So, I decided to go with quality main and rod bearings, instead of Taiwanese ones that I had before.
Also, I have been cleaning up and refurbishing old parts before the full rebuild.
The camshaft will still be polished. But it is cleaned up. Btw, all the cleaning happens with hard toothbrush.
The Comp cam 59300 camshaft got 3/4 of it's Vtec knuckles repaired.
Also, I have rebuild the distributor and the thermostat. The seal in the dizzy was a b**** to change. I am going to eliminate all the potential problems I can think of this time around.
Next up, I had all the head work done by one of the best if not the best in the country, including porting and install of the bc springs, valve job and matching to manifolds.
Finally I have decided to paint the block, and work on the other small bits that are left before the assembly.
There is a bit more work to be done, like repainting the oil pan and general clean up, but it is planned to be reassembled this weekend.
I encountered a bunch of problems - rings were bad, some of te screws were stretched, some bolts even broke inside the block, some seals took forever to get here.
BUT, this does not stop me from surely moving forward and doing things the right way.
So, things have been moving forward quite swiftly. I have spent the past 10 days working on my wagon.
Here are a few picks, cleaned engine bay switched out fuel pump to walbro, new edelbrock manifold port matched to head and to h22 type R throttle body.
Anyhow, lots of small bits being done, and the devil should start this week hopefully.
Also, changed fan switch sensor and lambda sensor.
I do have a chipped p28 ecu, and I am getting a code CEL #1. O2 sensor, however, the new sensor and the wiring seems fine. So I got no idea what the problem is.
So, after the shake-down drive a few problems popped up, but they are being resolved, and I will shuttle to an event next weekend!
(I hope)
Oh, one of the problems was alternators negative wire was loose, I put that up nicely.
This gave it away
This is quality picutre - if you are good you can see that the bolt is not tightened, and that swaybar rubbers are shot.
Here you can see that steering bolt has also came loose.
And one more picture of how bad the rubbers got.
So, I fixed all that.
Since I got no tune yet, and I am doing a 1000 mile break in period, I checked my spark plugs, those are nice and rich. So I am safe.
Engine bay got some touch-up paint work.
Put up fresh brakes.
Got new bolts for the number plate. Now it is NOT going anywhere.
Random photo, of how my evenings look like.
This is only one of the pictures of problems with my distributor. I have been fighting it for a while now. Did like 3 rebuilds, still it leaked oil inside and worked wickedly. So I did figure out the metal shaft itself was shot. Got another used one, things did not fit - long story short, I bought an Ashuki made new distributor for like $200 bucks. Ill get it next week and see how it goes.
Furthermore, next item to buy is an EF iVT rear sway bar like 16mm thickness. Should be $70 used, and from what I read here a massive improvement.
So, I am finishing up small bits around mechanical parts.
Here is a problem I have found first - there was a sound in the front wheel.
It seems that my brake caliper part was touching the wheel itself.
And since the wheels have changed places after the tire mounting, new wheel 'trimmed' itself down.
So I had to fix it all up.
I did both sides, it was quite a pain, but I am glad I found the problem.
Next, I had a war with my damned trunk. IT STILL RATTLES no matter where I place the hook, and how I adjust the rubber parts.
I evened it all out by the screws holding it. STILL its bad. I think I might need to mess with the shocks themselves.
After the long trip I found that my air filter is dirty, and was a bit wet, so I had to clean it and will readjust the placing as well as make something like a stock intake piping for the air to get to it.
Finally here are some pics from the trips I took while doing engine break in.
FINALLY
I have agreed for a dyno session next week, and before that here is a small list of things I want to do before it happens.
I wont bother you with a list until I get the stuff actually done.
I love the lay flat seats that we did NOT get in the U.S. So many lame regulations! And where did you pick up THAT awesome female accessory!! Just kidding! Good progress on the wagon.
I do not think messing with the trunk shocks will help. They pretty much just hold it up. I think they all rattle after 30 years but try moving he rubber bits around more or making sure that the hook is firmly grabbing the loop on the latch closure.
So there has been a few things happening - I finished up installing my mini sound system - it works flawlessly!
More things that happened - the comp cam 59300 restored camshaft did not work as intended. It stopped making power at 6k rpm, peaking at about 140 hp at the crank.
This means I ordered a new one from Crower, second stage NA. It should be exactly what I need and make power all the way.
Oh, I redid the valve lashes, and changed the axle boot, worked on radio wiring, changed a sensor and even replaced a messed up seatbelt.
