The RAVEN!: AWD/Auto/S400/Nitrous/Alum. rod/100% street car build *8/9s or bust!*

[TSimage]

Build threads like this are much easier to follow along with when they're in Blog form. Otherwise you have to read through pages of replies that most likely aren't worth reading. It may be easier for you to communicate with people in a thread, but it's much easier for most people to follow a Blog than a thread. That's why blogs are so friggin popular these days - they're extremely easy to read. Very few want to sift through thread replies to see your updates. Most builds are now being posted in the Blogs section here on our site. Our moderators have been pushing for all threads like this to be ended and continued in a Blog. I'll ask you to do the same.

And yes, we're still planning on moving out there... we're just not sure on when. Maybe a year, maybe two.

I'll check out the blogs and see how they work. I'm pretty unfamiliar with them so I need to read up and get the jest.

And it'll be cool to have you out, we have a lot of nice DSMs out here so it'll be a welcoming for another.

And stop tooting your own horn every post. Your hand is gonna be sore from patting yourself on the back so much . Looking good so far man.

Fortunately I have long arms and I'm pretty flexible. But on a serious note, I'm a humble guy its just fun going through the paces with these cars. It brings me back to my first DSM build and how that car was my everything, I doubt even this build will mean as much to me as that one did, but I find myself on the out side looking in (I know it sounds weird) Like I'm watching myself redo everything and this time I'm able to do it at such a pace because I already got my failed attempts out of the way.

I had my hands wrapped around a AEM box but they guy I was buying it from flaked on me so I'm back to square one. Still need fuel, Turbo, and EMS, money is coming slooooowly with all the other projects but hopefully I can get more of these parts sold and get r done.

 

[TSimage]

So whats new guys?

Well I should be receiving the last of my parts from Erik and hopefully that will throw some more fire under my @$$ to get the car done faster.

Some major moves were made. Originally the car was in storage so working on it wasn't much of a grand experience and all in all just didn't fit well with me. Fortunately I have a few friends with shows and one in particular moved into a new show with @$$ loads of space. Your lookin' at the new Endless Motoring DSM.

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With my new found space I can actually get in there and do a lot of the things I simply haven't had the space to do. One of those being finishing the wire tuck and shaving the engine bay.

It all starts off with removing a bulk of the seam putty, making sure you leave the putty covering the seam creases but getting enough off so that when you glass or bondo it back you will have a smooth transition giving you the "Brazilian" look.

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Next up you wanna prep the holes by sanding them and getting into the threads (if they have them) so that the welder can penetrate better.

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Next up, pull out the welder and go to work.

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Grind it all smooth.

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And then simply make sure its prepped for the next step. (Going to sand the rest of the engine bay down before I respray it) Its a tedious task (I estimated roughly 60+ holes that I welded closed) but the end result will more than out weigh the hard work.

More to come stay tuned.

 

[lglracer]

Engine bay looks even cleaner in person! But where are the updates on this build??!

I saw the RX8 at the BOTI show, congratulations on the win, it was GORGEOUS just like this car, you do top notch work. In all reality I think your build is the REAL DEAL when it comes to "NO compromising" using only the best of the best parts and switching from the dogbox to built auto will be perfect. Jeff definitely reminded a lot of people what autos are capable of by winning the Pro class at BOTI. When this thing is completed nothing in the street class will be able to touch it by 1-2 seconds, that's amazing, then you can go hunting for Jeff .. Hell your last DSM was running 10s on street tires so unlike some you know what it takes to go fast so I guess I'll be patient and let the master work.

If this isn't a complete build I don't know what is, the car was in pieces last time at the shop, every nut and bolt was off almost and you were fabricating/welding up brackets and modifying the cage too. I think I saw a bare block on the engine stand too any new secrets? Get this thing done and show these other guys what quality looks like.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Damn thats a nice build, lots to read through though love the wiring tuck, i did one too.

 

[Slippi84]

Engine bay looks even cleaner in person! But where are the updates on this build??!

