Project Update Thread

I'm setting up a thread to keep up with updates of projects that each of us are going through.


As some of you know, my car broke down for good last september from serious overheating. It was from either warped heads or a blown headgasket after doing a compression test. I decided that I was going to redo my car completely. I finally started on my car maybe a month and a half ago, just doing a little hear and there, and now i'm moving right along.

Here my car is stripped down to the bare block, and i mean no internals are even inside the bare block. As soon as i get the block out, off to the machine shop it goes. The engine bay is definitely a mess from all the wiring, but my expertice is electrical work, so I will spend some time making it look real clean.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_61_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_62_full.jpg

Here's some of the mess i had made today finishing up tearing everything out. My dad's garage is definitely tiny so I had to make a mess on the driveway.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_63_full.jpg

http://http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_65_full.jpg

Here's the crankshaft, in which i will reuse since the 94's come equipped with forged. However, i will get it rebalanced.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_64_full.jpg

Here are the factory pistons and rods. I will definitely have to clean them up before i put them up for sale.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_66_full.jpg

Comparing the piston/rod to the old piston/rod. The combination I am putting in are arias forged pistons 8.5:1 CR and Pauter rods. If they look slightly used, thats because they are :p . I bought them with 2,000 miles on them for a steal.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_67_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_68_full.jpg

Harbor freight had a sale on a transmission jack, and I am a sucker for tools that are on sale. But it has come in handy. I think i'll just leave the tranny inside the engine bay.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_69_full.jpg

A couple of pictures of the block and tranny from underneath.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_71_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_70_full.jpg
yea go ahead and criticize me for the downpipe still being there. Its welded on the catback (long story, dont ask) so i can't drop it down until the crossmember that holds the front motormount is dropped.

I will also be installed DR Stage 3 heads as well. As you can see, i still have them in their packing.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_72_full.jpg

And of course I will be painting and installing the viper hood i bought.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/711000-711999/711144_60_full.jpg

I will also throw on the 3-piece hoop spoiler as well.


While the engine stuff is at the machine shop, I will be stripping out the interior. Things i plan to do are:
-replace cracked defrosing vents with aluminum vents
-convert to automatic climate control (got the parts for free)
-Install real gauges into the center cluster.
-New leather on my seats.

Things that i want to do but will have to check fundings for
-Install new speakers
-New rotors.

Anyways, as i make progress, I will keep updating. I also want other members who are doing any kinds of projects, upgrades, or installations to post up their stuff as well.

:eek2: You really have that thing stripped down. Looks like its coming along though. Any planned budget? Nice work. :thumbsup:

:eek2: You really have that thing stripped down. Looks like its coming along though. Any planned budget? Nice work. :thumbsup:

no set budget as of now. As i get paid, i set a certain percentage off for a downpayment on a house (graduating finally in december) then whatever is left i spend on gas, other stuff and parts for the car.

Anyways, i can't wait to move out to my own house. I will probably end up building a 2 car garage in the back yard just for working on cars.

DAMN hotshot! youve certainly got your plate full! Good luck with all that. Should be completely BADASS with those new internals and heads!

the only projects i have going on are a 3g lifter install, a front active air dam repair, and running new wiring for the rear active aero spoiler(goes up fine, but only goes down if its raining).

She goes into paint in June.

PS: hey Hotshot...ever race that Vette???

nice, but are you sure the na 3000gt has forged crank shaft?you are going to make big power with that new internals.

His car does have a forged crank. I believe forged cranks are on all 2nd gen 3kgts.

His car does have a forged crank. I believe forged cranks are on all 2nd gen 3kgts.
All 2g DOHC 3k's ;) The SOHC's always had cast cranks.

Good idea with the thread Hotshot. I thought of doing something similar as I start to tear into mine. Looks like I have a place to throw my stories and pics as I move along. ;)

PS: hey Hotshot...ever race that Vette???

no, can't say that i have. Dad won't race me, he already knows i've walked away 2 of his kind when i had stock turbos.


As stealthee said, when mitsu switched from the 2-bolt main to the 4-bolt main on the TT's, all the crankshafts for all DOHC cars both TT and N/A's went forged. You can't even buy a cast crankshaft for these cars anymore.

