SEND US YOUR PROJECT CARS

"Patrick George" (pgeorge) 02/01/2016 at 10:56 • Filed to: Build of the Week

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I know you got some project cars lying around over here, Oppo. I see them all the time.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (Pictures and their stories, not the actual cars. No, wait. THE ACTUAL CARS. That’s more fun.)

Build of the Week is going to be great but it needs your help. Don’t let me down, Oppo.

XJDano > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:04

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If I send my car, will you finish it?

CAR_IS_MI > XJDano 02/01/2016 at 11:05

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This.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:06

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Do check engine lights on German cars count? I’ve been working on it for a while.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:06

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I need to take some actual good pics. Most of what I’ve got on file are potato pics taken indoors and kind of garbage. 1963 Ranchero:

...which now has a Rover V8, Jag suspension, etc. etc.

And no roof.

Patrick George > XJDano 02/01/2016 at 11:08

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YES!

No.

Patrick George > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/01/2016 at 11:08

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It’s best to focus on problems that can actually be solved.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:11

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I’ll get it finished one day, probably. I hope.

64Mali > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:12

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In order from Oldest to Newest for the 1970 Lotus Europa

http://ctaaffe64.kinja.com/i-helped-my-da…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/4th-of-july-lo…

http://ctaaffe64.kinja.com/what-do-these-…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/parts-more-par…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/lets-get-strip…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/its-been-a-whi…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/small-lotus-up…

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:14

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Does a 170,000 mile (at the time) M3 I bought with intention to daily drive but turned into a “remove ricer shit and fix broken shit” project while I daily’d it count?

Matt Nichelson > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 02/01/2016 at 11:16

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Shhhh. You know our cars don’t like it when we talk about them like that.

dietryng > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:17

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they are not problems. they are opportunities

XJDano > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:19

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50/50

Patrick George > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 02/01/2016 at 11:23

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Are you trying to make it stock-ish again? Sure!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:25

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If I send you my car, will it turn into a Miata? Or at least a V6 Mustang.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:28

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What about a track day car that keep breaking in fun new ways?

There's not many 300hp Cobalts being tossed around Road America.

Party-vi > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:32

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What the...WHO KEEPS LEAVING THE GATE OPEN I TOLD YOU IF THE GATE IS OPEN THESE JALOPNIK PEOPLE WILL GET IN HERE!!!

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 11:36

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say...... is that a rear bumper that you are molding in as a lower valence? off of say an old galaxy?

dietryng > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 11:37

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waait . mustang.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:40

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Still a hell of a way from being finished (although I’m aiming for August this year!), but there’s my Spit6 :)

The plan is this:

1974 Triumph Spitfire

+ 2.5l TR6 I6 with Lucas injection

+ 6-3-1 manifold, ported head and (hopefully) long-tube intake

+big Triumph saloon gearbox (with a Volvo OD unit)

+ fibreglass & lightweighted front end

+ as much weight shifted to the rear as possible

+ CV axles and home fabricated wishbones at the rear

+ Quaife diff

+ 4-pot front brakes

+ steel hard top welded to convertible body to make a notchback FHC

+ body welded to (seam welded) chassis to make it a unibody/monocoque

+ home fabricated roll hoop

+ anything else I can think of from now 'til it's finished :)

I don’t actually have a pic of it as it sits now (looking marginally more like a car but only just), but you can find all the updates I’ve done with the spit6 tag :)

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/spit6

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 11:43

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The lower valance is a completely new piece out of 20GA galvanneal steel - partly hand-formed. It looks much better now compared to when that pic was taken, because I’ve made ends, trimmed, and welded it all together. The bumper itself is a ‘71-’72 Mustang one, as you surmised, and I had to narrow the fenders 3/4" each side to make it line up like I wanted.

Burt > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:44

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What if your project car is also your only car, and was pretty nice to begin with? I have a late-model car that was pretty good out of the box, but I’m trying to make it quite a bit better.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:46

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OEM+ is the term used to describe what I’m doing, I think. The plan once I save up the cash is to fix the bodywork, paint it Technoviolet, and (eventually) put a 5-speed manual in there.

