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Project:G.I. Jose street legal autoX car

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born2tune

10+ Year Contributor
916
39
Dec 30, 2009
clarksville, Tennessee
Hello everybody, my name is James and I am in the military, I currently serve in the US ARMY and I have been in service for a little over 8 years, I am in the aviation field and I am a technical inspector for rotary wing helicopters, specifically the AH-64D.
I always had a passion for military vehicles, their looks, their ruggedness and functionality mods & specs over cosmetics. That is what inspired me to convert my 95 Eagle talon AWD into an aviation/military spec type of vehicle. I eliminated any and all cosmetics, user comfort items, sound dampening and things alike to save on weight.

Although I have taken a ton of pictures I felt like if I posted them all you would never see the ending of the build. So instead I have collected key pictures to help you get going with what I have been up to lately. With so many deployments to Afghanistan please understand if there are times that I may not post anything for a few months or so.

So enough with the intro and let's talk DSM:
Engine: Is built with all new OEM parts, I installed ARP head studs, mains and flywheel bolts. Has ACL aluglide bearings. Balance shaft eliminated with STM's kit. Both the block and head has been resurfaced. All powertrain components are OEM. The reason is to ensure a long lasting engine with comfortable reliability yet reducing overall costs to finish the build, then Upgrades to the engine will be done as it breaks in.
Here is the engine put together, everything is new!
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The paint scheme of the entire car will be Flat colors. So here is the flat tan valve cover:
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I had prior experience with goodyear gatorback timing belts in these engines so I put another one in
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I just got back all my intercooler piping back from being powdercoated wrinkle flat black
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What a normal 95 eagle talon engine bay looks like when you pull the engine:
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Installed the intake manifold and other odd n ends.
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I started to strip out the interior and pulled out most of the sound dampening:
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I dropped the front subframe and suspension system for a full overhaul
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This is what I'm replacing the old, tired and torn bushings from the talon with
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Here is the engine bay cleaned up, treated and painted with flat tan camo paint.
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Burning old bushings out for the new polyurethane ones to go in.
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Same with the rear subframe, its about to receive the same treatment
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Here I installed the rear "torquesolution" subframe bushings.
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rear UCA job
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Rear trailing arm job
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Here I installed a set of aluminum bushings for the rear diff.
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rear control arm Job
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Installed back up
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Who needs that ugly spare tire bubble? Also not shown I removed the fuel tank and all its lines.
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About to take this apart and drop a Mechanical LSD
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The transfer case got torn apart, inspected and new seals put on it to ensure a longer leak free life.
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Got these from a freelancer here in the forums, these are for the front subframe.
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Here are the aluminum bushings installed on the front subframe.
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Here I decided that once the subframe was on I was able to install the engine to continue progress since I was waiting on a ton of thing to come in.
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I took apart my FP Frankenstein turbo and rebuild it with one of the kits from Gpopshop.
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I decided to tackle the car's wiring. To have it with bare minimal wres, just the essentials setup in a military manner, so this takes time since I have to write my own diagrams and such to be able to follow and trouble shoot in the future.
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Me lost in the world of color coded wires, in the ARMY every wire has a specific part number, sometimes serial number.
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Freshened up the trans and its ready for some smooth shifting again.
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Here I have the control arm installed along with all new ball joints everywhere.
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Slowly getting the wires together to setup the wiring route, loops and such.
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More wiring nightmares...
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Getting the car ready for a roll cage.
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Done, almost...
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Here I am in the middle of plastidipping the car flat tan. It was an easier alternative to car paint since I can constantly change the outside theme at a lower cost.
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Here it is plastdipped and Im just currently working on the fuel system.
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Here is what I call a gymkhana Fuel system. Its fully built in a AN-8 hose fitting platform, it has the capability to support 1000HP, It has a sealed anti-slush 2 liter surge tank setup to ensure a solid stream of fuel is always being fed to the engine regardless of cornering and fuel being tossed left and right in the tank. It also has an 8 gallon fuel cell. The fuel is being Pumped by 2 walbro 255HP lph pumps. The main fuel system hardlines in-house custom bent an8 lines. (aircraft grade).
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So there is more that is actually/currently going on but I’ll post again when a significant update is ready.
 
Are you planning to firewall off that surge tank? I don't know anything about passing auto-x tech but for hpde and any on-track racing that would need to have a firewall sealing it off from the main cabin.
 
Are you planning to firewall off that surge tank? I don't know anything about passing auto-x tech but for hpde and any on-track racing that would need to have a firewall sealing it off from the main cabin.

As of now, I do not plan on sealing it off from the cabin, although it has been discussed with my friends and I believe that at some point its going to get sealed off because I see the safety issues, hazards and restrictions by having it open.
 
"Here I am in the middle of plastidipping the car flat tan. It was an easier alternative to car paint since I can constantly change the outside theme at a lower cost."

And then there were two.

Hey i also plastic painted mines tan, to mach the motor pool, you know what i"m talking about! :sneaky:
"they don't but you do"
 
Its been a long deployment as Im still here in asscrackistan (afghanistan) but Ive been purchasing everything else needed to finish this project shortly after I return home. although much of it is actual labor such as finishing the fuel system, wiring and cooling pipes, and most of the actual parts are already at home waiting for me to install them.

I owed this update to the subscribers if any haha. By the way if you want to see this thing get finished as I get back please subscribe. Its going to be fun! I personally cant wait to see it fire up. major updates will happen in about 3 months.
 
Good to hear your making it back. I know you don't always get much free time when deployed, and when you do you rather sleep, shower, eat, laundry- repeat. Cant wait to see the finish.

P.s after a year my plastic dip tan got wrinkled and no longer looked to hot, started peeling it off yesterday, it even peeled of some clear coat with it.
 
Nice! The flat black piping look good once put in the engine bay, looks more clean and mean
 
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