Smokey

Did confirm that we're going to Watkins Glen Aug 26-28 with Metro NY PCA so I'm looking forward to that.

Still need to figure that out. Perhaps Sept 9-11 with ARPCA or Sept 30-Oct 2 with NORPCA. Maybe both, but we're on vacation for a week right in between those so it'll make car prep difficult.

I've got a set of Kenwood 5x7s out if the FD. they've got one bent mounting tab each but otherwise good. These: http://www.cnet.com/products/kenwood-kfc-hq575c-speaker-for-car-wired/specs/ $20 and they're yours

It's cool but am I the only one who wishes it took the actual old console games just with updated outputs so you could play all if the old games? May have to buy the $10 controllers to play emulators on the Wii though.

I bought a vacuum....exciting.

I believe Logan has been building a 4-rotor for that FD, but not sure of its status. That's his shop.

Duck and Corolla are both nice and smaller/quieter areas that I've enjoyed. Also take note that the further north/south you go will add noticeable time to your trip so plan for that.

Where the crap do you park? There's no parking on a regular business day! Haha

Any desire to separate the wheel setup, and if so what would you want for it?

I tried the pads without the v-springs and they hung up, wouldn't fully release, ran hot, and caused judders. As soon as I swapped back to the Hawks which had the provisions for the v-springs it went away. Now, it could have just been that the backing plate was too big (the opinion of the vendor) and when I filed down the edges that it fixed it, but every other set of race pads I've run on the car (multiple Hawk and Carbotech compounds) have had the holes and worked fine....I'm going with that. After drilling the holes, filing the edges, and running the v-springs they worked great! Yes, fuel slosh/starvation is a known issue on stock FD tanks which is the entire reason I'm going thru the painful iterations with this in-tank solution. I'm going to have to open back up the tank again before this next event which I'm not happy about, but we'll see how it shakes out.

2nd track event. OVRPCA @ Mid Ohio. 3 day weekend with Friday being advanced and instructors. Start running Friday morning and the CL brake pads are finally working...but the fuel issue rears its head on the 2nd session...DOH. I tried messing with the ignition but I was just lying to myself. It was the fuel issue. So I made a choice and towed it home at lunch. I spent the rest of the afternoon messing with the fuel system. The same line had come off again. Previously I didn't think to question WHY it came off. I think there were 2 issues. One is that the bulkhead fitting was loose so that the line could move around. The 2nd is that the clamp wasn't wide enough and would allow the line to slip off. The good news is that I was able to get it back together and working and back up there Saturday. The tank seems to be working and I could run and have fun. Saturday was hot too with ambient temps in the high 80s touching 90 so I put to test the meth with the IATs and the cooling system. The meth mix did work and as expected and helped keep IATs steady. The cooling system ran right up against my personal threshold for temps, but didn't go over. So the A/C will get one more chance in July's event to see how it goes. The fuel system troubles weren't completely over. While the system was working, it wasn't working as well as I would have hoped. Went out a session starting a bit under 1/2 tank, and couldn't finish the session without fuel slosh issues. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/D18BF950-77CF-4D79-A7C7-10D2C5F42CA4_zpspbhdnky3.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/18776D7E-97BD-4F59-B796-788E8BB7B4B8_zpstv4vzdut.jpg If I keep the tank on the top half it still works just fine which is a definite improvement from where I was before, but still annoying. I was at least able to have fun with the car. Here I'm playing around in the A group. Once I cleared the e46 race car I was able to run some high 1:40s. That's good news to me as I know that I'm leaving some time on the table and there's a :39 in the car I just need to get it. Likely won't be until fall as the track slows in the summer when it's hot/greasy, but at least I'm on the right track.

