Street Build 1G Build: Return of the DSMer!

[Vegas Smith]

Lots of small projects. I'm doing away with my tubular front crossmember in order to add in thick poly bushings for extra comfort. So far I've felt less vibration and less drivetrain noise with the new setup. I'll be putting the Bulfab member up for sale soon. It always sucks having to burn out the old bushings with a blowtorch because the old rubber gets everywhere and will stain driveways and concrete. I'm so happy I bought this press a long time ago; it's well worth the cost. I also wire wheeled and repainted my timing side and front motor mounts.

A funny aside, I ordered the front poly bushing off Amazon and installed it. A couple days later I was rummaging through my parts bin and found another brand new poly bushing. I have so much stuff in my parts bin I didn't know I owned one already even when I went looking for it.

 

[TCB91GSX]

Just a quick question on the FF cas cover, what did you use to get those oddly faced bolts off ? Mine look like they are tamper proof.

 

[Vegas Smith]

Just a quick question on the FF cas cover, what did you use to get those oddly faced bolts off ? Mine look like they are tamper proof.

Hmm, not sure what you mean. I think the original bolts were simply flatheads.

 

[Vegas Smith]

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[We're on Boost]

That's a nice looking driveway there. It looks just like a garage floor. Oh yeah, great looking car too!

 

[TCB91GSX]

Hmm, not sure what you mean. I think the original bolts were simply flatheads.

Looks like mine are different.

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[pieceofcloth]

Looks like mine are different.

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One-way screws

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[Vegas Smith]

Looks like mine are different.

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Wow, not sure what those are.

 

[Vegas Smith]

That's a nice looking driveway there. It looks just like a garage floor. Oh yeah, great looking car too!

Ha, it’s just the lighting. It needs to be power washed big time.

 

[Steve93Talon]

Looks like mine are different.

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Just use small pliers or vise grips from the sides of the screw head

 

[AWD-Tony]

You can use aluminum foil so you don’t make a mess. I keep a cheap roll in the garage. Also use it on the cross member when I do oil changes so it funnels into the drain pan.

 

[Vegas Smith]

I've really been trying to clean the engine bay up but's so difficult when the PO f***ing spray-painted it. The paint has been peeling for years and I'll never be happy with it until I've repainted it. However, I did go ahead and repaint my brake master cylinder as well as buy new yellow zinc-coated bolts for 90% of the engine bay. I sanded then used Rustoleum for the paint. I've also started sanding and wire-wheeling all of the parts that weren't masked properly when the bay was originally spray painted. The brake master cylinder and thermostat housing have always looked like hell and it's nice to have cleaned them up.

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[1cleangsx]

It wouldn’t look so bad if the exterior didn’t look so AMAZING

 

[Ludachris]

Little details make all the difference. Now go wipe down that brake fluid reservoir cap!

 

[Vegas Smith]

It wouldn’t look so bad if the exterior didn’t look so AMAZING

Beauty on the exterior is where it really matters

 

[Vegas Smith]

Little details make all the difference. Now go wipe down that brake fluid reservoir cap!

Don’t worry, there’s an update coming for that...

 

[AWD-Tony]

I was in the same boat…kind of. Pull the motor and paint it. You’ll be so happy especially now that the exterior looks good.

 

[Vegas Smith]

I was in the same boat…kind of. Pull the motor and paint it. You’ll be so happy especially now that the exterior looks good.

No mental energy to do it right now. Maybe in a year.

 

[We're on Boost]

No mental energy to do it right now. Maybe in a year.

One day year at a time.

 

[pieceofcloth]

No mental energy to do it right now. Maybe in a year.

If you ever need help, I'm down the road

 

[jamel16]

I've really been trying to clean the engine bay up but's so difficult when the PO f***ing spray-painted it. The paint has been peeling for years and I'll never be happy with it until I've repainted it. However, I did go ahead and repaint my brake master cylinder as well as buy new yellow zinc-coated bolts for 90% of the engine bay. I sanded then used Rustoleum for the paint. I've also started sanding and wire-wheeling all of the parts that weren't masked properly when the bay was originally spray painted. The brake master cylinder and thermostat housing have always looked like hell and it's nice to have cleaned them up.

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Nice, I just placed a big order of yellow zinc hardware to finish out my build

 

[Vegas Smith]

I redid my catch my catch can setup again. I'm done with the sealed setup and will be doing an open system from now on. The MCR valve cover baffle system was horrible. I went to TX2K and came back to my car to notice oil pooled up under the old catch can. Long story short the MCR baffle lets oil gush out of the 10an ports into the catch. The MCR guy was of course not helpful and blamed by engine even though my old valve cover didn't let a drop of oil out. I wound up cutting out some oil drains for the baffling system and elevated the new catch can rather than having it in the wheel well. These changes seem to be working.

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[1cleangsx]

Just to add my own personal and very limited input, when I ditched the stupid factory “sealed” design and went to a vented set up I never had issues again. My dipstick doesn’t need a spring to hold it down, when I started pushing 30+psi on the fp red the factory set up didn’t like it much. Sure you can run bigger lines to a catch can, but your still pressurizing the $h#! Out of your system with big boost. That pressure is no longer a concern on a vented set up because… it’s vented , my valve cover has no baffle other than a strip of aluminum welded under the breather ports, and after a max of 37psi on a dsm82 and roughly 60-62 lb per/min airflow, I NEVER saw more than a few ounces of oil in the can. Now granted I know I had good ring compression, so your amount of blow by will effect this, but I personally think stinking to sealed set up on a highly modified dsm is kind of

 

[Vegas Smith]

Just to add my own personal and very limited input, when I ditched the stupid factory “sealed” design and went to a vented set up I never had issues again. My dipstick doesn’t need a spring to hold it down, when I started pushing 30+psi on the fp red the factory set up didn’t like it much. Sure you can run bigger lines to a catch can, but your still pressurizing the $h#! Out of your system with big boost. That pressure is no longer a concern on a vented set up because… it’s vented , my valve cover has no baffle other than a strip of aluminum welded under the breather ports, and after a max of 37psi on a dsm82 and roughly 60-62 lb per/min airflow, I NEVER saw more than a few ounces of oil in the can. Now granted I know I had good ring compression, so your amount of blow by will effect this, but I personally think stinking to sealed set up on a highly modified dsm is kind of

For different reasons I wanted the sealed setup because it would make the engine more efficient blah blah but it just isn't worth it in the end. I had the same baffle setup as you with the aluminum strip, and I kid you not there wasn't a drop of oil in my catch can after running my htz76 at 36-37psi for a year. I drop in the MCR vc and it almost drains engine of oil in the 30 minutes of driving...I really wanted the billet cover work so that's why I switched everything up.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

30some psi of boost is cute...…
The abstract paint on the strut tower is a nice touch too...…..
Boy it feels good to tease someone...……….Car looks amazing Nick!