent, it made quite a mess lol I don't think i used the right technique...

I tried both. It's definitely messy either way.

I started by painting the painters tape with resin, apply mat, then paint on top. The brush was making a mess of the mat. (The key is dabbing.. but when trying to apply resin vertically, it's almost impossible)

After awhile, I was laying the fiberglass flat on the board, pouring a thick line across it, brush it while flat, then picked up and moved to where I wanted it. This was great until the gloves started to disintegrate and the resin stared to get tacky. (It preferred sticking to the gloves rather than tape).

At one point.. I gave up on the brush was was just scooping it with glove onto the mat. (hence the messy backside) lol.

It's a crap job really. Worst fiberglass experience ever. but now that the basic shape is there, I'm hoping to have a little more success tonight adding some more strength. I added a little fiberglass bondo inside for rigidity while out of the car. That caused a whole bunch of extra work due to loose strands in the original fiberglass job.

When they say 1 gallon of resin, that is not enough for the size of this thing >.< I used 1 full 8sqft mat for that basic shape. and they want me to make it 5 layers? This is gonna get expensive quick.

100$ in resin and 100$ in Mat. >.>

Sounds like we ran into the same issues... I went through 5 neoprene gloves on about 2 cu ft of fiberglass laid, everything was sticking to me. Not to mention pissing off the wife fiberglassing the good scissors closed... oops!

You can use other material for speaker enclosures rather than the fiberglass mat. Go to Wal-Mart and grab some 100% fleece, stretch that over the frame you created and apply the fiberglass resin to it. It'll work just as well and won't cost near as much.

The resin is killing me 20$ / litre. Next time I buy in bulk.
Fleece is already bought. Only using it for the top and front. And you are supposed to fiberglass OVER the fleece after.

Tonight went well. Cut into smaller strips. Bought huge pack of dollar store paintbrushes and plastic 12oz cups. One glove for painting hand and the other bare hand to hold cup and grab pieces. I never touched the resin with either hand this time. Just dab with brush, and once saturated, lightly brush and push on mat with brush only.

Good news on the TPS front. I unplugged all the wires around the tps, ground down box wrench.. and managed to get it loose! .63volts! Finally.

So I idled in the driveway for 10 mins.. got my short and long fuel trims to 0. (global fuel and injector deadtime).

Went for a cruise. OMG. Great throttle action now. Smooth. I like driving her again!

Logged the cruises. (2 street, 1 3K RPM highway and 1 3.4K RPM Highway) Set the CEL Knock to 1 degree instead this time.

I only saw bad knock once (3.4K RPM cruise) and was under partial throttle (30%) LoadFactor (1.05) i was speeding back up after slowing for pulled over vehicle. Log shows 8 degrees (AF's of 16.6 at 3100RPM) for a brief moment, ( and many 0.4 - 0.7 degree knocks ) but that was it. never saw it again. I wanted to adjust SD VE adjust (CombinedFT) to see suggestions.. and I get the error: Can Not Find log item for MAP sensor.

Took a look in ECU Inputs, PIn assignment (PC side) does not contain MAP sensor. O.o Sensor ECMLink is set to is Omnipower 4 Bar. Thoughts?

Little update.

I reverted to the tune that came with the car due to knock in 5th low throttle with engine load (in vaccuum). Still getting it (no more than 1 degree and intermittent).

I have been reading removed BS may be culprit or lifters. There is no knock anywhere else. Full boost (24psi) is awesome.

So I took a break from mechanical and continued the sub enclosure process. Shhh.. Only you guys (and the old ladies at the fabric store) know about the snowmen!! Cheap fleece in summer











It's been a challenge. Cleaning up corners/edges will be a pain. The large flat surface in front left is still moving a lot. It's gonna need quite a few layers of fiberglass to stiffen up.

So while I was waiting to buy more resin due to holiday, I went out the night before for a cruise. The power steering pump got really noisy after awhile (normally was just near stopped and first little turn). Anyway.. looks like the bottom tube may have cracked at the bottom of reservoir. (If anyone has a spare laying around for sale, let me know).



Not sure if that is repairable.

Under ALS/Knock, tell it to only listen to the knock sensor past 3500 rpm and 35% throttle. That will eliminate it seeing your phantom knock.

I've got a couple power steering reservoirs kicking around. PM me.

Likewise, think I have one all powdercoated sitting on my shelf.

I made one for my 2G a couple years back. It looks like you used the stringy Fiber glass stuff......I'd recommend adding some very thick layers of fiber glass matting. It's super thick and can absorb a lot of resin, which is what you want for overall rigidity.
In the back, I believe I did 4 THICK coats of glass with a frack ton of resin. Hopefully you took your time and made sure that there were absolutely no air pockets between layers and gave it ample time to dry.
To eliminate air pockets while using the fiber glass matting, I cut the matting into various size squares/rectangles and put them down one at a time using smaller batches of risen (it'll harden too fast and you don't want to rush this)
After that layer dries fully (I gave it 24 hours for each one), get out a little air sander and make everything smooth. Rid of all the little whispy ends from cutting the matting. Once it's all smooth, scuff it up a bit and start all over.

