Thomas' Gen 4 Swap SW

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Spent the day fixing suspension items, as mentioned earlier, the spring base on the driver's side front shock was cracked and caused a big issue.

First time replacing a steering rack boot today, so that was fun I guess. 30 year old tie rod ends do NOT like being moved.....

~ 1 hour job was quite a new experience, overall not hard, but cracking that tie rod end was a bastard.

So, I went ahead and checked over all the suspension, and installed some lower, lowering springs (Yeah I know I went away from BC golds for lowness, and I went away from the "best" combo of Eibach + Koni) while I was at it.

Fronts were okay - The retaining nut on replacement shock housing was uhhhh difficult to say the least, had to get a local workshop to do it for me as I don't have a vice. Front spring, bump stop and top mount went on no issue. A small incision needed to be made in the brake line support for the retaining clips, so it was done with a grinder. I have noticed that the top mounts that are on the shocks were sold to me as "Less than a year old" are definitely 10+ years old. That or the bearings are toast after a year. Either or I'll need to order in some new ones at some time.

The rear springs were a bit of an issue - Installing the new lower springs, I noticed they weren't seating properly, and were loose. Non captive springs I thought. But with the help of Phil, determined the bump stop is hitting where the top mount should sit.

After spending more time than it should've taken to find bump stops (which are universal...), I got 2 new bump stops.

Koni users - You need a 10mm spacer for above the top mount for the nut to thread on!!! This is super important. The shock top mount needs a 10mm spacer (16mm ID), to sit above the top mount so the top mount nut can thread on properly. I got mine made up at a local engineering shop for the cost of a couple of beers (literally).

Also FYI Koni users - Bump stops are universal. 22mm ID.

Well after a clean up, and some new parts, the shocks are looking good.

I should've taken the time to get camber bolts, but another day.

Fitment is looking a bit better now

Bled the rear brakes but ran out of sunlight, so I'll crack on with some other bits for the WOF tomorrow - Just gotta wire up the horn, bleed the front brakes, and maybe? a windscreen chip for the WOF then we're sweet.

[GDII]

Koni users or OEM users. The factory setup has those spacers.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Finally got around to getting a WOF this week.

Initially failed on this shock retaining nut being too loose - But being this was the only mechanical bit I got a workshop to do, I did some investigating, and it's just cause there is thread showing, but it is tight and is sitting well. Passed the WOF otherwise no stress. The WOF inspector did note 2 things - Cracked drive belt and engine oil leak.

So I changed the oil yesterday afternoon, and noted no oil leaks that I could find. I asked about the leak, but cause I went back for the resit on the Saturday and initially sat it on the Thursday, they said they couldn't remember. I didn't get a chance to look at the alternator belt. But for the sake of ~ $30, I do trust my local WOF place they're pretty good, so I'll order a new one.

Took it out for the first legal time last night. Feels so good to be out and about again. Car is doing great, no issues at all.

My brakes are still reasonably soft though and I don't know why. The WOF sheet said 60% effectiveness. The fluid is fresh, new master, and new braided lines. The calipers, pads, and rotors and from the red car from when I bought it. There is no air in the system. Would anyone know why this would be? Would using the larger ABS booster make a difference?

Next stage is going to be getting a few things tidied up, alarm put in, and a few little things.

[4CylinderSpecial]

No clue on softness but might be worth replacing the pads and rotors. Could've got contaminated??

Best guess.

P.S Very rare sighting of my SW in that group photo
Was a good meet. Cheers for organising it.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Before I get into my next woeful update - I'll touch on the brakes. I ordered new Stoptech 309 pads and slotted/drilled eBay rotors (yes I know, eBay rotors), should arrive in a couple weeks.

This weekend I decided I'd fit a recored turbo I got made up by Chris at Alltech Turbo - It's a stock CT15B gen 4 turbo, but with a slightly larger billet CT20b compressor wheel. This is for more power, but just as much for improving the power range of the car, as I find it runs out of puff after 5000rpm ish. I'll be running it through a boost controller and do have a decent power goal in mind. It's also an 8 lug manifold and been resurfaced so should help slightly against the warping.

Now, this should be an easy 1 day swap. Except it wasn't. After fighting the turbo oil lines, downpipe (Gen 4 owners - If you're using the TCS downpipe, removing the lower firewall shield enables you get to the bottom nut with a 14mm spanner), I managed to get the stock turbo off.


