The forever project
09-30-2013, 08:18 AM
#41
Only time I lock my car is with a hardtop on. Which means if I drive my turbo car with AEM gauges and other swag it always has a hardtop if I'm parking somewhere other then a coffee shop w/ windows.
-Zach
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10-02-2013, 04:37 PM
#42
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I've been in the market off and on for a rollbar and a hard top. It's a work in progress, though on the bright side my friend needs a new HG and wants me to help pull the head off. This means I get to test several parts from his car to see if they fix the car bucking; The wiring harness on the back of the head, the TPS and the CAS if absolutely necessary. I need to get a charger for my laptop before I swap over to those sensors though..
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03-14-2014, 03:08 AM
#43
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Been too long since my last update! I got my taxes back and figure it's time I splurge just a tad on the car; I had been holding out for a set of 6ULs, but the overall difficulty in acquiring a set and the likelihood of one being damaged on MN's asstastic roads means I'm going to have to settle. I've been fighting between 15x8 and 15x9, and I've decided I will stick with 15x8 for the DD aspect, I will probably buy a set of 15x9s in the future for tracking but I like having the option of un-stretched 205s.
As for the wheels, I opted for the lightweight and decent looking Konig WideOpen wheels in Flat Black (because screw cleaning brake dust). You really can't go wrong with 15x8 wheels at 13.4 pounds and only $109. The fact that they are in stock mid-march means I should be able to find one if I break one this summer. I'll put the Heliums on my DD and since my Star Specs are still fairly new, I'll just have them mounted to the new wheels.
Here's what the car would essentially look like with the new wheels (though in black lol):
Next up on the chopping block is a roll bar. I thought I'd gotten lucky and found a used local one, but alas it was just a fancy style bar that looked like a roll bar. I'll probably pick one up closer to Spring so I can install it. Thinking a double-diagonal hardtop safe bar is what I'll look for. The top is still cut from that break-in, and I don't care to report the claim yet because I can't drive the car out to have it looked at.
And lastly, the car still has that oscillating issue from last year; First thing I want to try is a fuel map from before I noticed the issue, perhaps 2012. I'm going to get a new TPS and a good engine harness if the map or TPS aren't the issues. I had plans for a vacation of some sort, but if I can get the car running reliably enough to be safe to drive cross-country I think I'll take it to FM to work out all the minor fueling and performance kinks and check out the mountain roads on my new wheels
As for the wheels, I opted for the lightweight and decent looking Konig WideOpen wheels in Flat Black (because screw cleaning brake dust). You really can't go wrong with 15x8 wheels at 13.4 pounds and only $109. The fact that they are in stock mid-march means I should be able to find one if I break one this summer. I'll put the Heliums on my DD and since my Star Specs are still fairly new, I'll just have them mounted to the new wheels.
Here's what the car would essentially look like with the new wheels (though in black lol):
Next up on the chopping block is a roll bar. I thought I'd gotten lucky and found a used local one, but alas it was just a fancy style bar that looked like a roll bar. I'll probably pick one up closer to Spring so I can install it. Thinking a double-diagonal hardtop safe bar is what I'll look for. The top is still cut from that break-in, and I don't care to report the claim yet because I can't drive the car out to have it looked at.
And lastly, the car still has that oscillating issue from last year; First thing I want to try is a fuel map from before I noticed the issue, perhaps 2012. I'm going to get a new TPS and a good engine harness if the map or TPS aren't the issues. I had plans for a vacation of some sort, but if I can get the car running reliably enough to be safe to drive cross-country I think I'll take it to FM to work out all the minor fueling and performance kinks and check out the mountain roads on my new wheels
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03-30-2014, 03:34 AM
#47
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Update! Wheels arrived today, they look better than I imagined. Didn't come with stems though, it's going to be 60 today and I can't wait to take the car out...
Fire: That looks fantastic! I got +25 as well, and that is exactly the look I was hoping for. Are those 225s? I'll be running 205s until they are finished off. Did you have to roll your fenders much?
