New Owner of 1837/2000

[GSTwithPSI]

Long story short, I pulled the built motor out and am replacing it with my rebuilt stock short block for the time being. After considering my long and short term goals for the car, this is the best option for me. A stock bottom end will get me to where I want to be short term, while enabling me to make some improvements to my other motor eventually allowing me to meet my long term goals.

Motor out:

Nasty short block:

Clean short block:

New Fel-Pro HG & ARP studs:

Cleaned up the head:

Head bolted up:

Long block mostly assembled with the -10 AN valve cover for the new catch can setup:

Got jelly of 15psi88's sweet cover, so here's my lesser attempt at my own version. It still needs the finishing touches, but you get the idea.

BISS rebuild stuffz

 

[G]

Looks dope! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif

 

[transparentdsm]

that motor looks great. makes me want to build one. i might have to now.

 

[coyotes]

what paint did you use on the block? and what is that cover for really?

nicely done though, your work is always super clean

 

[turbohf]

looks good, but i cant said i have ever seen anyone paint a block wrinkle red.

 

[GSTwithPSI]

I painted the block with VHT FlameProof. Its not actually a "wrinkle" finish, it just dries as a dull red (or whatever color you have), which I actually kind of like. With the FlameProof paint, you can bake the part after it is coated, and I've found it's damn near as durable as powdercoating. I coated the FP manifold in the same stuff, and it holds up great even under extreme heat.

The cover is my half-assed solution to doing a full wire tuck. I hated how the body harness and fuse box/fuse box wiring looks in that area of the car. I started to pull the harness and relocate it in the body, then decided against it. After the cover is done, it should neatly hide everything while giving the bay an overall cleaner look. I'm trying to decide if I want to paint it white to match the car, or black to offset all the white that's already in the engine compartment. The edges of the cover will be covered with some flexible trim.

I've always found the little details always add up to a good look overall, so that's what I'm concentrating on this time around. The goal is a clean looking engine bay that's still functional. I don't want to pull half of my car apart just to trace a wire or check some fuses, but also don't want it looking like a cluttered mess. Finding that happy medium has been more difficult than I anticipated.

 

[prove_it]

I like the detail of the Magnus and FP logos painted red. Looks really nice.

 

[GSTwithPSI]

Ok, so I'm recapping some stuff just to document everything I've done to the car in the build thread. I also have some new updates as well. Be prepared to scroll...A LOT.

After pulling the motor, I decided to restore and recover the wiring harness. I used new Raychem covering and replaced connectors where needed. Here are some shots of it before:

Here are some shots of the harness restoration:

And a few shots of the harness semi-routed:

Motor ready to go in:

Flywheel was resurfaced by Jackson Auto Machine (JAM). They did an amazing job! The pictures speak for themselves.

Flywheel, PP, and trans bolted up:

Motor dropped in:

Clear cam cover to go with the pretty cam gears (set to zero of course):

Time for some new brake stuff! New OEM Mitsu rear calipers, dust shields and rotors. Also, braided lines for all 4 corners.

I also installed a set of Sabelt 3 point harnesses:

For the back, you'll need a set of 90* L brackets.

Belts installed:

Out with the BBS LMs and in with the Work Meister S1s. When I got the wheels they were looking poopy:

So I stripped all the poop off of one:

Then did the rest:

Taped off the lips and prepped for paint:

Picked up some paint from Automotive Touchup. I went with Factory Subaru Gold Metallic, and it turned out to be a really nice color:

After a quick spray:

Almost dry:

Wheels are dry, tape removed. I decided not to clear coat because I really liked the finish. It's not quite a matte finish, but more like a satin finish. It looks great in the sun.

Picked up all new decals:

Decals on, wheels shined up and finished:

...And soon to be wrapped in Dunlop Direzza DZ101s:

At this point, I pretty much have everything I need to get 1837 back together. Now, I can get my other motor on the stand and start building it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif

 

[minneSNOWta]

Very nice Brett. Lots of hard work put in on that harness. Love the wheels. What size are they? How much were the rear OEM calipers? I've been waiting on a pair of reman's to ship, but it's been a while. Also, how did you find new dust shields? I've asked JNZ and no luck.

