GSTwithPSI's Galant VR4 #820/1000

[weasel1G]

That's a really nice spark plug wire cover. I think I saw those in one of the Facebook DSM groups. Looks like a high quality piece.

 

[GST with PSI]

Haven't been doing too much to 820. Just been driving and enjoying it for a change! I try and tidy some things up here and there, but overall the car has been problem free. *knock on wood*

In the process of tidying some more things up, I got a new revised plug cover for 820, and it looks awesome. Rob from from Dark Art Carbon is still making these. More of his work can be seen on his FB page::https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076393349143354/?fref=mentions

 

[GST with PSI]

As always, wrenching continues.

About this time last year, I had the motor out of 820 to give it a makeover. At that time I had some issues with the car, the big ticket items being the clutch not disengaging, and low compression on cylinder #1. When I got the head off, the intake valves were so gunked up on cyl #1 the valves weren't sealing. So, I sourced a used head and slapped the motor back together. When I got the motor back in, it ran great initially. However, over time, compression on cyl #2 and #3 dropped off to below 100 psi. A leakdown test seemed to indicate it was a problem with the head, but at that point I wasn't willing to chance it. I decided the motor was coming out again...

I've had the old 6 bolt stocker that was in 1837 on a stand for a while. I figured since it was a known good long block, the best option would be to swap it in, and in the future, build up the 6 bolt from 820 as time and money allow.

I made a few changes to the setup this time around. Previously, I had swapped to a 2G head and Evo III intake thinking the small intake ports would increase my low end torque/power a bit. However, I wasn't terribly impressed with any of the felt performance gains on the street. So, I decided to go back to a 1G head, but paired up with a cyclone dual runner intake with the variable butterflies. I also replaced the old bastard TD05H 20G with the 68HTA V2 I was running previously on 1837. I'm hoping this new combo will yield some of the low end gains I was shooting for with the last setup:

Once again, I got to work giving 820 the business!

New motor all polished up ready to drop in:

All tucked in

Done

Swapped the 92 grille back in for Anthony

Garage full of turds...

End result: 820 is running better than it ever has. Compression is 150 across the board, and the car pulls strong on the 68HTA. I need to tweak the tune a bit more, and play with the cyclone activation point to see what the car likes best, but overall it has been great. No squeaks, no leaks, no bullshit. An E85 tune may also be in store for the future, but we'll see.

At this point, both cars are running good *knock on wood*, so I'm not trying to f*** that up. I'm scheduled to move back to SoCal at the beginning of next month, so I need both cars up and running until they make it off of the car carrier in Cali. Fingers crossed...

 

[lasershark]

Your sh!ts so clean that you probably don't even need to wash your hands when you're done wrenching

 

[GST with PSI]

Your sh!ts so clean that you probably don't even need to wash your hands when you're done wrenching

That's certainly one of the goals

 

[GST with PSI]

GST with PSI updated GSTwithPSI's Galant VR4 #820/1000

Mod list updated

View updates to this DSM profile...

 

[19gsx91]

How are you controlling the solenoid for the cyclone intake? I ordered one, still waiting for it to come in

 

[GST with PSI]

I converted the stock vacuum actuator to a T25 wastegate actuator, and I'll use ECMlink and the FPS to control the butterflies.

 

[iceguru1114]

Impressive as always. Let us know how that Cyclone works out. I'm currently pursuing one for FUBAR to help with the low end response I'm gonna need for autox duty.

 

[19gsx91]

Amazing, any possibility of a write up on this? I haven't researched it too much yet but I'm pretty excited about getting my cyclone mani in.

 

[GST with PSI]

Potentially, but probably not anytime soon. I'm in the middle of a move, and purchasing a house. The cars are going on the back burner for a while.

 

[weasel1G]

Beautiful cars. Look fresh from the showroom floor!

 

[GST with PSI]

A lot has happened since I last posted some updates about the car. I'll back up to last November, when some 60 year old lady side swiped my wife while driving 820 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I only had liability on the car, and the old lady who hit my wife denied fault, which means I was stuck eating the repairs. The impact wrecked the rear driver side door, dogleg, and trashed one of my freshly painted Evo 8 wheels. FML. That being the case, I started plotting how to tackle the repairs.


Taken just 2 days before the accident...

The damage:

At this point, it was time to suck it up and patch up the body the best I could. Luckily, most of the major damage was done to the rear quarter panel, which was accessible from the trunk. I got to work with a hammer and dolly, and had most of the panel straight in a few hours:

Once the panel was as straight as I could possibly get it, I began the painstaking process of filling and sanding...Over, and over, and over, and over.

 

[GST with PSI]

David @ www.heeltoeauto.com hooked it up on a new set of Enkei wheels. Picked up some fresh meats to go with them:

Sanding, filling, spraying, repeating continued...

Once all the body work was as good as it was going to get, I resprayed the rear quarter and door with some W09 and clear from Automotive Touchup. I've used their stuff numerous times now, and it's my go-to for paint. Their stuff is pretty good all things considered.

All patched and painted up:

 

[GST with PSI]

Then got a wild hair up my ass and decided to do some fender flares

Aesthetically, seems some people love the flares, and some don't. I hope to eventually use them to tuck some 10" wide slicks on the road course, so aesthetics aside, I'm hoping to get some use out of them. Additionally, in the spirit of tracking the car I picked up some Whiteline sway bars, as well as some JIC suspension, which should go on as soon as I can get the dampers cleaned up:

Should have some more updates on the car soon. As always, thanks for following along

 

[Vegas Smith]

What's the deal on your car? Still dealing with the blown head gasket? Not sure if I like the flares or not. Definitely don't dislike them.

 

[95eclipser]

Sorry to hear the bad news about the VR4, but looks like you turned it around pretty quickly.

I am feeling the flares, definitely needs a little more tire. I have used Automotive touch up paint a couple times now as well. I used their product on my evo and dsm. Both colors matched up very close, plus the price you pay is reasonable.

 

[GST with PSI]

What's the deal on your car? Still dealing with the blown head gasket? Not sure if I like the flares or not. Definitely don't dislike them.

Bruh, where you been? That shit has been fixed for months: http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/gstwithpsi-galant-vr4-1837-of-2000.482807/page-16#post-153683767

 

[Vegas Smith]

Weak, a real DSM will almost always be severely broken.

 

[GST with PSI]

Weak, a real DSM will almost always be severely broken.

Well, Galant VR-4s aren't DSMs, so that explains the unprecedented reliability.

 

[iceguru1114]

Flares are on the horizon for FUBAR. Which ones did you end up going with?

 

[GST with PSI]

GST with PSI updated GSTwithPSI's Galant VR4 #820/1000

Mod list updated, photos added

View updates to this DSM profile...

 

[GST with PSI]

A few updates on 820 I never got around to posting. I disassembled the JIC coilovers and reconditioned them:

Installed the JICs, tweaked the ride height and took some pics after the suspension swap:

Took it to West Coast MOD:

And just keep driving it...Who says these cars aren't reliable?

 

[Vegas Smith]

Lookin good, my dude.

 

[19gsx91]

Brett always continues to encourage me not to post any updates on the ole gsx since I never seem to have any good news. Everything is looking awesome brother