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FieldsDSMs' 10's or Bust Build

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35K views 129 replies 21 participants last post by  2LiterRiceEater  
#1 ·
It started when I knew I needed something a little quicker than my 92 Talon 2.0 n/a. I began my search for a 1st gen AWD exactly a year ago. I landed with a 1990 GSX about a month later. The guy said all it needed to be on the road was an exhause, turbo, and a starter. At the time I didnt know much about DSM's so I didn't question anything he had to say and just took his word for it, I just want a DSM now!!!
So some friends and I went to tow my new baby home! Got there and first impression was AWESOME! The body was in very good shape but when he popped the hood I was less than impressed. Everything seemed to be apart but he insisted it didnt need much. I was just so excited and didn't know much about DSM's at this point so I didn't really question anything so we loaded her on the trailer and we were on our way!
Got her home at night and took some pics that night and in the morning.
First pic of my new love haha...
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I think the pain/body was in pretty good shape compared to the other 1st gens I looked at...
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Car was completly stock besides obviously this FMIC and piping that he gave me with the car. We later mounted it higher...
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And an engine pic, to the eye it doesn't look like much work is needed...
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So it was now time to get to work and start ordering some parts. Got the starter in, re-mounted the FMIC with some costom i/c piping done by my friend. Lastly the turbo!!! I decided to go with a big MHI16g from extremepsi.
Pic of my new 16g...
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Now a pick of the turbo in the car with the piping n all...
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I was slowly but surely making progress and learning ALOT about dsm's. It was time to start her up finally but could not get her going for the life of me. Had a friend help me out and we found the alternator belt just hanging there. Which led is to dig deeper and we found that the guy I bought it off of did a hack job of the timing belt. He didn't put the big washer in between the crank bolt and the crank pulley so the belt worked it's way half way off the pulley. After we corrected this we thought it would be a good idea to do a compression test to see if it did any damage and it did. I think the numbers were something like 50,90,110,110.
So the head had to come off. Did a leakdown test that revealed bent valves.:chair: Took the head off and one look at the pistons and I knew what happened. I was now looking at this when I popped my hood, and I know the DSM community is very used to pics like this but I'll show it anyways :D
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Got all new BC valves lapped in and put my head back on. Got it all back together and she FINALLY ran!!! At this time it had no exhaust and was very loud. It wasnt inspected or registered but I took her out and I fell in love with DSM's. The sound of that 16g and the feel of AWD telling you to sit the F#$% back down was awesome! My only mods at this time were: big 16g, FMIC with the piping, and boost and narrowband air/fuel guages, so I know the car wasnt running to healthy without any tuning device. Never-the-less I continued to take it around the block pissing everyone off with the noise.
Not even 2 weeks after I got it all back together I blew the fel-pro HG on one of my around the block passes. NOT AGAIN, but yes I knew the head would have to come off.:tat: Replaced the HG with a Mitsu 4 layer metal HG and some ARP's to make sure that didnt happen again and got it all back together again! Here are some pics of the car when it ran... Got the car registered and legally back on the road for just a weekend, I soon noticed she wasnt running nearly as good as before but didnt know what was going on. Looked at everything even compression which revealed 140 across all 4. Eventually the car didn't even start and I was ready to throw in the DSM towel. I could not pinpoint the problem untill I did another compression test where I could not get even 1psi of compression on ANY cylinder. Here are some pics of the car when it was in good running form...
The engine bay...
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The body...(I know I wish I didnt cut up the bumper too:eek:)
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I was now left with a REALLY tough decision. I didn't know whether to just get rid of this car or tear it apart early for an extensive winter rebuild. I had so many people just telling me to sell it and that's its not worth it, but it would be so easy to just throw in the towel but to stick with it would be a challenge. I didn't give up on my baby yet so why now? Just about a month ago I decided to take the motor out and begin the big build...
So now the motor is out and completly torn apart. Already have the a/c and p/s completly removed and am cleaning up the engine bay(pics to come). The block is at JNZTuning right now getting a .30 bore, hot tanked, and a re-surfaced deck. Here is my list for my 08-09 rebuild:
Ross .30 pistons
Eagle Rods
ACL Main and rod bearings
ARP's to hold it all together
B/s eliminator
New timing components
Cometic HG
New 1mm oversized vales and valve job on the head
BC springs/retainers
BC 272 cams
Fidanza cam gears
TRE stage 2 trans w/ 4 spider center diff.
Fidanza 3.2 clutch w/ lightwieght flywheel
Mishimoto Radiator w/ 12" slimfans
Walbro 255 lph
1050cc injectors
Aeromotive AFPR
DSMlink
Wideband 02 guage/sensor
I know I'm forgetting a few things but I priced everything out and have it listed on Microsoft word. I want to have this beast back on the road by May/June and if not def. by the DSM shootout. My goal is for 450-500 hp hopefully with the 16g, before I upgrade my turbo setup next fall/winter and hopefully am shooting for 600 AWHP.
So as of now like I said I have my block at JNZ and am taking everything one step at a time. I don't make as much a I wish so I'm getting parts in spirts but will post pics and updates as I continue my build!
 
