Deputy's Build Thread
Best part, it only caused me $6 to get it all fixed and cleaned
Only update for now at least.
Well, one more, just for fun....
Most of you guys probably already have tools and what not.. well I never did. I moved in the with the lady friend and I basically had nothing.. Fast forward a bit, I bought a big ol' TV for us and instead of her splitting it 50-50 with me, she said she'd buy me something for my car (quite the girl, ay?)... Well it WAS going to be an AEM Tru-Boost EBC, but them my car had it's issues that it has now, so I decided tools would be nice and more beneficial.
She bought me a really nice 309 piece kit with every socket I could imagine. Included ratchets, ratcheting wrenches and all kinds of good stuff. Also got a nice metal toolbox and a big shop vac out of her. Always wanted me a nice shop vac... Can't wait to take it to the SC and really clean the hell out of it. Next I'm trying to get myself a decent air compressor for boost leak testing, cleaning and air tools!
Hey, progress is progress.
Having tools is key. Having been a professional mechanic for years, when i retired to go back to school... i kept all my stuff and bought a compressor (a really good Snap-on one) Ive done my entire build at my workshp with a friend.
Quick update:
As much as I'd love to spend my money on getting tint, wheels, upgrades, coilovers and alllll the fun stuff that makes our cars, well, more fun.. I for once stopped myself and did what I believe is the right thing. I read the thread linked below.. if you haven't read it, DO IT!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ing-right.html
So here is the start of the byproduct from reading that thread.
Spark plugs ordered, went with NGK BKR7E plugs. Also bought a gapper so I can set these to .28.. Probably the 10th spark plug gapper I've ever bought... Can't seem to NOT lose these things..
Got my ECU recapped. Friend of my did it and it only cost me $6! If anyone wants their ECU recapped or repaired, shoot me a message and I'm sure he'll do it for you for cheaper than DM. Not saying you'll get my friend price, but you'll get the work done for cheaper.. Not trying to cut out DM by any means though!!
My power steering has been nonexistent for awhile. Mostly due to my reservoir missing its cap. Now you'd think that was an easy fix, just buy a cap... Well I did that and the cap I bought (for an SC300) didn't fit. Then I sourced out a used power steering reservoir from a member for $30... but then I was all "ehhh" and remembered a nice power steering reservoir offered by DM. So I figured I'd spend the little extra, get the fancy power steering reservoir and start the slow engine dress up process. So, I bought the Beech Performance aluminum power steering tank! I also stood by my (expensive) motto for the build; do it right!
Also found valve cover gaskets for $24 on DM!! Everywhere else I looked, they wanted damn near $100. Snagged those just on principal and for that little extra maintenance.. Plus I think mine might have a leak.. Either way, just one extra thing I can check off of my list.
Annnnd while I was at it, I paid the extra $3 for the spark plug cover bolt set.. Not only are they nice stainless bolts, but I think I only have... 1? holding my cover down lol.. Attention to detail + dress up + do it right = not a bad deal for $3
I also figured since I'll have my valve covers off to swap out the gaskets that I would look into getting them and my turbo housing buffed/polished. I got lucky and found a local business that does buffing and polishing (big and small projects) and asked for a quote. If it isn't too bad, why not? I can't stand the nasty gray color my turbo is and my valve covers are just a yucky green/gray color. Not appealing... Plus everyone knows, your car is only as fast as your engine bay looks!!
As much as I'd love to spend my money on getting tint, wheels, upgrades, coilovers and alllll the fun stuff that makes our cars, well, more fun.. I for once stopped myself and did what I believe is the right thing. I read the thread linked below.. if you haven't read it, DO IT!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ing-right.html
So here is the start of the byproduct from reading that thread.
Spark plugs ordered, went with NGK BKR7E plugs. Also bought a gapper so I can set these to .28.. Probably the 10th spark plug gapper I've ever bought... Can't seem to NOT lose these things..
Got my ECU recapped. Friend of my did it and it only cost me $6! If anyone wants their ECU recapped or repaired, shoot me a message and I'm sure he'll do it for you for cheaper than DM. Not saying you'll get my friend price, but you'll get the work done for cheaper.. Not trying to cut out DM by any means though!!
My power steering has been nonexistent for awhile. Mostly due to my reservoir missing its cap. Now you'd think that was an easy fix, just buy a cap... Well I did that and the cap I bought (for an SC300) didn't fit. Then I sourced out a used power steering reservoir from a member for $30... but then I was all "ehhh" and remembered a nice power steering reservoir offered by DM. So I figured I'd spend the little extra, get the fancy power steering reservoir and start the slow engine dress up process. So, I bought the Beech Performance aluminum power steering tank! I also stood by my (expensive) motto for the build; do it right!
Also found valve cover gaskets for $24 on DM!! Everywhere else I looked, they wanted damn near $100. Snagged those just on principal and for that little extra maintenance.. Plus I think mine might have a leak.. Either way, just one extra thing I can check off of my list.
