What have you done to your car today?
- Thread starter Perfect Balance
- 6,673 comments
- 392,848 views
- 3,202
- Murcie LP710
Took Suzie down a couple of muddy tracks as 'er first real dip into the 4WDing part since my ownership of it.
Ran pretty well, and in a top speed run I actually managed to get to the legal limit of 110kph...gonna have to sort an engine swap soon, probably going for a 1.3L Swift GTi motor as it's the most common conversion.
The other major problem? The leaf suspension is unbelievably bouncy, you bounce off the seat on the smallest of bumps.
Next things on the to-do list though is going to be taking the top and canopy off, the seats out, and fitting a roll-cage.
Ran pretty well, and in a top speed run I actually managed to get to the legal limit of 110kph...gonna have to sort an engine swap soon, probably going for a 1.3L Swift GTi motor as it's the most common conversion.
The other major problem? The leaf suspension is unbelievably bouncy, you bounce off the seat on the smallest of bumps.
Next things on the to-do list though is going to be taking the top and canopy off, the seats out, and fitting a roll-cage.
- 7,313
- Land of the smelly onion
Finally got my passenger side door panel back on, but the window still does not work. But atleast the panel should stay on now.
Also put some air in my back tire, which was very low. Only had 10psi in it, I usually run 44psi. I think I got another leaky valve stem as I couldn't spot any obvious screws or nails.
Did find a big screw lodged in the front tire of my mom's car though.
Also put some air in my back tire, which was very low. Only had 10psi in it, I usually run 44psi. I think I got another leaky valve stem as I couldn't spot any obvious screws or nails.
Did find a big screw lodged in the front tire of my mom's car though.
- 124
- NihilismOnToast
- Methinks not...
I used Turtle Wax's "Black in a Flash" on my Yaris. I was thoroughly impressed with the results!
Keef
Premium
- 25,166
- Dayton, OH
- GTP_KeefRacer
- GTP Keef
The factory probably had some other thing where the stock CD player goes for the cars that didn't have that option. Maybe a storage compartment or block off plate. Find one, get it, and install it so it doesn't look so goofy.Installed a new head unit into my girlfriends car. And while doing it. Manage to flatten the battery by leaving the door open too long.
I think it looks pretty sweet. And it's totally cool to rock 2 CD players.
- 117
- GTP_mbavaria30s
Replaced pads and rotors on the front and rears of my '01 BMW 330ci. Exhausting, frustrating and tons of fun. Did it with my father this weekend, so that was great. 
Stoptech crossdrilled rotors and Hawk HPS pads. loving it.
Stoptech crossdrilled rotors and Hawk HPS pads. loving it.
Blackbird.
Premium
- 9,347
- Bay Area
- BlackbirdGTP
- Blackbird5150
Sorry, I didn't catch this, thank you Cyborg!
As far as my truck... It got washed/waxed again. I wanted to take the fender flares off of it but I took one off and discovered it was not painted beneath. Seeing as my trying to save my money to buy a new car and sell this one it wouldn't make sense to put hundreds of dollars to improve the look of it.
- 7,956
- BradleyH131
Yeah, I probably will at some point.
Though the worse part was that I left a CD in the old player (The bottom one), which is powered by the old head unit I took out. So to get the CD out I have to take the dash panel off, unattach the new, attach the old, attach the old CD player..blah blah.
I think I'll just buy the CD again.
- 3,211
- Brisbane
- Punknoodle_Nick
So angry, its ridiculous. Since buying the car I've been trying to sort out all its little defects as I can, well every time I do I find more, you know how it is - and I can't just leave them or do a cheap fix, I like to do things properly. Well when I was trying to sort out the cars idle / missing at low revs problem the other night it decided not to start - starter motor playing up (its really slow to turn over, sometime doesn't do anything, now it won't do anything - its not the battery we did a load test on it and its nearly brand new).
So today, my friend and I decide to attack it and do some other things that needed done (new engine mounts, new thermostat - old one wasn't flowing) and I had already bought the gear, but the STUPID parts store gave me the wrong thermostat and the wrong mounts. And its sunday, engine is jacked up car is half in half out of the garage so to get it back in, old mounts have to go back in, aghh.
