DD/Track KA Powered 4 Door 510

[Uber Deaf One]

AutoX today was pretty successful. The car performed MUCH better than I thought it would... these all seasons had better grip than I expected, but the front was pushing a fair amount off throttle. The tires weren't folding over on the sidewall but they were compressing a LOT. Super soft poopy tires lol. I was having to use the throttle and bring the back end out a bit to get it to rotate...

 

I got some incar videos and spectator videos uploading right now as well.. I'll post those when they're up :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Uber Deaf One]

Quickest run of the day.

 

[NICKLE&DIME]

I like this car!!! sounds good!

[ptown green]

Hey what corbeau seats are those? Im planning on eventually getting some corbeau GTSii's. They look like they will be pretty good for what you pay.

[Uber Deaf One]

I like this car!!! sounds good!

 

Thanks! We're very happy with the sound!

 

Hey what corbeau seats are those? Im planning on eventually getting some corbeau GTSii's. They look like they will be pretty good for what you pay.

 

They are the A4. http://www.corbeau.com/products/reclining_seats/a4/

 

I'm 5'11" and with a helmet on, the top of my helmet is REALLY close to the headliner. I wouldn't use a bigger seat...

[dennis]

Time for some new tires.

[Boaty]

Out of curiosity, I can't really tell for sure, but what radiator hoses are you using?

 

I'd hate to run that generic convoluted flex-hose stuff... think it's unhealthy looking.

I am now down to plumbing the radiator, running the battery to the trunk, and getting my fuel tank modded for an in-tank pump, and of course intake.

 

Which begs me ask, what intake did you end up running? Weapon-R lists a few. I'm trying to debate if I want to run an intake to the driver's side of the engine bay or if I want to make some sort of short-ram and keep the intake where the battery used to be.

 

Also, videos are awesome! Sounds like it's just enough power to get away from you if you hammer it down, but not so much that it's not controllable. I like.

[Uber Deaf One]

Yeah don't use that flex hose stuf. We just went down to our local auto parts store and looked through their radiator hose inventory. Found some hoses that had the bends we needed, and just cut them to length.

 

The intake is one of those plastic bendy tubes with a short Weapon R filter. Picked it up for $10 at a speed shop so why not?

 

KA's like long intakes (about as long as the stock airbox) We could have ran the intake to the driver's side but it would be a very tight fit with this radiator and how far forward the engine sits. Plus with the exhaust right there... I'd rather not run the intake over there. Eventually I am going to make a custom tube out of aluminum that has the same shape as the plastic tube I have right now.

 

Power is exactly how you described it. Top end is lacking a bit and the engine runs very flat right now but that'll change as soon as I get this poopy header off.

[Boaty]

A couple people told me the Megan Racing header fits, but you have to relocate the 02 bung or just remove it altogether and use the EGR bung instead.

 

I know nothing about KA's at this point, until the day comes I rip mine apart to rebuild it (hopefully not any time soon, it's a 90k engine so it should just be broke in!)

 

If you happen to have a receipt or PN for the hoses, that'd be great... only place I know of here that would even let me go rummage through hoses, is my previous work. And if it's not a domestic hose, the chance is small that I'll find it (they rarely stock anything by domestic hoses.. owner is partial to his Fords and hates "Jap Crap").

 

Thanks for the info.. if it runs flat, it's certainly going to have more get up and go than my L20b did.

[Uber Deaf One]

Yep Megan racing headers fit. I do have a 4-2-1 OBX header that barely hits the steering box, and hits the floor. Previous owner dented it in a bit so it clears the steering box, and it'll be very easy to make it so it doesn't hit the floor. We're gonna get that header in later when the new engine gets built.

[Uber Deaf One]

Vid of my fastest run today :) Getting rid of these poopy all season tires and going to slicks would put me just 2 or 3 seconds off the fastest time of the day...... :o

 

 

In-car Vid.

 

[Uber Deaf One]

So, the 510 will be down for a while.... last night I turned my lowered street driven 510 into a rally 510. :(

 

My buddy just bought a Spec E30.. after going through everything and determining it was ready for a shakedown run up Highway 9 (2 lane mountain road) we decided to go for a drive. We were just cruising up 9 at 11pm or so with me leading. Went into a left hand turn in 3rd gear, maybe 65 mph. Not really pushing it AT ALL, 75% at most. I've always been scared of deers jumping out in front of me and whatnot... so I tend to take it easy on these roads.

 

YEAH WELL GUESS WHAT. A deer jumps out in front of me. Fucker!!!!!! I swerved to the outside of the turn to avoid him. Went off the road, and hit a dirt mount that was a couple feet tall. Landed on another dirt mound, then consequently hit another dirt mound, and so on. Went through them getting a solid 5 feet of air off each one. They kind of acted as a guardrail though, because beyond those dirt mounds there was a sheer dropoff with very large trees and rocks at the bottom to stop people who fall down there. I ended up crashing back onto the road just by sheer luck as the next turn was a right hander and it was immediately after the left.

