My SR20VET...

[jr_ss]

I finally got my welder hooked up a couple weekends ago, but I didn’t have much time to mess with it. This past weekend I finally got some free time to mess with it. I had to source some consumables because none were included with the new torch kit. Fortunately, Keen is 2mins away and has most of the stuff in stock. I just picked up a cheap kit as I spent the coin on a Furick cup kit for better shielding on the SS material. I hope that shows up this week. So I got to work tacking up some downpipe, as I wanted to make some changes to the Full-Race DP.






I also picked up a cheap cart to turn into a welding cart. While I don’t really need to move my welder around, it is nice to have that luxury. I cut the center shelf welds and flipped it to have a flat surface to mount the welder to. I had to raise it up a few inches so I could slide the torch cooler on the bottom shelf. I have under $100 into this currently, but it is super functional. I just need to add the tank mount on the backside and it’ll be all contained on this piece.




Obviously, I cannot mock up and fit anything without having an engine in the bay. I had a damaged block and I picked up a damaged VE head for fitment and fabrication purposes. I slapped my JK trans on the back side for good measure and viola, a test fitment/fabrication fixture. It also gives me an idea of where the CBF shifter placement is, which is perfect. The hole to the driver’s side rear is from the previous Z32 transmission setup. The VC cut is doing it backwards. Allegedly, the S14/15 VC’s fit the new head setup, but it is not ideal around the spark plug holes. I intend to meld the front section of the 14/15 VC and the P11 VC for a P11.4 or whatever the hell you want to call it.

[jr_ss]

Also, if anyone wants to tell me how to resize these huge ass images, i am all ears.

[deolio]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Also, if anyone wants to tell me how to resize these huge ass images, i am all ears.

Have to upload to imgur on your computer. If you click on your profile icon (right corner) and click on "images" you can then select what size you'd like them to be upon upload from the auto resize dropdown menu. Unfortunately imgur is trash and won't let you batch resize your images, so re-uploading everything you've already uploaded with the desired dimension is the quickest way

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by deolio

Have to upload to imgur on your computer. If you click on your profile icon (right corner) and click on "images" you can then select what size you'd like them to be upon upload from the auto resize dropdown menu. Unfortunately imgur is trash and won't let you batch resize your images, so re-uploading everything you've already uploaded with the desired dimension is the quickest way

Balls. I had a feeling this would be the case. I tried Imgbb but I couldn?t get the damn images to post or show. Granted they were missing the .jpg, but adding that doesn?t fix the issue.

[tb13]

Build is sick, stoked to see that VE/VTC setup come together!

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Also, if anyone wants to tell me how to resize these huge ass images, i am all ears.

Used Imgur for hosting, they have built in re-sizing that works great for forums

[jr_ss]

Resized! Woot! Much better I am no longer THAT guy.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by tb13

Build is sick, stoked to see that VE/VTC setup come together!

Thanks! I?m looking forward to seeing how it performs as well. My concern was with the life expectancy of the VCT gears, but I have sourced a reliable firm for rebuilding them. He also adds cam dowel indexing to degree the VCT gear for retarding and advancing the cam further.

[jr_ss]

I had a little bit of time today to finalize the “mid-pipe”. I need to add a brace from the transmission support but other than that, it’s ready to be fully welded. It hangs down roughly .5” - .75” at the front frame rail, the rest is tucked up until it hits the cat-back. The last photo is a shot of the thermal couples.







Here is the Furick kit I picked up last week. It was not cheap, but they are top notch components. This is the Jazzy 10 cup I am using for shielding gas. SS, incolnel, Ti and a few others are very susceptible to oxidation, so it’s important to flood the puddle area with argon.




I also grabbed a damaged bottomend this weekend to add sleeves to. This one happened to have JE pistons and Eagle rods. Head came with Tomei cams, BC springs/retainers and a valve job not long ago. I will be flipping most of it.

[Yellow4g63]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Thanks! I?m looking forward to seeing how it performs as well. My concern was with the life expectancy of the VCT gears, but I have sourced a reliable firm for rebuilding them. He also adds cam dowel indexing to degree the VCT gear for retarding and advancing the cam further.

Will this let you adjust the intake cam more than the factory electronically or will you have to manual adjust then use the range of adjustment from the factory to get more adjustment?

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by Yellow4g63

Will this let you adjust the intake cam more than the factory electronically or will you have to manual adjust then use the range of adjustment from the factory to get more adjustment?

You’ll have to manually adjust the cam gear. This essentially lets you degree the intake cam. The factory 20* advancement cannot be changed, as I believe it is a mechanical limit. I do not think I would want more than 20* either, as that factors in more complexity with tuning, the VCT unit and would probably require it to an electric gear to really dial it in.