PAn: The roads are just terrible the last few years, they were much better just a few years back but the state has really been letting the condition deteriorate here. I bent a wheel and an upper control arm on an offramp that was VERY short with a wall at the end and a sharp 15mph right.
Fire: That looks fantastic! I got +25 as well, and that is exactly the look I was hoping for. Are those 225s? I'll be running 205s until they are finished off. Did you have to roll your fenders much?
PAn: The roads are just terrible the last few years, they were much better just a few years back but the state has really been letting the condition deteriorate here. I bent a wheel and an upper control arm on an offramp that was VERY short with a wall at the end and a sharp 15mph right.
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03-31-2014, 09:30 PM
#48
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I've been heavily considering dual gauges for my 3-pod a-pillar mount for a very long time, after all more info is more better right? Well after seeing a car with 3x dual function gauges I have decided to just go with EGT on the top, AFR in the middle and boost/vac on the bottom. I'm not sure what gauges/sensors to bother with, what's the resolution like on electronic gauges? Do they update slowly? Would it be better to stick with an electronic gauge?
I'm considering changing the internal dash lights from green to red, which means I'd like something that would at least semi-match the dash. I have the FM boost gauge, but I might replace that because it tops out around 20? psi. When I go EFR I'll probably go into the mid 20s for boost, so a matching boost gauge would be good too. Oh, and since my deck's face was stolen, I need a new radio. Something that has red in it.... lol
I'm considering changing the internal dash lights from green to red, which means I'd like something that would at least semi-match the dash. I have the FM boost gauge, but I might replace that because it tops out around 20? psi. When I go EFR I'll probably go into the mid 20s for boost, so a matching boost gauge would be good too. Oh, and since my deck's face was stolen, I need a new radio. Something that has red in it.... lol
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06-20-2014, 02:05 AM
#49
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I've been working on the Miata a lot lately, but haven't been motivated to update the thread; I have quite a bit of an update to do now lol..
I have been running my 205/50/15 star specs (z1) on my 15x8 wheels up until yesterday. The ride was very rough on the pothole ridden Minnesota roads, so I decided to get some 225s on there stat. Lucky for me, one of our local AutoX guys was selling some used Rivals (roughly 5/32 tread remaining) with chipping on one shoulder from a sway bar hitting it. He was selling them at $180 so needless to say I jumped on that steal. I am now running them 32f/34r with the chipped tire on the back (less camber) and there is zero noise whatsoever (lucky me!), I haven't had a chance to really push the tires though because we've gotten about 4" of rain in the last week here, all the good roads are too wet
I also have an NB subframe, knuckles, UCAs and steering rack for an NA-NB conversion for that sweet, sweet free caster+camber. I'll be holding off on doing said conversion until I change my suspension setup from Illuminas and FM Ground Control setup to a true coilover setup. I was thinking something like the vmaxx adjustables, though if I can find a used set of AFCOs...
This was only REALLY brought into consideration when I was checking clearance on my SS lines against the rivals and noticed they were hitting the UCAs under full lock, just enough to damage the plastic sleeve. We took a pry bar to the brake line mounts and pried them closer to the UCA bushings and rotated the banjo fittings down a bit. While doing this and dropping the car, I noticed the spring bushing was a little kinked and upon closer inspection I noticed both front ground control sleeves had partially compressed and folded over a bit, changing the spring's angle vs the shock. I took a block of wood and knocked it back into place, but it's a problem nevertheless.
The Hydra is now operating on NB triggers with minimal issue; the main issue is a misfire FM says only happens under lugging conditions (3k or lower rpm). My main issue is it happens a lot during cruise and I'd be worried about it happening at the track (it's a temporary full loss of power, I'd hate for that to happen while apexing an off-camber corner..) - I am going to invest in an NB cam sensor and replace mine (the harness plug was broken off at some point on mine) and switch to that setup, I just can't deal with the misfire issue anymore.
