01/30/2009 - Started tearing the SS apart tonight.

Started by removing the front bumper, intake, S/C, Alternator, Intake Manifold, I/C Pump, and stock heat exchanger. Then I moved on to the exhaust side of

the car. I removed the downpipe, but then got held up trying to remove the cat-back, since all the clamps seem to be rusted tight and it won't pull apart.

I was hungry, so I called it a night.













I'm wanting to route my intercooler piping around the engine... so that I don't have pipes going over the engine, etc. But I'm not exactly sure how to do

it. Looking at it from under the car, it looks like it would be a tiiiiiight squeeze.

Last night I bought a Precision SCM-5031E (450hp capable 50 Trim w/ DSM Style Hotside), a DSM Style O2 Housing, 60# Injectors, and an LS4 Throttle Body.


In the next few days I'll be picking out/up an HKS SSQ BOV, an intercooler, intercooler piping, and my Oil Lines/Fittings. Gonna order the Vulcan Intake

Manifold and Vulcan Long-Tube Turbo Manifold from OTTP. I'm debating on how to run my exhaust. I don't wanna have all the twists and turns that the stock

cat-back runs, so I think that I am just going to shoot it straight back, do the first 90* turn, and then have it exit in front of the Rear Tire. I'll

probably throw a big resonator in there to quite it down a little. Open to suggestions on the cat-back though.

- - - - -

01/31/2009 - Started by taking MAP Gas to the cat-back. After a couple of heat sessions, it came apart nice and easy. Then dropped the rear bar

to remove the springs and took out the front struts. Taking the front struts apart was giving us a hell of a time, so I moved on to misc **** on the car.

I removed the factory boost controller, then removed all of the hose for the PCV System. I then moved onto the Exhaust Manifold, which was pretty simple,

until I forgot about that one lonely bolt all the way down past Cylinder #4. But it only took me about 2 minutes to realize that something was still

holding it on. Haha. Went to put the Boost Gauge/Pillar back in the car, but it looks like the tiny little ball piece that slides on the end of the vacuum

line in the gauge is MIA... so I'll either have to come back and find it later, or just buy a new piece.

That's it for tonight.





Looks like I need new Sway Bar Links. The boot on this one got fucked, looks like both sides are toast actually.










I wiped the inside out with a napkin a little bit and the shine of the port started coming out again.


- - - - -

02/04/2009 - This just arrived...








- - - - -

02/11/2009

Waaaaaaaay too short... Doesn't fill up the mouth at all. For some reason, when I ordered it... I thought that 27" was gonna be A LOT

bigger.



HORRIBLE PowderCoating job... but it was free... and it doesn't look that bad on the front unless you look really closely. The back lips are

appalling.


You'll notice he didn't get the inside the Lug Nut area very good.






Look closely... you'll see it.


- - - - -

02/13/2009 - 2.2 Alt and Tensioner showed up, along with my HKS SSQV and 60# Injectors.

Still need to order Oil Lines and Manifolds. Hallman Pro Boost Controller



I need to find a connector/pigtail for the 2.2L Alt still though...

 

- - - - -

03/11/2009 - Side Exit showed up today... no sign of the Manifolds yet. I just emailed them again.









- - - - -

03/31/2009 - Mani's are here... can't say that I've too happy about them though. They do have good welds though.


Notice the hole in the middle of the flange... it leads to nothing, but the gasket. It is where the PCV Valve is on the 2.2L's & 2.4L's... but there is

nothing under it on my car, except for gasket. And there is no accommodation for the 2.0's PCV Valve (or what ever that is called).


Great powerdercoating job...




There are a lot of little bumps all over it... like it was powdercoated over dirty metal or something. They look like rust bubbles all over it... only

black.


How do you not notice something like this before shipping it out?


This doesn't look safe/healthy/good. I suppose I'll need to dremel those off.



And the beautiful Turbo Manifold... Beautiful piece. Not any real complaints here.




This weld looks like it'll be a restriction.




Aaaaaaaaand my ARP bolts don't fit. Not only is the hole too small for the bolt to even go through (even from the bottom), but the placement of the flange

in relation to the piping doesn't allow them to go in. I think that boring the bolt holes out a little bit will probably help with that though.


