Man that's a sick build

 

I bet this guy is getting even less sleep than before. No wonder he stopped posting in here...

 

The new life long "project"

8lb 8oz, born on the 29th. Very lucky dad I am...

 

Congrats Robert....

 

Beautiful, Congrats!

Don't Turbo It.

 

Grats Robert

 

Thanks everyone. You people keep it real!

And I vow, no boost. She will, however, be on "the bottle".

 

 

Update time fellas!

So, it was said that after baby Dakota was born, I'd resume progress on the build. I had just a few remaining pieces to the puzzle that I need to grab in order to get this beast tuned FINALLY! Here's the list of the parts ordered:

1. Bosch 044 spec inline fuel pump (thanks Hickam for informing about the 044). Basically found a comparable spec'd pump: Precision E8002 for about $92 from Oreilly Auto Parts. This thing flows 52gph at 72psi....which is exactly what the 044 does but at a fraction of the cost. Here's a shot of the monster:


2. Then picked up a used 8-gallon JAZ fuel cell off of eBay for about $85+ shipping that has a 2" sump, foam-filled for anti slosh, stainless straps, and -10AN fittings for the fuel lines. This will enable me to remove the stock tank and still give me plenty of fuel for being a daily driver. I'll retrofit the factory fuel level sender from the 07 TL-S and still have a functioning gauge.


3. Injector Dynamics 1000cc injectors. Picked them up off of Bmeyer (Brandon) in the Azine black market for an unbelievable $450! They say these can handle plenty power without sacrificing idle quality/drivability. That excites me. Sorry, no pics yet. But they're in the way. Thanks again Brandon!

4. AEM wideband gauges. Not one, but two. Some of you might have remembered Matt installing two O2 sensor bungs on each bank. That wasn't for the catalyst monitors, lol. I wanted absolute AF readings on the motor and not an average of both banks. Even bought me one of those dumb little dual gauge pillar pods to put them in and everything.


5. Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator. Paid $130 shipped.


6. Hondata FlashPro. $675 from Heeltoeauto.com with Acurazine coupon. Thanks Marcus!


Let the games begin boys.

 

He shoots he scoooorrress. Really looking forward to the coming weeks

 

 

Obligatory injector pic:


Next time I'm in the DFW area, you've gotta take me for a ride.

 

Its funny how much work is involved when doing FI the RIGHT way. Its not just about the turbo setup. Its everything else to ensure it runs safely. Im content with how much time/money this all took but damn, lets get this motha tuned please!


Love that look its taking on.

Thanks dude. Even took the time to put them on their own "red carpet" and equally space them for the photo shoot. Respect!

And yes, you got my number. Hit me up next time around and ill make you fall in love with boosted J's all over again. Good luck with that M3. Those are great cars all the way around. Question: boosting?

 

Answer: Absolutely. Shopping around for kits as we speak.

 

damn Robert...great update....

and you should have used the "swoosh" coupon on heeltoe, it would have saved you a little bit more...

 

Atta boy! From one money pit to another I see. Lol.

 

Alright, more progress made today. Brought the car back up to the shop today and it was immediately decommissioned by removing the intake manifold, fuel lines, and some minor dash/interior dismantling. Intake was removed primarily to test fit the OBX fuel rails that were made for a j32a2 and are being modified for the j35a8. Not much to it really. The manifold, however did not sit down all the way (by 1/4" from touching the lower runners) once the rails were installed. That means I'd either have to machine one of the intake spacers off of the mdx/pilot/odyssey engines to lift the manifold OR try a different manifold to see if the fitment allows its use. I have two other manifolds I wanted to try, both of which are magnesium. One is from the j35 TSX and the other is from a j37 MDX. It's obvious (after seeing the pictures) which one would be best. I've also decided on doing some more detail cleanup and precautionarys to both the harnesses and turbo manifolds by shielding and wrapping everything. I know this will save me much heartache in the future if I do it now. I'm also contemplating wether or not on leaving the old fuel supply/EVAP steel lines that are between the fuel tank and engine in hopes of using them (together) as my fuel return as that will allow me to just run a primary, larger supply line to the engine. Those damn braided steel lines are EXPENSIVE. Also, got the pillar gauge pod hung in place for the wideband AFR gauges. Side note on the wideband AFR: AEM says that in order to run its wideband air/fuel gauge, its an absolute MUST that their laser etched resistor sensor be used in order to have a functional/calibrated gauge. Just so you know, I went to Oreillys and spent less than $50 on a Bosch sensor (part number 17014) and it read the exact same as the AEM sensor. I even swapped around gauges and o2 sensors and got the same readings on each bank. Save yourself the cash...buy a 17014 Bosche sensor instead.

