Lebowski's Absolutely Kosher Turbo Project

[Lebowski]

So I got the car ready for MidAmerica Fest... seats installed, new vintage Wink mirror, found an old EMPI antenna to fit the holes in the right front fender where one must have been mounted years ago. Tried out a new HKS air filter and installed the new Alpine head unit I bought to charge my iPhone and play streaming Pandora...

Went with a 5mm spacer in front and all rubbing was gone... car was running great and I think looking REALLY good...

I made it about 250 miles from home on the way to Arkansas and then a clanking sound, LOUD exhaust, no boost... pulled off the highway to find the V-band flange that the external wastegate mounts to cracked through the weld and fell off. Luckily it was held up by the vacuum hoses going to the boost controller so it didn't get scraped up too bad.

I was able to drive the car home, albeit without the benefit of the turbocharger. I switched cars to my daily and made it to Eureka Springs anyway. Had a great time, though somewhat bittersweet. I did get some good brainstorming done as to the problem and where to go from here...

This latest break must have been vibration related as there is no real stress on that weld.

Manifold is under warranty, and Jon will fix it no problem but I'm taking a break to step back and look at things again. I'm actually debating pulling the motor and doing a full turbo-specific rebuild. Not that it has anything to do with the failure, I'm just thinking it would give me some peace of mind that I've gone through EVERYTHING.

Take a look at the pics, send me an email if you have any ideas...

The door panels are just quick vinyl spray mock-ups BTW to get something somewhat finished looking for MidAm fest. I plan on having them professionally recovered to match the seats...

[fiftytakedowns]

i think you should ditch those urethane engine mounts, I bet its the road bumping your engine that is doing your manifold some harm, not to mention the heat fluctuation. get that shit ceramic coated.

[Lebowski]

Here are some interior details...

BIG thanks to Al "Bluedevils" for making the custom length red seatbelts. They are gorgeous!

I love this Wink mirror... I'd never seen one in red before. Came in the vintage box from the late 60's. The spokesman on the box was Parnelli Jones!

Ray's strut bar was an absolute breeze to install, unlike the old TEP front bar I was using. Also the TEP bar obstructed access to the adjustment knob for the Koni adjustable struts at max camber... now it's perfect.

Before the breakdown I had put a deposit down to have a custom roof rack made. I'm still going to finish the order and should have some pics back in a couple of months... stay tuned!

[Lebowski]

i think you should ditch those urethane engine mounts, I bet its the road bumping your engine that is doing your manifold some harm, not to mention the heat fluctuation. get that shit ceramic coated.

Hey Morgan! Yeah, I talked to the manufacturer of the manifold about coating and he actually doesn't recommend it, but I think you're right about the urethane mounts. I had gone to them to try to limit engine movement which was torquing the exhaust but I think it is definitely a factor.

[fiftytakedowns]

Im suprised with that fan you arent Getting Really hot at IDle, I wonder if that Turbo blanket is what IS making all the difference under there.

My car heats up steadily when It idles, and goes nice and cool on the freeway. the oil cooler obviously helps out a bunch (for mine); yet it still gets pretty hot with my little 9" fan

[fiftytakedowns]

do you have any cooling issues?

[Lebowski]

Sorry I didn't see your post before Morgan...

Yeah, with the intercooler in front and and oil cooler a lot of air doesn't make it to the radiator. I'm seeing some temps up at about the 3/4 range when idling in hot weather for a min or two. I haven't had any time though when it was stationary for long enough to get hotter than that. My efi controller says it has been as hot as about 215 degrees. Normal operating temps for mine are around 190 - 200.

I'm using a Silicon Garage XL radiator, so I think one problem is that I don't have a fan shroud... but I'll have to make a custom one as the radiator is too wide to fit the stock shroud.

How hot do you get?

[Lebowski]

Well I haven’t updated in a long while, so probably time to bring everyone up to speed. I don’t have any juicy pics worthy of starting a post in the new blog section so I’ll just update here with the plan of attack and post to the new blog as things progress over the next year.

Scope creep has definitely set in, I’ve been waiting on my engine builder for a year and I haven’t pushed him because one thing after another has led me to conclude that what needs to happen at this point is to do a complete restoration. It seemed silly to pull the engine and not do the paint and body only to have to do it all over again down the road. I realized that at this pace I would probably need another 10 years to finally have the car completed and at the place I envision in my dreams...

