my 2g all motor 420a journey

[jayson427]

so i have been wanting to put my build up for a while but just finally got time. this is for all the new dsmers that want to put money into a 420a but cant decide on doing it or buying a 4g63. im going to be up front about all the money i have put into this project which is a little embarrassing. i wanted a challenge which i defintely got one.

it all started back in june 2008 i didnt know much about cars but i always loved the look of the 2g's. i found one at a dealership for $4800 it was a 97 gb rs with sunroof with 158,000. i was 21 and wanted to build my credit so i had a good job with not many bills so i got the car. i knew i wanted to build my motor since half the kids in my town put an exhaust and body kit on and think its a race car haha. it was always lame to me so i got on here and started reading. i knew i was past turning around for a 4g63 since i was paying off the car. i went to the junk yard found a spare block for $400 i tore it all down by myself. i slowly bought parts over the next year.

all the parts i bought for the block were, je 10.5 comp pistions .020 with plasma chromolly rings, eagle h-beam rods, clevite main/rod bearings .010, toga high volume oil pump, unorthadox under drive pulley, airtex water pump, new freeze plugs. $1350+$400 for the block = $1750

all the parts for the head were, crower stage 2 cams springs and retainers, obx adjustable cam gears, ferra swirl polish valves standard size, sbi lifters and 2.4l pt cruiser style rockers, new bronze guides, arp head bolts, mls head gasket. $1550

all other parts and bolt ons were, fel pro gasket kit, gates blue timing belt kit, obx intake manifold, 55mm throttle body, obx cold air intake, obx header and type r exhaust, obx silicone radiator hoses, cusco oil catch can, spec 2 clutch, walbro 190 fuel pump, 24 lb accel injectors, obx fuel rail, poly urthane motor mounts, k-sport coilovers, megan strut bars, short throw shifter, slotted rotars, optima battery, afx ecu, lc-1 wideband. $4680

it took me almost 1 1/2 years to get to the machine shop after buying every little thing i needed. most of the other stuff i bought along the way. heres where it gets bad for me with the machine work and my car. the machine shop grinded/polished my crank, balanced my bottom end, port mached the obx intake to the head and assembled everything. $1000

the total cost with parts and labor so far is now at $9000 which doesnt include what i paid for the car. i know some people will read this and go WTF! which i know i have told myself the same thing. it was such an addiction i couldnt stop putting money into my car. i wanted a clean 420a almost show car quality is what i visioned. i get my motor back to my house and i needed a few more parts before i could do the swap. its now june 26 2010 im driving home from work and some one rear ended me at a stop light totalled my car. i got a check for $4k and bought a bunch of parts and a new 96 gs for $1500 but it was an automatic i couldnt find a clean 5 speed for the life of me so i went with it.

long story short with the cars i kept my 97 rs and swapped the tranny and harness into the 96 gs with my built motor. we tore the whole car down painted the engine bay then reassembled. well i had crazy electrical issues since i had no experience in this i hooked everything back up. i couldnt get spark or fuel so after 3 months of getting no where i bought another 96 rs 5 speed. it was one of the cleanest 2g's i have seen so i couldnt pass it up for $1000. i sold the 96 gs, two 420a motors and trannys so i made some of my money back. things were starting to look good i swap my built motor and 97 rs trans into the 96 rs.

im ready to fire it up and as its turning i realize theres no compression! it sounds gutless for everything i have done. i test the compression and 0 all the way across. i was so done with the problems i was having. i trailer my car back to my machine shop which had 30 years of solid rep. they had it for a month checking the lifters, valve lash, timing everything. then they discover its my crower camshafts i was beyond frustrated at this point. the camshafts were off .5 or.05 on four different lobes so it was holding my valves open which gave me 0 compression. crower addmitted to be at fault and sent out new cams but wouldnt cover the machine shop. i got charged $1800 from the machine shop because they had to take my head apart and everything many times.

