Quick update, details and video to follow but... ITS ALIVE!! Got it running today, timing is good fuel and oil pressure look good. Need to wire in afr to check that but it runs pretty smooth.

 

After all that work glad to hear can't wait for video and pictures.

 

Here's a link to a quick video of it running after getting everything dialed in. I didn't have alot of the issues others had with their 97s doing the Aristo ECU mod but probably because I wasn't trying to keep my MAF or OBD2 and since I was swapping intakes I didn't have the funky lower runner issue. My only beef with the project was my Virtual works intake put the RMR throttle body right at the fuse box so I had to install it sideways. Then the TPS hit the power steering return line so I had to rotate it 180 degrees and it faces forward now. Not a big deal but aesthetically sub optimal. Maybe a wire tuck and fuse box relocate will fix that some day. I didn't have any real issues with setting the TPS up correctly, I highly recommend the RMR throttle body for the front facing intake crowd. It's a solid unit, beautifully machined and you can get it with a toyota tps adapter in either rotation direction if you have a GE or GTE TPS since they rotate opposite directions. Had 3 sets of tapped screw holes for huge margin of adjustability. Just put the TPS on and twist until you just start to feel resistance, screw it down and it'll be perfect. Worth every penny.

Link

I'll have some pics up in a couple days but the short of it was I had a damaged oring / pintle cap on my #6 injector and a leak at the fitting on the FPR which wasn't allowing the pump to fully prime the system and build any fuel pressure. I jumpered the fuel pump ECU (basically the 12V mod) and let it run and circulate fuel for a bit to purge the air and build pressure after injector and fitting were repaired. Beauty of running Ford injectors, I got a set of 8 48lb/hr for next to nothing so I had 2 spares. Was also a good test of the 5V senders I found on ebay. I installed one on the regulator (fuelab) and ran the signal wire into the console for the popformance unit but for now i just had my meter showing me voltage and I did the math to get FPR dialed in to 43psi.

In the video you'll see a big aluminum tank sitting up on the fan shroud. That's going to be my coolant overflow and my buddy came up with a pretty slick mounting idea for it that I'll detail with pics when I get it set up. Assuming I don't just bite the bullet and swap in the IS300 fans I have on the shelf.

I'm toying with swapping in the GTE auto trans I have laying around just until I rebuild my 4L80e and drop that in but since I'm limiting it to about 8psi for now and won't be going hard on it, i don't expect to blow up the GE trans. Going to depend on how the GE trans shifts with the line pressure locked at max.

 

I had a really hard time finding any information on the 97+ cluster tach fix when doing this mod so here's the write up:

Here's what the back of the 97+ cluster looks like



The screws are not all the same so make sure you keep track of where they came from. Some are long, some are short, some have pins on the end of them, just be careful! Pull the two ribbon connectors up and that will release the ribbon cable. After pulling the rear cover off, here's what you see.



Remove the two screws on the upper PCB and very carefully remove it. There is a group of pins that go through the board into a black connector. Just be careful not to bend the pins. There are also two ribbon cables. Pull the connectors up to remove the cable.

The resistor you're looking for is R2. It's a big full size one near the orange connector. Here's the back side of the upper PCB with the jumper soldered in place.



"installation is the reverse of removal". Alternatively you can leave the upper PCB in place and just snip that resistor out anad jumper the front side. I chose to leave it in place since I had to remove the board anyway to trace down which resister was the one to jumper.

Put it all back together, being super careful of the pins and don't forget to put the last two ribbon cables back on before installing it in the car. Good to go.

 

sounds good, glad to hear its working out for others its amazing how well the jdm map version runs even with huge changes to the motor. enjoy and nice writeup on the cluster, may want to even put it in another standalone thread in the performance section so others will see it via search.

 

Wrapping up a little of the interior so I can actually go out and drive this thing. Laid down Dynamat extreme, then put a layer of acoustic foam over that. Made the carpet a bit of a pain to install but it's in. A lovely specimen of OEM black. Lucked across it on here,even out of a 97 so everything fits and its in perfect condition. I ran down to the car wash and shampooed it for good measure before putting it in. The discoloration is just from the shop lights, it's all uniform and perfectly black.



Heres a shot from me sitting in the back seat enjoying the comfort. I put most of the trim in after this pic.



And yes... this will be functional!



Nice shot of the headliner. Once I'm all done, i'll be brushing it uniformly. Kinda driving me nuts all nilly *****.



I got most of the gated shifter wiring done thanks the DIY on here. Just need to finish that up and then try to organize that huge blob of wiring into a working console. Hoping to put some miles on it in June!

 

What type of suede is your headliner? I want the same quality just different color

 

Came well recommended in other forums and it's off ebay. 1/8" foam backed and great to work with. Did the dash in my truck and it's held up to florida sun for over a year. Autointeriorsupply I think is the seller. 15 bucks a yard. The foam peels off if you want it to for wrapping other pieces.

 

Huh. This sounds like it's going to save me a mess. Really gonna look into that. Thanks.

 

Starting to resemble a car. Got the center console in and starting to get radio and HVAC put in. I got it this far and then realized to hook my gauge senders up to the popformance unit i have to pull it out separately and wire them so i gave up for the day. It was hot and I wasn't in the mood anyway.



Planning to work on it a bunch Sunday and hopefully take it out for a shake down run.

 

Starting to look whole again. And I love those magnetic pans. I bought 6 of them from Harbor Freight. They are true life savers when disassembling anything with bolts

 

Yeah those magnetic pans are great. I have probably 6 or 8 of them and the best part is they were all free. Harbor Freight always has coupons for free ones so I grab them when i can.

So i found out I had a power steering leak. At first I thought it was the return fitting but it was snug. When I'd turn the wheel full lock, it'd barf fluid. Turns out the bolts that held the old reservoir on also kinda held the two parts of the pump together. I grabbed the old res and pulled the bolts off it and bolted the pump together and viola, no more barfing. So moral of the story, when you go to a remote res setup, don't forget to put those bolts back in place!

Actually got to take it for a spin around the block. The trans shifts violently having the line pressure locked full so may back that off a tad.

I had forgot how comfy the seats were and with the massagers I added a while back when I swapped to black skins, I was in heaven. Forgot how good my sound setup was in that car. Probably sat there for 20 minutes listening to music getting a massage. lol

Getting so close to being able to go make a real shakedown run, I just want to see positive manifold pressure!

 

lol that happened to me also, I spent a day cleaning the engine bay from all the power steering that shot around cause I foolishly took it for a drive before figuring out those bolts hold the pump together =/

 

Who's messagers do you go with?

 

I don't remember, it was like 5 or 6 years ago that I installed them. I remember finding the kit with 8 motors you installed in the foam of the seat and a heating pad. then I ran the controller into the center console. I put 6 in the back and 2 in the bottom.

So I started having a pretty serious high idle issue. Got worse and worse and after inspection I found the RMR TB has a air bleed screw that kept working its way to the open position so it wasn't allowing the throttle blade to close fully. Removed that since i have a functioning IACV and back down to 700rpm idle.

Parts for phase 2 have started arriving. RMR 2JZ to GM trans adapter along with a Titan 2JZ to GM flexplate. Will be ordering a 4l80e rebuild kit soon and starting down that adventure of rebuilding the trans.