Other things I changed up for the 2nd track day: The car is a bit squirrely under heavy braking. To fight this I tightened up the front shocks to keep it from diving as hard under braking, but then got a front end push, so I softened up the front sway for the 2nd event. I also wanted to try to run the damn CL brake pads. I went back and forth with the vendor about the issues with the pads, but in the end they couldn't take them back because they were used. They made it up to me by cutting me a good deal on the Ferodo pads I wanted to try out anyway as well as a set of replacement AP rotors.\http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/732027E8-1D47-425F-992A-156D096347E6_zpssfjme13m.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DD717E79-166E-41A6-9F15-D795528C8DA5_zps6nzq7u1t.jpg I also got 3 bottles of Ferodo racing brake fluid to try in the deal. SO far it seems nice, pretty similar to the Motul RBF I used to run. The only goofy thing is that it's much darker than other fluids I've used so it looks dirty in the reservoir, but I can deal with that. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/257C0411-1CA0-429E-8EA5-B510264ABDC6_zpsvfckjtnk.jpg For the fuel issues I opened the tank and found that the feed line from the tank to the fuel pump was disconnected, so I put it back on. Used a fuel injection line clamp and clamped that sucker down. I also modified the rear CL brake pads to use. They didn't have the provisions fo the stock v-springs so I drilled holes for them, and then filed the edges to make sure they didn't hang up in the caliper/carrier. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DCCE14E2-D810-4BA1-9412-78FB7D8BBEAB_zpsa3fyx4gc.jpg Also during the May event my intake temps got higher than I had experienced in the past, so I was also going to try out something different: http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/67B086EE-AE40-42DC-9FB8-6AB7C382ACD5_zpstqn64sl6.jpg I don't intend to run 50/50, but my thought is to run a smaller amount like 15-20% meth to bring down IAT's.

Track day 2 punch list: *Nut and bolt check every major suspension and brake component · Check for leaks clean up or tighten as necessary · Figure out which pads to run – going to CL front/rear to try again · Grind/file rear pads to ensure plenty of fit. Drill holes and run factory v-springs · Flush all fluid with fresh Ferodo race fluid · Modify fender liners to put mesh for back of oil coolers as well as opening for fender vent · Test temp sender – test – found out bad – replace with new unit · Figure out if removing fuel solution or what the next steps are for power cutting out? · Put in water wetter · Bleed cooling system and test temp gauge I've been having a problem with my temp gauge. I ordered Speedhut gauges and put them in and the boost gauge works great. THe temp gauge is run thru the throttle body coolant line and was reading WAY low. I had to always look at my PFC for the proper temp which is annoying and takes my eyes off of the track. I tested the sender using boiling water and it was definitely off on the reading by like 25 degrees. I got a new sender from the company after a long back and forth. Got the new sender installed and the gauge is better now, but still reads about 10 degrees low. I can much more easily compensate for that on the fly, but still not ideal. It'll go back to the list of things to work on when I get time. The big question outstanding for track day 2 was would the car run hot with the A/C? June track day would put that to the first real test. Temps were ok in May, but the ambient wasn't very hot either. To help as best as I could I did 2 things. Put in water wetter and made sure I'm running about 70/30 water/coolant mix. Then I opened up holes in the fender liners to vent the oil coolers better. Rotaries utilize oil for cooling/temp control much more than piston engines, so that's why big dual oil coolers are important. I have great ducts from the bumper to the coolers, but behind that there are coolant/washer tanks and then a plastic fender liner. The factory fender vent is supposed to pull air from behind the oil cooler, over the fender and out the functional vent. I just don't think that was flowing enough for big aftermarket coolers, so I cut out the fender liners and put in stainless mesh. I also did the same for the fender vent side to help flow through the wheel well http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BD0CE4F5-4F66-4760-A225-E095A78D84B4_zpslz5bsrkp.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7B114B17-212C-4548-BD68-19B23A7B453C_zpswt8madms.jpg

