Project Car

[Rick539]

Recently bought a project car for my son. It is a 90 talon tsi with a 6 bolt. He is 14 so we are going to spend the next year and a half building it. You know how teenagers are, he wants looks, sound and speed. He wants to build it to beat my WRX (12.6 qtrs) but that ain't going to happen for a 16 year old. My question is if you had a year and a half to work on a car, and keep in mind he is learning to do the work himself with as much money as he can invest, how would you attack this build. I have read all the mods and have asked a few questions but am always open to ideas and suggestions. Thanks for any inputs.

 

[Jazzie6044]

Im 23 and no expert, but this is the way my dad taught me(he being an ASE certified Master Technician and all):
-start with all maintenance needs-plugs, fluids, filters, hoses, belts, TIMING BELT if not done. have a car that runs right is first to getting it to run fast
- let him clean everything he can-inside and out, even under the hood.
-then help him understand why each modification makes the car go faster, not just that it does. lots of cool tech books out there

you might even get you and he involved in local autocross or drags, being around other cool car guys that actually know what they are doing helped me not do stupid things. itll also give him a place to race where he wont get in trouble.

good luck, have fun

 

[BOOstGhost]

Im 23 and no expert, but this is the way my dad taught me(he being an ASE certified Master Technician and all):
-start with all maintenance needs-plugs, fluids, filters, hoses, belts, TIMING BELT if not done. have a car that runs right is first to getting it to run fast
- let him clean everything he can-inside and out, even under the hood.
-then help him understand why each modification makes the car go faster, not just that it does. lots of cool tech books out there

you might even get you and he involved in local autocross or drags, being around other cool car guys that actually know what they are doing helped me not do stupid things. itll also give him a place to race where he wont get in trouble.

good luck, have fun

ditto

 

[anconover]

My talon was my first car ive ever owned, i got it at 16. Never worked on a car before. I learned everything on my own from forums etc, but teach him the maintnance for sure first. Get into timing belt changing, plugs, wires, possibly water pump while your theyre. Once youve done a timing belt and such, things come easy if hes got some mechanical ability. May come time to need a clutch, thats a good learning experience. Everything else is pretty simple bolt on.

Id start with intake, exhaust. Fuel pump, boost controller. And he can play with his sound and looks stuff. My car was probly doing easy low 13's when i was 16 within a year of having the car, thats not too hard to get to at all. By the time i was 17 the car was doing low 12's on pumpgas and i now have quite alot of knowledge of the 4g63/dsm. All depends on how much money he can scrape up to invest, ive always worked as much as possible to pay bills, then throw the rest in the talon =P

 

[telly699]

All I can say is, you my friend, are the best Dad ever.

 

[anconover]

or the absolute worst (j/k hehe). From now on, nothing but headaches for the poor kid ha. I dunno how many times ive almost torn my hair out trying to figure out how im going to afford to fix my car being a full time student, barely workin any hrs =P

 

[gixrman]

Wish I had a dad like you.......anyway I would suggest:

1. sit down and list goals, what he wants compared to whats realistic. Set up a time line.

2. How much its going to cost. Start a savings account and have a projection of what he needs to save per month to reach his goals. Things of major cost I would look at long term and not right now impulse buy. i.e. hugh wing, body kit,rims, ect. It may be cool now but not in a year and a-half.

3. READ!!! Understanding the tempermential turbo motor saves lots of agravation.

4. Not to be a downer but several kids locally have died drag racing on the streets so make him respect the power.

5. good luck!! Thats really cool you can connect with your kid like that.

 

[UPGRADED2G]

i agree with Jazzie6044. My first car was a 90 talon tsi that i bought when i was 17 for my upcoming 18th birthday. I neglected the TUNE UP and tried to go fast to early.....i ended up selling the car a few months later after i got tired of clutch problems....(master cylinder) and had no money or patience to fix it. Just bought my 97 GST three weeks ago....ill be an ass if I go down that same road again.

MAINTENANCE AND SAFETY first.
SPEED second...........

oh, and follow the tuning guide. it helps.good luck

 

[Maglin]

Wish my dad bought me a nice to to start off with... Same as everyone else... Maintance practices first... Definitly having him clean the entire car including the engine bay is a good start... Makes it a lot easier to find leaks if their are any... I'm guessing that after a few years you are going to have to do something to your WRX cause eventually I'm sure he will be outrunning your Sub....

 

[B005T3DT5i]

i wish my dad was into DSM's ; i am 16 , i have been learing about turbos and DSMs since i was 13 and it really help if you can picture what the concepts are and can picture what eveything dose...teach him first then mod it second...when he first gets his licences ,take him to the track and have him take a pass with his car, so he can get a fell for it, and the boundries of his car ,and so he dosnt test the boundries of his car on the steet(like i had to do)....

 

[anconover]

dont need a liscense to run at the track =P

 

[B005T3DT5i]

you dont .....wow never knew that ,just took it for granit that you did need one.

 

[StyleElements]

Recently bought a project car for my son. It is a 90 talon tsi with a 6 bolt. He is 14 so we are going to spend the next year and a half building it. You know how teenagers are, he wants looks, sound and speed. He wants to build it to beat my WRX (12.6 qtrs) but that ain't going to happen for a 16 year old. My question is if you had a year and a half to work on a car, and keep in mind he is learning to do the work himself with as much money as he can invest, how would you attack this build. I have read all the mods and have asked a few questions but am always open to ideas and suggestions. Thanks for any inputs.

First he needs to learn everything about cars in general. Next, he needs to make a name on this web site along with you, and he needs to be on it a lot. Like jazzie said, he needs to understand why each modification makes the car go faster. You ask how would we attack this build. As in what and what order modifications? First you need to decide if you want to keep the stock 14b turbo or if you want to go a little bigger. If you went bigger I would get a big 16g. Regardless of what turbo you have, first you need to get an aftermarket boost gage and fuel pressure gauge. Next I would get an open element air filter, then, a good manual boost controller. I don’t think he really needs to turn it up past 15 psi. Next I would tackle the exhaust. Then I would get a front mount intercooler (go for the Johnny race car, 200 shipped) next, depending on what the fuel pressure gage says, you may need to upgrade the fuel system. Pump, injectors, regulator. Don't forget about a datalogger. All that should put him at least mid to 13's? it will be fast for him. hope that helps. it should take him a year and a half to make the money to buy all that

 

[quiksilver38]

I would suggest getting a service manual on cd, or the real deal, it'll help with absolutely anything, ($10 on ebay). Me and my dad did\ are doing everything on my car ourselves.

 

[kraka]

Oh my God, you are the Dad of the year! I am 14 also but so far I have learned all my knowledge about cars and DSM's from years of forums, car shows, and hours upon hours of research...I would do anything to have my own project DSM to work on before I get my license but unfortunately in my case, I will have to do everything to pay for the car + parts myself...Remind your kid how lucky he is and not to abuse the privelage and destroy that car...mod wise, I would start simple with the basic power upgrades to increase airflow and exhaust flow (filter, turbo-back) then up the boost a little (boost guage, MBC). Those are the first real modifications to do...If you really wanted to teach your son about engines though the most effective thing to do would be to rip out the tired old motor, take it apart and put it back together...Good luck