Anywho, the boost gauge was also ran inside and mounted directly on top of the steering column. Even ran the illumination bulb to the dimmer switch so it could be adjusted.

Fuel pump was mounted right below where the fuel cell will sit in the trunk. I'm probably going to have to find another spot for the already re-positioned/mounted spare tire. I've also decided on running a dual pump setup as a failsafe just in case one of the pumps failed so another pump was purchased today. I'll run a single supply line from the fuel cell to a "Y" which will then supply fuel to each pump and then the outlets of both pumps back into another "Y" turning back into a single supply line to the fuel rail. Each pump will have its own dedicated relay and I'll see about running a circuit from the coil and load side (two circuits on each relay, four circuits total) of each relay to energize a small series of LEDs to inform me that the fuel pumps have been both signaled and turned on. This will also aid in diagnostics if something were to fail thus preventing the engine from starting. This is for obvious reasons...don't want to take any chances of running this motor lean by something as simple as a fuel pump(s) failing.

Oh, and I REALLY need to purchase and install some one way check valves for the vacuum sources of my motor to prevent boost from entering areas it shouldn't be. Areas like my brake booster diaphragm...lmao! I'll be powder coating and installing my valve covers that were modified by (who else) Matt to accept AN fittings for the PCV system and ran to a catch can that hopefully (who else...again) Matt will also be making for me.

My goal is to try and have all of this done by next weekend so it can be tuned. More updates tomorrow night. Onto the pictures now...

View of the engine bay after removing intake for fuel rail install


DEI header wrap that will be installed on both front and rear manifolds as well as the downpipe.


Pillar pod for the AFR gauges and then the boost gauge on top of the column.


Valve covers modified for -10AN lines. Sandblasted and prepped for powder coating.


And then last, a comparison shot between the j35 TSX and j37 mdx manifolds that may help with the fitment issues on the fuel rails. That's a huge difference in the flange diameters.

J37 on right


J37 on bottom

 

I just read thru this whole thread for the first time. Keep up the updates. I'm so jealous.....

 

My biggest concern with this car is actually when the updates will stop. I mean, you find a car you like (or don't like) and then you build it. You mold into the exact piece of machinery you imagined from day one. The problem is (and some may be able to relate) you're never really content with it. It's always not AS GOOD as you would like for it to be. So, at this point, it morphs into something that anyone but the owner usually fears: a money pit. Except you're usually blind to this concept because you have established a relationship by now (with the vehicle) and have hopelessly told yourself that if you could just do one more thing to it, you will FINALLY be finished with it. But it's all just an illusion. Man and machine, on this aspect, have no common ground. This is where you end up. The machine makes you satisfied yes. But you're never really satisfied with its ability to become better or go faster. This is the sum of the name "money pit"....atleast for me anyways.

^^^^Thats deep right there. Man, machine, and emotion.

 

So, as for updates:

Got all the turbo piping off. Wrapped it and then sealed it. Used heavy duty stainless hose clamps to hold the loose end of the wrap down as stainless zip ties weren't doing it for me. Ended up having to buy two 30' rolls of the wrap because I was incrementing in thirds instead of halves. That's about 3-layers throughout the entire hot side charge so that should bring drastic temperature drops. I may be overdoing it in the heat protection department but I guarentee nothing will ever melt or be damaged due to heat.

I also decided to run a B&M trans cooler above the intercooler because this poor little auto won't be lasting long without it. I was originally going to use it as an oil cooler but have a better idea. I'll be buying a 4-cylinder aluminum radiator with the lower hose outlet on the opposite side (passenger). I will buy a liquid to liquid heat exchanger that will be mounted between the radiators lower outlet and from there follow the lower radiator support across to the other side where it will then be connected back to another radiator hose. I found plenty of tube in tube heat exchangers that will make this very easy to do. More on that in a few days though.

None of the other manifolds helped with the fuel rail clearance issue so I will be milling an intake spacer as well as using the j37 manifold anyways. I still had exactly 1/2" of clearance anyways and I'm only required to raise the manifold 1/4" before clearing everything.

Here's pictures from the day:

Took another shot of the heat shielding and wrap to protect the wiring and other heat sensitive components protected. All shielding was hand bent and isn't as easy as it may look to get the shapes cut!