I've also put some of that frost king duct insulation on the inside of my FM turbo filter shield, it still gets quite hot so I'll probably line the outside of it as well. My goal with this is to help reduce intake air temps, and to further help this I want to run a NACA duct driver's light panel to bring in some cold air. I was also considering putting some louvers on the hood immediately following the headlight panel above the air filter to extract hot air, creating a constantly flowing rush of cold air around the air filter, while minimally affecting drag with positive pressure going into the headlight NACA duct, any residual pressure is spit out the louvers towards the windshield reducing the amount of vacuum following the louvers while at motion. Thoughts on this? I will be replacing my dented hood so I'm probably going to give it a shot, no idea what louvers would look best though.
Other mods done so far this year:
-Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD double-din touch screen deck (from my old car)
-Alpine MRV-F400 4-channel amp (behind driver's seat)
-Pioneer 6.5" coaxials in front (can't remember model, they're used from a friend)
-Tite-Seal sound damping (peel-n-seal like product at menards)
-Frost King duct insulation (closed cell foam) heat and sound damping
+Both of the above were used on the doors (inside+out skins), trunk floor and around gas tank as well as on the floor and tranny tunnel. I intend to do the firewall when/if I pull the dash in the future, this is to keep things livable with no A/C. This stuff weighs so little that I doubt I added more than 10lbs. Cornerweight showed 2470 with 160lbs of dead weight before I did the floor/tunnel in a single layer of each. Car is MUCH quieter with a reasonable single coating of both materials.
-Reflectix heat and sound damping (both floor pans and tranny tunnel) - Combined with the above damping, there is minimal footwell furnace now when under boost! The reflectix did most of the work though. I will get some material to line the inside of the tunnel as well to help cut more heat out since it's likely mostly radiated heat of the hot tunnel metal that's making it in now. Debating makeshifing a shield to keep the tranny cool from exhaust heat as well.
-ALARM+REMOTE START - Huge, hoping to deter further thieves.
-Modded trunk lock to allow counter-clockwise spin to disable console release lever inside the car.
I have pulled a rear shelf panel off another car to cut holes and mount either 2x 8" or 10" subs firing forward (into the seats). The goal here is to fill the empty bottom and mid-range with the top down. There are up-firing options but the sound wave goes up and out of the car w/ the top down, firing into the seats pushes the soundwave forward. Well, that's the idea anyway.
I have been running my 205/50/15 star specs (z1) on my 15x8 wheels up until yesterday. The ride was very rough on the pothole ridden Minnesota roads, so I decided to get some 225s on there stat. Lucky for me, one of our local AutoX guys was selling some used Rivals (roughly 5/32 tread remaining) with chipping on one shoulder from a sway bar hitting it. He was selling them at $180 so needless to say I jumped on that steal. I am now running them 32f/34r with the chipped tire on the back (less camber) and there is zero noise whatsoever (lucky me!), I haven't had a chance to really push the tires though because we've gotten about 4" of rain in the last week here, all the good roads are too wet
I also have an NB subframe, knuckles, UCAs and steering rack for an NA-NB conversion for that sweet, sweet free caster+camber. I'll be holding off on doing said conversion until I change my suspension setup from Illuminas and FM Ground Control setup to a true coilover setup. I was thinking something like the vmaxx adjustables, though if I can find a used set of AFCOs...
This was only REALLY brought into consideration when I was checking clearance on my SS lines against the rivals and noticed they were hitting the UCAs under full lock, just enough to damage the plastic sleeve. We took a pry bar to the brake line mounts and pried them closer to the UCA bushings and rotated the banjo fittings down a bit. While doing this and dropping the car, I noticed the spring bushing was a little kinked and upon closer inspection I noticed both front ground control sleeves had partially compressed and folded over a bit, changing the spring's angle vs the shock. I took a block of wood and knocked it back into place, but it's a problem nevertheless.
