Alright, so it's about time I created a build thread. My overall goal for the car is to have a semi-reliable, daily driven dsm. However, it will see the drag strip every now and then...nothing too crazy (for now...)

April 2014 - Hx40 Setup

June 2014 - Broke Pressure Plate Finger

July 2014 - BC 272 Cam Install

July 2014 - 524fwhp Dyno

July 2014 - Suspension Setup

April 2016 - AWD Swap

Here's a pic of the turbo setup (7blade Hx40 with FP T31 housing):


Snagged it for $100 blown and rebuilt it using genuine holset internals The hotside is a Forced Performance .68A/R, mitsu flanged housing, machined by black_gst to fit the hx40 turbine wheel. I'm running an RRE downpipe but It bolts directly to stock. Note the shitty ebay wastegate...

And to quench this beast's appetite, she has some 2150's on tap:


Here's an update of what I've been up to in the last few months:
Socal was hit with a nice heat wave and my the coolant temps have shifted my focus slightly. I realized I needed some additional cooling especially if I wanted to use the AC to/from work.

Slim fan:
I've been running the factory radiator fan on the passenger side since my Hx40 install, but the external gate didn't give me enough clearance for the factory AC fan. I picked up a 12" SPAL slim fan from summitracing and installed it using the radiator zip tie things, which are working out pretty good. I soldered the factory connector to the slim fan, so now it's plug and play with the factory harness.

ECU repair:
I initially intened to wire up the fans to have Link control them based on coolant temps alone via the programable FPS output. Me, being the dumbass that I am, didn't realize you need a relay to separate the current draw from the ecu...and yeah I fried the ecu driver which also controls the electronic boost solenoid...bye-bye boost control, not that I had very much control with my pos ebay wastegate...Anyway, sent the ecu in for repair and the boys from ecmtuning had it back to me in no time.

I temporary ditched the Link controlled fans idea (I'll save it for later) and just wired it up to the factory plug. Now I can use the AC

AFPR:
After 7 years I finally decided to install an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Very straight forward intall, just zip tied the regulator to the AC line and everything is pretty secure. Base pressure (without vac line) set to ~43psi.

Pulley Gremlin:
So over the course of owning my dsm, I've always noticed that I would lose power whenever turning on my AC, and I mean a very noticable loss of power. Recently, I've also been hearing a squeeking noise whenever I turned on the AC. So I chaulked it off as the compressor is taking a shit. However, during the AFPR install I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. An old piece of rag was wedged in between the AC compressor pulley...?!? How long has that been there for? After I removed it, there was a night and day difference in overall driveability, I couldn't believe this. No more loss of power, no more squeek.

Wastegate update:
I'm still having wastegate/boost control issues, which I suspect my ebay pos gate to be the culprit (moreso the unknown spring pressures), so I also took the dive and bought a tial mvr 44mm. Great...now I want the damn tial blow-off valve. The wg is coming in tomorrow, should have it installed by the weekend and rock-solid boost control. I can't wait to get back to WOT tuning and take this baby to the track.

I'll edit this post with pics. More updates to come...

Tial wastegate came in today! Right out of the box, the first thing I immediately noticed was the quality of this thing. WOW! Installed it with 12psi spring pressure, connected straight off the compressor housing, went for a spin and punched it...finally, rock solid boost! Feels good This was the upgrade I've been waiting for, now I can start wot tuning again.

Now to dial in the electronic boost control via Link. Will update with progress...

Alright so EBC is working and let me just say that Link with EBC and NLTS is the shit! With just a preliminary log, I cranked out 35lb/min @ 18psi. Almost at my near-term goal, but before I get too far ahead of myself, I noticed while installing the Tial wg that my o2 housing-to-downpipe flange is leaking. Not too big a deal, but it might be throwing the afr reading off because the wideband is right next to it.

Also, I really need to do a boost leak test. I'm running speed density so it's not THAT big of a concern but I haven't done one in a while. I picked up a nice tester from siliconeintakes.com because I got sick of my pos testers popping off from anything over 20psi. This tester looks pretty legit, I'll report back how it functions but I'm expecting it to perform flawlessly because the quality of this thing looks pretty good...

Alright, got some good news to report. I highly recommend the boost leak tester from siliconintakes.com! Their tbolt clamps and couplers are pretty damn good as well.

Goal #1 accomplished, hit 42lb/min @ 23-24psi:


VETable is pretty good, so the airflow is not too far off. This is a conservative tune, especially for e85, but right now I'm just getting her settled in.

Only got it up to ~6500 rpm so there is probably still more in her. Either way, she pulled like a bat out of hell.

Also, Just purchased some bc272 cams and I'll be picking up some slicks here in the next few weeks. In the mean time, I plan to dial in the tune some more. I'll be posting some more info about my setup (with pics!) in case anyone is interested.

UPDATE: I've since increased the boost, flowing 46-47lb/min, 28psi @ only 5-6k rpm. LinkTools is estimating around 410-420whp

UPDATE2: Cams came in, can't wait to throw these bad boys on. Also, I just purchased some 26x10" Mickey Thompson slicks.

