JLarson's build thread

[JARblue]

Originally Posted by JLarson

I tracked most of my costs through Excel so they're fairly accurate.

I did that. That was a stupid decision

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by JARblue

I did that. That was a stupid decision

Lol. For me it was part of a cost/benefits analysis. Since I planned a lot in advance, I was also determining whether or not it was worth it to mod this platform extensively, or just go to another vehicle.

Hard to find a 500+ whp car for what I paid for this one though. Even if I blow an engine or two, I'd still come out ahead.

[ZontheRocks]

Originally Posted by JLarson

Hard to find a 500+ whp car for what I paid for this one though. Especially with adding in maintenance costs.

FTFY

There are plenty of $20-$25k AMG Mercs out there with fat V8s, possibly supercharged. But then maintenance on a larger engine (fluids, spark plugs, etc.) and the cost $$ of all the electrical do-dads that may fail....

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by ZontheRocks

FTFY

There are plenty of $20-$25k AMG Mercs out there with fat V8s, possibly supercharged. But then maintenance on a larger engine (fluids, spark plugs, etc.) and the cost $$ of all the electrical do-dads that may fail....

Good note. I should also add that one of the benefits here was me doing it myself. Learning was a powerful motivator. That's a benefit with a real synergistic appeal - the more I mod, the more maintenance tasks I'm capable of.

[ZontheRocks]

Originally Posted by JLarson

Good note. I should also add that one of the benefits here was me doing it myself. Learning was a powerful motivator. That's a benefit with a real synergistic appeal - the more I mod, the more maintenance tasks I'm capable of.

I agree.

Let me just add that I have no problem with a Gear Head that has a great passion and has the financial means to pay for installs. If $10,000 felt like $100 to me, I'd be dropping my car off all day.

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by ZontheRocks

I agree.

Let me just add that I have no problem with a Gear Head that has a great passion and has the financial means to pay for installs. If $10,000 felt like $100 to me, I'd be dropping my car off all day.

Absolutely. At a certain point, you have to determine if you have more money than time. I'm not quite there yet

[JLarson]

This weekend was close enough to 3k miles on the kit since the install that I decided to tackle routine maintenance. Oil change, drop turbo, clean filter, reinstall filter, reinstall turbo. Additionally, the oil leak at my thermostatic plate has continued, albeit very slowly and I wanted to clean that up.

-The oil leak was occurring where the threaded ports extrude from the plate for the AN fittings. The gaskets used for those ports are such that as you tighten the ports, they tear the gaskets. I replaced the gaskets with a set from a Mocal plate - the gasket is inset in a metal ring, preventing clamping from tearing the gasket. Easy fix, cleaned up the issue. I'll keep an eye on it, but so far so good.
-Dropping the turbo to clean the filter is time consuming. I knew that going in, but this was a good reminder. For those who have more money than time (and who are able to remove their engine mounts ) I'd recommend you get the BP filter relocation kit.
-The filter was pretty dirty. Considering it was only 3k miles I was a bit surprised at just how dirty. There was a little bit of heat damage on one end of the filter, just a small amount of bubbling, but this reinforces what others (Solidus) have stated. The location of the filter does mean it is subjected to radiant heating from the passengers side header.
-Greasing the turbo was pretty straightforward. Insert tube of grease into grease gun (included with kit). Remove cap. Pressurize grease gun. Trigger enough grease through the gun to ensure it's working. Fasten to zerk fitting (which hopefully you've left exposed). No mess, no cleanup.
-Replace turbo gasket with new, add filter to turbo, lift turbo back into place with minimal cursing, bolt in place.
-Spent way too much time trying to reconnect exhaust piping to turbo. This is a huge pain in the butt with the turbo blanket in the way. I said several adult words at that point. Another pair of hands would be a big help at this point, mostly with trying to balance the pipe, align it between turbo and the rest of the exhaust (lying on my back, grabbing the pipe with my knees) and clamp the v-band around the flanges with enough pressure that the threaded bolt extrudes (right hand) while trying to thread the nut on (right hand).

