The Money Pit!

[xd_01]

so heres a little back round. Currently Im on my second Galant, my first was bought around 2001, supercharged and 5 spd swap a couple of years laters, blew like two motors and then totaled out from an accident that was beyond my control (to make it short, it was parked on a corner and an NYPD squad car crashed into it). I bought an 01 around 2004 and started collecting parts for a Evo head swap at the same time. Picked up an Evo head for $600 and has been down hill ever since. I should call this this build the "Money Pit" LOL!!

About late 08' i started doing open track days/ road racing with NASA at Summit Point in W. Virginia other wise known as HPDE's (High Performance Driving Experience). Basically Im at the bottom of the totem poll trying to climb through the ranks so i can eventually drive by myself and compete in Time Trials and finally wheel to wheel competition which is very intense.

June 09' i officially put the car on jack stands and started the build gearing it towards a track car.

here are the pre-build pics


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/7-1--09007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/7-1--09022.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/7-1--09075.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/seats009-1.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/7-1--09039.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/7-1--09078.jpg

started on the oil cooler (which I later changed) and front tow hook.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09037.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09030.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09026.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09027.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09006.jpg

Now for the dirty work, pulling the old motor,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09011.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09012.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09013.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09014.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09017.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09018.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09019.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09020.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09015.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Tear%20Down/7-1--09021.jpg

The next step was some amateur bodywork, I learned my lesson though, next time Ill just bring it to a body shop. It cost me more in fuel and supplies then it would have if I just brought it to a shop. Especially since I messed up and used the wrong primer which basically forced me to to do the job twice. Lesson learned lol!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/7-29-09008.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/7-29-09009.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/7-29-09005.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09004.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09011-1.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09013.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09014.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-9-09015.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/prep%20for%20paint/8-23-09014.jpg

,,,,,,,,,, more to come

[xd_01]

Here's the motor build, Stewi had a big hand in this part of the project, in fact he pretty much built the entire long block, the short block was built and machined by Scott of Scott's Auto Machine Shop of Lynbrook Long Island, NY a DSM/EVO favorite of the area.

the build is as follows:
4g64 block and crank
Eagle rods
Wiseco custom pistons
balance shaft removal kit
Hafe DSM S.S. exhaust manifold
PTE 55/57 billet compressor wheel
3g 5 spd tranny rebuilt w/ Quafe LSD by Gary of Mitsubishi Graveyard L.I.N.Y.
AMS wet sump oil pan

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/7-1--09067.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/8-23-09005.jpg

balance shaft removal

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/7-29-09003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/7-29-09002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/7-29-09001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/8-23-09011.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/9-27-09001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/3-14-10003.jpg

throttle body vacuum ports and water neck custom welded

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/3-28-10024.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Motor%20build/3-28-10025.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/1-7-10007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/1-7-10001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/1-7-10002.jpg

the turbo, a PTE HP 55/57 billet compressor wheel (similar to a 50 trim)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/9-22-09007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/9-22-09005.jpg

[Bloody Arro]

Damn nice build dude! Grats and keep it going with pics.

[xd_01]

Now that the body work is done its time to start putting the engine bay back together.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/9-5-09005.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/3-28-10020.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/9-27-09008.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/9-27-09009.jpg

radiator brackets

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/3-28-10013.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/3-28-10022.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/4-5-10039.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/4-5-10038.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/4-5-10037.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/3-28-10014.jpg

refurbishing control arms

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/9-22-09002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/9-22-09003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Engine%20bay%20reconstruction/3-28-10002.jpg

lol got carried away with running extra wire for the new ECU

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-28-10032.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-28-10033.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-28-10031.jpg

[beam514]

nice!! finally some pics of the build

[WhiteGalant]

When are you bringing it back down this way??? haha

[dGALANTc]

AWESOME!!! good work to you and Stewi!! that thing is going to be a beast...

[djhah]

I am curious because i am new to this, but why did you wield the vaccume ports up? Looking good btw its going to be worth the extra work in the end. I can't wait to see the finished product and what kind of horses it will push.

[E_Emerson88]

Cabring Strut bar FTW!!!

[keith6110]

This is awesome man! Everything looks like its coming along well. Can't wait to see it sometime.

[Stewi]

Nice!!! Glad to see you started a build thread. Hopefully we can get this thing started this weekend. Anyhow, im off to Moreland hose to have your power steering line made.... I didnt forget.....again.

[fatal1]

nice, more pictures surface....looks great B cant wait to see it finally done

[1992Galant]

nice build. im a def fan of this

[xd_01]

Thanks for the comments, I didnt want to start the build thread early in the game cause i knew it would be a long time till i would even be ready to start the new motor. So i didnt want to drag the thread over a 2 year span, but its finally time cause were gonna try to start it up this saturday. Im pretty nervous though lol.

To Djhah- those were emmision ports which i dont need any more.

[Z]

what kind of seats are those?

[xd_01]

Time to drop the new motor in!!

Here it is being lowered on to hand truck.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10004.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10006.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10009.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10014-1.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10015.jpg

Here we tried to press in the pro-thane insert to the rear motor mount using my vise,,,,
well if you look close to the base of the vise youll it cracked in half lol. looks like im gonna
stick with my old Deyemme mount.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Dropping%20in%20new%20motor/4-25-10022.jpg

[wetamup2k3g]

Wow, never seen a vise crack before.
Car looks right homie!

[xd_01]

So at this point the car is about to take a 300 mile trip with me to Piper Motorsports in Sterling VA. to get some exhaust and intercooler pipes fabbed up along with a custom storage compartment for the AEM.

The first time the car has been on the street in over a year and half.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/8-20-10002.jpg

Stopped for some coffee early sunday morning.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/8-20-10013.jpg

Lower Manhattan were the Twin Towers once stood, seen from the BQE

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/8-25-10007.jpg

The Verrazano early morning.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/8-25-10005.jpg

About a month later the car was ready.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1882.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1881.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1877.jpg

Compartment for AEM

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1887.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1886.jpg

I love how they welded 90's on the intercooler to eliminated the need for silcone couplers
behind the bumper cover.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1884.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/9-30-10005.jpg

[wright06jhs]

Very nice build!

[M-Rod]

Great work done. I love so many things about what I see, but the intake and exhaust piping is top notch!

[tamim13]

Very nice build. Are you really in the Rockville MD area? I would love to see this car in person!

[greddy]

Just out of curiousity, why the AEM as opposed to a stock evo ecu? Wonderful build, good to see more galants doing some track time

[E_Emerson88]

how wide are those wheels?

[wetamup2k3g]

Very nice build. Are you really in the Rockville MD area? I would love to see this car in person!

X2, I work in Greenbelt, I'll drive over, that's a top notch G homie!

[xd_01]

The car is still in NY but ill let you when i bring it down.


Just out of curiousity, why the AEM as opposed to a stock evo ecu? Wonderful build, good to see more galants doing some track time

The AEM is a better tool for tuning, has many options. ECU flash is good too but at the time i picked up the AEM i wanted to get rid of the MAF and TephraMod wasnt even close to being out. Over all im glad i went with the AEM.


how wide are those wheels?
17x8

[greddy]

^ ok, that makes sense, looking forward to some track action pics and footage

[Stewi]

It's ALIVE!!!!!!

[Galantman03]

Looks Great man, Money pit I can see lol.
Stewi post pics! vids!

[fatal1]

nice nice, def post some vids. unfortunately i wont have another free weekend for about 3 weeks so i really wont be able to come see it unless you will be around during the week bryant? i hopefully should be picking up my hood by next thurs. ill give brian a call when im heading out there but im sure youll be in MD

[xd_01]

Started up on the first try lastnight!!!!!!!!!!!! Im so happy LOL but now i need to fix a couple of leaks, rewire the fans and wide band and then get a tuner to swing by. Hopefully Brians boy is available but he s always busy. Either way it will get sorted out.

Got a real short video of the 2nd start up but Im headed back to MD right now so ill load it later tonight plus some other build pics.

Creg, Ill probaly be around that weekend anyway so just hit me up.

[wetamup2k3g]

1st try? Crazy awesome. Can't wait for that vid, fam!

[xd_01]

click the link!

http://www.vimeo.com/23128885

[wetamup2k3g]

Vid says: "Oops! Something Broke. Try again later."

[Stewi]

yeah I think its a vimeo problem and not the actual video itself. I tried looking at 2 other vids and it said they were broke too.

[showtime]

video works for me! try it again fellas, maybe they fixed it

[djhah]

Its not working for me either? I haven't tried on my pc yet, but not on my phone.

[beam514]

worked just now :)

sounds nice and raw

[dGALANTc]

nice!!! sounds good man good work!

[beam514]

man I want those RPF1s soooo bad. +45?

btw, all that piping looks IMMACULATE.

[Stewi]

I think they are in the +30 range somewhere since he's running evo brembo's

[Isaurio]

VERY NICE........... i love it. Rev it higher i want to hear the monster turbo you have. But nice work. Where did you put the radiator fans?

[mrg7243]

Wow total sleeper. How is your exhaust ran, i cant tell if they ran it over the rear axle or not.

[xd_01]

man I want those RPF1s soooo bad. +45?

btw, all that piping looks IMMACULATE.

Yea they do great work at Piper and the RPF1's are +35, why are you interested in them?


VERY NICE........... i love it. Rev it higher i want to hear the monster turbo you have. But nice work. Where did you put the radiator fans?

Pusher fan is on the front side of the rad. passenger side and puller is on the back side
of the rad. drivers side


Wow total sleeper. How is your exhaust ran, i cant tell if they ran it over the rear axle or not.

Under rear sub-frame


Thanks again for all the positive feedback guys!

[E_Emerson88]

i want some RPF1's too, oe TE37's. super lightweight. probably why Beam want them lol

[beam514]

i want some RPF1's too, oe TE37's. super lightweight. probably why Beam want them lol

nah I just absolutely love the look. The RPF1's and the TE37's are by far my too favorite wheels. Simple and clean.

xd_01, I won't be able to afford new wheels for a little while, but if you get tired of them in the future, do let me know :P finish doesn't have to be perfect either because I want to paint them orange :D

[xd_01]

Ok so its been over 2 months with no update but there isnt much to report other then i sorted out some leak issues (keep my fingers crossed) and im waiting on a part to fix the p/s rack. Things are slow going but progressing.

here some more build pics,

The Wiring!!

wiring in the AEM and injectors

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/11-9-10031.jpg

resistor box

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/11-3-09003.jpg

gauges

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/7-8--09004.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/7-1--09088.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/6-19-10106.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/0305011925.jpg

AEM

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-13-11011.jpg

fan relay

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-13-11009-1.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-13-11006.jpg

soldering some gound wires

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/1-16-11005.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/1-16-11006.jpg

upgrading my relocated battery box with a circuit breaker

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/1-16-11002.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/1-16-11001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/1-16-11003.jpg

route of battery cable near drivers seat

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10006.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10005.jpg

new distribution box

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10004.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10011.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/12-261-10012.jpg

[galantlvr34]

I like where you put the AEM gauges that is an awesome spot for them.

[wetamup2k3g]

My head's spinning from all that wiring lol! Looking good, dude!