#2 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Sorry about the pics in the first post, thought they would come up better and bigger. Anyway my block is still at JNZ so I'm trying to find other things to occupy me. I've started cleaning my engine bay out. Took all power steering and ac components out. I cleaned about half of the engine bay too, I think(hope) it's easy to tell where I cleaned and where I've yet to get.
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S
#3 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

I think for 400awhp you will need some thing a tad bigger then a 16g. Looks good and sounds like every thing else is being done right
 
#5 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

sherloc123 said:
I think for 400awhp you will need some thing a tad bigger then a 16g. Looks good and sounds like every thing else is being done right
Click to expand...
Yea it sucks because I bought it brand new not even a year ago. I know I won't be able to reach my 450hp goal with it but I want to squeeze as much out of it as possible. When ever I feel I've taken all the 16g has to offer me ill upgrade :D


i need a dsm said:
Wow, that is some love right there!!

Keep up the good work and don't ever let a DSM bring you down lol
Click to expand...
haha thanks man.:cool:
 
#4 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Wow, that is some love right there!!

Keep up the good work and don't ever let a DSM bring you down lol
 
#6 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

From what I think I remember, 450 has been done on a 16g before, or at least damn close to it. I hope you get there, I love fast 16g cars... I think most people here do too.


As a word of encouragement, the last Chicago DSM meet, there was a 16g 1g racing a 35r 1g. So 16g guys can get down too! Best of luck with the new motor!
 
#16 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Don Boosted said:
From what I think I remember, 450 has been done on a 16g before, or at least damn close to it. I hope you get there, I love fast 16g cars... I think most people here do too.


As a word of encouragement, the last Chicago DSM meet, there was a 16g 1g racing a 35r 1g. So 16g guys can get down too! Best of luck with the new motor!
Click to expand...
Outcome of the race? Also man, looks awesome! Cant wait for more updates!

Andrew
 
#7 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Thanks Don!Yea, when I was searching around at the power people made with the 16g I did run across some threads where people were putting 30+ psi down with the 16g and running mid 11's.:eek: I'm only hoping I can be this lucky.
 
#8 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Well I had off today and felt like seeing the carnage in my head from the jumped timing. So I stripped down my head...

Some pics of my head...NAKED:eek:
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And finally, GET A LOAD OF THESE VALVES!:chair::rolleyes:
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I know I need an actual camera instead of my phone...:eek:

Now my exhaust valves looked okay to the naked eye. I'll have to take a closer look at them at work. How do I check my valve guides to make sure there was no damage? I took a light and shined it down each guide and all looked okay but I know that's probably not the right way.
 
#9 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Alright, haven't updated in a while and that's because things are going really slow, but I'm getting there. Well my block is still at JNZTuning but everything is bought; Ross 8:5:1 pistons, Eagle rods, ACL main and rod bearings, ARP main and rod bolts, New OEM oil pump and drive gears, and a balance shaft elimination kit. Machine work consisted of line bore and hone .30 over with a torque plate, hot tanked the block, resurfaced the deck, and micropolished the crank. Only things I need to buy for the block yet is the timing belt kit and new water pump which I will do myself. I will get pics of the block in a week or two when JNZ finishes everything up.

In the meantime ive been doing odds and ends here and there:
Installed the Walbro 255
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For some reason the pump went back in the tank like a bitch! Broke 2 studs off of the tank. I think it should be ok but I'll keep a close eye on it.

I cleaned up my engine bay pretty good, deleted PS and the AC and removed all emissions crap.
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Also went the the junkyard and got my hands on a new bumper cover since I made the mistake of cutting mine up for the intercooler. Look at my first post to see what it looked like all hacked up.
And now, Going to get it re-painted and mount the intercooler a little higher so it's not sticking out the bottom of the bumper. Also just threw the hood on but I think it made the pic look worse.
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My next step is moving onto my head. Already stripped it out and took it to the machine shop. The surface is straight but I cracked some guides. I cleaned out my exhaust/intake ports and combustion chamber with a wire brush and some all purpose cleaner/engine degreaser. It's spotless now but my camera sucks and won't show it good.

