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Drag Race Build SonySlave's 1990 GSX - The Ups and Downs of a 9-sec 1G

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SonySlave

15+ Year Contributor
967
74
Jun 24, 2004
Pasadena, Maryland
Hello everyone! Many have met me at the Shootout and other events. Normally I'm with the English Racing crew helping out Lucas English and Jeff Bush. I've been around the DSM community for about 11 years now. I've had a '98 RS, '95 TSi AWD, '94 GSX, and finally my current '90 GSX. It's been long, expensive, amazing, and sometimes downright heart-breaking. The car started as a manual but was converted to automatic after finding I was breaking 5-speeds like play toys. Got sick of it! So far the car has been 9.93@136mph with a 2.2L 6-bolt, FP3065, no nitrous, automatic, and ECMLink V3. Not too shabby!

Here are some of the pictures from my adventures or the last few years:

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Looks like a great time right?!? It was! But, last year at the East Coast Shootout in June 2014 at Cecil County Dragway in Maryland, I had a... mishap. And this was the result:

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That green dot in the center is my helmet after I threw it. I was pretty upset, as you can imagine.

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Unfortunately I had an injector get clogged up with rust from the fuel tank and I went lean in a cylinder which blew up the headgasket, melted a hole in the cylinder head, pressurized the coolant system, blew a hole in the lower radiator hose, which put water on the track and me into the wall, despite having an engine catch pan. Bad day for me... Good thing though, the car wasn't too bad! Nothing a new front bumper, fender, and a big f***ing hammer couldn't fix!

I put the car away for the winter and now I'm ready to start putting it back together. My engine was mostly intact after the blow up, needing pistons, and a new cylinder head, but most of the parts were still good, like the rods, crank, and valve springs. So I've decided to just rebuild the motor to close to what it was before! Here's the upcoming build, some old parts, some new parts, and some parts that I plan to have but haven't received yet!

Shortblock:
"Short Long Rod" 2.2L 6-bolt Shortblock
Eagle 94mm Crank
R&R 153mm Steel Rods
Wiseco 1400HD 9:1 Stroker Pistons
Kiggly Main Girdle w/ ARP Main Studs
Moroso Aluminum Oil Pan
Fluidampr Crank Pulley
Stewart Electric Water Pump

Cylinder Head:
2G Core
Kiggly Springs/Retainers
Engnbldr STD-size Stainless Valves
GSC S2 Cams
Kiggly HLA Regulator
ARP L19 Headstuds
Fel-Pro 1153-1 Permatorque Headgasket
Evo 3 Intake Manifold
63mm NT Throttle Body

Turbo:
FP3582HTA w/ ATP 1.06A/R TS T4 Housing
Shearer Top Mount TS T4 Manifold w/ Tial 44 Wastegates
Kinetic FMIC w/ Custom Piping w/ Tial Q BOV

Transmission/Drivetrain/Suspension:

Metro Transmission Automatic Transmission w/ Tweaked Valve Body and Welded Center Diff
Precision Industries 1G Billet Torque Converter (<---- Super Rare)
Kiggly SFI Flexplate
Stock 1G Auto Transfer Case w/ Jeff Bush T-Case Brace
ForcedFour Shift Box Color
True Street Fab Chromoly Front K-Member
True Street Fab Chromoly Front Control Arms
True Street Fab Chromoly Mustache Bar
99GSTRacer Chromoly Front Crossmember
Eibach Pro-Kit Springs w/ KYB AGX Struts
Custom Rear Active Toe Eliminator Kit

Fuel System:
JMF Anodized Fuel Cell
E98 Fuel
FIC 2150cc Injectors
Magnafuel 4303 Fuel Pump
-8AN Feed/Return Lines

Engine Management/Ignition:
Haltech Sport 1000 ECU
Racepak IQ3 Race Dash
OmniPower 4-bar MAP Sensor
Haltech IAT
Haltech CAN Wideband
Haltech HPI4 Ignition
SparkTech 300M COP
Haltech TC4 Individual EGT Kit
TurboStart 16V Battery

Body/Wheels/Tires:
6-pt Mild Steel Roll Bar
VIS Carbon Fiber Hood
Frank's Fiberglass Rear Hatch
F-A-L Lexan Rear Window
15x7" Drag DR-17 Wheels
235/60-15 M&H Street/Strip DOT Slicks

That about covers it! I'll update as new parts come in and as the build progresses!
 
