When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Uhm, well I really like the facility and it's nice that the pits are on the infield. As for the layout of driving the track it's far from my favorite track. It's not bad by any means, just very short. It's a roval so half the track is going around the oval and other half is 6 or 7 turns through the infield.
If Gridlife didn't go to PPIR I certainly wouldn't drive all the way out for it. Though High Plains isn't very far away and looks oodles more fun to drive and I've heard lots of good about it.
I do have a couple in car vids but the sun was being a ***** that morning so it's super over exposed. I need to edit it and I'm not even sure there's really anything worth posting.
Gotcha. Yeah HPR definitely looks like a lot more fun. Well, let us know if you post any vids. You have a YouTube channel?
I do have a youtube channel but don't really post on it ever. I might start using it more after the car is back together. For now I just put everything on my FB or insta, link is in my signature.
Oil galleries in the new block are all polished. Just cleaning out the block and then waiting on new crank to get here so I can start measuring bearing clearances.
As Trump would say, "I am in the process of spending tremendous amounts of money"
Picked up a set of SSB rear knuckles from Dallas and they look exquisite as with all of his products!
I also grabbed a Haltech elite 1500 along with their wideband O2 and some other fun CAN stuff. Going to be running a trim module for boost adjustment on the fly. It will be connected to an Aim MXM dash which will be replacing the Defi gauges I had before so that will handle telemetry and datalogging as well as be a display for pressures and temperatures and alarms. This will help me get datalogs with engine data and telemetry that's automatically time aligned properly. Looking into setting up some shock pots for the dampers so I can start getting more intimate with setting those properly. So much cool stuff that's possible with this thing!
Going to be building a third engine, I re-decided I want to try the 2.4LR combo with the green so that's what I'll be doing to see how I like some extra displacement.
Have some really fun stuff coming up so expect to see some more regular updates again
Last edited by Ayoustin; Jul 12, 2020 at 10:47 AM.
If you didn't already have the AIM dash, have you seen the new PDM/Dash combos from AIM? They look super nice.
I did see a bit about it but honestly I'm not looking to do a whole ton of electrical work at the moment and I'd like to keep my factory gauge cluster for vehicle and engine speed. I'm weird about having a mechanical gauge dash.
One of the things I like most about the Haltech setup is I can use the jumper harness with my factory harness and I won't have to change anything about the ecu in the future when I make a custom harness for it. For now I just want to focus on getting the engine back together and running on the new ecu and then get the suspension sorted. I can only imagine the amount of extra gremlins I'd have if I redid the entire electrical system on the car as well as all the other work I'm doing.
Hey there, me again. Popping in with another biannual update.
Pulled the car out of storage about a month ago and towed it 300 miles back to Michigan. It's now within wrench throwing distance again so I've been working on it slowly over the past month.
Drivetrain is still in the car, won't be pulling it until the new new is ready to go in. Most everything else is out though, turbo and exhaust, intercooler and piping, intake manifold, heat exchangers, battery, intake, some electrical stuff along the firewall etc. As of right now here's the list of work I've got ahead of me, some jobs are bigger than others, in no particular order:
1. Modify charge pipes for HD clamps - Getting rid of silicone charge pipe couplers, I've lost too much track time to them popping
2. Finish porting exhaust manifold and get it ceramic coated - Got an FP exhaust manifold, ported it because I can't leave anything alone
3. Check wheel bearings for excess play - They're old, might just replace to have something fresh
4. Set up rear view mirror - Getting rid of my clip on mirror and got a Wink panel mirror
5. Install SSB rear suspension uprights - Nice and shiny, will go well with the rest of the suspension upgrades
6. Install SSB front lower control arms - Rounds out the entire SSB catalog on the my car Can't wait to get caster dialed to where I want it
7. Revalve my Ohlins Flags - Got to talking with a friend who has a patent for some sweet carbon fiber diaphragms for shocks so going to give that a shot to give this old suspension a bit more finesse. Option B is ship them to Japan to get revalved because that's the only place in the world that has parts for Flags.
8. Design and get cut trunk hinge reinforcements - I came up with a design to keep the trunk hinges from flexing due to downforce from the wing
9. Fabricate compressor outlet J pipe - I designed a high flow compressor outlet pipe for stock frame turbos, Dallas cut me some baller flanges for them
10. Convert rear suspension to all spherical connections - Nobody offers the parts for this anymore so I'll be machining my own bearing housings on a mill I bought
11. Make new oil pan - I designed an oil pan that won't have oil starvation problems. Just need to decide if I'm going to make it from scratch or cannibalize a Moroso pan I have
12. Make ECU and Aim mount - I designed a bracket to mount all my Haltech stuff on my cage underneath the dash, still need to decide where and how I'm mounting the Aim
13. Make new exhaust and bezel - Changing to the FP SS turbine housing means new side exit exhaust, exhaust will also be getting ceramic coated
14. Make rear sway bar - I'm designing a splined rear sway bar, will have tons of adjustment and mount to factory location on the subframe, will be able to be considerably stiffer than any off the shelf options that currently exist
15. Make new oil cooler and power steering cooler setup - Oil cooler is willed with trash, going to make a better ducted setup. Power steering has had issues with boiling. Not sure it it's low quality fluid or insufficient cooling but gonna upgrade the cooler regardless.
16. Make new shifter cables - I designed an upgraded shifter cable set that's more rigid and stronger than factory cables. I know factory cables aren't a weak point and mine haven't given me issues but they are NLA from Mitsu and nobody has stock from what I've seen so I'd like to offer something for guys doing 5 speed swaps or who may want a new set of cables.
17. Make quick release door and hood hinges - Just trying to make the car easier to work on and load/unload on the trailer
It's a long list and I have no deadline so when it's done it's done. Hoping to make a few days to test the car next year but who knows what next year will even look like. I'm still gathering the last of the engine parts but not really pressed to get the rest until most of this list is done and the car is ready for a new engine.
Here's what was in the cooler and filter. Engine is definitely ****ed, something inside bit the dust.
Printed my ECU mount and test fit it, looking really promising, will be making it from aluminum once I get the mill.
Current status of the bay, have yet more wiring to go through, probably pull out another pound or two of wires.
Got a long road ahead...
Last edited by Ayoustin; Nov 25, 2020 at 11:02 PM.
Bummer about the engine . You've had some bad luck with it. Hopefully your new setup will die due to hours and not some outright failure of some kind. Also put me on the list to buy the the Jpipe once its done and am interested in what you have in mind for the trunk hinges. Cheers old buddy.
Bummer about the engine . You've had some bad luck with it. Hopefully your new setup will die due to hours and not some outright failure of some kind. Also put me on the list to buy the the Jpipe once its done and am interested in what you have in mind for the trunk hinges. Cheers old buddy.
Yes, plenty of bad luck, but also lots of cut corners in the name of saving money. Something I'm not doing this go around.
I'm hoping to place an order soon for materials to make 5-10 of the J pipes. It's definitely not something I'm anticipating I'll make many of but I'm not a big fan of the factory pipe. I'll be posting about the hinge reinforcements when I have them done. Pretty simple idea, just making them thicker to increase cross sectional area.
Originally Posted by Dallas J
Awesome, glad to see its at its new home to get working on again.
Thanks guys! I'm super glad to be working on it again.
In other news I finished up my design for a reverse cam sensor housing. I know there's a few options out there already but I figured I'd like to try my hand at making one with the new mill once I get it.
. You've had some bad luck with it. Hopefully your new setup will die due to hours and not some outright failure of some kind. Also put me on the list to buy the the Jpipe once its done and am interested in what you have in mind for the trunk hinges. Cheers old buddy.
