Modifications to your current car

reply to post by Raist


Raist ! you are a LEGEND !! many thanx
Never went down the "strapping a turbo to it" route, wanted to max it out without the aid of forced induction, was going to fit a set of bike carbs to it but settled for it as is for sake of reliability
Next project is a 1999 Saab 9.3s 2.0 16v, which has allready had the lpt removed and an hpt (TDO4 HL15T) from the "aero"model fitted along with a "black" D.I cassette, and an induction kit, its about 250whp however on its last EH.............."outing" it threw a rod through the block so its awaiting a rebuild, I'll put up some pics as i load them into "photobucket"

reply to post by jambo440




Man you stay busy with projects.

You must have one heck of a garage to do all the projects you do. Cannot wait to see photos of your new project.

Raist

reply to post by Raist




this is the current drain on funds, had loads of problems with this 1 so far and havnt even had it a year, problems to date; was bought with no backbox or turbo pipework standard recirc dump valve and a burst heater matrix, sorted all this out except the heater matrix (pain in the butt job) then a leak to power steering pipe, fixed that then a leak to oil cooler, fixed that,(or so i thought) driving down the motorway the pipe I thought I'd fixed was spraying oil all over the aux belt which then got spat off so fixed that again then after a bit of "sririted" driving it clunked to a stop after throwing a rod throgh the block so its currently waiting on my driveway awiting a rebuild and some patience from me haha

reply to post by jambo440


Oh, man that one sounds like it is going to keep you busy.


I seriously think some cars are just all around bad leaving the assembly line

I was always told if a car gives you a lot of trouble it is either a Monday car or a Friday car, meaning this is the day they rolled off the line. Mondays being the day people come in from a weekend of partying and Fridays they are dreaming of leaving to go party.

Raist

reply to post by Raist


couldnt agree more, seems like its going to be one of those cars, however we soldier on eh, did manage to get a new S.I.D unit (info centre) during the week which as been pixelated since I got it and to be honest, its the most Ive done to the car in weeks, after removing the cyl head lol

reply to post by jambo440


I only get to do a small amount to my car each year. I see my goal I am that close and it is driving me crazy.


I so wish I had more money. Just a little over $1000 more and I will be done. That sounds like a lot but two things make up the largest part of that. The cams and the tune are big hitters. I can pick up several other things for right around $100.


Still I would love to have some more cash.



Raist

Quads in today.




[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/210cb23461ed.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d8e67ef87442.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Looks good. Let us know how bright they are at night.


I plan on opening my heads and tails up this winter and blacking out the housing. Not a big fan of the altaza tails that came with it. Will be a completely different look.

Originally posted by Raist
reply to post by jambo440

 

I only get to do a small amount to my car each year. I see my goal I am that close and it is driving me crazy.


I so wish I had more money. Just a little over $1000 more and I will be done. That sounds like a lot but two things make up the largest part of that. The cams and the tune are big hitters. I can pick up several other things for right around $100.


Still I would love to have some more cash.

I,m the exact same mate, however my passion is cars and cant help myself haha, just got home fae work and done the glow plugs on my volvo, the joys of motoring haha
I reckon it'll cost me about 1 or 2k to get my Saab on the road the way I want is, upset a few "scooby" and "focus ST" owners with that car before I killed it haha so look forward to getting it back on the road but aint looking forward to sorting it AGAIN



Raist

Originally posted by Raist
Looks good. Let us know how bright they are at night.

It's hard to describe ... it's bright.

2002 Chevrolet Corvette z06



Changes include:
MS4 camshaft
Full length headers from TSP
SLP exhaust
Diablo sport predator

reply to post by Thestargateisreal


Very nice car, I love the color.

If I ever get good at racing I would race you with my car. heck, right now I would race you on a rainy day or at least on wet pavement

Raist

Well at this point my car is still where it was when I last posted. I have a few things sitting in my garage to add to it just been busy and when I get a chance just have not been in the mood to do a lot (I think it is the winter blues or something).

At this point I have base and under hood shifter bushings as well as SS break and clutch lines to add. I am still wanting to blackout the housing of my heads and tails as well. To do that I will simply use a heat gun and some flat black paint.

The car (a 2003) at this point has just over 55k miles on it getting close to time to do the 60k service on it. At that point I will be replacing the water pump, timing belt, and other stuff, to make it simple I am just going to buy the kit that has all the stuff I need in it, then take some time and get to doing it. At this point I might upgrade a small amount in cams.

Raist

Car guy here, didn't know this part of the forum existed until today.

My current "fun" cars are a 78 Porsche 911 that I drive and a 98 BMW 328is that my wife drives for summer. Since I am in Minnesota they are both parked until summer. My winter ride is 4x4 2007 9 passenger Suburban and my wife has a 2008 VW Passat awd with a 3.6.

I have always wanted to beef up the VW as it is pretty damn quick stock, shouldn't take much to boost it up to 350 hp. My plan for spring is a K&N cold air intake with a Borla exhaust and an underdrive pulley, that should put me around 315 - 320.

