379/1000 First Start ....Build Log

[broxma]

I got 379 as a gift from my friend who own(ed) two GVR-4's. We are both old school DSM guys, we both own Evo's as well and have both gone through no less than 5 1g's or 2g's of various years. I finally got the moxie to get 379 running over the last week and finally turned the ignition on it tonight.It started right up after a starter swap with my 1G and sounded fine for the second(s) I let it idle.

I am now getting ready for the restoration part. Headed to the yard this weekend to grab a 4 bolt rear, and 5 lug hubs, ABS delete and whatever else strikes my fancy. I don't have any pictures of the car yet and the engine bay is still in some disarray. I'll be building a new ignition system for it this weekend and a custom FMIC/pipe setup is going on as part of a trade I made for my old 90 GS(T). As soon as I get the car in better working order I'll probably get a rebuild log going on here. My ignition system build is already posted on EvoM and I have it running on my Evo right now so somebody may be interested in it.

Will update as events unfold but just wanted to say Hi, and there is one more GVR-4 on the earth that is once again running. And Thanks to Jason and John for lending me their time this last weekend to get it running.

/brox

UPDATES Page 4 - New Turbo Setup, Wheel Pictures, Soon - Turbo and IC install Pictures.
UPDATES Page 6 - IC Pics, Horns, Brakes, Swaybar.
UPDATES Page 7(?) - EBAY Turbo FTW.

 

[fivestardsm]

Welcome! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

That's one hell of a gift. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif
Welcome.

 

[broxma]

So The restoration has started on 379. This was an Ohio car so I figure it had some rust. I got lucky in that most of it is isolated to the subframe and supporting members rather than the actual sheet metal. I knew there was a 93 GSX Eclipse at the junkyard, so I figured I would grab the LSD off that car, and while I was at it, get the 5 lug spindles. So I took the factory subframe off and found this.

So the factory parts were completely rusted to hell. The tops of the bolts had actually rusted so badly they fused with the sleeves they were in and didn't move. The ones on the trailing arms actually just ripped the bushing to shreds when I hit it with the impact. I knew I was going to need a new subframe. Fortunately, I knew where one was. Another rust point here was the rear rack. The ball joints would not come out using any method so I had to crack them loose and leave them on to get the rack off.

This is the top of the rear PS pump area. Clearly not in good shape.

This is again the subframe, but you'll notice the strut came off with the car. That was because it is rusted to the mount and cannot be removed. The bushings again ripped apart and the mount never broke loose of the sleeve of the strut.

So here are the new rear spindles. I didn't bother with just getting the hub as getting the spindles was easier, although alot more expensive. Considering the rust, I figured it a good investment. The front spindles are up top there too.

This is the underside of the car with the subframe removed. The rusty lines are the PS lines and the rest of the rust is really superficial. Tomorrow, we are going to pressure wash it to get the loose stuff off, rust converter and rubberized undercoat. The wheel wells will get done as well.

So after giving up on the old subframe entirely, I went and got the one I pulled the other stuff from. It was laying exactly where I had left it so my trip to the yard today was very short. 38.00 and I was out the door. I also grabbed a 1.8 non-CC throttle cable when I was there.

Here is the new subframe painted with Duplicolor Engine paint. I'm not looking for perfection here, just an 80% solution. It's a part under the car and will not stay perfect so I wasn't too concerned about the paint. I cleaned it reasonably and hit it with about 3 coats.

Here is the painted LSD differential. I hit it with alot more layers of the same paint. Since it was a junkyard part it had no fluid and the magnetic plug was covered with sludge. I'll be tearing it down before it goes back on.

One of the spindles. I was not trying to be accurate with the paint on these, again, only an 80% solution. Just some paint for minor protection but I didn't tape anything off or anything.

Tomorrow is more cleaning and hopefully getting the subframe back on. A lot of work will be going into the car in the following week so I'll update as I can.

 

[broxma]

Parts update.
I ordered a new 1G AWD energy suspension Master kit, 2 new rear AGX adjustables and some front endlinks. Should just about wrap up the suspension and should be on this week.

