MaczPayne's Turbo II
 

Figured I'd talk about my journey since I've got some free time from school. It's been a wild ride, and I don't think things will calm down any time soon!

I purchased this 1987 TII in April 06 as a rolling shell from a guy who unfortunately cracked the front iron just a few weeks after buying it. The car had a half-bridge and all kinds of good stuff.

At the end of the day, all i got was a roller complete with interior and the driveline for $450.

The car was stored(if you could call it that lol) at my roommate's house for almost a year and a half, while I was gathering parts to complete it...

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...04-07_1451.jpg

During this time, I picked up the following parts:
-J-spec S5 TII longblock w/ perfect compression
-Walbro 255lph fuel pump
-Racing Beat 2.5in turboback
-SSR Reverse Mesh wheels + tires
-Ohlins struts w/ RS*R springs
-Microtech LT8s
-ACT 12lb flywheel & Exedy clutch
-All new gaskets for the long block assembly
-CSF 2 row radiator
-Old school HKS SSQV
-Greddy Profec B spec-II
-Misc. stuff I don't remember off the top of my head.

Me and my buddy then pulled an all nighter during June 07 right when finals ended, and got it running and drivable at 4am. Almost 24 hours of work!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...04-07_1730.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...04-07_1124.jpg

Some pics that afternoon:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...06-07_1623.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...06-07_1324.jpg

Some more:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/100_5260.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/DSCN0818.jpg

Purchased the S5 conversion for a steal, and Stance GR+ Pro's from AutoRnD:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...overssmall.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0180.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0186.jpg

Did a 15 hour round trip for these Corbeaus:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0329.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0308.jpg

Some random shots w/ the RE-A shift knob:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0330.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/IMG_0383.jpg

Some pics of Mazfest summer 08:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/VP__7751.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/VP__9652.jpg

At this point I started to crave for more grip, and wider tires. My sumitomos weren't cutting it, and I wanted to nail the throttle on exits earlier.
Enter my current setup:

17x9 +24 Stern Schmiede R16-s
Currently running 255/40/17 all around on Falken RT615's. If I do chance upon another set of wheels, I'll try to wrap slicks of similar size or bigger on these as the track setup.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...c/P1010002.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...c/IMG_0741.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...c/IMG_0742.jpg

I must say, the new setup is worlds apart from the old one, and I can't imagine what it can do with the slicks on!

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/S7302535.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/P1010043.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/P1010039.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...SC01793-vi.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...SC01763-vi.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...SC01764-vi.jpg


Plans for the future (After college):
-Rebuild with medium SP, or Semi-Peripheral if I went nuts
-A-spec GT35R,
-I should be fairly decent at TIG welding by the time I graduate, so VMIC + misc aluminum fab
-Microtech LT12
-Parallel rail fuel system, 720cc primaries, and 1680cc secondaries
-RB RevTII turboback
-Exedy twin-disc
-FD oil cooler in parallel with the FC
-Brake ducting and possibly bigger brakes
-AWR spherical bearings, lower control arms, adjustable sway bar, and individual rear camber links.
-6 point roll bar if the car is still used on the Street, full cage for off road.
-Widebody and paint, wider wheels/tires

Goal this time is ~400rwhp reliably, with a relatively flat power curve, and fast boost response.

Well, that's all I can remember from the top of my head. It will always be a work in progress! Comments, suggestions welcome!


To be continued...

what steering wheel and hub do you have?

I must say good job. It sounds like the longest part was getting all the parts you needed. I give props for putting the car to good use too!

Momo Race steering wheel and hub, and NRG quick release

Still have to find time to put the horn button on haha.

WE3RX7, thanks!

I want your mudflaps!

ps; sweet jeep, would love it for this weather:

I don't know how bad it was by you all but we got about 6 inches last night and were gonna get about 9 today.



http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2601/dscn0796li1.jpg

for comparisons sake, my dog is a pretty tall 100lb shephard/husky mix

Haha, I don't think it has ever snowed in Riverside.

But when I had the car at my friends house, it was up in Running Springs, so when it snowed, it completely buried my car. Digging it out was NO FUN at all.

Hey johnson thats good stuff I didn't know that about your car. Hope to see more out of it soon. We'll have to see how well you fair at the track next time we both go.

Very nice. A down and dirty track car, just how I like them:icon_tup: How are those 255s up front? Do they rub alot?

^Nope, not at all!

Can't wait, your car whooped mine at the last track event, I couldn't keep up with you at all! And you were all motor! I still have alot to learn about driving, that's for sure.

yeah but your a great driver anyway. here's my car recently in case you haven't seen it since Sevenstock. Only thing the pic doesn't shop is that I took off the GXL badge.

Your car is looking great as always, man! That T2 lip sets it off!

Car at last week's Auto-x:

http://images27.fotki.com/v1024/phot...MG_9226-vi.jpg

Tired J-spec needs a rebuild, so since then it's been parked and I'm driving the Jeep instead.

A much needed update I reckon.

Got my RobXX7 "Demonspeed" Lip on, and S5 TII sideskirts. Completely changes the look of the car in my opinion. The car ain't pretty, but I like the street-fighter-esque feeling I get from it. All it needs now are the Odula sidesteps and Craftsquare diffuser and it'll be where I want it pretty much.

We just picked up a 48" 16ga capacity sheet metal brake, so if I scrounge up enough time, I'll probably build a brand new undertray/splitter to take advantage of the lip.

Next weekend I'll have my big brakes :) 12.8" Rotors up front and 12.7" in the rear :D It's gonna stop like throwing anchors out.

It's posted in the 2nd gen pics section, but here it is again:

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2099451_n.jpg

I look forward to you building an under tray. I'm going to be making one for my car soon too.

Johnson, lovin the new lip, I always loved your car but I gotta know, what are you running for your suspension setup. That girl likes like she could eject someone on the right turn.

I need a brake that big.... I've been putting off my underbelly pan for a while becuase of it.

I needs those brakes too :rofl: Some details possible? I'm very intrigued as that's something that's on my winter list as well.

That thing looks mean as hell. I like! :icon_tup:

One question, though: How in the world did you get your RB exhaust to hang so perfectly? I seriously have never seen a set of RB duals sit to evenly in the bumper cut-outs. My old N/A True-Duals were all cockeyed and one tip stuck out further than the other, even after hours of fine-tuning my hangars.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...8/P1010043.jpg

Stance GR+ Pro's, I believe you are running the same ones! I have nothing but good things to say about those. If I had the coin I would try some Penske's or Motons, but I'm far too young for that.

A friend of mine was working on a Roger Mandeville type setup that allows you to keep your OE brake calipers and run larger rotors from a 350z Track Edition. Brake bias through calculations was shifted a fraction of a percent to the rear, which is fine since Mazda had conservatively moved it forward some.

Of course, the calipers would have to be modified for the extra width of the rotors, plus an adapter bracket had to be designed and tested through FEA and on the road. He had thought about building a kit to sell, but liability issues reared its ugly head. He just didn't want any chances of lawsuits, especially when it comes to brakes. The plan sort of went into hibernation, and that was it.

It took me almost a year of gentle persuasion to get the ball rolling on my set, because of his concern, which is understandable. Over the past 2 months he has been putting together my set, and next weekend is the magic day. If you are serious about this kit, send me a PM and I'll have more information.

The exhaust was modified a little. When I first mounted it, it was FAR from good, the left side hung lower than the right by a significant amount!
I could not get it right despite my efforts, so I took it to an exhaust shop to have the pipes bent. It looked decent then, but the driver's side tip was recessed about an inch into the bumper compared to the passenger side. A few months later I had a section in the driver's side lengthened to even out the tips. The result is what you see in the picture, there were times I wished I had gone with a single, but duals just look right at home with these cars. I can see why some people go single though.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/CIMG1972.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/CIMG1983.jpg

Details soon to come :) They stop SOOO good :)

is that rotor larger or is it just me?

13 inches :)

Yup, same ones. What are you running for spring rates and sways? I'm still experimenting by feel on the street only. Too many problems with the car this year to really get some good track data so I'm looking for suggestions from people that look like they got thier shit dialed in.


That's Frijolee's doing right? He PM'ed me about my input on that a LONG time ago over on TeamFC3S. I liked the idea but I had my own concerns about them. I really like the design so yeah Johnson, PM me about some details and costs becuase I am definately doing a BBK over the winter. Right now I'm leaning towards a "custom" FastBrakes setup and something else kinda special for the rear. So yeah, anything that you don't want to share, PM me and it won't go anywhere.

-B

looks like you're not getting full pad engagement there?

Brian, you'll get a PM soon, I'll need time to write it up haha.

As for spring rates, I'm running 8/6, factory TII swaybar up front, no rear bar. Camber in the rear is about -.5 deg, and about 1.5-2 in the front. I really like how the car feels without the rear bar.

Josh: Haha, didn't notice that. The caliper has no fluid in the picture, and the pad is fully retracted.

Pad overhang ended up being a few thousandths of an inch. We had brackets that allowed full pad engagement, but we felt the added radial clearance for thermal expansion was worth the little bit of overhang. Rear calipers have no overhang :)

Currently there are 3 people with this setup, me, Joel(Frijolee), and Robert (FC3S_91)
Robert's had them out on the track, and so far, there are been no major issues. We're still "beta" testing these, so there's always a new change every now and then. Joel is almost finished with the technical report, and is thinking about releasing it to those who are interested in a similar setup. It has all the background, calculations, CAD drawings, and vendors on it.

It's gonna be a while before I can get some nice pictures, because of school and other things. These rotors fill my wheels in completely! The fitment is sooo tight.