Any ideas for the last 30-40 hp without having to crack a seal on the motor?

Also, how do I tighten up the shifts on the automatic, it needs to be much crisper, feels like the shifts take way too long.


I also raced SCCA Solo and club events for about 15 years in the Land O' Lakes Region, even took D Stock in 98 in my 97 Neon ACR. Ran a Suzuli Swift Gti for a few years before the Neon, then a few years after in a 91 Vette. I drive my cars the way they were designed to be driven, hate trailer queens. I have a good detector and a laser blinder on the Porsche, living out in the middle of the prairie has it's advantages, having a cop in the family helps too. I have taken every car I've owned to it's top speed and even at 44 years old my stress breaker is to take the targa top off and hit the river bottom road, crank the tunes and drive the 12 mile twisty section at the limits of the car.

You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.

reply to post by AGWskeptic


Well you have the first two mods dead on. Always open up the airway of your car to get more out of it. Is the car a turbo or is it n/a? Not a lot can be done though without breaking a seal, unless it is turbo. If it is turbo you can upgrade your intercooler and the piping for it. Other than that you can port and coat you exhaust and/or intake manifolds. You could upgrade your injectors or fuel rail and even your fuel pump. Your best bet though is finding a tuner (someone to remap the way your car runs through its ECU).


As for getting an automatic to shift quicker I can only think possibly a tuner again (I have never modded an automatic). A good tuner can get the car to shift at different ranges and can even get you a bit better MPG if you stay out of the gas pedal


Even a stock car can get a fairly decent boost in HP with a tune. I am not sure where you are located but depending on the area there are several good tuning shops out there. Talk to them and they can tell you the best way to get everything you want out of your car. A tune will also get every bit of power out of the mods you put on a car. Without a tune some of your power from the mods you put on is lost.

You are wanting 350 HP are you wanting that to the wheels or to the crank? To the wheels will take a bit more work than just 350 to the crank. I am not really familiar with the performance of the Passat. I would though love to see the 911 in action.

Raist

reply to post by Raist


The VW has the 3.6 which is rated at 275 from the factory, no turbo.

I won't crack any seals until the warranty expires in 2 years.

The 911 is actually kind of slow compared to most of the cars I've owned, but it's fun as hell.

Any ideas for the last 30-40 hp without having to crack a seal on the motor?

did you say 3.6? what is that? i'm familiar with vw engines and know they respond well to remap's.

Also, how do I tighten up the shifts on the automatic, it needs to be much crisper, feels like the shifts take way too long.

you sell the automatic and buy a manual.

reply to post by AGWskeptic


Ahh ok. the 275 is HP to the crank not actual HP to the wheels. There is a huge difference between wheel HP and crank HP.

My car from the factory was rated at 276 HP being that it is all wheel drive and untuned from the factory it is likely only getting 210 or so HP to the wheels. At this point with mods done I would say I am hitting near the 305 HP at the crank but still losing quite a bit to the wheels.

With a few more mods and a tune (the tune will make the biggest difference) I will be at my goal of around 350 wheel HP. If you want real HP set a goal for wheel HP.

I think you need to find a VW forum to help get you started. For example I am a member of an evo forum to help with mod ideas and how to work on the car.

I cannot stress enough though the need for a tune if you are serious about modding your car. A tune will make the world of difference in both HP and MPG. A simple tune is the most important mod you can do to a car, it really awakens the hidden HP in the car.

If you are worried about the warranty on your car I would not do any mods to it at all. Some dealers are a bit mod friendly but most are not as they would be doing work that they will be paying for. Most will try to blame your mods on any damage done to the car.

It would be very likely for instance if something happened to the engine or transmission for them to blame your current mods as they would/could be adding undue stress to the car. Even a simple remap of the ECU can be a cause for a warranty void. As a general rule warranties and mods do not go hand and hand. If you are worried about warranty I would hold off modding until after the warranty is past or just forget the warranty all together and mod the car to your liking



Raist

reply to post by lacrimosa


The 3.6 is a fairly new engine for VW. Even as it sits stock it's pretty quick, but I know there's easy HP in there just waiting to be unleashed.

And since the Passat is my wifes car getting a standard is not going to happen. Her BMW convertible is a 5sp, and she's ok with that, but not in winter.

My 97 ACR, taken in 98 after a coming back from a race in LaCrosse, which I won both days. Great little car, could get 3rd gear rubber at 65mph, from a fwd. Took a stock 5.0 Mustang GT by 2 car lengths with it in a street drag. The contingency stickers were all magnetic, so aside from the cage, harness and Borla exhaust it was a nice sleeper. The ACR (American Club Racer) was like the Cobra R, had to be a SCCA member to buy it. Came from the factory with Koni adjustables, oversized radiator, lower steering ratio and an unlimited speed chip.


i86.photobucket.com...

The 911 when I first got it. The rims are fully restored and it gets new paint this summer, going with Guards Red.

i86.photobucket.com...

Can't figure out posting pics here, very bizarre link setup here. If you know how feel free to post them.


My garage is normally much cleaner, but I had a new toy that was more important at the time.