my low budget dream car build

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Chris, just wanna say your build was a huge inspiration for me to get off my butt and attack my car. I know where I can put time and effort, and where I'm completely out of my league, so I had a shop redo my trans. It wasn't cheap, and I put it all on credit as well. That said.... can't wait to drive it. The entire time I've owned my car, my trans was "meh". It had grinds into 2nd and 3rd sometimes, I can't wait to use this thing now that it's sorted. Your engine is badass, you just did the suspension, and soon you'l have an awesome trans. All in all, it sucks that it broke down but big picture wise you're going to have an even better car. Get stoked!

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

I demand Monday updates!

It's been an adventure.
Thank you for the kind words and the update is coming...

Originally Posted by Jonny042

I'm curious too. Looking forward to the whole story but waiting patiently. It may take some healing time before he feels like typing it all out.

It took a while to get the pictures off my phone and then get caught up on my subscribed threads! I typically update my thread after catching up on what everyone else has been up to. Helps get me in the mindset to type out the upcoming book.

Originally Posted by jeff951nj

I have a picture of the car on the lift with the motor and trans if Chris will let me share it. I'm Glad Joe was able to come get pick you up and and Peter was able to help get it back together. Also thank you for getting our car ready for sandblasting and paint.

Jeff

Jeff,
First, let me say it was great to meet you.
Next, you're absolutely welcome. Sorry my trans grenaded an SNAFU'd my timeline for the week. That racecar should have been a bare tub 2 or 3 days earlier.
Joe and Peter are great guys and took great care of me. I owe those dudes a nice dinner if they come to PRI this year.
And absolutely post any pics you have. This thread is a place for sharing.

WHO'S READY FOR AN UPDATE?

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

WHO'S READY FOR AN UPDATE?

[chrisbalich]

Welcome to my vacation recap.
Please put your seatbelts on and place your tables in the upright position as we're expecting some turbulence.

It seems like a month ago, but I rolled out of the garage two Fridays ago at 0500 and pointed the headlights ENE.
My last IN sunrise for a while.


The car was running rich, as it's wont to do. But hummed along like the weird flat grey baby of a sewing machine and a Harley Davidson.

*I was really cursing the clown that decided sunvisors were an unnecessary feature at this time.

Everything was going along at a reasonable pace and most of my fears about the engine ventilating pistons or generally exploding were starting to subside.

A few minutes before 1100, I hit the PA state line and some construction.
After a brief backup and 200' (65m) of actual construction, I had open blacktop in front of me and rolled into the throttle.
First gear, it's alright.
Second gear, hang on tight. (not really. I skipped it.)
Third gear, something that rhymes with 'tight'.
Fourth gear: I'm pretty deep in the throttle, accelerating up a hill and BANG!-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk
I've been very mindful of what I'd do if I ever lost oil pressure and that always being in the back of my mind came in handy.
About 5 clunks in, I killed the throttle, pushed in the clutch, and yanked the car off the road.


The clunks continued with the engine off which indicated trans/axle/wheel issue and not engine. (during my jaunt across the road)
Out of the car and let's take a look underneath.
No axles out of place.
No windows in engine or trans.
No drips.
No extreme heat.
No smells.
WhatTheFork.

Back in the car.
Clutch in, start the engine. Engine is fine.
Trans in neutral, clutch out. AWFUL NOISES and car tries to move. Sonofabush. Clutch back in.
Engine still running, clutch in, let's try some gears.
First gear: won't engage
Second gear: won't engage
Third gear: won't engage
Fourth gear: won't engage
Fifth gear: will engage
Reverse: will engage

At this point, I decide the trans is full of confetti and shards and I'm not likely to hurt it worse.
So I push it into R and as I start to let out the pedal, the car stops rolling (I'm facing up the hill) as the trans binds. FML
The side of I-80 is not my ideal place for a picnic. But I'm only 100yds (98m) from an on-ramp. So I push in the clutch and let the hill roll me out of major danger of the interstate shoulder over to the spacious shoulder of the on-ramp.


So it's 1100 on a beautiful Friday.
The trans is a spent grenade.
The sun is still ascending the heavens. (shade is a fleeting commodity)
My computer has <15% battery.
My friend Joe is ~300miles (10,000km) away.
And my mobile phone has 33% battery life.
Just put a fork in me. I'm done.