Last edited:
Probably a good idea switching to automatic. Those 90 tranny parts will probably become tough to find. Wouldn't be too tough to swap a 91-94 in there but those would probably break just as often too, which is why more DSMers are shifting (no pun intended - well maybe a little) over to auto trannies.

Keep us all updated on the progress!
 
Going to subscribe. You gotta let me know spool characteristics on that 82HTA in twinscroll form as that's one of the setups I'm eyeballing for my 2.4 longrod(except I'm eying the DSM86 in the same a/r T4 T/S housing.)
 
Probably a good idea switching to automatic. Those 90 tranny parts will probably become tough to find. Wouldn't be too tough to swap a 91-94 in there but those would probably break just as often too, which is why more DSMers are shifting (no pun intended - well maybe a little) over to auto trannies.

Keep us all updated on the progress!
This will be my 4th season with the automatic and it was the best decision I ever made with the car! It's so effortless!

Going to subscribe. You gotta let me know spool characteristics on that 82HTA in twinscroll form as that's one of the setups I'm eyeballing for my 2.4 longrod(except I'm eying the DSM86 in the same a/r T4 T/S housing.)
Oh I will! It was on the car when it crashed but with the FP housing and manifold. It spooled pretty quick in that setup. I'm excited to see how much quicker with the TS T4 setup. I was going to do a 3586HTA but wasn't confident I could stall it up quickly with no nitrous. Obviously Deric Dupey has shown you can with some trickery, but this is what I have and I'm going to flog it until it can be flogged no more!

Here are a couple updates to wet the palette:

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I guess there's more that's needed in the block than I thought. :( Center main bearing. Center journal clearance on the crank is quite a bit off. Should have more info from Tony Niemczyk (Turbo4.com 4G63 dragster) this weekend. It's in good hands with Tony and his Dad.

IMG_9624_zps8plfolxu.jpg
 
Well that sucks Mike. Hope it gets all fixed up and doesn't set you back too much on the build. This hobby of ours sure ain't cheap, is it?
 
Alright guys I figured I'd try to give some updates. I decided to change the setup a little bit. Got rid of the Shearer twin-scroll top-mount T4 manifold in favor of an F5 Racing reverse-facing twin-scroll top-mount T4 manifold (thanks to Jose Mendoza/shortydtp). It will just work a little better for my setup. I also was able to pick up an English Racing 300M auto transfer case and 3.5" custom aluminum driveshaft! That should help a ton with keeping breaking to a minimum on the launch! Got my JMFabrications anodized fuel cell also! Very nice piece! Should drastically help keep the ethanol corrosion under control. I also got my 6-pt roll bar upgraded to a 10-pt NHRA-certified roll cage this week! The cage combined with an NHRA license and I won't get kicked out of every event I go to this year! Awesome! Tony Niemczyk (Turbo4.com) is almost finished up with the new engine. We decided on 10:1 Manley Platinum pistons in lieu of the 9:1 Wiseco 1400HDs. We also decided on a half-fill concreted block as well. Things are coming along slow but they should be ramping up very soon. Still waiting on my tubular front subframe and rear mustache bar from True Street Tuning and Fabrication. I paid them in full in January and still haven't received it. I'm trying to be patient but it's difficult. :coy:

Here is the new F5 Racing manifold:
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JMF anodized fuel cell and Magnafuel 4303 fuel pump:

IMG_20150325_221635820_zps57kokjll.jpg


Half-filled block almost ready to be assembled:

IMG_9923_zps0bxxrtmo.jpg


And finally, the new NHRA-certified 10-point roll cage:

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More to come very soon I hope!!!
 
Almost done! Got the motor running on the Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 ECU last night! A few more pieces to wire and we'll be ready to go tuning! The Shootout is the goal for my first event of the year!

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Congrats!! Cant wait to see it at the Shootout!! I've been drooling over this build for years.
 
Thanks guys! I'm hoping with the awesome failsafes and logging capabilities of the Haltech ECU I can avoid major catastrophes like what happened to me crashing at ECSO last season. This is my first standalone so it's a huge learning curve. Thankfully I have help!

The hood exit exhaust automatically puts me into the Quick 32 class at the Shootout, which is a bit of a bummer. I built the car specifically to meet the rules for the True Street class at MIR's IREV and Import vs Domestic events which allow hood exit exhaust. Going up against Jeff Bush and Trevor Holland in the Quick class is going to be rough. The Shootout isn't the only event that matters to me and it's mostly just a fun event. Maybe I'll have a second downpipe made that dumps under the car so I can run Street 32 instead... we'll see if I feel like it's worth it.
 
