Member Profile - It's a nice day for a white wagon!

[Jordan.k]

Wow that paint on the brembos looks the tits!
Good work keep it up, any goals of when the car will be running ?

[jslayz]

Great progress!

[dr20t]

That paint colour on calipers is amazing

What's the plan with the huffer?

[HardwareBoB]

Great progress!

Thanks

That paint colour on calipers is amazing

What's the plan with the huffer?

Thanks mate - I'm super happy with how it turned out, stickers tonight, clearcoat on the weekend. (Then to race brakes next week for repair of the bleeder and rebuild.)

Sold the TD06SL2-20G - bought a twin entry stock location GTX3071R. Should be much better. I'd like to go a nice rotated setup, but I don't think it's worth it at this point - and I think this will get me close to 300kw anyway.

Wow that paint on the brembos looks the tits!
Good work keep it up, any goals of when the car will be running ?

I'm excited about it now, so hopefully only another month or two.

Stripped the engine (hand tools only, came apart pretty easily since it was only 20,000km old:







My EJ20X cams vs the JDM STi cams - holy duration and lift, batman.



Lots of stuff everywhere!


Heads are at the machine shop now for a clean and check, hone if required.

Cleaned the block, looks much much better.


Then I cleaned the crossover pipe and the other bits, and went to re-attach it, and managed to do this:

I've ordered a bunch of helicoils, it's a reasonably common issue, but just another pain to deal with.

I was doing up the bolt, and it's stripped the whole thread from the block, cleanly.

Still, a lot of good progress and I'm hopeful to get this into the car soonish.

[bigBADbenny]

Looking good, yep that stripped bolt can be replaced with one slightly longer (4/5mm?), if you want to avoid splitting the block to helicoil it.

[HardwareBoB]

Looking good, yep that stripped bolt can be replaced with one slightly longer (4/5mm?), if you want to avoid splitting the block to helicoil it.

No need to split the block, it's nice and accessible on the top of the block, and it's not a through hole, so no cuttings getting anywhere I don't want them. Helicoil in this case should be easy.

[bigBADbenny]

Seen, please post a pic of the offending location. Was the tq setting maybe 5ft/lb too optimistic?

[HardwareBoB]

Seen, please post a pic of the offending location. Was the tq setting maybe 5ft/lb too optimistic?

Not at all - it was similar torque to the rest of the bolts, and about right for what it needs to do.


I've had the heads machined and cleaned.



Cleaned up my head studs Ready to go (still had oil on them from the previous owner)


Started work on the heads - Here's an 04 EJ20X valve spring compared to an 08+ JDM STi spring - I can't find out if the JDM STi springs are different to the USDM/ADM STi springs, but the 08+ springs and retainers are certainly better.



View in the head

After doing this one, I decided to get them all out the box and put them in a plastic container because I was going to do it inside on the dining table while watching TV with my wife (She loves it when I do mechanical work on the dining table ). While doing this I noticed that I was 4 retainers short. Likely they just missed the box and were thrown out somewhere along the line.

Replacement retainers are only $2 each from partsouq, but of course, it got me thinking.. I really want to make reliable power up to 8000 RPM (probably with a rev limit at 8200 or something - we'll see how it goes), so it's likely worthwhile to get some better aftermarket springs and retainers. I've talked myself into a set of Brian Crower springs, which can be had for about AUD$250 which seems pretty reasonable (although it's another medium expense in a looong line of additional medium expenses since the project started!). There's someone on nasioc selling a new set of BC springs with titanium retainers for the same price, so I'll see if I can pick those up, otherwise I'll get the steel retainers (which are possibly a better choice for longevity but eh).

Also picked up a braided AVCS line to replace the hardline - given I'm replacing the engine mounts with group N mounts, the hardline likely would have failed, and I had already replaced the turbo line for the same failure.

[Shaheenis]

I was doing up the bolt, and it's stripped the whole thread from the block, cleanly.

The joys of an alloy block. So easy to strip threads. I am sure we have all been there. I did that much pulling apart and re-assembling of EJs in the past there are very few bolts I would actually put a torque wrench on.

Looking good btw, reminds me how much fun building a new donk was.

[GONEWALKABOUT]

Solid progress so far mate

What advantages did you research with the JDM sti cams, purely top end to get you closer to the 300 mark?

Also what rear housing A/R did you go with the 3071

[HardwareBoB]

Solid progress so far mate

What advantages did you research with the JDM sti cams, purely top end to get you closer to the 300 mark?