The intake mani is for a 2.2L or 2.4L, without a doubt. I am almost 100% sure of that. The TB Flange is only 2.5" wide... opposed to the 3.5" that he said

he would make for my LS4 TB.

Oh, there were also some runs in the black. I didn't think you could have runs when you powdercoated something.

- - - - -

04/11/2009 - I'm pretty much fed up with Vulcan right now. I don't think there is ONE positive thing that I could say about the intake manifold

that I have received, and maybe one or two positive things can be said about the Exhaust Manifold.

After the complaint email... I didn't hear back from them until I emailed them again at the beginning of this week. The only solution they offered me was

for me to send it back in to get fixed.

I went to put it on today... the bolts that hold the I/M to the head won't even fit through the holes on the I/M Flange. ANOTHER strike.

So, I'm having to painstakingly bore out the holes on the Turbo's flange (VERY Time consuming) and now I'm going to have to bore out the holes on the I/M

Flange. I just don't like dropping $500 on a manifold, only to have to put a good two or three hours worth of labor into making it fit.

- - - - -

04/15/2009 - Bored out the holes on the Turbo flange tonight. Threw the new gasket on the head and put the Exhaust Mani on... that was a pain

in the ass which took an hour. I don't think the holes on the flange match up quite right or something... I dunno. It took A LOT of wiggling to get it to

go on. I didn't 100% torque it down yet, since I figure I'll have to pull it off at least one more time for something stupid.

Went to put the turbo on and the Compressor Housing Outlet hit the Steering Rack, so I rotated the Comp Housing about 15* (So that it was pointing

straight down). Then the Comp Housing Outlet was hitting the Engine Cradle. So it was apparent that I wasn't going to be able to route the piping AROUND

the engine like I wanted to... so I rotated the Comp Housing 180* (So it is point straight up)... but now the internal wastegate is hitting water pump.



Soooo... it looks like I am going to have to order a Tial Wastegate and a new O2 Housing. Thursday night I'm hopefully gonna bore out the I/M's bolt holes

so that I can bolt it up. I've also gotta bore out the TB Flange and de-burr the vacuum ports.

- - - - -

04/17/2009 - Got a lot done tonight.

Tightened down the bolts on the Turbo Manifold. I tried the turbo with the Internal Wastegate on it again... saw that it was actually hitting the plate

that the Wastegate Actuator was attached to, so I ground that down... and it came a lot closer to mounting. But then the WGA really did hit the water

pump. It is seriously a ****-hair of a difference. If I could hammer in the side of the WGA just a LITTLE BIT... it would fit. But I don't think that

would be a good idea. SOOO... I took off the WGA again, and then put a jack stand under the turbo and clamped the Turbo onto the T/M with Vice Grips to

see how see sits. Determined that I'm gonna have to run a screen on it, because there is no way I can get a filter on there. I think I figured out how

I'll be running my I/C Piping. Still need to remove the Windshield Washer fluid to be 100% sure on it though.

Once that was on there... I saw that there was no way that I could run a DSM O2 housing and have an exhaust, as the exit of the O2 housing was even with

the top of the engine cradle.

I also bored out the holes for the Mounting Bolts on the Intake Manifold. I outlined the inside of the Throttle Body on the Flange... was gonna start

boring that out... but it was getting late, and my forearms were already on fire... so I called it a day.

- - - - -

04/21/2009 - Tonight was rather productive...

-Routed I/C Piping
-Mounted and paint I/C black (is 99.8% invisible with that lower SS Grille!)
-Put springs on Front Struts then mounted Struts
-Shaved Rear Trans mount so that O2 Housing will fit
-Attached the Oil Return bulkhead fitting
-Re-attached the Oil Pan

When routing the piping, we realized that I needed a little bit more piping and some more Silicone connectors... sooooo, I just ordered up the silicone,

along with a 7" pipe that has the BOV Flange already on it. So I don't need that welded on anymore.

I also ordered my wastegate and pretty much all the exhaust pieces that I'll need to have my Downpipe fabbed up. Now I just need to find a fabricator...

and quick... then she'll pretty much be done.