Chris had a Turbosmart actuator fitted on my turbo off a Caldina prototype he had lying around, which looks fantastic. Now this was great. Except the bracket didn't fit. So I spent a couple hours with a grinder, reciprocating saw, and a drill modifying the bracket. Was a lot of trial and error. Now if you see in the below photo, it looks like it fits, but it doesn't quite sit on the on the studs perfectly as the actuator/wastegate. So I thought, oh well, I'm gonna commit, lets file down the actuator. With a grinder. That ended about as well as it sounds.

she's FUCKED.jpeg (173.99 KiB) Viewed 2443 times

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So back to the stock wastegate for me. That's fine as I'm running a controller anyway, no huge deal. Just money after all

The next major problem is one of the manfiold studs has had a helicoil put in before and it's come out. I guess I'm just gonna put another one in.... Oh well... There goes my "day job" turbo install.

If anyone has any input on what to do about the missing stud that'd be great. Cheers.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Well I ended up just using a helicoil. Haven't really driven the car but started it and can't hear an exhaust leak. So that's a good start I guess.

Turbo is on, mounted, and so is the controller and 2 gauges.

Note in this picture here:

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There are some older forums posts on MR2OC and imoc saying how gen 3 and gen 4 3sgte blocks have oil gauge ports in the bottom. This is true. These are ports left over from machining the block. So they are tight. Tight enough that a rattle gun couldn't get them out. Had to power bar them with all my strength.

Some thread glue and a reducer later, I had the oil pressure and temp senders in. Note the autogauge/prosport gauges use a thick as oil pressure sender. This hits the alternator pulley in the most left slot, then in the right slot it hits that small suspension brace I've seen some people call the "cancer bar" cause it always rusts out. i just removed it all together haha oh well.

But gauges look good, ran outta time to test drive so I'll do it tomorrow.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

What's it going to be this update?

Boost controller finally set properly? Cleaning up my gauge install? Perhaps fitting the brakes I bought?

Correct! None of the above.

Last weekend on Sunday I ended up going to Hampton Downs and going on the wet skidpan. Was good fun, but no photos though unfortunately

I have learnt the car understeers HARD with cheap chinese 205 wide tyres I had fitted on the day of TOyotafest. I kept having issues. So tyres are the next thing on my list.

Was a great learning experience to understand how the car performs at the limit without doing it on the road, and getting some practice in. I found turning in slow and powering in after you're mostly round the corner helps immensely for a clean sustained powerslide I guess.

I bought some 86/BRZ seats and will pick em up this week. I'm going to end up DIY'ing a bracket like the photo below as my car is already certed for bucket seats, and I'm sure these would pass a WOF no stress.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Picked up a new gearbox today.

Jan 92 E153 with the factory LSD. Being a later rev box it has the speedo sensor (not the god awful cable) and double synchros.

It does have a small weld job near the bung. I may have to investigate this. The seller did say it had been sitting for a while (a few years). It's been repaired but he's not certain it's solid. I'll see how I go.

I also sold the GT86 seats unfortunately, they sat too high for me at 6ft tall.

The car needs a lot of little things to finish, including tidying up the gauge install, sterring rack bushes, wheel balance, interior fitment fix, and a few other things I have been putting off.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Been reasonably slow progress over the last few months, been trying to tidy up the car with a few things:

- New polyurethane bushes all around, with new ball joints and the later rev subframe
- New pads and rotors
- Gen 3 shifter setup with new bushings
- New turbo actuator to help with boost leaks (helped but didn't solve)
- Small coolant leaks fixed.
- Replaced the cheap 205 chinese tyres with nice 215/40/17 RE003s.

I've changed a few things, including getting Tony to weld on some 4" exhaust tips, as opposed to the 3" straight pipe that was on there before. We also welded up a leaky BOV port while we were at it.

New pads and rotors - The pedal feel is still poor though. Its like the first 30-40% of the pedal is just free play, then it's still kind of soft. But the performance itself is good. Very strange, perhaps I need to rebuild the calipers?

Clutch pedal also is having issues, sometimes doesn't return all the way - Probably needs a bleed. I've got a single port slave with my new gearbox ready to go on.