When we took a look at Supercheap for a Thermostat, then Autobarn, then Repco they all looked cheap and nasty compared to the Toyota unit. So I've decided to go into Toyota and get the genuine parts form now on, stop mucking around (unless aftermarket is better, for more performance). But at least I know the parts will fit, and be guaranteed to work
Oh yeah, and the final thing is, when we went to look at the starter motor I saw that the wire that went to the solenoid had been crimped, taken to a relay, which was switching a straight, unfused wire direct from the battery to the solenoid - WTF? So I went about ripping out that dodgy wiring (the quality of the wiring job was disgusting as well!), really confused as to why someone would do that in the first place - its not like the solenoid needs a huge amount or power. And why did they not use a fuse at least? And they used non flexible house wiring. So anyway, battery is out, so can't test if that was the problem (I'm guessing not though) and won't be able to test until I get the rest of it sorted anyway.
Ah, the joys of owning an older car. And I still need to fix the idle problem - I know what will fix it, and I am seriously considering it - a new loom and a Link ECU... It will need to be done evenually when I hunt more power...looks like suspension and wheels are waiting a bit longer
So today, my friend and I decide to attack it and do some other things that needed done (new engine mounts, new thermostat - old one wasn't flowing) and I had already bought the gear, but the STUPID parts store gave me the wrong thermostat and the wrong mounts. And its sunday, engine is jacked up car is half in half out of the garage so to get it back in, old mounts have to go back in, aghh.
When we took a look at Supercheap for a Thermostat, then Autobarn, then Repco they all looked cheap and nasty compared to the Toyota unit. So I've decided to go into Toyota and get the genuine parts form now on, stop mucking around (unless aftermarket is better, for more performance). But at least I know the parts will fit, and be guaranteed to work
Oh yeah, and the final thing is, when we went to look at the starter motor I saw that the wire that went to the solenoid had been crimped, taken to a relay, which was switching a straight, unfused wire direct from the battery to the solenoid - WTF? So I went about ripping out that dodgy wiring (the quality of the wiring job was disgusting as well!), really confused as to why someone would do that in the first place - its not like the solenoid needs a huge amount or power. And why did they not use a fuse at least? And they used non flexible house wiring. So anyway, battery is out, so can't test if that was the problem (I'm guessing not though) and won't be able to test until I get the rest of it sorted anyway.
Ah, the joys of owning an older car. And I still need to fix the idle problem - I know what will fix it, and I am seriously considering it - a new loom and a Link ECU... It will need to be done evenually when I hunt more power...looks like suspension and wheels are waiting a bit longer
- 9,473
- QLD, Down Under
- GTP_Paulie
- Paulie LDP
Mate, working at a car dealership in spare parts I can absolutely testify to the pros of getting genuine parts. You would not believe how often we get some cheap customer who demands aftermarket parts only to find the only aftermarket parts for the car don't actually fit, or they come back half a year later with the same issue due to the same part failing due to its el-cheaporado-ness. However, some cars, which have very strong aftermarket support, can get higher quality parts for a reasonable price still, like the Falcon and Commodore. So long as you make sure you're getting the good stuff.
- 4,579
- Houston, TX
- astrosdude91
I filled up Betty Ford and drove her to my grandfather's house to water his plants, since he is in Europe.
- 1,035
Bought a boost controller. The first GFB electronic boost controller in the country is mine apparently. Will get around to installing it at some point this week.
And got a JUN exhaust manifold for a comparative steal. $700, where it retails for about $2k in Japan. Will be paying that off over the next couple of months though. 700 bucks is a lot of money, but it's marginally more than what a custom steamtube one would set me back, and it looks like this:
And got a JUN exhaust manifold for a comparative steal. $700, where it retails for about $2k in Japan. Will be paying that off over the next couple of months though. 700 bucks is a lot of money, but it's marginally more than what a custom steamtube one would set me back, and it looks like this:
- 3,211
- Brisbane
- Punknoodle_Nick
Today I went and bought a new genuine thermostat (looks much better, and get this, it was half the price of the piece of crap i returned to the dodgy place that shall remain nameless - I don't want to commit slander on a public forum) and a genuine oil filter (by the way, does anyone know who sells FRAM filters in Brisbane? I've always used FRAM, either that or genuine replacement, don't trust other ones) so I'm all good to go in that department.
Road and Track in Ipswich phoned me back, and I'm getting my new mounts from them, they are better than the factory mounts, a bit more expensive but will last when the motor is pumping out more power.
So...I went into the garage tonight to measure up the PCV hose as I am planning on buying / getting fabricated and oil catch tank, and I started getting carried away to investige some of the elecrical issues, well a few hours later the dash is half off, and I'm finding wires that have been cut, still connected to 12V just dangling around, a redundant alarm system with loom just sitting in there, still wired up but not plugged in. I reckon I've found everything now though, and I've ripped it all out..