The Hydra is now operating on NB triggers with minimal issue; the main issue is a misfire FM says only happens under lugging conditions (3k or lower rpm). My main issue is it happens a lot during cruise and I'd be worried about it happening at the track (it's a temporary full loss of power, I'd hate for that to happen while apexing an off-camber corner..) - I am going to invest in an NB cam sensor and replace mine (the harness plug was broken off at some point on mine) and switch to that setup, I just can't deal with the misfire issue anymore.
I've also put some of that frost king duct insulation on the inside of my FM turbo filter shield, it still gets quite hot so I'll probably line the outside of it as well. My goal with this is to help reduce intake air temps, and to further help this I want to run a NACA duct driver's light panel to bring in some cold air. I was also considering putting some louvers on the hood immediately following the headlight panel above the air filter to extract hot air, creating a constantly flowing rush of cold air around the air filter, while minimally affecting drag with positive pressure going into the headlight NACA duct, any residual pressure is spit out the louvers towards the windshield reducing the amount of vacuum following the louvers while at motion. Thoughts on this? I will be replacing my dented hood so I'm probably going to give it a shot, no idea what louvers would look best though.
Other mods done so far this year:
-Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD double-din touch screen deck (from my old car)
-Alpine MRV-F400 4-channel amp (behind driver's seat)
-Pioneer 6.5" coaxials in front (can't remember model, they're used from a friend)
-Tite-Seal sound damping (peel-n-seal like product at menards)
-Frost King duct insulation (closed cell foam) heat and sound damping
+Both of the above were used on the doors (inside+out skins), trunk floor and around gas tank as well as on the floor and tranny tunnel. I intend to do the firewall when/if I pull the dash in the future, this is to keep things livable with no A/C. This stuff weighs so little that I doubt I added more than 10lbs. Cornerweight showed 2470 with 160lbs of dead weight before I did the floor/tunnel in a single layer of each. Car is MUCH quieter with a reasonable single coating of both materials.
-Reflectix heat and sound damping (both floor pans and tranny tunnel) - Combined with the above damping, there is minimal footwell furnace now when under boost! The reflectix did most of the work though. I will get some material to line the inside of the tunnel as well to help cut more heat out since it's likely mostly radiated heat of the hot tunnel metal that's making it in now. Debating makeshifing a shield to keep the tranny cool from exhaust heat as well.
-ALARM+REMOTE START - Huge, hoping to deter further thieves.
-Modded trunk lock to allow counter-clockwise spin to disable console release lever inside the car.
I have pulled a rear shelf panel off another car to cut holes and mount either 2x 8" or 10" subs firing forward (into the seats). The goal here is to fill the empty bottom and mid-range with the top down. There are up-firing options but the sound wave goes up and out of the car w/ the top down, firing into the seats pushes the soundwave forward. Well, that's the idea anyway.
Last edited by Der_Idiot; 06-20-2014 at 02:55 AM.
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06-24-2014, 06:49 PM
#50
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So I was bored and looking at my timing map and compared it to some well known, high performance setups and found I could be doing better in the timing department (in some cases, much better). I decided to merge some of the spark map from a similar user's configuration (Paul's 300/270 2560 99 motor) and carefully log for knock.
Here's my old timing map, compared to paul's map it's quite tame in some places. There's some really high cruise cells and I'm wondering if that's why my mileage sucks. I currently get 20-22mpg with mostly freeway driving and very little boosting.
Paul's spark map (circa 2008?) from a very similar setup. Not sure if his head was ported or his engine internals, but I know his exhaust manifold was an absurdflow tubular seen here. His setup made 300whp / 270tq on the same turbo.
And here's my spark map after adjusting much of it to be similar to Paul's. I've adjusted a few vacuum cells but otherwise this is what I'm going to try out.
I'm hoping I don't have to fight fueling too much now, but we'll see. Maybe I'll win the lottery and I will get the power without the trouble this time.
Here's my old timing map, compared to paul's map it's quite tame in some places. There's some really high cruise cells and I'm wondering if that's why my mileage sucks. I currently get 20-22mpg with mostly freeway driving and very little boosting.