So the reality is that I’m just not able to get the car to the end point on my own. Too much time with work and family commitments. I feel somewhat like I’m chickening out, but I’m not in my 20’s or even 30’s anymore and I’m lucky that all the effort I’ve put into my work has allowed a little more financial freedom to ask for help... with that off my chest...

I just sold my ’78 Porsche 911SC... went to a nice guy in Tennessee. Listed it on Pelican forum and had multiple offers within 24h. Deal was done in less than 48h, no PPI, shipped and received yesterday. Buyer is very happy, I think that means I asked less than I should have... But it was a smooth deal, I made a little money on the car, and I think there is Karma to be considered when selling a car and I don’t need any more bad Karma! The money from the 911 will allow me to fund the restoration and gets my wife her garage spot back. Sell a Porsche to fund the BMW project! It makes no sense, and I’m fine with it. I have to see the 2002 through to the end...

So the plan is for the 2002 to go out to Cali in the next couple of months. My friend Le Tran will be the mad scientist in charge. This isn’t going to be a concourse resto, but the car will be even farther from stock than it now sits... We definitely share a vision of what this car will be when it’s finished. I’m looking for a bad ass sport tourer I can drive cross country to Brisbane or Eureka Springs or the Vintage. The plan is to fly out to pick the car up at the Bay Area show next May... I’ve always wanted to meet up with the West Coast 02 crowd in person.

M10 block, 90mm bore/87mm stroke (S14 EVO crankshaft), custom pistons 8.5:1, custom rods, mucho head work, custom camshaft, aftermarket belt driven water pump mounted where the a/c compressor sits, custom intake manifold. Borg Warner EFR turbo, turbo manifold from Otis, SDS EFI. The motor should make an easy 300 rwhp and be totally streetable.

Transmission will be a Getrag 265 swap, 2002 Haus rear subframe for E30 LSD diff, Summers Bros axles. Wildwood brake swap.

Car will be Derby gray, pig cheek flares. Finishing the interior to match my seats. Keeping my Schmidt wheels for now, probably going with wider barrels. Lots of little custom details in my head... I’ll keep you all updated.

There is NO WAY I’m giving up on this project... I just needed to hit rock bottom to realize that I have a problem... and admitting your problem is the first step. The next step takes a good support group and lots of money! Stay tuned...

Edited November 21, 2013 by Lebowski

[jgerock]

Aaron -  wow what an update!  Cannot believe you sold the 911 already, but understand you need to complete the 2002.

 

Good luck and keep us "posted" with updates.   Hmm, maybe you can do "face time" with the car being in CA.

[touring CR]

my name is Aaron as Well I have a touring and an S14 and I have no Idea what to do to install It I found a getrag 265 taken from an 635CSI 1985 will it fit my S14 what I need to do to fit it at the 02?

[Lebowski]

my name is Aaron as Well I have a touring and an S14 and I have no Idea what to do to install It I found a getrag 265 taken from an 635CSI 1985 will it fit my S14 what I need to do to fit it at the 02?

 

Hey Aaron, my 02 made it out to LA and is undergoing the 265 transplant at 2002 Garage Werks.  The main issue with the Getrag 265 is that it is taller than the factory 4 speed or 245 5 speed, so the transmission tunnel needs to be opened up and raised a few inches.  The benefit of course is that the Getrag 265 is nearly indestructible for any reasonable street car... 

I will try to post pics as the project progresses.  Feel free to post some pics of your projects...

[Lebowski]

Just an update with some pics of the modifications to fit the Getrag 265.  There is a good deal of trimming that can be done to the tabs and casting material on the sides of the case to gain clearance.  As has been mentioned before, the top of the tunnel needs to be raised about an inch...

[Lebowski]

Here's a few teaser pics of test fitting the new EFR 7163 turbo to see how it will fit in relation to the old manifold with a T3 flange... 

[Lebowski]

Well, it’s been an interesting few years and now more than ever I regret selling the 911, but a minor update coming tonight. 

I wanted to resurrect this old thread to bump it to the top, and I’ll give you the details of the saga soon...

...with pics of course!

[bluedevils]

where the hell have you been bro? hope all is ok, missed you at mid fest this year.