First track day: NNJR at Mid Ohio. Not only was there a TON of stuff changed on the car to get it to this point, but this is also my first time back on track in a year, and it's the anniversary event of my wreck at Mid Ohio..haha. Just need to face that demon head on. That being said I'm not driving in the rain! hahaha. Friday went well. Got the car up to speed over a few sessions. I was having a problem with the rear brake pads shuddering and holding more temp (100+ degrees) than the fronts. Those stupid CL brakes were hanging up. I swapped to my back up Hawks at lunch and the problem went away. Saturday...it rained....HARD...and pretty much all day. I picked up a student in a Mini Cooper S who was running BFG R1's and had never driven in the rain at Mid Ohio..haha. We went out one session to prove we could do it, and then we were done for the day. When you're at the track, you gotta go in style right? http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/55C01AF5-1C8D-4F26-A116-7683FF805803_zpskntg8rxg.jpg Errr...except that's my steel trailer in the foreground...There's always some crazy money at Porsche Club events, but that guy was cool as crap. German guy that owns Spiegler brake lines out of Dayton. Sunday I started having a problem with the car cutting power in left hand corners that were proceeded by a right hander. It started with places like under the Honda bridge and then got worse. Seemed like fuel starvation, but I looked at other things. Found this bolt loose on the alternator. Wasn't the issue and I think normal shake-down crap. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A6ED90B6-24FD-44D5-AC72-623E7A27C08A_zpsin60nvwe.jpg I tried disconnecting the water injection and a couple of other things, but nothing to avail. Something with the fuel setup. I could completely fill the tank and it'd stop, but only for about 5-6 laps before it'd come back which was annoying. Overall though the weekend was positive. I was able to put about 150 track miles on the car and the fuel issue was the only glaring issue and the suspension, brakes (after pad change), and motor otherwise were holding up well.

also...that sweet power steering cooler? damned if I didn't run the lines in a way that would push the underpanel away from the radiator...so it had to go. For now I'm just running upgraded Joe Gibbs power steering fluid in the stock setup. Same unfortunately goes for the brake cooling ducts, I used to run the hoses up to the front next to the radiator, and now the stock power steering line runs thru there...so no cooling hoses at the moment. One last touch before I can be ready to set out on the first track day. Gotta keep the right mindset http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7976D61D-E3E3-4133-8990-47A27FB6BBC5_zpsq0aupdrh.jpg Loaded up and ready to roll http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/533EB621-7B87-43F5-882E-323B43918048_zps97yekrbr.jpg

