567 replies to this topic

[Barbbachello]

Exciting news but youll have to wait till the end

Spent the last week tidying some things up and fettling everything that you cant judge without the engine in the car as well as waiting on parts

New GC8 spec heater hoses and bottom rad hose


New battery tie down rods and bracket

Speaking of batteries that was an absolute saga. The battery that came in the car was pretty new, but obviously died on the way down from QLD. I managed to charge it enough to get it into the shed where it then sat for 3 months and died again. After basically 3 days of charging it/"rejuvenating" and trying the 3 other batteries floating around the shed i got no where. Even when "full" the battery wouldnt even crank the car, so was clearly hurt despite being charged. 

Ive been in iso all week due to Ben having covid, thankfully i missed it somehow despite being under a car with him for an hour. So sunday morning went down to SCA and bought a new battery. Hey presto car cranks, wont start due to


Fouled plugs. Easy fix


Yay. It was running like ass (2 cylinders) as i got the coilpack plugs backwards on the passenger side. Runs way smoother with all 4 connected now lol

[allpaw4]

Good to see it runs! Sorry about the covid shite... But good excuse for some time off to fiddle with the car!

[El_Freddo]

This covid shite is starting to sound good...

Neat work barbs. Impressive haul of parts.

Cheers

Bennie

[Barbbachello]

Remember that time i built my own dump pipe and said never again on my back under a car? Well



Fabrikator. The tig welding is absolutely not mine. But the bird poo under the black paint is.

[El_Freddo]

So long as it holds on everyone will be happy

I don’t like making exhausts, one easy bit turns into a nightmare at the next bend or join needed!

Cheers

Bennie

[Barbbachello]

Yes that last small section you see there was a nightmare and my solution was terrible so i want to redo it

[Barbbachello]

Oh I also picked up this minty black leather passenger seat to recover my drivers seat like Ben did. Finding drivers seats in any condition with black on black leather is nigh impossible.


Wont be here for 2-3 months at least as usual IM container game

[allpaw4]

Use the manual to decifer how to disassemble the seats Nick. They are really quite simple once you have a look at the appropriate section in the FSM. Hog clips are evil bastards of things though. Good for putting holes in your fingers if you're not careful with them....

[RX25SE]

Hog rings can be evil.
Would it be worth buying a cheap set of hog ring pliers and a packet of rings?

[Barbbachello]

I know you can use cable ties as a substitute. Will probably opt for that route

[allpaw4]

I just used a set of long noses to open them up and remove the leather, then used the pliers to close them back up again. They're about the same size as 2.5mm2 copper wire single strand. Not the greatest shite to play with, but it's certainly doable. I think from memory there's 4 that you need to remove on each seat, and of course 4 that you need to reinstall on the good seat once you're done. As long as you don't butcher them you can easily reuse them. Be careful if you just cut them, I found they go off like a bullet...

[Barbbachello]

Picked up a JDM optional aero grille last night from an old forum member who still lurks (Hi Mark )




Have the full "Version A" spec kit now which is cool but still have my eye out for the side and rear skirts instead of the pods for "Version B"

[Barbbachello]

Got back into some more welding the last few weekends. The mid pipe i got had the oem style donut flex pipe, which didnt suit any of the dump pipes I had. So chopped off that section and with the diffback in position and the dump pipe installed i at least knew where to point things. Lots of cutting and grinding and mocking up and playing with bends. I didnt take any pics of that cos its quite infuriating doing it on the ground on your back etc.

Towards the end i think my welds were coming out pretty good. Nothing instagram spec but as long as they hold gas im happy and i dont feel the need to redo these

Flanges are surprisingly hard to weld as its hard to get the wire into the join without i guess it arcing to the pipe or the flange itself but i got there enough


My saving grace is finding that if you bridge a gap with tacks you can just weld over it again to get a "nice" looking bead

With the exhaust hooked up i was finally able to run for more than 3 seconds without deafening everyone

[El_Freddo]

Those welds are coming along. If I could have mine looking that good Id be stoked! Last time I tried it was worse than chicken shit - I think the gas was getting blown away since I was working outside...

Cheers

Bennie

[Barbbachello]

Fairly monumental moment last night. Bolt checked all the front suspension as its all come out. Then got it off the stands and rolled it out of the shed under its own power.


Had the bonnet up just checking for leaks etc. Had 1 little wee from the bottom rad hose that wasnt 100% seated but other than it seems all good

Engine bay needs some fettling and a GDB cooler but not going to bother until rego and i get a nice intake set up etc

Desperately needs a wash too

[RX25SE]

Looks great! Must be a good feeling after all this time.

[El_Freddo]

Another maaaad build Barbs! What’s this, number three now if the sedan was your first build? Epic effort even though it’s for the wrong reasons as such. Seems the universe just wanted you in a Gen3 wagon...

Looks minty!

Cheers

Bennie

[Barbbachello]

Yeah i guess you could call it number 3. 

Car made it to the alignment shop (down the street about 600m lol) without too much fuss other than idling at 2k and hunting etc. Assumed it was due to all the TT sensors missing and the ecu freaking out.

Last night Rob (og member) remoted into and we flashed a Carberry ROM (custom ecu software) to the ecu so we can remove all the TT codes and have a single turbo base map. Turns out the IACV was chucking a code. Cant check codes without a scanner unlike the old ecus and a flashing CEL. Swapped on a spare IACV and hey presto buttery smooth 800rpm idle.

Rob checked things over and everything was looking good so i took it for a quick lap of the freeway on ramps near me to get some load and boost into it. Rob gave it the thumbs up and he knows what hes doing so happy days. 

Unfortunately ive found a PS leak from the rack area so unfortunately turbo probably has to come out to address it properly. I suspect a double o-ring on one of the lines. Hopefully the rack isnt cooked. It also needs a new windshield. Found some chips in it

[El_Freddo]

I thought all ECUs could be read via the flashing CEL, just that pretty much nobody does it because OBDII and dongles etc. I read the codes on my sister’s 2000 RX with the plugs under the dash and the flashing CEL. I guess yours is probably removed anyway with the reflash…

I reckon your rack will be fine, it’s the pump I’d be more concerned about.

Cheers

Bennie

[allpaw4]

Yea, you can still check codes using the plugs Nick. Just not as defined with the information you get.

Or are you talking about the carberry rom not having that function?