[jr_ss]

Finalized the downpipe and wastegate recirculation piping. I still have to finish welding the 3” bellows and v-band section completely, but I’m happy how this turned out. Wastegate clears the steering shaft and has roughly 1” or more clearance to everything else around it.







I’ve also started as the sole supplier for the upgraded VTC gears. I have two out in the field for testing purposes to make sure the modifications performed function as we intend. Feel free to inquire via PM if you need this service.

[TheRealSy90]

I'm going to attempt to run a new oem VTC gear on my JWT S4 cams, if I have any issues i'll be looking for an upgraded VTC gear.

I have stock valve springs currently but i want to upgrade them, although i also fear stiffer valve springs won't help the VTC at all and probably hurt it. Is there a valve spring that's just a little stiffer than oem DET?

[splitfire]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

What is the purpose of this flex bellow? IMHO, there shouldn't be any movements in this area.

[RalliartRsX]

Originally Posted by splitfire

What is the purpose of this flex bellow? IMHO, there shouldn't be any movements in this area.

Its not only for "flex". Metals expand and contract at differing rates due to size, even for similar materials. This allows this to occur without the potential of cracking the pipes.

That plus the wastegate also has a weight associated with it. This allows all the pipes in the area independent degrees of movement in relation to any of the connected pipes and peripherals.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by RalliartRsX

Its not only for "flex". Metals expand and contract at differing rates due to size, even for similar materials. This allows this to occur without the potential of cracking the pipes.

That plus the wastegate also has a weight associated with it. This allows all the pipes in the area independent degrees of movement in relation to any of the connected pipes and peripherals.

Great explanation Chris, thank you for chiming in.

[tb13]

Downpipe and recirc looks great, very tidy!

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by tb13

Downpipe and recirc looks great, very tidy!

Thank you kindly sir. Quite a bit of a pain in the ass. Pie cuts are so time consuming.

[jr_ss]

Put the setup back in the car just to verify clearances. Everything looks great. I’ll be tearing it all down and sending out for thermal coating. I haven’t decide what type to get yet. The stuff that was on my Peak Boost setup worked well and the finish stayed flawless for the lifetime I ran it (10yrs). I have looked at Swaintech, HPC, Cerakote and various other “ceramic or thermal” coatings. If you have any experience with a particular product, chime in, I’d like to hear your results and reviews.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Put the setup back in the car just to verify clearances. Everything looks great. I?ll be tearing it all down and sending out for thermal coating. I haven?t decide what type to get yet. The stuff that was on my Peak Boost setup worked well and the finish stayed flawless for the lifetime I ran it (10yrs). I have looked at Swaintech, HPC, Cerakote and various other ?ceramic or thermal? coatings. If you have any experience with a particular product, chime in, I?d like to hear your results and reviews.

Proper fab work good sir. I've installed and tested several Swaintech coated parts over the years. The thermal reduction is quite significant and they all lasted besides one very hard-use cast iron exhaust manifold on a 4G63, which did have a small section at the collector where the coating "popped off". According to swaintech there is still coating left on the material when this happens and it doesn't degrade the performance much.

I do however, like to make sure stainless parts have been through a few heat cycles before I send them off just to make sure anything that's going to shift or tweak has already done so. While I haven't taken thermal gun readings, it does appear to be quite a bit more effective in the "accidentally touch the header and not nuke all my skin off" or the "tighten those turbo bolts because somebody forgot and we just did a dyno run" tests vs the stuff full race uses (I think it's cerakote?).

Also, I have a friend who now owns Headershield (https://headershield.com/), and I've been impressed with that product as well. Obviously not a coating but seems very effective in it's own right. My friends longtube 6-2-1 turbo manifolds on his Z31 are wrapped in it and the engine bay heat is down even compared to when they were wrapped with traditional wrap.

[RalliartRsX]

Love me some headershiled, but my are they $$$$

It would cost almost twice as much as I bought my manifold for

On the flip side; heat is the enemy of all thing.......car related. Period. So I think it's worth it

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

Proper fab work good sir. I've installed and tested several Swaintech coated parts over the years.

I do however, like to make sure stainless parts have been through a few heat cycles before I send them off just to make sure anything that's going to shift or tweak has already done so.

Also, I have a friend who now owns Headershield (https://headershield.com/), and I've been impressed with that product as well. Obviously not a coating but seems very effective in it's own right.

Originally Posted by RalliartRsX

Love me some headershield, but my are they $$$$

On the flip side; heat is the enemy of all thing.......car related. Period. So I think it's worth it

Wowzer, that stuff is pricey. I called and talked to Cam at Headershield. It seems like a great product and if my car was going to be doing extended periods on a circuit, it would be a no brainer (I see you Chris).

