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Hey everyone, I'm back. I've taken a long break from the forums while trying to concentrate on school, but clearly that hasn't worked since I've been busy with rotary related projects.
So, since attempting to try and sort out my Turbo-II, I've realized I really do not know what I'm doing and that there is a lot of things I need to study up on or test out on another car. I still have my tornado silver FC rotting into the gravel in my backyard, but I had partially parted it out, so lots of key components were missing. I wallowed about in indecision until my latest bad decision popped up locally.
One of them is an arctic silver metallic GXL that had an engine fire, the other is a red SE that was a rusty, bent, bondo nightmare. The GXL's engine core had rotted inside out from the extinguishing powder, while the SE's engine was pretty decent, besides the stuck apex seals. Like the original owner of these two cars, I intended on combining them into one car in good shape, then use the remainder of parts on the tornado silver car. A lot of juggling parts around was involved, so it took awhile. That, and I was operating out of a dirt lot a couple hours away from where I lived, with no water or electricity on cars that had mostly everything rubber or plastic disintegrate from the Arizona sun. And the passenger door on the SE was jammed. And I had a bunch of body work to deal with from the firefighters prying open the hood. And stuff. It got better when I moved to a garage, and the SE was quickly stripped and scrapped.
As much as I hoped it'd be a quick turnaround on the SE/GXL, there was more and more to be done as I dug in. The fire was pervasive in it's destruction of paint, protective coatings, and rubber undercoat. A lot of the work I did initially was stripping everything back in the engine bay to chase out the rust before a repaint.
After that was cleaning up all of the parts to go back in. There was... way too much grime to deal with, plus many belligerent yet leaky gaskets. Bless the existence of RockAuto, or I wouldn't be anywhere near where I am right now on the fumes of my bank account. Despite RockAuto's dirt cheap parts, I still could only afford to put as little money as possible into this car, so much of my time would up wasted by the tedious restoration of as many existing parts. The previous owner had graciously left the hood off, windows down, and hatch up on both cars while they baked in his backyard, so it was a nightmare of cleaning garbage out of the interior and chasing away dust, only for caked oil and dirt to be hiding under that. I'll explain everything I did later. First, plans:
The main plan is to finish the GXL to use as an interim daily until the tornado silver car (let's just call it the 6PT for now) is put together and operating rock solid. My plans with the 6PT are primarily to use the parts I got for the Turbo-II before changing my mind, and doing all of this on an S4 6-port block. These engines are dirt cheap compared to their S5 relatives, and even more so compared to a T2 engine. If my experimentation goes awry, no problem, I'll have spares on spares on spares. And I suspect it will. The purpose of this car is to be a test bed for all the ideas I have for the T2 build, so I can put together a proof of concept before blowing excessive amounts of money on the final version. The recurrent problem the T2 build had was I'd find one approach I'd like, have a shopping list ready, then later get inspiration or realize there was a fault with that approach, then have to scrap the original shopping list, before repeating this process for the next several months. Hopefully, working on a prototype would put me through the process of figuring everything out, so that I'll be prepared when I attempt it on the T2, and end this neverending cycle.
As it stands, this build is held up by a few things:
1. I'm not home. I'm out of the country having visited my sister, so I've been trying to remotely figure out the dimensions of 13B parts instead of measuring the ones I have on my workbench
2. The GXL isn't finished. The suspension components need to be painted, the body needs work and paint, most engine parts still need a lot of TLC, and the engine block is on an engine stand out of the car.
3. I still have a ton of planning to do with regards to the 6PT's engine, which itself is held back by my unfamiliarity with 6 port rotaries
4. The household fleet still needs attention. The Camry I managed refresh all over, but the ACIS system is freaking out for some reason, it's throwing an evap code, the traction control light is on (probably a wheel speed sensor), and the strut tops are binding. On top of that, the 4Runner needs fluids and the bike hasn't had a chain service in a long while
5. School and all of the other responsibilities resume in a few days
So, until I'm back in class, I'm going to do my best to catch up on all of my research, plans, and whatnot for the 6PT in between flights home.
OK, I really underestimated the toll flying and jetlag takes, but anyways, here’s a quick overview of where the car is at:
I have mostly everything in terms of panels, stock drivetrain components, and interior pieces for it. The red SE had gray interior, and the T2's gray interior is getting ripped out in favor of black, so there's plenty of good condition gray bits to go around. The SE is also donating its steering and suspension components, 4-piston brakes/5 lug hubs, sport spoiler, a fender, a door, and a whole bunch of other crap I'm forgetting. As expected, most of the bushings, mounts, and boots have rotted, so those have appropriate replacements accounted for. The parts stockpile I've amassed is also contributing things like side mirrors, engine accessories, loose bolts, and whatnot. Separately, I acquired an S4 6 port shortblock for cheap. It’s crusty and old, but that’s nothing new. So again, stock components are generally covered.