I saw the RX8 at the BOTI show, congratulations on the win, it was GORGEOUS just like this car, you do top notch work. In all reality I think your build is the REAL DEAL when it comes to "NO compromising" using only the best of the best parts and switching from the dogbox to built auto will be perfect. Jeff definitely reminded a lot of people what autos are capable of by winning the Pro class at BOTI. When this thing is completed nothing in the street class will be able to touch it by 1-2 seconds, that's amazing, then you can go hunting for Jeff .. Hell your last DSM was running 10s on street tires so unlike some you know what it takes to go fast so I guess I'll be patient and let the master work.

If this isn't a complete build I don't know what is, the car was in pieces last time at the shop, every nut and bolt was off almost and you were fabricating/welding up brackets and modifying the cage too. I think I saw a bare block on the engine stand too any new secrets? Get this thing done and show these other guys what quality looks like.

I love when random guys come on and take shots at others and use other people's builds as ammo to fuel fire that has nothing to do with them. We have already sqaused things and we both(atleast on my pat) wish nothing but god luck to the other.

 

[Rob10_99]

Looks pretty sweet man, I think that's my next project shave.
Stop making it look easy =P Mine's got /blah ABS.

 

[lglracer]

I love when random guys come on and take shots at others and use other people's builds as ammo to fuel fire that has nothing to do with them. We have already sqaused things and we both(atleast on my pat) wish nothing but god luck to the other.

I'm rereading my post and can only see that you took the "no compromising" comment as a 'dis' towards yourself which it was not. Please dont look any deeper into it other than the words i posted and apologize if this adds any disruption to the page.

Back on topic, i saw these pics on the 'other' dsm forum and was surprised they werent posted here if its ok with you id like to post them:

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^^^ ! I remember that chick, that wasnt even the worse she did to your car. I remember you saying "... shes molesting my car.."

 

[aadperformance]

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^^^ ! I remember that chick, that wasnt even the worse she did to your car. I remember you saying "... shes molesting my car.."

need more chicks like that

If you DSM doesn't run, mine as well whore it out.

 

[Rob10_99]

he's holding out on us!

 

[TSimage]

Engine bay looks even cleaner in person! But where are the updates on this build??!

I saw the RX8 at the BOTI show, congratulations on the win, it was GORGEOUS just like this car, you do top notch work. In all reality I think your build is the REAL DEAL when it comes to "NO compromising" using only the best of the best parts and switching from the dogbox to built auto will be perfect. Jeff definitely reminded a lot of people what autos are capable of by winning the Pro class at BOTI. When this thing is completed nothing in the street class will be able to touch it by 1-2 seconds, that's amazing, then you can go hunting for Jeff .. Hell your last DSM was running 10s on street tires so unlike some you know what it takes to go fast so I guess I'll be patient and let the master work.

If this isn't a complete build I don't know what is, the car was in pieces last time at the shop, every nut and bolt was off almost and you were fabricating/welding up brackets and modifying the cage too. I think I saw a bare block on the engine stand too any new secrets? Get this thing done and show these other guys what quality looks like.

Easy tiger , but I get what you're saying, at the end of the day there's no worries and hopefully everyone is in it for the cars above all else. We're goin to have that little red car of yours running circles around a lot of these cars out here soon too, just let me know when your dad gets the donor in and we'll get to work.

Now that the shows are all pretty much done and I started parting out the 8 I'm tempted to hold off on the rebuild until next year and just finishing the 8 instead. If I could hawk all my parts I have I wouldn't mind running that KS setup even though I love the look of a nice FMIC sitting out the face.

Damn thats a nice build, lots to read through though love the wiring tuck, i did one too.

Thanks bro, yeah I tend to update in spurts on this forum since I don't use it much. My other builds normally get more consistent updates but as I get more parts in I wont forget about you guys over here on Tuners.

The wiretuck came out nice and I'm proud of it. I have a lot more things I want to try to get it even cleaner but as of right now I'm not very motivated to mess with it.

 

[TSimage]

I love when random guys come on and take shots at others and use other people's builds as ammo to fuel fire that has nothing to do with them. We have already sqaused things and we both(atleast on my pat) wish nothing but god luck to the other.