It really sucked to have things go badly when you try and save a few bucks, and it bites you in the end. Typical.
Here are some pics.
Here is the upcoming solution this weekend!
It is the last day of summer today, and I have been working really hard to get my wagon fixed and back on the road.
I even changed quite a few parts from my donor wagon to Spoon wannabe one.
Updates are definitely coming, so please make sure you update your posts so we all get inspiration to keep on working!
So, I forgot to add a picture of my new distributor (which works flawlessly) and little things that were done, such as rear spoiler, hood rubbers and trunk shocks that got switched out from the old wagon to the new.
But, what you really want to know how things went this time.
Thanks to my buddy Romka, we took out the "restored" comp cam 59300, measured it and found that it IS in fact SMALLER in diameter then the stock z6 cam. We measured all the lobes and were astounded. Well, getting tricked by company that restored it to proper specs is a bit sad, but the story does not end there.
So, the Crower 2 stage cam is a beast, much thicker from every angle and lobe. I highly recommend buying a brand new made part then trying to get a regrind or a restored part.
Anyhow, we threw in the new cam, and got to the dyno yet again. The results were better, but not where they should be.
We got 154 hp and 174 nm of torque at the crank.
A brilliant idea came to us, that my big muffler could be a restriction, so we kinda hacked it right off at the dyno.
To be fair, we got quite a sound effect, but not even 1 extra power.
Next day, since the muffler was chopped, we tried to put on and listen to a less restrictive muffler.
Bonus: pictures of the wagon after washing it, getting ready for the dyno session:
It sounded a bit too much like the devil, so we decided to go the quiet route, and leave all the noise coming from the engine bay - not the rear.
Finally, my buddy had a revelation that the car is not making power because the cilinder compression is not right. We measured it and each cylinder came at about 17 psi.
But, after filling them with a bit of oil the reading went up to 21 psi. Meaning, that it is very likely I got sold the wrong piston rings, which I waited for almost 3 months to get.
Basically d16y8 compression rings are quite a bit thinner, and z6 ones are thicker. This would explain all the troubles.
So. today I will try and find the code of the rings I got, and I do not really blame the seller, because usually it is not common knowledge that y8 and z6 are different, and in casual application it would probably not even be seen.
The debate now is if I want to reassemble the whole engine again, and buy new rings, head gasket and oils again.
I think I almost want to find the lost 10-25hp after all this hasstle.
Since I had my exhaust chopped, we decided to fix the gooch that was made poorly where two pipes become one. Now a master bender made it all look beautiful, and this means my wagon can be lowered even more!
So, after all the dyno visits, around maybe 4 or 5 of them, I got 158 hp at the crank.
I can only find a run with 154, but you get the idea of how the power curve looks.
After this, we deconstructed the engine again and found that cylinders might not be shaped as nicely as we hoped.
Oh well, not much we can do about it so we got it back together.
There are some updates coming up and some that already happened:
- First, I finally got the shuttle to be road legal for the first time in years! All the documents are in tact.
- I got a new oem EF lip, and I will get the bumper fixed and grill painted black, so look forward to that.
- I plan on cleaning and fixing the headlights, they are quite messy now.
- I put on rally wheels with winter tires on, just in case I take the little beast out to play in the snow.
- We plan on rebuilding the gearbox this upcoming week, and putting a custom longer 5th gear in it.
- I also got a rear anti-roll bar from a crx that should be the perfect size.
That seems like a lot on my plate to do now, but hey, shuttle needs to be upgraded to roll with the best!
Oh we also did minor things like drilling the throttle body to put in rpm adjustment bolt, switching trunk shocks and relocating engine breather filter.
Stay tuned, I will upload more pictures for sure! And guys, this is the best time to jump start your projects - winter is coming!
I just read this thread from beginning to end and it's EPIC. What an amazing job you've done on this wagon! This really inspires me to push on with my own project.
Thanks for sharing your build with us. That is one mighty impressive Shuttle!
Comments
Also, I have been cleaning up and refurbishing old parts before the full rebuild.
The camshaft will still be polished. But it is cleaned up. Btw, all the cleaning happens with hard toothbrush.
The Comp cam 59300 camshaft got 3/4 of it's Vtec knuckles repaired.
Also, I have rebuild the distributor and the thermostat. The seal in the dizzy was a b**** to change. I am going to eliminate all the potential problems I can think of this time around.
Next up, I had all the head work done by one of the best if not the best in the country, including porting and install of the bc springs, valve job and matching to manifolds.