At this point there has been a lot done even if it's not all captured in photos. Here's the rundown of the punch list up to the first event: Get custom battery tray made · Remove front bumper cover and fender liners · Remove stock motor/trans · CLEAN the engine bay · Head shielding on trans tunnel · Powder coat seats and ceramic coat downpipe · Install motor and trans · Remove radio and wiring Motor refresh/install checklist: · Spray in the fogging oil I never freaking put in there. Better late than never and should hopefully help during startup. · Remove upper intake – remove and re-seal any block-off plates, clean IAC and throttle body. Obtain and replace the little throttle body coolant lines that are going to be a pain to do any other time. · Remove rats nest –good time to replace the old silicone lines done by D-bag. Also will test solenoids and replace as necessary. · Remove injectors, send to be cleaned and get new o-rings · Remove turbos – will need to have Kyle port the wastegate on the new 99 spec turbos and may have him resurface the gasket surfaces while at it. · Remove lower intake, install new metal intake gasket. Remove and re-seal any block off plates. · Replace oil injectors and make sure air atomization lines are still there (haven’t verified previously) and oil lines are clear. · Replace water pump with newer better flowing unit ***research if need sealant or just gasket?*** · Remove oil pan, scrape/clean all surfaces, install new pan with sealant. **remove silicone from mount holes, run tap thru holes** · Modify stock aluminum motor mount arm to accept new motor mounts, and install with pan/brace. · Replace primary injector diffusers – they get brittle over time and can break and kill a motor. · Clean up primary and secondary fuel rails. · Replace Fuel Pump Damper with new factory unit – these fail and cause engine fires – replace rubber fuel lines · Remove the flywheel and clutch · Replace rear main oil seal and re-torque the engine studs · Reinstall flywheel and clutch – need to figure out how to torque them down and not break engine stand. · Remove/install pilot bearing and seal, re-grease · Cleanup and re-seal oil filler neck (either RTV or new o-ring or both). · Clean up grunge around the motor · Replace oil sender · Apply DEI gold foil to LIM (turbo side) and bottom of UIM. · Reinstall intake manifolds, fuel rails, and injectors · Reinstall turbos (fogging oil) and manifolds. May need to change manifold depending on fit (trouble getting turbos on last time think a stud might be crooked). · Test solenoids, replace any that are faulty · Create ground wire for motor locations and install · need to place coolant sender in TB coolant line **do this with motor out if possible** · Replace silicon vacuum lines Motor startup checklist: · Change plugs, install new plug wires · Mount/install the HKS twinpower ignition amplifier and hook it up to the coil harness · Mount up the A/C · Hook up the power/battery harness on all of the driver’s side engine/accessories · Run the wiring harness into the interior of the passenger side – mount the PFC and attach the commander even if it’s not permanently installed. · Mount the turbo manifold, tap the holes, put in the studs, mount the turbos with new gaskets. **see if you need more downpipe studs/nuts** · Hook up fuel lines to motor · Fuel setup install – line/fittings purchased. Need to fix fuel pump electrical connector, need to solder additional ground for fuel pump. · Oil cooler install · Install radiator and fans · Install front sway bar (shares supports of radiator) · Clean up the P/S pump, mount, hook up additional cooler, · Install the y-pipe, air-pump idler pulley · Install battery and tray · Remove UIM, prime fuel system, check for leaks · Install UIM vacuum lines and new gasket – torque · Remove old diff · Change fuel filter while diff is out · Install diff, PPF, and driveshaft · Install downpipe, midpipe and exhaust · Install air pump idler pulley and belts · Install shifter with oil in housing and new gasket. · Bleed slave cyl · Add oil, coolant, p/s fluid, diff fluid, trans fluid – new crush washer on diff/trans plugs · Remove EGI fuse and crank to build oil pressure – check oil level and add as needed when the coolers get filled · Fill p/s fluid and bleed with car off (key on) · Add coolant, bleed, and start the motor….hope nothing blows up. First test drive list: · Remove exhaust · Install banzai trans brace · Install other chassis braces – need to replace or fix PPF/diff rear brace. · Hook up front sway bar · Install intercooler and duct. · fine tune idle via PFC idle learn procedure. · Remove rear suspension and paint/seal rear wheel wells. · Reinstall rear suspension · Install adjustable rear sway bar endlinks – make sure they’re not damaged. · Tuck up and protect wire harness that runs above front wheels. · Figure out where to mount catch can · Install intakes · Install front bumper, · install fender liners · install hood · mount wheels Track prep list: · create/install updated ground wires · Replace front and rear sway bar rod ends · trim plastic below oil coolers and fit · seal gaps around radiator/condenser – new foam on under panel? · Install new exhaust gaskets at midpipe & catback to try to eliminate leaks · Figure out power steering cooler mounting/lines – also figure out if using stock cooling line or moving. · Figure out way to install intake heat shield/box. · Install water injection and mount in trunk – need to test injection system and find issue and replace as needed. · Remove steering wheel/airbag · Install hub and steering wheel · Install bigger rear rotors and caliper spacers – clean up calipers · Install rear stainless brake lines and speed bleeders in rear calipers – bleed system. · Install boost and coolant temp gauges · Install M/C brace · Remove factory driver’s seat · Install interior plastics · Install race seats and harnesses · Get Nittos mounted on SSRs – check wheels for cracks – · Mount SSRs · Set ride heights · Corner balance · Alignment · Road test · install track pads