Tomorrow if I get a chance I'll do all the re-soldering and heat shrinking to finish it and reassemble the dash, then it should be all ready for me to re-install the battery. Which I'll be relocating to the boot to allow for a cold air bix to be fabricated in the engine bay...
Its all starting to some together, hopefully!
Honest opinion, think my progress on the "build / restoration / enhancement" is worthy of it's own thread?
EDIT - Slidesquad, thats an awesome looking manifold! What made you go with Go Fast Bits as opposed to something like an E-Boost? I'm curious as its something I'll be looking into soon.
Oh, while we are on the topic, when I was dismantling for the work to be done, I found this tap:
Boost tap? Its on the vacuum line heading to the turbo. If it is then I'm getting rid of it, I want to run the car at factory settings until I do things properly, tuned professionally on a dyno etc
Road and Track in Ipswich phoned me back, and I'm getting my new mounts from them, they are better than the factory mounts, a bit more expensive but will last when the motor is pumping out more power.
So...I went into the garage tonight to measure up the PCV hose as I am planning on buying / getting fabricated and oil catch tank, and I started getting carried away to investige some of the elecrical issues, well a few hours later the dash is half off, and I'm finding wires that have been cut, still connected to 12V just dangling around, a redundant alarm system with loom just sitting in there, still wired up but not plugged in. I reckon I've found everything now though, and I've ripped it all out..
Tomorrow if I get a chance I'll do all the re-soldering and heat shrinking to finish it and reassemble the dash, then it should be all ready for me to re-install the battery. Which I'll be relocating to the boot to allow for a cold air bix to be fabricated in the engine bay...
Its all starting to some together, hopefully!
Honest opinion, think my progress on the "build / restoration / enhancement" is worthy of it's own thread?
EDIT - Slidesquad, thats an awesome looking manifold! What made you go with Go Fast Bits as opposed to something like an E-Boost? I'm curious as its something I'll be looking into soon.
Oh, while we are on the topic, when I was dismantling for the work to be done, I found this tap:
Boost tap? Its on the vacuum line heading to the turbo. If it is then I'm getting rid of it, I want to run the car at factory settings until I do things properly, tuned professionally on a dyno etc
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- 1,035
I looked at several boost controllers. Decided to pass on the higher end ones, i.e. AVC-R/EVC-5/Profec B because I highly doubt the car is ever going to reach a level where I can use all the features those have, and screw paying a grand for something I'm not going to use. The e-boostII was tempting, but again a lot more than I was willing to spend.
Shortlisted the Gizzmo MS-IBC, e-boost street and the HKS EVC-S. But when I contacted the guy who deals with Gizzmo and GFB here, he mentioned that GFB were about to bring one out and if I wanted to guinea pig it I could have it a lot cheaper than RRP. Essentially the G-Force has everything I need in the forseeable future (controls upto 3.5 bar, open/closed loop, 6 memory settings, scramble boost etc etc) and it cost me about 150 bucks less than the MS-IBC. And I've never really heard anything negative about them. So figured I'd give it a try.
Yeah, I'd assume it's a boost tap. How much boost were you running before you took it off the road? Judging by the hackjob the previous owner seems to have done, I'd be weary.
Shortlisted the Gizzmo MS-IBC, e-boost street and the HKS EVC-S. But when I contacted the guy who deals with Gizzmo and GFB here, he mentioned that GFB were about to bring one out and if I wanted to guinea pig it I could have it a lot cheaper than RRP. Essentially the G-Force has everything I need in the forseeable future (controls upto 3.5 bar, open/closed loop, 6 memory settings, scramble boost etc etc) and it cost me about 150 bucks less than the MS-IBC. And I've never really heard anything negative about them. So figured I'd give it a try.
Yeah, I'd assume it's a boost tap. How much boost were you running before you took it off the road? Judging by the hackjob the previous owner seems to have done, I'd be weary.
- 3,211
- Brisbane
- Punknoodle_Nick
I dont have a boost guage, just the factory one in the instument cluster that doesn't have numbers. I havn't had the car that long, even though I paid good money for it I couldn't stand driving it knowing there was stuff (quite important stuff) to sort. I havn't looked at what position the tap is in. I'm so angry about all this dodgy crap, when I bought the car the guy seemed like a fanatic, everything was in order, then I find this crap. From what I can tell there are 2 people who have done work to the car -
The guy who built the engine (the previous owners father - mechanic), he also fitted the IFT piggy back module (that I'm removing the harness for) and all those connections were tidy, heat shrink. Nicely loomed. I'm REALLY hoping that he didn't take short cuts when assembling the engine. The other guy might have been the son. Younger guy, all the connections were rough, cables just cut (like he was in a hurry to remove something when he sold it) and now I have to sort it.
