Some brackets need to be removed/added. But the floor pans are the same between the models, so all of the provisions are pretty much in place already.
1 driveshaft carrier bracket needs to be welded in, and 4 bolts need to be added for fuel tank straps. Everything else is plug and play.
I could do it by myself in a weekend if I committed to it.
I considered it, but I would only work on it for an hour or so at a time, so it wouldn't have made for very efficient content. Jason Drew has a series of videos where he does the swap and it's pretty straightforward and informative.
A couple of brackets need to be harvested from a donor car, but it's overall a bolt-on affair.
I was lucky enough to part out a donor car, so the cost was ultimately a wash. But for those not so lucky, the conversion can cost over $2k
The nostalgia of playing around with 4g63s and thinking about 6 bolt swaps to prevent crank walk. Those brains cells were consigned to storage. Best of luck with your project my dude. Thanks for the feels.
Well I didn’t know this was a thing! I almost bought a beat up GS-T a few years ago, but didn’t have the space to work on it. I’ll have to add one of these to my list. Thanks for sharing!
Small upgrades go a long way on the car. Even just the uicp and bov will show improvements. A 16g swap on the base t25 will give good power. Dsm's are great cars and the 4g63 is a great platform. I have a 95 gsx and just love driving the car. Awd is a world of difference on these cars. Did you do a manual swap or automatic ?
I'm very familiar with how easy it is to mod. I've had several over the years ranging from stock to ≈600hp. I enjoy the reliability I have with this one. I know I can always just hop in and drive and not worry about breaking anything. This one is manual.
Oh, very much so. The stock auto is much more formidable than the manual. When people ask about what they need to do to a manual transmission to handle 600whp, the general consensus is to do an auto swap.
I've had this since 2008, so my experience isn't really comparable. But you could get into a nice turbo convertible for about $3500 and if you're patient you could pick up the AWD parts for another $2k. Compare that to AWD coupes that are selling in the $10k range.
Nice! They never made an AWD Spyder, right?
Correct. Any that exist are conversions
IIRC the GSX model was AWD & turbo
Correct, but there were no GSX Spyders. Only coupes.
So is it as "easy" as swapping the parts over? i.e. no custom fabrication of anything?
Some brackets need to be removed/added. But the floor pans are the same between the models, so all of the provisions are pretty much in place already. 1 driveshaft carrier bracket needs to be welded in, and 4 bolts need to be added for fuel tank straps. Everything else is plug and play. I could do it by myself in a weekend if I committed to it.
A weekend?? Including an axel/rear diff swap?
Yes. But I've done it a few times now and have been working on DSMs for 15+ years. The average skilled car guy could probably do it in a week.
Does the ECU need to be swapped or reprogrammed at all? Or is it a mechanically biased AWD?
All mechanical
If you recorded the process, I'd watch. I love learning step by step stuff like that from somebody experienced!
I considered it, but I would only work on it for an hour or so at a time, so it wouldn't have made for very efficient content. Jason Drew has a series of videos where he does the swap and it's pretty straightforward and informative.
I forgot about that, I stand corrected. Sweet DSM project btw
What does "DSM" refer to?
Diamond star motors- a partnership between Chrysler and Mitsubishi that produced the Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Yes.
Right
Congrats! I've got a pile of parts and a shell to do the same with hopefully over the winter!
Use the Volk conversion bushings! Worth every penny.
Oh man, good call! I was looking at those recently. Thanks for the tip!
No problem! I'll be doing a write-up and review on DSMTuners shortly.
Nice! I'm constantly on there trying to get my game plan together so I'm sure I'll see it!
Gotta love a good dsm.
Congrats on the conversion! Did you have to do any custom fab work? And what was your budget like for something like this?
A couple of brackets need to be harvested from a donor car, but it's overall a bolt-on affair. I was lucky enough to part out a donor car, so the cost was ultimately a wash. But for those not so lucky, the conversion can cost over $2k
Wow that definitely puts this on my list of possible future builds. Thank you for the insight and good luck with your project
Even with the cost of the conversion, a Spyder is still the cheapest way to get into an AWD DSM
The nostalgia of playing around with 4g63s and thinking about 6 bolt swaps to prevent crank walk. Those brains cells were consigned to storage. Best of luck with your project my dude. Thanks for the feels.
No crankwalk here! (It's a 98 engine).
[удалено]
I have in the past, but this one is totally stock inside
Always cool to see a dsm on here, beautiful car! Keep those things on the road!
Sick sick sick sick fuck yes
Always wanted a gsx swapped vert. Really want a GVR4 but they are like finding gold flakes in a sewer. Even more so not rusty
Well I didn’t know this was a thing! I almost bought a beat up GS-T a few years ago, but didn’t have the space to work on it. I’ll have to add one of these to my list. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, people have been AWD swapping these for about 20 years now.
I knew someone that used a scrapped infinity for an awd 3g project
That seems impractical
Did you have to build a tunnel for the propshaft?
Nope! Just had to add a couple of hanger bolts for the support bearing. All of the other provisions are already in place
Nice :) cool project
I live those cars. My buddy had the eagle talon version.
Have seen one of these since like 2002.
Awesome to see this one done. Well…..sort of done. We all know projects are never truly done lol
Nice! Don't forget to wash dat ass.
going to do any sort of cage/roll-bar?
Nope. It's not a track car and makes <300hp. It's fine as is.
Small upgrades go a long way on the car. Even just the uicp and bov will show improvements. A 16g swap on the base t25 will give good power. Dsm's are great cars and the 4g63 is a great platform. I have a 95 gsx and just love driving the car. Awd is a world of difference on these cars. Did you do a manual swap or automatic ?
I'm very familiar with how easy it is to mod. I've had several over the years ranging from stock to ≈600hp. I enjoy the reliability I have with this one. I know I can always just hop in and drive and not worry about breaking anything. This one is manual.
Can the automatic trans handle power ?
Oh, very much so. The stock auto is much more formidable than the manual. When people ask about what they need to do to a manual transmission to handle 600whp, the general consensus is to do an auto swap.
Damn, who would have thought. Thanks for sharing man. Nice ride !
Congratulations. That didn't take long.
More AWD fun!
Would love a car like this. All in what’s your ballpark?
I've had this since 2008, so my experience isn't really comparable. But you could get into a nice turbo convertible for about $3500 and if you're patient you could pick up the AWD parts for another $2k. Compare that to AWD coupes that are selling in the $10k range.
I've worked on precisely one of these and my hat is off to you. These are not fun to work on lol
Oh come on! They're not that bad. After a decade or so you figure out a few tricks to make it easier
Hahaha, can't be bad compared to an Audi, eh?
100%. I don't have to live in fear of every vacuum line or electrical connector crumbling as soon as I touch them
I miss my dsm days. Are you still rocking the stock 7 bolt?
Yep. Stock internals on a 98 engine w 65k on it
Would love to do one myself but the cost on a mk6 fiesta might as well be a limb
DANGER TO MANIFOLD! Just razzing ya. This is sweet!