Came across another last minute issue. After corner balancing I was heading to get the car aligned the night before going to the first event....I'm afraid it's always last minute with my schedule. I had put in the new CL brake pads. Well about halfway there I started hearing a knocking noise that had me pull over worried. I couldn't find anything loose, so I went on. At the alignment we looked under the car and couldn't find anything wrong either. As it turns out the CL brake pads are smaller than the Hawks I normally run and they were flopping around in the calipers making the noise. Here's a video. When the noise goes away it's when I push on the brakes and push the pads against the rotor. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/th_99998D14-B4CD-4B93-88D7-B51E73BADDCD_zpsqjm8p6wd.mp4 This was annoying to say the least and not the end of it, but for now I put the Hawks back in the front and it got rid of the noise.

At this point I'm finishing getting the car ready for its first track day. Here are the rear brakes going on. Also put on sakebomb stainless rear brake lines and speed bleeders in the calipers. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/EE28C921-63E9-4D72-B430-027F08DC3758_zpsh0dul4ns.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/99E070B4-B31F-4CE5-A8C2-BCAFC253E169_zpsjnnfqnlv.jpg I also came across the first of expected/unexpected issues. While driving the car and putting some street miles on it, it just died on me. Acted like it ran out of fuel. I got the car home and put a fuel pressure gauge on the feed line, but the car would die and fuel pressure was fine and couldn't find any leaks. Not a fuel issue. Long story short it ended up being a bad idle air sensor that was going apeshit. After the car died one time I could hear it buzzing really loud. Additionally I think the way the wiring harness was running was putting undue pressure on the plug/wiring for the IAC. I ended up getting a used IAC in good condition and moving the wiring harness which seems to have taken care of the problem so far. Additionally I have an annoying exhaust leak at the catback connection. I've made it a bit better by running a thicker metal gasket http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/1FB029E5-FB04-44C3-8A68-6EEFA9C37935_zps7qlowlqj.jpg We set the ride heights, and with the help of good friends I was able to borrow some scales and hub stands. We leveled the scales as best we could, set the heights on the car, then corner balanced. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A785F1F8-CFA8-4742-AAD3-5C0052B00CCD_zpspwaunvbz.jpg Finished up with the SSR track setup http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/8A69A24B-0D34-4C35-8238-305B6E57DC1A_zpsapkvp9z1.jpg It came in nice and light even keeping the A/C and P/S. This is with a bit over 1/2 tank of gas without me in it. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A841B11E-BE83-4EF3-B9EC-0FBDC5FDC57A_zpsy71rdouq.jpg

No LS swap in my near future. I'm not a hater if the swap, but it doesn't make sense for me as they have their own on-track reliability issues. Also in the 3 different LS swap FD's that I've run across at Mid Ohio each one was faster in a straight line but not around the track than me.

Thanks guys. I'm late on dumping this info into a build thread so I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff along the way. I'll see if I can get us up to date later today during down time with the family. I have had the benefit of acquiring a lot of the big parts over the years of owning the old car so yes big money stuff like the AP brakes and Ohlins were "sunk costs" and a motivator to me to continue on the FD platform. Joe you're correct that this could be one of the very few FD builds that doesn't focus on making power. Haha. I'm sure I'll get there eventually, but first I need to maximize the rest of the car setup and that'll be last.