Aftermarket replacements, stock replacement upgrades, and go-fast-bits have been cannibalized from the T2 and REW where I've decided they're getting replaced anyways. The invaluable T2 drivetrain (transmission, driveshaft, LSD, axles, and clutch hydraulics) are being donated to the cause, as are the aluminum flywheel, steering wheel, an aluminum replacement for the stereo panel, ignition box, fuel stuff, and a whole lot more not worth mentioning.
If you looked into my parts room, you'd honestly think this was enough to build a couple cars over. Yet, there's still all the really ******* annoying nickel and dime bits to source for just the 6PT, like fuel plumbing, flanges, brackets, fasteners, and sensors. And then some big bits, like the ECU. Yeah. For now, you’ll have to settle for this really unflattering picture of the mess.
Given this is going to be a prototype, I'd like to keep costs down, so anything not directly related to something I want to test is going to be a recycled stock or leftover stockpile component. The turbo, transmission, etc. are all going to effectively be set in stone for this iteration.
Before I dig in to all of the enthralling technical details, here is a general overview of the current plan. If it looks like a jumbled mess, that’s because I do not have a set purpose for it as of yet, besides being a prototype mule. It has some exceedingly annoying modifications you would really only put on a track car, yet it has AC, PS, and a full interior. Anyways, the list (* denotes that I have the part already):
Emissions System: Deleted with exception of *catalytic converter and *C5 Corvette air pump. *Currently have a blank plate of 304SS to use for block off plates
Proportioning Valve: Mazda MX-5 NB proportioning valve
Hubs: *5-lug (5x114.3 pattern)
Wheels: *MB Weapon 17x8" (+35mm? I don’t remember)
Tires: *Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position 225/45R17 (will need replacing soon as they're several years old)
Misc.: Custom brake master cylinder brace
Interior:
Trim: *S4 gray Turbo-II power-everything mostly
Carpeting: *Gray front and rear with luggage straps
Steering Wheel: *Sparco R 353 and *adapter
Seats: *O’Reillys special reclinable tailbone jackhammers
Belts: *Both stock gray seatbelts (for street driving) as well as driver’s side *Sparco 5-point harness [which is unfortunately missing the submarine belt] tied to a harness bar/roll hoop
Stereo: *Cheap 6.5” speakers tied to an amp (stealth installation, no head unit)
Control Interface: *Blank aluminum copy of stock stereo surround and shifter trim, *various toggle switches and *coolant temperature/wideband O2/boost pressure gauges as well as a multi-function touch display (Arduino side project)
Exterior:
??? As of yet completely undecided outside of using a *factory Sport spoiler
Misc:
Safety Equipment: *Fire extinguisher, roll hoop, inertial cutoff switch
It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, and unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m done with the next post. I’m being a colossal engineering nerd about it so it’s blown up into a giant article rather than an update post. There’s a lot of information packed into it that I want to make sure is right, so I’m taking my time. That, and a lot of things keep changing with each design iteration and curveball. For starters, I had assumed my recycled charge piping was 2.5”, but in actuality, it was 70mm (which is similar to 2-3/4”), which has made the size adapter dance a whole lot more interesting. (Go figure, it's a Trust/GReddy kit for an FD)
Additionally, I’ve been busy trying to make the other car run first. I’m glad to report that things are going well on that front: it’s shown its first signs of life just recently, and the underpinnings/engine are starting to come together once again:
Anyhow, I’m shooting for the end of this week to update, but if not, I’ll probably check back in after a month. Maybe two.
The recurrent problem the T2 build had was I'd find one approach I'd like, have a shopping list ready, then later get inspiration or realize there was a fault with that approach, then have to scrap the original shopping list, before repeating this process for the next several months. Hopefully, working on a prototype would put me through the process of figuring everything out, so that I'll be prepared when I attempt it on the T2, and end this neverending cycle.
It feels good to know that someone else is is going through this as well, but I know it sucks for you. I can also relate to having many things cooking at once. I wish you all the best with getting your projects complete. Update when you can.
08-16-18, 03:55 PM
6 Port Turbo Development Mule
I can also relate to having many things cooking at once. I wish you all the best with getting your projects complete. Update when you can.
