Member Profile - James' GT spec B Wagon - GTB013

[jamescd]

They're 1000cc and still the 3076

And I'll make sure I update the list in the near future
EDIT: list has been updated

[bigBADbenny]

Awesome! & kudos for the FB group cover comp win!

[jamescd]

Update with some bad news.
Went to a track day 2 weeks ago, in general the car was good. Unfortunately the car hit the low oil pressure limiter (rev limit based on rpm and oil pressure), not too bad in and of itself, but there was also a lot of valvetrain noise when I came back to the pits. When I turned the car on again there was no oil pressure at first. It picked up after a few seconds, but clearly wasn't right.
I pulled the oil pump off as I had a feeling that based on the issues a bad oil pressure relief valve was to blame. Upon inspection the valve wasn't seating all the way in, was difficult to move (not smooth), and had wear marks. Compared to an old pump I had laying around where the valve moved easily, went in a lot further and had no signs of wear, I figured it was a safe assumption that the relief valve was the culprit.
I ordered a new pump, but unfortunately due to shipping at the moment it hasn't arrived. Hopefully when it arrives it will sort out the oil pressure problems, and with full pressure again the valvetrain noise will go away (other issues to look at if not). I am also hoping that the Link has stopped any serious damage to the engine by cutting power when the pressure dropped.

[nvmylh]

Damn, hope there's no metal in your oil after that!

It's crazy how many people don't have that sort of fail-safe on their cars when going to the track, even a accumulator can be plumbed in for not too much and give you some/enough time to save the engine.

[bigBADbenny]

So good you had a failsafe set

[jamescd]

I dropped the oil yesterday and there was a tiny bit of bearing material in it.

So unfortunately the lib will be out of action for a while again while I get that dealt with

[jamescd]

I thought I had posted this update, but turns out I forgot

I pulled the engine


Pulled off the sump and found some bits


Flipped the engine over, a nice surprise in the pickup


More bits


Pulled off the rocker cover on the side which had the valvetrain noise, found out what the bits were. All four exhaust valve shims. Which were toast, and took the cam with them.




So, still in for a rebuild, but that's a little while off.

[jamescd]

While the car is off the road I figured it was a good time to tackle some other bits that I would otherwise be unlikely to do.

I got some Cusco rear arm braces cheap from Japan, but they needed some work

Sand blasted them

And a lick of paint


I also re-wrapped the engine harness and sensor harness





I also ordered a bigger turbo, a GTX3582R


Stock, 3076 and 3582 for scale



I also pulled the rear subframe





My exhaust needs a re-weld as it has a crack


Cleaned up the diff and carrier



I removed all the subframe bushes, including the subframe to body bushes



New Whiteline bushes in the diff carrier and the subframe diff bushes



I haven't sorted what I'm doing for the subframe bushes, there are some poly offerings from the US (Energy Suspension) and UK (PowerFlex). No local poly options and Whiteline weren't interested when I asked if they would consider it as a product line. I have asked MCHND in SA and they have said they should be able to do a set in acetal which I'd be happy with, just waiting to hear back on a quote.
I also have Whiteline lower adjustable arms on the way, as well as alloy trailing arms and upper arms coming from Japan.

[RX25SE]

What a pain in the ar......

Pulled off the rocker cover on the side which had the valvetrain noise, found out what the bits were. All four exhaust valve shims. Which were toast, and took the cam with them.

Are you running stock valve springs & camshaft?

[jamescd]

No, not sure exactly which springs they were, but I know they were upgraded, and they are Kelford 272 camshafts.

[bigBADbenny]

That’s interesting going solid subframe bushes.

I started a thread about that subject: specifically chassis bracing and its effect on floating subframes.

I guess the question for me is, with the solid subframe bushes, will you go the extra effort and expense of using rigid collars to lock the subframes in relation to the body?

[jamescd]

That’s interesting going solid subframe bushes.

I started a thread about that subject: specifically chassis bracing and its effect on floating subframes.

I guess the question for me is, with the solid subframe bushes, will you go the extra effort and expense of using rigid collars to lock the subframes in relation to the body?

There is still a fair bit for me to work out in relation to the subframe bushes. I still need to source parts, otherwise I've considered making my own poly bushes (I think making a mold would probably be worthwhile as I'm sure others would also consider using them). Either way I need to find a reasonable supply for the bushing inner sleeve (I could clean the rubber off the stock ones, but not a great option if I want to make bushes potentially available to others). Depending on that I can/may make adjustments/allowances for collars. I assume you are talking about collars to remove the play between the bolt and the sleeve?
I have access to a lathe and could make some collars and also the subframe bushes, but as it's a friend's I don't want to abuse access.

