And so, it begins.

John V · 11-01-2009, 07:30 PM

Don't know if many are going to be interested in this but I'm building up a 1990 GTUs for the STS class of SCCA Solo. I have a full build sheet that details what will be done but needless to say I'm starting with the engine. The car has 175,000 miles on it and the engine runs okay (starts right up, idles okay), but it's pretty tired. The 6-ports are stuck closed, it burns a bit of oil and it just needs a rebuild. I bought the car for $950, and considering that it's in fine shape. It doesn't have a spot of rust on it, even the (original) exhaust!

The interior was trashed - the kid who owned it before me broke the driver's seat, installed stereo amps behind the seats, broke most of the vents, etc. Couple pictures of the interior - after fixing the outer door handles and removing all of the stereo wiring. Oh, and an aftermarket alarm that had to be ripped out. What a pain. I'll be installing a motorcycle battery in the driver's side storage bin and routing the cables to the engine bay, so I'm leaving it semi-disassembled for now. New seats (Corbeau A4's most likely, because they're cheap) and a new steering wheel will be going in. The shifter is worn out, so a short shifter will be going in.

These pictures were taken after about four hours of interior disassembly and a LOT (a lot) of cleaning. The car was filthy. And the owner was a smoker. Ugh. After a good shampooing, the carpets aren't bad. And the car is all there and all stock, which is nice.

Started getting the engine torn out. The heavy front mounted battery goes away. The airbox is already out.

Have you ever seen bolts so clean? Everything was like this. I love California cars.

I took tons of pictures since it's been so many years since I've worked on an FC. The air conditioning (still R12, and still blows ice cold) will be going as well. Too heavy. The radiator needs a good cleaning but it was replaced not long ago - it'll be reused. I'll replace the foam rubber insulation.

Need some new oil cooler lines. Leaking at the crimps. I'll have a local hydraulic expert do it.

The car has a massive front cover oil leak. No big deal. The engine is going to be rebuilt.

Little bit of an oil leak? Yikes.

Getting there...

All of the intake manifolds are going to get hot tanked to clean out the years of grime cleaned out. Exhaust manifold is about ready to come out. This will be replaced by a custom header that mates to the first of the two cats on the car. The cats will be replaced by high flow units, but they have to be in the same location as the stock pieces. Good bit of weight to be saved here.

John V · 11-01-2009, 07:30 PM

More to come. I only had two hours to work on the car today. Tomorrow I hope to yank the motor and then I'll start tearing it down. New rotor housings, a set of low mileage irons, and I hope to reuse the rotors and eccentric (possibly with new rotor / main bearings, if needed). Stock mazda parts will be used internally, per class rules.

Stay tuned

ff · 11-01-2009, 08:11 PM

Thanks for posting. Looking forward to seeing things progress.

bren · 11-01-2009, 09:29 PM

Oh to have such motivation.

John V · 11-02-2009, 08:29 AM

Oh come on, it's fun!

Biggins · 11-02-2009, 08:45 AM

Wow! I'm too am quite impressed at your willingness to tackle this project. It seems like you have things planned out pretty well, so I can't wait to see this thing in action.

bren · 11-02-2009, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

Oh come on, it's fun!

Maybe the first time - and with some insulation and heat in the garage.

mhyrr · 11-04-2009, 01:50 PM

I gotta get over there soon!

John V · 11-04-2009, 08:30 PM

Engine is stripped and ready to come out. Really, not much is going to get reused. I have new rotor housings, low-mile irons (the end and intermediate housings), low-mile rotors with new bearings, a balanced eccentric shaft, a fresh flywheel, clutch and oil pump coming my way. Oh, and a complete seal, spring and gasket set.

I ripped out the entire A/C system, which was in total only about 52lbs, but it cleans up the engine bay a lot. Shame, because it was an R12 system and it blew COLD. But the car is already a fat pig, so...

Hope to get the engine on the stand this weekend to get torn down, and start the tedious process of measuring all the various clearances (for having so few moving parts, there are a lot of clearances).

while it's out I'll clean the engine bay (natch) and replace the front and rear seals on the transmission.

Rob · 11-05-2009, 02:27 AM

You are a brave boy.

