EvoIII Oil Filter Housing

I never posted a picture of my EvoIII oil filter housing, external oil cooler, and where I put my Stack oil temperature sensor.  So here it is. From testing, I have seen oil and coolant temperatures to be within 4 degrees of each other. Heck ya!

Wedge Engineering seat base

Haven’t updated the blog in a while, but no one looks at it. I decided to order a new seat base from Wedge Engineering today. It will have the seat bolted directly to it without sliders for the maximum lowest seat position. I also updated my DSMLink v2 with ECMLink v3 and changed my fuel pump from a Walbro 190lph to a Walbro 255lph high pressure pump and continued to calibrate my Stack cluster (very time consuming project).

Here is measurement info for a Sparco Evo seat with Sparco side mounts.

Project Mu Brake Swap Complete

I finished my Projject Mu big brake kit swap last night. I finished bleeding the brakes and took it out for a drive- in the rain!

I was held up by having to order a new front lower control arm and ball joint. Also both my front wheel bearings were worn out. I tried saving some money by ordering non-OEM wheel bearings but later found out that my ARP wheel studs would not fit in the hubs because the non-OEM wheel bearing/hubs use a stud that has a smaller knurl. I had to return them and order the OEM wheel bearing/hub assembly.

Since I went into this project without  clue what to expect I found out the Evo brake lines and DSM bake lines are different on the basis of inverted-flare female vs. female flare fitting. I ended up using my stock rubber brake lines for the time being.

Here is a picture I took with my phone  while I was bleeding the brakes.

Increasing Stopping Power with Project Mu

I decided to put some new brakes on my car over the weekend. I literally spent months trying to decide what brakes were the best option for me. I finally settled for Project Mu because it gunmetal in color. I bought my Rotora brake kit in bright red because I wanted to attract attention, for my new setup I wanted a more “mature” and OEM look.
Another thing to note, I wanted a brake kit I could easily get replacement parts for. I have measured my PMU bell and disc and looked over the Brembo Racing catalog and it turns out I can replace my PMU rotors with Brembo Racing discs. This is a benefit considering I won’t have to deal with ordering replacement parts from Mackin; I can just point and click my mouse over at HRPWorld. As far as replacement brake pads, Endless makes pads that fit PMU calipers.
The options for brake kits for a 2g DSM are very limited. But luckily the 2g shares so much with the Evo it’s amazing. I ordered some new OEM 2001 Galant VR4 steering knuckles from over in Asia. And the PMU big brake kit essentially bolted right up without problems.
The bells are a tad thicker and tend to push my wheels out a tad so I suggest ordering some extended wheel studs. If you’re wondering the Evo and 2g DSM share the same ARP extended wheel studs part number.

Stacked with Issues

Recent;y I have been struggling with trying to interupt the 80+ pages on the Stack instruction manual. I spent over a year reading and rereading the Stack instruction manual, and I consistently overlooked the part that explains the RPM signal to the unit. I figured I had been there and done that before so wasting my time was unnecessary. I now have an issue with the RPM signal to the Stack. It’s funny, Stack has no US tech support. And try writing them an email! Internet forums are completely useless, they know nothing about the type of RPM signal a Stack reads, let alone what Stack is. Simply asking too much…
So tonight I ordered what I hope to be my saving grace. This nifty Auto Meter tach adapter. You would use it to install a big tach in your car, so I figured I’d give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen.
Could it be my saving grace? I only hope. This is plan Z.
The funny thing is, I didn’t know what I was getting into when I got this Stack. No one knew about it, I had no one around me that could offer help. This has stretched my mind to the limits, this has improved my wiring skills greatly, it has expanded my knowledge about electrical systems.

ASI’s Widebody Disaster

This was on Ben’s blog. I think they totally lost focus of what a Bentley is. This appeals more to the young car guy fan boys. In this case, a stock Bentley looks beautiful compared to this. I don’t even understand the intention behind this car. What Bentley owner in their right mind would do this to their car. It’s awful!

Behind the Scenes at Greddy

A look at how Greddy makes important decisions. All this mess over not wanting to be called a pussy? I bet the Greddyites and Trustites that were loyal to their job all these years would love to hear that’s the reason they might lose their job.

The Sad State of Greddy/Trust

I’m sure everyone has had time to learn about Greddy/ Trust (depending on which side of the pond you’re on) filing for chapter 11 bankrupcy both in Japan and now recently released in the United States.

Source:http://www.greddy.com/news/?id=61

Honestly, does Greddy/ Trust believe they will be able to restructure the company into something that was once making money over 10 years ago? I wouldn’t count on it. Greddy, whose ineffectiveness I blame for the lack of innovation and sales over the 10 years, will definitely be rolling into oblivion. The chapter 11 bankruptcy, though not the end of the rope as many optimists point out, actually appears to be the final straw of the sufficiently screwed company for effing up their once proud company so bad over the years. Imagine all the Trust workers in Japan that may lose their job during the restructure. Remember, restructuring a company revolves around MONEY, employees are a companies most expensive asset. Have any of the news articles regarding Greddy ever pointed to cutting jobs? The answer is: no. I bet all the Greddyites and Trustites are saying ‘thanks for nothing’ right now.

I did make this post a while ago after learning about Trust in Japan filing for what is similar to chapter 11 in Japan.

I think many will know where I stand on the issue of real companies that do real R&D. It’s good news that Greddy plans to restructure, and hopefully it works. Greddy has played a huge role in making the tuner market what it is today with their innovative electronics, reliable turbo kits, and overall good quality products. But in the recent years they really haven’t done much in comparison to other companies. Greddy posted their greatest year back in 1998 with US $80M. You can’t go off yesterday’s success forever. It pathetic that ten years have passed with sales declining ever since their best year in 1998 and nothing has been done. That is a weak business model and weak management. The knock-off companies may be partially to blame, but I wouldn’t blame them completely for Greddy’s 10 year decline in sales.
If any other corporation in the US were facing a 10-year decline in sales, the board of directors or even the shareholders would be looking for blood. They would be cleaning house and restructuring long before the 10 year mark.
It sucks what’s happening to Greddy, especially after all the good they have given us.

Installed the Stack

After many months of planning, my Stack dash display is finally in my car, mounted and working. I still anticipate for there to be issues, so I’m not considering myself to be done.

Stack Sequential Shift Light

Since my love affair began with my Stack dash display I want to make full use of everything. I already made a very nice mount for it to mount in my dash. Very GT3 Cup-ish. I’ll post pictures of that later.
I should be ordering a Stack pulse amplifier to help get my wheel speed working. And then this gem looks really appealing.
I can only imagine using that this in car at night. Stack makes some super nice products. Once I get my car running (hoping for this weekend) I will post more pictures and ty to further invest in my Stack.