CalzoneGolem > Party-vi 02/01/2016 at 11:47

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Fuck! Now we need to fumigate and burn the sheets ... AGAIN!

CalzoneGolem > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 11:49

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Well, this is mine.

1930-31 from the firewall forward.

Who knows from the firewall back

All s-10 underneath.

Here is a more current picture:

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 11:54

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thats looking sharp. are you going to put the roof back on? or keep it like a volkswagen safari top?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 12:03

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Pseudo T-top. Liftoff panels, but with an over-door seal and strengthening bar. Apart from a tube twinned with the (curved) A-pillar, there’s 1 1/4" tubing going into the roof structure and firewall that will be completely concealed for added strength. I’ve also reworked the shift sleeve on the steering column to allow for shifting a four-speed, and the trans and engine are moved back in the body. There are some other crazy things too, I just haven’t mentioned them.

MonkeePuzzle > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 12:06

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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/subaru-sum…

aside from that, I have a 12 year long build of my Civic

which started as a stock base model auto wedding present in 2004, had an engine swap from a wrecked SI, full wiring, suspension, a bunch of different seats and wheels, some custom interior work etc etc.

I can find higher res. pics of either and provide more details if its truly the kind of thing you like. Neither were really that involved, jsut backyard mechanic stuff, and nothing really custom or special.

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 12:11

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that ought to be a whole lot of fun on a sunny day.

RallyWrench > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 12:15

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If RamblinRover doesn’t win a build of the week, there is no justice in the world. I’d submit my Lancia and 2002, but there has been and likely will not be any progress on them for awhile.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 12:20

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For one of the crazy points, I’ve doing servoelectrics over the suspension anchor points. ~3-4" of height adjust. For another, I’ve gone to Cortina taillights.

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 12:35

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those tail lights and bumpers all help to give that subtle look. that look, where you know something is different, but it looks...... right. like why would it have been done any other way?

have you already gotten your wheel and tire sizes picked out?

TheJWT > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 12:37

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Probably not as ambitious as most, but I’m de-ricing my 1993 SE-R

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 12:39

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Got two wheels (15s) on the way, which I’m going to try sizes with to try to nail down whether the backspacing is close enough for front *and* rear. Probably going to end up with something like a 205/75 in front and a 225/70 in back. As to what wheels, AR61s, which are basically a Centerline drag two-piece knockoff. Which I’m then going to rig with VW hubcap clips and reattach my dog dishes to, after painting the web - it will look like a steel smoothie somewhat. More of that “similar to stock yet somehow different” thing.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > CalzoneGolem 02/01/2016 at 12:40

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I still have that Envoy third row seat I need to bring you.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/01/2016 at 12:41

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Any luck yet getting your intake manifold shortened for that clearance issue?

CalzoneGolem > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 12:44

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Well you’re always welcome in my garage.

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 12:51

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those ought to fill the arches real nice. one of my friends had to teach me about mocking up what i WAS going to use, instead of “just the biggest i can find”. solves so many problems.

are you going with the teardrop(hershey kiss) pointy hubcaps, or the flat top caps? be kinda neat to find a way to make them float a bit off the face of the wheel(reliably).

sounds like youve got things at least pinned down.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 13:00

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The ones I’ve got are this style. They’re 9 1/2" across, so cover a lot of the wheel. As to tires, I’m leaning toward starting off (at least) with Maxxis 5/8"/3/4" whitewalls. Not the greatest tire nor even the greatest whitewall relative, but a radial and something to get it rolling around and get the sizes nailed down and suspension right. I figure going straight out the gate with $250 performance whitewalls or going with PSS is probably more than I need to do.

.

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 13:13

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yeah, those pointy caps look good.

its always fun the first few times you go over a rough patch of road, listening for what MAY be tire on fender. for sure correct in not wanting to kill the “good” tires.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 13:18

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I’d go for YUUGE clearance up front and just MTS on 4" wheels if I didn’t want this thing to be able to corner, but I kind of do. I’ve done a Shelby drop on the UCAs (geometry correction), I have Shelby pivot and pitman arms for quick ratio, and I’m bumping it to a higher spring rate - add the ~8" shift in engine c.g. toward the back and the Jag rear suspension and it should corner really well.

