just drove the Turbo Cutlass for the 1st time since June 14th :icon_biggrin: got everything ready, bled the brakes twice in a row and put the wheels back on. i decided to turn the MBC down 2 full turns just to be on the safe side. i let the car warm up, triple checked everything, no leaks or any kind of problems etc. so i decided it was time for a little ride....
all i can say is...
HOLY SHIT!!!!!! this car is balls to the wall!!! even with the boost controller turned down 2 full turns from before, i had NOOOO problem spinning the tires right through 2nd gear.
without a shred of a doubt it would MURDER my Regal GS in a race. it's loud as hell right now of course, hopefully i can get that exhaust welded up this weekend. also pretty stinky - i'm REALLY hoping that is just because of the open downpipe and not a bad turbo seal.
despite only driving around the block i'm happy with the feel of the Intrax springs. a little more bouncy/harsh than the Eibachs were but not nearly as bad as i was expecting. still too early to give any real feedback on them though (and besides, it still needs new front struts). the brakes are still a little spongy so i'll probably have to rebleed them a few times.
hell yeah.
well i got to git. i'm already late for work.
Nice man! :thumb: That's good to hear!
sweet
Bossman429 asked me what i had done to the Cutlass since the last time i drove it. i had to think about it for awhile and surprised myself with all of the stuff i had taken care of over the last couple months. mostly minor bugs worked out etc, but the car should be alot more reliable now. it's gonna kick ass having cruise control again etc...
here is what i have been busy doing the last few months.....
- replaced the turbo with another stock used TGP turbo. the old turbo had a bad seal and a stripped bolt hole so it was only bolted to the crossover pipe with 3 bolts...and it was definately leaking exhaust there as evidence of lots of black soot on the flange
- replaced some of the turbo oil/coolant lines with extras that i had that were in better shape
- replaced the downpipe with another TGP downpipe because the old one is stuck to the old turbo with stripped bolts :icon_rolleyes: thankfully i had a spare from the TSTE. SHCS are a bad idea IMHO.
- also replace the downpipe bracket since the old one had a stripped hole and was only holding the downpipe up with one bolt (maybe causing false KR?)
- got rid of my rather hacked heater core lines and installed a TGP-specific heater core line
- added TB heater bypass hose (they used to be just capped)
- added TGP specific fuel lines & wrapped them with Thremo-Tec Thermo Shield tape
- with the TGP fuel lines i finally had room to put the cruise control back in (yay)
- replaced the vacuum reservoir ball with the one from the TSTE (mine was just plain missing)
- replaced the under plenum vacuum lines with the ones from the TSTE engine (mine was previously missing the cruise/HVAC line)
- tightented up a bellhousing bolt that was totally loose (again...could have been causing false KR?)
- replaced the battery
- completely deleted EGR
- got rid of the original single-outlet exhaust and installed the dual-outlet exhaust from the TSTE
- replaced the primary fan & blade with the new ones Bossman429 bought for the TSTE before i got the car (the old one had bad wiring & broken plug)
- new plenum & TB gaskets
- new Intrax lowering springs
- upgraded to '95+ 11.25" front brakes using strut/knuckle assemblies from a '96 Cutlass Supreme
- new KYB front strut boots and new KYB front strut mounts
- new GM greaseable ball joints
- brand new rotors and Raybestos PG Plus metallic pads ALL AROUND
- replaced the front brake hoses using the ones from the TSTE because they were in much better shape
- had to drill & tap one of the bolt holes in the LIM for the waterneck since i stripped it out (oops)
- had to drill & tap the two bolt holes in the radiator support for the driver's side strut tower-to-radiator support brace because i stripped them a long time ago (double oops)
i think that's about it haha. i have brand new KYB GR-2 rear struts and new KYB rear strut mounts here waiting to go in once i get my coilover parts from AFCO Racing (hopefully they work).
also have a BIG list of things to order SOON, and i just bought a 34mm front sway bar from Matt. i still have my Addco rear bar but i gotta figure out a way to mount it :confused:
hoping to have the exhaust welded up this weekend and renew my registration on Monday, then i'll be driving it again :icon_biggrin: and anxiously waiting for UPS to arrive with new parts :icon_razz:
i can't wait to get it tuned!
Get her down here and we will tweak till she can't take it anymore! ;)