Then a random shot of my work area. I was admiring all the scattered parts and tools. So much for a clean work area.


Then another random shot of the turbine once the turbo was pulled for wrapping. I've always liked this view myself.


Here's what the piping looked like prior to silicone spray. I actually liked this look more but am more concerned about function over form. Btw, wrapping these deeply hurt Matt's feelings because it covered his welds. I apologized to him and sent him a dozen roses. He's good now .


Then after silicone coating. Still looks good but I too will really miss the rugged, agressive look of the bare stainless steel beginning to rainbow and those coin-stacked TIG welds.


Lastly, the trans cooler all mounted up and lines ran. I'll be monitoring the coolers temps after the engine is tuned and can see what sort of heat build up it gets to determine wether or not a thermo fan will be wired onto the cooler.

 

Amazing build man, can't wait to see it tuned and dyno'd. Great and clean work.

 

X2 Looking good can't wait to see how it does!

 

Hey thanks man. It was good talking to you and hopefully you figure out what road you wanna take with yours.

Right on, thanks Fox! It's been a while since we last talked but how's that TB coming along? As a matter of fact, its been just as long since I've seen the build thread bumped...what happened? Don't hesitate to call/text if you ever want to BS dude.

Thanks again for the compliment.

 

Still wondering how you fit that engine in there?

 

TBH Rush, they're all the same size engines. From a j30 to a j37. To be honest, I didn't think the transmission would fit into the cradle. I wish I would've taken a comparison picture now between the 2g CL/TL 5-speed and this 5-speed. I'd say its easily 30-40% larger in size. Which makes sense when you think about how much more power the engine carries. The 2g CL/TL trans wouldn't last had they used it. In fact, it held so well that Honda decided to use the same trans that originally debuted in the 05 RL, they even used a fwd version of the trans starting in 07 with the TL...base and Type S. And pretty much still use the same design all the way until now.

I ordered some fuel line lastnight. Even though AN-6 or AN-8 would've been enough, I decided on using AN-10 just to be safe as well as give me room to move around if I ever wanted to add power (lol). And with both inline pumps being used, the volume should be there for the size of the fuel line.

Talked to Bmeyer about picking up his old meth injection kit. This should help out a little in regards to running the same amount of boost but just making it a little more safe for the engine to handle. I'm really striving for a great deal of powertrain reliability and I'm investing much effort to ensure it will last. I've always liked the idea of EGT controllers for each cylinder and if I can find one cheap enough from an aviation system, I may consider it. The idea is instead of monitoring air/ fuel content by an average of 3 cylinders on each bank using an oxygen sensor, each individual cylinder is monitored by a sensor that reads exhaust gas temps to inform the driver if any cylinder begins to run lean or not. This is a much more accurate means of monitoring because let's say that you have one oxygen sensor monitoring one bank of three cylinders and one cylinder begins running lean while another begins running rich. The average of those cylinder could work out to an average that's stoic and therefore cause decreased performance and/or reliability. OR, if one cylinder begins running excessively rich while another two become running lean, the ECM will start adjusting fuel trims leaner and if you were running wideband this would never even be seen. When stuffing 10-20lbs of air down an engines mouth along with 1000cc injectors spraying in fuel at long PWM's, all this stuff really begins to matter.

Of course this means I'd have to get a little creative with installing EGT sensors in a single outlet exhaust head. But that won't be too difficult with a drill bit and a tap.

I can't wait for the tuning aspect of this build. I'm very excited to enter this phase as I've always carried a great deal of interest with electronic engine management and its integration with an engine. Can you imagine living a world without EFI again? Doing dyno tune runs with carbureted engines using mechanical ignition advance systems.

 

Now I don't mean this negatively at all but I find it funny if I were to see this car driving and didn't know any better I'd be like " Ricer , look at those eyelids , that fmic is probably a interfooler, not even being used . " Little would I know it would rape damn near anything .

 

Dude, that's the whole theme of the car. Ricer. People think all I have is a ghetto rigged Spectre CAI and deleted cats.

Kidding. They came with the car and the only reason I haven't removed them is because the dimwit used some sort of epoxy to bond them to the lens. So for now, I'm a ricer.

I bought this car for $300 at the shop, no lie. Guy needed alot of wiring done from aftermarket car audio crap causing a battery drain, about 2 or 3 fuses to keep blowing, the car wouldn't start unless it was in reverse (don't even ask), just to name a few. After I bought it, I realized instead of fixing it and selling it, I could just make it an all out car. And, obviously, I'm doing that.

