Attack of my 1982 GS!!!
 

Here is the epic tale of my build thread for a 1982 GS i picked up locally.

For starters, the car is clean. Almost too clean in some ways and i love the earlier interiors.

Here is how i got the car:

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Almost immediately, i pulled the differential assembly out of the car. Its amazing how light it is in comparison to the GSL-SE rear end. I'd say at least a 100lb difference.

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Next i pulled the motor out. The engine is a good 12a engine, i just want to go over EVERYTHING i can. Plus removing the rust proofing gunk is easier this way. My fiancee, Amy, cleaned the engine bay for me. Carb cleaner and

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with the motor pulled i started to degrease and scrub it clean. Once that fiasco was done, i pained the irons with ceramic spray paint for some visual appeal.

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I also swapped out the GSL-SE front struts i had. Already have Eibach springs and some Adjust. illumnias.

I also am using a stock replacement clutch and pressure plate. The 1982 has the "light weight" flywheel, so the pressure plate is different than other years. Napa "zoom (valeo)" clutch only set me back about 130 dollars and came with the everything, including the alignment tool and throwout bearing and grease.

For the intake manifold, i splurged and got the Atkins rotary side draft manifold. Its a nice piece, but the ports need some reworking.

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I also purchased a nice set of Suspension Techniques sway bars from Summit Racing. Its nice having them only about 20 minutes away. Installation for the front one sucks, to be plain. The rear is too bad. Just keep your hardware from the originals.

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Once that was installed i settled the engine and transmission back into the car.

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Wow, the engine bay cleaned up really well. And I agree with you, the S2 interiors rule.

Looking good.

Nice ride and great work, but i have to disagree with u and %, S3 interiors is where its at :D

so i hit a wall. Appearently, a 44 IDF and a 45 DCOE DO NOT have the small flange pattern....

I am modifing a carb to act just as an EFI throttle body as opposed to buying a higher dollar unit. Or at least that WAS the plan until i got the 44 IDF and it sure as hell doesn't mate to the Atkins manifold i have....

I like the way it came out keep up the good work

Progress has been made. Car is rolling around. Still need some things though. Have to do the fuel lines, fuel pump, needs rear dampers, and to finish the ignition setup (MSD boxes), install the MS unit i finished soldering and some other items. But generally speaking, i am on the home stretch.


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Also you can note in the picture that i am using an FC aluminum pump housing with a FB aluminum pump. Everything works out fine less the alternator mounting point. As you can see, air pump brackets and little grinding and solve this.

It is certainly colorful under the rear, with the orange trailing arms & watts link, and the bright green ST swaybar. I dunno what inspired ST to switch to that color on their springs and sways.....

they actually gave me an insert page talking about the color choice.

more progess.

The car now has some brake lines. Russell SS ones from Summit. The header is on, as is a tweaked Nikki Carb. Carter fuel pump is all connected up. All the electrical is connected and ready to go.

Now for the bad: I need a new driver's front caliper, pending on if i can removed the old bleeder in the one on there now. (its been snapped off). Also i am leaking coolant from the intake manifold. SOOO i need to address this as well. Going to have to take the manifold back off and put freeze plugs in place of the o ring crap.

I have a set of those Russell stainless lines ready to go on my car. Only item that is somewhat disappointing with them, they only included 3 sealing washers, and they're aluminum. Oh well, copper gaskets aren't that pricey, I just wish Russell had included them. I'll prolly pick up another set for the other car. Summit has a good price, and it's a 5 line set.
I also use the freeze plugs in my car. Only real issue I have encountered is the carb will sometimes ice up when the temp is below 40F. Once the engine has warmed up, the problem goes away. I don't drive the car much during the winter, so it's not a big issue.
Front calipers aren't too pricey, so it may be a good idea to replace both, if you cannot repair the broke bleeder. I have had limited success with drilling out broken bleeders. Sometimes it works, other times not so well.

im hoping i can just get another caliper new and call it a day since i am fresh out of good front calipers. and i have a 1400 mile drive to make october 1st..and there is a good chance its in this car...

as for the freeze plugs...i really dont get WHY its leaking. I used two new orings. What i think may have happened is that the orings i got were from napa in the generatic o ring box they have. Im thinking since they weren't a "perfect" fit, they may have pinched.

Either way, im tempted to just freeze plug the holes and be done with it.

