Galant VR4

Purchases for rebuild of #139

2009-06-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Im starting to receive all the parts I ordered to start actually putting #139 back together:

$25 russel -6 fuel filter
$30 prothane Tbelt side motor mount insert (had the other 3 laying around)
$52 15ft of -6 Aeroquip sockettless fuel line
$29 worth of -6 hose ends and fittings for fuel lines

My oem feed line was all mangled directly under the original fuel filter (that needed to be replaced for sure). Im planning to cut the oem line down by the steering rack and use a -6 tube nut & flare the stock line. Then run -6 sockettless hose to the aftermarket filter, to the rail, and to an Aeromotive fpr I kept from a previous parts car.

EnergySuspensionParts.com: $135 set of ES poly suspension bushings

JayRacing.com: $125 alternator relocation kit (oem alt, will fix alt death and ic pipe fitment)

Ebay: $4 skateboard bearings for the shifter cable/trans connection.

Rock Auto: $60

$17 steering rack boots
$16 front ball joints
$13 outer tie rod ends
$14 inner tie rod ends

Hopefully all these things show up by the end of this week so the assembly can really kick into high gear.

More POR

2009-06-17T23:53:00.000-07:00

Shortblock after degreasing:

Misc chassis/brake parts after cleaning

Shortblock with a coat of POR15

Misc chassis/brake parts after POR

Fuel tank after removing the shields, cleaning, and a coat of POR15

#139 Modification List

2009-06-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

Engine:

HKS 264 Intake & 272 Exhaust cams
JM Fabrications intake manifold
Ported cyl head
ARP head studs
Stock 6bolt shortblock
Balance shafts deleted
1G DSM NT throttle body
90 DSM oil filter housing & aftermarket cooler

Exhaust:

T3 tube header
.63 AR T3 turbine housing
2.5" SS o2 housing
Tial MSV 38mm external wastegate
3" turboback exhaust

Intake:

3" intake pipe with K&N filter
T3T4 turbocharger (likely an old school 50trim/stg3)
2.5" custom polished aluminum IC pipes
XS power 28"x12"x4" fmic core with flipped inlet endtank
Tial bov (knockoff)

Fuel:

750cc FIC Injectors
Denso Fuel pump
Aeromotive FPR.
Aftermarket fuel filter TBD
-6 lines from filter to rail/afpr

Electronics:

DSMap speed density software
GM 3 bar map sensor and GM Air Temp sensor.
Innovate LC-1 wideband o2 sensor w/ DB gauge.
Eprom ECU w/ Ostrich eprom emulator
AEM Tru Boost gauge/controller
Datalogger cable / Palm M130 / MMSD "speed density logger"

Drivetrain:

TRE Stage 2 tranny rebuild
ACT2600 PP
OEM DSM disk
SS clutch line
Welded center diff
4bolt DSM rear
5 lug DSM hubs

Suspension & Brakes:

D2 coilovers
ES poly bushings
Prothane engine mounts
Fresh stock brake pads
Slotted brake rotors
AWS removed
ABS removed

Interior:

Aftermarket steering wheel
91-94 DSM Shifter Assembly w/ leather boot
2G DSM shift knob
89 Galant glove box and dash pad

Exterior:

89 Taillights
89 Grill
Prime 16x7" wheels
Bridgestone Potenza 205/55/16 tires

JMF intake manifold

2009-06-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Picked up a JMFabrications intake manifold, I guess it is most similar to the current Race model. It has the internal pipe velocity stacks compared to the new model that has the radius machined into the plenum wall. Brent @ JMF says this was made circa June 2006.