 

The engine was still running, although making a bad noise... shut that off, turned the hazards on. My buddy runs up to me, "Are you OK??"

 

Second thing he said..... lol. "THAT. WAS AWESOME!!!!!!"

 

Hopped out, started lookin at the damage. The front valence got smashed in (good thing I hadn't installed my new air dam yet!!!!!!!) The oil pan was busted and shoved into the crank (probably what was making that nasty noise) The wheels had mad road rash on them but the tires were still holding air. I thought for sure the wheels were bent.

 

My buddy has AAA so we called a tow truck and got her home. I got up this morning and pushed the 510 into the back and got her up on jackstands to get a good look at everything. Overall I'm pretty happy considering how bad it could have been. I just need a new oil pan (which I already have) and a driver's side front control arm. It's pretty much snapped in half. The oil pan got shoved into the swaybar and is literally wrapped around it, so the swaybar is in a weird position, but I don't think it's bent. The tie rods and T/C rods look good. None of the body parts got bent. Front tires are fucked, but surprisingly the wheels spin as true as they did before. Genuine Panasports ftw! I'll never run knock off wheels on my cars...

 

There's also dirt everywhere.. and even in the transmission... lol. So it looks like we're pulling the engine out, cleaning everything up and probably gonna get the other engine built sooner than I had wanted. I just need to order some pistons and drop the block off at a machine shop so they can bore it out. Already have everything else needed to put the engine back together.

 

At least now I know I definitely need to get a rally 510 built because I can see how much fun that shit is!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks like we're gonna pull this engine out.. clean everything up, get a closer look at all of the front end components and go from there.

[Uber Deaf One]

It's almost back on the road :)

 

Engine is back in, everything is hooked up, fresh oil, fresh oil filter, etc. I broke the starter solenoid today though...... and they're $75 new. Headin to pick n pull tomorrow morning to find a cheap one.

 

It also looks like my LF spindle was bent slightly in the crash.. not surprised, that shit was a hard hit. Good thing a local buddy had some 280ZX struts waiting for me in his garage :) Picked those up.. just got to cut the spring perches off (already did 1 today) and swap over my coilovers and brake setup. This also means the front of the car will be a little bit lower ;) No more almost 4x4 gap status up front... fuck yeah! Gonna lower the front probably an inch or so.. I want to be tucking just a tad of tire. For the rears all I need to do is cut the springs a little more, but the ride height in the rear is close to where I want it, so for now that'll stay. Next month I'm ordering a weight jacker kit for the rear, and then I'm going to dial in the rear ride height, then have the car corner weighted.

 

I ruined one tire in the crash... I just can't mis match stuff like tires.... so I picked up a set of 205-50-15 summer tires a few days ago... $40 for 4. They are used but still have a fair amount of tread left... sweet! These will grip much better than the shitty all seasons I have right now. They look MUCH better than the 195s Very beefy and intimidating :)

 

We were able to make my 4-2-1 equal length longtube header work. It was hitting the floor before.... designed for a 240SX not a 510 lol. Just got to stop by the exhaust shop and have a couple quick pipes made and bent, then welded in. Should make the engine run MUCH better, more power all around for sure. The unequal length 4-1 header I had before can't be much better than a stock manifold... only used it because it worked without any modifications

 

Also, when we pulled the engine, we discovered I already had a lightwight flywheel and an aftermarket XTD clutch... awesome! One less thing I have to buy for the high compression build ;)

[TENDRIL]

awesome build im diggin it! :thumbup:

[fisch]

Crazy story about the deer! Glad you and the dime are ok! Deer are a menace up here in the NE too. Last year, driving home late at night, I pull up on some cops, and there is a dead freaking moose in the road. Imagine hitting that! I guess they are extra dangerous because their eyes don't reflect like deer (or was that bears? Another road hazard you don't hear about too often.)

 

Anyway, I guess you can thank the deer though cause who knows how long it would have been before you made these upgrades! (If only the deer kicked in some cash!)

[Uber Deaf One]

Anyway, I guess you can thank the deer though cause who knows how long it would have been before you made these upgrades! (If only the deer kicked in some cash!)

 

lol maybe. I was planning on buying a set of 205-50-15 RE11s next month, so not that long ;) I already had the 4-2-1 header, and I was planning on getting that to work when I finish my high compression N/A KA build and drop it in. Same goes for the lightweight flywheel and aftermarket clutch.

 

Engine is back in today. The struts i got are damn rusty and it just doesn't want to come out... the insert seems to be stuck in Or is the seal threaded in?

 

I do need to get these new struts in asap because the 205-50s rub on the spring perch on my current struts. When I do these new struts I plan on setting the spring perch just a tad above the tire so they shouldn't rub.

[INDY510]

Some struts take a replaceable shock absorber, others, like the 710 seal in hydraulic fluid and have valves and seals inside. These you can replace the fluid on. Not sure about the zx struts or what they have.

 

 

On the 710 the top is threaded and the gland nut is removable.

 

 

Inside is a seal that is very hard to lift out, a dental pick is good...

 

 

Only then can the insides be drained and lifted out..