Reassemble and enjoy. Back to work today, ran like a top.

[JLarson]

Picture of filter, melted section.

[gbrettin]

Seems like a PITA to greece the turbo every 3k mi... but I suppose it will keep you honest with oil changes. Meaning, if you are late on your oil change you will also be late on turbo lubrication.

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by gbrettin

Seems like a PITA to greece the turbo every 3k mi... but I suppose it will keep you honest with oil changes. Meaning, if you are late on your oil change you will also be late on turbo lubrication.

Greasing the turbo is actually pretty easy. It's a zerk fitting, oriented down, so no turbo drop required for that part. Just attach the grease gun and give it a few pumps and you're done. The PITA is pulling off the air filter to clean it.

[madwi]

Originally Posted by gbrettin

Seems like a PITA to greece the turbo every 3k mi... but I suppose it will keep you honest with oil changes. Meaning, if you are late on your oil change you will also be late on turbo lubrication.

Its really not. Front end is up in the air already and the zerk fitting is easily accessible. While oil is draining I give her a couple of squeezes.

[JLarson]

Weekend update - installed the RJM 3.3 pedal, replacing the 3.1 version, and more importantly the Tilton HD CMC. I've seen very few (0) writeups on the Tilton CMC from a user perspective, and want to capture the... experience... while it's fresh in my mind.

For background, I had been using the RJM 3.1 pedal already. It's an excellent mod, I just happened to find a 3.3 with Tilton CMC for a good deal, and pulled the trigger.

Without giving too much detail, the 3.3 does have some significant improvements over the 3.1, most notably in the clevis pin design (picture 2). I'll try to get some decent pictures showing the difference in a future post.

The Tilton HD CMC is very different from the oem, both substantially shorter and entirely metal. Unlike the OEM CMC, it mounts from the drivers side footwell, not the engine bay. You'll have to trim back the carpet around the CMC slot, slide the new master cylinder into place, and use an aluminum bracket/spacer inside the drivers footwell. You'll use a 2nd spacer bracket in the engine bay, and a 3rd bracket bolts all of it together. This is a huge pain in the ***.

The spacers are cut in half - both in the engine bay, and in the footwell - with each half fitting around part of the master cylinder. I can conclude that the ideal candidate for this install possesses 4 arms, and is able to dislocate his shoulders. In the drivers side footwell, you'll be lying on your side, trying to orient the master cylinder and pin the spacer brackets in place (this was my job). In the engine bay, you'll need a trusted friend (who you are willing to lose as a friend forever) aligning the split bracket pieces, and the bracket that holds the brackets, so that you can slide bolts through the holes set for the OEM CMC. This was Craig the Blessed's job. This is somewhat complicated by the poor visibility you'll have while trying to align the holes. Once that's done, it's a simple matter to connect the new stainless steel line to a brass fitting in the driver's side wheel well, and reinstall the original reservoir.

You'll also need to bleed the clutch down to the brass fitting (which, btw, went really smoothly now that I have an idea of what I'm doing).

Picture 1 shows the new lines with the kit, picture 2 shows the clevis revision, picture 3 shows just a bit of the drivers side adapter plate/spacer underneath the RJM pedal, and picture 4 hints at the agony of the engine bay spacer and bracket.

As far as feedback - pedal feel improves substantially. My release point is higher and more consistent, and pedal effort is reduced. I'd recommend this mod, but be aware you will need either a helper OR a great deal more ingenuity than I possess.

[Base370]

You should give me your old version 3.1 pedal lol.

[JLarson]

Originally Posted by Base370

You should give me your old version 3.1 pedal lol.

I don't know who you are.

[BettyZ]

Originally Posted by JLarson

I don't know who you are.

It's JAR by another name.

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