[_zaclemore]

Of course, I have some cool new stuff coming in the mail. I also have some cool old stuff in the works. I'll update when it comes in or when I get this side project working.

 

[theraflu]

Been following your thread for a minute, your commitment to polish gives me anxiety cause I could never. I think in it’s current form your car looks great, I don’t see the hype for the V1 but that’s just me. As long as it gets driven it’s a thumbs up from me.

 

[_zaclemore]

Been following your thread for a minute, your commitment to polish gives me anxiety cause I could never. I think in it’s current form your car looks great, I don’t see the hype for the V1 but that’s just me. As long as it gets driven it’s a thumbs up from me.

Thanks! I like the V1 because it keeps the fog lights and makes the front end look a lot less round. The skirts are smooth and straight, which I think flows with the door garnish really well. The rear lip is like the TRD just smoothened out. I feel it's perfect because these cars don't have overly aggressive lines to begin with. And the polish isn't so bad, just pull off the dull pieces and shine them up again. Or don't, it looks great all chrome like, but I also like when it's all a little dull too.

 

[_zaclemore]

Decided to pull some junk out of the ECU box. I removed the entire automatic transmission controller pigtail, some VSV stuff, and O2 wires.

Cleaned up pretty well I say. It used to look terrible under there, but it's gotten better. Soon, it'll be completely hidden. Looking forward to that day.

 

[Kris OK]

y. It used to look terrible under there, but it's gotten better. Soon, it'll be completely hidden.

Whatchuplanning to do in there? Stock ecu delete? I deleted all the unnecessary wires this summer when I had the motor out. It gets pretty crowded in the ecu box. I love Tesa tape and braided loom.

 

[_zaclemore]

Whatchuplanning to do in there? Stock ecu delete? I deleted all the unnecessary wires this summer when I had the motor out. It gets pretty crowded in the ecu box. I love Tesa tape and braided loom.

Precisely. Just thinning it out for now to make it easier for when I shove it all under the dash lol. This thing is gonna take it's place vvv. Tesa tape is a godsend. (Yes, I know this is the worst photo ever.)

Of course it's going to get the same treatment as all of my cast. This is going to take many hours, but it's all for fun. I'll touch up everything before it's installed.

Also new manifold from Thailand. I have never seen this specific style on eBay before, so I can only assume that it is actually made in Thailand, which is obviously better than China, right? No weird supports, no weird squares over the runners, no weird stuff at all actually. Just a nice (and small) part that'll do it's job. Looks fine to me, it'll make the turbo sit up higher and more forward, I'll also need to have the wastegate flange welded onto it. If anyone asks I'll say it's custom lol. I opted for the T4 non-divided right before I learned that a T4 divided helps non-divided turbos (of course). By the time I figured that out, the manifold was already complete, oh well.

Not pictured is the new oil feed line that I'm building for the turbo. I'm going to keep my Cummins drain because it's amazing, but my feed desperately needs help. I'm replacing my cheapo pre-made one with a -4AN black nylon braided one. I'm also going to have a Turbosmart OPR v2 installed right off of my oil filter block. Why not off of the oil pressure sender you may ask, well I can't give up all my secrets now.

 

[_zaclemore]

Not so bad for a 1 day job. Not so good either. I'm going to touch up some spots that aren't covered by injectors or a fuel rail. Cast sucks to polish. I'm also going to hit the edge of that gasket plate so it's less noticeable.

 

[IS300 2001]

I look forward to seeing the engine bay buttoned up

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

before I learned that a T4 divided helps non-divided turbos (of course).

I'm not super convinced that's true... but if it is, the attention to detail of the division is absolutely critical; any leak or cross-talk between the two banks, anywhere from exhaust ports to turbine, will negate the benefit of division.

Most economically-priced manifolds I've seen do not truly/fully separate banks.

 

[_zaclemore]

I look forward to seeing the engine bay buttoned up

Thanks for checking it out, I'm looking forward to it also.

I'm not super convinced that's true... but if it is, the attention to detail of the division is absolutely critical; any leak or cross-talk between the two banks, anywhere from exhaust ports to turbine, will negate the benefit of division.