Ike > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 13:19

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I can definitely get my project to ballaban/orlove, your a bit far Pat, for some (un)fun driving. I’m curious about this so I’ll take some better pics and send you some story stuff!

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 13:40

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8" of adjustment?almost able to open the throttle with your foot. that car should feel like it is ON RAILS around corners. not to mention help it leave from a standstill. definitely a nice feeling to know that youve gone through the whole suspension.

those windy roads be a calling for you to hurry up.

Patrick Nichols > Party-vi 02/01/2016 at 13:43

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*Thor voice* Loki!

Themysteriouspooper > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 13:48

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Bought it like this but is eventually getting gears, lockers, axleshafts, 35s, rock sliders, unibody stiffening, stinger bar, change the roof lights to leds, winch, snorkel, bedliner on the fenders and the bottom half of the doors, onboard air and maybe spacers in the front to even out the lift a little bit. As it sits it has a 4.5inch rc lift, roof lights and custom bumpers the last owner made himself.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 13:49

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I’ve still got the XJS springs in back, which I need to swap for SIII E-type ones at some point but haven’t bothered yet. Surprisingly cheap, actually - new springs are <$40 per. I got the XJS rear for $240, new seals and clutch packs for $200 (it’s limited slip), and the axle shortening and balancing done for around $250, I think. Not a bad way to do a whole axle and suspension and brakes revision. Even if I did have to cut on the suspension girder and do a lot of frame welding. Weighs just a wee bit more than the Ford 7 1/4" peewee axle.

Anyway, at least I’ve loosely mathed out about what my corner weights should be, etc. I started with the 144ci I6 and cast iron three-speed and I’ve gone to a 262ci aluminum V8 and aluminum case Super T10 which weigh about as much and (on the engine part) are shorter - and then I bozo’ed 6" out of the firewall. It’s... snug, but not terrible.

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 14:11

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if i recall...............the falcons weighed in at around 2000 lbs to start with? which after you put the drive train on that diet, ought to get you in around the 1800s by the time you get done adding back for interior and upgrades?

what kind of stroke and bore does the 262 have? is it a 3" crank variant? the 3" stroke chevys dont make a lot of torque, but at 1800 lb you dont need the torque . they make the power in the upper range(the 3"stroke), its just about gearing for it.

sounds like you have things getting close.

911e46z06 > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 14:12

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Not the most exciting project in the world, and definitely not Build of the Week material, but it’s got a lot of sentimental value. My dad and uncle bought it new for my grandpa’s birthday in ‘87, then my dad bought it from my grandpa, then I bought it from my dad. It’s down in Mexico right now. As soon as I can plan a drive down there that doesn’t get scrapped because of a hurricane (I’m 0 for my last 4), my Tahoe goes down and the Blazer comes up. Once it’s here it’s getting torn apart and put back together. Mexico has not been kind to the truck, and everything is rusty. So I’m doing a full body-off resto. New motor, new suspension, sand-blasted frame, new wiring, and so on. Leaving it as close to stock as possible, just because you never see K5s anywhere close to stock anymore. Pretty excited about it. Should be cool.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 14:22

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The Ranchero weighs more like 2600lb, and with some adds to weight and things I’m doing may make it probably exceed 2750, so not as fantastically (read: awesomely) light as you’d think. Still none too shabby. Stroke is 3.03 to a bore of 3.73 (Rover 4.2). The rear diff ratio is 2.88, but first gear is over four to one, so I shouldn’t have any issue getting moving. The rockers and pushrods on the Rover are a little weak over 5500 rpm, but there are off the shelf improvements for that. The induction system is where I’m having the most fun - it’s two sets of 40mm Honda bike TBs. Very similar to these:

dietryng > CalzoneGolem 02/01/2016 at 14:28

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that truck is looking good. especially in those big pictures.

AND has power steering.

Jake Stumph Racing > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 14:29

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Which one do you want*?

- 240sx , piece of garbage, Craigslist-special “drift” car

- Civic Si , trying to win H-Street class in SCCA Autocross

- 135i , twin-turbo, 3-liter heater time attack car

*Does not include my roommate’s insane E30 327i or Subaru WRX.