I need to decide on refinishing it:

Scuff and repaint (maybe POR)
Strip and Polish (labor intensive and I suck at polishing)
Have it powdercoated along with a matching valve cover. ($)

#139 Weight loss

2009-06-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

Parts removed entirely:

39.5 rear bumper support
6 rear tow loops: pair
8 rear bumper foam
3.5 exhaust heat shield
29.5 front bumper support (prev cut for fmic install)
40lb-EST Complete A/C system
22lb ABS pump
10lb-EST 4 wheel steering
10lb -EST charcoal canister, intake brace, emmissions stuff
9lb power antenna
39lb spare tire/jack/tools/carpets

Total: 216.5lb removed

Parts modified/replaced that alter total weight:

-2.25lb Cut cast drivers side engine mount bracket above PS pump
-1.25lb cut bent end off drivers side engine mount
-2.00lb complete T3T4 setup swapped from 16G setup
+15lb larger FMIC core (xs power 28"x12"x4" core is 23lb)
-5lb Aluminum intercooler pipes
-4lb 89 Dash pad
+15lb 16" wheels & tires
-4lb JMF intake (10lb oem/6lb JMF)
-8lb non cruise control throttle cable
-15lb lawnmower battery
-5lb plastic radiator fans

Total: ~ 16 loss from modifications

Total current weight loss: ~232lb

"To-Do" list of weight loss:

manual seatbelts 20lb
evo8 seats ~40lb
coilover shocks save ~35lb
carbon fiber hood ~30lb
interior sound deadening ~10lb
aluminum flywheel -15lb
remove balance shafts 6.5lb
manual rack & ps delete ~15lb

Total "to do" ~172lb loss

Misc weights for GVR4 parts:

32.5 Fuel tank w/ sending unit & pump
5 Full set of exhaust hangers
17.5lb Stock GVR4 15" wheel
18.75 Front shock & spring
10.5 rear shock & spring
10lb rear swaybar w/ links
8.5lb front swaybar w/ links

All weights listed in LB as measured on a mechanical shipping scale

Making more mess.

2009-06-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Got some time to break things down today and clean up a bit. I had the whole rear subframe & rear assemblies from both GVR4s in the garage as well as the front suspension assembly from 139 to take apart. So they all got torn down, the good parts in one pile and the rusty junk went into my monster pile of scrap steel.

Then I had 4 big coffee cans of bolts and all the control arms, axles, diffs, one subframe and misc stuff to degrease and wash. That rear subframe from 931 was not really rusty, but holy crap it was disgusting from a leaky rear diff pinion seal.

So still getting parts cleaned and ready for another major POR painting. Now that the unibody is spotless clean underneith, everything that gets bolted to it must be the same: brand new or fresh cleaned.

I think when I'm done, this is going to end up to nice to daily drive or take out in the snow/salt.

POR-15 undercoating

2009-06-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I got the main portion of the underbody coated in Por 15 today, again, a suck nuts job brushing it on. It didn't help that the stuff gets sticky just about instantly as it was raining out and is a major workout to brush.

Still have to wash the wheel wells after removing the front ABS wires, plastic fender liners, front fender moldings, and fenders. I want to clean and POR15 the area of the unibody behind the fender that is typically the first to rot on Galants.

That's me in the corner.

Undercarriage cleaning - prep for coating

2009-06-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today was NOT fun. I degreased and washed the entire underbody in prep for Por15 rust inhibitor paint. The degreaser I used seems to eat skin and turn the underbody coating into drippy slime. This was a suck ass job if there ever was one to do on a car. It's clean enough to lick now, all the black undercoating dries off clean and not sticky. On a good note, the floor of the garage is spotless now after being squeegied. The car has to dry tonight and I'm planning to go put a coat on tomorrow afternoon.

I found that my local Napa stocks just about all the Por15 products

$44 for a quart was cheaper than online anyway vs shipping.

Removal of the rest of #139's underside

2009-05-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

No pics from today.

Removed: fuel tank, fuel lines and rear brake hard lines, all the exhaust hangers, rear tow loops, and the rear bumper assembly.

DAMN the rear bumper was heavy:

39.5lb on my shipping scale for the rear support (went to the scrap steel pile behind the garage)
6lb for the pair of tow loops, also in the scrap
8lb of rear bumper foam! wtf that's heavier than it looks.
3.5lb exhaust heat shield

All that stuff isn't going back on for a nice 57lb of weight loss. Brackets to hold up the rear bumper cover shouldn't weight more than 3 or 4lb.