Annnnd while I was at it, I paid the extra $3 for the spark plug cover bolt set.. Not only are they nice stainless bolts, but I think I only have... 1? holding my cover down lol.. Attention to detail + dress up + do it right = not a bad deal for $3
I also figured since I'll have my valve covers off to swap out the gaskets that I would look into getting them and my turbo housing buffed/polished. I got lucky and found a local business that does buffing and polishing (big and small projects) and asked for a quote. If it isn't too bad, why not? I can't stand the nasty gray color my turbo is and my valve covers are just a yucky green/gray color. Not appealing... Plus everyone knows, your car is only as fast as your engine bay looks!!
Update.
Well, my car has been down all this time and I finally got it going. It was very nerve-wracking to say the least, but I'm pretty happy with the end result.
So it ended up being my ECU. I'm not sure if it was the water that was dripping into the plugs (which I still need to source out from where and how... and how to fix), the bad cap and trace or a combination of the two.. In the mean time while the car was down though, I pulled my valve covers and turbo to polish them as well as ordered valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, spark plug cover bolt set and a nice new power steering reservoir.
Took me a long time to finish it up (I did it slowly), but I finally got everything polished. I'd say everything turned out 7.5/10. I probably could of spent a LITTLE more time on it, but I was kind of in a hurry to get my car back together. How I did it:
Sanded everything down with my Dremel and a flapper wheel. I made the mistake of applying too much pressure in some spots and not going in circles with it. This resulted in Dremel marks/strips that took some time to work out with sand paper. So if you're going to do it, do it nice and smooth and in circles! The valve covers were straight forward, the turbo on the other hand was that pitted cast aluminum and required a bit of attention. I got it all sanded down and then used A LOT of little sanding cylinders for my Dremel to try to sand out some of those pits and get everything smoothed out. When I was finished, the valve covers had a far better luster than the turbo, but after a killer buffing/polishing job, the turbo turned out to be a mirror!
After hitting everything with the Dremel, I got to work. I used 240 grit wet sand paper to work all the Dremel marks out and get it a little smoother then went to 400 grit, then 600, then started to get some shine with 1000 grit, then onto 1500, 2000 is when it really started to show and 2500 was the icing on the cake. I used small squares of sand paper, working in a circular motion. To make it easier on myself, I usually portioned off the valve covers/turbo in sections. I also used tons of water..
After black hands/fingers, gallon or two of water, a pile of sand paper squares and sore fingers, I got my final product!
One side finished, one side showing how they were before:
For reference, here is what it looked like before:
Super glad I bought that spark plug cover bolt set. You can see I only had 1 to begin with and they look awesome against the freshly painted cover w/ the polished valve covers. Also notice the nasty black/green the valve covers were before.
The turbo. Ugly gray color. This was actually a complaint I had in the beginning with this car. Still trying to get a hold of this local shop to help me reroute my intercooler piping the proper way. Don't really like it being over the top like it is. Still very happy with the way it turned out. Next I want to snag a black (or silver) turbo blanket.
As soon as I'm home, I'll snag pictures of everything in the car.
It was so nervous putting everything back together. The car had been sitting for a long time and my last experience with the car was a bad one. Took me awhile, but I took my time and got everything back together. Had to jump the car, but it fired right up and help an awesome idle. Took it out for a short spin and it was perfect. Even managed to hit and hold 12psi. Big difference from the 10psi I was hitting before and then dropping down to 8psi. Happy about that. My battery didn't charge at all though after having it run for a solid 30 minutes, so I think it's done. Thank god for warranties!
Not sure what's next. Been scoping some coilovers, thought about tinting my windows or maybe replacing my windshield. Still trying to find those random interior parts. Might grab some misc pieces to dress the engine up a little more. Was also looking at some adjustable cam gears as mine are kind of ugly/rusty. I've read about people getting some nice gains from them. I know I could definitely use the low end power.
Well, my car has been down all this time and I finally got it going. It was very nerve-wracking to say the least, but I'm pretty happy with the end result.
So it ended up being my ECU. I'm not sure if it was the water that was dripping into the plugs (which I still need to source out from where and how... and how to fix), the bad cap and trace or a combination of the two.. In the mean time while the car was down though, I pulled my valve covers and turbo to polish them as well as ordered valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, spark plug cover bolt set and a nice new power steering reservoir.
Took me a long time to finish it up (I did it slowly), but I finally got everything polished. I'd say everything turned out 7.5/10. I probably could of spent a LITTLE more time on it, but I was kind of in a hurry to get my car back together. How I did it:
Sanded everything down with my Dremel and a flapper wheel. I made the mistake of applying too much pressure in some spots and not going in circles with it. This resulted in Dremel marks/strips that took some time to work out with sand paper. So if you're going to do it, do it nice and smooth and in circles! The valve covers were straight forward, the turbo on the other hand was that pitted cast aluminum and required a bit of attention. I got it all sanded down and then used A LOT of little sanding cylinders for my Dremel to try to sand out some of those pits and get everything smoothed out. When I was finished, the valve covers had a far better luster than the turbo, but after a killer buffing/polishing job, the turbo turned out to be a mirror!
