88 GTU - Project Daily Drifter
 

I am starting this thread to have a place to document my progress on my project and help motivate me. I bought the car for 3k last August. The car was clean and the engine was recently rebuilt with strong compression. I am currently unemployed and attending college at WWU in Bellingham. My car sits at home and waits for me to drive it (try to go home at least twice a month on the weekends). I have been doing small cheap/freebe mods so far. I get out of school on June 13th and will be working 1.5 jobs (1 full time, 1 part time) and am expecting to get around 5k to play with.

Since I bought the car I:

Replaced the starter
Replaced the thermostat
New Rubber all around
New break pads all around with new rotors up front
New Master Cylinder
Painted wheels black
Took the wing off
Tinted turn signals
Got a 3 inch catback welded up for $80
Gutted all 3 cats
Gutted everything behind the front seats

I am planning on:

Front and rear strut bars
Cold air intake with custom box
Stance coilovers
Mazdatrix steering angle kit
Wheels (probably sportmax)
Full aero including bolt on widebody
Paint job (thinking about a really dark deep green)

Still considering:

Going all out with N/A: Rebuild my current engine and give it a large street port, get some RB headers and a standalone

OR

Turbo swap and slowly build it as the money rolls in

http://a271.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...e4cc7bf906.jpg

This is the most recent picture I have of it. Il take some more when I go home this weekend.

clean S4 GTU :bigthumb:

My vote = NA w/ ITBs...

Oh wait... Daily driver.... NVM... :D

Good luck with the build! I'm in the exact same boat as you as far as the money stuff...

idea
 

you should put in a naturally aspirated 20B! that would be sick!

why did you take your back carpet out??

"weight savings" and I like the raw look of the metal in the back.

because he has a penis.

Actually jk, i left my back carpet in because it looks nicer. Please dont get sportmax...find some used R33gtr wheels or something.

Il see how much money I have to play with after I finish with the suspension and power modifications. When I have the money I will get Work VS wheels.

I got sick of looking at the wheel gap so I cut the springs for now. I should have coilovers by the end of July.

http://a288.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...d1eca67be7.jpg
http://a651.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...2426c1bb22.jpg
http://a719.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...a34720794e.jpg

Wow, you're like my opposite. I have a white 88 GTU that I daily drive and am learning to drift with, I just got you beat with a set of sportmax wheels :P

I think Im going to get DTSS eliminators this week or next and probably coilovers by the end of July also. Lookin at KSPORTS or TEIN

I daily drive mine and am learning to drift in it too...I wrote daily drifter because it is my DD and at the same time will become my drift car (after its built). I am going to Europe until mid July but after I get back im buying front and rear strut bars, DTSS eliminator bushing and an intake with my first paycheck.

S4 GTU drivers unite.

Yeah this will probably be my only car for a while so, I making it both. But if I go out of state for college I might pick up a cheap FC or 240 and do a build because I wont really need to go off campus that much and the price of gas is gonna be nuts :/

I'm looking struts and an intake too. What brands are you looking at

and unite we shall.

I plan on doing the same with my Replica FC. Daily/Drifter

I added a poll to the thread because I wont have enough to do the swap and get coilovers before I go to school and am stuck between the two. What do you think would be the better choice and why.

I'd do the suspension first. I have not swapped a TII in mine (yet), but I have swapped a rebuilt motor in and you can do it cheaply, but I wanted to do it right. So I budgeted in a new clutch kit, hoses, fluids, and etc. It starts adding up after a while. My motor was also broken in so it started right up when I put it in, and from what i've read about JDM swaps is sometimes they don't work right etc (need to be rebuilt) so you'd have to budget that in as well. On top of that it's not the same motor that came with the car so you have wiring issues which would add time to the swap. Having the car not running sucks if you have to get to school/work.

I swapped mine over in less than a day, but I can imagine fixing the wiring issues, swapping the drivetrain over, and sourcing out any other gremlins might take a while if it's the first time you have done it. It just sounds like a project for when you're not in school, have vacation time, or have some buddies over to make sure you do it right and are not in a hurry to finish so you can drive it to work the next day.

On the other hand, you can swap the suspension over in a couple hours, get an alignment, and be ready to go the same day.

That is all true. I am on summer break until mid September so time is not really an issue yet. If I get coilovers I will probably buy other suspension components at the same time. My car already handles decent but it feels underpowered. I rode in my friends 1jz supra mk3 and realized how bad I want boost. At the same time I realize that having that power will quickly reveal that I need good suspension to take full advantage of it. If I get coilovers and upgrade other suspension components I wont be able to take full advantage of everything because I wont really have the power to do so. Right now its one or the other...

I'm in the same boat you are with that decision. I'm going for the TII, and while I'm at it I'm upgrading my clutch (ACT SS) so I can put down the power once I upgrade the turbo and everything. I'm going to run the stock turbo for a bit, but upgrade my exhaust (3" DP and 3"Hi-flow Cat. out to my Apexi N1). Plus the guy doing the swap says he'll buy my n/a engine so I'm saving some money towards coilovers. DTSS will come right after the swap.