Finally I have decided to paint the block, and work on the other small bits that are left before the assembly.
There is a bit more work to be done, like repainting the oil pan and general clean up, but it is planned to be reassembled this weekend.
So I ran into more trouble.
I measured my ring gaps, and they are out of service limits.
This means I ordered new ones, and it will take 2 darn weeks to get here. The same story is with Edelbrock intake manifold.
But, I can do other things while I wait for parts to arrive.
So, engine block got more cleaning done, camshaft got measured and polished.
So, cleaning, painting and measuring is on the way. Most of the things are ready.
Stay tuned!
BUT, this does not stop me from surely moving forward and doing things the right way.
New bearings new japanese rings.
Engine grows bit by bit.
Now a short wait for bits and pieces.
Here are a few picks, cleaned engine bay switched out fuel pump to walbro, new edelbrock manifold port matched to head and to h22 type R throttle body.
Anyhow, lots of small bits being done, and the devil should start this week hopefully.
New plates. My favorite number.
Work, friends and jokes. Good times!
it would have been cool to do like a Spoon theme with this wagon. Like blue valve cover, blue coolant hoses, Spoon wheels etc...
Anyways carry on!
Toyo Proxies T1R new shoes, 205/45 R15
Also, changed fan switch sensor and lambda sensor.
I do have a chipped p28 ecu, and I am getting a code CEL #1. O2 sensor, however, the new sensor and the wiring seems fine. So I got no idea what the problem is.
So, I had a first long shake-down type trip, going through gravel, bad roads and some highways. Of course electrical gremlin came out, and hid itself.
There are still quite a few mechanical things left to work out before I move on to exterior and interior updates.
If you are keeping up with this thread, and actually like it, I will keep on putting more of these small updates, almost daily if you want.
(I hope)
Oh, one of the problems was alternators negative wire was loose, I put that up nicely.
This gave it away
This is quality picutre - if you are good you can see that the bolt is not tightened, and that swaybar rubbers are shot.
Here you can see that steering bolt has also came loose.
And one more picture of how bad the rubbers got.
So, I fixed all that.
Since I got no tune yet, and I am doing a 1000 mile break in period, I checked my spark plugs, those are nice and rich. So I am safe.
Engine bay got some touch-up paint work.
Put up fresh brakes.
Got new bolts for the number plate. Now it is NOT going anywhere.
Random photo, of how my evenings look like.
This is only one of the pictures of problems with my distributor. I have been fighting it for a while now. Did like 3 rebuilds, still it leaked oil inside and worked wickedly. So I did figure out the metal shaft itself was shot. Got another used one, things did not fit - long story short, I bought an Ashuki made new distributor for like $200 bucks. Ill get it next week and see how it goes.
Furthermore, next item to buy is an EF iVT rear sway bar like 16mm thickness. Should be $70 used, and from what I read here a massive improvement.
Stay tuned, you wanted more, you will get more!
Forgot one pic. I spent a lot of time making the second radiator braket.
If you look back through the pages, you will see a very nice eg6 spoon yellow civic hatchback. I modeled my color by it, being spoon yellow Y56.
Also, I took the wheel design from initial D AE86 car.
Maybe, at some point I will get a carbon fiber hood and other wheels to make it authentic spoon.
I have purchased 13 cm speakers. The depth is fine, but I had to murder out the plastics in order for the new speakers to fit in.
However, I think the difference will be massive.
Old vs new.
And lots of sealant to make sure it is snug.
Today, I will be attempting to buy a connector to fit my old/new honda accord bose unit. Then splice all the wires for an hour or two to make it work.
So, I am finishing up small bits around mechanical parts.
Here is a problem I have found first - there was a sound in the front wheel.
It seems that my brake caliper part was touching the wheel itself.
And since the wheels have changed places after the tire mounting, new wheel 'trimmed' itself down.
So I had to fix it all up.
I did both sides, it was quite a pain, but I am glad I found the problem.
Next, I had a war with my damned trunk. IT STILL RATTLES no matter where I place the hook, and how I adjust the rubber parts.
I evened it all out by the screws holding it. STILL its bad. I think I might need to mess with the shocks themselves.
After the long trip I found that my air filter is dirty, and was a bit wet, so I had to clean it and will readjust the placing as well as make something like a stock intake piping for the air to get to it.
Finally here are some pics from the trips I took while doing engine break in.
FINALLY
I have agreed for a dyno session next week, and before that here is a small list of things I want to do before it happens.
I wont bother you with a list until I get the stuff actually done.