I've called Kelly to let her know I'm having an impromptu picnic and called Joe to request a rescue.
First order of business is to get this phone charged.
My first thought was to just plug it in and set the ignition to 'on'. My 12v-usb adapter thing has a voltmeter on it, so I can monitor the car battery...but there's no reason to have the WBO2, ECU, cam sensor, etc all fired up without the car running. Good thing I wired the car myself and brought some tools.


Now the 12v outlet is [somewhat haphazardly] wired to constant power instead of switched. Result!

Roll out my yoga mat and let's rip a selfie. It's what the kids would do. Plus I wanted whoever found my body to know the body, phone, and car were a set.


While I was ripping selfies (and pouring sweat), Joe was hitching to a trailer, leaving work many hours early, and heading west. Some six hours and twenty minutes later, this happened.
My hero!





Some five hours later, we parked the whole rig outside Joe's shop.


To be continued...

[ryans65]

looks like an awful vacation so far lol patiently waiting for part deux

[911 SLANT]

That really sucks. My worst nightmare. I hear stories from guys that take their cars on long road trips with no problems. I have always wanted to take the drive from Los Angeles to Monterey. I'm afraid to do it. Maybe some day.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

My friend Joe is ~300miles (10,000km) away.

OK so just so you know milk came out of my nose just now. Metric FTW!!!

[chrisbalich]

Part 2
Saturday - Damage assessment

Up early and let's get this hog apart to see all the glittery chunks.



Dawe's Motorsports Development is 2 (dare I say 3?) doors down from Joe's shop.
Peter offered to consult on the trans, so we lugged the gearbox over to Peter's shop and started teardown.



The R&P were good.
The gears were good. (More on this later)
The case parts were good.
That's about it. Joe and Peter and I discussed our options and then I called Kelly.
She made the decision that putting a match to the car wasn't the best option and that we'd be fine. We (she) set a budget and I started cleaning all the trans bits (good and bad) for a detailed inspection scheduled for the following morning.

SUNDAY
Peter made me a list of 'most' of the bits that would be required for a rebuild. He also went through his parts rooms and pulled what he had so we could order the difference.
My nausea continued.

Joe's in-laws had invited us all to dinner, so we did that and had a generally really great time.
On the way back, I spied a limb leaning into the road that hadn't been there when we drove up. I saw the big, dark blob in the middle, but couldn't identify the blob until we were right on top of it.



This is why the pilgrims wore those high collars. To protect their necks from airborne attack porcupines. Cool cap to the day despite its ominous beginning.

The week begins.
I lose track of the days here. Peter has a track day and the subsequent prep. Joe has a bunch of work to do. Parts need to arrive. Forgive me if I don't have a detailed timeline for the next several/many pics.

First box of parts arrives


Dissasembly of gear stacks begins



Second gear dog teeth carnage


Stay tuned. We're still picking up steam.

[chrisbalich]

Same day? Different day? Who knows. The work needs to be done regardless of the day of the week. So we press on. LOLOLOLOL 'press on' I'll see myself out.

Bearings and bits and baubles are in and let's assemble some gear stacks.


There's a joke here. I just can't quite put my finger on it.


Now you'll look at this picture and start to feel really great...and I forgive you.


Look closely and you'll find the yellow paint. It correlates directly to this next picture.


The tooth at 12 o'clock may or may not have a crack in it. FML
Everything back apart and back into Peter's parts hoard we go...

Some time passes and Peter's track day comes and goes and UPS brought us a present.

Kaaz 1.5way diff stays on the shelf while we address the gears.

Second gear replaced and box back together.


Fifth and reverse go on and we're all feeling pretty good. All that's left is the diff, right? LOL WE WISH.
Tighten down the spider for 5/R and all of a sudden there's a hard-spot when turning the gears. This hadn't been there earlier. What's changed? Everything is lined up and enmeshed and there's no play anymore. That's what's changed.
Off comes the fulcrum on the bottom of the box and out comes the pen light.
You may not be able to see the tiny yellow mark in this picture.


But you'll see the larger yellow mark in this one.


Here are some shots of that third gearset and its tiny peened corner on one tooth.



You can only see it from very specific angles. What the fork.

[chrisbalich]

It's definitely Saturday at this point. It may have been Saturday before this, it may have just started. IDK who or where I am when I wake up at this point.

I know what you're thinking.
Chris is going to take some poison while the car naps. Then the car will wake up and find Chris all sorts of past-tense and take some poison. Gotta be a tragedy, right?
Well fear not! We eventually exhaust all the sadness and destruction in the gearbox of doom and this happens.


Psych!
Not done just yet.