Total cost for the entire suspension should come in just under 700.00 including the LSD rear, axles, all 4 spindles and entire rear subframe, plus all the stuff I ordered tonight. Not too shabby.

 

[Whoodoo]

Looks like you really know what's what. Good for us noobies to get an example of clear, concise direction and clean execution. I look forward to seeing more updates. Oh and its great to hear about the cost of the build as well. Good luck!

 

[broxma]

I am currently on hold waiting for the parts to come in. There will be several updates this weekend. I had started the undercoating in the rear but unfortunately the temperature dropped quite a bit and it started raining, making the spraying a hassle. Hoping for warmer weather soon. I may have to simply get the garage temperature up a few degrees and throw on the respirator.

 

[broxma]

I was in the garage late last night messing with the bushing kit. The rear differential brace bushings which of course don't come with the ES kit are pretty beat so I am headed to the J-yard to find a replacement. If that doesn't work I'll just build some. The bushing install is a PITA so far and I am still curious as to how I am going to get several of them out. My 6 ton press is not getting them out and they have all had to come out manually.

Unfortunately, they are calling for snow in San Antonio and even if it doesn't snow, its still damned cold.

An to add an update to the cost. I got a rear pair of the 8-way adjustable AGX's online for about 75 shipped. Cost right now is running in at an almost even 650.00. I'll do a breakdown once the suspension is fully back together, however the cost will jump quite a bit once I factor in the new rear sway bar.

/brox

 

[broxma]

My advice for getting many of the bushings out - Get a decent hole saw kit. As long as the saw goes around the sleeve, hole saw the center out and then use a sawzall with a metal blade to put a slice in the outer sleeve, then just pop the sleeve out. After I figured out this magic, each one took my like 10 minutes.

The rear is finished minus the swaybar. I took some pictures which I'll get up in a few. I got started on the front and found the passenger side swaybar endlink nut had effectively rusted to the post. The 14mm built in nut on the opposite side of the nut stripped as soon as I hit the nut with the impact. The swaybar nut is now the only thing holding the lower A arm on so since I ordered new endlinks, I'm going to simply hack it off with the sawzall and drill it out of the sway bar.

I also snapped off the M10 or M12 bolt in the frame which will probably be a huge PITA. I hit it with the impact and it laughed at me, so I grabbed my 4 foot breaker bar and it snapped immediately. Fortunately it is on the one side that also has the two 14mm bolts holding the A arm bushing so I may be able to find a workaround if I can't drill it out.

/brox

 

[broxma]

Here are some random pictures of the finished rear end. Actually, everything is done except the sway bar. I have the bushings for it I just haven't put it in yet.

Main shot of the bottom. Pretty standard stuff really. Paint isn't perfect but again, 80% solution.

Drivers side rear trailing arm and whatnot. One issue with putting things back is the position of the E-brake cable as it has to go under the upper lateral arm. I had to remove the bushing on that arm and wiggle it under. Not a huge deal but would rather had not had to do it.

Passenger side spindle. You can see a few of the bushings in there somewhere. Shocks are new AGX adjustables I got for 35.00 a piece.

Drivers side wheel well. I rubberized the well and will be rolling on 95 GSX wheels, which I plan on getting coated bronze or something. I had to re use the stock rear springs because the Evo drop springs I was going to use are way too short, and the spring would have bounced in the perch.

Because I'm a narcissist...The red is not my hair, it was a reflection from the flash, kinda like red eye, but on my head. The 4 layers of clothes are due to the freezing temps in the garage at this point.

I'll be taking more thorough pictures of the install on the front as it is still apart and the wife returns with my camera tonight. The front is getting the same treatment basically except I can already tell the subframe bushings won't be going on. At least one nut is stuck on a bolt and I know that by trying to get it off, it's going to break. One of the situations where you have to know when to quit. I may try and find another use for the 4 extra bushings. I'm also not too concerned about the brakes at this point as they will be switched out for 3000GT brakes in the near future anyway, so anything to stop the car at this point will be fine.