To get the fleece on the front, it looks like you did something similar. I stretched it over and glued it on using 3M spray adhesive. Worked like a charm. At this point, it was all resin. again, another THICK 4 coats on the front, allowing for proper drying time and coating it over the back, blending into the base/backplate.

It cost me about $200 in materials to make and weighs about 15lbs before the sub is installed. ROCK SOLID though! I'd recommend some weather stripping along all edges and corners to ensure it doesn't rattle or vibrate against the plastic trim.

It's looking good though. When she's all stiff, it'll sound amazing too. I get a super deep solid hit, and mine is a dual VC 10" infinity.

http://www.ca.dsm.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=405885#Post405885

The mat was too expensive (21$ for same sqft coverage). But you are right, it would be a little thicker. The back is 3 layers + a little fiberglass Bondo in between. (the amount of curves given back there, it is ridiculously stiff).

The front is fleece (I learned from this build to not to buy too thick of fleece! But.. it absorbed a crapload of resin and is thick in itself. There are 3 layers in the front, but where the large flat area is on the left, I have added total of 6 layers there due to flex. Will probably add another 2 layers tonight even though it's pretty tough there now.

What I do is place the sub in the box and then slowly turn up music until I hear rattling. Then go back and check the box where is is flexing / rattling. The only place was that large flat space. everything else was good so far. And it was loud enough for neighbors to hear inside their home next door.

There are air pockets. (I filled those with folder fiberglass then poured resin in them.

There are tons of strands on the inside.
I will also be stuffing fiberglass insulation inside that corner to help dissipate the pressure. I should have started over when I farked up the molded piece. But I just keep testing and fixing till it works.

Thanks for the weatherstripping idea. I will be screwing this unit into the plastic liners also to keep it from no sitting perfectly flush (top tends to want to pop out 1/2 inch).

Photo Update

Final Fiberglass


Bondoed


Glazed and Primed. There will be more fiberglass work on the box to fix top and corners, but for now... I'm leaving it. Custom cut trunk floor board. I think it will be fiberglassed as well >.>


Temporary Carpet.

Small update.

I have a new problem. I was out driving and had to brake hard. The clutch pedal engages the clutch but the pedal doesn't quite come all the way up until I let off the brakes. There is a slight hesitation it kinda pops up (about 1 inch from top). Ideas? Clutch disengages and engages ok.

On the other front.

Checked old plugs (BPR7ES). They seemed ok. They were gapped at 0.32. I changed plugs to BR7ES gapped at 0.24. NGK Wires. Car seems to like it.

Changed to WIX filter and Rotella T 15-40w oil. Car also seems to like it. (less ticking and good pressure).

I watered down coolant (30/70) and added water wetter. First night out, I was getting highest temps I have ever seen (223). Next day I checked and the coolant from overflow was missing. Guess there was an air pocket. I added some water to the overflow. She now runs 180-193 instead of 203-216. Car likes it.

I tried to fix my rattling windows. I think I made it worse. Car hate it.

I wanted some more gauges, and I hate where the dash pod is for WB and Boost. Have to take eyes too far off road to see them. So I started a new project.

Custom Pod







Dash 5 Pod ANALOG: WB,BOOST,OILP,OILTMP,WTRTMP
Dash Cluster 2 Pod DIGITAL: VOLTS, DIGITALCLOCK.
All Pro Sport Performance Series. (Amber/ White)

And finally.. I Zeroed out the sliders and started tuning all over again. Finally have something decent. Almost 0 knock. I have been doing some reading and people say that you should see up 3 counts during the pull for maxhp. I guess that is if you don't mind replacing the engine often?

chuck_sd_tune_25.5_psi.elg

First thing is to check fluid level and then leaks. Interesting idea about gauges, I personally like to keep interior near stock as possible and use less gauges but do more logging in link. But the work u do is definitely creative

I agree. I am building this and if I hate it, it's up for sale. Custom 5 Gauge pod. I don't think I will mind this as it follows the contour of the dash. Trying to make it blend as much as I can. I think I may also add a power switch so they all go dark when I want to not be a race car.

Coolant was one I really wanted. Knowing that at 206F, 1 degree timing gets pulled, I like to keep an eye on it.

I'm old and having to look over the steering wheel to see the gauges is driving me crazy. 2nd picture shows how much the WB is hidden. Boost gauge is even worse. (That will go when I get the EVC)

Thanks for the creative comment

Some people have money to burn, or don't know it isn't 2001, we don't tune by knock anymore.

