Finished the turbo project! Updates/pictures/videos on post #71 of this thread. NEW UPDATE: NOW ALSO PICS OF EVERY OTHER MAJOR PROJECT, STARTING ON POST #125
Original post:
"In my excitement to be about a day away from starting my trek up to SRT, (which is about a full day's-worth away from where I live), I've decided to start yet another SRT 2.75 install thread.
In the past few months, it's been incredible to see how many new 2.75 IS's have popped up, and I can't wait to join the club!
So here's the plan in mind (which, by the way, I had been planning out since about February):
7/3/08: Drive from Miami, FL to Sanford, FL; about 4hrs.
7/3/08: Board the AutoTrain from Sanford, FL to Lorton, VA; about 17hrs.
7/4/08: Arrive in Lorton, VA and drive to SRT; about 30min.
7/4/08: Drop my car off with Mo and fly back to Miami.
7/22/08: After many prayers that everything was done successfully and on-time, fly back to Baltimore to pick it up!
7/22/08: Drive back to Lorton, VA to catch the AutoTrain
7/23/08: Arrive in Sanford, FL, and drive back down to Miami.
Specifics:
2001 Specra Blue Mica - auto tranny
the normal SRT 2.75 turbo kit
VB and sprag clutch upgrades
tranny cooler
Defi BF Boost, EGT, and Fuel Pressure gauges
AEM Wideband gauge
Blitz Turbo Timer
Full 3" SRT Turbo Exhaust
I really do hope to get above 400whp, hopefully around 420, at 16psi and have everything hold up nicely, AND as my daily driver. I know it's been done, but I also know how much crap can go wrong with boosted cars. So I'll make sure to give performance feedback the day I re-drive the car for the first time!
It seems like I've been waiting forever to get this done, and after countless fights with my parents, I really hope it all works out (I mean, I'm 23 and doing all of this with my own money. It's not that I have to worry about being given permission. It's just IMPOSSIBLE to reason with those who think that "investing" in your car is more absurd than walking around naked throwing money at people!)
I'd also love to make this a 2.75 DATABASE, for all those running this kit.
We could do:
1) Car Year
2) Location
3) Any upgrades besides the 2.75 kit itself
4) Gauges of choice
5) Best dyno results so far, and on what PSI
6) 2 pictures of exterior (front & rear), 1 picture of interior, 1 picture of your engine bay
Off the top of my head, the guys who I've recently spoken to or noticed their threads are dmb359, coolmonk, jax-IS300-. Missing any??
everything went as planned heading up to maryland and dropping the car off with Mo.
the morning i was about to leave to drive a few hours to the train station though, i was EXTREMELY close to backing out and postponing the project. even though this has been planned out for months, i couldn't seem to justify, when push came to shove, travelling so far to get this done directly by SRT. i went anyways though, hoping that when i pick it up exactly two weeks from today, that i'll be WAYYYYY more than "just glad" i did it.
It sounds like you are doing this the correct way. You are getting the correct upgrades to cut the % of breaking something to a minimum. You also could have "saved" some bucks by having some local schmuck try and install it. Your parents should comend you on these things. If you are going to blow that cash, do it right You are young, blow the bucks now. Once you get older and have other larger responsibilities, you probably won't be able to do something like this. Live the turbo dream!
You will love the finished product. Make sure Mo gives you the test drive...you will piss yourself. Other than the obvious gas price...why not drive it home? I picked up my SRT installed Stage 2 turbo and drive it 12 hours (one way) the next day. The road trip was priceless!
PS - In the tuner business time lines almost never remain solid. Just be prepared in case it happens...
__________________ 2002 IS300 (sold) --> 573whp on 93 pump :::: 749whp on C16
awesome man.. i would love to have a boosted daily driver.. but i dont have the car knowledge to do so.. itd probably be a mistake to boost a daily driver and not be able to fix it if something goes wrong.. =[
It's just IMPOSSIBLE to reason with those who think that "investing" in your car is more absurd than walking around naked throwing money at people!)