Transition from 931 to 139

2009-05-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I was able to finish up removing all the parts needed from #931 and get it outside off the lift. Here's pretty much everything needed to reassemble #139 into a running car, other than a good T3T4 turbo:

Then I rolled 139 onto the lift and started removing everything on the underside: driveshaft, rear subframe and diff/axles, heat shield, parking cables, steering rack subframe, rack, control arms, shocks, brakes, hubs. That put me to here:

I still need to pull the fuel tank, rear brake lines, -8 fuel line, and the rear bumper support. Then I want to go at all the little rust spots with a wire wheel, wash the bottom, and go at it with a new layer of undercoating or paint.

Then need to start getting the rear subframe cleaned and painted, then reinstalled with the 4bolt diff. Debating getting a rebuilt dsm steering rack now while it's apart since that is such a pita to change a year down the road. Also have to get going on the motor work and a new turbo before I can do much on the front end. But anyway, progress is happening. Im hoping to have the car together and on the road by the end of June.

Parting out #931: drivetrain removal

2009-05-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what 931 looks like as of today:

Pulled the complete engine/trans/suspension/steering in one shot out the bottom. Im intending to install it this way into 139 maybe next week after doing some work on the engine (BSE, Tbelt, Cams,head rebuild, non crunched oil pan, maybe aluminum flywheel)

This is all the bolts required to remove it in this manor. Took from 2pm till 5pm. pretty fast from running car to engine on the floor.

Pic of the turbo setup that went on last weekend.

Still need to snag the fuel tank, lines, and a bunch of engine compartment items from #931 before getting it off the lift.

#931 dragstrip result: blown turbo

2009-05-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

So last saturday I went down to JMFabrications to do some major work on #931. Brent is a very good buddy of mine, he's the guy that makes the JMF intake manifolds, obviously an expert fabricator. So we spend about 16 hours saturday to sunday installing a 60-1 turbo, T3 tube header, fabricating an o2 housing, external mount, dumptube, as well as all new intercooler pipes and modifying the existing fmic core endtanks.

Last night I took the car over to Island dragway to make some passes hoping to hit 11's and maybe 120mph if the planets aligned. This was to be the last day with #931 for me, as Im going to take almost all of the mechanical parts out in order to rebuild a better GVR4 #139. Was really hoping to have the car go out with a bang.

Ended up making one semi decent pass: 12.30 @ 112.5 with a 1.73 60'. The other 4 passes were utter junk (13's @ 108 to 112). The car wouldn't spool up well, horrendously laggy between shifts. Even on a 6000rpm two step launch it would barely make a couple psi of boost. Barely any better than the car ran with a 16g at 23psi even though I was running upwards of 26-28 psi on this 60-1. :banghead:

Here's what I ended up with:

Notice the two cracked off blades. Grabbing the nut you can feel about 1/8" of in/out shaft play, the comp housing is full of oil, and the wheel has ground a big groove into the comp housing. Yeah, that explains the very poor performance. Guess Im going to hunt around for a 50trim t3t4 or something a bit smaller than the 60-1 to replace it.

The turbo and header came of GVR4 #828 that I parted out earlier this year. Sucks as this is about the 5th major thing that came off that car either broken or not what it was supposed to be. Oh well, buyer beware. Glad this turbo ended up failing on me instead of being sold in the partout and having a pissed of customer. :?

Anyway, not what I was hoping for on #931's last day with me. sux.

New turbo setup installed on #931

2009-05-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Pulled an all-day/all-nighter with my buddy Brent from JMFabrications from saturday 8am till sunday at 5:30AM! We installed the following list of parts:

T3 tube header
Tial MVS 38mm external wastegate
Turbonetics 60-1 stage 5 T3T4 turbo
Brent fabbed up a stainless o2 housing and dumptube
Modified existing fmic core: flipped the inlet end tank and welded on a 2.5" cast elbow
Custom 2.5" polished aluminum upper and lower ic pipes
Knockoff Tial bov

Engine bay paint

2009-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

The seam of the paint on the fender attachment area. The line goes right down the 90* corner. That spot seemed like the least noticable place and it was easy to tape. really, the best option would have been to take the fenders off, but this isn't too bad.