11-01-2009, 07:30 PM	#1
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	And so, it begins. Don't know if many are going to be interested in this but I'm building up a 1990 GTUs for the STS class of SCCA Solo. I have a full build sheet that details what will be done but needless to say I'm starting with the engine. The car has 175,000 miles on it and the engine runs okay (starts right up, idles okay), but it's pretty tired. The 6-ports are stuck closed, it burns a bit of oil and it just needs a rebuild. I bought the car for $950, and considering that it's in fine shape. It doesn't have a spot of rust on it, even the (original) exhaust! The interior was trashed - the kid who owned it before me broke the driver's seat, installed stereo amps behind the seats, broke most of the vents, etc. Couple pictures of the interior - after fixing the outer door handles and removing all of the stereo wiring. Oh, and an aftermarket alarm that had to be ripped out. What a pain. I'll be installing a motorcycle battery in the driver's side storage bin and routing the cables to the engine bay, so I'm leaving it semi-disassembled for now. New seats (Corbeau A4's most likely, because they're cheap) and a new steering wheel will be going in. The shifter is worn out, so a short shifter will be going in. These pictures were taken after about four hours of interior disassembly and a LOT (a lot) of cleaning. The car was filthy. And the owner was a smoker. Ugh. After a good shampooing, the carpets aren't bad. And the car is all there and all stock, which is nice. Started getting the engine torn out. The heavy front mounted battery goes away. The airbox is already out. Have you ever seen bolts so clean? Everything was like this. I love California cars. I took tons of pictures since it's been so many years since I've worked on an FC. The air conditioning (still R12, and still blows ice cold) will be going as well. Too heavy. The radiator needs a good cleaning but it was replaced not long ago - it'll be reused. I'll replace the foam rubber insulation. Need some new oil cooler lines. Leaking at the crimps. I'll have a local hydraulic expert do it. The car has a massive front cover oil leak. No big deal. The engine is going to be rebuilt. Little bit of an oil leak? Yikes. Getting there... All of the intake manifolds are going to get hot tanked to clean out the years of grime cleaned out. Exhaust manifold is about ready to come out. This will be replaced by a custom header that mates to the first of the two cats on the car. The cats will be replaced by high flow units, but they have to be in the same location as the stock pieces. Good bit of weight to be saved here.

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11-01-2009, 08:11 PM	#3
ff . Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 13,514	Thanks for posting. Looking forward to seeing things progress.

11-01-2009, 09:29 PM	#4
bren lawn boy Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: e46m3, f25x3,C5 Z06, C4 Vette, 06 CTD Ram, and a trailer Location: Maryland Posts: 14,029	Oh to have such motivation.

11-02-2009, 08:29 AM	#5
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	Oh come on, it's fun!

11-02-2009, 08:45 AM	#6
Biggins Crotchety Join Date: Aug 2007 Carmudgeonly Ride: 22 Tiguan, 11 328i Posts: 912	Wow! I'm too am quite impressed at your willingness to tackle this project. It seems like you have things planned out pretty well, so I can't wait to see this thing in action.

11-04-2009, 01:50 PM	#8
mhyrr Realist Join Date: Aug 2006 Carmudgeonly Ride: whatever's available Posts: 178	I gotta get over there soon!

11-04-2009, 08:30 PM	#9
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	Engine is stripped and ready to come out. Really, not much is going to get reused. I have new rotor housings, low-mile irons (the end and intermediate housings), low-mile rotors with new bearings, a balanced eccentric shaft, a fresh flywheel, clutch and oil pump coming my way. Oh, and a complete seal, spring and gasket set. I ripped out the entire A/C system, which was in total only about 52lbs, but it cleans up the engine bay a lot. Shame, because it was an R12 system and it blew COLD. But the car is already a fat pig, so... Hope to get the engine on the stand this weekend to get torn down, and start the tedious process of measuring all the various clearances (for having so few moving parts, there are a lot of clearances). while it's out I'll clean the engine bay (natch) and replace the front and rear seals on the transmission.

11-05-2009, 02:27 AM	#10
Rob The user formerly known as rwg Join Date: Oct 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: Z4 Location: Vegas baby! Posts: 8,261	You are a brave boy.