[r1concepts]

man everything is coming together! looks really nice

[xd_01]

I like where you put the AEM gauges that is an awesome spot for them. actually only the wideband is AEM and the oil pressure and water temp gauges are Stewart Warner


My head's spinning from all that wiring lol! Looking good, dude!

its actually not that bad once you figure out half the wires in the engine bay arent needed anymore, atleast for my application. maybe one day ill attempt to make my own engine harness lol.

well here's more.

i was looking forward to this part through out the whole build,,, the AN Lines!!! i was going
for an OEM look so i used alot of black hoses and fittings, trying to be different lol!!! even the vacuum lines are AN. but in the end i felt like i shoulda add a lil bling to them, oh well next time.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11040.jpg

cutting it with a chisel and lump hammer

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11041.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11027.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11027.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11029.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11028.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11039.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11038.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11036.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11008.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11008.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11006.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/AN%20Lines/3-14-11007.jpg

Next up are some heat insulations pics

naked pipes

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11018.jpg

preping the wrap

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11020.jpg

painted with high temp paint

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11019.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11021.jpg

all wrapped up!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11024.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11023.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Heat%20insulation/3-13-11022.jpg

[Stewi]

Looks good kid. Hey just looking thru the pics, make sure you put the bolts back in that hold the crash bar into the frame. Im working on getting that steering rack fitting for you, probably do it friday.

[xd_01]

fuel pump upgrade and draining the tank of the old fuel with a hand pump,,,

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Fuel%20Pump/2-27-11015.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Fuel%20Pump/2-27-11014.jpg

[underated]

Damn that some awesome work your putting in there... i cant wait to see it done, but i like watching the progress

[xd_01]

Looks good kid. Hey just looking thru the pics, make sure you put the bolts back in that hold the crash bar into the frame. Im working on getting that steering rack fitting for you, probably do it friday.

yea that was taking care of but funny you mention that cause when i pulled the K-frame last sat. to pull the rack both front front bolts (on K-frame) where just snugged up lol. i would have never thought to check those.

[xd_01]

Ok at this point everything is finished, i cleaned up the wires with some black braided wire loom but was unhappy in the end, i was imagining something much more clean looking but this will have to do.

this weekend ill put the steering rack back in and get the car back on the ground for a oldschool diy wheel alignment then a boostleak test. i got my work cut out for me this weekend!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11004.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11005.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11006.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Final%20Product/6-27-11010.jpg

[QnzMostWanted]

Damn Bryant...lovely build!!

[Galantman03]

how did you dye the stainless braided line? this thread is ballin!

[xd_01]

Damn Bryant...lovely build!!

thanks Denver!


how did you dye the stainless braided line? this thread is ballin!

its not stainless steel steel its nylon braided.

[Galantman03]

oh^ lol well I feel sheepish... it still looks good IMO

[ghosterbuck]

Great looking build!

[mrjaydeeone]

nice work Bryant

[Isaurio]

Very nice.

[Galantman03]

BUMP! I'm am curious if anything has been done to the g lately?

[Stewi]

stay tuned....

[Isaurio]

Lol

[underated]

sometimes i wish i lived in NY you guys are doing awesome things out there.

[xd_01]

Sorry ive been slacking on the updates but i ran into a problem 4 weeks back with the Quaife diff.

Long story...
Basically the axle wasnt locking in which causes all the gear oil to leak out, its actually the 2nd time it happened with this diff and i had it sent out for repair way back in in 08' the first time.

Now 3 years later i go to fill the trans with gear oil and now the opposite side of the diff doesnt lock in,, F#$%&@#KKKK!!! the dumb
mutha- efers at "Autotech" the company that imported and did warranty work for Quaife UK screwed up and now 3 years later they no longer deal with Quaife UK and put out their own diff, "Wavetrac". So now im stuck with this diff and i have to track down who does the warranty work, which i did, but it all consumes soo much time and money (aka the money pit lol) now i have to pay some one AGAIN to open up the trans un-install the diff send it out and yadda, yadda, yadda, you get the picture lol. I mean it took me about the weeks to fix a power steering leak because i live 5 hours away from the damn car is, not to metion what its cost in fuel commuting all these years.

The funny part is even though Autotech screwed up the repair on the Quaife i went ahead bought a Wavetrac the same week (mo-money) to avoid losing anymore time. Ohwell the Wavetrac is in, axles lock and tranny is back in. Now all thats left is polishing up the tune, motor, and clutch break-in which i plan to start this weekend.

i got a short video clip of the car running the day i dropped the trans out. ill upload to tonight.

[xd_01]

short video, not that exciting but here it is anyhow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5SJy0uAWwo

[wetamup2k3g]

Nice!

[xd_01]

Lazy mans bumper

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0908011742.jpg

yes its a hinge clip

[Stewi]

LOL. Like I said last time. The first chance your not looking, im taking that bumper.

[XxGiRLaNT06xX]

LOL! Nice vid!

[xd_01]

LOL. Like I said last time. The first chance your not looking, im taking that bumper.

thats ok ill just take a ride to Crazy Rays pick & pull get another one for 20 bucks LOL!


Thanks Ally

[2002BlackDragon]

sweet video

[underated]

love the stock radio... i just got rid of mine about a month ago. i got tired of making cd's lol

[xd_01]

So here's a lil update, i was having an issue with the motor stalling while pressing in the
clutch to get in and out of gear and i thought i had it figured out when i installed a check valve on the brake booster vacuum port thinking i had a vacuum leak but it only hid the real problem. Well i only put a total of 40 miles on the motor and the stalling was still there but not as frequent, was really weird actully.

so eventually the worst that could happen did, the motor locked up! the pan was pulled and the bottom end inspected, turns out the machinist forgot to install a thrust washer so the crank was against the main girdle creating all that extra load which was causing the stalling when the clutch fork would put pressure on the rotating assembly. two tuners i was dealing with suspected the thrust washer,, but missing ,,, damn!

its really fustrating and disappointing when a machinist you trust does something like this but im working on getting the issue resolved. the motor is out and partialy disassembled at this point, new crank is here thanks to Stewi going way out of his way to pick up a spare motor from my parents driveway and take it back to his in-laws to pull the crank out and mail to me lol ,,, Thanks again Bro!

the motor is brand new so the pistons and rods should still be good and the same for the valvetrain and judging by how much metal shavings came out the motor is most likely salvagable just needs a good cleaning, same for the turbo.

so hopefully it will be back and running just in time for the new HPDE season in Feb.

[Galantman03]

ouch...... get it fixed! :)

[wetamup2k3g]

Oh, such a headache to deal with, glad the problem got solved and the repair wasn't on you to pay for!

[underated]

damn that sucks, like greg said im glad it the repair cost isnt coming out of your pocket. good luck im anxious to see you back up and running.

[OMEGA PHX]

Sad to hear, hope its up and running soon, good luck

[xd_01]

actually it is, the only way i could go about getting any money back is to bring the short block back to NY so the machinist could see for himself. even then he would probaly rather rebuild then refund which would be fine with me.

but im not in a position to take off work or even leave the state now since my wifes going into labor anyday now so the next couple of months is gonna be pretty busy
for us. so im just gonna have to eat the cost this time.

[Stewi]

No prob on sending the crank. It went alot easier than I thought it would.

[Samman]

Wish u best luck and I hope u get it running again soon

[auto]

can you send me a link on the "how to evo head swap" please?

[BassinG]

Can i drive it?????!

[IVORY_G]

can you send me a link on the "how to evo head swap" please?

Click Here (https://www.thegalantcenter.org/search.php)

[finald8ta]

Click Here (https://www.thegalantcenter.org/search.php)

lmao

[oakrdrs187]

Click Here (https://www.thegalantcenter.org/search.php)

That's where I found the Outlander TUT when I needed it.
That's a beautiful link.

[xd_01]

So here's a little update, there cars been running for a couple of weeks and the 1k mile break in period was a little tough with the rough tune. you would be surprise how a fresh motor reacts over its first thousand miles but it got smoother as it got closer to the 1k mark. after that it got tuned on the dyno and it felt like a new car after, it behaved so well compared to the break in tune with boost cut off during the first 1k.

two days later we headed up to the track for the weekend and on my first session it backfires, the rpms drop and then it shuts off, just my luck right lol. i get towed back to the paddock and the trouble shooting begins, with some help from brian over the phone we narrow down the problem to cam angle sensor but i cant continue to trouble shoot because my wife is starting to feel real sick back at the hotel and needs to be close to the hospital just in case. so i wrap things up and we head for home.

what did i learn lol? dont rush to get a car broken and tuned for the track with less then 2 weeks to go cause something will go wrong. i gotta shake out all the bugs in the car like suspension, brakes, wiring, hornets nest (not kidding) etc. cuz the car has been sitting for so long that it needs to be sorted out. the car is pretty scary on the straights though i can tell you that and even scarier is the fact that i dont think my current street/track pads are up to the task anymore so those gotta get replaced. so all in all it was problay a good thing this happened since i was to quick to bring it to the track.

with more trouble shooting this week we narrowed it down to either the crank or cam angle sensor so those are on order from the dealer. hopefully the car will be ready for VIR in july if not then i guess ill be taking the 330i. on a good note though the front tow hook i set up on the crash bar is definetly up to the task lol! i was actually a little worried about it but its all good now.

[Galantman03]

Bummer dude... At least it didnt let go. How much power, and boost?

[xd_01]

i know thats my biggest fear lol!

here some pics from my short lived session from an independent photographer thats at every nasa mid-atlantic event.

here's me getting familiar with my car again

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9210.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9155.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9123.jpg

annndddd here' s me pulling off track cause i lost power

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9257.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9258.jpg

at a complete stop and waiting on the recovery vehicle to tow me back into the pit

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202012/IMG_9273.jpg

the car made 390hp at 19psi on a dynomite with a standard correction factor (what ever that is) but it was making its peak hp at 5900 and fell off from there, the tuner was having
abnormal knock readings so they just let it be until i relocate the ground the for the knock sensor which is tuners main concern. im sure if i wasnt taking it to the track the day after more couldve been done.

i know theres always conficts with dyno numbers on different dyno's and correction factors but believe me im looking for a much lower hp number to match my skill level on the track, i would be much happier with something like 275-300 for now then turn up the boost later on once i grow some balls with this car. ill tell them to turn down at my next tuning session.

[djhah]

Damn! That's crazy!

[4g63lover]

Thats awesome.

[Isaurio]

Nice.

[keith6110]

This is an awesome build! Nice track pics man.

[Isaurio]

Talking About knock ground wire. I got this little item. Its great for power and ground. I got a red one for power and black one for all my small sensors ground. You could add up to 12 ground point from one source. From batt to chassie to the ground block.

Here is a pic
http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww267/isaurio/897ea055.png

[xd_01]

thats cool i never seen that before where did you get it from?

well i finally figured out what happened when i was trying to replace the crank sensor which was one of the two sensors me and brian narrowed down to being the problem, the other being the cam which replaced with no luck.

it turns out the crank sensor was bad and i found out why, the bolt from the adjustable cam gear work its way out and fell to the bottom of the lower timing cover, got wedged, scored a very nice groove in the timing belt, got loose again then got wedged in the crank sensor blade and bent one of the fins back and im almost positive damaged the sensor itself.

now this is a big let down but you know what, im glad i figured out what the hell happened and learned a good lesson which is always inspect your bolts constantly on an engine the vibrates the way this one does. the poly mounts are unforgiving and loctite, loctite, and more loctite. ive already notice some other bolts like on the oil pan and on the tranny that i can almost stick my finger nail under so ill have inspect everything i can frequently. i just hope no valves hit because the gears also got loose enough that they moved so ill have to keepmy fingers cross.

pics

missing bolt
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/CIMG3049.jpg

falling to the bottom
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/1340493157943.jpg

extra groove in belt
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/CIMG3047.jpg

fin of sensor blade bent back
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/CIMG3044.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/1340492899849.jpg

offending bolt
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Timing%20Belt%206-28-12/1340493909785.jpg

[Isaurio]

That sucks. Usually it says after you built a engine you need to drive it for a few miles then take things apart and torque everything down again.