/brox

 

[broxma]

So with the holidays and whatnot I was removed from garage duty and had to put the project on hold. I got back after new years and went right to work exactly where I left off, the steering rack. The GVR4 rack did work and the rack proper was not in terrible shape, however the lines were rusted pretty badly and the fittings were no better. I pulled the rack off the FWD Eclipse I have sitting on jackstands in the driveway, and then got at the GVR4 rack.

The lower rack is the GVR4 rack which has clearly seen better days. The above rack is the Eclipse rack which I had cleaned up at this point. The racks are actually totally identical, the differences being the fittings. You can see the GVR4 rack has a pass through fitting for the high side to go back to the rear rack where the Eclipse rack does not. The same is on the other fitting for the other line.

This is a better picture of the Eclipse rack where you can see the fitting which is normally pass through on the GVR4 rack.

Pass through fitting on the GVR4 rack, rusted.

So the Eclipse rack was imperfect. The ends were not in good shape at all, mostly seized up and the boots were both ripped. I ran to Advanced and grabbed Moog HD grease fitting ends and new boots. Total of about 130.00 for all of it plus a gallon jug of purple power.

The new fittings vs. the old ones. I probably could have rebuilt them but I had more money than desire so I just got new ones. The new ones came with grease fittings as well which I am a fan of.

Torn boot in need of replacement. Both boots were torn on the Eclipse rack. Oddly, one of the boots on the 17 year old GVR4 rack was factory and not torn.

Something old, something new.

In case you are wondering, this is the part number for the boot. It came with all the clamps and I think a lifetime replacement.

Part number for the Moog Ends. These I know had a lifetime replacement on them and were a bit pricey.

To give you an idea how disturbingly messy it is under the car, this is the transfer case I pulled off. I cleaned it for about 45 minutes and it still looked like butt. I drained it while it was off the car and filled it with Swepco 201. I also found I am missing the long upper bolt so only 4 bolts were/are holding it on. Another junkyard run should remedy that.

New ends installed. Not much to see.

New boot installed. Again, not much to see.

This was the condition of one of the ends. It had rusted itself solid.

Eclipse rack mounted. I had to reuse the GVR4 mounts as I couldn't find the Eclipse ones, which were not rusted. I'll get new ones at the yard as well. Lock to lock is still the same, around 2.5-2.75 or so.

The business end of the rack installed. I was surprised how easily the splined shaft went back onto the steering shaft. I didn't really try to align the wheels as I am planning a full alignment as soon as the car is road worthy. Initial inspection after I put the wheels back on showed it was close.

That was it for the steering rack. Next was onto the engine proper.

/brox

 

[broxma]

So to wrap up the costs to get this thing back into a condition of some road worthyness....

Car - Free
Rear subframe/LSD/Axles/5 lug hubs(All 4) - 375.00
Rear KYB AGX Adjustable struts - 75.00
2G MAS - 35.00
Chipped ECU - 140.00
Evo Injectors - 50.00
5 lug front disc (2) - 76.00
Steering rack parts - 130.00
rear 5 lug discs - free
Eclipse rack - Free
Rebuilt 1G head - Free (Don't ask)
Evo 8 Intercooler - Free
16G turbo - Free (Came with the car)
Seat rails - 36.00 (Factory ones rusted, replaced with base Galant and yes they will work, you just lose height adjustment)
HKS Head gasket - Had one so Free
ARP Head studs - Had those too so Free again.
Evo3 Ex Mani - Came with the car so you guessed it, Free again.
Front ball joints for lower arms - 34.00 + 90.00 Install
Energy Sus bushings - 140.00
SS O2 housing - 56.00
Paint, cleaner, etc - probably 40 or so

So that puts my total at around 1275.00 for a running GVR4 which is probably better than stock in many aspects at this point. A lot of the parts I used I had laying around the garage. The fresh rebuilt head was a gift which came off the donor eclipse. The same guy who gave me the car, gave me the head. I had a lot of DSM and Evo parts laying around, so I could mix and match as needed. The Evo 8 IC is only temporary until I get the custom core and pipes welded up within the next few weeks. I did modify the Evo IC to fit quite nicely and will probably take some pictures of the fitment in case I sell it.