Paul's spark map (circa 2008?) from a very similar setup. Not sure if his head was ported or his engine internals, but I know his exhaust manifold was an absurdflow tubular seen here. His setup made 300whp / 270tq on the same turbo.
And here's my spark map after adjusting much of it to be similar to Paul's. I've adjusted a few vacuum cells but otherwise this is what I'm going to try out.
I'm hoping I don't have to fight fueling too much now, but we'll see. Maybe I'll win the lottery and I will get the power without the trouble this time.
Last edited by Der_Idiot; 06-25-2014 at 12:52 AM.
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06-25-2014, 12:43 AM
#51
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So far so good with the new timing map, and the interpolated fueling is fairly smooth as well.
In other news, I've been having my accessory belt slip when starting intermittently for a while now and finally got to replacing it, and I've noticed a disparity between the voltage I get at the battery posts and the voltage reported by the ECU. I'm getting increasing volts as it charges from starting going from 14.25 to 14.75 at the battery posts, and 13-13.3 volts reported by the ECU. Prior to replacing the belt I noticed the voltages dipping as low as 12.7v with everything on and the car idling.
I have both the Left-front grounds cleaned, head stud still attaches to the stock location and the multi-ground strap moved to the bolt on the fender wall that holds on the diagnostic box. I'm a little perplexed, and wonder if this is why the DW1000s are having trouble idling... I shall call FM tomorrow.
In other news, I've been having my accessory belt slip when starting intermittently for a while now and finally got to replacing it, and I've noticed a disparity between the voltage I get at the battery posts and the voltage reported by the ECU. I'm getting increasing volts as it charges from starting going from 14.25 to 14.75 at the battery posts, and 13-13.3 volts reported by the ECU. Prior to replacing the belt I noticed the voltages dipping as low as 12.7v with everything on and the car idling.
I have both the Left-front grounds cleaned, head stud still attaches to the stock location and the multi-ground strap moved to the bolt on the fender wall that holds on the diagnostic box. I'm a little perplexed, and wonder if this is why the DW1000s are having trouble idling... I shall call FM tomorrow.
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06-27-2014, 02:23 AM
#52
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Sure wish I could explain this, my volt meter reads the same on the battery as on the alternator. I have cleaned the PPF and both engine bay grounds by the brake booster. Still getting low voltage according to the hydra. My next concern is my COPs could be at the wrong dwell (ECU reads wrong voltage, sets wrong dwell when system is 1.3v higher than ecu believes) and thus, be running hot. Thoughts?
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06-27-2014, 03:42 AM
#53
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Here's my misfire/bucking issue shown in a log. Note the RPM jumping up and down, it feels like the car is being rocked progressively harder back and forth parked in gear. Could this be a bad COP or wiring from the Crank Angle Sensor causing this?
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06-29-2014, 09:57 PM
#54
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Under FM's suggestion, I have added a new lead to GB11 and tied it to a ground that I sanded down behind the passenger seat. I also just finished adding a 1k ohm pullup resistor (1k ohm, 5%, 1watt) between BAT+ and tach due to the tach wipping up/down after a hard pull and pushing in the clutch to shift.
I am also going back out now to splice a T into GB12 and seat that with GB11 to bolster the grounds further. If I still have a misfire issue, it'll be (in my opinion) due to Crank Sensor signal pollution. You can see in the log above when I have a misfire the signal is erratic. Another symptom is the trigger shows missing teeth where there aren't any when the issue happens. This is very hard to get a screencap of, it has to happen very shortly after I start to pull a log of triggers, and you can't just use the hydra's logging function to do it either (sigh..) -- perhaps I need some sort of shielded wire for the crank sensor? I used a trailer hitch style cable with a 5' tail on either end, and spliced it in per FMs directions (wanted to be able to disconnect without pulling the sensor off the motor) and it seems to work fine honestly otherwise.