I think Swaintech is a viable option, but I?m not a huge fan of the ?boogers? that can happen over time. I wish I could find a review of all of them in one post, not the fragmented information the search yields on google.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

Wowzer, that stuff is pricey. I called and talked to Cam at Headershield. It seems like a great product and if my car was going to be doing extended periods on a circuit, it would be a no brainer (I see you Chris).

I think Swaintech is a viable option, but I?m not a huge fan of the ?boogers? that can happen over time. I wish I could find a review of all of them in one post, not the fragmented information the search yields on google.

Dude, I feel you. It's really hard to find information on that last 10% of modifications that people often overlook on most car builds. I feel like most people are satisfied with 80-90% functionality/copy and paste mods, but few go the extra mile with things like heat insulation, wiring, crankcase evacuation, etc. Fewer still do actual testing on more than one setup! Anyone that does is usually involved with it at some professional level, so they're not necessarily the most open about the information. The struggle of being a perfectionist.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

Dude, I feel you. It's really hard to find information on that last 10% of modifications that people often overlook on most car builds. I feel like most people are satisfied with 80-90% functionality/copy and paste mods, but few go the extra mile with things like heat insulation, wiring, crankcase evacuation, etc. Fewer still do actual testing on more than one setup! Anyone that does is usually involved with it at some professional level, so they're not necessarily the most open about the information. The struggle of being a perfectionist.

I made a call to Swaintech today. I think I?ve determined that the manifold will see ?White Lightning? and the exhaust housing and DP will get Cerakote. I?ll be utilizing a blanket on the exhaust housing and Mike recommended against using any wraps in conjunction with the white lightning coating.

I will reach back out to Swaintech to verify I can use Cerakote on top of white lightning. After all, it is a paint based coating, not a thermally applied type like Swaintech?s coating.

It is extremely frustrating trying to find comparison data on this stuff. It seems like no one has taken the initiative to prove another type inferior. Mike even stated that they as a company aren?t out to discredit another companies coating or ability, simply that theirs performs at X, Y, Z for a given thickness. Perhaps, there are just too many variables between coating types to really warrant such a test? Who knows?

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I made a call to Swaintech today. I think I?ve determined that the manifold will see ?White Lightning? and the exhaust housing and DP will get Cerakote. I?ll be utilizing a blanket on the exhaust housing and Mike recommended against using any wraps in conjunction with the white lightning coating.

I will reach back out to Swaintech to verify I can use Cerakote on top of white lightning. After all, it is a paint based coating, not a thermally applied type like Swaintech?s coating.

It is extremely frustrating trying to find comparison data on this stuff. It seems like no one has taken the initiative to prove another type inferior. Mike even stated that they as a company aren?t out to discredit another companies coating or ability, simply that theirs performs at X, Y, Z for a given thickness. Perhaps, there are just too many variables between coating types to really warrant such a test? Who knows?

It would be pretty costly. You would either need multiple of the same part, or need to strip the old coating off after the test and apply a new coating, so processing time and cost. Not to mention downtime of whatever car you're working with. If I had more disposable income and a second operational vehicle to test things on, I'd totally do it. Those two things are pretty big hurdles to clear though.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

It would be pretty costly. You would either need multiple of the same part, or need to strip the old coating off after the test and apply a new coating, so processing time and cost. Not to mention downtime of whatever car you're working with. If I had more disposable income and a second operational vehicle to test things on, I'd totally do it. Those two things are pretty big hurdles to clear though.

I think if you were to approach a few of the manifold manufacturers about this they?d be willing to donate a few. Now I?m not talking high priced top mount, T/S manifolds here, but ISR cheap ass bottom mount manifolds. You?ll still have to throw your money in the pot for the costs of coating, but it could be done. I think 3-4 coating types would be all you really needed.

At any rate, I called Cerakote and they advised against coating the Swaintech piece with their product. They stated due to the different materials that make up each product, the rate of expansion will differ. This ultimately could end up cracking the ?top coat? in time. He then proceeded to recommend stripping the Swaintech and recoating with Cerakote. I couldn?t bring myself to tell him ?Swaintech? was a better product (atleast in my eyes). I then asked him if they had a ?sprayable? thermal paint that could be applied and he told me he couldn?t recommend one out of their catalog.

I did call the local Cerakote applicators and they told me to send a piece in for testing. So I may go that route and see what the results yield as far as bonding to the Swaintech coating. Long term tests would have to be done with a torch as I do not have an oven that can reach the temperatures of even a stock SR EGT.