Dang school taking up all my time! I have yet to get out and get some nice pictures of the new brakes :(

Ya know Johnson, posting up pics would be like school for everyone else :D

Gotta split the calipers and add a spacer huh? Those are some awesome brakes.

Here are the long-awaited pictures :) Write-up to follow whenever I can steal some free-time...

Lunch with Joel:

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/CIMG1965.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/CIMG1974.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/P1010266.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/P1010265.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/P1010262.jpg

Before
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/P1010125.jpg

After
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1.../Passbrake.jpg

Before
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...s/CIMG1968.jpg

After
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/passview.jpg

And one for fun, she hasn't been washed for a month, ha
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...I/P1010264.jpg

I've got a track event at Streets of Willow on the 18th, so these will get thoroughly tested. As far as spirited driving wherever I can get it, these brakes are spectacular. Can't wait to swap in some HP+'s or RS4's in a few months.

Looks like I'll need even stickier tires to maximize the use of these brakes :)

I was at the autocross practice and championship this past weekend:
The effort required to lock up the wheels is so much smaller compared to the old setup, where I would have to almost stand on the brake pedal to slow the car down. I had trouble on the first 2 laps, locking them up frequently. By the end of the day though I had the braking limits figured out, and was able to net some very good and consistent times despite being on heat cycled RT615's. The real test will come this saturday on the Roval at autoclub speedway. Time to see how these puppies deal with repeated "hair pin after a looooonng straight" braking.

I was going to wait and get a set of 255/40/17 v710's, but that wait might be a while.

A friend is selling me a set of brand new 275/40/17 RT615 for dirt cheap, so I'll probably use those for a while. I don't DD the car anymore so I'll get a race alignment for it :)

Prepare yourself for some meaty tires soon.

What happened to the car, man? The 15th you make this post, and the 16th your sig says "Rest In Peace"

So, (you dont update us) yet you have time to change the sig? This is blasphemy! :D

yeah...whats up?????????

i read on the 7club that he totalled the car! sad to see it go but did you by anychance make the write up on the brake upgrade? I'm really interested on this set-up or was the brake upgrade the cause of the accident?

From the evil forum :(

That sucks!

I actually can get a super clean S5 shell for him but I think he's too far away... all straight body only thing is its NA (does run though) and wont have an interior in it...

Hope he finds something though, it'd be a shame to call it quits after all that work.

oh man that blows:icon_tdown::banghead:

Sorry to hear that Johnson.

Bill/Johnson.... here's something to think about. Come to DGRRX with Nader and Mike and Shar and drive the N/A home :icon_tup:

I have an 89 convertible it's N/a and automatic but only 77k on the chassis if anyone wants to get in contact with the guy.

s4 base model is the way to go! no sunroof = lightest stiffest chassis :)

damn.... that blows. I used to swerve to avoid small stuff like squirrels when I first started to drive. After a few near accidents, I told myself that my life is more important, and that the next time I should NOT make a sudden move if I see something small on the road.

I was driving home late at night one night, going about 85mph on a 2 lane highway, and a possum walked right out on the road. I just slightly moved the steering wheel so that the possum would end up in the middle of my car, and ran over it without hitting the brakes... a couple thuds and we just kept going.

Scared the crap out of me to be honest, but I keep thinking about what would happen if I didn't train myself beforehand.


PS: I'm not a very experience driver, but I see a lot of talented people make the same mistake as the thread starter. Practice for things like this should be included in basic driver's training.

I never quit :)

I found a very clean red S5 GXL in AZ for a steal. It's a complete car with black interior and the works, it was recently overheated.

I'd like to get an s4, but my goal now is to build a comfortable dual-purpose car that has a/c at least for the scorching summers here.

I am a bit bummed about losing the car, but I really look at this as just an obstacle to become a better driver. I was testing my limits on each lap, and unfortunately on the last one I found it.

The crash revealed ALOT of bondo on the car (>1/4" thick in some places), which leads me to believe I was driving a slightly tweaked frame the whole time. Who knows how much faster I'll be with a clean car?

Lastly, the brakes were in no way the cause of the crash, since it happened during a zero throttle/zero brake situation. They were instead spectacular. I was probably at the top of 4th gear at the end of the roval braking into a 20-25 mph corner. I was out-braking most of the cars out there, with no noticeable fade throughout the day. I used to stand on my brakes to slow down, now it's much more refined and linear. Before the crash happened, the car finally drove the way I wanted it to.

This was also the first time all 3 test mules with the big brakes drove on the same track. Except for the crash, we all did fine :)

I cannot release any info yet regarding the brakes until my friend decides to release it. He's still concerned about liability. If you want to talk to him, his user is frijolee on the other forum.

Here are some slo-mo videos from the last Auto-x:

http://blip.tv/play/AYG97AoC

http://blip.tv/play/AYG9wEIC

http://blip.tv/play/AYG9v2IC

What is the cost if someone is interested in this brake set-up?