Takuro Spirit > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 14:33

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Here’s my 1977 Trans Am coupe. Originally a 400ci auto, silver with red interior (swag) I bought it as a shell with extra parts. But no motor, trans, or interior.

It was a Cali car, and has been off the road since 1999. Not sure if it has 35k, or 135k on it, but its really clean and original, save the respray and missing original hood. And interior.

The first day after bringing it home and inventorying all the parts

The good news was I had all the sheetmetal, and its in really good shape. Floors were a little soft so the PO replaced them, they’re 90% done. There’s one rust hole in the rear quarter where it was patched once before, and some holes in the trunk floor extensions but nothing crazy.

I’m still in the parts collecting phase. I found a bumper assy from a Formula (which was originally silver, GO FIGURE!)....

Some seats out of a ‘79 (they need to be dyed back to black a bit)

A dash out of the same ’79 (originally red! I’m on a roll!)

And the only mechanical thing I was missing, minus the drivetrain. The heater and A/C box.

I’m looking for a full set of black mesh GTA/GNX style wheels, so if anyone has a couple more, hit me up.

Because the front is just on some rollers at the moment... the front that’s not even attached to the body.

And I’m taking LSX donations. In case you’re wondering,

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 14:42

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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/montego-projec…

And then the next update was about a crazy deal of wheels I got:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/montego-wheel-…

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 14:43

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the falcons i mentioned were the 2 door post. the lightest of light. 2750 is still awesome. Especially what with the distribution of it. all inboard and all centered up in the chassis.

that induction is definitely a cool way to get a modernized induction setup.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 14:46

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I’ve got front discs courtesy of a Scarebird set of hubs and brackets, rear discs courtesy the Jag rear, and a new MC, so it should stop okay. I checked gear ratio vs. expected power band and tire size and came up with “should hit peak power in top gear at ~130". Don’t know how soon I want to try that, but it could be hilarious.

Laurence > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 02/01/2016 at 14:49

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whenever I see old photos of your M3 I’m reminded how much it’s changed; you’ve done a good job making it look good

CalzoneGolem > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 14:57

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Yeah, but it’s kinda the epitome of “Don’t buy someone else’s project.”

dietryng > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/01/2016 at 15:06

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130..... is that kph or mph? with top gear being 1:1 3rd should feel real nice, what with the power to weight ratio you are building. would definitely say you have the handling sorted with the discs.

that is most definitely going to be a nice car for driving down winding roads.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 15:11

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130mph. Between the quick steering, limited slip, height adjust, and some other things, I actually expect it to be able to trail run pretty well as well as hitting the asphalt. Even if doing that it never gets out of second.

dietryng > CalzoneGolem 02/01/2016 at 15:21

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that just depends on whether you get there before shortcuts are taken. before its a matter of “just get it so i can drive it around the block”. most of the people that tell you DBSEP are people who are more concerned with final fit and finish, than with the driving experience itself. sort of the difference between seen in something and being in something.

is original numbers matching 427 4 speed posi corvette > corvette with 427 with 4 speed with posi that you put together yourself? depends on whether youre driving or selling.

you seem to have a solid start.

banjo cat ghost of oppo past > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 15:22

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C...can I maybe wait a couple more days to show the front for when I have the Hella 1000's mounted and the split bumper zip tied? Its the one on the right, painted Jaguar’s British racing green by trade school kids because I have a sense of humor. Got it back on the road 3 months ago.

Engine has about 50k, bored .20 over, 3 angle valve job, 660cc flowmatched injectors, Garrett GT3076R ball bearing turbo, 20 psi...slightly larger sidemount intercooler. Viscous LSD rear. Beefy rear swaybar, poly A Arms, poly motor mounts.

I’ve had the car for a long, long time but only recently resurrected (or rescued) it from a mechanic’s whom I thought was doing me a favor by letting it sit there for years. What got it back on the road was a rebuilt transmission and new turbo.

The projects after the Hella’s are finally integrating the wideband 02 into the reprogrammed ecu, installing the water/meth injection, a dyno sesh, and replacing the rear diff fluid.

My plans for it are TSD rally, rallycross, autocross and probably some trips to the 1/4 mile since the turbo I just replaced the Evo 3 unit with doesn’t wake up for much else. Its still plenty violent when it does, though.