A big block of marble was brought out along with some fancy measuring instruments for this next part.


Drumroll please...


The trans was completed at 1649EDT on Saturday.
I took this picture at 1738EDT.


It was fully installed, assembled, and running at 1937EDT. I took a video, but you've all seen what my car idling looks like. #stoked

The next morning, we let the car down off the lift and clocked some miles.
Went to dinner with Joe's in-laws again and I sniped this out the kitchen window.


The next morning, I took off for home. Pics in the dark are no fun, but here's a pic at a gas station in IDKwhere.


The car drove fine the whole way home. Joe and I had tinkered with the calibration and the car was running less rich and generally happier.
After forever away, I finally parked in my own garage.


Just one more post to wrap this story and I'm going to bed.

[chrisbalich]

Let's see some glamour shots of the destruction.

We threw away some of the wrecked bearings and bits, but I kept some of the more notable pieces.
Here's the spread of most of the replaced pieces.


Wrecked needle bearings


Second gear carnage continued (when dog teeth meet meth and Mtn. Dew)


I think this was third?


Couplers that have lost that loving feeling



These bits were part of the second gear synchro assembly. Guess which one was jammed in between two gears...


I'm continuing to dial in the calibration and I'll be changing the trans oil this weekend.
I'm back to work tomorrow and will be driving the car as much as possible to continue to break in the diff and enjoy the heck out of this car.

That's all I've got for now. Good night.

[Gabe.]

Such a wild journey Chris! Glad you and your buds made the best of it.

[chrisbalich]

IT'S MONDAY SOMEWHERE!!!

Long holiday weekends lend themselves to great forward progress or a lamentable lack thereof.
This weekend was somewhere in the middling ground of those two possibilities.

Kelly's A3 had a headlight fail on our way to the wedding back in the beginning of August. Between the transmission saga and then catching up on the things around the house that slipped because I was gone, I had completely forgotten about it. Alas we have a family vacation this weekend and she asked me to get it sorted before we leave.
Fun fact: you have to remove the whole front bumper skin and then the headlight ass'y to get to the primary bulb. Bunch of BS if you ask me.
I got the whole thing apart, swapped the bulb from PS to DS and the outage followed. So it's just a bulb. *anxiety lifts immediately*
Very few places stock D3S bulbs, and even fewer do so for a reasonable cost.
A quick scan through Amazon has a pair of them on the way for the cost of a single from the FLAPS. No pics as I was not excited about how much work had to be done to get to an HID bulb. :/ Maybe when I put it back together. Maybe.

I changed out the Kaaz gear oil in the trans at ~1000 miles. (680 of which were freeway) I put in Redline 75w-90 at the recommendation of Peter and Joe. I do not love it. I've reached out to the local shop to see if they can get me some Motul "Gear Competition" 75w-140 at the suggestion of Erik L from Sports Purpose Garage. If that stuff isn't readily available or wildly expensive, I'll likely just shove some Swepco 201 in there and hope it doesn't FUBAR the [plate] diff. My diff and synchros appear to be at odds regarding the type of fluid they want. Any oil experience with plate diffs in 915s would be greatly appreciated.

I also finally got around to installing the LED oil pressure idiot light. I got it from the classifieds here on Pelican and it's a slick little setup.



I reckon this will be hard to miss in the event of a loss of oil pressure.


I also drove us to breakfast, so I had to stop in the middle of the road and snap a quick picture of my car. It's really remarkable how forgiving the flat grey primer (combined with iPhone photography) is with a fantastically dirty car.

[Cheshire Cat]

[rsrguy]

Out of curiosity what $ breakdown on all of the trans parts?

[wout]

Very nice writing about your 'mixed' succes roadtrip. Good thing you can now trust your gearbox. Another step forward to get your 'perfect' car. Don't think you still have a 'low budget' project now...

Wout

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by rsrguy

Out of curiosity what $ breakdown on all of the trans parts?

Peter and Joe hooked me up on the price of most of the parts, so out of respect, I will only say this. It was more than I could pay in cash, but significantly less than if I'd had the car towed to a repair shop and had it done.
I will be forever grateful to have good friends who stepped up and helped a guy out big time.

Originally Posted by wout

Very nice writing about your 'mixed' succes roadtrip. Good thing you can now trust your gearbox. Another step forward to get your 'perfect' car. Don't think you still have a 'low budget' project now...

Wout

Let's look at what I've done in just under 3 years.

purchased the car
Raised spindles and added RSR bump steer kit
All Elephant bushings/bearings (not yet installed. Need new shocks and front shock top mounts)
CCW Classic (Race) wheels
full top-end rebuild plus cams, headers, ITBs, and EFI
Fully rebuilt trans with Kaaz 1.5way LSD
Sunroof removed
All rust removed, body sealed in epoxy
FG hood (steel hood in basement)
Stock steel decklid, Carrera wing, and FG duck
manual window conversion
custom interior panels
lightweight bucket seats, custom quarter windows, innumerate small touches to simplify, declutter, lighten, and generally improve

total weight 2250lbs
total expense <$30000usd

I reckon anyone would be hard-pressed to find such a car for less than I've spent so far.

At this point, I need to:
finish the interior (mostly just the carpet and parcel shelf)
powdercoat the window trims
paint the body
replace the shocks
replace the balljoints
replace the [front] camber plates
reinforce the rear swaybar mounts

The paintwork will require some assistance, or a significant amount of time.
The rest is just some time to recoup some funds and get them sorted.

I expect I can 'finish' this entire car under $40000usd...or under $50000 if I go back through the whole engine and upgrade the EFI to something a bit fancier.

[Mixed76]

I've been watching since you started and have been blown away over and over again. You've built a sweet ride in what is to me a very short period of time, with your own hands. Well done, and nice job.

Sent from my Nokia 7.1 using Tapatalk

[chrisbalich]

Last night, I was tinkering with the shifter. Since the rebuild, the trans has been awesome during all upshifts, but has been hesitant/difficult to downshift into 4th from 5th.
I got it a little better, but still have to really perfectly nail the rev-match to downshift. I'm not sure what's up with that. Maybe it'll sort itself out a little bit as the synchros wear in. IDK.

The new gear oil is much better than the Redline that I had in there before. So that's a relief.
Just need to figure out the shifter adjustment to dial in 4th (without losing 1st or 2nd). I am considering a WEVO Gateshift once I repay this trans rebuild as I've read they can be installed with the trans in the car.

During one of the test-drives, the car was running a bit wonky. So when I got back home, I pulled off the rain hats and set the synchrometer on each TB to see how balanaced/unbalanced they were.
Oi. They were a mess. Now I'm wondering if I'd done a really poor job sync'ing them the first time, or if the adjustment screws have jiggled & jittered their way into new positions. So I'll have to check again in a couple hundred miles. I may have to use a little green loctite if they've moved.

The two things that came of the re-sync are:
1. improved drivability and smoothness
2. I'm getting much more travel of the butterflies. So apparently, I wasn't even close to WOT at what I thought was WOT. Now I need to enlist the help of a buddy or camera to verify WOT at the ITBs when I'm at WOT at the pedal. Nothing quite like finding another 20hp for free.

As usual, I'm still tinkering with the calibration as well. Specifically, I'm working out what parameters to track whilst logging to help me dial it in.

I'm also preparing my winter plans. I have to have a plan, or I don't get anything done.
Stay tuned, this build isn't done yet.

[Gabe.]

I kinda laugh at those that are saying this isn't a "budget" build anymore because you had to rebuild your trans. Like what the hell? Sometimes when things break your hand is forced but the budget part came in when seeking deals on parts and having an awesome group of friends assist you as opposed to bringing it into a shop and writing a check. Completely different mindset.

Anyways... Chris, I had some problems with WOT too so I took a different approach to calibrating the TPS last time. Instead of calibrating it at the pedal, do it at the bellcrank so you can confirm the butterflies are fully open or fully closed when you set 0% and 100% in tunerstudio. Then when you have tunerstudio open and are running logs you can confirm that you actually had 100% throttle at the pedal.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Gabe.

I kinda laugh at those that are saying this isn't a "budget" build anymore because you had to rebuild your trans. Like what the hell? Sometimes when things break your hand is forced but the budget part came in when seeking deals on parts and having an awesome group of friends assist you as opposed to bringing it into a shop and writing a check. Completely different mindset.

Anyways... Chris, I had some problems with WOT too so I took a different approach to calibrating the TPS last time. Instead of calibrating it at the pedal, do it at the bellcrank so you can confirm the butterflies are fully open or fully closed when you set 0% and 100% in tunerstudio. Then when you have tunerstudio open and are running logs you can confirm that you actually had 100% throttle at the pedal.

Gabe,
1. You're not wrong. I saved thousands over just dropping the car somewhere and swiping my card.
2. You're brilliant! IDK why I never thought of that. Now I get to pull the rain hats off again...