Here is the part on ebay

Negative:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110901088391?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_563wt_1110

Positive
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110872711124?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_563wt_1110

[xd_01]

well thats partially true, after it heat cylces your supposed re-torque the head studs but in my case i should of went the extra mile and check the tension on everything i could access which is what i will be doing before every event from now on.

for now though ill be setting up the 330i for the track for the rest of the season. just things like wheels, tires, and brakes cause honestly i cant afford to lose anymore seat time cause of any mechanical issues. once the galant is sorted then ill be taking it back out with confidence.

[Galantman03]

Hmmm, that's interesting.... Good thing it didn't take out the timing belt... Do i want Fridanza cam gears now? lol

[spdracr]

Very nice. I'm considering the 2g manifold instead of the evo manifold cuz I really don't like the look of a manifold spacer and if I would to change the Turbo down the road it would be less hassle

Where can I find that manifold??

[spdracr]

The rear mount inserts will only work on the 3g rear mount. Trust me I know and as roman he'll tell u too.

Did u eliminate the AC or did u manage to keep it??

[xd_01]

lol ac? who needs that its a track day car, it doesnt even have interior just 2 seats and door panels.

so i wanted to share some pics of my "new to me" garage that im renting. theres an awesome build thread on Evom by this dude his s/n is Jid2 (you should check it out sometime) where he shares his evo build and it kinda evolves into his garage setup along with other projects. hes some sort of engineer by trade so his thought process on some of his projects is really interesting so i would like to model this thread after his even though it couldnt really compare but its fun to try and share pics at the same time which i tend to take alot of anyway.

so heres the bare garage, small but its about the same size as the driveway that my build started out in so it will work.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-12171758.jpg

i have all the lumber cut and ready to get started building a work bench cause every good garage needs one

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31133841.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-29193057.jpg

laying out the sides making sure there square so i can start screwing it together

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31140208.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31142149.jpg

clamped it to the shelf so i can start screwing the frame together

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31145339.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31150555.jpg

got it stood up with the bench top on

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-03-31154037.jpg

almost finished

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-04-02195719.jpg

and done

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-04-03194051.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-04-03203420.jpg

im saving up for a a piece of S.S. for the bench top and vise and im good to go

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-04-03203113.jpg

got my tool box in, its a lil cramp but still workable but it beats working on the street and using the Tahoe as a tool box/work bench lol

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/1337739746351.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/1337739777081.jpg

monday im gonna bring in the 330i so i can get it ready for the track next weekend (VIR), brake pads, wheel stud swap, and wheels/tires are on the agenda so stay tuned
PEACE!

[4g63lover]

Awesome set-up bro. I hope to one day have my OWN space I'm driving the in-laws crazy with all the spare parts and toold everywhere. lol

[spdracr]

How much is this garage running u??

[xd_01]

not much.

so im pretty excited i just got my brand spanking new star specs mounted on the new track wheels, i cant wait to get em on.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2012-07-12182724.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3066.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3067.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3068.jpg

[xd_01]

well on with another update, the galant is back on the road but still needs a ton of tweeking but the first order of business is a car wash this friday night at the flagship (locals know what im talking about) after probaly 4 years of neglect im gonna finally give it the love it deserves lol, a simple car wash at the pressure washer.

i got the bimmer setup for the track last week with hawk pads, square wheels and star specs.
got the brakes bedded-in the same day of leaving for the track and loaded the car on the trailer and headed to VIR for are the 5.5hr trip to the VA/N.C. border. wouldve been shorter been traffic is weird in VA on the 95 south for some reason.

we got to the hotel about 1:30am and had to wait till about 2:30am to fall asleep because the baby didnt fall asleep rightway. got up at 5:45am to jump in the shower and guess what,,,,no hot fvcking water i was vexd, is this how my day is gonna start lol.

after all the bullsh!t i got to the track, unloaded the car, attended the all hands meeting and classroom session with no time to spare, torqued my lugs and checked the air pressure in the tires and i was on grid nervous as fvck cuz ive never been here before and its a real intimidating track.

First lap put me at ease though and my instructor was cool and encouraging
so that helped alot, overall i did pretty good for my first time there although i did have my moments and did get passed alot but did some passing myself and left some of the higher hp cars in the dust at the corners which was fun but they would catch up in the straights anyway.

by the end of the weekend i was doing well for my first time there but have lots of corners to work on amongst other things which is making me want to find more events at different tracks with different organizations so i can go more frequent and build more skill.


lol its addicting to say the least!

some pics from the garage and track.

on track pics coming soon hopefully

changed brake pads and installed studs, Bimmers come with bolts for the wheel studs.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3078.jpg

i put paint marker indicator lines the rotors to check for any movement of the studs

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3079.jpg

front wheels on

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3081.jpg

Bimmers are weird,, theres no real good place to jack up the car to put it on all four floor stands because

#1 the whole underside of the car is covered with flat plastic so you cant just place the jack just anywhere with out removing underside panels

#2 the car has 4 jack points near the edge of the rockers which is good but lets say you want to put the front of the car on stands, you then have to jack up the car by using the rear jack points of the car high enough to ge the jack stand under the front jack points/ or pads cause thats what they actually are.

and if you have a narrow garage space like i do the you have to place the jack on a hard angle to clear the wall while jacking up which actually moved my car about a foot while it was on the floor jack,, scarey sh!t.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3085.jpg

flat bottom

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3086.jpg

comparsion of the stock Michelins 255 v.s. the Dunlop Star specs 245 width, the dunlops almost look wider

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3090.jpg

rears

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3093.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3093.jpg

at the track ready to pack it up and head for home

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3095.jpg

lots of brake dust on new wheels, but there track wheels so oh well.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3096.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3099.jpg

couldnt resist adding a pic of me and the baby

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3094.jpg

[jubeiaire]

WHAT no icecream on his face after a daddy son ICECREAM CELEBRATION for a sucessful run............................. BOOOOOOOOOO i wanna se icecream on that baby...

Congrats on a good run with no mechanical issues.

Also you should get a low profile high rise jack with a 360 swivel handle or
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh220/jubeiaire/Galant/IMG_0535.jpg

helped me get my car up this high and im dropped lowww
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh220/jubeiaire/Galant/IMG_0544.jpg

$99 bucks at pepboys.

[jubeiaire]

if your in ny to get it tues - thurs i can get you %10 off, its not a lot but it covers taxes

[xd_01]

lol haha na no icecream him yet, soon though!

That jack is crazy i gotta get one, im not in NY now but thanks for the offer

[xd_01]

finally gave the galant a good wash after almost 3 years, luckily it wasnt that bad because i always kept it covered and my pops gave it a quick wash once, maybe twice during the build. felt good though to cover the car with suds and even better to take it for a cruise right after on a friday night even though i was back home by like 10:30 lol

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-07-27212914.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-07-27212855.jpg

[wetamup2k3g]

I want that MMC badge lol. Looking good bro.

[8thLS6]

Nice..always feela better when you get the car clean, even if its a quick spray down

[xd_01]

tru that!,,,,,,,,

that mmc badge i got off of ebay a long time ago, i dont know if there still available.

[4g63lover]

Looks good! I am glad she is up and running again man!

[xd_01]

i havent done much with Galant since i washed it, actually i havent even driven it since, ive just been lazy.

what ive done though is got rid of the pusher fan, my tuner says the puller should be enough and the pusher might be an obstruction to the radiator during high speeds since its mounted right in front of the radiator. i figure i would i try it and keep an eye on the water temp gauge. also got rid of the airhorns since the compressor went bad, im gonna miss those but im not gonna spend the money to replace them. eventually im gonna replace the steering wheel with a sparco.

passenger side of the radaitor is where the fan use to be

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-06094844.jpg

next i re-loomed the engine harness since i pulled it apart before when was trouble shooting the mechanical failure at the track a while ago. i wasnt happy with it to begin with and ive been meaning to re-wrap it anyway.

pretty messy here

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Untitled-2.jpg

got it pretty neat here but the problem is its long to really have the "clean" look im going for.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-081109592.jpg

same pic as above but here i highlighted the area that should be shortened, it about 20"s.
im not about to cut it now but one day when i pull all the HVAC out ill pull the harness too and go to work it, that wont be for another couple of winters.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Untitled-1.jpg

next is the ecu conversion harness from boomslang, it served its purpose but now it has to go. the galant side connector has pins that are just too weak, every time i move the harness around to work on something i have to be careful not snap one off. ive already done it twice and luckily i realized it happened at that exact moment so i knew the location it broke off from. you can see how easy it is for a broken off wire to get lost. i dont need that to happen again.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-09113417.jpg

gotta bounce though, ill continue later

[Galantman03]

If you want to clean that harness up, move the fuse box to the trunk :) it will remove A TON of non engine wires.... Cuz that's a ears nest

[xd_01]

you know i really only saw three wires on one female plug that connect to the fuse box. are the rest routed behind the fire wall following the harness that routes behind the driver side fender? i havent really studied the FSM yet, wiring diagrams make me dizzy.

[Galantman03]

Yeah those are for the starter wires you short when you do the manual swap and the alternator. But there is more. All I'm going to say is it is totally worth it

[xd_01]

here's a pic of the harness where i started to label the wires with the pin numbers they correspond to on the AEM/evo ecu plug. im using 3g manual plugs (same plugs) that i got from a doner car from at the junkyard. basically the idea is to triple check forwards and backwards the pin numbers and label the wire, im also gonna go a step further and label them with the pin number they use to go to on the old galant plugs to avoid any confusion down the line.

ive never done this before so im a lil nervous about the whole project thats the reason for all the triple checking lol.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-15124320.jpg

here are the 3g plugs i got from the junkyard. the idea is once everything is labeled im gonna start removing the wires from the galant plug and placing them in the 3g plugs. ill start with one plug at a time so once its finish i can plug it in and start the car, if anything is wrong the problem will be narrowed to 20 or less wires per plug (it varies) rather then 100 on all four.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-15124555.jpg

sounds easy enough right? theres a potential problem though the terminals i started to pull from the 3g plug are two different sizes. you cant really tell from the pic above (the shiny ends of the wire) but ill take some better ones tommorow. the problem is the galant terminal might all be one size because just by looking at the face of that plug they seem to be the same size on all the plugs. now if you look at the 3g plugs you can tell just by looking at the face that some are small and some are a bigger size, so will the galant terminals mate with the 3g plugs? well theres only one way to find out, maybe somebody knows already and could help me out.

well the solution if it turns out that they dont fit is to buy a plug and terminal kit from AEM for like $70 bucks, but then i have to buy a special crimper for like $100 and REAL wire stripper for around $50 to do the job right. ive been meaning to buy some pro crimpers and wire strippers but this is just bad timing lol.

heres a sneak peak of what came into today

future rear tow hook, just gotta shape it out lol.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-16125017.jpg

[Galantman03]

Different pin sizes bro... No bueno

[greddy]

make me a tow hook too haha, I need one for mine!

[xd_01]

lol are you saying they are diifferent sizes,, or that its not good if they are different sizes?

[xd_01]

make me a tow hook too haha, I need one for mine!

once i know mines is good to go then just copy the design and order the angle from speedymetals.com, it was $30 with shipping. your good with a cut-off wheel right lol? ill post up the specs once its done.

[Galantman03]

lol are you saying they are diifferent sizes,, or that its not good if they are different sizes?