Invinciblejets > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 15:24

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Awaiting a turbo swap.

banjo cat ghost of oppo past > Takuro Spirit 02/01/2016 at 15:29

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I believe in you!

CalzoneGolem > dietryng 02/01/2016 at 15:32

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I think it is pretty obvious what I think of fit and finish.

nerd_racing > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 16:13

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1987 AW11 MR2. I bought it for too much because it was low miles and rust free. I can’t get the thing to idle... I’m thinking its a headgasket at this point because it pulls vacuum from between the head and block on the passenger side.

Anyone want to buy it? I’d probably still fix the head gasket too if I got what I paid for it. Including full stainless exhaust I had shipped in from the UK and two sets of factory rims and the miata ones that are pictured if desired.

Just wear your damn mask... > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 16:29

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Please let me reintroduce my 1965 Chevy K10 pickup.

I’ve been working on this one for almost two years. I bought it as a partially assembled non-runner in the middle of 2014 and now it is a fully functioning vehicle. 400 small block Chevy, 4 speed, a wacky low rider inspired lace paint job courtesy the previous owner, and a fresh out of the box late 70's vintage Kraco 8-track courtesy me, complete with Van Halen II.

axiomatik > Just wear your damn mask... 02/01/2016 at 16:43

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Can’t make out much detail on the paint scheme, but it looks pretty bitchin. Rest of the truck looks good too.

Just wear your damn mask... > axiomatik 02/01/2016 at 16:48

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Once seen...

it cannot be unseen.

Just wear your damn mask... > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 16:55

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I’m also writing my series, Hooptie or Honest Car , where I work on my mother-in-law’s 2000 BMW 528i to get it ready for Craig’s List. Not in bad condition considering it has 170k on the odometer. And just one warning light; the ASC light which I’m going to have diagnosed then decide if it is worth fixing for a $2,500 or so price point. Almost everything else works, with the exception of the bad pixels in the radio display and the armrest mounted Motorola Star-Tac.

axiomatik > Just wear your damn mask... 02/01/2016 at 17:22

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heh. Looks better from 10 feet away, I see. Still cool.

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 17:38

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I sent my alfa to the Jalopnik HQ just now. Freddy “tavarish” Hernandez should have received the e-mail with all the enclosed information. The pilot transport truck will be delivering it in the next few days. Please hold all questions until it arrives. Thank you and good day.

Spoon II > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 17:49

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Sweet, maybe this is the motivation I need to actually take some good pictures of this little guy.

lone_liberal > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 18:00

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Project cars? Oh, I have a “beauty”. It was originally purchased for $800 to be a parts car for my ‘72 Camaro but it turned in to the project car when I discovered the 72 had major structural issues caused by a meeting with a power pole. I unfortunately couldn’t keep the 72 around for parts because I had to move to somewhere that didn’t have the space for it. I was originally just going to fix the body and leave it alone but the more I dug the more I found that needed to be fixed. I guess it had been sitting in that field for a reason. All of the front sheetmetal, the interior, the rear springs, the gas tank, the shocks, the wiring, the brake calipers, and the drivetrain, and a host of other things have been replaced or removed and fixed. At the end of last fall it finally turned a tire under it’s own power on a public road. Now I can get back to fixing the rust.

zeontestpilot > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 18:06

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So I don’t have the funds for a cool car like everyone else, but I did manage to snag a 1990 EZ-Go gas golf cart for the perfect price, free.

No governor (aka a speed limiter), and my grandpa changed the linkage to open the throttle more; average golf carts are suppose to keep up to 13 mph I can easily get up to 27 mph.

Things todo, the battery isn’t recharging, so gramps and I (this summer) will pop out the generator to check the bristles. There is also something wrong with the clutch, as when it gets to top speed the clutch retracts and I lose all speed until it catches again. Also, I need new lights for night driving.

Here it is, with the roof off.

This is it currently, waiting to hook in the summer.

It's my own rwd, mid-engine convertible.

Wohnson89 > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 18:25

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Ive been putting some of my current project on oppo. My father and I are combining a 1949 ford and a 1993 Thunderbird Super Coupe. Basically, we are using all the inner unibody structure of the thunderbird and skinning it with the panels off of a 1949 ford.