 

[ApexHunter]

Quoting GSTwithPSI:

Wheels came out great. Ditching the clear was a good move. These wheels are knocked off all over the place; i feel like the satin helps keep them different from all the reps. I always thought Meister S1s or SSR Professor SP1s looked right at home on 6g Galant.

Some insane dedication here, hats off to you man. I remember all the BS with the blue car. A friend of mine thought he saw it when he was in Pensacola several months ago. He said it wasn't looking so great. I was kind of hoping that it was a different car but how many Estoril Blue 6g galants could be there?

Cute seatbelts.

 

[GSTwithPSI]

Quoting minneSNOWta:
Very nice Brett. Lots of hard work put in on that harness. Love the wheels. What size are they? How much were the rear OEM calipers? I've been waiting on a pair of reman's to ship, but it's been a while. Also, how did you find new dust shields? I've asked JNZ and no luck.



Hey Andre, thanks for the kind words. The wheels are 17x7 & 17x8 +30. I would have prefered to get a set that is 8" wide all the way around, but I got a great deal on the set I picked up. I prefer the aesthetics of a staggered setup, so I'm not too upset about it. The only thing I don't like is the fact that I'll still need to run a 5mm spacer in the front to clear the 3KGT brakes. I kinda expected it due to the low offset, but was hopeful I could ditch the spacers. Those 3KGT calipers just stick out a ridiculous amount.

I got the OEM calipers and dust shields as part of a deal when I picked up 820. I wouldn't even want to know what it would cost to source those parts new from the dealer, assuming they are even still available.




Quoting ApexHunter:
Wheels came out great. Ditching the clear was a good move. These wheels are knocked off all over the place; i feel like the satin helps keep them different from all the reps. I always thought Meister S1s or SSR Professor SP1s looked right at home on 6g Galant.

Some insane dedication here, hats off to you man. I remember all the BS with the blue car. A friend of mine thought he saw it when he was in Pensacola several months ago. He said it wasn't looking so great. I was kind of hoping that it was a different car but how many Estoril Blue 6g galants could be there?

Cute seatbelts.



Thanks for the compliments, David. I thought the BBS LMs always looked great on the car, but the spoke design was just too busy for my taste. I also hated how my BBS wheels were only 7" wide. If you compare shots of my car to Mark's, I always thought his car looked like a whole different machine, even though we had the same model of wheels. The wider wheel and tire on 1051 gave the car a completely different, yet aggressive look. Even with the spacers, I just thought my car looked meh with the BBS. I've always been a sucker for a simple spoke design, which is why I'm so partial to the Evo 8 Enkeis. I wanted something classy and unique, while still sticking with the gold. I've always liked the Work Meister S1, and thought it was one of the few wheels that could aesthetically match the BBS LMs. I think the spoke design and lips on the Work wheels will give me the more aggressive look I've had in mind, even though the front's are still only 7" wide. In addition, I'll be wrapping the wheels in 225/45 series tires, which should help with looks and performance.

And yes, who could forget old 1813. It's definitely been a crazy ride from owning 1813 to where I am today. I learned a lot owning 1813, and more than just knowledge about the car. Being a new member here was a learning curve as well. I still talk to the owner of 1813 every now and then. He's taken care of the car to the best of his ability, and I commend him for that. Honestly, it wasn't the prettiest looking thing when I handed over the keys, so I can't blame the guy for how it looks today. I always pester him about getting on here and posting updates, but he works A LOT. I've got my hands full with two VR-4s currently, but even so, I still miss that ugly blue turd every now and then.