Onto the motor proper...

 

[broxma]

So much of what I currently have in the engine bay is temporary. I had to make many shortcuts until proper parts can be made.

Current picture of the engine bay. Many things to notice. The Cruise control is gone. The 2G MAS is basically chillin there without any support and the BPV is not plumbed back in right now. I didn't have any hose to re route it so I left the BPV open to ATM and just capped the snorkel. The snorkel will be replaced with an aluminum piece and mounted to something. The BPV will be relocated closer to the TB and angled more towards the snorkel. I removed the black plastic keeper for the injector wires, re wrapped them and hid them under the manifold braces. I also found a path for the Non-CC throttle cable to not sit on top the motor.

You can just see the bend for the Evo 8 IC at the bottom right. I used the factory soft parts but they honestly don't fit well. The new hard pipes will be routed totally different to avoid crossing over the exhaust manifold.

The large blue wire is from the rear mounted battery box which is going away in favor of a custom tray for a Braille 11.5 battery I have on order. I'll be putting it back up front mounted hear the strut tower.

I haven't had time to build the ignition system for it yet but I am grabbing the coils tomorrow. Since I already have the ignitor, install should be relatively easy.

Here is a closer picture of the manifold. You can see everything is basically absent from the top which I like. The blue vacuum line will also disappear soon as it is only there temporarily for the BPV. I'll be tapping some other spot on the manifold for that line. I also plan on welding up the IAC ports and controlling idle by the throttle plate screw to eliminate idle surge. All the vacuum ports on the TB will be cut off and welded up as well.

Here you can see the mess of wires near the MAS. There are a few connectors down there for which I can find no purpose. You can see one of them just under the yellow tape mark on the MAS wire bundle. It's a two wire female plug but it goes to nothing. Might have been for something I removed and I simply forgot.

And here she is sitting in the driveway after I was able to start her up and take her for a test drive about 100 yards down the road. The extreme rake of the stance is not as extreme as it appears but it's pretty raked. The front springs are aftermarket Evo springs while the backs are stockers. All four struts are KYB AGX adjustables. You can see a decent dent on the front quarter panel so I'm in the market for a new one. The wheels are pretty obviously 2G GSX wheels. I'm fond of the look but the rears actually rubbed on the mudflaps on the driver side. Good thing I hate mud flaps so today I removed them.

Current issues include....

Phantom leak on the radiator.
No brakes, probably a bleed issue.
1G shifter makes getting into reverse almost impossible so I'm going to fiddle with that.
Car has no radiator fans atm so I need to find at least one slim fan.
Many interior parts need replacing. Possibly may have to replace the entire dash as the lower section under the steering wheel is broken off entirely.
Carpet isn't fitting quite right in the rear for some reason.
The sunroof seems to sit at an odd angle in the closed position.
Front end needs a new grille to cover the IC, because I cut it.
Lifters are still quite noisy and I may replace with 3G.
Idle Surge....I say again, Idle Surge. It hunts like Elmer Fudd.
Need to unblock the PCV valve and get a new one.
Bring battery back up to the front.
Repair leather on driver seat.
Radio bezel is missing, as is the radio. Also, front speakers are the wrong size and rears are missing entirely.

Random crap like that.

That's about it for now. I'm hoping to get to the junkyard tomorrow. If I can fix the reverse issue and the brake issue I'd feel confident in driving it. Until then. It's a driveway decoration.

/brox

 

[524of1000]

Man you're good at write ups! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worthy.gif

 

[broxma]

I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult to be honest but at least someone is looking at this I suppose. I hadn't planned on doing a step by step with this restoration really since they have all been done before. Just figured I'd jot down a few things as I went along. Thank you for the reply though and I hoope to have some of the more custom work I am doing up within the next few weeks.

/brox

 

[curtis]

Pay no attention....I'm long winded as well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[NYC86ZC]

i've been following your build too.

Looking good so far. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif

 

[524of1000]

compliment

 

good stuff man /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

+1 at being good at write ups. It just makes for a better post. Much more informing to read. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif
BTW it looks great, and good budgeting. Keep up the excellent work.