The galant has all the pins the same size. Lets say 24 guage. The evo has 2 pins sizes 22 and i think 18. Its not going to work, i mean you can try but you might bend pins on the ecu side

[xd_01]

yea im not trying to fuck up the ecu, thanks for the heads up though you just saved me a bunch of time. looks like im buying some pro crimpers!

[Galantman03]

You have the aem kit right? You don't have to use crimpers. I soldered the wire to the pin and then rolled the crimp leaf with a needle nose pliers, they all fit into the slots just fine.

[spdracr]

I think he said he will buy the arm kit if he needs to.

Other solution and it's not as cleaning but definitely will save u some money. Since those donor plugs came with wires just solder those to the corresponding wires and put it in the plug. That's what I have considered doing.

[xd_01]

im trying to avoid any solder if possible, the joints get weak and could break with constant vibration and this thing vibrates ALOT! Also its the prefered method according the AEM manual and all of the research ive done on wiring track cars have said the same, not that i have a real track car but thats my ultimate goal one day. so i figure why not

[xd_01]

ok so after some more research i discovered which pins i need and where to order from. since i already have the plugs from the junk yard i dont have to buy the AEM kit for $70 so i save some money there which is always good.

the pins cost .12 cents a piece and i need "around" 76 so thats just under $10 but im gonna order alot more then i need since there so cheap this way i can practice some crimping and just to have extra in case the counts are wrong.

pins im ordering:

http://www.newunitedracetech.com/shop/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&keyword=175265

http://www.newunitedracetech.com/shop/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&keyword=175269

heres a link about the evo ecu wiring and part numbers that i found, very helpful.

http://evoecu.logic.net/wiki/Plugs,_Pins,_and_Connectors

and this is a 3g link about running dual ecu's, not what i need but it has good info on pins and ecu plugs and how to remove the pins from them.

http://www.club3g.com/forum/rs-gs/152616-dual-ecu-harness-part-numbers-info.html

heres a pic of one of the 3g ecu plugs, you see the two different size pin openings

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-17111559.jpg

and here are the pins themselves, left is the bigger one

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-17111838.jpg

and last but not least the galant side of the Boomslang harness, if you look close you can see two pins bent ready to snap off. every time i have to move the harness around for what ever reason or someone rest their feet there im worried one will break off again and im gonna spend some time trying to figure out where it goes and fixing it.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2012-08-17112305.jpg

this ecu pocket was ment to sit flipped over actually but i have to make some openings on the sides for the harness and the port cable for that to work. the passenger will gain a lil more leg room after that not much though lol. i dont know why the original fabricator didnt realize that.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/3-13-11010.jpg

compared to.........

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Going%20to%20VA%20for%20pipe%20work/IMG_1887.jpg

[underated]

i made this a long time ago... i thought i posted it on here but i guess not. when i made my own harness i put this together hope it helps

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b159/4G64T/21006da2.jpg

[spdracr]

Good info on the pins and pinouts. Thanks guys.

[xd_01]

finally got the VIR pics from last month

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_7892.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_6368.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_6230.jpg

a race prepped Factory Five breathing down my neck

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_3878.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_3972.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/BMW/IMG_3924.jpg

thats it for now, going to Pocono Raceway in two weekends, cant wait!!

[greddy]

Looking good, it's a nice mix going between FWD and RWD, great combo, quick question, where are you planning on bolting the tow hook to?

[xd_01]

to the rear crash bar mounting points on the passenger side.

[spdracr]

I'd love a nice tow hook but I don't have it in me to cut into the JDM bumpers :-(

[Dominicano]

I'd love a nice tow hook but I don't have it in me to cut into the JDM bumpers :-(

doesn't the opening of the jdm bumper top part almost in line with the crash bar?

[spdracr]

doesn't the opening of the jdm bumper top part almost in line with the crash bar?

R u talking where the plastic grill in the bumper is??

[Dominicano]

R u talking where the plastic grill in the bumper is??


sorry top part of the big opening where you have the plastic mesh if anything i think you would have to cut the mesh but not the bumper itself. on my jdm the bottom of the crash bar is seen through the big opening but like just barely.

[spdracr]

sorry top part of the big opening where you have the plastic mesh if anything i think you would have to cut the mesh but not the bumper itself. on my jdm the bottom of the crash bar is seen through the big opening but like just barely.

Yeah I have considered that except that I will have an intercooler up front so it won't work

[Dominicano]

Yeah I have considered that except that I will have an intercooler up front so it won't work

gotcha!

[IVORY_G]

Nice pix ;)

[xd_01]

Video i took yesterday, got more pics that im uploading too.

U5Emp-YcuyE

[xd_01]

does anybody know how to actually show the video in the thread straight from youtube??

[Dominicano]

i guess the youtube option no worky.

[Exhaust power]

U5Emp-YcuyE

[wetamup2k3g]

To get ^^^^^^^^ you do this:

U5Emp-YcuyE

The part you put inside the bb code brackets is the eleven-character identifier in youtube links, usually preceded by "watch?v=":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Emp-YcuyE

[xd_01]

got it! thanks thats a little wierd though i wouldve never figured that out on my own lol

[xd_01]

well i finally finished the rear tow hook and got it mounted. the fitment is pretty good but the opening i cut in the bumper is a little off, the tow hook isnt exactly centered. its good enough for me.

heres a drawing i started with that i modified along the way but not by much.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-03-26165617.jpg

mocked it out of cardboard first to get an idea how much to cut out the bumper

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3131.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3130.jpg

first i cut the bumper and i needed way to line it up with the mock tow hook. pretty much the best way i came up with was to use a string the same way i do my wheel alignments. by setting a string an equal distance between both hubs and the string gets me a paralel line to measure off of. now yes the rear track width is narrower by around 2.5mm, now divide that by 2 and you got 1.25mm difference. not enough for me to worry about, thats about the width of the string itself.

so i measure the bolt holes to the string add in where the angle is on the hook and thats my distance, mark it on the bumper cover and start cutting. i cut little by little until the the tow hook attaches to the frame rail without touching the bumper cover.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-09-21115242.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-09-21115214.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-09-21115652.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3128.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3140.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3141.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3142.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3145.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3144.jpg

now that its mocked up i transfer everything to the 3x5 angle iron and strart cutting with a cut off wheel on a 4" angle grinder

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3134.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3151.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3152.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3153.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3154.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3155.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3156.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3157.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3158.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3159.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3160.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3161.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3162.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3163.jpg

test fit

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3164.jpg

fitment is off so i trimmed the bumper more

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3165.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3166.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3167.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3169.jpg

time for paint, i smooth it down with a flap wheel then hit with some 180 grit i had laying around then some scotchbrite. washed it down with some denatured alcohol and sprayed it with two coats of grey rusto automotive primer.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/CIMG3170.jpg

the next day i spray it with 4 coats of rusto red

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-09-28154837.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-10-02102516.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-10-02124744.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-10-02124802.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/tow%20hook/2012-10-02124735.jpg

all done, now time to try it out!

also i forgot to mention i bought 10.9 bolts for added strength and 1/4 longer to compensate for the the thickness of the angle iron.

[greddy]

That looks wonderful., I need it in my life, you wanna send me the template so I can make my own :)?

[Galantman03]

Dude i might steel your idea... That's bad ass clean

[xd_01]

yea no problem ill re-measure the template and ill post the current measurements, its easy to make

[4g63lover]

thats awesome dude. I may copy this as well.

[Ivory8g]

that has to be the cleanest diy and/or aftermarket rear tow hook install ive seen!

[greddy]

yeah, if you wanna post the measurements, that'd be fantastic

[underated]

that is really badass!!!!

[oakrdrs187]

Clean fab work! Came out great!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[wetamup2k3g]

That was a nice original way to fab up that tow hook. Very impressive because of its simplicity and effectiveness. I keep saying I need to see this beast in person!

[xd_01]

yea we could meet up, i dont usaully go out much but we can set something up. i never know whats going on in the area lol

greddy as get back to garage ill re-measure it since i did change somethings along the way add anymore info i left out. just a warning though i havent had chance to actually test it but im pretty sure it will work since it as attached to the factory crash bar which attaches the frame rail. this was the best option in my opinion short of just welding in the frame rail.

[xd_01]

thanks for the compliments too!!!

[8thLS6]

Clean fab and install

[xd_01]

sorry i havent gotten around to updating the measurments on the tow hook, i started work almost a month ago after taking off 8 months to stay home with the baby but now that im back its hard to get things done after work. but now im starting to get the hang of the new schedule, still exhausted though lol. he's gonna turn 1 yr old this saturday and my wifes due again April 18!! another boy!! (sorry brian if you read this before i told you).

anyway ill draw up a lil blu-print this weekend of the tow hook.

in the mean time here's a pic of a vintage vise i picked up for the work bench, its patent is from 1910, they dont make them like this anymore,,,, actually they do but for like $500-1000 believe it or not, i got this for $100 and its been around a long time.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-11-21140707.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Garage/2012-11-21140712.jpg

[6G72gearhead]

Awesome build dude, I just finished reading through all of it. So do you drive your car much on the street or is it just to test stuff out?

Another thing, awhile back you where talking about totally deleting the hvac, from my experience in the midwest, its really nice to have the heater as a backup 'radiator' if something goes wrong it can possibly save your engine.

Another thing, what are you using for a ps cooler and have you had any problems with boiling the fluid? The second to last track day I went to I boiled it enough that it made power assist really inconsistent and fairly obnoxious to drive, I can manhandle the car, but coming in and out of power assist was a different story.

Looks awesome man, keep up the good work!

[xd_01]

na i rarely ever take it on the street just to test things out like you said or a car wash. i never deleted the heater core or the blower motor and i did use it as back up radiator in june when i was breaking in the motor. i got stuck in some sunday stop and go traffic on rockville pike and she started to over heat, the bad part is that it was really hot that month like in the 90*s.

but yea the rest of the hvac might come out in the future if i decide to cage it. i know having it has its perks but if it needs to come out then so be it. if it overheats on the track i just need to pull off safely or make it into the pits and then figure out why its doing that at WOT. if it happens on the street then ill pull over till it cools off and bring it back to the garage if necessary, no big deal i probaly didnt go far anyway cuz im too paranoid its gonna break down on me lol. chances are ill be driving it alot less on the streets if its caged anyhow

if you check the first page youll see the pic of the aftermarket p/s cooler from Perm-A-Cool, it comes with everything you need to set it up. i havent gotten a chance to really flog the car on the track so i cant comment on the performance of it but im sure ill be fine with it. if not then there is always other solutions.

thanks for compliments

[spdracr]

Have u considered a colder temp thermostat?? I would assume that would help with the overheating a lil bit.

[6G72gearhead]

Right on, I see them now, I'd probably mount the ps cooler in a different location however I don't have an intercooler to work around, so you probably got it in the most valid spot.

My ideas for a cage should allow the retention of the hvac box, just gotta modify it some. Most of what I've seen in actual on track instances, a car that hasn't broken something can overheat simply by cavitation of the pump or by the imperfect coolant jackets inside the block or head castings can develop an air pocket, if this gets stuck in the thermostat it will cause overheating. Simply by changing the flow by turning on the heater will cause the air pocket to dissipate. I know it sounds unlikely but I've seen it before.

A colder thermostat is not likely necessary as the stock temp seems to do fine except for random glitches.

What suspension are you running? those camber plates look awefully familiar, lol.

[xd_01]

there really old JIC's got them like in 03' but they only have maybe 5k on them.

i dont think a colder thermostat would help in a track situation. im expecting my coolant temps to be pretty hot but i wont know exactly what im dealing with until i beat the sh1t out of it on track.