The subframes are still groddy and rusty, Im going to swap those with #931 next weekend with the entire drivetrain, engine wiring harness, fuel system, brakes, suspension, and all 931's modifications.

Dragstrip results: improved ET w/ 16G

2009-05-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Fun night at Island dragway. wednesdays are $15 to run a street car and they serve free bbq food all night. Track was empty, every run I went right up to the line, I think one single run I had to stop and wait for a car or two. Made 6 runs, ate 2 cheeseburgers and a hotdog, salads, and free soda. $15 plus a gallon of racegas. What more can a man ask for?

Started sprinkling rain about 8:35, I just decided to pack it in as the traction would surely be worse. I just about got my headlight back in and pumpgas filled and they called it for the night. awesome.

Only changes from last time are that I set the base timing to 5* (it was about 3* before) and I removed the air filter and pass headlight.

12.763 @ 107.41 1.830. 4600rpm = bog. last weeks tune, 21psi no knock. 7:10pm
12.733 @ 108.98 1.891 4700 Spun w/ wheel hop. no datalog. boost shoulda been ~23
12.647 @ 109.86 1.877 4700 bog but clean. 23psi.
12.447 @ 110.29 1.761 5000rpm launch & 23.5 to 24.0 psi.
12.350 @ 110.69 1.734 same everything, better launch at 5000rpm 7:50pm
12.396 @ 110.59 1.762 same again, just a bit of spin in first. 8:22pm

So, got this brick into the mid-low 12's with a better launch. Still not great 60' times, but they are solid for the tires and setup I guess. I think it just took me a little while to get used to an electronic vehicle speed activation vs a mechanical clutch switch coming off the launch rpm. The way it is now, the ecu comes off the 5000rpm limiter right away and tends to spin the tires easier, where the clutch switch setup that I used on aem and dsmchip ecu's would stay on the 5000rpm lmit until the clutch was all the way out which seems to be softer on the tires.

still must have a big boost leak or a weirdo boost controller as I couldn't get more than 23psi that would just touch 24.0 on the logger one or twice a run. E3-16g's should be able to do 27-29psi atleast for a midrange spike then fall off a bit. mine never makes it over 24.0 no mater what. I was too pussy to pull off the wastegate hose to really see though!

So, I guess I'm happy with that. May 16th the car is getting a 60-1 turbo, tube header, new ic pipes, so this was the last time out with the little turbo. Hopefully the next wednesday Island is open (may 20th), Ill get into the 11's with the big turbo and no boost leaks.

Engine bay cleaning and prep for paint

2009-05-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today's progress: After I gutted the engine bay. Removed the engine wiring harness, throttle and shifter cables, clutch master, brake master, brake booster, detached most of the chassis wiring harness, wiper motor, and bunch of misc other crap. That got me to here:

Then a generous soaking of simple green, a box of brillo dish pads, and a long ass time of bending over:

So, while it came out pretty clean, I still need to sand some rust in a few spots. Majorly under the oem battery spot, that's going to need some wire wheel work. wonder if I can get close enough to a match of the stock green or just go black engine bay?

Underside inspection of 139 on the lift

2009-05-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

I got #139 into the garage today and up on the lift to check out the situation. Emptied the interior of misc parts and started organizing. The interior is pretty much together other than rear seats, radio, and ecu. Undercarriage has a bit more rusty stuff than #931, mostly on the subframes and suspension members. Steering rack is leaking bad and looks beat.

So my plan now is to swap even more out of 931 Thinking of removing the complete engine/trans/xcase and all of the front subframes, steering rack, control arms, hubs, axles in one big monster unit. Most of those parts are in better or non rusty condition on 931.

disconnect the engine wiring, radiator & heater hoses, shifter cables, clutch slave, side engine mounts, steering shaft, strut tops, wheels, brake lines all from the top.
lower the car on the lift until the subframes are on a rolling dolly.
unbolt the subframes from the unibody
lift the unibody up.
roll the whole front end away.
swap cars on the lift and set the new car down onto the complete front end assembly and bolt it up

Tentativly Im thinking of doing the drivetrain swap around the weekend of May 23. I think I can get everything out of 931 and have 139 atleast rolling in one weekend. The the next week I should be able to button it up and have the car running.

