Re: Smitty's 2011 DGM STI Sedan - Track Build Underway
06/11/12 - Build 2 Day 34
Alright, I was out of town the past two weekends and last week for some boring ass work shit so I didn't get anything done on the car until last night. The good news is that it was like a little mini Christmas when I got home to a pile of boxes:
The boxes included all of the wiring I’ll need for the battery and fuel pumps other than the breaker for the batter wiring. I also got all the AN wrenches I needed and the vice jaws so that I don't destroy my hose ends when I assemble them.
Also in those boxes was the final part I needed for the clean deletion of the OEM oil heater. Here is a picture for anyone interested in the correct pump to use to do it right and not just weld or block off the extra fitting. As you can see this one also has a cast impeller like the last one I had. Finding this was a pain in the ass since pictures from one site to another are not consistent and manufactures do not know shit about their own damn product which is not surprising. I was finally able to find a vendor that was helpful enough to actually go into the warehouse and make sure this one was correct. It will get the same treatment with the AN fittings as well.
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So after going through all the new stuff I started work on the valve covers and coolant crossover pipe. I am not just throwing the engine back in there looking like shit and there is no reason things can’t look as good as they perform (See LIC’s TT car). I decided to go with some high temp wrinkle black. First up was to clean them well, here is a before and after cleaning:
Then they were preheated at 200F for an hour, coated and back into the oven to cure for at least an hour, I did a 3 hour cure which resulted in real tight wrinkles similar to the OEM manifold.
Here is the end result, I will probably use this method on the IM as well after seeing how well it all came out:
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After that I decided to work on the fuel system. I decided that making as few lines as possible would be nice since it is not something I enjoy doing. I ditched the original layout and changed it up so that I only needed one line between the surge tank and the filters/pump and then the long run to the front of the car and finally the 3 lines that come off the top of the surge tank. Of course this meant I had to remake the trunk floor since having random old holes in it wasn’t an option for me, I am too OCD. This was alright though because there were some things I would have done differently the second time around and I was able to incorporate those changes this time. I had to make it by hand since I obviously don’t have instant waterjet access to have it cut like the last one, that would be nice though! I used the last one for a template and then used my awesome sheet metal fabrication skills to get it done :lol:. Here is the new layout:
And in the trunk:
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Once that was in there it was time to work on the lines. I do not enjoy doing this, it is not a fun task at all, but the Fragola hose ends are pretty easy to work with and the nylon hose doesn’t cut you like the SS braid does. I find it harder to make the short runs than the long ones since the length has to be more exact so changing the layout to only have the one short run between the tank and first filter really saved some time. As far as the assembly procedure goes the things to keep in mind are to fully seat the hose in the socket before starting and to use a lot of lube on the hose and threads which helps keep the hose from pulling out of the socket too much. I find it easier to hold the hose in the vice and thread on the hose end, some people do it the opposite way but both ways work. For me it is more repeatablethis way and I find the hose stays in the socket more. Once the line is done it’s important to pressure test them which I did so hopefully there will be no leaks once it’s all together. To test them I pressurize the hose then let it sit for a while and see what happens to the pressure, so far so good with the ones I have finished so I don’t expect any leak problems. Here is the short hose run that is between the surge tank and filter:
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And installed:
Next up was the -8 feed line that goes to the firewall:
This line runs up the frame rail to the rear seat area then over to the tunnel and up to a bulkhead fitting at the firewall. The bulkhead fitting is through a plate that I made to block off the area that the heater lines used to go through. The plate is covered with the reflective film that is going to cover the firewall. Once the firewall is covered I can install the plate:
Lines will then be run from the other side of the bulkhead to the distribution block, rails, regulator then back to the bulkhead. The return line will follow the same path as the feet back to the surge tank
This is what I got done last night, kind of a dark pic but Ill get better ones later once its all finished up:
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Today the plan is to finish up the lines and if there is time I will start the wiring (still need the breaker for battery wiring). As far as plans going forward, we are waiting on one fitting before we can assemble the engine. I hope to be able to do that by the end of this week or sometime next week. Nameless is still working on their parts but they are swamped will rally stuff and getting parts out for the BRZ so my stuff is about 3rd in line over there which is understandable. They only have so many resources to use. I am just going to get things ready to drop the engine and turbo in and go from there. Not much else I can do at this point. I also need to move the car to my new garage, not quite sure when I am going to do that yet. I will continue to work on smaller things as I can so that once the big parts are here it can be finished in as little time as possible. I have more parts on order as well and only have a couple more things I need to get to finish things up.