One last thing I might try if I get done in time tonight is to change the triggers to Rising/Rising as per Jeremy, they tend to run more smooth.
I am also going back out now to splice a T into GB12 and seat that with GB11 to bolster the grounds further. If I still have a misfire issue, it'll be (in my opinion) due to Crank Sensor signal pollution. You can see in the log above when I have a misfire the signal is erratic. Another symptom is the trigger shows missing teeth where there aren't any when the issue happens. This is very hard to get a screencap of, it has to happen very shortly after I start to pull a log of triggers, and you can't just use the hydra's logging function to do it either (sigh..) -- perhaps I need some sort of shielded wire for the crank sensor? I used a trailer hitch style cable with a 5' tail on either end, and spliced it in per FMs directions (wanted to be able to disconnect without pulling the sensor off the motor) and it seems to work fine honestly otherwise.
One last thing I might try if I get done in time tonight is to change the triggers to Rising/Rising as per Jeremy, they tend to run more smooth.
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06-30-2014, 03:40 AM
#55
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After taking the car for a little drive (10 minutes or less) I didn't notice any misfiring, which was fantastic news. The only problem I have at this moment is that the pullup resistor for the tach signal doesn't appear to be working (tach at 0 and doesn't move).
Changes to Hydra harness:
-Relocated tach from BC12 to inj6 plug (added a 1k ohm, 1watt, 5% resistor between BAT+ and inj6) on BD10 - OHM tested to 986 ohms (same as the other unused resistor in the pack) and 11.86v off on the tach side, ~12.3v on the BAT+ side with the car powered off.
-GB11 - Plugged in a wire I had crimped by someone there a while back and ran it to a ring terminal on a hard chassis ground
-GB12 - T'd off and run to 1K on the small harness as there was no wire on the FM harness to tie into for my year (95) and put a spade connector in the middle for future removal.
-BC03 - T'd off and ran to same ground as GB11 (about 6-7" up and to the right of the ECU, sanded to a near-mirror finish and self-tapping screwed in) - Went ahead with it just as a precaution.
Changes to Hydra harness:
-Relocated tach from BC12 to inj6 plug (added a 1k ohm, 1watt, 5% resistor between BAT+ and inj6) on BD10 - OHM tested to 986 ohms (same as the other unused resistor in the pack) and 11.86v off on the tach side, ~12.3v on the BAT+ side with the car powered off.
-GB11 - Plugged in a wire I had crimped by someone there a while back and ran it to a ring terminal on a hard chassis ground
-GB12 - T'd off and run to 1K on the small harness as there was no wire on the FM harness to tie into for my year (95) and put a spade connector in the middle for future removal.
-BC03 - T'd off and ran to same ground as GB11 (about 6-7" up and to the right of the ECU, sanded to a near-mirror finish and self-tapping screwed in) - Went ahead with it just as a precaution.
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07-15-2014, 11:00 AM
#56
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I found after my last alignment that my ride height was... off. It turns out the front sleeves for the ground control kit were heavily damaged on one the inside edge giving them about 3/16" worth of useless thread. I decided I _COULD_ flip the shocks, but we found I had some very minor bind on both sides and decided to pull the setup and swap for coilovers. After some considering I elected for XIDAS, but had to back down for now when I reconsidered my budget. I'm now putting in a set of FM V-MAXX XXtreme Track Pack with 504#/336# springs and 112# tender springs as well as install my NB front subframe, rack, UCA and uprights and to install grease zerks while everything is out of commission.
Well, it's been a grueling last week pulling the suspension, bushings, cleaning and installing zerks and re-installing all of the bushings but I'm finally on the home stretch. Saturday afternoon we were pounding out the sleeves when my dad missed the mark and hit his thumb with the hammer, almost put a end to the day when we thought he was going to need stitches (he's on blood thinners). Luckily with some quick cleaning, alcohol and neosporin we avoided that. Two days later and it's already closing up (he thought neosporin was a waste of time). After some recovery we boxed things up and went to the shop to press out the bushings and I bought dinner.