If I'm really that concerned, I'll just buy a QSV. Or I can get a real tune lol.

 

[persocon]

will the qsv move turbo, thus the down pipe and thus the exhaust upwards a little? the exhaust hangers will have enough give to accommodate the slight angle lift?

 

[_zaclemore]

will the qsv move turbo, thus the down pipe and thus the exhaust upwards a little? the exhaust hangers will have enough give to accommodate the slight angle lift?

If I ever were to do a QSV I'd have to take that into consideration. Ideally there should be more room than however tall a QSV is between the chassis and the exhaust anyway. I probably won't get one. A professional tune on E85 will do just fine for me.

 

[_zaclemore]

Cast aluminum totally sucks to polish. The way these runners are designed is good, but for polishing that too, sucks. Runner 1 still needs a little work.

Runner 2 is looking pretty good, almost passable.

I need to refine my cast aluminum technique. I think I have it figured out, but I should not need to hand sand up to 2500 grit wet. Theoretically I should stop at 800 and use black rouge on a cotton loose pad, but reality says otherwise. Reality says you get brushed aluminum, so here I am. Moral of the story polishing sucks. I know I'll get it right though, just takes time.

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

That polishing looks solid; I absolutely, positively do not the patience required to do that job.

 

[_zaclemore]

That polishing looks solid; I absolutely, positively do not the patience required to do that job.

Thanks! I feel it could be better and paper is pretty cheap so I can do some experimentation. As for patience, it's hard. You just gotta see it through that's why I gave it some shine on the first day I got mine, I had to convince myself. Since I'm happy(ish) with how the runners look, I can clean up the standoffs and injector areas, then I'll call it good. The hard part is pretty much over now.

 

[_zaclemore]

Finally did the thing. Hit these with many grits ranging from 800 to 3000, which just goes to show that sanding past 800 is a waste of time because only 1 runner has 3000 on it. I think they turned out killer, way better than the previous method I tried. If you're polishing cast, don't. If you do, good luck. This is 800 grit followed by a yellow pad with green rouge. It's good enough for me. It's also @marko.dodo approved!

I forgot to register for housing like a retard so looks like I have this semester off. ECU removal and all the required band-aids coming soon.

 

[_zaclemore]

I bought a new to me cylinder head, current one is too loud, dirty, and it's never been decked, so possibly warped. Pulled the new one all apart and it's getting a little build soon. Gonna make it nice, but keep it simple.

Reusing my BC 264's
Reusing ARP head studs
BC single spring + steel retainers
GSC Chrome stock size valves
GSC valve seals
Tomei 1.2mm head gasket

I'm going to have my local shop take care of the assembly and setting lash. Apparently your JZ shouldn't sound like a diesel lol. I'll probably end up doing the big rewire around the same time.

 

[Kris OK]

Pulled the new one all apart and it's getting a little build soon.

That’ll be a nice build, man. What will that HG put your compression at? Take pics of the big rewire!

 

[_zaclemore]

That’ll be a nice build, man. What will that HG put your compression at? Take pics of the big rewire!

Thanks! I believe the HG will put me closer to 9.1:1 like the pistons would suggest. My block is decked very minimally and the head on the GE VVTi has a lot of height in the quench(?) zones, unlike a GTE one. Stock TT gasket is 1.3mm and the Tomei one is 1.2mm. This should get the geometry closer to ideal, while still remaining very safe. I will take many pictures of the big rewire, hopefully a lot of pictures of nothing!

 

[_zaclemore]

Here's the head. It should clean up nicely. Nice and stock for now. When the shop is done, it should still look stock lol. At some point I'm going to have to pull my cams out of my current head, which I am not looking forward to. On the other hand, I'll get to put a refreshed head along with FFIM and new manifold on. Pros outweigh the cons. I also want to delete my heater core, just out of aesthetics. Maybe I can find a more elegant way to keep it.

I also really like how low the turbo is going to sit, I think it looks funny when the turbo sits up high, then the manifold is super low. This should strike a nice balance.