I will get pics of the brand spanking new block once I get it back. Still shooting for July for this to all be done. Thanks for reading guys!!!
 
#10 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

FINALLY I feel like I'm really getting somewhere with this build! I knew from the start it would be a slow and steady build do to my income but the patience is starting to pay off. Anyway I got my block back from JNZ and they did an awesome job. Thanks alot to Eric and Paul for helping me with everything! Here are some pics.

.30 Ross Pistons, Eagle Rods, ACL main and rod bearings, Polished stock crank. Block was obviously line bore and honed .30 over, hot tanked, and the deck was resurfaced.
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Balance shaft eliminated, new front case/oil pump
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Shot of the pistons
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Also something else I've been working on is fuel delivery. Last winter when I wanted to install the 255 I broke the fuel feed line and relpaced that section with rubber fuel line hose. I figured now is the time to take care of that death trap, plus I will need bigger fuel lines soon so it's time to upgrade! At first I was going to go with -6an braided lines, but my buddy talked me into going with 3/8 hardline for the fuel feed and 5/16 for the return. I'm glad he talked me into that becuase it saved me a SHIT load of money and is just as good, although it is harder to do. He showed me how to bend, double flare, and cut the lines and then I had some fun.

This is the oem fitting for the fuel pump. Drilled the fitting out for the 3/8 line and welded it in there.
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Running the lines to the engine bay. May not look the best but they hug the outside side of the frame rail and secured to the rail with 3/8 electrical fasteners.
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This is where they come into the engine bay. The line on the passenger side is the feed and driver side is the return.
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That is it for now. Next on the list of things to do is my head. Taking it to the machine shop in about 2 weeks to get new bronze guides. Going to have the valve seats cut to fit 1mm oversize valves also. Lets hear some feedback!!!!:p
 
#11 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Well it's been awhile but my head is finally done. Ended up taking it to JNZTuning to get built. While my head was getting built I was working on a few things.

Prepped valve cover for some new paint.
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Painted valve cover.
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Also did some work to my intake manifold.
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Shaved the "Eci multi" and all the ribs off and polished everything up then painted the rest black to set it off better.

Here are the pics of my head.

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Specs:Hot tanked, re-faced the surface, valve seats cut to accept the oversize valves, BC springs and retainers, Si 1mm oversize valves, and SBi bronze valve guides.

Some pics with the cams bolted down and intake manifold on.

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With the valve cover on.
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I still need a head gasket, timing belt kit, water pump, and a clutch before the motor goes in the car. With the shootout coming right around the corner that's where some of my money is going so I'm hoping to have the motor in the car by September.:) I'de say I'm about 75-80% done with the build with the two big things; block, head now out of the way. Now it's just buying the connecting pieces to put everything all together. I'm really excited the way it's all turning out.
Before she is on the road I need to get an AFPR, wideband 02 sensor/guage, injectors, and possibly DSMlink. I'm debating on if I'm really going to need a sort of engine management system only running 15psi on the 16g. The only thing that scares me is not being able to see knock as this is a fresh motor with alot of money in it. I'm thinking that it would really be smart to take the link for 300 and be safe as that's a pretty good deal anyway. What do all you guys think? AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF MY BUILD ALREADY!:p
 
L
#12 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Looking nice man. I had a NA also and then purchased a 90 GSX off of ebay. Ended up having a bunch of issues also, and five years later after building my house I finally have a place to tear the old beast apart. I'm looking forward to seeing your build come together.
 
#13 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

LazyEye said:
Looking nice man. I had a NA also and then purchased a 90 GSX off of ebay. Ended up having a bunch of issues also, and five years later after building my house I finally have a place to tear the old beast apart. I'm looking forward to seeing your build come together.
Click to expand...
Yea it sucks to know there are people out there that just want your money and don't care about the buyer. But hey it's a good learning experience and I wouldn't know half of what I know now if it wasn't for all the problems. Thanks for the kind words man! You have a build thread on here? Hope all goes well for your build!!!

As for my build goes I bolted my head down to the block.(pics coming soon) I still need a water pump and a timing kit untill the motor can go back in. Shouldn't be to much longer but my d@mn computer took a sh!t and a big chunk of my money is going towards getting that fixed. Motor should be in by the end of September and im looking forward to it big time!!!
 
#18 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Few pics of the head torqued down to the block. Although today when I was tightening down my valve cover the mother f@#$er cracked!:chair: Non-the-less it's almost ready to drop in! Some pics...

