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HybridZ

? about plastic timing belt cover on my other car.


Guest Tempe_Z

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Guest Tempe_Z

Ok my soon to be daily driver and commuting mile racking up beast is a 94 Mitsubishi Eclipse with the lovely 92 (or is it 93) horsepower 1.8 SOHC engine. I bought it for next to nothing since it needed a clutch and some oil leaks fixed and otherwise is in great shape (it was my cousin's car so I'm pretty sure he's not going to screw me over intentionally). Took off the tranny for the clutch noticed the rear main is leaking, then noticed the pan is leaking and said aw screw it might as well do all the oil seals on the crank and balance shaft and new timing/balance shaft belt while I'm in there.

 

Anyway, the Timing belt cover is a smashing little piece of plastic, 2 of em in fact that appears to have at some point warped and as a result the alternator and power steering belts wore a hole through them over time. Anybody think I'm jury rigging things too much by possibly just cutting the middle out of the existing ones and making a new center section out of some 20 gauge or so Stainless sheet and then sticking it all together with JB weld?

 

I'm just not real big on paying almost 80 bucks for a new set of covers from the dealer that's just going to wear though again all too soon. I guess I'd like to know if anyone's undertaken such an endeavor before on anything else and if so, how it worked out.

 

Also, am I too far off on the metal thickness, 20 guage being .036 inches. I don't have a bandsaw and will probably either use a rotozip or a jigsaw, so I'd like to keep cutting it reasonably easy without it being too flimsy. Might look nice too as a fringe benefit, but this is just my commuter car so I really don't care honestly. Function over form is the key here.

 

I've called junkyards to find used ones, but apparently since the factory covers are basically crap it's impossible to find one that's intact on anything with some miles on it. Anyway that should pretty well cover it, any constructive or humorous non-constructive input is appreciated. Aw hell flame me even if you want it's all in good fun. Sure makes you appreciate the chain/metal cover on an L series engine though I tell ya.

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