Drifting on stock isnt that bad, when you watch yourself you can see the body roll and it's just like ew... -shudders-

Here's a video of me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-U8IEA6djY

Coilovers make it night and day for handling while drifting.

TII gives you the power to get sideways easier without having to go balls to the wall speed or throttle. As NA, you'll have issues keeping the drift going or linking multiple together without some clutch kicking.

I recommend new rear subframe bushings/DTSS eliminator/Pinion snubber.
I went with delrin mounts in my rear suspension because it's not a daily driver anymore although it feels great and wouldn't mind driving it daily. I went with Ksport Kontrol Pro's and I wish they would go higher in the front. I'm currently getting rub issues.

Lol! A ride in a 1J made you want boost?? Lol! Is it single swapped? It would almost have to be...

I voted coilovers cause I don't want you riding on those cut springs till next summer. You'll break stuff.

It was single turbo and he was pushing 20lbs at the time.

the poll is almost 50/50...any more opinions?

Just ordered some powered by max coilovers! will get the pics and a review up as soon as I get them in the mail and install them.

drifting is ghey.

chopped springs FTW

Paint the wheels back to silver and you'll like them better perhaps.

Sweet! Let me know how they are. I'm looking at those, Stance and Tein.

Just got my coilovers. Installed them (its raining...typical Washington weather). I havent had a chance to take full advantage of them and really push them. I did find out I need to roll my fenders.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1733/img0387cf3.jpg
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/8561/img0385fk7.jpg

with the gutted cats did you wire your ports open?


keep it n/a just to be diff. (and loud as hell)

I did just wire the ports open. I'm planning on activating it using the air pump soon. I like N/A but turbo is just so much better! I will stay N/A until next summer (hopefully) when I will do the swap and do it right (transmission, driveshaft, rear end, no expenses spared). Until then I will get headers and remove the emissions after I pass smog for a little extra power and then focus on the handling aspects (Wide wheels, 2 way LSD, strut bars, DTSS eliminators) and looks (full URAS style aero, RE-Amemiya mirrors)

Looks like were about on the same page again. I went coilovers as well. Stance GR+. Should be on next weekend. A cheap LSD fix is rebuild the one you have (200$ kit from Mazdatrix). I ordered some DTSS Elim. from racing beat as well. I have a practice on the 7th and let you know how they fair!

you made the right decision man! coilovers are the way to go. Its like driving a new car. My car feels more responsive and can definitely take corners faster. No more rocking back and fourth when shifting at high revs, the back wheels just chirp. I need DTSS bushings and am ordering them soon. I spun out on the local touge while being chased my my friends AE86. I went into a corner feeling confident and noticed he was slowing down. I kept pushing and I still had grip. All of the sudden my back tires lost traction and spun 180 degrees into the other lane. I managed to avoid the guard rail twice. I am usually good at knowing where the limit of my car is but rear steering makes it seem unpredictable...fuck DTSS.

I wish I had some good touge around me. There's one stretch that's barely a mile (that I know of at least). But yeah I hit up my local skid pad for events and I spin so damn much. However I can get my tires to smoke a bit. Can't wait to do it in September, gonna break in the suspension like a week before and go balls out.

I woke up early yesterday and felt like driving on the twisty roads by my house (not bussy, usually only one or two cars). I started driving and something didnt feel right. I ignored it and kept pushing. The back snapped out (DTSS KILLS!) and I spun out the oncoming lane. There was a car there that saw me spin and slammed on their breaks. I crashed into her.

Aftermath:

I hate myself
$550 negligent driving in the second degree ticket
damage to my car (no transportation for college).

The car feels skittish, the steering feels vauge.

-The wheel wants to turn 90 degrees when going straight but I can jerk it straight and it wont change the direction of the car
-The rear end hops around above 40mph
-door is fucked

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/9923/img0388qs8.jpg
http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/121/img0389cg7.jpg
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5924/img0390ml1.jpg

I might be forced to garage her until next summer when I can get her back on the road again...

bummer looks like some bent susp. on there get some better pics of underneath

dude dang man that sucks! im sorry bro

That REALLY sucks, man. Good to see you're OK!

Thanks for the support everybody. I took off the door and the rest of the damage doesnt really look that bad. I jacked it up and took the wheels off to get a better look. Nothing looks bent, broken or loose both up front and in back. I was thinking that I might have demolished the DTSS bushing and thats why the back is unpredictable (in addition to messing the alignment up). My dad drove the car and he said it is a death trap and that all the wheels feel like they are going in different directions. Could it be just the bushing and bad alignment?

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6369/img0391ix4.jpg
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8057/img0392zt5.jpg

Up front seems fine too...dont know why it does the weird thing with the steering.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5002/img0393oy6.jpg

bad alignment will make the steering funky dunky..

get dtss eliminators. then an alignment and see what htey come up with..

buy a stud weld dent puller.. pull out as much as you can on the quater panal, then body filler.. and put a new junkyard door... luckily your door took most of the body damage.