 

Hopefully that helps ....... :blink:

[Uber Deaf One]

I just saw that post like 10 minutes ago ;) Thanks! That's exactly what we figured was going on.

[Uber Deaf One]

Got the 510 back on the road today :) Had the exhaust done this AM... the old 4-1 header was no better than a stock manifold... this 4-2-1 kicks ass! Sounds better and has quite a bit more power. Before, with the 4-1 and 195-50 all seasons, the car wouldn't break traction in first gear Now, with the 4-2-1 and 205-50 summer tires, 1st gear is a pedal fest and it breaks traction in 2nd. lol!

 

Turns out the struts and spindles are ok.... what happened was the LF spring/shock bottomed out during the crash. Hard. The spring actually collapsed and is only 7" tall instead of 8". The car came with brand new 275 lb springs... so those went on :) I was wanting to go to 275-300 lbs anyway for the track... so it all works out in the end! I just got to get the rear springs sorted, those need to be about 75 lbs stiffer (wheel rate) 1140 lb spring... easy peazy.

[Uber Deaf One]

Almost got a fix-it ticket earlier this morning.... saw a cop roll by our house then stop next to the 510. Pulled out his little scanner thing... 2 mins later he hops out and starts writing a ticket. Me and my dad are like WTF!!!! and run outside. This whole time I'm trying to figure out wtf I did wrong the night before (which was nothing lol). He wanted to write a ticket for the front plate being in the dash and not on the front of the car. Really? Nothing better to do? Got out of that one but now we got to get that plate mounted somehow... my front bumper needs to be straightened out, sandblasted and painted which is why it hasn't been on. I'm not drilling holes in the valence.. so... got to figure something out. CA sucks :(

[Uber Deaf One]

I haven't updated this thread in a while...

 

I've been doing a lot of little stuff to the car here and there... figured I'd throw up some pics of how it is right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've put about 10k miles on the car since we got it on the road in October, and it has been super reliable. I'm getting 30 mpg highway and probably 25ish city. As far as straight line performance goes, I have done a few races with my dad on backroads. He has a lightly modded 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 with ~300whp. His car will run the 1/4 mile in about 13.5 seconds. Off the line I pull about 2 car lengths ahead and pretty much stay there while he struggles to get traction. As soon as he hits 4th gear he starts reeling me in, and he passes me just as I hit 5th gear which is also right around the 1/4 mile mark. High 13/low 14 second car right now... not bad. That's with crappy tires and too much rear camber.

 

In the twisties I can keep up with him, despite too much rear camber and poopy tires. And a blown front shock :P

 

It's just about warm enough to rattlecan the car... I'm trying to decide between white and a forest green. It will be painted soon :P

 

I'm waiting to get my new rear crossmember back from sandblasting, then I'm getting Byron's rear alignment brackets installed. I'm hoping to run -1 degree of camber in the back... but the tire may hit the door jamb. I'd prefer to keep the rear lower, so I'll settle for -1.5 or maybe -2 degrees... we'll see.

 

The engine also burns oil pretty bad.. anyone who's seen my AutoX videos has probably noticed the puffs of smoke lol. I'm going to rebuild the engine next month.. just a standard rebuild. Boring the block out .020. Stock compression, stock pistons.

 

After that I need tires.... I'm still trying to decide between RE-11s and Star Specs. After tires, I'm going to pick up some KYB AGX front inserts to help control the front due to all the weight up there and the stiff springs I'm running. I'm really happy with the KYB GR-2s in the rear.

 

I also need to pick up some metal so I can weld a harness bar back in. The one that came with the rollbar was way too low.

 

After all that, it's finally ready for track days!!

[Uber Deaf One]

Oh and I forgot to say after it's track day ready, the next big project will be turbo ;) 300whp of forced induction goodness. Oh yes.

 

Also I could use a new title for this thread.... any ideas? lol

[Uber Deaf One]

Got the hood pins on today, woot! At 100+ mph the hood looked like it was ready to come flying up.. the sides would literally be a good 2 inches higher than the fenders!

 

[Uber Deaf One]

Man.. I can never catch a break. Been trying to get out to Thunderhill for a couple months now, but stuff keeps coming up and I don't have the money or the time lol. Now it's looking like my 1st track day in the 510 won't be until September... ahh well. Gives me time to do some more things to the car.

 

Ordered the metal for a harness bar... soon as that gets here I can finally mount the harness to that, rather than down on the floor. Much safer and looks better lol.

[Uber Deaf One]

Uh oh. Rod knock. Time to pull the whole thing apart.

 

I've decided I'm too poor for a turbo setup (lol) so I'm gonna go with a high comp N/A build with ITBs. I REALLY don't need a 300hp 510...

 

Gonna go with single cam KA pistons... 11.1:1 compression. No forged pistons/rods. Once we get the car back on the road (start school next month... definitely need it by then lol) I'll start on the ITB setup. Not looking forward to Megasquirt :(

 

11.1:1 in a dual cam KA should be safe to daily drive on right? 91 octane pump gas.