[6G72gearhead]

Couple questions, I've been looking at your abs delete, did you just grab an aftermarket proportioning valve or is there any non abs parts available for use?

Also how much have you played with alignment? I've had a couple seasons worth and I got the car very neutral in feel, and turn in was awesome!

With the JIC's what rate springs are you running? Also what rear bar? I'm hoping to have enough data to get a good revalve done by Jon at JIC come next winter. Also if you didn't already know, the JIC's can be sprung up to 10k springs with only an increase in nitrogen pressure, any higher requires revalving.

Another thing, tire compound, have you used r-compounds or are you just in a sub 200 tire?

[xd_01]

my car never came with abs

so far with the aligmnmenti i had zeroed it as much as i could with the old school string method. worked out fine

jic's have i believe 8k in teh front and 7k in the rear, pertty much the way come without requesting a specific rate

and i wont be on r-comps for at least another year at the least, i only have have 18 track days since 08', 6 with the 8g in the begining with the stock motor and 3 laps with the new motor lol. the rest have all been in the 330i, im running star specs with that car and i like them so much im gonna get a set for the galant for 2013 seaon. my goal for 2013 is to get 18 days under my belt and ill be happy, hopefully all with the galant if it cooperates.

[spdracr]

What's that string method for alignment??

[6G72gearhead]

Ok, well I'm curious now to find a non abs car to rob a few parts from, mind taking a couple pics of the brake line routing an the proportioning valve for me? I'll have to start checking around on getting a part number. So your car is like a base model '99? I can make my own brake lines, but I need to find a proportioning valve that I can use to replace the abs module.

The 8k and 7k springs are what they had for the 3g eclipse, not sure if they had them listed for the galant as they used to list 8k and 6k, either way the 8k and 7k is far superior. Keep in mind springs are fairly cheap, I'm trying to go stiffer on my own set up as Heartland Park is a fairly smooth track. Also if you haven't done much autocross its really a good way to get some cheap seat time and work out some of the bugs in the suspension. Plus it will make your instincts quicker which I know kept me from landing on my roof when I left pavement at almost 70 a couple seasons ago. Big ruts suck! lol

I have been looking for a new set of tires for next season. I've been thinking of a 200 treadwear or less tire like the Star specs or the Hancook RS-3's. The RS-2's treated me really well.

[greddy]

I'll chime in on the tires, I would highly recommend the NT-05s, the star specs, and the RS-3s in that order. There is a new star spec coming out soon so the first gen can be had on closeout pricing right now, the nt-05 is really great and predictable and doesn't overheat like the RS-3 does after long sessions on the track, my set of RS-3s that I had in 255/40 were great for the first 10 minutes but were significantly greasier by the end of the session, they would be much better for autox although they did have the most overall grip when they were in their proper operating temp range. The star spec is just a terrific all arounder that you can't go wrong with but it is/was more expensive than the other two options. Any of the 3 are great, and this all comes from personal experience @ the track.
XD-01, you should post up the template of the tow hook as a PDF!

[xd_01]

i have a base model 01 ES w/out abs. thats funny though i was thinking about looking into to swapping over to an abs system later in the future. i dont even know if its possible and if it is, how complicated of a job would it be. ill take some pics of the porportioning valve for you next time i go to the garage.

right now im on stock sway bars. im not too worried about tweaking spring rates or sway bars for now, im just gonna work on driving fast. ill be happy if the car runs with out any issues at the track, ive had such tough luck with this thing in the past.

speedracer:
the string method is pretty simple,

you take two jackstands and set one at the front and one at the back of your car running along the side of it. run a string between them pretty tight and set the height to the center of your wheels.

measure from string to center cap on both front and rear wheels moving string until you have the same distance on both front and rear wheels. i dont have center caps so i use another method, i use a small square and set above the hub bore and measure to center.

if you attempt this though you need to know that the track width in the rear is 2.5mm wider, so 1.25mm on either side of wheel. will this make a difference? its possible but 1.25mm is a very small number. you can compensate for it by setting the string at the front wheel 1.25 further away from the wheel. ive never bothered to do so but i think i might the next time.

well now that you set up the string you can start aligning. basically your taking three measurements. front- center- rear of wheel. say you set your string at 25"s from center of wheel that would be your constant, then you measure the front of the wheel at the outter lip and you have 25 1/8" and 24 7/8" at the rear of wheel at the outter lip. thats toe out. if you want to change it then you reach under the car and adjust your tie rods in or out depending on whats needed.

some guys set up their cars with about 1/8 of toe out to help with turn in's. some just make it equal across the board like me. the great part is is that its so easy to do that you do it at the track between sessions if you feel like experimenting.

two tips:

1- make sure you lock your steering wheel with something

2- get 4 vct tiles from home depot for like $2
put one in front of each front wheel and get either salt of sand and pour on top of tile generously
put second tile on top of that and sandwich in the salt or sand
now drive your front wheels over the tiles till its centered
this will help the wheels rotate easier when you adjust the tie rods

theres tons of info about this on the web, just google to get some images if i didnt explain it well and just confused the hell out of you. ill post up pics next i check my alignment.

oh and i havent had time to skecth up the tow hook design yet, ive been a lil overwelmed with my new schedule since i started work again. the only downtime i have is when i get on the net and check out my favorite sites. ill get it done though, i dont know how to use pdf so ill just skecth it out then scan it in.

[spdracr]

U explained it in great details. Thank u.

[6G72gearhead]

For abs you would have to plumb in the abs module as well as wiring in it and all 4 wheel speed sensors. To me, it seems like more of a headache then its worth, besides, learning without abs will make you a better driver, you'll learn to feel the car and how it interacts with the road. You'll learn to feel how much traction the car has and drive accordingly.

I agree with learning the car before you start adjusting it too much, but a rear swaybar really helps it balance. You might be able to remove the front bar to make it do the same thing though. I do change settings between autocross and road racing, making that back end swing around is helpful, but damn scary when there is actual walls to hit.

One thing I do recommend playing with some is your alignment, ultimately some drivers are different and you can cater your car to your driving style with varying amounts of camber and toe. I generally run 1/8th inch out up front and 1/16th inch in out back, this makes turn in very responsive and the thrust angle of the rear makes it straighten out quickly if the car decides to get squirly. I have yet to be able to dial in too much camber 2.5* is about all I could get in front with the old set up. We'll see what the new one is up for.

Greddy, you pretty much hit it right on, the Hancooks do tend to overheat, and when they do they wear fast! I'll have to look at the nitto's a bit more, it just depends on if I run compounds or not this year, I want to, but they are damned expensive.

[greddy]

if we are going to r compounds, I would suggest going with the nt-01 or the r888. Just make sure and play with tire pressures on the r888s they're very finicky. I'm looking into perhaps running bfg R-1s next season on some 17x9s and the next gen star specs on my volks for wet duty.
as for camber dialing just slot the camber plates up front further and mickeymouse the strut towers, works great and you can get -4.5 if you max it

[6G72gearhead]

Depends on your definition of R-Compounds, but I prefer the Hoosier A6/R6 and the Avon Tech Rr/Ra, obviously the compounding is going to coincide with type of racing you are doing, autocross compounds being far too soft for road racing.

I"m gonna try and get it to 3* camber up front and see how much I can dial in out back. I'm also pretty interested in dialing out the offset caster settings used to fight road crown for street cars. I was starting to notice how the caster differences alter the cars characteristics for turning left and right.

[xd_01]

finally got around to drawing up the dimensions of the tow hook

things needed:
drill
2" holesaw
arbor
angle grinder
cut off wheel
flap wheel to smooth out edges
3x5 angle iron 1/8 thick about 16" long, ordered mines through speedymetals.com
10 mm longer bolts i forget what the original length was but i order 10 mm longer and upgraded to a stronger 10.9 bolt
bolt size is 10mm x 1.25
i also had to chase the threads with a tap because the bolts were oxidized and came out dragging the threads so it made the peaks flat
plenty of PB Blaster to soak the bolts before you pull them out
and pair of channel locks or dikes to fold down the pinch weld to make clearence for the top side of the tow hook

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/TowHookv2_0001_zps1e83cb1c.jpg

[greddy]

thank you good sir!!!

[xd_01]

not much going on but i was able to finish up the ems relocation project ive had going on for a couple of months

heres were it was orginaly, had to cut off the brackets that were welded in

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/CIMG3061_zps89f0eac6.jpg

made a couple holes below the center console bracket and used rivet nuts for some anchors

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/2012-12-09160513_zps442c4772.jpg

made to brackets with bends out of aluminum strips

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/2012-12-09163318_zps0c476895.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/2012-12-09162200_zps6e126f4a.jpg

and here's the end result

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/2012-12-16142130_zps59c85583.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Wiring/2012-12-16142138_zps5870a647.jpg

im much happier with its new location

and heres my x-mas present to myself brand new rpf1's 17x9 +22 w/ used star specs

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/2012-12-16115631_zps2b2ad652.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/2012-12-16115614_zpsa5b57903.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/2012-12-16115519_zpsf98c5b2e.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/Parts/2012-12-16115553_zpsfa6da3e1.jpg

[OMEGA PHX]

Nice wheels are those for the G?

[greddy]

if you have brembos you're gonna need @ least 10mm spacers up front for those if I remember correctly

[xd_01]

thanks, yea the wheels are for the G. i still havent order spacers yet that will be next week, the rear fenders will probaly need to be rolled so ill have to rent a roller too.

[greddy]

what size are the star specs? you'll need a really good roll in the rear for sure and about a degree of camber for good clearance, I would recommend cutting the fender lip and running flares unless you run a ton of camber.

[Palmz]

what are those measurements ?
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4296/towhookv20001zps1e83cb1.jpg

[xd_01]

its a piece of 3x5 angle iron 1/8 thick

[spdracr]

So its 5" the distance he is asking about ??

[xd_01]

correct

[Palmz]

thankz

[xd_01]

so i fitted the driver side rear wheel over the weekend. this set up is real aggresive, the wheels are 17x9 +22 with 235/45/17 star specs which run really wide to top it off.
i went old school and used the baseball bat method which workedout it really good plus a hammer with a hard rubber head, heat gun, and laser thermometer.

heres the before pics

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3250_zps4a99ce9e.jpg

and after

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-01-06132950_zpsaac466ce.jpg

i know its hard to tell but there is a difference lol.

i didnt take alot of pics on this side but the process was pretty easy, first i figured out how much i wanted to roll and just marked it with masking tape. then i heated up in sections up to around 130*s and started hammering the lip over so that it was a little past 90*s. i figured this would help with the roll since the lip is sort of flared out which i think it did.

before i started rolling i put the car on a jack stand and un-bolted the coilover. then i took the floor jack and set it under the control arm this way i can pump it up and get full travel with out lifting up the whole car. then i started heating and rolling constantly checking by pumping the jack up and never doing to much at one time.

fully compressed

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-01-06131535_zpsa91766eb.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-01-06131546_zpsd11afcbe.jpg

rolling shot, no rubbing!!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-01-06131620_zps680add72.jpg

i know its tight and i only have a few millimeters clearence and im excpecting the body and wheel flex during hard cornering but im pretty sure i can get some more out of the fenders if need to.

heres a shot of the roll, the edges are chipped and a little rusted from the curious attempt years ago with a pipe, no heat and the car completly on the ground with the e-brake on. i just wanted to see how much it would take to crack the paint and it didnt take much lol, put some kinks in the metal too. none of that was done during this recent roll.

next weekend ill do the other side
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-01-06130642_zpsbbdb2c40.jpg

[GSX_TC]

Those wheel look great on the car but the second you hit any bumps or take a turn that tire is gonna eat the inside of your fender man. might wanna roll them a bit more if possible and even go down 1 sidewall height.

