As is tradition, it is time for the semi-annual update.
Current status:
A lot of small annoying stuff has been getting sorted. In no particular order, I've
- swapped to a much better lower center section for the violet design edition driver's sport seat
- installed a new TRM 044 fuel pump
- swapped out rear door gaskets
- chased a front end rattle around for 3 months
The bigger project last year was getting the 3.1 stroker to run right, which it never did with the "markD startup tune" motronic setup I got with the motor. To resolve this, I could either try for a new one-off dyno tune, or go aftermarket. Given the general difficulty of finding both an AWD dyno (or pulling the front shaft) and a remote tuner who remembers what an M20 is, I opted for the latter and installed JakeB's (ClassicDaily) Turkey n' Cheese PNP unit. This was an absolute breeze to install, and Jake was a huge help with getting the tune dialed in. It's running much more smoothly, idling fine, and tracking AFRs more tightly than the previous Motronic ever could. Highly recommended.
To dial down the engine bay bling factor a bit, I opted for a stealth install. This consisted of two cute tricks:
- use a dual-vacuum-port intake manifold blockoff plate. This is a factory part, but I have no idea which specific M20 it comes on. A friend luckily had one on a car that was using only one of the ports.
- make a stealth intake by gutting an AFM, locking the swash plate in an open position, and adding a fitting for the IAT sensor in a plausibly "stock" location.
The only thing left to do is harvest a dummy pigtail to de-bluetooth my now useless AFM.
Sadly, I have been knocking out jobs very specifically to get this car ready for sale. I'm up to three e30s and an e24 now, which is just not smart at this point.
Until next year.
Current status:
A lot of small annoying stuff has been getting sorted. In no particular order, I've
- swapped to a much better lower center section for the violet design edition driver's sport seat
- installed a new TRM 044 fuel pump
- swapped out rear door gaskets
- chased a front end rattle around for 3 months
The bigger project last year was getting the 3.1 stroker to run right, which it never did with the "markD startup tune" motronic setup I got with the motor. To resolve this, I could either try for a new one-off dyno tune, or go aftermarket. Given the general difficulty of finding both an AWD dyno (or pulling the front shaft) and a remote tuner who remembers what an M20 is, I opted for the latter and installed JakeB's (ClassicDaily) Turkey n' Cheese PNP unit. This was an absolute breeze to install, and Jake was a huge help with getting the tune dialed in. It's running much more smoothly, idling fine, and tracking AFRs more tightly than the previous Motronic ever could. Highly recommended.
To dial down the engine bay bling factor a bit, I opted for a stealth install. This consisted of two cute tricks:
- use a dual-vacuum-port intake manifold blockoff plate. This is a factory part, but I have no idea which specific M20 it comes on. A friend luckily had one on a car that was using only one of the ports.
- make a stealth intake by gutting an AFM, locking the swash plate in an open position, and adding a fitting for the IAT sensor in a plausibly "stock" location.
The only thing left to do is harvest a dummy pigtail to de-bluetooth my now useless AFM.
Sadly, I have been knocking out jobs very specifically to get this car ready for sale. I'm up to three e30s and an e24 now, which is just not smart at this point.
Until next year.
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