first time i got to drive my car with the motor in it at the end of 2011. i was way happy with the performance on my car but i knew it could be better so i bought a afx ecu to help tune what i had going. it helped big time i still havnt dyno'd it to this day or done the suspension which is coming up shortly. so now its june 2012 and im working out of state my car still hasnt had any issues after all the trouble. i have about 5k miles on the motor. i wanted the car painted two tone and i had a good buddy that painted cars. it took 5 months due to my funds to get it painted but it was so worth it. $2600 on paint

my future plans are to finish up the engine bay for the cosmetics then go all out on the interior to match my two tone and get rims. i want to do all the bushing and then put my coilovers on. my car is really quick up to about 70 so i want more power. i will turbo or use nitrous on this motor just to see what it can handle. i beat on it as hard as i can and it wants more . i plan on keeping this car in the family and giving it to one of my kids when they get old enough. so time and money is all i need.

im hoping this will help alot of people that are just starting out with a dsm and dont know what it takes to build up a car. for the final cost on what i spent is around $15,500 which is insane to even speak of on a 420a but im good with it. i learned more then i ever thought i would on cars not to mention life lessons as well. ill be updating the rest of my progress with the car as it gets done. thanks to anyone that actually read this whole long thing!

 

[jayson427]

heres some more pics some are out of sequence.

 

[jayson427]

more pics i also have more on my profile of the paint process if anyone is interested

 

[cl1ckclack]

Did you just use nightshade to do the headlights? or something different? i absolutely love it!

 

[jayson427]

Did you just use nightshade to do the headlights? or something different? i absolutely love it!

thanks man i love how they came out. im not sure what my buddy used but ill find out and repost. they looked super bad before all sratched up and faded. he just used a spray gun with a little compressor too.

edit: he mixed black with clear paint and sprayed them in a booth.

 

[GPTourer]

Dude, what a journey. I just gotta know what 9 g's into an all motor 420A build lays down. When are you going to get it on a dyno?

 

[GofaST4life]

To be honest...spending $15,500 on a N/A Eclipse, is insane. I would have cut my losses LONG ago. I'm not going to get into "what could have been" with that kind of money.


I bet you had fun a learned a lot though.

Dude, what a journey. I just gotta know what 9 g's into an all motor 420A build lays down. When are you going to get it on a dyno?

I'm guessing it makes maybe...170hp...maybe.

 

[LandSpeed-DSM]

170HP at the flywheel would still be a big maybe. Even with that 10.5:1 on E85 and a big cam turning some serious rpm.

Best of luck, curious to see the results.

 

[jayson427]

Dude, what a journey. I just gotta know what 9 g's into an all motor 420A build lays down. When are you going to get it on a dyno?

ill get it on a dyno sometime this year im hoping since the nearest one is an hour away. i was racing this new dodge cummings diesel running 50 psi and i had him all the way into 3rd . my car is quick it revs up to redline super quick but once i get into 3rd thats where i need a little extra. and the 9k wasnt all into the motor only about 5-6k

To be honest...spending $15,500 on a N/A Eclipse, is insane. I would have cut my losses LONG ago. I'm not going to get into "what could have been" with that kind of money.


I bet you had fun a learned a lot though.





I'm guessing it makes maybe...170hp...maybe.

defintely learned alot but it wouldnt of been 15k for all the issues i had but still i hear you it is insane. but what car can you buy for 15k that has(will have) full racing coilovers a badass performance motor custom paint job ect... thats the way i look at it.
as far as the hp goes i think its more around 180-185. im going to build another head with over sized valves and better port job. hopefully that will get me to 200hp while in the meantime ill be saving for a turbo kit

 

[LandSpeed-DSM]

ill get it on a dyno sometime this year im hoping since the nearest one is an hour away. i was racing this new dodge cummings diesel running 50 psi and i had him all the way into 3rd . my car is quick it revs up to redline super quick but once i get into 3rd thats where i need a little extra. and the 9k wasnt all into the motor only about 5-6k

defintely learned alot but it wouldnt of been 15k for all the issues i had but still i hear you it is insane. but what car can you buy for 15k that has(will have) full racing coilovers a badass performance motor custom paint job ect... thats the way i look at it.
as far as the hp goes i think its more around 180-185. im going to build another head with over sized valves and better port job. hopefully that will get me to 200hp while in the meantime ill be saving for a turbo kit

Having owned a modified cummins in a 2500, I don't believe this for a second.