intercooler and intakes finished installing http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/82D658FB-2F8F-4381-A1A2-AC210E55351B_zpsqz3fgeyv.jpg First startup went well. Couple of small coolant leaks that needed cinched up, but nothing major. Time for the first drive. I didn't have the boost guage hooked up yet, so I had to rig something up to make it work for a drive. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/6FA45807-20F2-41F9-A26D-3E684C9A46A8_zpslaruam8i.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/62971CCA-DCEE-4E69-888E-37189111FB72_zpscwiejevt.jpg Installed the shifter from the old car. It's just a cut down stock shifter, but I always liked the feel/throw so I've kept it. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/92DB6081-D03A-403D-8331-0D32BB6D221C_zpsumzog8et.jpg First drive went well overall. front sway bar was clunky and some other minor gripes, but nothing alarming which is great. Still a lot to do for the first track day though. Still getting the interior together Tinman also helped by modifying the aluminum seats to mount to my Atomic Rex seat mounts and put the seat back brace on. I also had Hoblick powder coat the seats black to look a little more in place in the black interior http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BB005202-D43E-4B16-9230-05AD3ABEC37A_zps0wxopjij.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5744D36E-E5F0-441E-8060-B0BF1275D97B_zps4gejlt2e.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/E95C0438-547F-4C12-8D35-6FA83C1287E7_zps3nytxhp0.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/743BAB80-57F9-4F01-AEB1-45A08C166F6D_zpsft1izcyq.jpg seat mounts installed with anchors for the belts http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/EE3A5F33-8ADC-4246-9076-93762B41262C_zps0muutqmd.jpg Driver's seat installed http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/BDC8EC92-721B-48DB-898D-9218B19B83D4_zpsww1ud97k.jpg Passenger seat installed with harnesses and fire extinguisher mounted http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7346B63C-D362-49E0-9933-E1DC110F724E_zps1xakwy57.jpg Close up of the seat back brace installed http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/4F0AFFFB-1EC8-4410-905D-1EC3353868D9_zpsknavxi0l.jpg Had to modify the shifter panel a bit to fit the PFC commander like I had in the old car. Pains me to do it, but I like it mounted there where it's clean. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/83C76363-FE65-4748-B267-CC6E0D40823C_zpsb14f8ak4.jpg Installed with the Sparco steering wheel, and the new location for the coolant and temp gauge. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/2DE77E26-31DA-40B9-983D-2B22BEE5F741_zpsnyzdrcoi.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/3DDFD9D3-ECDC-4EB3-987E-22583AF664E6_zpspytval0m.jpg

Tinman installed a custom rollbar in the car that's welded in. Same design as the old car which held up quite well during "testing" so I trust it. Plus I don't like the bolt-in solutions since they come further forward into the driver's space and going thru the flimsy floor isn't ideal at all. I had to paint the wheel wells to keep the back side of the welds from rusting. I didn't want to get overspray on the car so I got a little OCD on prep. Got a cheap-o car condom to use complete with sweet Engrish http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/EDCAB672-7BAA-4048-923F-3AEA33170AE5_zpszqcghfv4.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/AB286EAA-4B82-40F1-8895-34539DB70328_zpsvw1jbbbp.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A6BC2595-746F-418D-8A92-730F5E09A452_zps6s9hzwsm.jpg Rollball picture of the front mounting plates. Tinman was also able to help re-fit the interior plastics from the old car without needing to cut up the nice pieces removed from the new car. Makes for a nice install. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/EB648F8F-EB4A-443E-AAA3-7DD352A8C06C_zpsubn7pz5w.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/585B8FA3-24AE-4E04-B934-DD2AC2A50A6B_zpsovoojjdl.jpg

cleaning up the power steering pump before install http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/E0E1DF73-6F24-4EDE-8461-008C31006061_zpswslbqizt.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/415D1641-FCF5-4728-B4CA-8C4BE3E202DA_zpsh3h2dssg.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/37223E7F-778C-49FD-8EE2-995CDD3B5355_zpsgyrocshk.jpg PFC installed with the TurboJeff bracket which is a great piece and much better than the typical install which is just flopping around or velcro'd behind the panel. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A8E1864A-43A1-4A74-BF11-80AA2744748D_zpsxdn795zl.jpg With the diff out, it was time to change the fuel filter because it's WAY easier with the diff out. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/93BCF7CD-E2E6-4801-A1D8-CFC885DA1524_zpsl7p8hg3k.jpg The underside of the car is surprisingly clean especially when compared to the engine bay http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5669D973-E59B-424D-A245-52BCF1F0FFEB_zpsldjqzrei.jpg Diff in with the Greddy diff cover which just barely clears the subframe http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/596AF3AF-C698-43BF-927F-A07D40E506C0_zpsf27sjivz.jpg intercooler installed, also made a bracket and installed the catch can http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/7B5AAFAF-B430-4C6C-9CB5-D2DFA641FC35_zpsz5xk0zcs.jpg ran into my first issue with keeping the A/C. The hardline against the firewall prevents the primary turbo intake from fitting appropriately...doh. Had to rig it up with a silicone hose/coupler for now http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/0612383E-DE54-4F44-85D3-CDE3A05BD1FE_zpsuqibjebt.jpg