Its all good in the hood, as far as I felt it was never any bad blood, brothers and cousins fight among each other its just the way of life. I'm always down/supportive of he next guys build, its great to use other peoples achievements as a way to help push yourself so I feed off of all of it and hope to channel the energy into beefing up my goals.

Looks pretty sweet man, I think that's my next project shave.
Stop making it look easy =P Mine's got /blah ABS.

Lol, its not "hard" per se. The benefit of doing it before is that you know exactly how to get a certain wire out, which ones to get rid of and which to extend and the other knick nacks without really trying. If you need any pointers just ask, just make your you don't cut the green wire.. cut the brown one! j/k

 

[TSimage]

he's holding out on us!

need more chicks like that

If you DSM doesn't run, mine as well whore it out.

Lulz, its still sexy just sitting there, I love it hahaha.

 

[Slippi84]

Come on man chop chop I want to see that engine in the engine bay already so I"ll get my on up on and get mine in

 

[TSimage]

Come on man chop chop I want to see that engine in the engine bay already so I"ll get my on up on and get mine in

Holy cow, been a long while since I updated. I figured they killed off the build threads by now. But since they haven' I'll put up a little bit og the updates I have for the moment being.

As for the motor I made an appointment to have them hone my mains for the kiggly girdle and hopefully will get that squared away. I am torn between installing the motor now then piecing it together in the engine bay or just waiting and gropping the complete unit in. There are pros and cons to both so I need to weigh my options a little bit. With the massive SMIM in the back and the uber massive S400 in the front its going to be a painful install either way.

 

[TSimage]

Ooops, maybe I should have threw some pics in..

As some of you may or may not know rules have been getting a little more strict and even more-so out here in CA and especially Sacramento. The cage inspectors and licensing guys pay a lot more attention to details. The first order of business was refitting my door swingouts. They were too low considering my height so they neded to be modified. They still look great and work beautifully which was a worry I had when I went in there with the cutoff wheel, wire brush, plasma cutter and tig welder.

I definitely enjoy the "capping" deisgn on the door bars:

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Window net and what not (feels like I have been waiting an eternity for this minor stuff..)

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Also the rest of my 4" cust. 4" exhaust. It starts off as a 4" stainless down pipe and connects via v-band to the SS flex/wideband section and then via V band that connects to the rest of the piping which is aluminum saving about %60 of the weight, again that connects via v-band to the SS muffler.

SS DP:

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to the flex section:

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to the aluminum pipe section:

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and out into the muffler.

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I don't think people really understand just how huge a 4" exhaust is, imagine the difference that you noticed between your stock exhaust and going 3", its that drastic to a 4" setup, especially a full 4" setup out the back. Wess Hess and the ASAP guys are real deal.

 

[AWDnoobie]

nice build so far, cant wait to see the end result

 

[Killa_dsm]

Looks good, man. Just a question in the last picture of the rear end, what is that silver thing sticking out next to the muffler?

 

[nikkeebabee]

I like where this is going good luck man!!!

 

[Slippi84]

So what's the deal man you got the motor in exhaust mounted cage done, when we gonna see some start up videos???

 

[Ludachris]

Holy cow, been a long while since I updated. I figured they killed off the build threads by now. But since they haven' I'll put up a little bit og the updates I have for the moment being.

We're not "killing off" the builds section, we're transitioning to Blogs instead of a Forums format for easier reading and updating. You'll be able to post updates just as you would in a forum... I guess more people just have to see it.

Nice pics so far man, keep it up.

 

[TSimage]

Thanks for all the support guys, its movin slowly, you get to this point and you can either take off like a rocket or inch along like a turtle, I am obviously being the turtle type hahahaha. I'm being pulled in so many directions its crazy. I am still working out details for my RX8 build for next year/ Operation sell RX8 and get a Viper/Vette/NSX (I friggin' want one!) I have the oldschool '65 C-10 truck I keep telling myself I'll finish and get painted EVERY winter for the last 5yrs or so and I did indeed talk myself out of buying a sport bike but I messed around and bought a cruiser

I gotta get focused!

Looks good, man. Just a question in the last picture of the rear end, what is that silver thing sticking out next to the muffler?