[4g63lover]

That looks perfect!

[4g63lover]

A 225/45/17 tire would clear and not rub with that roll in the rear with no issues. Though the 235 will probably be better handling wise and looks 10x meaner than a 225.

[xd_01]

Thanks, I know your set up is aggressive too did u have to do any rolling?

[greddy]

Im.curious to see what you'll do with the fronts

[xd_01]

hopefully the negative camber will take of it but if not it will get the same treatment

[4g63lover]

Thanks, I know your set up is aggressive too did u have to do any rolling?

I did a roll and slight pull in the rear. And haven't done anything up front.

[xd_01]

i know its been a while but not much has changed, i did finish rolling the fenders and the rears came out pretty good,,, the fronts ehhh not so easy but done. they got a little distorted since i was changing the shape of a much smaller and non uni-body piece of sheetmetal but in a weird way i liked the way it turn out, kinda gangsta lol. i can always replace a fender, a 1/4 panel not so easy.

i dont have any camber measurements yet, never added any in the rear. what evers there is from the drop and the front i have camber plates and aftermarket cam bolts maxxed out.

before:

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3264_zps6be6add5.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3265_zpsbbd7768f.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3266_zps310c637f.jpg

i took a rubber hammer smacked the lip until i got to around a 90 degree angle, i figured it would be less work for the bat.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3277_zps1a50acab.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3278_zps6151430e.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3279_zps20701c9c.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3280_zps947465ba.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3281_zpsd5f45071.jpg

thats it for now, photobucket is froze,,, anybody know of a better hosting site???

[greddy]

Guarantee you're gonna rub under load at the track

[xd_01]

ok im gonna try again

the tools

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3282_zps734b4c3f.jpg

used the laser thermometer to gauge how hot i was heating the 1/4 panel for rolling, tried to keep it around 150 degrees but it was hard to spread the heat evenly

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3284_zps6d22514e.jpg

starting to roll

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3293_zps178efef9.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3294_zps95bff973.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3295_zps41416ac6.jpg

fully compressed

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3297_zps1579ac53.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3298_zps4c83f599.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3299_zps210fcc35.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3301_zpsc2e01ae7.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3302_zps93d90221.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3303_zpsa2dc0c00.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3307_zps22315a2d.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3308_zpsf7eb0e1d.jpg

the bat afterwards

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3305_zps8345017a.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/CIMG3306_zpsba6d1816.jpg

fronts finsished as well

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-02-10140911_zpsf905968b.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-02-10140932_zps677c7a06.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10120330_zps3962541b.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10120306_zpsbb52ad4c.jpg

front fenders a little warped, oh well i still like it lol!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10120316_zps2c97aeb8.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10120342_zps3de65e6f.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10124309_zps3389d6fb.jpg

,,,,,and sitting next to the new tow rig

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-03-10124259_zps5a65b43e.jpg

[greddy]

that's much better, glad you have your car at a nice functional ride height! can't wait to see some track footage/photos. when's your first event in the galant this year? also, which harness bar do you have?

[8thLS6]

Nice job with the fender rolling

[wetamup2k3g]

Loving how it came out Bryant! So you just lift the car up, place the bat into position, lower and then roll the car?

[4g63lover]

so aggressive. The roll looks good and the wheel/tire fitment is spot on.

[Ivory8g]

Great job on the roll! The fittment really does look great

[specter6633]

love your car bro. well done

[xd_01]

Thanks everybodyit means alot, i hit the track in 2 weekends but unfortunatley im taking the 330
for the first event this season next week. Its just easier to learn in with out all the big hp and
torque steer. Ill be taking her in april though.

Creg i wish it couldve started for you when you here, turns out it was a loose wire on the starter.
And yea i lifted the control arm with a jack while the coilover was disconnected and that
corner of the car on a jackstand.

[wetamup2k3g]

Ah I see. I wish I could've heard her start up too. Next time maybe, I might have to join you at the track to check her out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk fam!

[xd_01]

so heres a little update, its been real busy at home helping to take care of the new baby and the 16 month old. its hard to find the time and energy to go track prep the car but I manage to get a 2-4 hours a weekend if I have a free one.

finally though I was able to take the G to NJMP Lighting course in south jerz a couple of weekends ago for one day, the whole family came with me which was fun but also was a part of the reason why I only signed up for one day. I wasn't sure how behaved my kids would be so I kust wanted to kinda test the waters. everthing worked out great though.

the Galant did pretty good on track but I still need to get re-aquated with her, never had boost on the old setup but I do on this one which changes the whole dynamic of the car and driving style (in my opinion). I was paranoid about the car breaking again so being able to drive on to the trailer at the end of the day made me real happy.

a few issues I already knew I had going in to this weekend was the torque steer, on the highway pulls I had tons of it so I was a little worried about the track but I was able to tame it on the front straight at about 120mph, it felt like there was so much going on that it I hardly felt it. next issue was I started to get brake shudder once they got hot enough, that really upsets the car before turn-ins. this worries me more then torque steer so im gonna try to re-bed the pads that's what someone suggested on the forums. if that doesn't work then ill go for new rotors. speaking of brakes I managed to lock them up a couple of times on the front straight which gets a lil scary when your doing 120 down the front straight going into a elevated corner with a blind crest but its all a part of learning the car, they call that brake threshold or basically knowing how hard and much brake to apply before they lock up on you at high speeds. another issue was the shifter, i have an extension on it so i don't have to move my hand too far from the wheel when i shift. well i don't know if it was me but i never had that problem in the streets or highways but as soon as i got on track my shifting got very sloppy. so for the next session i removed it and guess what now it felt too notchy and hard to get into gear, i even missed a shift going into the front straight. lol well im guessing the problem is me so im gonna try again with shifter extension.

so that's pretty much sums its, the tune could use some tlc but its not hurting my driving right now so ill bring it for a dyno run after the next event. no overheating issues yet, my fastest session the water temp got up to 230* but I wasn't really flogging the car. well see what happens next event.

track photographer pics

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/20130518_NJM_DE2_9361_zps402b55c9.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/20130518_NJM_DE2_9361_zps402b55c9.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/001_zps7d9d838f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/001_zps7d9d838f.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-18134207_zps7ecdc0da.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-18134207_zps7ecdc0da.jpg.html)

NJMP is a new track for me so I didn't quite come out of my shell on the track (only had 3 sessions) but hopefully next time ill be more confident. I was probly one of the slowest guys on the track but being at a new track with a car that has a new setup and being a novice also makes things a little difficult lol. either way I had a lot of fun and that's what its all about I cant wait to go back.

next one is Hyper Fest at Summit Point on fathers day weekend. that's the weekend last year were the adjustable cam gear bolts backed out and fell to the bottom of the lower timing belt cover getting wedged in between the moving timing belt snd the crank angle sensor wiping the sensor completely out and shutting down the car. I think i only got around the track 3 times.

ok so on with the technical shit, lately ive been working on wheel alignment, camber and and leveling out the car. its sort of a trial and error thing when aligning but in the end you get the hang of it after you do so many times.

ive been working on this for a while so some pics may not look like they were taking with the same camera or even same day.

so first I start out by placing the car where i need it to be in order to be able to close the door in case i don't finish and need to leave, my garage is space limited. i make a mark on the floor at the center of all four wheels, this will be my permanent spot for the car during alignments.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2012-09-18190941_zps537ef8a9.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2012-09-18190941_zps537ef8a9.jpg.html)

next I find exactly where im gonna place each four corners by measuring the garage width which i think was 12' so i divide that by 2 which is 6' and that's the center line. now I measure off the wall 6' in two places and make my marks. now I have reference mark for center of the garage. do the same for the car by measuring from center of tire to tire, i think it was in the ball park of 6' so divide by 2 again which is 3' to find center of car, now that is a very rough measurement but it will be close enough for the car placement. so now i measure from center line of the garage out 3' each way make a mark and that's where the track of the car will sit. since i have my wheel base marks already i just set the marks for the track width and draw squares on the floor. this is where the tiles will sit and will also be where tires sit when i pull in. i know all this sounds like a lot but really it isn't, once you start it all makes sense.

my garage space is small so ill im tring to do at this point is give my self even spacing around the car so I can work comfortably. if your garage is real big then this isn't a problem, just roll it in where you want it then a draw a square around all four corners then place your tiles.

heres what it looks like

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11141005_zps23bc5f9d.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11141005_zps23bc5f9d.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2012-09-18194831_zpsf12ab46e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2012-09-18194831_zpsf12ab46e.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2012-09-18194822_zps196c100a.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2012-09-18194822_zps196c100a.jpg.html)


and all tiles set including the inner four corners i use to level out the car using the pinch rails

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11140857_zps4034eb87.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11140857_zps4034eb87.jpg.html)

i got to that point using a dewalt self leveling cross line laser, i set the laser in one spot and did not move it until i was completely done other wise i would have to start from scratch if it did move.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2eeb6d2b-d43a-4f0d-b3b6-5acc19f4793a_zps1a4721d2.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2eeb6d2b-d43a-4f0d-b3b6-5acc19f4793a_zps1a4721d2.jpg.html)

so first i found the highest point of all four corners with the horizontal laser line which happened to be the front left. i placed two tiles there and measured again to the laser and wrote down the new measurement.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11140922_zps490e604e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11140922_zps490e604e.jpg.html)

using the measurement from the front left corner i go around to the other three corners and matched the measurement by adding tiles as needed. these tiles are 1/8 thick so my tolerance is under 1/8. close enough, so when your all done every corner should be with in 1/8 of each other.


next i rolled the car in and i jacked up one side at a time and placed the tiles under the tires. the front set of tiles gets a layer of sand or salt under the top tile so the it can rotate easily while under load when making adjustments.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3244_zpsf4e205eb.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3244_zpsf4e205eb.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11143237_zps13d8f587.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11143237_zps13d8f587.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11143251_zpse45b201e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11143251_zpse45b201e.jpg.html)

now for the hard part finding the center of the car, for the front I dropped a plumbob on the outside edge of the forward most part of the frame rails. I measured the exact location on each side so it would be consistent.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11143804_zpsfc7731fc.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11143804_zpsfc7731fc.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11144022_zps28bcb7b1.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11144022_zps28bcb7b1.jpg.html)

so I mark the floor on both sides and measure in between, take that dimension and didved it by 2 and that's my center for the front. I measure in from either side of the frame rail marks and make a mark for center.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11144155_zps3c0cea1e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11144155_zps3c0cea1e.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11144203_zpsda30eead.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11144203_zpsda30eead.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11144426_zps021b8179.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11144426_zps021b8179.jpg.html)

so for the rear I took a wild guess (and also stewi mentioned it) the jack point under the spare tire well just happens to be the center of the car.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/b1aa30b5-3df4-4a78-9f6a-f809a1aad3bf_zpsc00b6d26.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/b1aa30b5-3df4-4a78-9f6a-f809a1aad3bf_zpsc00b6d26.jpg.html)

so I dropped the plumbob as center as possible at the jack point made a mark and checked that my using the frame rails again by dropping the plumbob again on the outside edge of both sides in the same plane of the jack point. made more marks on the floor, measured in bewtween divided by 2 wrote down the dimension the measured from frame rail mark to jack point and it was the same.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11145003_zps33e240da.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11145003_zps33e240da.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/5820540d-0138-4e4b-a060-5cdeee372391_zps7ae44ee3.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/5820540d-0138-4e4b-a060-5cdeee372391_zps7ae44ee3.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11150640_zps4ec3593f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11150640_zps4ec3593f.jpg.html)

ok so now that I have center I need to run the laser from front to back. I take a piece of 2x4 draw a black line on it with a speed square and place it on the jack point mark with the black mark exactly over the mark on the floor. I place the laser at the fornt of the car and using the vertical laser line I begin to line up the two marks. once that's done I measure a certain distance (i used 45"s) going away from the laser line on both sides of the car, front and back and make four final marks on the floor. so now i have 4 marks on the floor parallel to the car (i hope).