After hitting everything with the Dremel, I got to work. I used 240 grit wet sand paper to work all the Dremel marks out and get it a little smoother then went to 400 grit, then 600, then started to get some shine with 1000 grit, then onto 1500, 2000 is when it really started to show and 2500 was the icing on the cake. I used small squares of sand paper, working in a circular motion. To make it easier on myself, I usually portioned off the valve covers/turbo in sections. I also used tons of water..
After black hands/fingers, gallon or two of water, a pile of sand paper squares and sore fingers, I got my final product!
One side finished, one side showing how they were before:
For reference, here is what it looked like before:
Super glad I bought that spark plug cover bolt set. You can see I only had 1 to begin with and they look awesome against the freshly painted cover w/ the polished valve covers. Also notice the nasty black/green the valve covers were before.
The turbo. Ugly gray color. This was actually a complaint I had in the beginning with this car. Still trying to get a hold of this local shop to help me reroute my intercooler piping the proper way. Don't really like it being over the top like it is. Still very happy with the way it turned out. Next I want to snag a black (or silver) turbo blanket.
As soon as I'm home, I'll snag pictures of everything in the car.
It was so nervous putting everything back together. The car had been sitting for a long time and my last experience with the car was a bad one. Took me awhile, but I took my time and got everything back together. Had to jump the car, but it fired right up and help an awesome idle. Took it out for a short spin and it was perfect. Even managed to hit and hold 12psi. Big difference from the 10psi I was hitting before and then dropping down to 8psi. Happy about that. My battery didn't charge at all though after having it run for a solid 30 minutes, so I think it's done. Thank god for warranties!
Not sure what's next. Been scoping some coilovers, thought about tinting my windows or maybe replacing my windshield. Still trying to find those random interior parts. Might grab some misc pieces to dress the engine up a little more. Was also looking at some adjustable cam gears as mine are kind of ugly/rusty. I've read about people getting some nice gains from them. I know I could definitely use the low end power.
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Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Still need to install my polished power steering reservoir and replace that plastic trim piece in front of the radiator with a polished piece of aluminum. Overall though, had a big smile on my face when I opened my hood. Might not look like much, but it's a night and day difference to me.
After:
Before:
After:
Still need to install my polished power steering reservoir and replace that plastic trim piece in front of the radiator with a polished piece of aluminum. Overall though, had a big smile on my face when I opened my hood. Might not look like much, but it's a night and day difference to me.
Updates:
Haven't done a lot to my car recently. I'm sort of saving and waiting. As of late, I have decided to get back into trading stuff around. Started with some stock twins that came off of my 1J, traded those up for an old boat motor, restored the boat motor and traded that for an old Enduro motorcycle.. Now I'm in the process of turning that Enduro into a bobber/cafe style street grunge bike. It's pretty damn cool. Slammed it, painted it, chopped it.. Almost ready! Gotta love Craigslist. Basically, started out with a $100 set of turbo's and when I'm finished with the bike, I'll probably ask around $1,300-$1,500 for it and keep trading up.
What you should take from all of this, is that my goal is to trade up to something in the $3,000-$4,000 range, sell off and get myself another nice, fresh, low mile 1JZGTE and build the **** out of it. We're talking big single, FFIM, big injectors, fuel rail, cams, cam gears, AEM to tune it, better fuel pump(s)... all the fun stuff. The goal would be 650hp~. As far as trans, not sure if I want to spend all the money on an R154, or just keep with auto. I honestly don't mind the auto and it's mostly a straight line car anyway.... sooo why not?
Almost there though. Really tempted to just cash out on the motorcycle and buy an engine ASAP and get to work! We'll see though. I'll definitely post pics up of the bike though, I know I'm not the only one here that respects a nice custom bike.. Especially one that WAS originally a 1970's ugly *** Enduro lol..
Anyway... Nice picture of my car from a meet a week ago!
Haven't done a lot to my car recently. I'm sort of saving and waiting. As of late, I have decided to get back into trading stuff around. Started with some stock twins that came off of my 1J, traded those up for an old boat motor, restored the boat motor and traded that for an old Enduro motorcycle.. Now I'm in the process of turning that Enduro into a bobber/cafe style street grunge bike. It's pretty damn cool. Slammed it, painted it, chopped it.. Almost ready! Gotta love Craigslist. Basically, started out with a $100 set of turbo's and when I'm finished with the bike, I'll probably ask around $1,300-$1,500 for it and keep trading up.
What you should take from all of this, is that my goal is to trade up to something in the $3,000-$4,000 range, sell off and get myself another nice, fresh, low mile 1JZGTE and build the **** out of it. We're talking big single, FFIM, big injectors, fuel rail, cams, cam gears, AEM to tune it, better fuel pump(s)... all the fun stuff. The goal would be 650hp~. As far as trans, not sure if I want to spend all the money on an R154, or just keep with auto. I honestly don't mind the auto and it's mostly a straight line car anyway.... sooo why not?
Almost there though. Really tempted to just cash out on the motorcycle and buy an engine ASAP and get to work! We'll see though. I'll definitely post pics up of the bike though, I know I'm not the only one here that respects a nice custom bike.. Especially one that WAS originally a 1970's ugly *** Enduro lol..
Anyway... Nice picture of my car from a meet a week ago!