Anyway, here's some pics from tonight:

Rust is really not too bad, mostly around brackets and bolts.

Q: How much do I trust welded suspension that was done by the person who hacked that hood?

Wow. Clear plastic lens.

Headliner is absolutely mint. I'm floored by this as the one in 931 is all stained and groddy.

Dash is in great shape with no bubbling by the vents.

I haven't found any cracks or imperfections yet.

Trunk and rear seat area has been gone over with some sort of

undercoating that is hard and sandpaper like. It looks decent and clean.

The guy I bought the car from did a good job with the trunk mounted battery and running the cables, but I think Im going to remove it and use the lawnmower size battery mounted to the steering rack subframe. (lighter and no NHRA issues with the cutoff)

Purchase of #139/1000

2009-04-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I picked up #139/1000 this last weekend. The car was previously Turbotommy's car from NJ, then it went to Maryland for some lawn ornament time. The body is really really nice, two single dings (rear pass door and under the pass tail light) and only a couple scratches. Interior is very very nice, but is currently full of parts.

The car is only a rolling chassis, needing an engine/trans, fuel parts, ecu, and all engine accessories. 86k miles on the chassis. My plan is to swap all the parts I need from the GVR4 Im currently driving (931/2000) once I get it cleaned up. Goal for this car is a solid 11 second pumpgas car and super clean exterior/interior. So anyway, for a first post, here's some pics as it sits. I don't think the car has been washed since it was parted out in like 2007.

It's pretty empty under the hood. Unfortunately, the wiring has been taken apart. so I'm going through it for sure before goes in. Might remove the harness and paint the engine bay while it's empty.

:banghead:Way to mangle a perfect hood to glue in vents. Looks to have been cut with a sawzall. Guess that's something else needed, another hood. I got a nice uncut white front bumper and white roof strips, so those need to be painted.

First time at the track with #931

2009-04-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was fun. I really forgot how much I enjoy pedals and shifting. Last time I had a dsm at the track was 2005 in the yellow 1g my shop put together (10.0 @148). It's just as fun in a slow car either way and Im glad to be back into it for a hobby.

Got in 5 runs, 3 gallons of 116 racegas in the tank (holy shit $11 gallon now)

12.98 @ 107.4 1.881 left at 4650rpm and bogged to 2900. street tune. 19psi creep> 21
12.91 @ 108.9 1.940 left at 5250rpm spun/let off, 11.5 AF, +4* timing 21psi solid
12.68 @ 110.3 1.892 - 4900rpm spun first let off. 12.0 AF 23psi
13.55 @ 108.2 1.859 - 4700rpm spun through first then missed 2nd 12.0 AF 24psi
13.02 @ 109.1 1.965 - 4400rpm, bogged. wheel hop on 1-2 shift...let off in second.

Not a clean run all night, but it was super fun no matter what. The DS-Map tuning worked great. The greddy type S boost controller ended up pegged on the high setting to only get 24psi.

So the car is just about where I thought it would be mph wise, I just can't get it off the line worth a shit. It wasn't like I was hitting the tires too hard with aggressive clutch, I was slipping the clutch more than normal i think. Tires would just break loose once the clutch was all the way out and boost came up in first. On the last run I got tire spin from a hard 1-2 shift and it started to wheel hop in front and had to let off.

Literally went up in smoke on a 4700 launch, but would bog on 4500. There was like no window of opportunity with these tires. oh well. They are really hard rubber, couple year old regular street tires I got off a parts car. With some decently sticky tires the car should go real low 12's as it sits.

Didn't get to check the ic coupler I repaired (silicone rtv and duct tape). It likely ripped open on the first pass.