My main issue is actually boost leaks - I can't seem to retain consistent boost, and keep hearing leaks. I discovered yesterday on a run that the join from the turbo side pipe to the intercooler popped off, and the clamp doesn't seem to ever sit right - It needs another 3-4cm of the pipe to be longer to get a more consistent connection. I ordered a new Mamba actuator which helped, but the bracket didn't fit, and it was difficult as where it needed to be, the actuator was blocking the bolt head. Ended up chopping it off and just making 2 new holes for the bracket. Very painful for a reasonably expensive part.

I've got a few things sitting on the shelf at home - Gearbox, gauges, some other cosmetic stuff, waiting to be put on. When i get a chance over the new few months to do these, I'll update as I go.

I'll be taking the car to the Meremere drags this Friday, I will post up my (Probably dissapointing) times as I go.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Went to the meremere drags last night - Ran some okay times.

Started the night with a 14.2 @ 103mph, then a 17.9 when I stalled at the line haha.

Ended up running a 13.2 @ 106mph as my fastest time. The 14.3 is Tony's tuned Gen 2 3SGTE making 200wkw.

Will try for the 13.0 as I keep doing this, lots of fun. I'm sure I can get my 60ft down.

[Benckj]

Good job, glad you like the drags. You will certainly get better with more practice. I always wanted to make it into the 12’s but only achieved low 13’s. Have more whp now but events are hard to come by down South. We also tend to drag on street surfaces with hard chip.

[Alsw20]

What was Tony's mph at the end? You are making way more power than him considering you went through the 1/8th 6mph faster than his car.

With every 0.1 you can take off the 60ft, you can take off 0.2 off the ET. So if you can get your 60ft down to 1.9s you are doing 12.8 all day.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

He ended up at 98mph.

Yeah drags are fun - I've seen videos of stock gen 3 3sgtes running 13.2, so there should be no reason I can't run a 13.0 and below. Gotta get that 60ft down.

There were a couple runs where I missed 2nd or 3rd, reeled in Tony in his gen 2 everytime. Gen 4 really does have power.

I replaced a couple of silicone joiners (turbo to intercooler pipe, and intercooler pipe to throttle body) - think i've found my boost leak.

Will see how I go in 3 weeks when they do it again.

[Alsw20]

14.3 @ 98mph is what a stock gen2 does.

200kW runs 12s.

My stock 91 turbo on 95 octane pump fuel back in winter of 2003.

My 91 turbo with a ct20b, down pipe, exhaust and 18psi running on avgas (this was 2004 no 100 octane NPD back then) I think this day was like 30+ degrees. It was so hot.

[GlanzaAtHeart]

Been a while since I gave an update - Car is currently held together with hopes and dreams tbh.

- Gearbox is having a loud metallic sound, and is becoming very hard to select gears.
- Brakes are sticking all round
- Picked up a C-One wing, needs some work
- Changed rear tyres to some 245/40/17 semi slicks, ran a 13.2 again at Meremere but was down on power, so trap speed went from 107-106, to 99-100mph. 60fts were coming down though. It's definitely got a 13.0 in it - I replaced the bad intercooler clamp.
- Got Logan's radiator shroud wrapped in a admittedly fake, carbon wrap, but looks great - Got the engine lid fan shroud too, but need fans.

Not too much has happened in the car recently mechanically, but over the next few months there are some urgent jobs I need to do:

- Replace gearbox + clutch: I have a spare 92' E153 with the stock LSD that will replace my early rev box and open diff.
- Rebuild/Replace brakes: I have bought brand new PowerStop MR-S rear calipers that bolt right on to the Rev2+ rear caliper carriers in SW20 - The piston in the MR-S calipers are 1mm bigger, but you can't find new SW20 calipers anywhere and getting them rebuilt is $$. I'll rebuild the fronts though.
- Swaybar fix: I got someone locally to fab up some plates, will fix my rusted out front swaybars and get these plates on.
- Engine Drop:When I drop the motor for the gearbox, I'll clean up the engine bay, do some wiring loom changes, and most importantly address my boost issue. I replaced the spring in my wastegate to a 14psi one, but it's consistently hitting 18psi in third so I don't know what's going on.

Pick a part MR-S Calipers bolted on for fitment tests:

Swaybar plates: