This is a question that comes up every now and then, so I thought it would be good to get in the Forum here. The following information came from todays Talon Digest.

juan


Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 12:15:11 -0500
From: Morgan D'Antonio <talon95@home.com>
Subject: Solution : Eclipse back end on a Talon
Message-ID: <#12>

Greetings,

For the archives, I'd like to relay some things I learned about making a hybrid DSM. In the last post I explained an oil fire that melted the rear bumper and tail lights, as well as peeled paint from the sides. The bumper cover and part of the tail light assembly was declared unsalvageable by my insurance adjuster and would need to be replaced.

In order to make the car look a little more unique, and to save some money to cover my deductible, I opted to go with Eclipse parts. I selected a 97 bumper cover, 97 reverse lights, and a set of Euro-style/Altezza-style clear tail lights and ordered them. (My car is a 1995 Talon TSi AWD.)

I thought these parts were bolt-ons. They weren't.

Of course the lights on Talons and Eclipses are completely different, and you need to change the lights and bumper cover together, when making a hybrid. But behind the parts you can see, there are a number of other parts you can't see that are also different.

Once the old bumper and lights are removed, an Eclipse bumper will "fit" up to the Talon no problem, but you can't attach it directly. The two cars use exactly the same bracket to mount the bumper, but the bracket is actually in a different location! So the first trick to getting the swap done was to grind off the old bracket, and weld it into the new location. This is definitely best left to the pros! Next, there are brackets at the bottom of the cover that hold it in place. These must be ordered with the cover. If you don't order these extra support bits, the bumper looks fine standing still, but would flap in the wind while
moving. Reverse lights must be ordered to fit the specific bumper you choose. Lastly, the licence plate light which is recessed into the bumper is also completely different. To avoid hack jobs, order the ~$10 tag light.

Other bumper related problems included shipping. It's too big for UPS or FedEx. It was sent as freight through a shipping company that took forever to get to me. And the paperwork involved was a nightmare. No simple "sign here please"!

The big problem with the lights were the wiring harnesses. It never dawned on me how different they would be. Right down to the types of connectors used, nothing fit. NOTHING! The solution is to order the appropriate Eclipse harnesses. Anything less (splicing wires for example) and you loose the weather resistance. You have to also remember the harnesses for the reverse lights, the tag light(s) and the third brake light if you're changing the spoiler too. (I chose not to change the spoiler because money was tight, and the holes used to mount
the Talon's "half-disc" spoiler were going to cost a fortune in labour to braze closed.)

All in all, there were no fewer than 15-18 little bits and pieces that had to be ordered to make the hybrid idea work. And since I live in Canada everything had to be shipped to me through customs (there are no sources of Mitsu parts around me). It took a total of 3 shipments and 2 months to get everything right.

But the car does look wicked now.

And yes, I did save money. The complete set of clear lights cost as much as just one side of the Talon lights (from my local Chrysler dealer). The bumper cover was slightly cheaper, once the freight charges were added up.

Good Luck,
Morgan D'Antonio