Flash's Summer Build Thread

[ILLiCliPSE]

You call this a build? All I see are little parts here and there.

+1

BTW RoasT BeeF, you have some PMs waiting in your inbox.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

Big build or not, it's nice to see others posting the 'what's what' about their own DSMs.

 

[Flash]

You call this a build? All I see are little parts here and there.

Just waiting on something from Canada...

Big build or not, it's nice to see others posting the 'what's what' about their own DSMs.

It's funny. It started this way. Roast Beef let me borrow his Aeromotive FPR for a while. He needed it back so I gave it back. I ordered the Weldon FPR, because I'm in love with Weldon's product line because I think they are just the best thing since sliced bread. Anyway, the Weldon FPR was huge, no place to put it. I figured well, if my manifold sat lower I could stuff this on the firewall, so I ordered a Magnus from Canada-land. After that, I told myself, that 2g throttle body won't do, it's far too small. So Tstkl hooked it up, and then I wanted it refreshed and new, so I had Steve at throttlebodys.com bore and restore it. The Magnus SMIM sits lower, so I called Albert at DV/DT to make me an intercooler pipe that would fit the Magus SMIM. The piping wouldn't fit with the stock battery so I decided against a smaller battery and opted for moving my Optima to the trunk. I had a system in the trunk, so I yanked that. With that, I decided to clean up some wires. After that I decided I would repaint the trunk area. The battery sure cleans up the engine bay, but I imagined the engine bay if I moved all my fuel stuff in the trunk too. So with time I will stick a Bosch back there with the filters. While thinking about the fuel system I came to the conclusion that the blue and red Russell fittings I had were no longer cool so I ordered all new fittings in endura and black.
It doesn't stop there...

 

[RoasT BeeF]

I might have to come over and make sure you know how to install all these parts properly.

You just buy the beer.

 

[crimsondragon]

Got my OMP kill switch from HRPWorld . I picked this because it had a little removable key. Pretty neat. Other than that, I have just been running wires. I haven't come up with a nice way to run the wires through my firewall yet. I could just drill a hole and run wires, but that seems shoddy. I'll be swinging by 3R Racing Thursday to try to get some ideas.

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I was also thinking of getting something like that to put on the main 10ga wire for the fuel pump for security and modification issues.

 

[Flash]

I might have to come over and make sure you know how to install all these parts properly.

You just buy the beer.

When are you coming again?

I made some progress today. I spent the afternoon removing the cross bracing in the trunk so my battery box can sit flat. It sucks because the flat part is in the center. I made sure that everything was smooth. I threw on some primer just to cover up the bare metal.

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More parts pictures.

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[gsxgate24]

i been thinking of going with a 1g n/t throttle body i like the idea of 1 gasket compared to 2. ever put any thought into using one of those?

 

[blcknspo0ln]

Hey grant, how did you go about removing that cross-brace in the rear? I haven't used it in ages and would like to do the same.

 

[Flash]

Hey grant, how did you go about removing that cross-brace in the rear? I haven't used it in ages and would like to do the same.

I was just discussing this with MrBoxx through AIM. I took an angle grinder and ground down the spot welds. Then I stuck a flat head under and gently pried up and then used some vise grips to pull the piece out. You don't want to overheat the metal when grinding, or else it will deform the metal underneath when u go to pry or pull. Just take your time and you should be ok.
Boxx and I discussed drilling out the spot welds. I didn't because I didn't want to drill more holes in my trunk then what I needed to. I don't want to fill holes I didn't need to create in the first place. But you could drill them out, I just opted not to.

 

[MrBoxx]

I agonized over how to remove the cross-brace for months, but in the end, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I started off with a Dremel and some cut-off wheels. After going through about 15-20 wheels on one SIDE of the bracket, I decided to go a little bigger. I got through the rear side of the long cross-brace with the Dremel, cutting horizontally as close as I could to the attachment face. Once through the rear side, I got a 4.5" angle grinder with a nice cut-off wheel. I cut the three cross pieces that join the two cross-braces, then removed the rear half of it. Then I used the grinder to cut the front half out. This took, literally, 5 minutes, compared to the half hour I spent with the Dremel on the other side. Switched to a metal grinding wheel and ground down all the spot welded metal that was left. This causes quite a few sparks, and I'm surprised my car didn't catch on fire. Come to think of it, I'm surprised I didn't catch on fire too, though I forgot to wear long sleeves, and had little red pinpricks where sparks hit my arm. I did wear safety goggles over my glasses, a face shield, and ear protection.

The metal tub in my hatch area is clear of all brackets (except for the jack bracket, which is coming out tomorrow) and all I have left to do is take a 4.5" flap wheel to the whole area, then tape it off and cover it in rubberized undercoat. Then I'm going to make some supports for the w/w reservoir so it'll be in a little bit of a different area. That will leave enough room for a battery box. I'll get some pics tomorrow when I go home to work on it.

 

[Scrymerr]

Yo Grant, looks good. I will have to catch up with you soon, as I just got back to the computer now.

As far as removing that rear brace, an automatic centerpunch and spotweld cutter will allow one to remove it with little trouble in about 15 minutes. This way will also leave the sheet-metal underneath in the best shape.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

Sounds like a mega PITA, especially since I don't have an angle grinder. Anyone ever think about just taking a sawzall to the whole damn thing and then just welding in some sheet metal? Someone please clarify because I don't know, but would that really change chassis rigidity? I would absolutely do this to my talon, but I have a cheapo flux-only mig welder and I doubt it will be enough to start welding any chassis stuff with. I've also seen someone on here do it to their car, but I can't for the life of me remember who.

