Tonight was first time on the ground and the maiden voyage (roads are clean...)!


What a treat to throttle the project finally. Taut, quick steering, low exhaust note, blowoff noises, great time for a 5 km exploratory run. Love the right hand drive...so does my assistant (in left seat giggling all the way!)

No dash lights which was quite a relief. Backup lights are inop was the only discrepancy. Even the electric cooling fan popped on at the end.


Now the fun part of figuring out how to tune it once we get it inspected...when the roads are clear...

 

Your recirc valve looks to be installed correctly.

 

RobbieOh: Thanks! We could hear it a bit on throttle closures - excellent!

 

Congrats, I have enjoyed reading your journey.

 

soon youll be bored and want to do it all over again

 

Pulled it out in the daylight after 13 months...fun car with all the eye catching elements:


Nearly complete engine bay - the breather will eventually disappear:


The refreshed calipers look nice behind the bronze wheels:


and short video:


And the novelty of the first drive wore off. Looks like we have transfer case leak (axle seal), coolant leak (thermostat?), brake master cylinder damp along with the reverse lights. We did note that the boost gauge was dead because we didn't hook it up with the associated large vacuum leak. The AFR is closer to lambda now at idle...funny how that works. We did ship off an oil pan for the road race treatment in New Zealand - yes half way around the world...see how long that takes.

 

Tim. Project looks super clean & sorted. Pretty sure you will get these issues figured out & corrected

Cheers, Joe

 

Joe - thanks! We agree...in the homestretch...just need nice weather to return to get it out and get some return on the investment/closure! End goal is to lap the Nurburgring!

 

We did another full brake bleed - concern over a squishy pedal on the first push. Hopefully not a master cylinder - significant cost for OEM! Need to put a few miles on it to confirm. No bubbles came out...but then again, I've had an air bubble in the master get stuck - sat empty for nearly a year... We also tidied up wiring, hose routing, and some polish to the front strut bar as well as the hood 'rain deflector.'

Love it when a car comes with holes in its hood from the factory:


Big job today ... minor polish:


This also came in the mail...not sure if we are game after reading a tuning guide for dummies - with ROMs and other acronyms-making my head hurt!:


Merry Christmas!

 

Simple project - adding a cam sensor heat shield. Wasn't made for SAS piping (non-US versions) so a bit of trimming was required:


And installed:


Also decided to try a compression test. Admittedly, the engine is fresh and it was 50 degrees, but it is data. Blocked the throttle open, unplugged the injectors and gave it a whirl.


#1...190 psi
#2...192
#3...195
#4...188

The battery may have been slowing a bit on #4, but happy to see fairly consistent and some reasonably decent numbers!

 

Running out of projects for this car currently...installed the new reverse light switch (5 weeks ship!):


Old:


Complete and now we have reverse lights!:


Next...cowl looks to have some debris under it...thanks to sitting for 5 years outside under a tree:


Yup:


All clean now and thankfully no surprises!

 

One more month of hibernation in Germany...

Possibly the last batch of new parts arrived:

New rearview mirror because the original is delaminating:


And new ashtrays...because Japanese like to smoke:


And installed...ridding the interior of any remnants:


Also got confirmation that the New Zealand modified oil pan...will be on its way back next week!

 

Beautiful build I love the meticulously of everything looks great! It's unfortunate that you had motor issues the first time around but glad it's running healthy now. Sub'd to the thread can't wait for future updates, awesome Evo!

 

SoSoEvo: Appreciate the comments! We will see how the inspection goes in a week...

Center stack complete with the dash filler - plain, but I like it:


Twice around the world finally came the road race oil pan from New Zealand:


Innards are filled with goodness (4 trap doors):

 

Major progress today...weather appeared good and road clear - time to get temporary plates!

Off to registration...:


Next to go for the maiden voyage around the block and point it toward the alignment shop 40 miles away! Less than an hour later - arrival and enjoyed each minute of the drive learning to drive right hand drive/shift on the left while watching oil pressure, coolant temps, hoping nothing falls off!


Success - other than an oil leak and a bit of surging idle (tune)...drove like I'd hoped. Quick steer, firm suspension, lots of fun car noises (diff, exhaust, tire)! On the rack:


Kept the alignment conservative - partly because of wide tires on front became dangerously close to the strut...-1.5 front and rear dialed in. Always fun to visit this shop...13 GTR's on the property along with two Evo's and an assortment of BMW/Porsches awaiting attention. Three GTR engines alone in-work:


Love the hood vents...at traffic lights, you can see the heat wafting thru - appreciate the practical elements of the car. Unfortunately, the moisture was from the blizzard we got caught in...not enjoying the salty mixture on the road...time for a thorough underwash:


Overall no brake leaks (master must have just been faking the leak), coolant temps consistent with fan occasionally triggering, and nothing fell off! The oil leak is the only hold back - something under the lower timing cover (on the oil pump plate). Covered nearly 200 kms to include visiting the engine shop that patiently helped us with the bearing/crank fiasco (appeared he was very appreciative of the 'closure' of a running engine!) Also, picked up the older assistant at school who started to see the excitement of a RHD JDM turbo sedan with a big wing and holes in the hood!