488/2000 Rescued- The build begins.

This is one of the pics I was sent before I bought it. Its nile black, with no sunroof. Looks pretty good here.

This is what it looked like after driving 7 hours from Eugene to Yakima to pick it up. Missing bumper, transmission(and t-case) and some small misc stuff like the engine. Basically the engine bay is gutted and hacked. Fenders dented, hood dented, right rear dogleg missing. But I finally have my own GVR4. I am supposed to be getting the transmission and bumper, but was unavailable at the time.
Lucky enough I also found someone in Yakima with a complete fresh engine, all machine work done, nearly all the parts to assemble all in pieces /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gifI got a decent deal on that and a 16g (looks like it may be ebay special, but I'm going to need it...
So I bought it all with my financial aid loans. I need to sell off some of the stuff I'm not going to use to recoup some of this. I spent WAY more than I should have, or planned to, but the engine was too good to pass up. But the GF was not pleased... made for a VERY long drive home haha.
The car came with a Cusco (Safety 21) bolt in cage, it is going up for sale. As is the brand new Megan Racing O2 housing that came with the engine, as well as the adjustable Fuel pressure regulator that I won't be using.
So the plan is get it together, running, daily driver-able on a college student budget before fall term starts. I think I'm going to use an Evo VIII or IX intercooler with the piping available here from JonVR4, 440ccs 2g maf, splurge a bit on a act flywheel and a decent clutch, perhaps the clutchmasters.
More pics to come /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[TWEAKD4]

Good luck with the build. I hope you bought it cheap because you have a lot of work to do.

 

Thanks, yeah I did get it cheap, probably not cheap enough for the headache of going to get it, also there is a lost title to deal with before I sink ANY more money into it (unattainable title would mean parts car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif ), and I'm still waiting on parts that come with it. I feel I got a good deal. I have wanted a GVR4 for years, and I prefer black for most cars, including the galant so black, no sun roof, stock and relatively unmolested, rust free, I'm happy. I told my girlfriend she isn't nearly excited enough!

 

I am going to be making an Evo piping kit run soon. Hopefully you can salvage this car, looks like it's in ok shape.

 

[deez]

Good luck with the build. But you know, you aren't too far away, you could have just bought my car /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[turbowop]

That thing was parked in the lot that my company storage unit is in. I drive in there to grab some materials and see a GVR4 thinking WTF. I wondered who owned it.

 

[nickbuilt]

good luck with the build that pretty much more or less what my car looked like less than 3 months ago and mine is already on the road, with a little willpower,money,patients and mechanical knowledge anything is possible!

-nick

 

Yeah, Jon hopefully I have the money when you do the next run of pipes, if not maybe I can catch the next one. First priority is get rid of stuff I'm not going to use and get the title.
Deez Sac isn't much further than Yakima, and I could have driven yours home, but I can't afford your car. Its nice, but I'm poor.
TurboWop, I've seen you on this board for years. I'm surprised you didn't swoop on it. I guess they guy had a performance shop in there, and is hurting for money, and this was one of several projects, such as and RB26 swapped 240Z. It had been in Craigslist for awhile. Hopefully they come through with my bumper and transmission. If not maybe I could get you to pick it up, and at some point I could come get it from you. But they are supposed to be bringing it down in two weeks...
Nick I've got knowledge, skills, patience and willpower, money is kinda skinny. I'm shooting for a similar time frame, I would like to get it on the road before fall term because I will have a lot less free time then.
I'm excited about the fresh engine. I have never owned a new car, and never had a fresh engine. This thing only has 150K on the clock and NO rust. Very worthwhile project.
I pulled the cage out, going to put it on Ebay. It was a tight fit, looked good, but I really don't need a cage. Whenever I do I'll just make one, and it will be way more massive.

 

[turbowop]

It's kind of a weird deal. There was nothing in that storage unit area as far as cars, then one day there were like eight different Japanese import cars parked out there, including your GVR4. There were also a couple of 240's, a Prelude, etc. Then last week I went by to get more materials for work, and your car was gone, as well as most the others. Bunch of cars parked there for about four weeks and now nothing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif Doesn't seem like much of a performance shop.

 

I'm really down right now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gifI just got off the phone with Detective Deloza in Yakima. Its not just weird, as it turns out the guy that owned the place is quite the scam artist. I was unable to get my bumper or my transmission/tcase. The story was that their shop was broken into, and the place was locked up pending investigation, and the only person allowed in was the attorney, Matt wasn't even allowed there, I dealt with his wife. Well as it turns out its all bs, he took a bunch of peoples money for parts then claimed his shop was broken into... I looked into it... I found this :
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/1845481369.html and then googled "sinister performance yakima " and found this:
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=590113&page=4
There are alot of people that want to break his legs.
So that leaves me with a shell minus bumper, trans tcase and engine(oh and the right rear dog leg... go figure), with a lost title. With my very limited resources (starving student barely subsisting on student loans), I may not be able to make this happen /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I really hate to bail on this car, it needs some lovin, its been passed around like a roofied cheerleader at a frat party. Picking up the car and most of an Engine tapped me. If I have to sell off the car I don't know if its worth spending the 200$ on getting the title. At this point I need to get something on the road. So I'm going to hang in there for now, maybe try to sell of one of my Samurais to make this happen. I have to find a cheap bumper and a cheap trans+tcase tho... I don't think I have the heart to part it. If someone made me a solid offer on it I'd let it go.