 

[Scrymerr]

Sounds like a mega PITA, especially since I don't have an angle grinder. Anyone ever think about just taking a sawzall to the whole damn thing and then just welding in some sheet metal? Someone please clarify because I don't know, but would that really change chassis rigidity? I would absolutely do this to my talon, but I have a cheapo flux-only mig welder and I doubt it will be enough to start welding any chassis stuff with. I've also seen someone on here do it to their car, but I can't for the life of me remember who.

Blair Spotweld Cutters

YA879, Punch, Automatic Center, Heavy Duty

These will allow you to do the job in 15 minutes very easily, and will not require any welding or anything afterwards. Screw angle grinder, and whatever.

 

[Flash]

Yo Grant, looks good. I will have to catch up with you soon, as I just got back to the computer now.

As far as removing that rear brace, an automatic centerpunch and spotweld cutter will allow one to remove it with little trouble in about 15 minutes. This way will also leave the sheet-metal underneath in the best shape.

Thanks dude. Long time no talk, we need to catch up.

Sounds like a mega PITA, especially since I don't have an angle grinder. Anyone ever think about just taking a sawzall to the whole damn thing and then just welding in some sheet metal? Someone please clarify because I don't know, but would that really change chassis rigidity? I would absolutely do this to my talon, but I have a cheapo flux-only mig welder and I doubt it will be enough to start welding any chassis stuff with. I've also seen someone on here do it to their car, but I can't for the life of me remember who.

Or stick a fuel cell back there. That has crossed my mind many times.

 

[Flash]

Just some more pictures with an update. Roast Beef came over and helped me remove more stuff on my car then I really needed to remove.
The Shearer manifold is getting ceramic coated. EvoIII oil filter housing will go on. I decided to change my turbo oil feed location to the head. So I ordered a Forced Performance oil filter and new line kit. Still just waiting on more parts.

I was going to order new fixed-back seats to replace my Sparco Torino's until another expense seemed to grow larger than expected.

Engine waiting for a bunch of new parts!

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I'm excited for everything to be finished.

 

[theSicKness]

looking Great.. very nice build so far.

 

[mini zilo]

Looks awesome so far. Just one thing, why does everyone have so much trouble removing sound deadening?


I figured out the perfect way to remove sound deadening. Heat it up with a heat gun and then spill some sprite on it, it comes right off. I found out on accident because it was blazing hot in my car, and I had spilled a whole bottle of sprite on my back seats, which seeped through onto the deadining.

 

[turbosax2]

Grant, where's the updates?

 

[Flash]

I'm flattered that someone remembered.
I've been so busy. I fixed an electrical issue I was dealing with. And then yesterday a coolant fitting that screws into the block decided to break off in the block, so I just finished getting that out. But other than that my car is just sitting.
It's killing me that I'm missing a whole summer without my car.

 

[MrBoxx]

Grant, out of curiosity, what are you doing about the windshield washer reservoir? Keeping it, relocating it, ditching it? I realized that the battery box I'm using takes up more room in the tub than I thought it would, so the WW reservoir may have to be arranged differently than I wanted it to. I'm interested in your input on that.

Also, I have to say thanks for the dry ice method for sound deadening removal. I helped my friend Josh remove the sound deadening on his '86 300ZX. This stuff is literally 1/4"-1/3" thick in places. It's probably three or four times as thick as DSM sound deadening and the dry ice worked very very well in lifting it off the metal. The large mat under the driver's side floor actually came up in one 15lb piece. He's prepping the car for an RB25DET swap.

 

[T is for TURBO]

Sounds like a mega PITA, especially since I don't have an angle grinder. Anyone ever think about just taking a sawzall to the whole damn thing and then just welding in some sheet metal? Someone please clarify because I don't know, but would that really change chassis rigidity? I would absolutely do this to my talon, but I have a cheapo flux-only mig welder and I doubt it will be enough to start welding any chassis stuff with. I've also seen someone on here do it to their car, but I can't for the life of me remember who.

I think you would be alright

The ridges I have circled (plus all the other ridge i didn't circle) are most likely there to improve upon the rigidity the manufactures lost by putting the damned think in there in the first place. If you do go ahead with your idea, I wold at least put a few peices of flatstock across just for piece of mind. But I think, in the end, the car might actually be more stiff.

Edit: sorry, forgot to add image

 

[Flash]

Grant, out of curiosity, what are you doing about the windshield washer reservoir? Keeping it, relocating it, ditching it? I realized that the battery box I'm using takes up more room in the tub than I thought it would, so the WW reservoir may have to be arranged differently than I wanted it to. I'm interested in your input on that.

Also, I have to say thanks for the dry ice method for sound deadening removal. I helped my friend Josh remove the sound deadening on his '86 300ZX. This stuff is literally 1/4"-1/3" thick in places. It's probably three or four times as thick as DSM sound deadening and the dry ice worked very very well in lifting it off the metal. The large mat under the driver's side floor actually came up in one 15lb piece. He's prepping the car for an RB25DET swap.

The reservoir is totally removed. I don't daily drive my car so I have no need for it.

 

[T is for TURBO]

btw where did you get that silicone water tube?

 

[Flash]

I thought I would throw up an update.
I had this crazy idea to convert my turbo's coolant feed and return lines to AN. Broke the factory fitting off in the block when trying to remove it! Yikes!

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EvoIII oil filter housing. After waiting a couple months for this gem to arrive from Japan I got it mounted. No more factory sensors, I re-threaded a port and mounted my Stack temp sensor in there.

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Everything turned out just fine. The threads on the block turned out to be OK and everything works.

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[RoasT BeeF]

So I decided to swing by Flash's crib today and see what he was up to. When I got there I was suprised to find the youngster trying to bolt his stock intake manifold to the wrong side of his engine!!!! So I snapped a few pics as evidence.

Keep up the good work Flash!