It's been 5 months since the last update and there has been progress but not nearly as much as I would like.
So far completed:
- rear subframe fully bolted on
- interior cleaned
- engine bay cleaned
- wiring harnesses re-ran
- airbag systems removed
- door panels and rear seats installed
- fabricated new center dash panel
- pillar mount gauges installed
- intercooler and piping installed
- radiator installed (although it gets pulled back out when the motor goes in)
- new water pump installed on sr20
- front main seal replaced
- hood latch reinstalled
So far purchased and waiting to install:
- pilot bushing
- clutch release bearing
- isr radiator lines
- isr thermostat
- clutch slave cylinder
- isr power steering line
Still need to buy:
- GT2871r turbo from twisted motion $350
- turbo clocking adapters $65
- turbo lines $120
- starter switch panel $70
- front and rear driver side 300zx brake calipers $120
- battery $110
Still have to install:
- center dash panel
- all gauges
- Greddy boost controller wiring and mounting
- Apexi fuel controller mounting
- starter switch panel
- turbo/motor/trans once all assembled
- battery
- brakes
- clutch slave cylinder
- thermostat
- radiator hoses
Things are getting close now and the list of todo's is not nearly as daunting as it was in the beginning. The big hold up has been the turbo. When we pulled the t25 apart the bolts holding the exhaust side to the center housing were seized. Even after grinding the bolts off we found that the exhaust side and central housing had seized itself together. We banged, pried, leveraged, and wacked in every way we could think to try and separate the two without damage to the fins and center shaft.
Finally i threw in the towel. After calling a local certified Garrett turbo rebuilder and getting a price quote of 350 we changed directions. My original goal for the car was 375 horsepower. I feel that's plenty of power and I don't have to upgrade the stock internals of the motor. Instead of rebuilding the stock t25 for $350 we are putting that money towards another turbo.
Twisted motion turbos, even though they are not garretts, seem to have good feedback and they come with a year warranty. The turbo itself runs $350 but requires $65 clocking adapters to mate with the the intercooler piping correctly. Also highly recommended by Josh from Twisted motion (who returned my text immediately with a call and was extremely helpful) was the stainless turbo lines ($120) which helps avoid stripping the threaded fittings on the block.
That's not much more than the price of the rebuilt t25 turbo and we are at the power levels I originally wanted. It kind of seemed like a no brainer to me with the warranty and since the car won't be daily driven the longevity of the turbo should not be an issue.
As far as short cutting things we decided to put back in the act clutch that is almost worn out. The friction pads are touching the rivets but there is still some pad. The motor is easy enough to pull out when the clutch goes. Keeping $300 + or - in my pocket is nice too.
I will do another post once more significant progress has been made. Hopefully that post will be when the car is running!