I have a bunch of things to take care of before going back:

Reroute the ic pipes. My lower pipe going into the IC has a 3" to 2" 90* coupler that had a hole. It has to bend more than 90 to make the hole alongside the radiator. Just not a good setup as the coupler is creased.
Get some different tires of some sort.
possibly change the boost controller out for a manual since it was maxed out at only 24psi.
remove more weight. This week I got the front crash support out (~50lb), Id like to ditch the rear one too.

#931 Modification List - 03/06/09 updated

2009-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Engine:

Stock 6bolt "low mileage JDM longblock"
Stock cams, intake manifold, and head.
1G DSM NT throttle body
90 DSM oil cooler & filter housing
Stock HG, hardware, and balance shafts still in.

Exhaust:

3" turboback exhaust
Ported stock o2 housing
Ported 2g exhaust manifold
Ported 7cm turbine housing

Intake:

Evo3 16G
2.5" IC pipes
Aftermarket 3" thick FMIC core
Stock bov
3" intake pipe with K&N filter

Fuel:

750cc FIC Injectors
Denso Fuel pump
AFPR - direct fit adjustable reg
stock fuel filter and lines

Electronics:

DSMap speed density software
GM 3 bar map sensor and GM Air Temp sensor.
Innovate LC-1 wideband o2 sensor w/ DB gauge.
Eprom ECU w/ Ostrich eprom emulator
Boost, EGT, and Oil Press gauges
Datalogger cable / Palm M130 / MMSD "speed density logger"

Drivetrain:

TRE Stage 2 tranny rebuild
ACT2600 PP
OEM DSM disk
SS clutch line
Welded center diff
4bolt DSM rear
5 lug DSM hubs

Suspension & Brakes:

Tein Camber Plates
Bilstein Shocks/Struts
Eibach Springs
Fresh stock brake pads
Slotted brake rotors
AWS removed
ABS removed

Interior:

Aftermarket steering wheel
91-94 DSM Shifter Assembly w/ leather boot
2G DSM shift knob
89 Galant glove box and dash pad

Exterior:

89 Taillights
89 Grill
Prime 16x7" wheels
Bridgestone Potenza 205/55/16 tires
lots of dings, dents, and failing paint.

Lots of work these last few weeks.

2009-03-04T05:31:00.000-08:00

Well, the last few weeks saw a lot of changes to #931:

I found some time to install some of the parts that I had saved from a 93 AWD DSM I parted out.
4 bolt rear diff, axles, cups installed.
5 lug hubs installed
ABS deleted, 25+lb motor in the trash. I used a dsm brake lines and proportioning valve.
slotted brake rotors F&R
16"x7" wheels with Bridgestone potenza 205/55/16's. The tires are nearly new.

The "holy grail" of GVR4 parts was found online, $50: a 344 front engine mount bracket that is the correct one. The car came with a 347 DSM front engine mount bracket that screws up the engine alignment and I wasn't able to get all the engine mounts bolted up. Now all is good and all the mounts line up just right.

Currently the car is up on jackstands while I finish up some loose ends. The car came with a new set of parking brake cables, and I have run into two new issues while installing them:

#1 the vibration the car has had forever was likely the driveshaft. A previous owner of the car put the driveshaft on without the correct bushings on the carrier bearings. I'm sure I have a couple good sets from previous partouts, so it's an easy fix.

#2 while pulling the center console to get to the parking brake lever, I ran into a big rats nest of wiring for the gauges, profec B, radio, ect. I'm planning to change to a different stereo and move the gauges, so now is as good a time as any while the console is out. Funny how working on one project turns into working on 3 projects.

I purchased some new parts that are "in process" of installing:
GM 3bar MAP and air temp sensors for speed density conversion. ~$100
Innovate LC-1 wideband o2 sensor & digital gauge $230
Moates.net Ostrich Eprom emulator. (this works as a reflashable chip for the ecu) $175
3" ss U bend & K&N filter to build a simple intake pipe. ~$65
DS-Map speed density conversion/tuning software and MMSD datalogger software. $FREE

Im planing to remove the AFC, 2G maf, dejon intake, 2G filter, Keydiver Chip, EGT and oil pressure gauges. Those items will go up for sale to cover some of the cost of the wideband and speed density parts.