I veiw the orings as a poor design, and always advise the use of freeze plugs when installing an aftermarket intake that doesn't have the water passages. Just an added security item, in my mind.
I know why Mazda used the water passages in the intake, but it could have been designed a little better. Those orings tend to leak far too often.
The reasoning behind the heated intake is not only to help prevent carb icing in colder climates, but the warmer air/fuel mixture is supposed to give a more complete burn. Great for reducing emmissions, but not so great for maximizing the power.

so one step back it seems. I dont think the intake manifold is sitting flush. Two different manifolds have done this...I think i need to just remove the two locators studs as they must be tweaked slightly to not allow the manifold to sit flush.

damn it

Then the thermostat housing bolt broke off TIGHTENING it back in.

damn it x2

I now have a Holley FPR, so depending on well some things go tonight i could attempt to start it!

Okay so here is the current state of the car:

1. exhaust wise, the car is 95% done. I just need to weld up a section to connect the header to the muffler.

2. The intake manifold SHOULD finally be good to go. I am currently using a tweaked nikki setup but ran into some coolant leak issues. I think that it was the locating studs giving me crap. I removed them and now it seems to sit flush(er) than before. Plus i freeze plugged the coolant passages and Right Stuff'ed them accordingly.

3. Wiring should basically all be done less one or two ground connections and the "+" to the starter. Only a couple minutes worth of work.

D. The water pump housing has also decided to leak between the housing and the engine. Going to go back to the proper 12a housing which will allow me to have a proper alt. tensioner as well. Should be getting on from Pete tonight.

5. The fuel system is also 90% done. I just need some fittings to plumb the Holley FPR.

I will be happy to see this car get back on the road. You have invested quite a bit of work into it.

i cant wait to get it driving to justify spending MORE money on it!

Isn't it odd how that works? :driving:

at least i can have enjoyment then though. As will RE Speed and a few other mfgrs. once they have my dollars....

I know that feeling. ReSpeed has lots of stuff I'd like to have, for both my GS(L) and my SE. I have plenty of stuff to install on the SE already, but it's sitting on stock suspension...

i got lucky and the parts car GSLSE i had happened to have the adj. illum. struts and the eibachs.

UPDATED PICTURES!!!!!!!!


OKay so last night was productive to say the least AND i still had time to go cruisn' with some local folks.

The water pump problem has been addressed. Went back to an FB housing. The belt is on, alt is set etc. No clutch fan since i have one belt. So i am going to commender a e-fan on a junk yard visit.

The batt. cables are all hooked up. Used an old FC brake line for the clutch cable. Bleed that.

Only problems are once i got the batt. installed and went to crank it, the start just clicks alot and doesn't do anything. I think i saved the bad starter i did on my friends Rx7 and for some stupid reason, it ended up in my car....

So this weekend i am going to plumb the FPR, deal with the starter, maybe finish the exhaust. And hope to see it start!!



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alright, so i got the pressure reg. installed. But the batt. i have is 100 percent dead. I am going to start charging it and poke around with the seats needing mounted.

Ill get pictures later.

I meant to ask you when i was up at the shop... what rims are those and what size tires?... they are pretty beefy.

14" Datsun 280Z(x)? decently common. I have a 205/60 tire on them.

So the FPR is installed, but the one fitting is still leaking, so i need to go tighten that. Once that is done, i declare the fuel system done.

Also the driver's side Isuzu seat is install and seems pretty nice. Adj. in many ways, the best being the torso bolsters. Just have to finish tinkering with the pass. side setup. I got lucky with the driver's side, the isuzu rails didnt take much to make work. The Passenger side is using the FB rails.

I still need to do something about the batt. i need a new one anyway since i cant find one that is a "known working" battery to check to make sure the start is good, since i can't get it to crank over. Just clicks alot.


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I hope you were not driving it with NO FAN!!!!!!

hah, car doesnt even run yet. Although you CAN run it without a fan as long as your moving.

I am getting an electric fan sometime this week anyway, not too big a concern.

I also could not get that one fitting to stop leaking. Looks like the threads on it werent sealing even with teflon tape. So ill get another one and try again. If they still give me beef, JB weld thread sealaent it is.


ALSO i just got two miata OEM batteries from a friend. Hopefully, one of them should be a good batt and let me figure out this start issue. Either way i want to get good high CCA battery.

Fuel leak problem has been solved!

But i am still having issues with the starter. After talking around, i think the brushes are stuck... so i am going to rummage through my boxes of spare parts to see if i kept any starters.