but first i need to lock down the steering wheel cause if i don't im just wasting my time. my setup is just long piece of 1x1-1/2 (or something close to that) wood and some clamps, i straighten the wheel out then i clamp it down.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11151131_zps58d1c9f8.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11151131_zps58d1c9f8.jpg.html)

so now that's done i can align my laser with the marks on the floor, again i use the 2x4 at the other end to make it more visible

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11150929_zps11c7b8b7.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11150929_zps11c7b8b7.jpg.html)

so now starts the process of of measuring, adjusting, rolling back and forth and measuring again until its were i want it.

i put a piece of masking tape across the center of the wheel so i make sure i measure in the same spot each time. i take a measurement from the back and front of the wheel and write it down. so for example if both measurements are 8"s then that wheel is straight, i want a little toe out to aid with turn-ins so i adjust the tie rods for a ballpark of 1/8 of an inch. i say ball park because its pretty hard to get it exactly were you want it. so my measurement would look like this

front of wheel 7 15/16
back of wheel 8 1/16

that would be toe out, now i don't know if this is how a alignment shops chart would read but this is good enough for me.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11154748_zpse04dc149.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11154748_zpse04dc149.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11154755_zps8109ace5.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11154755_zps8109ace5.jpg.html)

this is how i remember which way to turn my tie rods

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11154850_zps8eed5957.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11154850_zps8eed5957.jpg.html)

so now after ive done both sides i have to roll back the car forth and then re-check everything with the measurements i wrote down before. i set up the tiles for leveling behind the tiles the tires are actually sitting on plus some run off ramps in the rear in case something bad happens

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11160353_zps421a786e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11160353_zps421a786e.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-05-11160334_zpsd084d30f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-05-11160334_zpsd084d30f.jpg.html)

so basicly that's it, i write everything so next time i do it i can compare any changes and its just a great idea when taking so many measurements that i need to refrence during the whole process cause i have abad memory. heres a pic of the chart i made up the last time, if you see the letter "H" after a measurement that means on the heavy side of that measurement.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-06-03060822_zps69f58dfa.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-06-03060822_zps69f58dfa.jpg.html)

[kylecanthurdle]

sounds about the same way i check the alignment measurements for the modified. gotta make sure the floor is level and blah blah blah. i like how you can use those tiles as toe plates too. i bet they pivot on eachother very well.

[xd_01]

yea there ok, there the next best thing to actual toe plates and scales like you probably have for your modified.

well today I prepped the car a little for next weekend, bled the brakes and adjusted the coilovers again to sit more level. now im sitting within 9/16's from front to back measuring off the pinch rail at the jack point locations in all four corners. were headed to hyper-fest at summit point in west Virginia next weekend for some fun!!

[6G72gearhead]

Look like your season is coming along really well. Just fyi, BFG Rivals are freaking awesome, if you get the chance to try them I highly recommend it. I've got a couple dozen runs on my set now and I'm in love.

[xd_01]

So last weekend was Hyperfest 13 at Summit Point WV and things went good finally. Saturday was like a circus at the track they had drift ride alongs, 24 hours of lemons at the track next to the one on we were on, roll over contest, rally ride alongs, ricer contest, car show, food, daisy duke contest and on and on. There was so much going on Saturday that we couldn't see it all, we made time for the food vendors though lol!

The car did really good no issues so far, water temps didn't get past 220 on the track but started to go up when I hit the paddock and waited for the turbo to cycle the oil through before i shut it down. No brake shudder this time out, I put back the shifter extension and I was able to shift fine no mis-shifts. Still trying to manage the torque steer in the straights especialy when I pass other cars (don't want to torque steer into anybody) but im getting more use to it and im starting to get some fender rubbing but not too bad so im gonna have to massage the fenders again.

my instructor for the weekend races an evo 8 in wheel to wheel comp. and time trials so he was able to give me good advice on throttle control with a turbo charged car, made a huge difference. The only bad part was that I bought a new camera for the car, a Contour2 and set it up for the last 2 sessions on sunday but when I uploaded it to the computer I somehow deleted them. I was pretty pissed but got over it.

Next stop is Pocono in the three weekends, cant wait to drive clock wise on part of the "tricky triangle"

[xd_01]

got the pics from the free lance photographer

behind a quick Miata
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0321_zps65b9bbf9.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0321_zps65b9bbf9.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_3391_zps79fb1617.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_3391_zps79fb1617.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0402_zps2086eb40.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0402_zps2086eb40.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0403_zps29975b20.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0403_zps29975b20.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_3446_zpsa8d26761.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_3446_zpsa8d26761.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0245_zps495ccd96.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_0245_zps495ccd96.jpg.html)

off track in the w2w competition group. there were at least 5 big accidents all weekend in the comp groups and one of them was a roll over.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_2374_zpsecf03f88.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_2374_zpsecf03f88.jpg.html)

My instructor for the weekend
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_5604_zps0223fed4.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_5604_zps0223fed4.jpg.html)

the drifting competition
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_4557_zpsf4bdfa15.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_4557_zpsf4bdfa15.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_4546_zpseb89b9de.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_4546_zpseb89b9de.jpg.html)

the crowd
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_1209_zps6610f5e7.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_1209_zps6610f5e7.jpg.html)

and a lil bit of rally
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_6799_zps220a3c4b.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/Hyperfest%202013/IMG_6799_zps220a3c4b.jpg.html)

there where pics of the daisy duke contest and other things but then I would have to make this a NWS thread if I posted them lol

[Chevelle71_05]

Cool pix! I just learned last week that there's a road course somewhat close to me. I'm pretty sure there's a NSFW thread on here, I love daisy dukes! Lol!

[DEADEYES]

That rally one is totally going up as my wallpaper!
Also that crash pic is a good pic, I mean sucks bout the crash but that is a good action shot.

[Ivory8g]

That's some good photography! Your car looks at home on the track

[xd_01]

thanks, yea he takes awesome pics, if you wanna see more go to his website http://finishlineprod.net/nasa/index.htm

[wetamup2k3g]

Badass photography! Gotta feel good to get the G on the track and she perform pretty well.

[xd_01]

So a couple of weeks ago we went to Pocono Raceway, its a 3.5 hour ride for us so we stayed in a hotel near by the night before and rolled out to the track in the morning. it was so foggy in the morning that you couldnt see 30- 50' in front of you. the morning sessions were closed until the fog lifted which it did at noon then things got busy.

I was there the year before on the North course and had a blast, Pocono has like 4-5 different configurations so I got to try out a couple more tracks this time. the south east course which is a brand new track and the long course which is like 3/4 of the tri-oval (nascar speedway) plus a short infield course with about 5 corners and you enter that part just before turn 3 of the oval and exit just before the exit of turn 2 of the oval.

the long course is by FAR the best experience ive EVER had on track, I don't know exactly how fast I was going because my speedometer only goes up to 120mph but if I had to guess it would be in the +/- 130 ballpark. I was pissed though cause my camera was acting weird when I turned it on somewhere between 2 and 1 and only recorded for 10 seconds. boy I was pissed.

basically the lap goes something like this, your going around the oval about a car width or less away from the outside wall at about 120+ mph, you brush your brakes just before turn 1 and you start your turn in at still well over 100 mph. if you turned in at the right spot your right wheels will go over a white patch of paint, hold your steering input and then your right wheels should roll over or very very close to another patch of paint at about mid corner. finally exiting the corner with your steering input opening a little your left side wheels should go over another patch of white paint. so now that you've exited turn 1 and opening the throttle down the front straight you look for your brake zone and hit the brakes after doing 120+ mph, slow down to enter the road course, find your turn in point in the corner of your eye and turn. it all happens fast and scary, for a split second you cant even see the entrance because all the walls are white and your looking for a little patch of asphalt and grass that's almost looks like its not there but you have to make sure you turn in at the same place every time in order to get it right even if your eyes are playing tricks on you cause if not then things turn ugly. so after you already commited to your turn in you start looking for a patch of white paint on the asphalt again and that should be just to the right of your tires. the infield course I could've done better, I think I was turning in just a little to early on basically every corner and holding the brake just a little too long going into the 2nd corner. the exit of that short course into the oval is tricky too cause if you turn in too late your into the wall, I came close lol. so back on to the oval building speed and almost as soon as your back on the oval your entering turn 2 but no need to brush the brakes since your not going fast enough so you just keep opening that throttle, gear changing and building speed headed for turn 1. felt so so good!!!

the south east course is new to everybody this year since they just built it, even the instructors were learning it. I took my time trying to find the line and get my shifting points correct so I wasn't too worried about going fast but now that I review my vidz I wish I would've pushed harder but with my limited experience I was a lil shy on track. if I had an instructor I wouldve felt more comfortable but still I think it was good that im starting to be able to run new tracks solo and be able to find the line. south east was a lot of fun though and I cant wait to go back.

the car did good no hiccups internally

issues:

tires rubbing big time in the front, need to start cutting fenders

axle boot ripped, slung axle grease all under the tranny and sub frame. picked up a new one last night.

wish I had pics of the fog

a few days before leaving, bleeding brakes. I do it before every event.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104216_zps0810bf01.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104216_zps0810bf01.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104255_zps5fbaa392.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104255_zps5fbaa392.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104231_zpsa33c1949.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-08104231_zpsa33c1949.jpg.html)

wifey and oldest boy

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13153334_zpsce434e6c.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13153334_zpsce434e6c.jpg.html)

a couple from the infield of the long course from the free lance photographer

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/20130713_POC_DE2_4050_zps56afd921.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/20130713_POC_DE2_4050_zps56afd921.jpg.html)

south east course

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/20130713_POC_DE2_3683_zpsacc7b0c0.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/20130713_POC_DE2_3683_zpsacc7b0c0.jpg.html)

my parents came out for the day since it was only about 2.5 from Long Island plus they wanted to see the kids. so these pics my popz took with his super lens hd camera when I was on the long course at turn 1.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013AABigTrack_zpsd6473cfb.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013AABigTrack_zpsd6473cfb.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ABBigTrack02_zps33457aff.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ABBigTrack02_zps33457aff.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ACBigTrack03_zpsdc1dc502.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ACBigTrack03_zpsdc1dc502.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ADBigTrack04_zps1750f783.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013ADBigTrack04_zps1750f783.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013AEBigTrack05_zps6a909cac.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/0013AEBigTrack05_zps6a909cac.jpg.html)

going home

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13173042_zps80591a9b.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13173042_zps80591a9b.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13173110_zpse7bee7d2.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-13173110_zpse7bee7d2.jpg.html)

ripped boot on axle

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-20134144_zps0ae657d0.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-20134144_zps0ae657d0.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-20134153_zps02b92329.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-07-20134153_zps02b92329.jpg.html)

next event mid August at summit point in west Virginia, my favorite track

[wetamup2k3g]

Man that's awesome! All that racing and a torn axle boot? Sounds like a good strong build to me bro!

[greddy]

Nice go see someone else.getting some track time! Curious where do you have your water temp sender installed?

[M-Rod]

This thing looks killer on the track. Gotta love purpose built cars being driven hard!