[PoorMans180SX]

Originally Posted by jr_ss

I think if you were to approach a few of the manifold manufacturers about this they?d be willing to donate a few. Now I?m not talking high priced top mount, T/S manifolds here, but ISR cheap ass bottom mount manifolds. You?ll still have to throw your money in the pot for the costs of coating, but it could be done. I think 3-4 coating types would be all you really needed.

At any rate, I called Cerakote and they advised against coating the Swaintech piece with their product. They stated due to the different materials that make up each product, the rate of expansion will differ. This ultimately could end up cracking the ?top coat? in time. He then proceeded to recommend stripping the Swaintech and recoating with Cerakote. I couldn?t bring myself to tell him ?Swaintech? was a better product (atleast in my eyes). I then asked him if they had a ?sprayable? thermal paint that could be applied and he told me he couldn?t recommend one out of their catalog.

I did call the local Cerakote applicators and they told me to send a piece in for testing. So I may go that route and see what the results yield as far as bonding to the Swaintech coating. Long term tests would have to be done with a torch as I do not have an oven that can reach the temperatures of even a stock SR EGT.

True! An ISR manifold would make a lot cheaper setup, but about as bottom of the barrel as I'd go, since you don't want them cracking halfway through the test

If you're just looking to protect the swaintech or change the color, you can use the VHT exhaust paint, It topcoats the swaintech very well. It's also lasted on most anything I've used it on as long as it's cured properly.

[jr_ss]

Originally Posted by PoorMans180SX

True! An ISR manifold would make a lot cheaper setup, but about as bottom of the barrel as I'd go, since you don't want them cracking halfway through the test

If you're just looking to protect the swaintech or change the color, you can use the VHT exhaust paint, It topcoats the swaintech very well. It's also lasted on most anything I've used it on as long as it's cured properly.

I may try that. I?m thinking about having it all Swaintech coated. It?ll remove the need for a turbo blanket and/or a downpipe wrap.

I?m not sure why people even consider buying that thin walled garbage. For this test I would though.

[jr_ss]

Wow, Zilvia was resuscitated, that’s exciting in and of itself.

I haven’t really gotten much done on the car, at least not as much as what I had hoped I would have. A new year has come and with it changes in my professional career path. The biggest gain was I no longer have to travel to an office for work. That has had many challenges, namely staying on task when I’m not out meeting with clients. It has also come with more responsibility and higher wages, including a company supplied vehicle of my choosing.

‘21 GMC Canton AT4, with leather and Bose sound system fit the bill nicely. It has enough ass to trailer my car if/when needed.

I’ll post you my motor build specs as well. The machine shop is finally getting around to it. Not entirely their fault it’s taken this long, but it has led me to making changes as we progressed. I will no longer be just refreshing this motor, I have decided to go pretty extensive with it. Specs below:

- VCT/VVL kit
- Darton sleeves
- Threaded chain oil squirter
- VET exhaust cam
- Tomei HG
- N1 intake cam
- P11 VE head
- Exedy twin disk
- JE pistons
- Manley I-beam rods
- ARP mains
- S14 SR block
- New P12/T30 VE oil pump
- Mazworx 1/2” headstuds
- Mazworx Billet mains
- Plazmaman Billet girdle
- ATI harmonic balancer
- Upgraded rod pins (DLC coated)
- Mazworx crank timing kit
- PRP R35 coil bracket kit, w/ VQ37 coils
- Haltech WB1, TC4, and added quite a few additional sensors for safety

Im still going to run my Haltech PS2000, atleast for the time being, that too will be upgraded.

I repaired my old trans tunnel notch for my RS5R30A I had installed. Factory SR shifter boot fits on the CBF shifter bracket and the factory mid and upper boot finished it off.

Installed my S15 carpet, but before that was done I added some jute, to help quite down the interior some. Surprisingly, the S14 carpet has more sound deadening than the S15.

R33 cluster all done up and looking fresh. Have the wiring all sorted on paper, I just need to tackle the project. I’ll need to repurpose one wire, that is to make the factory oil pressure gauge read. I’ll couple a Haltech multigauge with it fo important data and warnings. I had a gentleman 3D print me a upper cluster surround to accommodate said gauge.

I also grabbed a Z34 Nismo differential to swap my S15 out with. I didn’t want to turn the S15 pinion gear into a powder puff and I’m sure that’s likely with the power I hope to put down.

I still have some things to order, but I have so much more to assemble and fabricate that those last few items can wait until I’m at that point.

Pictures!!!

[Om1kron]

looks like you have a lot going on, pretty cool stuff man. subbed.

[tuzzio]

Awesome update. Fresh carpets make the car feel so different (in a good way)
If thats a S15 Spec R diff, and you want to sell / ship it, PM me. I have a potential buyer who is looking for one.