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/5924/img0390ml1.jpg
to pull that dented area in front of the wheel, place a scissors jack in there and have it push against that area from the inside.

Get to learn bodywork from this =p its not that hard, and your going to need paint in that area again anyways, so pound away

prob cheaper and faster to swap chassis

Tisk Tisk Tisk
 

This is why Drifting should only be done at sanctioned events and NOT ON THE STREETS!!!. My car is in the same position (I didn't wreck it the Previous Owner did) I have a parts car and I am taking what I need to fix mines. Always, listen to your gut. I had a bad feeling that I should not drive the car one day but I did it anyways and at the stop sign around my block I took it out of first and the Front U-joints went out on me and smashed my Shifter control case on my transmission. 300$ later my car is back to running condition. It could have been a lot worse if I was going faster. Good thing I just took it for a morning spin and not to work that day. This is just one of the painful life lessons that we all encounter. And it sucks when it happens. good luck on fixing her.

lol he didn't even say he was drifting...In case you haven't learned your lesson:

*take baby steps as you learn the road and the way your car feels at the limit (autocrosses and parking lots help)
*scope out the road for cops, excessive traffic, road hazards before you attack it
*remember all of the big potholes or road surface irregularities (hard to notice when you're going slow)
*be nice to the locals, slow down when you encounter ANY traffic
*leave room for road hazards, wildlife, mechanical failure, distractions
*look ahead as far as you can
*never cut the double yellow. just a personal thing though.

If you encounter a car even remotely sporty....chase that bitch! :hah: Drive late at night, easier to focus, less traffic, more fun with the bright gauges and flames.

Good tips thanks man. I usually drive that road late nights (around 2am). I have the road memorized. I messed up because

- Dont usually drive during the day
- tired, just woke up
- Overestimated my car's abilities because of my coilovers (DTSS sucks, stock wheels and tiers)

I already miss my car...I will get her back on the road again. I have learned my lesson.

really sorry to hear about this. Welcome to the rotary world though man. You take one step forward and 3 hard steps back. :/

Personally my vote for you would be to ditch everything, and start with a t2. You got your coilovers and such you can take with you. It really won't be worth trying to get that thing strait.

If the coilovers are in good shape still, let me know. I might buy them off ya. (if you are going to give up completely. I'm not sure I could ever trust a car again if it just got sideways for no reason and I crashed. I would die inside if I hurt someone else. :( )

Im not a quitter :)

I'm going to take it to an alignment specialist and see what they can fix/find. If it has frame damage then I will move on, if it has subframe damage, I will get a new one. I want her to be as stable and safe as she was before (coilovers = win!)

As far as the cosmetics of the car...I will fix everything to the best of my ability (waste of money to get it professionally done since I will track the car down the road). stay tuned to this thread and il keep it updated.

As far as trusting her...DTSS kills, I learned that the hard way. I will get the eliminator bushings and go from there.

My RX-7 is a drug and I am hooked.

on the plus side, now's the perfect time to start swapping that engine,

other than that - don't freaking drift in public.
not only is it bad news for you, it's bad news for other people you don't even
intend on hurting. seriously.

I used to have that in my sig. DTSS kills, kill it before it kills you.

just get an alignment or make the proper corrections.. since this iwll be a daily driver/drifter, it would be a waste to throw away a chassis just to get another chassis that will go thru teh same things..

Bodywork aint hard so you should be ok. Swap the door and the damage is minimal.. and like i said, stick a jack inside the wheel well and it will pop up the dent.

I got a new door thanks to a local forum member (JTO) and did a quick paintjob on it (turned out shitty, I used cheap rattlecan paint). I hammered at some of the mess but it didnt really do anything. I am planning on buying a stud dent weld puller down the road and getting an alignment ASAP. I drove it around a little bit and the rear end seemed to be hopping around.

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/6481/pic1ts7.jpg
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/6209/pic2mi7.jpg

So like as said before. He wasn't drifting?


It's starting to look better man. Don't give up!

I WAS NOT DRIFTING

I was doing a quick run (grip) on the local twisty roads by my house when the DTSS bushings decided to spin me out of control into an oncoming car.

keep it up man! my car was out for about six months... she looks much better now then she did before, and lessoned learned from my part.

take it easy.

like i said we can fix it 1 way or another i have every part you could need

damn dude...reminds me of my first touge run...i had a stock base seven na and all i had was straight exhaust replacement kyb dr-2 shocks and rims and stickies. i was taking a right uphill at 60-70 on a fairly loose road. saw bright ass lights coming down hill faster than me(G35 local going home a 80) so i made the instinct mistake to slam brakes, locked my wheels and spun and slid backwards and ended up grinding my drivers side front corner against the guard rail bending my headlight frame and a huge scratch on my bumper..luckily thats all that happened.