[xd_01]

thanks everybody, I replaced the axle today and boy is it a tight fit. I tried to pop it out to see if I can and I gave up after 10-15 minutes lol. hope I don't have to pull it foreal anytime soon.

for the water temp sender I had a bung welded on the thermostat housing. you probably see it in the pics on the first couple of pages of the thread.

[xd_01]

A few new things starting with an Accord lip that ive been wanting for so long, raised the car a 1/2'' to see if it would stop rubbing before I start cutting fenders. Washed it finally so I can put on some permanent vinyl numbers and found out real quick I suck at putting on vinyl. Luckily you cant see it from far but theres some wrinkles and bubbles. I had to poke super tiny holes to release the air.

Summit Point in two weekends,, I cant wait!!!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-05214043_zps668910a9.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-05214043_zps668910a9.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-06214703_zps5052c486.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-06214703_zps5052c486.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-06214650_zpsab4380b3.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/01%20Galant%20Build%20up/2013-08-06214650_zpsab4380b3.jpg.html)

[E_Emerson88]

I've always wanted that lip, where did you get it? What's years?

[8thLS6]

I'll let him answer for sure but if you wanna take a look on your own in the mean time, I think its 94-95..iirc 96-97 had a slimmer lip

[xd_01]

yea its a 94' Accord LX model, got it from here #10

http://www.hondapartsonline.net/parts/1994/HONDA/ACCORD/LX/?siteid=215743&vehicleid=1167296&diagram=4424010

[greddy]

Car looks terrific get some in car footage. May I suggest getting a seat and steering wheel. Makes driving 10x better. Also what is your current cooling system setup if you don't mind me asking.

[xd_01]

for the cooling systems I have an evo 5 Mishimoto radiator with one 12'' slim fan on the driver side on the engine bay side. I also got a Sparco wheel that's been sitting around for a year that Im gonna install this month and a pair of brand new but expired Sparco Evo's that have been sitting around for over a year also that Im gonna have installed with the cage this winter.

[greddy]

No ducting of any sort? I'm assuming you don't have an ac condensor

[xd_01]

na no ducting yet and definetly no ac condenser. Im also running anti-freeze because I was to busy to switch over to de-stilled water this spring so Im sure that makes a difference. So far my temps have been ok but Im sure as I get faster Ill have some issues. Ducting is definitely on my mind for the future, also im working on the video.

[xd_01]

here's a vid from Pocono South/East course. running behind a g35 coupe but eventually he gets tired of me and points me by https://vimeo.com/home/myvideos

[wetamup2k3g]

Link doesn't work?

[xd_01]

try this one

http://vimeo.com/71939091

how would show the actual image in the post

[djhah]

looks like fun!

[greddy]

Nice warms my heart to see people using their cars :D kudos sir

[xd_01]

Thanks hopefully ill have more after next weekend

[xd_01]

So I had a lot of fun this past weekend at Summit Point, the car did good with the new axle but the grease inside the boot is squeezing out past the clamp a little and theres what looks like gear oil coating the driver side of the tranny. I don't see any cracks or possible leaks from where the two halfs mate so Im hoping its just an axle seal. The water temps stayed under 220 so Im happy about that, locked up the wheels in a brake zone so now I got a nice flat spot on my front right that I rotated to the rear and that's pretty much it.

Saturdays weather was sunny and warm but sundays was raining on and off and this was also my first time driving in the rain so I was pretty nervous especialy after seeing a few cars come back on flat beds after going off track into tire walls. After my first wet session I realized how helpful the rain really is, it really lets you see just exactly what your grip limits. My instructor was having me do a couple of exercises like sawing the wheel back and forth while in a tight turn basically breaking grip then correcting and repeating through whole turn, same with throttle. Doing those exercises really builds your self confindence in wet or dry driving.

Saturdays video:

http://vimeo.com/72896594

Sundays video:

http://vimeo.com/72902704

So in other news I finally went ahead and made my appointment for the cage install in mid November after the last track weekend for the 2013 season. I was waiting to see if I was really gonna stick with this platform after this season but Im really happy with it. Its fast, handles well and random people in the paddock give me complements on it. They just don't expect it to do what it does lol. Besides if I start another project my wife will kill me! That and no ones gonna want this gutted out car if try to sell it anyway.

[xd_01]

So its been over a month since the last update and its been pretty busy around here but I managed to get some work done on the Galant. I was able to delete the sunroof,
HVAC, airbags, and install a Sparco wheel Ive had sitting around for almost 2 yrs. I also started taking note of how many hours each job takes hoping I would be faster on the turn arounds for a couple of reasons, 1. I don't have much time to spare away from home and 2. Im curious to see how much money Im saving by doing it myself. Although some things Im slow on because Im learning as I go like the sunroof delete but atleast I get an idea.

Spaco wheel installed. Had a chance to try it out this past weekend at VIR and wow what a difference!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-12225939_zpsd1febc46.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-12225939_zpsd1febc46.jpg.html)

sunroof removed

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-10221544_zps489ce4bd.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-10221544_zps489ce4bd.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-10221602_zpsca464933.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-10221602_zpsca464933.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-10221621_zps1b6a1aff.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-10221621_zps1b6a1aff.jpg.html)

So here Im at the local pick and pull "Crazy Rays" and brought my cordless drill and sawzall with me and found a nice donor car for me to cut the roof out of. Basically I drilled 4 small holes in each corner with a holesaw so I can fit my sawzall blade in and cut a panel out.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-08-29112325_zps73c5afda.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-08-29112325_zps73c5afda.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-08-29113754_zps1b5ebc78.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-08-29113754_zps1b5ebc78.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-08-29114145_zps04ef4b6d.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-08-29114145_zps04ef4b6d.jpg.html)

I paid $40 for this.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-08-29114158_zpsfda74489.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-08-29114158_zpsfda74489.jpg.html)

I cut out a much bigger piece then I needed so when I used the cross line laser to get a center of the panel there was plenty of room for error on the ends. The sunroof is an odd shape, its not square or even equal on the front when compared to the rear of the opening. So I took some ruff measurements and again cut out more then I needed knowing Im gonna have to trim.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-10221521_zps229b0a4a.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-10221521_zps229b0a4a.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-17213619_zps9a12fef4.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-17213619_zps9a12fef4.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-17213602_zps5528f74f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-17213602_zps5528f74f.jpg.html)

I layed it on top of the roof and traced out the opening on the bottom side of the sheet metal from inside the car. After that I measured out 1 1/4" for the overlap and began doing the final trimming.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-17225017_zps9a63c859.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-17225017_zps9a63c859.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-17225011_zps2d25cb0a.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-17225011_zps2d25cb0a.jpg.html)

Final fit before riveting

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/2013-09-17230232_zpsbcaa108f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/2013-09-17230232_zpsbcaa108f.jpg.html)

Holes drilled.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3410_zps52d7359e.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3410_zps52d7359e.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3411_zpsb5d3f5db.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3411_zpsb5d3f5db.jpg.html)

So last step was painting, I tried to do it on the cheap with spray cans and that's were things went wrong. I got some Rusto automotive silver and some primer and cleaned the surface and came out way to bright and blotchy, so before I cleared it I took some scotchbrite to it and it looked so much better. Not perfect but I can live with it. I don't have a pic of it with the bright silver just the final product.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3414_zps8fa5e449.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3414_zps8fa5e449.jpg.html)

And done! I couldn't believe it but when about 80% done popping the rivets the gun gets a pin stuck in it. Now the silicone I used to seal it was starting to dry up and by the time I decided to stop trying to fix the gun the silicone was almost dry so I had a hard time cleaning up the excess. I had use a razor to scrape the rest off, as if I didn't have enough scratches on the roof already. So the silicone job looks crappy but it doesn't leak and eventually I fixed the gun and finished riveting the panel.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3416_zpsbe5fe669.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3416_zpsbe5fe669.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3415_zps8375fbde.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3415_zps8375fbde.jpg.html)

[xd_01]

Here Im starting to pull HVAC and passenger side airbag. Got the dash off and started unbolting the dash bar, center piece, steering column, unplugging lots of wires and holding clips.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3396_zps8ca62d88.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3396_zps8ca62d88.jpg.html)

Got the blower and heater core out finally and just have to pull the sound deadening off and make some cover for the leftover holes in the firewall and then I can start putting everything back.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3401_zpsffc17e39.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3401_zpsffc17e39.jpg.html)

Made some covers out of sheet metal.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3409_zpsec6f6a13.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3409_zpsec6f6a13.jpg.html)

cut off some brackets that held the passenger side airbag. I probably could've left them but just the thought of somebody hutting there head on these in an accident made me chop them off.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3412_zps9972b6ee.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3412_zps9972b6ee.jpg.html)

Another shot of the mess.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3413_zps53571376.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3413_zps53571376.jpg.html)

Dash back on.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3417_zpse63e4921.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3417_zpse63e4921.jpg.html)

Now I have plenty of room to work on the engine harness when I delete the Boomslang harness.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3421_zpsbf6303d7.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3421_zpsbf6303d7.jpg.html)

Also made an extra bracket to hold the ECU pocket to center dash supports to keepit from flopping around.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/CIMG3420_zpsf173627c.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/CIMG3420_zpsf173627c.jpg.html)

And heres a couple from Summit Point back in August. I also got some video from last weekend at VIR but I still have to upload it.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/IMG_2676_zps54d6849f.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/IMG_2676_zps54d6849f.jpg.html)

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/XD_21/IMG_2496_zps9e5ab9a0.jpg (http://s161.photobucket.com/user/XD_21/media/IMG_2496_zps9e5ab9a0.jpg.html)

[wetamup2k3g]

Looking good as usual bro! Lots of work, wiring makes my eyes cross.

[8thLS6]

Taking a dash out is a task I hope I never have to take on, let alone wiring lol. I'm guessing the HVAC and air bag out is a nice lil weight reduction?

[greddy]

car looks great, nice work on the sunroof delete and the HVAC removal. Are your water temps still around 220 or have you been having any cooling issues?

[xd_01]

Thanks everybody, the dash and HVAC removal is actually really easy, just time consuming since you have to take apart so much stuff. The dash bar and center support don't actually get removed for the heatercore to come out just have pull it out of the way about 3-5" and the steering column yout just have to let rest on the seat. The wiring tells you were it goes if you can believe that lol, its bends are shaped to were the plugs connect. After sitting that way for years it kinda becomes permenet but you can always label them too.

No coolant issues so far but I haven't any real flyer laps. Next season Ill have all the safety equipment in so maybe I can grow some balls and go 10/10's lol. Maybe Ill have some overheating issues after that.

[greddy]

so whats your average temps that you get up to? 220?

[xd_01]

Yea 220 ish. What sort of temps are you getting?

[6G72gearhead]

Looks great as usual man, any idea at what the car weighs in at currently? I know adding cage will certainly bump it back up a couple hundred lbs.

I've been out with timing belt issues the back half of my season, its all figured out now, just a little bit late.

[greddy]

Did you end up using a 10mm spacer up front for the enkeis to clear?

[xd_01]

Man i forgot to get it weighed at the track last time. Im going to the track next weekend for the season finale so hopefully i can get it weighed then. There not running any race classes except for TT so they might not break out the scales. Worst case ill ask the cage shop if they have scales, maybe they can hook me up before the install the cage.

Iam running 10mm spacers up front for the rpf1's to clear the brembos. They come with stud extenders or what ever you call them that go in the spacers but i already have extended ARP studs installed so i didnt have to mess with that stuff. If your thinking of getting those wheels i would definetly go witb the ARP extended studs.