As it sits right now, the arms are ready to be installed, then I need to install the depowered NB rack, transfer tie rods and prime the bushings with grease via my new fancy grease zerks. Once that's done I'll drop it and set ride height and eyeball alignment until Saturday. Thinking 11.75"F/12"R to start with, the NB setup tied with my r-package tie rods should help with bumpsteer too. The car has handled 'meh' since I pulled it out of storage this spring so I'm pretty excited!
Edit: Pictures when I get home from work.
Well, it's been a grueling last week pulling the suspension, bushings, cleaning and installing zerks and re-installing all of the bushings but I'm finally on the home stretch. Saturday afternoon we were pounding out the sleeves when my dad missed the mark and hit his thumb with the hammer, almost put a end to the day when we thought he was going to need stitches (he's on blood thinners). Luckily with some quick cleaning, alcohol and neosporin we avoided that. Two days later and it's already closing up (he thought neosporin was a waste of time). After some recovery we boxed things up and went to the shop to press out the bushings and I bought dinner.
As it sits right now, the arms are ready to be installed, then I need to install the depowered NB rack, transfer tie rods and prime the bushings with grease via my new fancy grease zerks. Once that's done I'll drop it and set ride height and eyeball alignment until Saturday. Thinking 11.75"F/12"R to start with, the NB setup tied with my r-package tie rods should help with bumpsteer too. The car has handled 'meh' since I pulled it out of storage this spring so I'm pretty excited!
Edit: Pictures when I get home from work.
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07-17-2014, 09:25 AM
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Finished installing all of the arms and knuckles last night, and I've just gotta get the rack mounted and I can set alignment and ride height. I had to jack the springs up 2" in the back to clear the axle, but the tender springs sit flat anyway so I should be able to still set a relatively low ride height. One thing I can say about these so far is that adjusting those perches is a tough workout with the included adjustment tool, what airhead thought it was a good idea to make it a ratchet head? And why put stickers on the shock for the adjustment ***** and not just stamp it to the adjustment **** itself? All four stickers were peeling off the shocks when I got them, I don't expect them to last long on the car :P
Anyway all of the arms glide free, though I did have to pull the rear inner bushings out again because I didn't grind out reliefs to accommodate the zerks, and they wouldn't fit in the mounting holes properly but that wasn't too bad. The only thing I have left is to install the rack and tie rods, and I can torque things and set ride height. I found last night that NB racks can't accept NA inner tie rods, so I'm picking up a pair after work today. Wish I would have known sooner though, rockauto has them for half what I'm paying in the store today..
Anyway all of the arms glide free, though I did have to pull the rear inner bushings out again because I didn't grind out reliefs to accommodate the zerks, and they wouldn't fit in the mounting holes properly but that wasn't too bad. The only thing I have left is to install the rack and tie rods, and I can torque things and set ride height. I found last night that NB racks can't accept NA inner tie rods, so I'm picking up a pair after work today. Wish I would have known sooner though, rockauto has them for half what I'm paying in the store today..
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07-27-2014, 01:57 PM
#58
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
Posts: 1,489
Total Cats: 28
My phone's data cord is broken, so it's taking a bit of work to get the pictures off. Anyway, the VMAXX springs are still breaking in a bit, they settled a quarter inch on each side and I adjusted it out however they've since settled another quarter inch on one side and eighth on the other. I'll drive the rest of my tank out before I readjust it again, there's probably some more settling to go.
Oh here's a shot of the bucket seat I've had laying around forever. An old (99?) momo start. Super light and actually not that uncomfortable actually. I need a bigger seat for my passengers though, nobody fits in the momo heh.
Oh here's a shot of the bucket seat I've had laying around forever. An old (99?) momo start. Super light and actually not that uncomfortable actually. I need a bigger seat for my passengers though, nobody fits in the momo heh.