There are 3 main things I'm trying to differ on this car compared to the old one. 1. Can I keep the power steering? 2. Can I keep the A/C? 3. Can I keep the stock hood? The old car had no P/S, A/C and had a vented hood and always ran cool at the track, but I didn't like the hood visually, the lack of P/S could make 30 minute track sessions a decent amount of work, and A/C...you know that's nice to have and all. So on the P/S front I installed a cooler to help make sure it didn't boil over: http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/946930A3-1222-4B22-A081-C9919EC16E25_zpsvazatm07.jpg Got the turbo manifold freshly resurfaced http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/D7203E0E-7746-434E-BE6B-76B552888549_zpslyp89rmi.jpg Got my HKS downpipe ceramic coated http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/69ECFAD0-5E42-446D-800B-BF1F1EF0A862_zpsfksdeqxj.jpg Turbos installed http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/F8423B90-52FD-4CC9-9FB2-7C9D4602B70A_zpsacnz3ynv.jpg Tinman custom made me a sweet battery tray for the Shorai battery I run, got that put in with the Efini y-pipe http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5996E013-A76F-4E0C-ABD4-9A0CCD2DB127_zpstqwwesi7.jpg

next up was the fuel system. The factory FD's had notorious fuel slosh issues at anything below 1/2 tank. My old car the previous owner said he had a 99' spec tank installed with better baffles. It may be the one thing he wasn't full of shit on as it would drive all the way down to 1/8 tank without issue. I didn't want to screw it up, so I never even opened the tank...until I smashed it into a wall. I believe I pulled out one of the magic pieces, but it was bent and I was unsure how to connect it. So, I'm going to try out an in-tank fuel surge tank setup system that was developed with one of the SCCA SSM national auto-x winning cars. Here's the general setup. The fuel pump return feeds into the top of the tank, and the fuel pump draws from the bottom. The red check valve will let in fuel into the tank if the level is higher in the larger gas tank, and keep it in if the surge tank level is higher. http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/A1BD238D-7B14-4313-8C71-6B4C6B8103EA_zpsvr3ykspo.jpg Going to install and of course the fuel pump access is grungy http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/C47AFF73-A7EC-473F-BECF-C328C8C3CDB3_zpsex7hdziq.jpg Cleaned it up so as to not dump dirt/grit into the tank http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/37A7B80D-D654-4815-BD31-78D268478CE5_zpswgzzbrw7.jpg Getting this thing installed in the tank is less than enjoyable. First of all, everything has to go thru the fuel pump hangar access, second it has to be done in pieces: http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/F2D00FCD-B64F-45DE-A11E-797DC68B8014_zpsgt6py3pg.jpg Can't even get the thing in there with the fittings installed. To install it has brackets which slip under the factory fuel pump tray and then it's secured to the top of the tank with a bracket that goes around the vapor valve http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/5AAC8DC5-53B6-446C-8E44-35F9E6A0BEEE_zpszznba4ou.jpg http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z56/kutschca/white%20car/DF2591B6-0BF4-4E9F-92B3-7ADC8EE74FC7_zpsllkcd1jc.jpg Then I installed the new Rotary Performance Denso fuel pump. It's a tight fit for sure and there are plenty of forearm cuts and scrapes to prove that.