Looks like I'm picking up a 1997GS 5sp 55K with a blown engine--my first DSM. Don't know how bad the enging is, but I will likely be looking for a rebuilt engine shortly (if anyone knows a reputable rebulder near GA). Since it has been sitting for a year, I will also replace all brakes/clutch, etc.. Having read though many turbo message threads on the boards, I have decided against going Turbo. It seems like too much risk, aggravation, and constant mainanance, which conflict seriously with my reliability requirement for the car (reliability is #1, fun to drive #2--I will not be racing it). So, I am now looking at the best way to improve performance non-turbo. If between the engine purchase/repair and mods I can keep that cost under $5K, that would be great.

This site has been a amazing resource, but when it comes to itemizing mods from a cost/benefit/HP standpoing, I am struggling to find what I need. Perhaps I just haven't been able to find it. A thread like this for example:

-----------------------------------------
Dude, congratulations on the car. As long as you are starting from scratch, here is what I did/have seen done and what I recommend IN ORDER:

1) Engine Item #1, X-dollars, get you estimated X-HP
2) Engine Item #2, X-dollars, get you estimated X-HP
3) Exhaust Item #1, X-dollars, get you estimated X-HP
4) Ignition Item #1, X-dollars, get you estimated X-HP
5) Clutch/Brakes Item #1, X-Dollars, get X-better perfomance.

You guys are the pros on this stuff, so what you say holds much weight.

Awww whats wrong wif turbo? the reason you never hear about the "success" stories is because positive stuff makes for boring threads!!

my oil leak woulda happened regardless of whether I was boostin' or not... thats the only problem I've ever had... Well... and blowing the low grade bolts off of the downpipe on my first night owning the car... hehehe

FS: 2.5" Test Pipe 25 shipped

I myself dont really know any good shops, but shuwa might be able to help you out. I stay in Marietta area, where do you live?

Get ahold of Armond (Avenger EST). He lives up in you area and might be willing to help out. He's one of the top 420A gurus on the board.

Built 420a
NER turbo kit T3/T04s ball bearing
AFX UDP
Crane 0014 cams

Thanks for the advice. I will try to kook up with those guys. I live east of Atlanta, out toward Snellville, and would love to hook up with some of the guys mentioned. As far as why not turbo, I guess you are right that positive stories don't make the headlines. But when things go wrong with turbo, the seem to go REALLY wrong--requiring massive repairs. Besides that, I was hoping to do most of the work myself--and I would not be real confident installing turbo. Perhaps it is easier that in seems, I dont know. Switching out an engine/clutch/brakes is easy enough to do over time--and I am confident doing that. But if turbo is $2K and gets you 60 extra HP, while non-turbo mods cost $3K and get you 30 HP, then I might consider turbo. That is what I am trying to figure out, and what I have not been able to find info on.

Thanks!

do not listen to every misconception you hear about our car. if you turbo your transmission will go, sell it and buy 1g.no matter what you do it will never go faster than my gs-(t/x),sell it and buy a 1g.i know a guy who has a cousin and he said you car is just a neon with an eclipse mask on, sell it and buy a 1g.end rant! don't listen to them alot of local webboards will try to discourage you but come back here for sanctuary.good luck

heres the scoop, research turbos, buy the book called maximum boost by corky bell very good source of information hit the web research turbo systems,

i can provide u with over half the stuff u need to make a turbo system on these cars, the only thing u need to decide is which turbo u want used new etc, and what fuel setup 8 injector vers a rising rate regulator like the sfmu from vortech,

manifold 250$
oil line kit 80$
used turbo 300$ or under,
100$in piping, witha 1g/2g smic 50-75$ for one of these

400$ for fuel setup depending which one u choose

50$ fuel cut defender ie missing link,


all that is about 1250$ or so not to bad for an extra 50-100hp,

now if u do get crazy or dont tune the car then u will have to rebuild exces boost on stock motor = cracking a piston ring land = 4 new pistons and rods,

turbos really aren't that techincal once u learn about them, our cars n/a are dogs, unless u got 2.4 with big cams


so other then turbo u have the next best option being a 2.4 swap and build n/a this will cost about 2500-3g's to get 250whp, and have worse gas milage thent he turbo setup depending on how much boost and if u boost *all* the time

You can have it cheap, fast or good. Pick any two.

If you want it cheap and fast, it's not going to be good.
If you want it cheap and good, it's not going to be fast.
If you want it good and fast, it's not going to be cheap.

How about all you non-turbo 420A's out there. What do you think? What have you beed able to get out of your non-turbo 420A? Is there no one out there that will play devils advocate on the issue?

i like both when i get back from military training i will be going turbo(don't trust wife with car and me in san antonio till august). i have a buddy that is turbo and i love his car, it is a perfect sleeper people see black door handles,rs on the back and think they will walk it. WRONGO each setup has it's ups and downs. you could always go 2.4 turbo. hehehejp


http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/data/500/2965dsc00469-med.

The 420a engine has what I feel is endless potential. Since you dont want to go turbo (even aftermarket) I would advise you to change intake, header, and exhaust... Then cam gears, underdrive pully. You really dont have to change internals but why not just rebuild your engine and throw some nice pistons and rods in it. Also since once again you dont want to go turbo, you can go with a high compression ratio... Dont flame if Im wrong but Im pretty sure that every point in ratio is like 4 percent add to the engine. So I think are engine is rated 140 by the factory so if you up the compression 1 point thats like 6hp so if you took it even higher then that would go higher too (one point wouldnt be a lot you would want to go higher if your not going to boost in anyway.)

I too decided against GS-t on the simple fact of the factory turbo is pointless. I'm not saying turbo is pointless but the factory one is nothing to cheer about. Its not worth the insurance costs. Buy an Rs and get an aftermarket and call it a day, better yet, a week.

If you're going to rebuild, definately at least throw some high-comp pistons in. It's probably the most crucial component of having a "fun" N/A car to drive. I wish there was some magic list that i could put out - a=blahHP, b=blahHP, c=blahHP - but it doesn't work like that. It works more like a+b+c=blahHP. Lets say if you were to get 12.5:1 pistons with stronger rods($1000), some street cams($400), intake($50-$100), TB ported($100?), header($200-400), catback($400)....you would have alot more power. Maybe somewhere around 180-190hp. No matter what mods you have - if you get a UDP($160) you'll get a bit more power to the road(maybe 10hp). If you get an S-AFC($350) and some cam gears and dyno time($250 for the gears, $80hr for dyno time) then you could tune it to run even better. 200-220hp isn't impossible from the 420a, 250hp is the upper limits of what you'll get with a full out race setup(headwork, valves, ignition, etc).


ride__________95 Eclipse RS : 5 speed
power________Field SFC Hyper-R : Gude cams : Jeep TB : AFX UDP : ram air : test pipe : GST catback
suspention___Hurricane F/R lower strut ties : BOMZ F/R upper strut bars : ES inserts
sound________Kenwood KDC 5000 : Audiovox 8" sub toob : Xplod 222
shizzle_______AutoCommand remote start : dual air horns : Caspers o2 simulator(rear)
incomming___Bosal header(maybe), 14b turbosystem(eventually)
Jeep TB writeup - http://www.dimensia.com:81/jimbo/JeepTBfor2gnt.html

95 Eclipse RS : 5 speed
14.76 @ 94.72mph
Jeep TB writeup - http://www.dimensia.com:81/jimbo/JeepTBfor2gnt.html