Checked fluid level. Ok.
No Leaks.
Bled System.

I was under the dash checking out wiring, and tried to push on the pedal. Measuring at the tip of the pedal, there is 1/2" to 3/4" play before it even starts pushing the rod. (hole for pin must be slotted from use) Then another 1.25 inches before the rod starts to feel resistance.

I am at the end of the adjustment rod.

Guess a new pedal assembly is in order >.< The master still looks new (supposedly was replaced last year)

Or would it be possible to weld up the hole, then re-drill the hole for the pin?

You can ignore. The rod was not at the end. (It was there back before I replaced the clutch) The nut to keep it from loosening was loose and worked it's way back. Re-adjusted and now the clutch fully engages about 2" from top of pedal position.

I was inspecting the bushing (still in good shape) when I noticed.

Drove uncles 2013 GTI couple nights ago and about the same pedal position for engagement. Takes some getting used to, but .. night and day. Little jabs to shift.

Glad you got that sorted out. The 2Gs don't tend to have clutch pedal assembly wear problems - that's mostly limited to the 1G and boy is it ever fun to get that sucker out (and by that I mean you're gonna want to sell your car about 20 minutes in).

Thanks Feels good to drive her again. I went chasing the moon tonight. Eclipse happened too high in the sky to make it work. So normal moon it is.

Well. To wrap up the season. I hit the track. Sad numbers. Fastest was 14.0 @ 102 (26psi) Something is up with that Mile an Hour. 14.0 I can live with (too much traction on launch and the car would bite,slip bite and bog causing 2.4 60 ft)

But the MPH which I thought would be between 110 and 120 nowhere close. Time to park her and start diagnosing next season. (fuel overrun,boost leaks, exhaust leaks and bad tune?) Can only get better from here right?

Fastest with 16g (old 2g), was 13.7 @ 99 (18psi, 1.8 60 ft)

Been a pleasure kids. Thanks for all the help to get her into the game at least

The track can be a heart breaker at times, putting the butt dyno in it's place.

2.4 60' is high enough to really hurt the top end though. Lots of variables at play, the launch, sh!t points, speed of shifts, possible clutch slip?, launch rpm? Hopefully you logged the passes so you can find where things are going wrong.

They were running pro and semi pro all day. That track was sticky as hell. I always try and line up off to the side.



I can't dump this clutch like I did the ACT and small turbo.

First run (logged) was against a WRX. I wasn't going to launch, but heard him bouncing off rev limiter and I decided.. wth. The sound of the launch was heart breaking (rear end made a noise I didn't like) but everything survived the run. WRX passenger was laughing until 1/8th mile I blew past him. >.<

Turned up boost, 2nd pass had solid Knock CEL come on starting in third.. I let off. Dropped boost 1psi and did third run. Logged.

1st Pass (ECMLink)

3rd Pass (ECMLink)



G35 in our group was the one to go home on flatbed. Broken half shaft.

So she is in hibernation mode now.



If compression turns out to be ok....

2016 official plans: (this should keep me busy and burn through a few thousand bucks)

$50 - New PCV vavle + check valve
??? - New Valve Cover with 3 large 1/2 inch bungs (know anyone that can do this well?)
$50 - Oil Catch Can
$130 - Install COP
$200 - Fluids
$80 - Add Grounds

$160 - Upgrade from EMCLINK Lite to Full.
??? - Buy Spare Turbo (Evo 16g?)
$350 - Rebuild Turbo (SCM61) by Cherry Turbos (maybe change hotside for quicker spool?)
FREE + Inspect ECU
$700 - New Calipers (Front), Rotors (Slotted Zinc plated) and pads all the way around (Outlander?)
$50 - Fix parking brake. (worn shoes)
$20 - Fix leak between O2 and downpipe. Replace missing exhaust hangers.

$35 - Fuel filter (stock)
??? - AN lines
$110 - AEM Fuel rail
$400 - FuelLab AFPR + Guage (Kit from RTM)
$400 - 1200cc injectors

$150 - Meth kit (just missing nozzles and hoses)

$400 - Battery Relocation
$200 - Saturn Alternator
FREE - Yank AC (seeing I can't fit a secondary fan, pointless)
FREE - Inspect and Rewire Stereo install (remove the additional pre-amps and speaker driver.
$200 - New HID kit $200 from https://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid-systems/morimoto-elite-hid-system-9006.html#.VlacMHarSUk)

$200 - Undercarriage Rust fixes.
??? - Fix Hole in Strut tower drivers side. (I need a road trip. Who here is good at it? :P)

$600 - Repair Front Headlight Rad Support
And if there is time: Fuse box Relocation. /shudder

Thanks again to all those who helped this year. It was all greatly appreciated.

I am jealous of you winter driving your DSMs. My old ones were a blast in the winter.