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#19 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Well I'm getting damn excited as it's almost time for me to drop my motor in the car. I'm shooting for this weekend, probably Sunday that it goes in. Got the water pump on, throttle body, and tb elbow. I also painted my oil cap and CAS cover black. I still have a few things I need to do before I can drop the motor in. I need to make a stop at Extreme Psi after I get paid tomorrow for a timing belt kit and I need to throw on my exhaust manifold with the engine hoist bracket.

It's crazy for me to think it's almost been a year since I started this build. I honestly thought I would be done for the start on the summer. As almost everyone here knows not everything goes as planned on these big money builds and things have to be pushed back. I just looked at some of my receipts and god d@mn I spent a lot of money!!! The longer than expected wait also makes everything that much more exciting for me. Sorry for my rant, here are a few pics of the motor and some of the actual car since I don't have many good ones up.

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Wish I would have took some before and after pics of the interior. Took all the seats and everything out and cleaned the carpets and armor all on the dash and panels and such. Rear seats are out as of now, dunno if I'll keep it that way or not.
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And another motor pic with the water pump, pipe, TB, TB elbow, painted oil cap, and painted CAS cover installed. Today I'll be putting on the exhaust manifold, bracket for hoist, and possibly my custom heat shield if it will fit with the hoist bracket on there.
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That's it for now. Will be updating this weekend if everything goes as planned and my motor is in. *Fingers crossed*
 
#20 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Alright couple of big things happened the past week. First off Thursday I had to call all around to try and get a timing kit before the weekend and thank god for Extreme PSI! I had my kit the next day and installed it Saturday...
This is what I didn't by last summer that I should have and I probably wouldn't even be doing this build, but I didn't and here I am. :p
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Nice and tight and on all the marks!
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Then I threw the timing belt cover on there, knock sensor, crank pulley, and then finally time to put the motor in! I forgot to take pics of the actual process but here she is finally in there!
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Damn she looks good finally in there, but not good enough! Surprisingly everything went pretty smooth putting the motor in besides the fact that I put the rear mount on upside down.:eek: That was all for Saturday though as it was getting late so we called it quits.
Fast foward to today...
Earlier today I was viewing the clean/shaved engine bay thread and got pretty inspired so I decided to get to work. Here is my attempt at a decent wire tuck.
First a before pic...
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After...
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Before...
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After...
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That was about an hour or 2 of messing around with the harness. The only real electrical work I had to do was extend the fuel injector plugs a few inches. I plan on doing a little more once I get the transmission in. That shall be it for now....:cool:
 
#22 · (Edited)
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

lazylaser said:
Whats with the red crank pully?
Where is this project now, almost a month later since the last update?
Click to expand...
Story on the red pulley is my DD Talon pulley fell apart last winter so I stole the one from this GSX and then bought that POS Unorthodox pulley for the GSX. Thank god I found a thread about that pulley and how it eats cranks because of that lack of a dampener. So that will be replaced soon. As for the rest of the build...

Didn't do anything worthy of an update since my last one. Had to order new transmission bolts and a clutch alignment tool to install the trans which I plan to do Wednesday if it's not to cold. Other than that I think my next paycheck will be going towards an E-prom ECU and Jeff O's stage 3 chip.

I also talked to Forced Performance to get a little information on their 68HTA turbo. The flow of a 50 trim(47lbs/min) with the spool of a 16g, I think I might be trying this turbo out. He almost guaranteed that since my compressor wheel ate a piece of rubber that I need a whole new center section which is just over 400$. To get my 16g converted to the 68HTA is just over 800$. I think it's worth saving the extra 400 over the winter for the 68HTA so I believe that's what I'll be doing.

Other than that I still need my 750 injectors, 3g MAF, AFPR, Radiator + slim fans, spark plugs, and a wideband before she runs. Kinda have a feeling now that I'm going with the 68HTA that she won't be out this year as it's already middle October. Will be damn close though. All for nowwww...
 
#23 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Well yesterday I got done with work at 3 so I decided I would try and put the trans in yesterday instead of today. All was well, I had the trans in place with the help of a buddy and I was tightening the bolts down, CRACK! WTF! Right away I saw it, cracked the bell housing! Looked around the trans to see if it got caught up anywhere but no, it was fine. So we took her back out real quick and looked at the trans. Not to bad of a crack, plus my buddy can weld aluminum so that's what I'll be working on today. I was looking at my block to see if I could find out why it cracked. The small mounting bracket for the metal cooling line that goes to the heater got stuck in between the trans and the block, maybe 1/8" thick, but that will do it. I hate how something so stupid can ruin a night. If all goes really well today I want to have the trans back in today. We'll see...
 
