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Mitsubishi makes a 3.8 V-6 nowadays; they currently use it in the Eclipse and the Endeavor SUV. I have the feeling that's the 3.8 he's talking about. It has 265 hp and 262 ft-lb of torque. I thought it was offered in the Galant as well, but it looks like it only offers a 4-cyl these days.
I'd imagine stuffing that engine (and might as well grab the beefed-up transmission too, either a 6-speed stick or 5-speed automatic) would be a tight fit in the older-style Eclipse. I'd also worry about that much torque, as well. I don't think the first-gen Eclipse is exactly a featherweight, but I doubt it was designed to take that much force, so it would require some considerable beefing-up.
My guess is that if you want more power in a '95 Eclipse, you'd be better going with one of those hot little 2.0's that Mitsu currently offers in the Lancer. Or, what about the turbo that they offered back in 1995?
I could see doing something like this 3.8 swap if you were very well off financially and had money to burn, and did it as a true labor of love. Heck, I've fantasized about putting a 426 Hemi, or a 440 Wedge, in a 1979 New Yorker, but most likely that will remain just that...a fantasy!
For instance, if you found an old 80's Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Regal, etc sitting around and wanted to do something with it, which engine would be a better choice for throwing in? Anybody know how much torque those old 3.8 turbos had? I think my supercharged 3800 has 280 ft-lb.
I wonder how hard it would be to take a FWD engine and make it work in a RWD setup? Considering the engine was originally RWD, and made to work with FWD, maybe not TOO hard?
Still debating on whether or not I'll sell the Z. If only I had an extra garage space.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Best of luck with the sale... now what are you going to buy to replace it ???
It depends. Most examples I can think of offhand had a number of changes in starter, distributor position, etc to accomodate the change; enough that its easier to find the correct orientation motor in the first place rather than trying to convert one into the other.
Replacing it? Well, not really. The bimmer is gone and now this will go and 1 convertible will take the place of both.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I remember now. You were shopping convertibles with a $10k limit. Let me put in my vote for the Solara. An attractive car. Should be a comfortable, reliable, economical cruiser.
People "bad-mouth" Camrys as a boring drive, but the V6 is purported to be a gem. I recall the phrase "the sound of ripping silk" from a C&D road test. I would expect that a rear sway-bar and a set of Bilstein shocks would do wonders for the driving dynamics. :shades:
I don't know if these fall into the sludge-troubled years. That may be something to check before purchase.
Anyhoo... our limit is half that. I am borrowing my dad's Saab for a little while to see how we like it. Nice car for $4k. A bit sluggish and in desperate need of a detail, however.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
But it is one heck of a commuter/travel car.
Two friends of mine have these, and they are really nice for what they need: Quiet on the freeway, good gas mileage (30+ hwy -- 4cyl) -- or power (80-90 mph; 6cyl). They look good, lots of people (cough, chicks) don't know what they are, and both cars have worn extremely well at 10 years and ~ 100 k miles.
For a trouble-free, quiet, good-looking hiway cruiser with good looks, I don't know what would make more sense. It's quite an achievement, really.
The guy with the 4cyl also has an '06 RX-8. He gets all the excitement he needs from that. Wankel, baby!
-Mathias
My mother drives a Camry...reliable, well built, etc...but man is it a dull drive.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
What I probably need to do is go out and drive a Sebring, see how bad it really is, if that's the case, and get it out of my system, once and for all!
it was a GTC, so the "sporty" model. With a 2.7l engine. Actually drove pretty well.
Oh, and of course, it was the rarest of rare animals. A 5 speed stick. How many of those do you see?
the stick/clutch was pretty good too, better than I expected, and the car felt pretty quick with that set up.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Now, there's a house two doors down from me, and its address is different from mine by one number. The mailman gets the mail mixed up between the two fairly regularly, and one evening, I even caught a tow truck driver trying to dump a wrecked Mountaineer in my driveway, because it was meant for them and he got the addresses mixed up! There's an old white school bus on that property, as well as a wrecked Concorde and a Cabriolet that's sinking into the ground. Nobody has lived in that house for about 5 1/2 years, although a church group bought it in late 2006, and then started dumping cars, vans, the bus, etc on it.
I called the inspector this morning, hoping he had just mixed the addresses up, like many people do. Unfortunately he didn't.
However, they didn't nab me for that Benz, specifically. The inspector mentioned a black Cadillac. Well, from a distance, a midnight blue '79 New Yorker might look like a black Cadillac to the unwashed masses. While my New Yorker is tagged, the front license plate isn't on the bumper, but up on the dashboard. So, from a distance, it looks like an untagged car.
Unfortunately they're going to come back out and re-inspect, so I'm going to have to get rid of that Benz. I don't want to take a chance on them spotting it.