And I'm glad you like my seatbelts. I'm assuming you're referring to my ratty ass Mitsubishi rear belt covers. Those were in my 1G Eclipse when I bought it around 2004. I thought they were dumb when I first got the car, but they just chilled out on the rear belts and seemed to stick around. Fast forward to today, and I'm strangely attached to them. I suppose I'd call them my DSM bad luck charm...

 

[ApexHunter]

I was actually just trying to give you a hard time on the pretty red belts but I did get a chuckle and mild hot import nights circa 2002 flashback out of the belt covers. But for real though that is a badass harness integration.

I ran 17x7, 17x8 on 1951. Cosmetically that car was a pile of poop by and large but the stagger looked sick. And that is coming from someone who typically only likes square setups on AWD platforms. I'm sure it will look awesome on 1837.

 

[Jesus_Negros]

Wheels are dope my good sir. I approve!

 

[LIV4PSI]

Wheels do look great. I didn't even recognize the color. Superb work like always Brett

 

[turbowop]

I'm excited to see how those wheels look on the car. I'm surprised at the amount of lip for the given offset, especially on the 7" wide ones. I figured that in an offset required for our cars, there wouldn't be any lip and that is what makes those particular wheels look good, IMO. Where'd you source them?

 

[GSTwithPSI]

Quoting ApexHunter:
I was actually just trying to give you a hard time on the pretty red belts but I did get a chuckle and mild hot import nights circa 2002 flashback out of the belt covers. But for real though that is a badass harness integration.

I ran 17x7, 17x8 on 1951. Cosmetically that car was a pile of poop by and large but the stagger looked sick. And that is coming from someone who typically only likes square setups on AWD platforms. I'm sure it will look awesome on 1837.



Well, it's a well known fact I'm a fan of ricer red. The belts just seemed to fit right in, so I figured what the hell. Never mind if they improve survivability during a crash, they're red!!!

When I bought these wheels, your old Galant was one of the first cars I thought of. I remember vividly how great the wheels on your car looked. Matter of fact, this is saved in my home under Favorite Threads: click




Quoting Turbro_Negro:
Wheels are dope my good sir. I approve!


I bet you do....Probably too white for you before.




Quoting LIV4PSI:
Wheels do look great. I didn't even recognize the color. Superb work like always Brett



Thanks, Craig! Now send me all that shiny Frontline Fabrication bullshit you bought so I can have the most baller GVR4 ever. I'm REALLY hoping to have this turd running in time to make it to the Shootout this year. Looking forward to seeing you there if I can finally pull it off.




Quoting turbowop:
I'm excited to see how those wheels look on the car. I'm surprised at the amount of lip for the given offset, especially on the 7" wide ones. I figured that in an offset required for our cars, there wouldn't be any lip and that is what makes those particular wheels look good, IMO. Where'd you source them?



I actually sourced them from Canadian Ebay. (89Patches, your country still sucks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

I think the concave spoke design helps facilitate a bit of a lip. At first look, I thought the spoke design would help clear my front brakes, even at the lower offset. At 7" wide, the front wheels still fall short of clearing the brakes by a few millimeters. I debated painting the lips, since I was going back and forth about the wheels looking too bling bling with polished lips. That's another reason I decided to go with the satin finish on the spokes. I felt the dull finish would offset the shiny lips nicely. I'm hoping they balance out well when I get them on the car. I'm also excited to see how they look, but definitely don't want them to look dubbed out or gaudy. We'll see I guess. I mocked them up when I first got them just to see how they cleared the brakes. One thing's for sure, they are definitely gonna poke a bit from the fenders. Here's a sneak peak:

 

[iceman69510]

"I figured that in an offset required for our cars, there wouldn't be any lip"

It's all about the spoke curve in the design.

 

[89Patches]

Quoting GSTwithPSI:
I actually sourced them from Canadian Ebay. (89Patches, your country still sucks )



That's racist...

 

[iceman69510]

Canadiens are a race?

 

[prove_it]

Yea, but they don't ever win...


Anywho, Brett I just noticed your use of the dolly and have to say that's clever.