Its a catch can. Some places require that your catch be located behind your drive wheels. Most don't care.

 

[TSimage]

So what's the deal man you got the motor in exhaust mounted cage done, when we gonna see some start up videos???

Motor is back out of the car as I mentioned awaiting for me to take it to the machine shop to hone the mains for the kiggly girdles. I'm just being patient with it, when its done, its done. This way I wont miss anything, forget any cruicial pieces or stres myself out. I'm just playing it cool and tackling things as they come. Hopefully it will be done around summer if not sooner but if anything comes up it could be later in the year when it cools off again.

I'm more anxious than anyone, some of these parts I had bought a while back and I am just now blowing the dust off of them, hope to finish it all up and live up ot my expectations.

 

[TSimage]

Ok so as some of you remember back when I had my 35r/40r setups my goal was going to be to push the envelope a little more and after seeing friends with 14b cars running bottom 11s and other ridiculous feats I made it my mention to learn more about the DS-MAP setups.

Think of it as a supercharged free version of DSMLink with features that that at that time were years ahead of anything V2 and even V3 was going to have.

Well I ran into a snag with the boost control and the issues I'd have running a 5bar map, the solution would have been a 4 bar map on maybe less boost but even that option was out of sight. Well a few weeks ago I got a few Messages from HackCenter, the main programmer for the new Warewolf/Jackal tuning software and he had great news. There is a micro 4bar map available and with the new additions to the software it will be the closest thing any of us can achieve to running a AEM EMS setup.

So now with this build I promised I'd try new stuff and do things that others wouldn't do and try and take a leap of faith in hopefully a new positive direction for our cars even at my egos expense. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to see what this DS-MAP technology is capable of. there are plenty of HX35 setups using it and one guy is currently building a 366 setup but nothing in this range.

All I have to do now is convince my tuner that its a good idea. If he gives me the nod then I'm game. It'll save me a boat load of money too, but at this point in the build, worrying about money will only leave me high and dry in the end. If I can get my engine management issues squared away then all that is left is the Turbo/fuel and I am ready to go. Taxes would cover it but my sponsor obligations for the RX8 for next season have me in a bind, not to mention my new toy(s) I couldn't resist.

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"Baby Harley"

 

[lglracer]

I like you "rides" . Maybe I can borrow one.

I saw the car at the new shop collecting dust. Makes me sad. =(

 

[TSimage]

It has been a loooooong time since I posted up, not too much has changed, I rounded up a few more parts but still mainly waiting on my fuel setup pieces. But I haven't figured out who or where I'll be picking them up from but it looks like I'll still be doing a single Aeromotive Eliminator pump.

In the mean time to get the car on the road, and work some bugs out of my drive train setup and this transmission setup, possibly playing with the juice as well I'll be throwing in a spare head/ motor and you'll never guess what turbo setup...

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A brand spankin' new 7 blade HX35. A great turbo that we can push on the stock block but don't have to worry about it hurting anything else on the car since everything else is built around a powerplant that puts out twice as much power. I preciously had a bolt on 35r setup:

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and vowed that after noticing the difference of the T3 that I'd never limit myself like that again, so because of that I'll be sticking with the stock t3 setup. Considering the turbo belongs to my cousin, it will be up to him whether or not he wants his hotside welded up, but if he wants me to keep the internal gate on there I'll just work with it. Yes, I know its limiting me but its his call.

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In the mean time I'll hopefully get to cruise around on the auto and get use to shifting it as well as testing out the nitrous. I don't plan on it breaking nay records but I don't see why I couldn't have this thing easily in the 10s gearing me up for the single digits I've been goin after with this build.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves.. Sure I could have the car up and running by tomorrow if I really wanted to but even so I'll still need to get Dave up here to burn me a chip to handle these 1600s as well as the need for the fuel still. We'll see how practical it is but for the time being I'm just eager to drive this thing. Its far too gorgeous to just let it sit, but its winter time anyways so we'll see..

If I could have this thing ready by the CMI races in January I'd be stoked. Then following that having the entire car upto par for the spring/summer would be bada$$. But then again, I have to finish the RX8 too so we'll see!

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