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07-29-2014, 07:06 PM
#59
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
Posts: 1,489
Total Cats: 28
So it's been a week and a half and 2+ tanks of gas, I seem to have settled rather evenly at 1/2" sag on all but the RF, which was 3/8". I'm really liking how well it handles, I really need to get some seat time in a car with some XIDA gen2s to compare to these...
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04-10-2015, 04:59 PM
#60
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
Posts: 1,489
Total Cats: 28
So I've been away for a while due to some real life stuff but I'm back in the game this spring.
-Last October the 14th, I was driving to work and took a left on a poor-visibility 2way stop intersection, looked right, left, right and turned my head left as I creeped forward to get a better view and ended up clipping the running board/wheel of a Navigator which flattened my bumper and deployed my airbags. Seems the damage was limited to the upper half of the bumper and the hood/fenders, but the radiator and IC setups are OK. Insurance totaled the car because airbags so I bought it back. As it sits we're waiting for a friend to finish his catfish swap so I can buy his shell and fix my car. She's presently parked, but I'm already getting the itch to drive her as the weather warms up here in MN.
-Over the winter, I scored a Hard Dog single diagonal roll bar and ryoku rob tow hooks, they're all in great shape. I've also got a set of DIYMotorsports door bars and will install those along with the roll bar when we start working on the car. I'm also going to get the boss frog arms as I've heard good things and have stiff springs so they should help solidify the car.
-With the announcement of Fab9's EFR manifold, I've decided on the EFR 6758 as my future turbo upgrade. I also plan EGT sensors per runner and debating EWG or IWG, the EFR IWG works really well and I might not need the EWG...?
-Another upgrade I've long been considering but haven't had the gusto or know-how (or money) to do is upgrade my cams. I am currently torn between Kelford and Maruha cams, and I'm pretty set on 264s instead of 272s to keep the car street friendly. Since the cams will shift the powerband higher, I'm going to get adjustable cams and tweak the intake cam to move my spool further to the left. The lift on both of these is rated at ~10mm.
Aside from these bits of work and getting the car running, I'm very excited this year is looking to be a very fun one. If anyone has experience with aftermarket cams, am I looking at needing to have the head machined for the lobes to clear the lifter bosses? If I'm lucky and don't, will I need to do anything or are they install and break in?
-Last October the 14th, I was driving to work and took a left on a poor-visibility 2way stop intersection, looked right, left, right and turned my head left as I creeped forward to get a better view and ended up clipping the running board/wheel of a Navigator which flattened my bumper and deployed my airbags. Seems the damage was limited to the upper half of the bumper and the hood/fenders, but the radiator and IC setups are OK. Insurance totaled the car because airbags so I bought it back. As it sits we're waiting for a friend to finish his catfish swap so I can buy his shell and fix my car. She's presently parked, but I'm already getting the itch to drive her as the weather warms up here in MN.
-Over the winter, I scored a Hard Dog single diagonal roll bar and ryoku rob tow hooks, they're all in great shape. I've also got a set of DIYMotorsports door bars and will install those along with the roll bar when we start working on the car. I'm also going to get the boss frog arms as I've heard good things and have stiff springs so they should help solidify the car.
-With the announcement of Fab9's EFR manifold, I've decided on the EFR 6758 as my future turbo upgrade. I also plan EGT sensors per runner and debating EWG or IWG, the EFR IWG works really well and I might not need the EWG...?
-Another upgrade I've long been considering but haven't had the gusto or know-how (or money) to do is upgrade my cams. I am currently torn between Kelford and Maruha cams, and I'm pretty set on 264s instead of 272s to keep the car street friendly. Since the cams will shift the powerband higher, I'm going to get adjustable cams and tweak the intake cam to move my spool further to the left. The lift on both of these is rated at ~10mm.
Aside from these bits of work and getting the car running, I'm very excited this year is looking to be a very fun one. If anyone has experience with aftermarket cams, am I looking at needing to have the head machined for the lobes to clear the lifter bosses? If I'm lucky and don't, will I need to do anything or are they install and break in?
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