You still have to dial in the suspension. Whether the motor is badass or not is yet to be determined, and most of us don't care about custom paint jobs..

Lets just hope for your sake that the car breaks out of the 16s in the quarter. For 15.5K you could've bought a Honda Fit, and will probably end up barely faster than one without all the cargo room, fuel economy and reliability.

Look up bullettdsm if you want to see whats required to make that much power in a 2G NT. The list of 180whp+ 420A's is very, very short. There's more to it than throwing money at it.

 

[jayson427]

Having owned a modified cummins in a 2500, I don't believe this for a second.

You still have to dial in the suspension. Whether the motor is badass or not is yet to be determined, and most of us don't care about custom paint jobs..

Lets just hope for your sake that the car breaks out of the 16s in the quarter. For 15.5K you could've bought a Honda Fit, and will probably end up barely faster than one without all the cargo room, fuel economy and reliability.

Look up bullettdsm if you want to see whats required to make that much power in a 2G NT. The list of 180whp+ 420A's is very, very short. There's more to it than throwing money at it.

your so lame bro its not even funny. if you think im new to this shit or something your wrong. i know all about mark dude why do you think i built my motor. you have no clue who i am or what i have done just because you read my journal big deal. you can believe what you want too i really dont care what you think. if you dont care then dont post on my shit. your just down talking my whole build and thats not what this site is about.

 

[LandSpeed-DSM]

6.7L Cummins with enough turbo on it to make 50PSIg before falling on its face is going to walk away from your NT and leave it choking in a cloud of black smoke. Even though it weighs nearly twice as much.

I use to do it all the time in my compound HT60/HX40 12v

Let's see what you actually put down, shall we?

 

[jayson427]

6.7L Cummins with enough turbo on it to make 50PSIg before falling on its face is going to walk away from your NT and leave it choking in a cloud of black smoke. Even though it weighs nearly twice as much.

I use to do it all the time in my compound HT60/HX40 12v

Let's see what you actually put down, shall we?

now im not doubting that a modded turbo diesel wont smoke me but like i said he smoked me after 3rd gear. we were at the light and i had him all the way till i got into 3rd when he hit max boost. thats all i said so theres no need to bash my car.

 

[Slo2gen]

2GNT.com - teklein

170whp with off the shelf parts EXCEPT for the intake manifold. Its TOUGH pulling power from these things N/A. Like with most, thats part of the appeal.

 

[GofaST4life]

your so lame bro its not even funny. if you think im new to this shit or something your wrong. i know all about mark dude why do you think i built my motor. you have no clue who i am or what i have done just because you read my journal big deal. you can believe what you want too i really dont care what you think. if you dont care then dont post on my shit. your just down talking my whole build and thats not what this site is about.

Curious, if your not new to this stuff, then why did you dump $15k into an N/T?

You do realize that for $15k you could have had a 500-600hp GSX, if not more.




Either way, you car, your money.
Dyno that thing and lets see what she makes.

 

[jayson427]

Curious, if your not new to this stuff, then why did you dump $15k into an N/T?

You do realize that for $15k you could have had a 500-600hp GSX, if not more.




Either way, you car, your money.
Dyno that thing and lets see what she makes.

Are you new to reading?? Because I clearly state Why I put money into my car at the beginning of the thread. And I do know What I could of should of had if you don't think I have heard that 100 times try again. The dumb thing is if this was bullet's build or some one else respected in the dsm community it would be all good.

 

[eclipse420ags]

Every one likes to take the easy route. I thought you were half way new to, you changed your Avatar, Ive always remember names with the picture.

 

[LandSpeed-DSM]

^^You misspelled "smart route"

OP Have you ever owned a turbo car? The cummins would not just be hitting full boost by the time you hit 3rd gear, and considering he's likely making nearly 4 digit rwtq its not even a question of when he hits full boost.

You have so far spent more than I have on my LSR project and for what? Maybe 170-180whp, some wheels that look like they'd be at home on a cavalier and a go-faster stripe down the side.. mind you at first I only took contention with lying about the race with the turbodiesel, I didn't actually get nasty with you.. you turned it up a notch.

