All of the parts have arrived for our twin turbo LSX project and our bare block is back from the machine shop. Now the task of file fitting the rings and verifying that all of the machine work is in spec begins. Next up we will be using Plastiqage to measure the crank shaft bearings for proper clearance.
When every .0001 of an inch counts.
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012Meet Mr. Swirly
Monday, January 16th, 2012With this setup, fuel is pulled from the main tank and swirls it displacing all of the air to the top of the swirl pot or surge tank. This way the fuel lines have 100% fuel at all times. This unit will insure all of the air will not make it to the injectors preventing a potentially dangerous lean condition.
Batlground’s Lexus IS300 Begins to Take Shape
Thursday, September 29th, 2011This IS has been completely gutted to make room for a full cage and an interesting drive train. Straying away from the norm, our shop foreman Justin has decided to go with an 4G63 mated to a T56. The motor an trans have been positioned much further back than the stock setup for better weight distribution. This Lexus will feature a dry sump setup with a 3 gallon oil tank for increased cooling. At this stage the motor and mock up trans are now in place to begin the motor mount fabrication. 
Reduce Engine Bay Heat
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011When installing a turbo to an originally non turbo car there will be added heat in the engine bay. Waste heat from the turbo and the exhaust piping will radiate and raise your intake air temperature and cause your intercooler and radiator to be less than effective. There are a couple of things you can do to add some protection. A blanket for the turbo will keep more of the heat inside the exhaust housing. Wrapping your downpipe in header wrap will keep more of the heat in the pipe and less in the bay, also reducing the heat on the firewall keeping it cooler inside the vehicle as well. It is also a good idea to wrap oil lines and electrical wires that run close to heat sources with reflective heat shielding.
Rust 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.
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.
AE86 gets a new final drive
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Here is an 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S that we did some differential work on. The customer had a 4.7 final drive installed, but wanted a 4.3 instead, to improve highway fuel efficiency. We ordered them the correct ring and pinion as well as a complete differential rebuild kit. After the parts arrived, they brought us the car. The internals of the differential were removed so we could swap everything over. Differential’s do not just get put in. They have a few tolerances that must be checked, shimmed, and rechecked until within oem specifications. Then the diff was reinstalled into the corolla, and driven to make sure it functions correctly.