Also need to pick up some -6 fittings and a fuel rail adapter so I can instal the aeromotive FPR I have around as well.

HKS VPC

2009-02-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

I was able to obtain an old school HKS VPC speed density conversion in a trade with a local dsmer. It came with the 550 chip, all the sensors and is in mint shape. The car drives SO much better with the VPC now.

Now this solves a few of my current issues in one chunk. the Dejon intake and bov position weren't working out so well for recirculating the bov back to the intake, so I had been driving the car with the intake capped and BOV vented to atmosphere. Let me say that is utter crap for drivability with the car stalling at stoplights and running horrendous rich at part throttle.

My plan is to change over to DS-Map tuning soon which will replace the AFC/VPC/keydiver chip/2Gmaf combination with simply a map sensor and AIT sensor and an Ostrich eprom emulator device that allows a laptop to change the fuel and timing maps within the ecu on the fly. Standalone tuning power with the native ECU, speed density. Great, simple, and cheap.

Ill need to order some aluminum bends and a generic K&N filter to make a new intake pipe soon, but Im going to hold off until I figure out what Im going to do for intercooler piping. The next parts car I'm buying has nicer pipes, so I may use them with a different routing.

Parts car #1: donations to #931

2009-01-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

I recently parted out a 93 AWD Talon and kept some parts for eventual instal on #931:

Set of basically brand new 16x7" wheels with bridgestone potenza 205 55 16's with 95% tread left. These will be fine for everyday street shoes, but I plan to get a set of wheels/slicks for the dragstrip.

4 Bolt rear and 5 lug hubs. Obviously I kept the front hubs too as well as a set of slotted 5 lug brake rotors. Im planning to clean and repaint the whole rear suspension before swapping it into the GVR4. This will be a spring time project I guess.

Picked up this intake manifold and direct port NOS kit that may/may not find it's way on the car. It was one of those deals that was just too good to pass up. Just not sure how comfortable I am putting a 120hp hit on top of a fairly strong turbo setup with a completely stock 6bolt block. Although, it would be pretty sweet to knock down a bottom 11 in this car and still have the E3 16G on it for quick spooling street use.

Clutch & Tranny installed

2009-01-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally have the clutch and transmission back in the car. I made some efforts on cleaning up clutter, repainted the Ic pipes, added an oil catch can, and cleaned up the firewall a bit.

New parts installed:
2G OEM clutch disk
Clutch fork & pivot ball (shimmed with 8mm flat washer)
OEM throw out bearing and retaining clip
4qt of BG Syncroshift gear oil
Valve cover gasket and CAS oring
turbo oil drain line gasket

The original battery was huge and right in the way of getting the hood to close properly. I picked up a lawnmower battery that is 350CA and some ring terminal wires. The battery fits perfectly between the frame rail and fuel lines on the steering rack subframe where the charcoal canister once resided. Made a simple hold down bracket. Lost & lowered a few pounds of weight and got the battery tucked out of the way for future work/mods. Much better IMHO than a trunk mount batter: lighter, no NHRA issues, starts the car fine even in sub zero temps, and cost a whopping $21.67 at walmart.

The original hood on the car was wasted with dings and the clearcoat had totally failed and flaked off. Typical for green GVR4's it seems. I was able to pick up a decent condition green hood from a local club member.

Tranny Cleaning

2009-01-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

Spent a couple hours cleaning off my trans to get ready to install the recently welded center differential tomorrow and get it back in the car. It was covered in oil and grime, but it's somewhat sanitary now after some time with a coffee can of gasoline and a paintbrush. Unfortunately my 190k mile Xcase isn't ever going to look clean with this method, but hey, it's under the car and out of sight.

Planned Modifications:

2009-01-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Some of the modifications I'm planning to make to #931:

Battery relocation to the steering rack subframe
ABS removal with 1G DSM brake proportioning valve
Change the engine management to DS-MAP speed density
3" cold air intake to the passenger fender area
new aluminum intercooler pipes, possibly a larger FMIC core.
5Lug DSM hubs and 16"or 17" wheels/tires
4Bolt rear
Weight loss: bumper supports & door beams, heat shields.