Here are the links:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/introducing-th…

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/parts-v-vii-th…

Kat Callahan > MonkeePuzzle 02/01/2016 at 18:32

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Dat wing tho.

dietryng > CalzoneGolem 02/01/2016 at 18:41

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yeah i hear you. i like drivably finished too.

dietryng > Just wear your damn mask... 02/01/2016 at 18:46

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the time and effort to make that come out right, its better than any stick on graphics.

zwill23 > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 19:01

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Lay witness to my trailer park queen, before and after 6 months of blood and sweat.

The pursuit of a project car began shortly after graduating with my mechanical engineering degree. During school I could never really afford a legitimate project car, and I was looking for the hands on experience I felt I never really got while going through school. So shortly after relocating to Austin, Texas the pursuit began. I spent the first month perusing craigslist for Miatas, and BMW E30s. I wanted a handler, a car with limited assists, and a wealth of online knowledge so it seems these two fit the bill. I soon stumbled upon a ratty looking 1990 E30 325i labeled “parts car” that lacked a price tag. I setup a time to look at it and it was in much better shape than expected. Sure, it was covered in dings, dents, and cracks that ran the length of the windshield, but it was rust free with less than a 100,000 miles on the clock and a clean title. The car had potential.

I offered the seller $650, and he gladly accepted. The next weekend I pushed his lawn ornament and my new project up onto the back of a U-haul trailer and drove her home.

The car had no seats, a missing valve cover, a broken rocker arm on cylinder 6, and many other miscellaneous parts that had been pilfered over the past 9 years that the car sat in front of the sellers trailer. Probably the worst part of all were the critters that inhabited the BMW; dead spiders the size half dollars littered the engine bay, brakes, and underbelly of the car and after 3 days of wrenching we realized two wasp nests the size of my fist were tucked behind the right headlight. I had nightmares of my condo becoming invested with the damn things!

After fumigating the old car, we tore into the engine to see what we had. The plan was to remove the head and rebuild it, but that plan was quickly thwarted when we realized the camshaft was seized into place. One $500 eBay head later, and a full top end refresh with all new gaskets, the engine started going back together. Eventually, the plan is to turbo-charge the straight six so ARP head studs went in to hold the new-old head into place.

With the engine nearly back together, it was time to address the other issues with the car. Namely, the gas tank. At first I was hoping to simply fill it up with some higher-octane fuel and try to burn off the old gas, but upon inspection of the gas tank there was a significant amount of rust. The tank seemed beyond repair, so eBay supplied the new gas tank, and I set off to remove the drive-shaft and drop the old tank. An excessive amount of cursing, and busted knuckles later the drive-shaft came out, gas tank came down, and the new one went in. I also did a walbro fuel-pump retrofit from an old mustang to replace the likely dead fuel pump that sit in the rusted tank.

Finally, it was time to try to start the car after 9 years of sitting dormant. Except, that didn’t go quite as planned...

With the new battery supplying juice to the electrical system, I grabbed my fire-extinguisher and tried starting the car. The starter motor began to wine, but no luck. I started pumping the gas pedal to get fuel into the newly replaced system, and the engine began to turn over. All my excitement came to a halt when the smell of fuel hit my nose, so I tore the key out of the ignition and jumped out of the car. Right behind the driver-side door the fuel line running into the fuel filter was spraying gasoline all over my garage. I quickly grabbed my socket set and began torquing down the hose-clamps holding the fuel line on until the leak was just a trickle. Moral of the story? Double-check all your fuel lines on any old car that has sat! I thought I replaced all of them, but have missed that one...

After replacing the rotted out fuel line, the car fired right up without issue and idled at a steady 750rpm. Hearing the old engine fire up was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.

Since then, I fabricated some new seat brackets to fit some retro racing seats I had purchased off craigslist and did an overall refresh on the rest of the car. As it sits it should be inspected within the month, and ready for its first (legal) road test!

