Since no one makes 1 7/8″ headers for an LS1 IS300, we had to take matters into our own hands and make some. The passenger side header was pretty straight forward. Meanwhile, the driver side header had to wrap around the steering rack. After making sure the headers fit perfectly, the exhaust was fabricated. We used twin 3″ pipes going to an x-pipe and then through magnaflow cans. The muffler selection was made to keep the car a little bit quiet, but so the engine will still be heard over the spinning tires. After the mufflers the exhaust dumps just past the rear axle. The car was then put on the dyno and made a healthy 414 whp, and 378 ftlbs of torque. That is an improvement of 21whp over the old manifold/exhaust setup.
LS1 IS300 gets headers, exhaust and tune
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011Rust removal on Porsche 914 continues
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
Rust removal on the Porsche 914 continues. After cleaning off the rust we coated the inside of the bars with POR-15 before we welded the bars back into place. The entire floor was coated with POR-15 then primed. Next step is to remove more rust behind the driver’s seat.
Drift IS300 gas tank modifications
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
In order to prevent fuel sloshing issues with a saddlebag gas tank in the LS1 IS300, the customer decided to have his gas tank cut in half. Then a plate was welded in place of the new large hole on the side of the tank. The only drawback is the estimated 7 gallon holding capacity. This is an inexpensive solution to the problem in comparison to a fuel cell.
Porsche 914 rust removal
Friday, August 19th, 2011
Here we have an old Porsche 914 that is getting restored and modified. The first step is removing all the rust from the interior of the vehicle. That way, the roll cage does not mount to any rust, and the interior can get painted without rust starting back. Overall the chassis has little rust, but there is a fair amount on the interior. Above are before and progress pictures of the interior.
Turbo kit modifications
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Direct “bolt-on” products from aftermarket manufactures are a lot of times, less than perfect. In this case, the intercooler piping was far from fitting correctly. After conferring with the customer, we decided to modify the piping as well as the intercooler to fit nicely on the car. The kit now fits, and the project continues.
Back gas when welding
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Part of welding is having a shielding gas to protect the welding area from atmospheric gases, such as oxygen. Most commonly used gas in a TIG welder is argon. If you look closely at the torch used, it is made to flow argon around the welding area. When welding steel, it is nice to have gas behind the weld as well. Having gas helps promote a stronger weld as well as keeping the weld from growing on the inside of the pipe. be Most people in this industry do not use back gas, including us most of the time. This scenario, we are making headers, and it would be best if the welds did not distort the inside of the tubing. The easiest way to back gas an object is to tape up all of the openings, and insert a regulated line from a second tank at a very low flow rate. That way the gas fills the object from the inside, and the torch provides shielding for the outside of the weld. If you are wondering, these headers are for the LS1-IS300, we will blog about building them when they get completed.
Welding top of roll cage
Monday, July 18th, 2011
Many people wonder how do you weld the top of a roll cage. We are about to let you in on how we do it. You drill holes in the floor where the base plates go. Then when everything gets bent and tack welded together, you drop the cage through those holes. That way the top of the cage can be welded. After that the mounting plates get welded in above the holes in the floor, and the cage gets welded to the top of the plates.
LS1 Is300 runs
Friday, June 17th, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLvUmmCxxjE
I will keep this blog short and sweet. Last night the LS1 IS300 started for the first time. It has been a long week, and it is still not over. This video makes the hard work worth it. Today there still is a good amount of work left; like tuning and brakes.
Drift IS300 update
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
We got some work done on theLS1 IS300 over the past few days. As you can see, some parts of the car are rough around the edges. After this event, this car will get finished with everything done do our high standards. Currently there is just not enough time for us to work on this car nonstop, as well as not enough time to finish everything. The harness is almost finished being installed. The exhaust needs to be made, the brake lines need to be finished, as well as a bunch of other little things.
Drift IS300 update
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Here is what we got done on the IS300 yesterday. We did not get as much done as we would have liked because we had to work on other customer cars. We just can’t take a week from working on everything else to get this car finished. The wilwood clutch master cylinder is mounted, as well as the proportioning valve and the mazda3 electronic power steering pump. Hopefully I will have more progress pics for you tomorrow.