UPDATE3: Slicks came in today. Also ordered a JMF intake with a 1g n/t throttle body. I'll post updates of the install.

UPDATE4, not worthy of a new post: I cranked her up to 7.5k rpm recently and noticed the wastegate spring is maxing out. Going to throw in the 15psi springs. Boost started dropping down to 24psi.

The good news is, @ 7-7.5k rpm, she was flowing 47-48 (@ only 24psi). The bad news is, at that rpm, I could definitely feel the powerband fall off due to the cams and intake mani, all of which will be addressed very soon.

JMF intake came in today, placed order for omnipower gm-style map sensor. Right now I have the mitsu-style, which isn't compatable with the new intake. I'll also need to fab up the upper intercooler pipe to mount onto the new throttle body...

Damn it! Just when I think things are going smooth, shit starts to break:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/trans-leak-noise-while-driving.481113/





Anyway, just bought a southbend ss-x pressure plate with full-face ceramic disk (600-700tq capacity). I'm thinking about just welding up the case and maybe sending the transmission internals to get shot peened while she's out...

Welded up the bellhousing and installed the new Southbend clutch. After getting the trans back in, I noticed the fork was hitting the bellhousing before contacting the pressure plate:



Figured the shitty XTD flywheel step was the problem and orderd an ACT streetlite. After throwing everything back together, the fork was positioned perfectly with more than enough room to pivot. I finished everything up yesterday and the clutch adjusted perfectly and she shifts smoother than ever. I'm really digging the cermic disk. It's not too harsh for street use but at the same time you can feel the bite Now to continue where I left off before all this crap happened...up next install the bc272, jmf intake, and slicks.

Cams are in...it wasn't fun, let me tell you. But first, I digress...

I started the day with the goal of zip-tieing the cam gears and replacing one cam at a time. After screwing in the extremepsi timing tensioner "special tool," I moved onto the cam sprocket bolts. They were on there pretty good so I ended up using a giant bar for the adjustable wrench, which did the trick:


After swapping in the cam, I tried to torque the caps down (with a click-type torque wrench) to 15lbs and *SNAP*...broke a bolt. My pos torque wrench apparently is not accurate for low torque levels. I ran over to ACE and picked up a new bolt and extractor. Got the bolt out, put in the new one and continued on. Everything went nice and I thought the job was done...then I went to unthread the tensioner tool...kept loosening....kept loosening.

15min later I realized something was definitely wrong. I could not pull this damn thing out for the life of me and it looked to be bent. By now I'm having doubts about the belt slipping a tooth or two and I knew I had to remove everything to get behind the timing cover, essentially doing a full blown timing belt job. At this point I'm kinda pissed, it's 90-95* out and I have to spend the next few hours in the hot ass sun. Anyway, long story short, I removed the timing cover and somehow managed to pull the tensioner tool out:


This piece of shit...

After verifying that the timing is still dead-nuts perfect, I continued on. I decided to swap in a new air-conditioning belt from oreilly, which didn't fit...great. Bolted everything back together and then a bolt in my valve cover decides to strip, great...I'll deal with that another day, I can only handle so much bullshit.

Anyway, the car fired right up and the cams sound and feel amazing! Kinda makes up for all the crap I had to deal with today...overall I'm just happy she's running strong and ready for some action. Next I'll be installing the JMF intake, slicks, and I'm planning on ordering some ground control coilovers here pretty soon.

More to come

Just made 524 @ 29psi!! Stock 7bolt bottom end

Installed some ground control coilovers with koni yellows. Spring rates are 600F/350R. Being a daily driver, I thought this might be too stiff but it's perfect! The konis feel amazing and I couldn't be happier with the chosen rates. I also picked up a set of (really stiff) rear springs for the track, which I should be able to swap in/out quickly in the pit:




Ground control offers a full coilover setup with mounts and konis:





Only lowered her 1/2 an inch...500hp sleeper:



She's begging for some new tint, which I'll probably take care of this coming weekend.

New TODO list:
1. 450lph fuel pump (noticed she wasn't keeping up while on the dyno, thank god for e85)
2. Wheel spacers for drag wheels (Drag Wheels Hitting Caliper)
3. Install JMF street mani
4. ISC motor is crapping out, gonna have to pick one up soon
5. tint!

Hey Phil, go to this page and do a quick "Find" in your browser looking for "Ground Control":
http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets5.html

I would be concerned that GC still uses the same old design for their upper mount solution (fronts only) that do not include a coaxial mount, which is a very important part of the 2g front suspension design. You might want to consider contacting Jay at Jay Racing to see if you can get some proper upper mounts that have a coaxial mount where the spring doesn't sit directly on the upper mount, but instead on a spring seat that is separate from the mount if the the GC mounts you have still employ the same old design. I'm not sure if GC still offers a coaxial mount solution as Dennis mentions in that article. But I know Jay has made some upper mounts available as recently as last year.

Just FYI.

Ludachris said:

I would be concerned that GC still uses the same old design for their upper mount solution (fronts only) that do not include a coaxial mount, which is a very important part of the 2g front suspension design.