Stealthee, you going to do a TT swap?

No TT swap. Rebuilding a block I have on the stand to basicly stock. Only thing changing is I am going to 10:1 compression in one way or another. But while its down I am adding RT sail panels. I am also swapping out to 1g RT side skirts and door caps, 2g 3k rear bumper, and possibly an aftermarket hood. I want the Victory hood but its a little more than I want to spend. Gonna drop the car via GC's and do some powdercoating on a few underhood things as well as total repaint. So yeah my plate is pretty full. :lol:

No TT swap. Rebuilding a block I have on the stand to basicly stock. Only thing changing is I am going to 10:1 compression in one way or another. But while its down I am adding RT sail panels. I am also swapping out to 1g RT side skirts and door caps, 2g 3k rear bumper, and possibly an aftermarket hood. I want the Victory hood but its a little more than I want to spend. Gonna drop the car via GC's and do some powdercoating on a few underhood things as well as total repaint. So yeah my plate is pretty full. :lol:


sounds like a plan. I think you could build yourself a DOHC with 8:1 pistons, and then later on do a TT conversion. Of course, if you still decide to go with 10:1 and you need internals, i still have my old pistons and rods attached together. Only 62K miles on them. Of course, i need to clean them up first.

Edit: I'm also going to have an extra set of N/A DOHC heads with everything except for the cam gears. Same mileag as other internals. They might be warped at the very bottom (car wouldnt start due to either blown head gasket or warped heads, I will have to inspect them and take them to the machine shop to be fixed if needed).

I may just take you up on that depending on what I find out with a little bit of research I am doing.

Holy jeebus thats a huge FMIC.

As stealthee said, when mitsu switched from the 2-bolt main to the 4-bolt main on the TT's, all the crankshafts for all DOHC cars both TT and N/A's went forged. You can't even buy a cast crankshaft for these cars anymore.

my car is 93 with 4bolt engine.dose my car has forged crankshaft too?

...as well as total repaint...

what's wrong with that sweet blue color you have?

what's wrong with that sweet blue color you have?
Nothing wrong with the color.. It will be going back to the same color buuuuut. When we orignally did the paint there were a few issues. It was a weekend rush job. When we installed the 96 wing my dad leaned over the quarter panel and his belt which he forgot he had on put a small gash in the paint. Then when we reinstalled the sunroof the sealant we used oozed out. When we tried to pull that off it pulled paint with it. :eek: Now since I am need to repaint anyway I am chagning to the body panels I wanted orignally and adding the RT sails so it would be a Partridgemobile if it didnt get repainted.;) Going to also make sure to do the engine bay right this time. Last time we convered everything and sparyed what we could get to. No more weekend rush jobs FTW.:)

^ Musashi's sister was a weekend job:boink: :icon16:

O.o Oh snap!

God you guys make me want to tear into mine...which i will as soon as i pay off some speeding tickets..good luck on those rebuilds guys

A little update on my car, TT conversion should be done by the 9th of May.
Brand new 13Gs
DN intercooler hard pipe upgrade
Braided stainless steel 3sx oil feed/return lines
SFS LSD insert
TT radiatior and Plenum
94/95 TT hybrid ECU
Shivers datalogger cables
3sx TT downpipe
DN precat eliminators
Poly motor mounts
Blitz turbo timer, SAFC, TurboXS HPBC, Nexus gauges
Full 120k including oil pump.
Alot of other little stuff. Ill keep you guys updated.

Wow, nice man, I didn't realize you were going with 13Gs, good luck with it.

Yes, im starting small with this motor (10:1) ;)

Yes, im starting small with this motor (10:1) ;)

The 10:1 can make good power, but the real potential is in the lower CR engines because of a greater airflow in the combustion chambers. My advice is to have fun with the 10:1 and max it out as much as you can, and then when it decides to blow because one day you felt like throwing as much boost in the car just to see what happens, then you can rebuild with lower CR.