I do not think messing with the trunk shocks will help. They pretty much just hold it up. I think they all rattle after 30 years but try moving he rubber bits around more or making sure that the hook is firmly grabbing the loop on the latch closure.
More things that happened - the comp cam 59300 restored camshaft did not work as intended. It stopped making power at 6k rpm, peaking at about 140 hp at the crank.
This means I ordered a new one from Crower, second stage NA. It should be exactly what I need and make power all the way.
Oh, I redid the valve lashes, and changed the axle boot, worked on radio wiring, changed a sensor and even replaced a messed up seatbelt.
It really sucked to have things go badly when you try and save a few bucks, and it bites you in the end. Typical.
Here are some pics.
Here is the upcoming solution this weekend!
It is the last day of summer today, and I have been working really hard to get my wagon fixed and back on the road.
I even changed quite a few parts from my donor wagon to Spoon wannabe one.
Updates are definitely coming, so please make sure you update your posts so we all get inspiration to keep on working!
But, what you really want to know how things went this time.
Thanks to my buddy Romka, we took out the "restored" comp cam 59300, measured it and found that it IS in fact SMALLER in diameter then the stock z6 cam. We measured all the lobes and were astounded. Well, getting tricked by company that restored it to proper specs is a bit sad, but the story does not end there.
So, the Crower 2 stage cam is a beast, much thicker from every angle and lobe. I highly recommend buying a brand new made part then trying to get a regrind or a restored part.
Anyhow, we threw in the new cam, and got to the dyno yet again. The results were better, but not where they should be.
We got 154 hp and 174 nm of torque at the crank.
A brilliant idea came to us, that my big muffler could be a restriction, so we kinda hacked it right off at the dyno.
To be fair, we got quite a sound effect, but not even 1 extra power.
Next day, since the muffler was chopped, we tried to put on and listen to a less restrictive muffler.
Bonus: pictures of the wagon after washing it, getting ready for the dyno session:
It sounded a bit too much like the devil, so we decided to go the quiet route, and leave all the noise coming from the engine bay - not the rear.
Finally, my buddy had a revelation that the car is not making power because the cilinder compression is not right. We measured it and each cylinder came at about 17 psi.
But, after filling them with a bit of oil the reading went up to 21 psi. Meaning, that it is very likely I got sold the wrong piston rings, which I waited for almost 3 months to get.
Basically d16y8 compression rings are quite a bit thinner, and z6 ones are thicker. This would explain all the troubles.
So. today I will try and find the code of the rings I got, and I do not really blame the seller, because usually it is not common knowledge that y8 and z6 are different, and in casual application it would probably not even be seen.
The debate now is if I want to reassemble the whole engine again, and buy new rings, head gasket and oils again.
I think I almost want to find the lost 10-25hp after all this hasstle.
Since I had my exhaust chopped, we decided to fix the gooch that was made poorly where two pipes become one. Now a master bender made it all look beautiful, and this means my wagon can be lowered even more!
I was about to strip the engine of it's internals, but my buddy Romka invited me to go to this auto show instead.
Guess what, they picked top 10 cars and I my wagon was one of them!
Getting ready.
There you have it, fun times.
Not so fun things are to come - take the rings out, try and fix the throttle body, change trunk shocks, work on suspension updates.
But hey, wagon looks good with 4 big lithuanian friends in it, the drop is there when you add almost 400 kg.
I can only find a run with 154, but you get the idea of how the power curve looks.
After this, we deconstructed the engine again and found that cylinders might not be shaped as nicely as we hoped.
Oh well, not much we can do about it so we got it back together.
There are some updates coming up and some that already happened:
- First, I finally got the shuttle to be road legal for the first time in years! All the documents are in tact.
- I got a new oem EF lip, and I will get the bumper fixed and grill painted black, so look forward to that.
- I plan on cleaning and fixing the headlights, they are quite messy now.
- I put on rally wheels with winter tires on, just in case I take the little beast out to play in the snow.
- We plan on rebuilding the gearbox this upcoming week, and putting a custom longer 5th gear in it.
- I also got a rear anti-roll bar from a crx that should be the perfect size.
That seems like a lot on my plate to do now, but hey, shuttle needs to be upgraded to roll with the best!
Oh we also did minor things like drilling the throttle body to put in rpm adjustment bolt, switching trunk shocks and relocating engine breather filter.
Stay tuned, I will upload more pictures for sure! And guys, this is the best time to jump start your projects - winter is coming!
Thanks for sharing your build with us. That is one mighty impressive Shuttle!