My ETA Thread

[ForcedFirebird]

Well some of you guys may know, I recently had the car painted and will be color sanding (I hope) this weekend, along with getting the air dam back on.

Now I figure I might make a driveline upgrade thread :D

I will be doing a GM ECM swap soon to support the '885 top end I just picked up, and figure why not document it. Timing belt is due, so best thing IMO is to modify the car while it's apart. Will also be doing a permanent install of a WB o2 sensor/display that hopefully will looks stock, might even use one of these extra turbos I have in the garage haha.

Got a machine/fabrication shop, so this should be fun.

Sandblasted and powdercoated the manifold today, forget how many coats. You will have to bear with me, work on a lot of stuff (e30 and Firebird for myself, and countless side jobs).

Here's what I got so far...

New paint...





Don't have pics of the head, but I'm sure you guys know what that looks like

Manifold after powdercoating...



Stock interior...



Stock engine (for now)...



Proposed ECM...



WB display. Probably going to make a mount for it on the dash between the guages and driver's side mirror...



And a similar swap I just completed in a a friend/customer's Camaro...




I will be able to datalog simply by plugging a USB into the laptop and opening a program. Tune will be the same as it would be if I decided to start tuning the '027 Motronic, but I like the idea of being able to datalog rather than tuning blind :D


-John

[ForcedFirebird]

Even though it's unpainted and fogs are absent, I forgot how good the valence looked!




Got the side skirts started as well.




Mocking them up.




Quite a bit of damage, but just have one more sanding session before paint :D

[quacktoduck]

Nice I'm liking the styling cause I'm going in the same direction

[Vince30]

lookin really nice!

[ForcedFirebird]

Ordered me a new guibo, Rigid brake pads all the way around, and driveshaft center bearing. Wanted to do the rear subframe bushings also, but figure spent enough today :(

Can't wait to get some more stuff done so I can start buying the gaskets etc for the 885 head :D

[ck_taft325is]

Were you going to go through BMA for your 885 head gaskets? So far I've really enjoyed their pricing and site in general.

[ForcedFirebird]

Were you going to go through BMA for your 885 head gaskets? So far I've really enjoyed their pricing and site in general.

Bavarian Auto.

Just compared the prices for the driveshaft bearing.

Bavarian, I paid $37 and BMA wants $90 - Guibo is also more expensive $92 vs. $50.

[ForcedFirebird]

Been a while since this was updated lol.

Well got the body work on the side skirts done, ready for final sand and paint, then just last week I pulled too close to a curb after lowering the car and broke the valence again :(

Repaired it (again), got it installed today and the rear valence mocked-up.

Coil over conversion...



and walk around pics today...









Still have the spare head I will be putting on soon as I take time to mail out all these cam cores for re-grinds :D

[Aptyp]

taurus skirts are still some of my favorites.

[ForcedFirebird]

Well, I found the perfect wheels!



15mm offset all around...




3/4" spacers on the rear...




Think I will do 15mm offset in the front, zero rear, these rubbed a bit on the rear with 3/4" spacers (19mm)

Now I have to either talk my buddy out of these we tested with (and get spacers), or buy them for myself :D

[ForcedFirebird]

Now you see it...



Metal welded in...



Now you don't (just primer for rust protection, not a body man haha)...

[ForcedFirebird]

I happen to like the aluminum bumpers on the early cars, the polisher sent me some cell pics of how they are coming out :)

[AbsorbantNut]

Looks brand new!

[jw 325ic]

very nice!

[ForcedFirebird]

Car is painted, time to put her back together :)