 

So what you're saying is that it's a $15-20k engine bay with a $300 body bolted to it. I love it!

 

Precisely. Sure, I could've bolted the engine bay up to an 08 TL-S. But then that would take away from the overall "shame factor" the opponent gets instead of being whooped by a Honda Accord.

 

first of all, amazing thread and quick progress.

I don't mean to get too far ahead in the tuning process, but apart from 10.5" rims, I saw no mention of how you're ever going to try and stop this beast once it runs, is there a parachute in the works?

Keep up the good work, subscribed.

 

I, for one, know that I'd be pretty pissed.

 

I must've dragged you from over on the 2g RL side huh? Lol. Lovely car you have there!

Sorry, no parachute here. I actually had a pair of Advics (RL calipers) that I was going to install on it using a pair of conversion brackets along with the Nissan rotors but ended up giving them to friend so he could get his car going for the time being. I still plan on using the Advics though as they are absolute monsters...and are oem parts at that.

Thanks for the kind words.

Would this be the reason why you're selling the TL for the BMW?

 

this sounds like my next setup since i have to rebuild my 3.7 & they have hon-data for tuning or maybe just swap wire harness hopefully its that simple

 

You definitely did drag me over from the RL side, owned an 09 for 50,000mi.

Those advics (I was so ticked they weren't Brembo's when I stuck my head into that wheel well for the first time) are good, but not on a 4,000lb car, not with stock rotors and brake pads. SS brake lines, real pads, slotted/drilled rotors and they should be sufficient to stop a 3,000lb car from triple digits.

and for everyone else...Advics

 

^^^
That's them.

And yes, for an RL they may be mediocre performance brakes. That's a huge (yet beautiful) family sedan packed with tons of tech. But for my hollowed out, stripped, barely street legal (MAYBE!) 2dr coupe at around 2800lbs, they will be a much cheaper alternativeive opposed to one of the aftermarket BBK's.

Wait, "rebuild my 3.7"? You run a j37 and that I didn't know about? Lol

 

Someone said 3.7 which reminded me of my old car...so I figured I'd share, I did read through 9 pages so...I mean, we are talking about taking Acura's parts here...and this almost justifies it...right?



as a daily driver...I do have a high end laser jammer collecting dust if you would like to take it off my hands...Blinder M45-X.

Escort ZR3 featured on the RL grille next to the CMBS sensor.

 

In bold

 

pm me a price

 

I got the RL on a huge sale, 15k off msrp with 3,000mi on it, otherwise it was out of my price range.

It was the first car I ever modded, and in the end, sold it because I may have over done it. The car was dropped 1.5/1.4" so it seemed like it was slammed on coils.

I put a SRI on it so at WOT it sounded like a V8 but at the same time I think I made the car slower.

So I sold the car at close to 60k with a 100k extra warranty I purchased and bought a Hyundai Genesis 12', V6 fully loaded, which is much much faster than the RL even though SH-AWD almost makes up for it. On summer tires I once pulled a 90mph into a 35mph turn with barely a drift from the rear, SH-AWD really works!

as far as being sure about the next 1/4 mi, it doesn't take much to get a ticket.

I got wise pretty quick, bought a radar detector after 2 tickets, laser jammer after two more tickets, have been at 0 points for the past 10 years since.

sold the RL about 1.5 years ago round $30k, holds value much better than the Genesis which I am ready to trade in for a 2015 Genesis with AWD and a V8. I think my modding days are done, but if anyone is curious you can PM me for my RL build/mod/n00b learning page so I don't hi-jack this awesome thread with my rambling.



btw, I am not in the picture

 

^^^
SRI=POS

I've never understood its concept in providing more power. Maybe if your factory air box is restrictive. And even then, its still sucking in hot air. Again, gorgeous car my friend.

Also, that picture is very nice! The two people walking in the parking lot behind the Genesis though give me the heebeejeebees...particularly the one on the right.

So lastnight I ordered a turbo blanket. Just so everyone knows, I was very reluctant to do this because I couldn't weigh which was better or worse: the blanket locking in excess heat in the turbo over additional heat reduction in engine compartment. I mean, reliability over the turbo itself is WAY more important than gaining spool time/lowering heat.

Any feedback/experience? (Remember everyone, my first turbo build)