Click to expand...

Crap...thanks for the heads up, had no idea about this. Yeah I'm pretty sure they're not coaxial but I'll call them up and ask. If not, I'll be contacting Jay for some.

So this is only a concern for the front mounts then?

c2ypt1c said:

Crap...thanks for the heads up, had no idea about this. Yeah I'm pretty sure they're not coaxial but I'll call them up and ask. If not, I'll be contacting Jay for some.

So this is only a concern for the front mounts then?

Click to expand...

I only know it to be a concern with the front, mainly due to the pivoting of the suspension.

Unfortunately, many 2g owners continue to buy cheap coilovers (Ksport, Megan Racing, etc) that employ the flawed design for the simple reason that the coilovers are cheap. The coilover companies know that many people buying them probably won't notice the design short cut, or will even be able to tell the negative effects of it, and some DSMers won't care anyway when they slam the car to the ground. And designing them that way allows them to produce a cheaper product that will sell better volume. If people keep buying them there isn't going to be a change in the product design, that's for sure. There are only a couple affordable 2g coilover options available that have the proper coaxial design - I know FEAL makes one and I think BC Racing makes one. I'm actually surprised that Ground Control even makes these mounts available for the 2g with as respected as they are in many circles.

UPDATE - Haven't done much to her in the last couple months. Threw in the 450 walbro and gave her some tint! Also, installed a Mitsumoto X-Line Race radiator to keep her nice and cool. She's been pretty reliable as a daily driver which I'm happy with (just hit 140k on the odo).

TODO:
Need to fix a small oil leak on my hx40 return outlet - my crappy self-made gasket is not getting the job done. Also, have a water leak at the oil filter housing which apparently only leaks at higher rpms.
Still need to install the JMF intake. Have to buy some plugs for the 5 exposed ports.

Alright, so my plans have changed slightly. I took a dive off the deep end and just bought a 95 eagle talon awd which I plan to swap over to my gst. Before the awd swap though, I'm planning on shot peening, welding the center diff, and reshimming the trans along with installing an evo 3/4 shift fork. Stay tuned, more to come...

AWD SWAP TIME!!!

Pulling the ebrake cables
Remove the rubber plugs from the cables before pulling, this makes it super easy.


Subframe out
I was having issues unbolting the brake lines, even with vise grips, so I heated them up with a blowtorch and they came off in two seconds. Other than that, this is pretty straight forward.


Pulling the fuel tank



Removing the tank mounts
I used a spot weld drill bit and pried them off


Cutting front fwd subframe bolts


Dropping in tank strap bolts using solder trick
The only one I couldn't get was the front passenger side
I used M10 x 1.50, 40mm


Decided to drill for front tank bolts since I had to on passenger side anyway:


Rear subframe bolt access



Drilling front subframe bolt hole into cabin


Boring out front subframe bolt access
This hole drill is worth every penny


Subframe bolts in, notice front is significantly longer.
Front (left) - 4" x 1/2"
Rear (right) - 5" x 1/2" (this bolt I'm not sure about...I might have to go longer on it)
UPDATE: I used different sized bolts. See the following post for details.

Alright, after a nice vacation in Japan, I was finally able to come back and put some work in on the AWD swap.

First, I replaced the excessively long front subframe bolts (see http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/aw...ced-merged-2-07.247093/page-31#post-153582150):

Notice how they are now similar in length...I used a 3.5" x1/2" for the front (left) and 6"x 1/2" for the rear (right).

Moving on...AWD subframe and tank removed:


My upper-control arm bushings on my AWD donor desperately needed to be changed, so I threw in some energy-suspension bushings. After blow-torching the old ones out, the outer-sleeve needed to be delt with:

I decided to use a sawz-all and cut two relatively close notches:

and was able to easily tap it out with a hammer and chisel:


I then made use of some nearby cinder blocks and pressed the new ones in with a vise and some sockets (tip: press in from the flat edge of the knuckle):


Once that was squared away, I fabbed up my AWD fuel sending unit to use the FWD's 6AN fuel lines. First, I sawz-all'd the outlet:


and bored out the hole for the AN fitting:


Then I strapped in the fuel tank and wired up the AWD connector according to this diagram:

I was able to follow this even with my rewired FWD setup:


UPDATE: I started her up and verified the fuel pump and gauge are working properly. Forgot how mean she sounds with the cams in

Brackets welded in:






At this point, all that's left is to swap the transmission and axles in. Time to pull the awd trans:



Alright, so the plan is to install an evo conversion for the 3/4 hub and slider, weld the center diff, shot peen the gear sets, and set some tight preloads during the assembly...that's the plan anyway. Next post will be the transmission teardown...

Update - Jack's supply of EVO3 3/4 forged shift rails are unavailable from Japan, so their conversion kit is currently (indefinitely?) out of stock. I was able to snag a rail through my own means and will begin the tear down/rebuild pretty soon, once I get the rest of the kit parts ordered.

Did you get a good accurate fuel guage using that diagram?