Like when IPO turned the MBC too far.. 28psi KABOOM

Like when IPO turned the MBC too far.. 28psi KABOOM

Thats the perfect example. And frankly, i was going to do the exact same thing until my car did what it did, and i decided since i had the heads off, i might as well just rebuild the bottom end while i'm in there.

Shoot, I was even surprised that IPO made it down 2/3rds the way down the track @ 28 PSI before it blew.

Yes im going to have 10:1 till she blows, I love forced upgrades. I do not plan on going extremely high boost. But enough to make some decent power. Im also looking at getting a VR4 sometime this fall, we will see how things go :)

Yes im going to have 10:1 till she blows, I love forced upgrades. I do not plan on going extremely high boost. But enough to make some decent power. Im also looking at getting a VR4 sometime this fall, we will see how things go :)

to own both a fwd tt and an awd tt will definitely be a treat

i actually want import an auto tranny from japan and convert my car to awd, and have an awd atx tt. That would just be sick at the track.

Thats the perfect example. And frankly, i was going to do the exact same thing until my car did what it did, and i decided since i had the heads off, i might as well just rebuild the bottom end while i'm in there.

Shoot, I was even surprised that IPO made it down 2/3rds the way down the track @ 28 PSI before it blew.
I was there when it blew. I am sure you can tell by the video something strange happened in that run the way he rocketed away toward then end then boom, smokey end. Maybe there was a wastegate malfunction and it didnt actually hit 28psi till that point of destruction?

I was there when it blew. I am sure you can tell by the video something strange happened in that run the way he rocketed away toward then end then boom, smokey end. Maybe there was a wastegate malfunction and it didnt actually hit 28psi till that point of destruction?

didnt chris say that there was either a malfunction with his boost controller or that he didnt set the boost correctly? Either way, i remember him posting something up on 3SI about the mbc.

didnt chris say that there was either a malfunction with his boost controller or that he didnt set the boost correctly? Either way, i remember him posting something up on 3SI about the mbc.
He said he misinterpreted how much each click on the mbc increased boost. My only thing is like you said, it held together till just past the 1/8. It took off like a rocket at that point then it was done... Who knows for sure. I just know he proved how strong a stock internal 10:1 motor can be.

an AWD ATX tranny from japan would be hot sheoot mang, good luck finding one though... how much would it cost to buy and ship over here anyways???

an AWD ATX tranny from japan would be hot sheoot mang, good luck finding one though... how much would it cost to buy and ship over here anyways???


i've seen some on ebay for about $400 already in the united states. They post it up as if its just a regular replacement for the regular auto trannies, but emphasize how its JDM to make people want it more :rolleyes: but after looking at the pictures, its definitely an AWD tranny. From there, just got to find a transfercase, driveshaft, and the rear end of a vr-4, which i already have access to one if my friend doesn't do anything with it, which i highly doubt he will.

^that's prolly the only justifyable reason I could see hacking apart a VR4 for the AWD conversion...

^that's prolly the only justifyable reason I could see hacking apart a VR4 for the AWD conversion...


i know, couldn't you just imagine having an AWD car that leaves the line at 4,000 rpms with 7 or 8 PSI? That would be like raping a lost chick in a rough looking alley.

i know, couldn't you just imagine having an AWD car that leaves the line at 4,000 rpms with 7 or 8 PSI? That would be like raping a lost chick in a rough looking alley.


O god, That would be beastly. :evillol:

The AWD leaving the line at 4,000 rpms with 7 or 8 PSI, or raping a lost chick in a rough looking alley?

well, i believe there is going to be a change in plans for me. I was going to put the 18T's back on, until I ran across a set of TD05 adapter plates and O2 housings and I bought them. I think I will get rid of the TD04's and go with EVO III 16G's. What do ya'll think?

what are the advantages/disadvantages of both *for those of us who really don't know???*

i know AdamVR4 on 3si is running with the Evo III 16gs. i've seen his car. all i can say is badASS. and those on YOUR car...hot DAMN!

good luck with that. i wanna see you get into the 11's.

^you might want to check on that. I've heard there are some BIG changes coming soon :naughty:

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=323631


these things are nasty, and the hp curve is still increasing even at 7,000 rpms

519awhp and 505awtq on pump gas...nice

td05 > td04

was there ever any question ???