Also, the first of my "cool items" has been ordered and will solve my issues with the front brakes permanent like. Bought the RE Speed Front Brake Kit and seeing i already have some 5 lug stuff laying around and numerous calipers, i can pretty much get the thing operational from that alone.

I am planning on then running vert wheels (since i need a 15" wheel). Once the budget allows, ill be doing the kit for the rear as well.

Eventually when i get some dollars ill buy a wider proper set of wheels.

To Do List (This is more for my own use since i loss crap like this)


PHASE 1 - Getting the car running!
A. Fix coolant leak issues (have to verify with the engine running)
B. Finish exhaust
C. Install RE Speed Kit for front brakes.
D. Need lug nuts for vert wheels
E. Install shocks in rear once second shock (finally) arrives.
F. Tighten all suspension bolts in rear.
G. Need new batt. Temp. use of old miata may work pending start issue.
H. Fix start "not cranking" issue.
I. Add ground cabling here and there.
J. Install pass. side Isuzu seat.
K. acquire and install E-Fan.



PHASE 2 - 12a Fuel Injection Conversion
A. Acquire throttle body assembly (Tmw vs. Fuji)
B. Finish mega squirt and harness.
C. install intake manifold and throttle body.
D. Need two fuel injectors (550 vs 680)
E. Acquire and install fuel pump.
F. Install fuel pressure regulator
G. Run fun feed and return lines.
H. Tune!



PHASE 3 - More Power! 13B 4-Port N/A
A. acquire s5 rotor 9.7:1 rotors
B. acquire rx8 e-shaft
C. acquire automatic rear counterweight
D. have rotating assembly balanced
E. Port 12a irons
F. Cooling mod GSLSE housings / 12a irons
G. Acquire apex seals of choice (low wear?)
H. Need four fuel injectors (about 460?)
I. Assemble engine. (skipping details for now)
J. Acquire 13b manifold
K. Retune with mega squirt.



Other stuff:

Aeroworks Rear Spoiler (fiberglass) $175 www.shop.retro-spec.net
240z Fender Flares $218 www.thezstore.net

still waiting around for stuff like the starter and the brake kit, so in the meantime, i put the shiny thing on.

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I run without my fan alot of the time. It all depends on how hot it is outside when I'm driving. The only time that I make sure that my e-fan is running is when I leave and it's "rush hour" here. Even then, I spend less than 5 minutes sitting in traffic downtown, then it's off to the nice roads outside of town :).

Project looks good, wish I had the time/money/space to do a project like that. Let us know how the Isuzu seats feel while driving.

from just a sitting standpoint (and from driving the isuzu they came in) they are very nice, especially compared to the stock seats.

the have adj. lumbar support, adj, side bolsters, the seats can tilt, etc. Plus the headrest is actually about where the back of my head is. Im 6'1". That never happens in an FB.

I would also bet i could wear a helmet without rubbing the ceiling.

Wow, kinda like what I'm doing to my FC, except for I had to get another engine, I have rust holes in my floor, and I had to repaint my engine bay due to a leaking brake master....

I got an FC Turbo 4 pot caliper for $66 rebuilt from car quest, so I cant imagine that an FB caliper would be that much more expensive...

the calipers are not expensive. The rotors are since they a integral with the bearings. A cheap GSLSE rotor at MY cost is about 50-60 dollars, per rotor.

items in red are completed!

PHASE 1 - Getting the car running!
A. Fix coolant leak issues (have to verify with the engine running)
B. Finish exhaust
C. Install RE Speed Kit for front brakes.
D. Need lug nuts for vert wheels
E. Install shocks in rear once second shock (finally) arrives.
F. Tighten all suspension bolts in rear.
G. Need new batt. Temp. use of old miata may work pending start issue.
H. Fix start "not cranking" issue.
I. Add ground cabling here and there.
J. Install pass. side Isuzu seat.
K. acquire and install E-Fan.

now i would have the exhaust finished too, but something became misaligned, so i need to redo it...


i am also concerned about the possibility that the manifold is STILL leaking coolant.

There is also a 4.78 equipped 3rd member in the car. I want to see what the open diff is like for one, and for two, i want to rebuild the limited slip unit i have. No sense doing it twice.

well the car kinda starts off start fluid, but discovered that the carb is not getting fuel. Check the line up to the FPR and it barely is getting flow. The pump is running, but either it cant flow any longer or there is a blockage. Ill have to look into it more...

But the seats are done! The car cranks and i heard it fire up. So its getting closer to running. But my time is also running out til i move....hopefully i can heard it run before i have to park it.

Some current engine bay pictures:

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