In reality I don't care that much about that aspect - I can fix wiring and the body is good, but I bought the car half based on the fact that the engine was recently forged and I have plans (always knew it'd have an aftermarket ECU at some stage) so I hope its done properly now I've seen all this stuff - its made me wonder, which as you can imagine is quite a horrible feeling
The guy who built the engine (the previous owners father - mechanic), he also fitted the IFT piggy back module (that I'm removing the harness for) and all those connections were tidy, heat shrink. Nicely loomed. I'm REALLY hoping that he didn't take short cuts when assembling the engine. The other guy might have been the son. Younger guy, all the connections were rough, cables just cut (like he was in a hurry to remove something when he sold it) and now I have to sort it.
In reality I don't care that much about that aspect - I can fix wiring and the body is good, but I bought the car half based on the fact that the engine was recently forged and I have plans (always knew it'd have an aftermarket ECU at some stage) so I hope its done properly now I've seen all this stuff - its made me wonder, which as you can imagine is quite a horrible feeling
- 6,899
- GTP_event / kevinr6287 (farming account)
wow, that is gorgeous. a work of art!Bought a boost controller. The first GFB electronic boost controller in the country is mine apparently. Will get around to installing it at some point this week.
And got a JUN exhaust manifold for a comparative steal. $700, where it retails for about $2k in Japan. Will be paying that off over the next couple of months though. 700 bucks is a lot of money, but it's marginally more than what a custom steamtube one would set me back, and it looks like this:
- 1,035
Yeah, that sucks. But at the end of the day if it goes it goes. You might as well have some fun until then. If it's not done properly, you'll have to take it apart either way.
Good luck with the wiring though. Electrical stuff scares me.
Event
It really is. Really stoked about being able to pick it up, even though the girlfriend isn't too impressed
- 3,211
- Brisbane
- Punknoodle_Nick
True, thats a good way to look at it. You know, even though I am spending quite a bit, and plan on spending a lot more its actually fun getting it sorted, each part you fix up, you know its going to last, and you get a little history going for the car...
I'd much rather do this than buy a car thats already been done. May be cheaper getting a finished project, but you can never be sure of how its been done unless you do it yourself
I'd much rather do this than buy a car thats already been done. May be cheaper getting a finished project, but you can never be sure of how its been done unless you do it yourself
- 1,035
Got the boost controller installed. Pain in the ass to set up the way I want it. Still playing around. I want to run 18 psi, but at the moment getting pretty significant spike and hitting boost cut if I go anywhere around 16. Running 14 ish psi spiking to 16.5/16.8Gotta play around with the spike eliminator thingy tomorrow. Still much more of a kick though.
Lost count of how many times I hit the boost cut today. It's not pleasant. But hit 1.5 bar (22ish psi?) on one of the initial runs before hitting the cut. Hooooly jebus I can't wait to get my powerFC in and tuned so I can do that all the time!
Lost count of how many times I hit the boost cut today. It's not pleasant. But hit 1.5 bar (22ish psi?) on one of the initial runs before hitting the cut. Hooooly jebus I can't wait to get my powerFC in and tuned so I can do that all the time!
- 3,211
- Brisbane
- Punknoodle_Nick
Wow, thats a lot of boost. You'll need to do the injectors when you do the Power FC, yea? Plus fuel pump?
- 1,035
I'll probably be close to maxing out the injectors, but it does come with 550cc ones standard. There are people running factory ones at that sort of boost. But an upgrade is definitely on the to do list.
And yup, already got a 500hp Walbro sitting next to the powerFC, that'll go in at the same time. Possibly a fuel pressure regulator as well.
That's all for the end of the year though. Next on the list is sorting out the suspension, it's knocking quite a bit now. I'll start saving for coilovers as soon as I pay off the manifold. Well, sorta. Right next on the list is pulling out the brake pads and hitting them with copper grease again
And yup, already got a 500hp Walbro sitting next to the powerFC, that'll go in at the same time. Possibly a fuel pressure regulator as well.
That's all for the end of the year though. Next on the list is sorting out the suspension, it's knocking quite a bit now. I'll start saving for coilovers as soon as I pay off the manifold. Well, sorta. Right next on the list is pulling out the brake pads and hitting them with copper grease again
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