Well Hotshot already knows but my project for the Stealth is on standby right now. I picked up a 94 3000gt base this weekend for a hell of a deal. I think I am gonna devote a little money to it and make it my daily driver then put my efforts back toward the Stealth.

Well Hotshot already knows but my project for the Stealth is on standby right now. I picked up a 94 3000gt base this weekend for a hell of a deal. I think I am gonna devote a little money to it and make it my daily driver then put my efforts back toward the Stealth.

yea, the poor thing took a beatdown :frown:

that previous owner needs to be beaten, tar'd, feathered, then burned

i'm still chugging along with my HID retrofit. i had to go to Lowe's to pick up some more dremel reinforced cutting discs, and i even picked up a diamond covered cutting wheel. i've gone through about 5 discs already. i wish i had a air powered die-grinder to cut this stuff, but i'm sure the Dremel offers a level of precision that die-grinders don't.

well i got one headlight mounted in the pop-up unit, some of the metal parts were removed so the projector would fit. i'm still able to use the stock aiming/alignment screws. however, i need to cut some metal from the headlight bucket now. also, i found out when i put the headlight housing cover (piece of square glass) on over the projector, the sharp cutoff goes away, light is dispersed all to hell. this is most likely b/c of the thickness of the glass. i'll just have to get some thin plastic and fabricate a cover.

just a few setbacks, but it should look good.

ya, so i've already spent probably 10 hrs worth of measuring, cutting, and cutting some more on just one headlight. fun times. and i'm not gonna do this ever again for anyone else's headlight.

ya, so i've already spent probably 10 hrs worth of measuring, cutting, and cutting some more on just one headlight. fun times. and i'm not gonna do this ever again for anyone else's headlight.


That's devotion. Although I guess once you start cutting, you really can't stop :grinyes: It will be worth it in the end though. Good luck

ya, i've started and can't stop. but the OEM headlight will still fit back in. i just really want these HIDs.

i won't spend that long on the other headlight, b/c now i know exactly what to cut for fitment. but for the first headlight, i would measure, cut a little, test, re-measure, cut a bit more, and so on. don't wanna cut too much off, b/c i can't exaclty 'CTRL + Z' the dremel process. :tongue:

ouch, i had no idea that putting HID's in a first gen was that much of a pain. I know for my car, you just have to cut into the stock wiring harness and just slap the headlight bulbs in.

ouch, i had no idea that putting HID's in a first gen was that much of a pain. I know for my car, you just have to cut into the stock wiring harness and just slap the headlight bulbs in.

i'm putting some larger-than-normal HID projectors into my car. and b/c its a 1G, the pop-ups are much smaller then the 2G headlights.

what you are speaking about is the HID Kits. big difference between a HID Kit and a HID retrofit. a retrofit basically involves a completely custom installation of a O.E. hid projector (from another car, BMW, audi, acura...) into your existing headlight housing. the HID kit simply puts a HID xenon bulb into your existing projector/reflector headlight housing.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=551733

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=325526&highlight=hid

i'm putting some larger-than-normal HID projectors into my car. and b/c its a 1G, the pop-ups are much smaller then the 2G headlights.

what you are speaking about is the HID Kits. big difference between a HID Kit and a HID retrofit. a retrofit basically involves a completely custom installation of a O.E. hid projector (from another car, BMW, audi, acura...) into your existing headlight housing. the HID kit simply puts a HID xenon bulb into your existing projector/reflector headlight housing.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=551733

http://www.3si.org/forum/showthread.php?t=325526&highlight=hid


sounds like a pain, reminds me of the time when i had to cut the sheet metal out for the driver's side intercooler, all i had was a dremel and some grind stones and this one metal looking bit. Boy was that a pain, glad i have a die grinder now.

Well, since I am going with the TD05's, it looks like I've got to sell my 18T's now, especially with a downpayment coming up on a house. So if anyone is interested, or if you know anyone who might be interested, let me know.

If I ever end up finding a VR4 that isn't "slightly malfunctioning", turbos + new fuel system are going to be high on the priority list.