I know this isn’t a wild custom rat-rod story, or an over the top performance build (yet), but coming into this the most I had done was change the oil on my family mini-van, which I actually screwed up. With a bit of determination, patience, and research anyone can pick up a wrench and turn an old car into exactly what they want it to be. I’ve learned more in the 6 months I’ve owned this car, than I did during my senior design in school and look forward to where my project will go in the future!

For those interested, all in I have spent $4000 on my E30 including the cost of the car, transportation, tools, and parts.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 19:48

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1991 SHO plus. It’s a ‘little’ crash damaged at the moment, but once I have the other wrecked donor car up here, it’ll live to race again. Then I’ll probably break the drive shafts. Or the diff. Or the K member.

Bought it for 400 US clams intending to yank rhe engine for my Capri,

http://theshadetree.kinja.com/the-sho-time-c…

But instead I put the Taurus on the road. It turned out to be kind of rare, 1 of 30 or so built in Jewel Green Metalic with black leather, and it was my first car. At the mental I have some friends in London Ontario hunting for a rumored SHO donor car that was hit in the back and has no engine.

And yes, that’s me in the car, that is racing marker on the window, (best pass of the day was 15.1 at 91mph, and yes those are fuzzy dice.

TheHondaBro > Party-vi 02/01/2016 at 20:15

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PS9 WAS THE LAST ONE WHO CAME IN.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 20:20

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Im about to make a post once I get some more goodies later on this week. but the plan with mine is to make it as if Honda made a Domani Coupe. Since im in Canada, Acura ELs are plentiful, making this a bit easier. I plan on building a CRV engine with VTEC in there.

Needmoargarage > Patrick George 02/01/2016 at 20:36

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I’ll play.

I completely restored a 1971 MGB roadster as a college student in apartment housing. Did all the body work in a parking garage, pulled the engine using a basketball hoop and winch, snuck into a paint booth to spray it, etc.

It was amazing. I started with almost no tools or budget and limited knowledge. Unfortunately I had to sell it when I graduated, but I recently came across a photo of the car being used in a parade! I can include a full write-up if anyone is interested.

MonkeePuzzle > Kat Callahan 02/01/2016 at 21:15

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mugen (replica), an ek9 (replica) is sitting in the garage awaiting summer for paint :D

Kat Callahan > MonkeePuzzle 02/01/2016 at 23:05

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I want to fit an EK9 to the GA3. Not sure how to do it yet, though.

MonkeePuzzle > Kat Callahan 02/01/2016 at 23:10

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hows the width? I’ve seen the type R wing, which comes with its own special base, added to a CX civic’s wing using the CX wkng in place of the type r’s base.

assuming the ga3 had a wing option and the width is not too far off, possibly you could achieve something similar

Kat Callahan > MonkeePuzzle 02/01/2016 at 23:16

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I have the wing on there already.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/02/2016 at 07:53

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Hmmm, I’m not sure how far I’d got last time.

I’ve sketched out the most probable setup to work, but there’s a number of things on it that I don’t know the location of.

I’ve got a chap who will find out how far his 6-3-1 manifold comes away from the block when it’s back from the ‘shop which should fill in that part of the picture.

Then I need to find out how much distance I’ve got from the face of the engine block to the wheelarch (comparing pics that include the 6" width of the head I’d estimate it’s between 12" and 14", which could be the difference between it fitting and it not!)

Also, I’ve got to check the location of the steering column which could be a problem :S

The above picture is based on this picture below, which is the runner heading vertically down from the port. The one above is base on rotating the U-bend round to minimise height. Not certain exactly how that’d work without modelling it, but that’s a rough guide.

There’s also an issue with heating of the inlet air by the exhaust manifold. I’ll have to do a really good job wedging a properly effective heatshield inbetween the manifold and the filter as they’re likely to be quite close. I’m thinking thermal wrap on the exhaust manifold and a double-skinned aluminium plate heatshield separating the two. Then I’ll need to get some really effective ducting of cold air to the filter.

That’s all extra important as the hotter the air in the intake, the faster the speed of sound and the longer I need to make my intake!

It's currently modelled on an intake temperature of 20 degrees. From what limited info I can find the running underbonnet temperature of a stock GT6 is closer to 45 degrees which would mean I'd need to make my inlet tract ~2cm longer! Not something I can give away freely :S