Cleanup Work

2009-01-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Im cleaning up the engine bay while waiting to get my center diff back from Bean @ Turbotrix who is welding it solid. The mat on the firewall was removed as well as a bunch of brackets and bolts that weren't doing anything. The intake manifold brake, AC compressor bracket, washer bottle are all gone. Removing the pvc valve to run a 2 line catch can. Im planing to move the battery to the steering rack subframe. I'm going through many cans of cleaner and shop rags cleaning up oil & dirt all over the place. Im fixing some oil leaks as well: New valve cover gaskets, turbo oil return line gaskets, and cas oring,

The car has really no rust at all on the chassis or body. I'm really happy with the purchase, and feel a bit better about doing a significant amount of work on the car. I'v heard through the grapevine that this was a virgina car for most of it's life, explaining the lack of rust. That nasty 3bolt rear is one of the first things I intend to upgrade..

All Wheel Steering lines were removed. There was some power steering fluid leaking around the rack, so a swap to a 1g rack may be in the future.

TOB > ACT Clutch Disk

2008-12-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

I pulled the trans out on saturday night to find this:

Seems the ACT street disk had some wear and the rivets holding the spring hub together pulled out of the main disk plate. The Throwout bearing was in normal shape, as was the clutch fork.

So I ordered a new 2G OEM Mitsubishi clutch disk from JNZ Tuning today, along with a bunch of gaskets and orings to fix all the minor oil leaks on the engine. Total: $101 shipped. The parts should be here this friday. A new ACT Street Disk was $149 alone, compared to $67 for the OEM Disk, and frankly, I trust the stock disk more. The 2600lb pressure plate adds plenty of torque capacity, so I don't think I will have any issues even on race tires and ~450whp.

While the trans was out, I found a bunch of things that needed attention:
missing subframe gusset.
missing trans to engine bolts.
missing axle jackshaft to engine bolts.
a broken vacuum line.
radiator fan plastic mounts broke, needs brackets made to attach it right.

So while the trans is out, Im going to put some effort into cleaning up the engine bay:
Removed: AC compressor bracket, Intake manifold brace
intend to move the battery down to the steering subframe where the charcoal canister used to be.
Clean up some iffy wiring for the rad fans.

Week 2: TOB Failure

2008-12-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Seems the throwout bearing failed today. The previous owner Rich had let me know it has been making noise "forever" and included a new bearing, clutch fork & pivot ball, an some BG gear oil with the car. Happened on he way to work, and I was able to drive the car home without issue minus a working clutch. (RPM matching gearshifts). There was still heavy pedal pressure so the fork didn't snap off nor do I think it's a hydraulic issue. But will see when the trans is out.

The car also has a bad grinding/vibrating in the back. Originally It thought it was a wheel bearing, along with that diagnosis from some respected DSM buddies who had previously worked on the car. But the vibration is really only there when the engine is pushing the car, not when coasting. That leads me to lean to a driveshaft U joint or a rear diff bearing.

So, this weekend's job is
A. Pull the tranny and replace the failed clutch parts
B. Replace the rear wheel bearings since I have the parts here.
C. Replace the parking brake cables.
D. While the trans is out, do some engine bay cleaning, "dead weight" removal, and planning for new IC pipe routing & battery location.

($65 Rock auto for the 4 rear wheel bearings w/ shipping)
TOB, Fork, Pivot Ball, Gear oil, and Parking brake cables were included with the car from Rich C. Thanks Man!

Front brakes and axles

2008-12-09T04:03:00.000-08:00

Front brakes and axle.
$36 cut front rotors
$56 pass front axle
One $20 CV boot kit used for grease/clamp on drivers outer boot.

Oil Changed mobil one 5-20 & mitsu oil filter

Major grease mess cleaned on hubs/brakes/suspension.

2008-11-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from the day I bought the car: