Hey Kspeed guys! (sperry's motor current build thread)

[sperry]

...instead of trying to maintain a massive chain of PM quotes between Matt, Kevin, and Cory, I'm just gonna start this thread.

Any ETA on the block and oil-pan powdercoating? By Friday?


Kevin, can you clue me in on what you've got available with that '06 ECU/harness, etc? I'm not 100% sure I know what I need for the conversion...

- 32bit ECU
- Engine wiring harness (will work with my top feed injectors, no?)
- Gas pedal + wiring
- DBW throttle body
- AVCS and DBW wiring added to bulkhead harness? More?


Also, I think I'll need a quote on some additional gear:

- Grimmspeed ported/polished/coated OEM headers (I've already got the crosspipe & uppipe)
- Grimmspeed AOS
- Grimmspeed turbo heat shield
- Deatchwerks 850cc top feed injectors
- OEM Headgaskets
- open-fail thermostat

PM me a quote if you don't mind, or let me know if I should just source any of that stuff myself.


Finally, I'm still trying to decide on converting back to a TMIC or not. Certainly, I've got a great setup now with my Perrin FMIC (aside from the heat soak on long straights) and would rather keep it instead of spending money on new parts. Matt, I was thinking about what you were saying regarding the empty hood scoop preventing the FMIC/radiator from working well... wouldn't that also be true with a TMIC? Would a scoop block off plate and some potential revisioning to my under-engine aero potentially work better than a good TMIC for fighting oil/water temp issues? I'm thinking about trying that first, then converting back to a TMIC if it doesn't help.

Another idea I had is that I'm missing the forward floor pieces of my fender liners... I wonder if air is actually piling in behind the radiator from the sides via the open fenders, thus greatly reducing the flow through the FMIC/radiator/oil-cooler even with the OEM splash guard installed. A very simple flat/wide splitter under there with a nice trailing downward lip on the back (replacing the stock splash guard) might solve all my cooling issues at the track. Comments?

[Kevin M]

PM sent regarding the new parts, and I'll try to get the wiring harness in here tomorrow so I can see exactly what's in that box. Matt will get with you about the oil pan and the TMIC questions soon.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Kevin M

PM sent regarding the new parts, and I'll try to get the wiring harness in here tomorrow so I can see exactly what's in that box. Matt will get with you about the oil pan and the TMIC questions soon.

Cool, got the PM! Like I said in my reply, I'll probably order up all that stuff soon, aside from the AOS which I don't absolutely need unless I go back to a TMIC.

Thanks.

[knucklesplitter]

Originally Posted by sperry

Finally, I'm still trying to decide on converting back to a TMIC or not. Certainly, I've got a great setup now with my Perrin FMIC (aside from the heat soak on long straights) and would rather keep it instead of spending money on new parts. Matt, I was thinking about what you were saying regarding the empty hood scoop preventing the FMIC/radiator from working well... wouldn't that also be true with a TMIC? Would a scoop block off plate and some potential revisioning to my under-engine aero potentially work better than a good TMIC for fighting oil/water temp issues? I'm thinking about trying that first, then converting back to a TMIC if it doesn't help.

Another idea I had is that I'm missing the forward floor pieces of my fender liners... I wonder if air is actually piling in behind the radiator from the sides via the open fenders, thus greatly reducing the flow through the FMIC/radiator/oil-cooler even with the OEM splash guard installed. A very simple flat/wide splitter under there with a nice trailing downward lip on the back (replacing the stock splash guard) might solve all my cooling issues at the track. Comments?

The TMIC partially "blocks" the scoop hole so there is a pressure drop across it, just like there is a pressure drop across the radiator. So the engine compartment is at lower pressure than the front of the car and air flows into it through both the radiator and TMIC. With an FMIC there is a wide-open tall scoop that tends to pressurize the engine compartment which will reduce flow through the radiator. That is the theory anyway. Crawford says it is very noticeable on the 08+ and even results in some front-end lift at speed.

The open fenders may not be helping either, but I doubt that is the main culprit.

[sperry]

So Kevin, any update on a price for those headers? Send me a PM.

Also, I won't need to order headgaskets... I picked up a pair when I was at Lithia ordering a bunch of odd-and-ends like bolts and a new center timing cover. I should have all those bits on Thursday. Then I can drop off all my stuff for Cory to have at the assembly.

I still haven't heard anything back about getting that oil pan stripped. I think soda-blasting should be okay, since any residual baking soda in the pan is water soluble and would wash away before powdercoating. Does Matt know anyone that does soda blasting?

[sperry]

BTW: Cory, when you go to reassemble the long block, you'll find that there are some crap bolts (one of the idler pulley bolts comes to mind) and some missing bolts (some small 10mm head bolts, and those two cam retainer bolts) in the box of stuff I gave you. I've got replacements for everything on order at Lithia, it'll be in on Thursday. If you want to cannibalize the parts from Matt's motor or something to keep from getting blocked on the build, you can give him the new stuff when I get it in.

Also, for the oil cooler, I've got a new o-ring for it and 3 new 90deg angle hoses for the water pipes. The old bits were getting kinda gross. I think the hoses are already in the box, the o-ring is a Thursday part.

The only thing that's probably time-critical is the stripped cam retainer bolt threading on one of the heads. I circled it with red marker and showed it to Kevin yesterday. Take a look to see if you think the thread can just be cleaned up. If not, Matt suggested sending it over to AIMS to get repaired.

Kevin since you're online more than Cory, can you pass this along to him if he hasn't seen it? Thanks guys!

[Kevin M]

Message relayed! Cory had already fixed the cross threaded bolt actually, and the heads are stripped down for assembly. Your shortblock might be done by lunch.

[KSpeed Auto]

Originally Posted by sperry

The only thing that's probably time-critical is the stripped cam retainer bolt threading on one of the heads. I circled it with red marker and showed it to Kevin yesterday. Take a look to see if you think the thread can just be cleaned up. If not, Matt suggested sending it over to AIMS to get repaired.

That was the hole marked with red marker, right? Cory was able to clean the threads up. It appears it was more like some grit or debris in the hole, not a cross-thread.

Matt

[sperry]

Originally Posted by KSpeed Auto

That was the hole marked with red marker, right? Cory was able to clean the threads up. It appears it was more like some grit or debris in the hole, not a cross-thread.

Matt

That grit was probably the left over remnants of the bolt that came out of there. The bolt was clearly mangled... looked like crossed threads. But hey, if it cleaned up easy, that's great!

Also, if Cory sees the need for any new seals or o-rings or anything, let me know ASAP, I might be able to get them ordered from Lithia in time to come in tomorrow with the rest of my stuff.

[sperry]

Oh, and I'm gonna run home at lunch to paint that oil pan. I'll drop it off, along with those headers, tomorrow with the rest of my stuff from Lithia.

[A1337STI]

Pics

Sounds pretty Uber! This the Frankensubie motor?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by A1337STI

Pics

Sounds pretty Uber! This the Frankensubie motor?

Um... it's still on the stand at KSpeed. I can get some pics I guess once I get it home later today.

But it's not much to look at... I had a ring-land go bad on the '08 shortblock (which is common, 'cause the '08 pistons SUCK). So KSpeed was just installing a set of those new Icon forged pistons for me, plus some other odds and ends that I never got around to doing the last time I reassembled the motor (like porting & coating my headers, new injectors, etc).

So really, there's not that much new. Hopefully it'll just be more reliable and easier to tune.

[Kevin M]

Yeah, aside from being spotlessly clean, it looks like every other STi longblock.

[sperry]

Picked it up at lunch today. Cory had a little fun during the build.

[Kevin M]

Happy Piston is Happy. Angry Piston is Angry.

[Dean]

Shouldn't the angry piston have been one of the OEMs that broke a land?

Icon piston skirts coated or not? I have no idea what the production ones got or if it was optional.

[Kevin M]

IIRC they have coated skirts.

[knucklesplitter]

Originally Posted by Kevin M

IIRC they have coated skirts.

Definitely have coated skirts.

[A1337STI]

Very Nice, even with angry pistons installed hehehe

[sperry]

While I'm waiting on some odds-and-ends before I can put the motor back in the car... I hacked out one of the door bars of my cage in order to make ingress/egress a bunch easier.

Old (and pre-painting):


New:

[A1337STI]

(random) Hey scott, do you by chance have a 2nd set of 04/05 STI Heads ? or Kspeed ?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by A1337STI

(random) Hey scott, do you by chance have a 2nd set of 04/05 STI Heads ? or Kspeed ?

Nope.

[sybir]

Nice, Scott, looks totally like a DD now

[sperry]

Originally Posted by sybir

Nice, Scott, looks totally like a DD now

Yeah, notsomuch. But now, I think I'll be able to get in and out without having to limber up first!

[sybir]

Doesn't look much worse than getting over the bolsters in my Recaros. Should make a huge difference.