mindovaanything

I know this is a ridiculous long thread but hopefully a few people take the time to read it and give me some advice. Thanks in advance.

I wanted to get thoughts/opinions on my plan for an Evo X build. Let me know if you think other parts would be better suited for my goals or if you think I should change up the order that things are done etc. I've spent countless hours reading, planning, and daydreaming about this build.

I will be purchasing my X in Jan/Feb of 2012. I'm undecided if I should buy used or brand new. Buying used would obviously save me a bunch of money, but I really like the leather and sunroof available in the 2011 models. It's hard to justify spending an additional 10k - 15k though just because I want a sunroof, the appeal of a brand new unmolested car is nice and I'd love to pick out exactly which options I do and don't want. But I'm not sure if it's worth it when clean, low mileage, well kept cars with mods I would be spending even more money on anyway are available. Maybe you guys will sway me one way or the other. Most likely I'll be getting a GSR in WW but the MR's tranny would be nice for traffic and long drives.

Objectives: Over 2 - 3 years build a 600+hp street car. I want to have as quick spool as possible. I want to maintain drive-ability. I want to address all areas of the car and have it be well rounded. I plan to do auto-x, track days, canyon runs, meets and cruises but it will also be my primary/daily driver. I will have a backup/beater car for bad weather and when the Evo is under the knife. I don't care about what class of SCCA the mods put me in because I won't be competing for points or anything but If there are any required safety stuff I need for events I will get that (ie fixed buckets, harness bar but I really don't want to put a cage in). I'm not trying to build a show car and don't want to have the most jdm tyte parts and fitment. I want high quality functional parts no cheap megan or godspeed stuff but I'm also not willing to spend ridiculous amounts on jdm brands because all the cool kids are doing it. I want to be able to hang with the best in all venues street, strip, & track. I've got some ideas for a slightly different direction for the aesthetics than most X I've seen, car but I want to keep some surprises.

So here's my plan, I want to do mods together in logical groups/order so things work together and save time/money. Also each group is a reasonable amount of money to save up and there will be a few months in between where I will enjoy the previous group while saving for the next. Steps 1 - 4 will be done immediately and the rest over time according to budget with lots of seat time, regular maintenance etc in between.

Step 1: Obtain Evo X
Step 2: Detail and change all fluids to mobil 1, redline, motul etc. (Need to research detailing tools and materials)
Step 3: Perform all common fixes: fuel relay, master cylinder, mud flaps, rain guards, interior rattles etc.
Step 4: Electronics - I figure that getting my entertainment stuff setup as well as tuning/monitoring should be my first group of mods done together. I can't stand the look of gauges all over the place and I've got a plan for custom mounting this stuff so I want to install all of it together and then get my first tune.Step 5: Fuel - I figure that since I'll be living in the bay area where E85 is readily available and that having proper fuel is an important supporting mod for everything else setting up the fuel system next would be a good step.
Step 6: Transmission - With all I'm reading about the diff pins and the stock clutch I figure this is what should be done next.
Step 7: Wheels & Tires Step 8: Brakes & Suspension Part 1Step 8: Aesthetics Part 1Step 9: Bolt-Ons & PowerStep 10: Suspension Part 2Step 11: The HeadStep 12: The StrokerStep 13: Aesthetics Part 2

Sev

iTrader: (10)

I like this thread. Nice and prepared. I should have done this too...instead I got into an accident and now I lose sleep every night.

Best of luck, bro!

mindovaanything

^^^^ Thanks took me forever to write this thread, hope it wasn't too much to read I actually omitted a bunch of stuff. I've been trolling this forum for a while and I learned a lot with my current beater project S13 240sx KA-T. Most important thing I learned was to have solid objectives, realistic goals and budget, to buy quality parts from reputable people that are meant to work together and never ever keep and work on your project car at your dad's house if you don't live there and he's not into cars at all.

DjFromVA

hmmmm i like the thread very imformative. It looks like uve done ur reserch and everything, Best of luck. One word of advice , you might consider posting up all the specific question about what you want to do i.e transmition, suspention. In there own sections, u might get a better response then IMO. GL tho!

mindovaanything

Thanks, I'll definitely be doing more specific research into the areas where I have questions. This was mainly about laying out the big picture and hearing what others think of it. Making sure that I don't miss anything major, I'll be taking my time to carefully reconsider each part as the time for purchase/install gets closer.

branning

Definitely a plan that will translate into an awesome build. Keep this updated, I will without a doubt keep looking back to follow what you have done and be very interested in hearing what worked well and what you ran into problem wise!

Very well planned out. Your car will not be some thrown together, modded mess when it's done. This is how a well built car starts!

Thanks!

mindovaanything

This is exactly why I'm making this plan, of course in life things rarely ever go according to plan and I've still got a lot of work to do on the details. There's still a bunch of small stuff missing from the list like boost control solenoid, catch can, interior stuff. I really want to review my plan with some guys from a shop (most likely fftec since I'll be living in the bay area and they will be doing any installs that I can't do myself and the tuning)

I really want to minimize lag so maybe I've chosen a hp goal that is too high or a turbo that is too large we'll see. I may get halfway through and be really happy with the car and just keep it how it is but I doubt it. Another big consideration has been trying to keep the engine bay and the setup somewhat stock looking because I do like the "sleeper" affect and I'm really worried about CA smog and cops. I've got to figure out what the real deal is with that because I see so many built cars from CA but I also see so many horror stories about going to see the ref etc.

I am trying to plan it out so that I don't buy things twice, like an intake that no longer fits when I go to a bigger turbo. But I've also never owned or driven anything with that much power or with a really stiff suspension setup. I'm making a plan based on what I think I will enjoy etc. So we'll see how it goes.

CBRD

iTrader: (60)

very thorough thread-

there are lots of different ways to achieve a goal with these cars-

as your needs change/develop- let us know if we can help- with the radiator or otherwise

cheers

cb

genelee112601

iTrader: (20)

great plans..!! hope c all those step by step pictures and dyno charts!

The_X_Effect

iTrader: (6)

Ik its not in your first couple steps, but I bet you get an exhaust or intake sooner then you anticipate.

murlo26

iTrader: (9)

I didn't read everything but I don't see any plans for doing your short block. You are really going to want to do that.

600whp on an FPblack or EF4 from MAP will be possible. Honestly those turbos should flow more than the ATP 3076. Unless you get a GTX3076 get the black/EF4.

evokerfes

Get a test pipe rather than a high flow cat and I'd go with 18's since you're tracking and what not. I didn't know the Injen intake is carb? I thought AEM was the only carb intake.

mindovaanything

Thanks, I'll be in touch. I've been considering lower/different power goals so maybe your turbo upgrade will work. I also really like the intake heat shield you guys make.

mindovaanything

The plan for the short block is a stroker kit so yea you missed that, I'm debating if I should actually move that further up the list and then bolt all the other stuff onto the built motor.

I've thought about FP black and am still debating, part of me just wants to be different than what everyone else has and the gtx I think will spool quicker which is a big deal for me.

mindovaanything

Yea you're probably right, I should move intake and catback into that first batch of immediate mods before the first tune. The stock X is definitely too quiet.