The '95 Eagle Talon.
It started out as a project car, no questions about it. Both of the Left Rear quarterpanels had been hit considerably, the right side looked like it got shot up in a drive by. The left side needed more than bodywork though. A Strut, A-arm, Control-arm, and a Cross Member rounded out the damage report. The front headligths were all fogged up and yellow and the paint was fading. For some reason, Eagle thought that it might be sporty to manufacture the front bumper cover so that it looks like a sloth that is smiling at you when looking the car head on. And not to mention the smart kid who had the car before us desided it would be a great idea to paint all of the trim and dash pieces white! Well, needless to say, we had some work ahead of us when the car was first bought. So keep reading to follow along with our progress.
We did 4 major things during this portion of the conversion.
- Changed the Wheel Bearings at all 4 Corners of the car to eliminate road noise.
- Installed new front Rotors and Pads to eliminate any chance of wobble .
- Droppped the Car 1.5" by replaceing the stock springs with lowering springs.
- Installed 17" Gunmetal Grey Rims.
The Rims were the 17x7 Motegi MR7 and the Tires were Kelly's, 205/45R17.
So basically, the whole front end had to come off. The Caliper, Rotor, Pads, Steering Rod, 2 Control Arms, Strut Mount, Strut, Hub Assembly, CVA Joints...All Off! It was very strange and it made me almost scared to see the front end in so many pieces. I didn't know whether or not we would be able to get it all back together, and even if we did, if it would be correct and safe to drive! Take a look at the picture.
The Rear End was quite a problem. The problem wasn't taking it apart or anything, but getting the correct parts. We ordered the rear bearings for it and they came in just as expected. But when we disassembled the rear, the bearings just were'nt the right ones. So Autozone did us dirrty. We then tried Advance Auto Parts. We called them around closing time and asked if they had the bearings, and sure enough they did. When we got there in the morning, they had been sold just before we arrived. Who buys Rear Bearings for an Eagle Talon!?! On the day that WE Need Them!?! So they had to be ordered. But no, it was friday at 12:15pm. Overnight orders have to be done before 12 noon and couldn't be done at all on Saturdays. Anyways, it was a fiasco. So we went to a smaller parts store in Middletown and they had only one in stock, but luckily the Napa in my town only had one too. WooHoo! So we pick up the bearing from the Middletown store and headed on over back to Napa. We get to Napa and they thought it would be nice if they told us that they were actually LYING on the phone, they didn't have one in stock. So we decide that we will try to do at leat one side of the rear end with the one new bearing that we have.... We get to the shop and what? Its the wrong bearing? Noo...couldn't be.... Things in life are perfect.... The bearing goes back. Napa says that they can order the correct ones so I order two. The phone wakes me up the next morning telling me that THE BEARING is in. THE BEARING?!! I ordered TWO of those Bad Boys! What Happened?!! Ohh riiight, miscommunication..... So the other bearing came in and we finally get the Rear End put together. :-) Joy . . .
The Springs went in fine too. After some minor mods and a lot of dremel cutting, everything came apart just dandy. :-)
The front end went together very happily. Though for some reason, I was very nervous about possibly getting something wrong like not tightening a bolt enough so that at 70MPH, the wheel comes flying off on the highway, barrels off across the median, hitting a rock which sends it flying up into the air and crashing down into someone elses car which would be about a 140MPH impact for them since they are travelling 70MPH in the opposite direction. The car goes into a 4 wheel spin, freaking out the Mack Truck driver carrying 8,000 Gallons of Petrolium into an 18 wheel skid, finally catching a rough spot of tractions sending the gallonage spilling towards the car as it spins out of control, one side scraping the ground creating enough sparks to ignite hmmm, say about 8,000 GALLONS OF FUEL!!! So now everyone is dead, because I didn't know how to properly tighten a bolt.
When that mental escapade finally faded, we pressed the front wheel bearings into the hubs, replaced the stock springs with the lowering springs, and finally slapped on the new rotors.
We are done. . . for now of course. The car goes down the road tight, straight, and quiet as a funeral parlor. The car was dusty, but it will shine up just nice. Here are some pictures of the finished product.
Created 7/05/04 by Chris Sytsma
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Eagle Talon
< Overview
< Tires/Rims
< Front Disassemble
< Rear Dis/Assemble
< Front Assemble
< Finished Product
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