I'm gonna be kind of sad to see it go. While it's just an old heap and probably not even a good parts car anymore, I was kinda curious to see how it holds up over time, in a "Life After People" sort of way!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Yeah, that's what I'm hoping, as well. I called the owner of that Benz a few hours ago, but only got his voicemail, so I left a message. This thing was supposed to be a parts car for another '52 Benz that he's been trying to restore, but the last time I heard, that car was in multiple pieces scattered about his garage and basement. He retired a few years ago, and I've mostly lost touch with him, although I did see him at a work related party a couple months ago. I have no idea how old he is...my guess is upper 60's or early 70's.
I've been storing this parts car for him for 6 years now, and I remember him talking about his '52 Benz since as long as I've known him, which must be about 15-16 years now. So, sadly, my guess is the car he's trying to restore will never get done, and the one I'm storing for him will, get junked. The passenger compartment and trunk are loaded up with boxes and baskets of extra parts though, so maybe there's something of use in there.
Other people at work have said this guy tends to start projects of all sorts, but then never finishes them. So it looks like this car is just one of his many victim projects.
That's really a shame. I wonder if that's an indication of declining quality in Chrysler's more recent years, or maybe these things were just rentals that were abused? I was impressed at how well my 2000 Intrepid's interior held up over the 150,000 miles I had it. The seat showed very little wear and tear, and the carpet looked like new, although the driver's side floor mat was getting worn at the area where my heel would go. There were no squeaks or rattles, although the passenger side window did creak a bit when you rolled it up. It started doing that when the car was only a couple years old, but never got any worse. I was afraid the motor would fail, but it never did. The little cover over where the ashtray would be, if it had one, had gotten loose, and would open up if I hit the brakes too hard. But, that was about it.
I think Chrysler put more effort into those LH cars than they did the Stratus/Sebring, though. They weren't perfect, but based on my experience, I would've bought another. Heck, when my Intrepid got totaled, my first thought was to go out and buy another! Only reason I didn't is that I figured that life's too short, and after 10 years, it was time to experience something different.
You know Andre, that's a pretty good guess I'd say :P
Actually it's not a bad-looking car but it does not enjoy a very palatable reputation.
There's nothing unusual about a new model struggling for a year or two, but if the product simply will not improve year after year, it begins to take its toll---consider Saab and its stagnating reliability and identity problems, versus Hyundai taking the bull by the horns and doing something about it.
The 21st century is another one of those big "shake-out" periods in Automotive History, much like the 1930s and the 1950s.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Our county will let you have one untagged/non-running/parts car/etc, as long as it stays in a closed garage. However, I don't see how the county would find out that you had more than one, if you kept them all inside. I guess if you happened to have the garage door open at the time a code enforcement officer pulled up, maybe?
When I talked to the guy this morning, he just asked me to turn my NY'er around, so they can see from the road that it's tagged. I'm also glad that they're cracking down on the place two doors down from me, with the school bus and other junk. If I found out I was being singled out, I'd be really miffed!
I think they busted one of my other neighbors, too. She used to have an old Ford Ranger pickup that her son owned. It didn't have tags on it. Well, yesterday when I was in the back part of the yard, near her house, I noticed it was gone.
But even then I think if you have 10 non running junk cars, it should be nobody's business if they're hidden away in a garage.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
About 10 years ago, the "city folk" finally pushed their way as far south as his town. Built a house directly across the street and, sure enough, the town starts bugging him about his "improvements" and nonregistered cars. His solution? Put up stockade fencing to block the view from the road.
Oh.... and threaten the new neighbor.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Any period radios in the pile of parts? Those are sought after, and are pretty cool. The small trim pieces and gauges are where the money is on that car, not body parts.
Unfortunately, that won't always work anymore, because the busybodies have discovered websites such as Googlemaps or Bing.com, where you can do close-up aerial views, street views, birds-eye views, etc. Here's a whole website devoted to housin violations and code enforcement near Gainesville, Florida. I started reading through the list, and some of the stuff is funny, but some of it makes it sound like a shantytown...people living in cargo containers, camping trailers, etc. And in many cases, people mention that such-and-such is viewable from Bing.com or whatever. One of them mentioned an old green Explorer that's been sitting in a drainage ditch behind a house for several years. And sure enough, go to the street view of google maps, and you could "cruise" right past it!
We're kind of the same way though...my grandmother's uncle built the house I'm in back in 1916, and it's a safe bet this land has been in the family a good while before that. And once upon a time, it was all rural countryside. So, I tend to take that "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us!" attitude. If I was in some tight-knit community with small lots, or an HOA, I'd have a different attitude, but c'mon, 4+ acres almost looks incomplete if it DOESN'T have an untagged car sitting on it! :P
And no, I don't think he has any service records.
Full retail ++ for a car that has big red marks on the CARFAX? yeah, right.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
And, heck, with those miles, it would make a good donor car if it is the HPT version.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Someone once told me that silver colored cars are hardest to repaint because matching up and blending the paint is difficult. This one is an extreme example.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Velvet Red over Wicker Beige
2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha