Diamond Star Motors (DSM)

This is a bittersweet page in my life and on the website.  Diamond Star Motors was purchased by Mitsubishi a while back and they had a factory in Normal, Illinois (I don't know if this is the case; I guess I could have googled that pretty easily).  I would say that this was Mitsubishi's finer moments due to the popularity of the 4G63 motor, Lancer and 3000 GT.  They were making motors for Hyundai, Eagle and Plymouth Chrysler during the 90's.

The first car I purchased with my paper route/cleaning aunt's apartment buildings was a 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse GST 5 - Speed (FWD Turbo).  I learned how to drive manual (or 'standard transmission' if you are British) and also taught my brother as well.  

Admittedly, I have a bad habit of taking things apart.  The engine (4G63T) was leaking oil through an exhaust valve guide.  I decided to fix it/rebuild the bottom end while fixing the cylinder head...this was my first exposure of being a 'car mechanic'.  All I can say is that the rebuild failed miserably as the bottom end spun a bearing, but I eventually rebuilt it again successfully.  They say, 'it's better to have tried and failed than not have tried at all' ... I suppose that quote makes sense if you are trying to gain experience points while increasing personal suffering.

Anyway, I then purchased a 1995 Eclipse GST followed by a 1996 Eclipse GST (AWD turbo).  I have some pictures of the rebuild and random things I did with the GST.  This was a labor of love but also a huge time suck.  Eventually the oil pump failed on the rebuilt motor which caused it to seize :( I eventually bit the bullet and purchased a newer car that had a similar 'feel': the 2014 Genesis Coupe (RWD, 2.0L Turbocharged).  It just made sense to buy a car rather than spending the time and money on a 20 year old car.

p.s.  This is why my brother calls me an orange neck.

SHORT LIST OF MODS:

  • Front Mount Intercooler (FMIC)

  • 14b TDO5H Turbo (20 psi boost)

  • ECMLink tuning platform

  • Wideband O2 Sensor

  • 1g Blow off Valve

  • Lightened Flywheel + Higher Pressure Plate Clutch

  • Megan Racing Turboback Exhaust (3", was too loud).

  • Short RAM Intake

  • Polyurethane motor mounts

  • Balance Shaft Elimination

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • 16" Aluminum Alloy Rims

  • Dual Piston Calipers

  • All Wheel Drive (non LSD)

  • Turbocharged

  • 5 Speed Manual Transmission

  • 210 HP @6k RPM

  • 214 ft-lbs Torque @3k RPM

  • ^Above are factory specs, I never dyno'd my car after modifications.


GENESIS

This is the car that usurped the DSM.  I picked this car up from Maryland and drove it back to the great state of Iowa.  East coast cars tend to be cheaper (depending on make) than in the Midwest.  I never thought I would buy a Korean car although it is from the motherland.  Hyundai had a terrible reputation in the 90's early millennium.  However, this car met the criterion that I had for a newer car; it was RWD with Limited Slip Differential, turbocharged and 4-cylinder for better fuel economy.  

With that said, I still miss the DSM.  It had more of an 'analog' feel rather than the current computer-controlled Genesis.  The Genesis uses electric power steering; whats up with that?  Also, if I want to tune the car, I have to either break the bank with a Haltech or flash the ECU.  In the DSM, I had a complete stand alone chip/controller/software for a third of the price of a Haltech.  While I'm still griping, let me say they didn't offer a moonroof on the R-Spec model either.  These are what I call first world problems <- funny at first, but it's an indictment on our society (including myself).

SHORT LIST OF MODS:

  • Turbo XS Blow off Valve

  • Short RAM Intake (K & N)

  • Short Shifter (the install included 3 stitches)

Specifications:

  • 19" Aluminum Alloy Rims

  • Large Brembo Brakes (Front and Rear)

  • Rear Wheel Drive

  • Limited Slip Differential (LSD)

  • Turbocharged

  • Front Mount Intercooler

  • 6 Speed Manual Transmission

  • 274 HP @6k RPM

  • 275 ft-lbs Torque @2k RPM

 

 Sold…


CROSSTREK

totalled.png

*Not crosstrek

In order to solidify the family man image…we purchased a used 2014 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid after my wife’s accident that totaled her car (don’t worry, all parties involved were fine, just a typical traffic causing fender bender on the parkway I-376). We felt bad for the other dude, he was going fishing for the weekend…

License plate scrubbed in case I ever cut you off in Pittsburgh, though this model/color are like locust in western PA.

Until the day we traded this car in, we thought the model was ‘Crosstek’. We were wondering why the salesman kept saying Crosstrek, and then we had an epiphany. We were driving back from a visit to Iowa, and the automatic transmission temperature light came on and the car lost power. We were stuck on the side of the interstate near Southbend Indiana for 3 hours with our newborn. The car was towed to the dealership and they said everything was fine…just ran out of gas. I was skeptical of the diagnosis, so we pushed the timeline of getting a larger car to accommodate our growing family.