It is more absurd but its also just slightly more fun. Congrats on the ongoing install. Yours will probably be done before mine. I cant wait to see how yours turns out.
guys thanks so much for the support/advice/comments. it seems like that's exactly what i've been needing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redline814
It sounds like you are doing this the correct way. You are getting the correct upgrades to cut the % of breaking something to a minimum. You also could have "saved" some bucks by having some local schmuck try and install it. Your parents should comend you on these things. If you are going to blow that cash, do it right You are young, blow the bucks now. Once you get older and have other larger responsibilities, you probably won't be able to do something like this. Live the turbo dream!
You will love the finished product. Make sure Mo gives you the test drive...you will piss yourself. Other than the obvious gas price...why not drive it home? I picked up my SRT installed Stage 2 turbo and drive it 12 hours (one way) the next day. The road trip was priceless!
PS - In the tuner business time lines almost never remain solid. Just be prepared in case it happens...
hey man, thanks for that. you just made me feel a great deal better. that's how i figured it though. do it right the first time, and i'm guessing once i have it back for a few days i'll quickly forget how much of pain in the ass it was to get up to baltimore. not to mention, by minimizing my probabilities of things getting f*cked up somewhere down the line (which i think i AM doing by taking to SRT instead of doing it here), that i'll also be glad i went up.
i hear what you say about the timeline. i spoke to mo about this MANY times though, over the phone from months back and in person obviously. he knows its my main issue. and he was very adamant about the fact that he okayed all the dates so that i could then go and book my flights/auto train, and that that's why we had spoken specifically about the timeline. not to mention, out of curiosity i asked him, and he said he can knock out this install in 2 or 3 days if he had to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mixtnutz532
It is more absurd but its also just slightly more fun. Congrats on the ongoing install. Yours will probably be done before mine. I cant wait to see how yours turns out.
me too! i've been following your thread, i'm pretty sure you're still in the wiring stages, seems like we'll be firing it up for the first time about the same time. that would be cool.
he posted the timeline and expects it ready for pick up July 22
thanks for the clarification man. you coming down to FL2K8 after all or what???
Quote:
Originally Posted by DevilDoc
awesome man.. i would love to have a boosted daily driver.. but i dont have the car knowledge to do so.. itd probably be a mistake to boost a daily driver and not be able to fix it if something goes wrong.. =[
that's why we're hoping nothing ever goes wrong HAHA. i hope that's not just wishful thinking, even though i know its been done by Mo before. many times.. we'll see!
so since i promised Mo i wouldn't bug him during the install, i finally called him yesterday (friday), just to make sure we were still on for me flying up this tuesday. he said all is fine, see you tuesday. pretty simple i guess. i would have loved to have been more involved with the install and learned some more, but by not doing it locally i guess i just had to sit back and hope that everything works out. and it did!
UNTIL..................
I get a call from SRT this morning (saturday), and knowing i spoke to Mo yesterday, if he's calling me i'm SURE its not just to say whats up. didnt get to my cell in time, so he calls back right away again. i SHAT my pants.
turns out....they couldn't find my wheel lock key (PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!) easy fix, the zip loc with it was somewhere in my back seat
THEN.....................about 20 minutes later i get ANOTHER call!!
WTF???? cant be that NOW they're running into problems, after almost THREE WEEKS??
well their turbo exhaust muffler wasn't clearing my JDM CWest rear bumper. i didn't ask too many details cuz it was noisy and they seemed really busy, but my two options were
1) leave my HKS DragerII exhaust, figure out fitting SRT's turbo exhaust once i get back home, and get the damn thing RE-tuned
..or..
2) have Mo cut out a piece of my rear bumper (WHICH SUCKS cuz you dont know how much trouble that rear bumper originally gave me to fit it right and get it on the car), but he said it wouldn't be that noticeable. hopefully he's right, and that his "not that noticeable" is the same as mine..
and hopefully no more damn calls from SRT!
cant wait for tuesday, i'll post pictures and videos as soon as i get back home with the car next week!
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You are young, blow the bucks now. Once you get older and have other larger responsibilities, you probably won't be able to do something like this. Live the turbo dream!
Congrats on the ongoing install. Yours will probably be done before mine. I cant wait to see how yours turns out.