- - - - -

05/06/2009 - Ordered Studs tonight, to mount my Intake Mani with... and a throttle body spacer to mount the TB on. That'll be nice since it

comes with a post on it to spray Meth or Nitrous. Maybe I'll use that in the future some time.

- - - - -

05/08/2009 - Just got back from the garage. We bleed the one brake that I took off the car to paint, wired in the new Alternator Plug, put on

the 41" belt, attached the piping to the intercooler, and a few other things. Bought a foot of high temp hose for the Oil Drain and some screen to cover

the Turbo Inlet.

Studs and OTTP TB Spacer should be arriving today. Then we'll mount up the Manifold and TB. Beyond that... We just need to route vacuum lines and get the

Downpipe fabbed up tomorrow.

- - - - - - Got most everything done on it. Manifold is mounted, Brake Booster and Pressure Sensor are Hooked up. Needed much

larger tubing for the MAP, so I'll need a larger fitting as well. Gotta go to Lowe's here soon.

- - - - -

05/10/2009 - My beauty... we haven't tried to stick it under the car since welding on the Wastegate Recirc, it'll be F'ing tight.







- - - - -

05/11/2009 - Pretty much have everything done. I still need to finish bolting up the wastegate, which might prove to be a large PITA, but I'm

sure I can get it done.

Other than that, all I have to do is put in the rest of my piping, throw the spacer and TB on, Oil her up, and then start her up. Tuner will be here on

Tuesday (05/12/2009).

 

dam man great work..too bad for ******* vulcan tho...that screwed up everything huh...but other than that GJ and that dp is ****!

 

Yeah... I've had a lot of problems with things not quite working right. I suppose that's the problem with doing things custom.

I hope to hear it start up today.

 

yea...man custom work there is always problems but your doing good tho...and I hope it starts too..GL! and get some vids if it does...

 

How loud is that thing gonna be without a muffler? Im doing my exhuast next week and now you have me thinking of just putting on a resonator with some piping and call it a day... Im not sure if i like the side exit.. but if the benefits are there because of the turbo then i need to think about it.

 

hey man how has the car been running

 

Wonderfully..

My tensioner is a little loose, so i get belt squeaks when i turn the ac on at idle.

I have a pretty bad exhaust leak.. lol... I really need to fix it but by the time im done with work, im too lazy. Im thinking of just taking off my cat back for the time being lol.

 

I dunno... probably pretty damn loud. I did it because I don't want all the bends and price that were associated with a full cat-back.

I got that for $215 shipped. 19" Magnaflow Resonator w/ 3" 304 Stainless.

 

yea that aint that bad...but yea u need to get that leak fixed...get off ur ass and get it done son lol

 

Lol.. man.. i know i need to.

But by the time that damn thing cools off its already dark lol.

 

lol..yea no lie that **** gets super hot!...

 

Crazzzzzzzzzy hot..

My coolant dic never went above 185...

i hit 201 the other day.. i was like oh my.. but that was after running hard then sitting idle at a light for a minute.

 

oh well yea it always goes up and down anyways...but how do ur iat's be looking?

 

To be honest im not sure... probably very nice lol.

 

yea turbo ftw! in that aspect...well alot of aspects actually lol

 

this thread is like ****...i love pics like these lol

 

subscribed'

 

How about you two not ***** it up in my thread.

 

Sorry.. Didnt realize it i just started answering the question. haha...

Atleast i paid attention to what you were doing also

 

sry man i figure we was just bumping it up for u....

 

sex///

 

looks awesome

figures it would fight you the whole way

 

The OTTP TB Spacer that I ordered on the 6th STILL hasn't shown up... that's the ONLY thing I'm waiting on. That's the ONLY reason we didn't get it started on Tuesday. Now I have to schedule a different time for my Tuner to come up and tune my car.

I better get to drive this ******* thing before I deploy!

If the OTTP Spacer isn't here tomorrow... I'm driving to ZZP and picking one up, so that I can put it on and start it tomorrow.

 

^^^ idk whats up with them... My kit has been 3 weeks in the progress