Anyways, best of luck in your future endeavors Brosef Stalin. I'm done here.

 

[2stepmonster]

Wow that is crazy! But hey, everybody has something that they are interested in or want. and you did what you wnated to do, and to the people that dis-respect that, F*** em.

I wouldve personally bought a gsx and put the rest into a few vidsuals and a builded motor or done a motor swap into yours. But i respect your build

 

[GofaST4life]

Are you new to reading?? Because I clearly state Why I put money into my car at the beginning of the thread. And I do know What I could of should of had if you don't think I have heard that 100 times try again. The dumb thing is if this was bullet's build or some one else respected in the dsm community it would be all good.

I asked you a few questions. Nothing more, and nothing less.

as far as the hp goes i think its more around 180-185. im going to build another head with over sized valves and better port job. hopefully that will get me to 200hp while in the meantime ill be saving for a turbo kit

Just so you know, your not going to get close to 185-200hp without a turbo kit. So to think your going to be at that point before the turbo, is just un-educated thought.





Have fun!

 

[eclipse420ags]

You should take out that power steering/ac adjustment pulley frees up like 6lbs.

 

[GSTurbo1]

420a's are the biggest headache in the world good luck

 

[jayson427]

^^You misspelled "smart route"

OP Have you ever owned a turbo car? The cummins would not just be hitting full boost by the time you hit 3rd gear, and considering he's likely making nearly 4 digit rwtq its not even a question of when he hits full boost.

You have so far spent more than I have on my LSR project and for what? Maybe 170-180whp, some wheels that look like they'd be at home on a cavalier and a go-faster stripe down the side.. mind you at first I only took contention with lying about the race with the turbodiesel, I didn't actually get nasty with you.. you turned it up a notch.

Anyways, best of luck in your future endeavors Brosef Stalin. I'm done here.

brosef stalin thats funny, but really man money wasnt an issue with this build or i would of never done it. im only defending myself not being a dick you know? i have done so much to my car its stupid but its an addiction. those rims came with one of my cars i know they suck. im still not done building my car that "go-fast" stripe will set the inside off when its finished. which the paint looks way better in person then a picture there is a lot of flake in it. appreciate the luck.

Wow that is crazy! But hey, everybody has something that they are interested in or want. and you did what you wnated to do, and to the people that dis-respect that, F*** em.

I wouldve personally bought a gsx and put the rest into a few vidsuals and a builded motor or done a motor swap into yours. But i respect your build

thanks for the comment man, i would of bought a gsx but i had to pay off a rs first and i already started building so i couldnt turn around. i did all of this when i was 20 you know

I asked you a few questions. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Just so you know, your not going to get close to 185-200hp without a turbo kit. So to think your going to be at that point before the turbo, is just un-educated thought.

Have fun!

well that was my bad i didnt have such a good day that day. you posted questions that were well covered so i was a dick. no hard feelings dude but when i see someone make 220hp on a 420a that tells me it can be done. i will get there eventually or i will go turbo. i have been putting alot of thought on 10.5 turbo set up just to see if it holds up.

420a's are the biggest headache in the world good luck

yeah it hasnt been that easy for sure but i just wanted to do it since everyone talked down on it. i have alot of muscle car friends that go crazy when i talk about my car

 

[dsmcrzy]

i have been putting alot of thought on 10.5 turbo set up just to see if it holds up.

this is what I will be doing. I have 10.5:1 and it has been done before. Just need a good tune and some meth to help out! if you go megasquirt you can piece together a meth kit for dirt cheap since MS can control all aspects of it.

 

[jayson427]

this is what I will be doing. I have 10.5:1 and it has been done before. Just need a good tune and some meth to help out! if you go megasquirt you can piece together a meth kit for dirt cheap since MS can control all aspects of it.

im thinking e85 since its all over my town and yeah i will go with MS too. i have seen only two 420a's 10.5 on a turbo set up which turned out really good. i would have to rebuild another head too since i only did the arp head bolts and not studs. ill have a chance too do a better PnP with bigger valves.