R
#24 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Nice build bro.... Looks really clean.... If you decide to to send a money order I have a real sweet Driver side motor mount that would look good on there. Its welded steel. Just throwin that at ya..;)
 
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#25 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Rip Tahoe said:
Nice build bro.... Looks really clean.... If you decide to to send a money order I have a real sweet Driver side motor mount that would look good on there. Its welded steel. Just throwin that at ya..;)
Click to expand...
I actually will be doing that with that motor mount. My buddy loves to fabricate stuff. Thanks for the compliments man!!!!:D
 
#26 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Alright mofo's. My buddy welded up my bell housing and I picked up my trans from his place last night and rushed to my car to get my trans back in before it got dark. Got it in and started tightening the bolts again, very nervous this time lol. All was well this time though. Yesterday I also ordered 4 quarts of Redline 75W90 gear oil for the trans and transfer case which I'll be doing today. Also going to be installing the shift linkage, axles, driveshaft, plugs, wires, and anything else with the trans that I didn't yet. Tomorrow I'll also be placing my order with dsmchips for my eprom ecu and stage 3 chip which is pretty exciting. The list of parts untill she runs is getting smaller and smaller and I'm getting pretty anxious!!
 
#27 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Let me know if you get rid of that unorthodox crank pulley, since I don't hear all the bad crap for it. Many, including curt brown have been running one on all their DSM's and no issues.
 
#28 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Well not to much to really update as I've had a really stressful couple of weeks. My recent ex of 4 years just passed away and I've haven't really felt like working on my car to much. Missed a few days of work for the funeral and such so money is tight right now but I'm starting to get my DSM fire back. This car is now going to be dedicated to her even though she hated it for all the time I spent working on it and not being with her and all the money I spent on the car. I ended up not getting the DSMchip and went with an xbox360 to keep me occupied during the winter months. Still have some things I need to do to the car before it gets to cold to work on it. The new deadline for the car is my birthday(March 3rd). I just want to enjoy the fruits of my labor finally, I've been working on it for a year already going paycheck to paycheck making 10$ an hour so it's hard but it WILL get done and I can't wait for the Shootout next year!
 
#38 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Got some goodies today via Priority Mail! :D

90' Eprom Ecu from Jeff Oberholtzer
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Socketed and chipped with Jeff O's stage 3 chip.
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Setup for 750cc injectors, 3g MAF, 4500-5500 studderbox, 7500 rev limit w/ NLTS over 6000 rpm, fuel cut delete, enhanced closed-loop maps, 93 octane, all new fuel and timing maps for my 16g, and more... ;)

Also my 3g MAF good for up to around 500 hp
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Want to thank Jeff O for awesome service and VERY fast shipping. He helped me out with ANY question I had and I got my ECU and MAF not even a week after I ordered it. Just awesome all around service and I would reccomend him to anyone!

As for the car I'm shipping my 16g down to Forced Performance this week to hopefully get a new compressor wheel put in and balanced. Still need a good FPR, Radiator w/ fans, 750cc injectors, widebance o2, and some small parts here and there before she is up and running. All for now...
 
#39 ·
Re: My 08-09 1990 GSX build, and the story behind it all...

Alright I got a bit of an update. As is the same for a lot of you guys my tax refund went 100% to DSM parts. Was able to get an Aeromotive A1000 AFPR kit, FIC 750cc injectors, a used Fluidyne radiator with two 12" slim fans, and a few OE maintenance parts I was in need of.
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Than last weekend it was time to get some damn work done after hibernating all damn winter. Ended up getting my injectors in, my AFPR, driveshaft, radiator, fixed my oil cooler lines that had kinked and got that installed, installed my starter, gapped and installed my bpr7es's, installed my alternator and belt, tightened down my axle nuts and some other things. The "to-do" list is getting VERY small now and I'm getting VERY excited to see all my work and money pay off.
I sent my 16g down to Forced Performance to get fixed and it turns out it got F'ed up in shipping which sucks but they were able to slap it back together with a few used parts. I'm waiting to get paid this Thursday to pay FP and get my turbo back. I also need to get my hands on the fuel tank filler hose which I ripped when I dropped my tank for the new pump and bigger lines. I still need to do a few small things like bleed the brakes and clutch, fill the transfer case and trans with my redline, put oil and coolant in her, put the battery tray and battery back in, and wire up the slim fans but nothing to difficult. Here is a pick of the motor as it sits. Really starting to come together :)
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Feedback please!
 
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