Love the car, but I am biased with the Black over Red theme! Very Nice Build!!!
 
The hood exit exhaust automatically puts me into the Quick 32 class at the Shootout, which is a bit of a bummer. I built the car specifically to meet the rules for the True Street class at MIR's IREV and Import vs Domestic events which allow hood exit exhaust. Going up against Jeff Bush and Trevor Holland in the Quick class is going to be rough. The Shootout isn't the only event that matters to me and it's mostly just a fun event. Maybe I'll have a second downpipe made that dumps under the car so I can run Street 32 instead... we'll see if I feel like it's worth it.

Hey, you never know what will happen. That's why we race and if you're not having fun then there's no reason to do it. Just make sure you make some runs Friday so I can get another video like this one I took of you on Friday night during the 2013 shootout. I love how nicely your car came out in this run. Just beautiful! :hellyeah:
 
Well the DSM Shootout is coming up quick and I've finally got the car running really well! It's off to Early Performance this week so they can continue to work their Haltech magic on my Platinum Sport 1000 ECU. The video is a stall up test of my new setup on the 62mm billet Borgwarner turbo! Stalls up pretty quick for no nitrous at all!!! The Shootout should be pretty fun!

 
This will be my 5th Shootout and 2nd with the car... Hopefully. Haha! My chromoly tube front subframe is absolute garbage so now I have to scramble this week to get the stock subframe back in and get the car aligned and tuned. Always down to the wire!
 
What do you mean the subframe is garbage? What's wrong with it? Damn, that sucks... :toobad:
Wow... where do I begin??? :p

The subframe itself and the steering rack fit reasonably well and look nice. I believe the issue is completely in the control arms. I paid for the subframe and mustache bar ($1050) in full in January and didn't receive them until July! Nothing but broken promises, broken timelines, and constant excuses, but I stayed patient. When I first received my subframe and control arms, everything looked good. The subframe install was relatively smooth but when I tried to install the control arms, I found that when adjusted, the spindles were pigeon-toed inward. So I adjusted the tie rods in as far as they could go with no luck, still pigeon-toed. Unfortunately, the heim joints were adjusted as far out as I felt comfortable but still pigeon-toed. I got a hold of Josh from True Street Tuning and Fabrication and let him know the issue. I told him I thought that an extra inch on each bar on the control arm would allow for enough adjustment. Josh made things right and sent a new set of control arms with an extra inch on only the straight bar, not both (took about 10 days as shipping was only one day). I installed them and all seemed ok but the car definitely needed a full alignment. Yesterday I scheduled my alignment for today. Last night, I tried to put the car on the ground and when I did, I saw that the front passenger tire was pushed almost to the rear of the wheel well. At that point I decided I had given up trying to make this damn thing work. I've fought and argued and waited patiently long enough with True Street and I'm through. There are at least two other people that I have talked to on Facebook that are having the EXACT same issue as me with their subframe and control arms.

Thankfully for me, I filed a PayPal complaint in June for not receiving my items. True Street never responded to PayPal. Once I finally received my items and found they weren't as advertised, I upgraded my complaint to a claim, despite True Street sending new control arms because six months is the max time to wait to file a claim. I was unwilling to not have a safety barrier with my money so I told True Street I'd cancel the claim if the new arms worked. He never responded to PayPal and they ruled in my favor and sent my money back. I haven't heard from True Street since. He isn't aware yet that the new arms didn't work either as this happened late last night. So now I have my money back and the parts still on my car. The subframe will come off the car tonight and I'll let him know what's up and what he wants to do. I know he'll be upset and want to make it right but I'm completely out of time and patience. Period. It sucks because I was looking forward to the nearly 50lb weight loss but I guess I'll just have to jack up the boost instead!

BTW, the mustache bar fit great... haha!
 
I see... :| Well sorry to hear that, but good luck getting the stock one back on and getting it all set up for the Shootout. Hope all goes well from here on out. :thumb:
 
Not to muddy up this thread but, I remember seeing them crossmemebers on facebook, and warned them that the design was flawed and it will fail if used on anything buy a super light drag car. I immeadeiatly got banned from that group. I'm glad your getting your money back, and are not running that death trap.
 
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