It is interesting how much play the stock bolt would have in the sleeve, as the bolt is 13.1mm in diameter along the un-threaded section, but the inner bushing sleeve has an 18.1mm inner diameter.
With the dimensions I'm also looking for other poly options. (it looks like BRZ subframe bushes are incredibly close, including the bushing sleeve)

[bigBADbenny]

You can also get diy polyurethane kits that get poured into the stock bushing voids.

Yes the mod is said to have a noticeable effect on handling, eg there’s a gulf between locked subframe bushes and the stock setup which effectively floats. Whilst this is an obvious observation, it was recently brought to my attention when looking up rear swaybars reinforcing plates: eg Cusco type do not lock the subframe to the body but AVO might tend to lock it.

I do have a set of PROVA rigi collar, I believe they’re made by Spoon.

I could certainly loan those out to you as they’re pending install.
Or just make measurements.

[jamescd]

I do have a set of PROVA rigi collar, I believe they’re made by Spoon.

I could certainly loan those out to you as they’re pending install.
Or just make measurements.

Before deciding I'll likely go for a reasonably custom route, making a set of the rigid collars was somewhat on the cards.

[jamescd]

Deary me, almost 3 years since the last update, and it's a fairly big one.

I'll start off with the reason the old engine went bang. It was a combination of things which I pieced together after the fact, the main problem was that despite it being sold as having upgraded valve springs, this was not the case. It was just a set of big cams, in shim over bucket heads with absolutely nothing done to the rest of the valvetrain.

Not ideal at the best of times, but due to not knowing this, I had set up the launch control with an ignition cut and had it hooked up to the clutch pedal for activation.

While at the track, I bumped the clutch pedal while still accelerating and triggered the ignition cut (at about 4k rpm). The ignition cut raised the pressure in the exhaust causing valve float which in turn let the shim escape and wreak havoc on the heads.

Anyway, now that's out of the way I can continue vaguely where I left off. I don't have any photos for a lot of this as my old phone broke recently with lots of the photos of things I worked on.

For the rear subframe bushes I ended up going for the Energy Suspension bushes (p/n: 194102G), The fit was great, and they should be a good upgrade.


Now, with three years off the road (and counting), there should be some sort of activity/upgrades happening. Damn right there is.

I'll start with the main one.

The Engine

I opted for an EJ25, which I got built by Robin at PerFOURmance in Brisbane, the details are as follows:
- CP piston 99.75mm. with 9310 pin upgrade
- Nitto “I” beam conrods. ARP 2000 rod bolts
- ACL race series big ends and mains. Both in STD
- RCM 14mm Head Studs
- CNC closed decking
- New Subaru Nitrided Crank




I had a bit of a time with the heads, I decided that I wanted to go back to an AVCS set up for drivability. Initially I bought a set of T20 heads from a friend, unfortunately these needed a fair bit of work, that was alright as I was planning to have a bit of work done. Unfortunately after dropping them off at the head shop, they had cracks from all the spark plug threads to the valves, and given my power targets the shop recommended finding another set (the cams were still good and my mate insisted I take some of my money back).
I then was offered a set of Z20 dual AVCS heads, but unfortunately the friend who had those couldn't find the cam caps, so they were a write-off too.

Finally, I found a set of B25 heads on marketplace for a good price. I got some photos and got them sent over and they looked like a great buy.
I dropped them off to the head shop along with many boxes of parts, and now I have a lovely set of B25 heads with the following goodies:
-Kelford R-199-C 272 Cams
-GSC 36mm Stainless Steel Intake Valves
-GSC 32mm Super Alloy Exhaust Valves
-GSC Manganese Bronze Valve Guides
-GSC Conical Valve Springs




With plans for power, when a good gearbox setup comes up for sale for a reasonable price, it gets added.
The same mate with the T20 heads had a GDB STI box for sale with a few extra goodies.
While not the DCCD STI box, it has a 12kg centre diff, and Suretrac diffs, front and rear. The ratio is a bit shorter, but I'm planning to rev to 8.5k, so that should offset that a little.



That's the biggest news, but I will do an update about the suspension work shortly, as the rear end has pretty much all been replaced