Also what rear housing A/R did you go with the 3071

They are much more aggressive for lift and duration - but should still give good streetability, especially with dual AVCS. TBH there wasn't a lot of research that went into it - it's not an item that comes up often, I had "sold" a bunch of parts to Graeme for his build, and he had the cams out of the engine he was using, so I got them as a swap. They are (as I understand it) the same as the Spec C cams of the 2005 era.

turbo specs:


Compressor Wheel : 53.1 mm / 71.0 mm/Trim 56 (11+0 GTX Billet Wheel w/ Extend Tip)
Turbine Wheel: 55 mm / 60.0 mm / Trim 84
Compressor Housing Inlet OD: 2.3” / 58mm
Compressor Housing Outlet OD: 2” / 51.3 mm
Compressor Housing A/R: .57
Turbine Housing A/R : .71

Compared to TD06SL2-20G:




I've ordered the crower valve springs with titanium retainers, and I'm waiting patiently for them to arrive. While doing so I started doing this:

That's the wrap that comes with the tomei headers - it's total garbage and it feels and looks it too. I've ordered some more titanium wrap to re-do it.

I also got the caliper repaired at racebrakes in yarraville, although I'll install these when I come to roll the guards as well. The rear suspension will need most work, because I need to roll the guards, replace the upper lateral arm with the camber arm, replace the lower lateral arms with the STi pillowball arms (which I found washers for BTW 24x12x2mm, but they haven't arrived yet), and install the calipers with dogbones (which I picked up second hand for a good price).

Things are moving along, just a lot slower than I would like - my foster son had his tonsils and adenoids out, so dealing with that surgery and his recovery has taken a fair whack of time and energy, and has to come first.

I also bought an electric fuel pressure gauge, I just wanted to be sure about the fuel pressure while it's being tuned - I don't think I'll install it permanently, but I want to know if I'm running out of fuel pump and such.

[GONEWALKABOUT]

Interesting, I am also looking cams currently and there seems to be a wealth of money to be spent and mistakes to be made.

From what i read some of the spec C cams can be around 260 duration 9.8mm lift, which seems on the ridiculous end of aggressive for a subaru OEM part. however this was just speculation and could be wrong. No doubt with dual AVCS you could retain drivability down low.

[bigBADbenny]

Thanks for the STi lateral arm washer info, did mine with randoms from the bins at the local garage, might upgrade to correct spec

[dr20t]

Interesting, I am also looking cams currently and there seems to be a wealth of money to be spent and mistakes to be made.

From what i read some of the spec C cams can be around 260 duration 9.8mm lift, which seems on the ridiculous end of aggressive for a subaru OEM part. however this was just speculation and could be wrong. No doubt with dual AVCS you could retain drivability down low.

Matt's cams that he has there if similar to my spec c ones are around 262 degree inlet, 258 degree exhaust, with 9.8mm inlet valve lift and 10.5mm exhaust valve lift.

[HardwareBoB]

Interesting, I am also looking cams currently and there seems to be a wealth of money to be spent and mistakes to be made.

From what i read some of the spec C cams can be around 260 duration 9.8mm lift, which seems on the ridiculous end of aggressive for a subaru OEM part. however this was just speculation and could be wrong. No doubt with dual AVCS you could retain drivability down low.

Matt's cams that he has there if similar to my spec c ones are around 262 degree inlet, 258 degree exhaust, with 9.8mm inlet valve lift and 10.5mm exhaust valve lift.

Yours are later model spec C which I would think more aggressive again - mine are from the base STi contemporary to yours, which is (apparently) the same as the older model spec C as per

http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/179809-post9.html

Cam Durations
Intake Cam Lift: 8.89mm
Exhaust Cam Lift: 9.64mm
Intake Duration @ 0.010: 269.37
Intake Duration @ 0.020: 234.18
Intake Duration @ 0.050: 207.25
Exhaust Duration @ 0.010: 290.87
Exhaust Duration @ 0.020: 246.98
Exhaust Duration @ 0.050: 219.03

Valve Durations
Intake Valve Lift: 8.59mm
Exhaust Valve Lift: 9.29mm
Intake Duration @ SEAT: 260.23
Intake Duration @ 0.010: n/a
Intake Duration @ 0.020: 218.02
Intake Duration @ 0.050: 201.62
Exhaust Duration @ SEAT: 272.82
Exhaust Duration @ 0.010: n/a
Exhaust Duration @ 0.020: 228.38
Exhaust Duration @ 0.050: 212.62

Although I was using the valvesprings which came with this engine anyway, not my stock ones, the more I read the happier I am about my valvespring purchase. Especially because I'm making power by RPM not torque.