 

[turbowop]

I had a feeling that place was shady as f***. It just seemed weird and out of place.

Sorry man. If I had a USDM bumper I'd give it to you. All I have is a rear. I have a '90 trans and xfer case out of an old Talon you can have. It probably needs a rebuild though.

 

[jepherz]

Sorry man, sounds like you should be not spending money on a vr4 in your situation though. Especially not one without a title.

 

[Barnes]

I've got a front bumper/bumper cover. Kinda chopped up from having an FMIC installed, but it's just sitting in my shed. KG in color. I'm only 1hr from Yaki-vegas.

 

I appreciate the support. If I can manage to get a title I will let ya know. I really don't want to accept any parts until I know I'm going to be able to build it. If I get a title I will definitely take you guys up on the trans tcase and bumper. My buddy here has a 1g trans, but no tcase. I am nowhere near Yakima. I'm in Eugene, OR. I drove like 7hrs to rescue #488. I really want to keep her, I prefer the Nile Black, and I prefer no sunroof, and that is what I got. Since it was last titled in CA I have to deal with them to get the title. I tried my local DMV and they politely told my I'm SOL. So I think I will look into doing a mechanic's lien on it there. Anyone from CA have experience with mechanic's liens? I know my dad's shop did a couple when I was a kid, and we got to keep the cars, well we sold them, but we could have kept them. The dmv here said that if a tow yard does a possessory lien here it has to be auctioned off. Thats no good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

 

how much did you spend?

 

So I'm still waiting on the title info from CA DMV but in the meanwhile I went to the junkyard, managed to get a radio bezel, 1g shifter and boot, yet another cup holder, and a new deck harness, a few 2g MAS harnesses, some misc little stuff like those little clips for the injectors that like to run away. What I didn't find was an 89. I have MOST of a manual seatbelt swap, but I am short on a couple things, like A-pillars, and female side of the seatbelt. I also don't have a 89 glovebox, but I do still have an 89 lower dash trim piece with the pocket in it. Goodies left over from the GGSX that never went in.
Difference in shifters, painted up the rusty 1g shifter.


So anyone need a cup holder? I already have one.
The previous owner hacked the old wiring harness. I have quite the system to put in this when I get it rolling. It has been sitting in boxes in my closet since I sold my Eclipse. It consists of a McIntosh MC440M, all A/D/S speakers: 2 RS12s 2 RS8s, 7" mids 325is components and Nakamichi 6 Channel crossover.
Also a Scytek 5000rs2w pager alarm with remote start and turbo timer built in. 1/4 mile range /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I used to install mobile electronics for a living, I'm also an ASE certified tech, so its in good hands.
I have formulated a plan. I have a 16g and a nearly complete fresh engine. I'm thinking 560s, 3g MAS, keydiver chip and either a used ETC front mount or the Evo8/9 IC with either JonVR4's piping or my own custom pipes.
I also plan to build a harness bar like the cusco ones, Attaching to the manual seatbelt points. I also have plans to ultra-suede the headliner and most of the stereo install. The 7s, 8s dome tweeters and ports are going in the rear deck, and all will be wrapped in ultra-suede. It should match the door inserts nice.

 

Well I got my paperwork back from the CA DMV. Apparently I missed a signature, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif so I had to sign that spot and send it back... grr. So several more weeks I guess. Then I can FILE for my title, hopefully that isn't a slow ass process too. In the mean time I picked up a keydiver chip that is already programmed for my setup /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Which is good since he is too busy to do new chips right now. I'm buying 560s and a 2G downpipe from my buddy, going to get the bumper from BarnesMobile. I still have quite a parts list, the top of which is aluminum flywheel and decent clutch, intercooler and pipes, head gasket, main studs, bov, female ends for my manual seatbelts, and 1g catback.
So I'm excited hopefully I can get it legal and start getting it together soon. I found some nice HKS 264s that I'd really like to get, but thats money I don't have.
I need to research the ABS removal, there are a couple of Galant LS in the junkyard, I'm hoping the lines from one of those will do it for me. I have never actually owned a car with ABS. I'd rather have a hydraulic handbrake /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[mitsuturbo]

Will a 2g downpipe just bolt up and work properly, without modification? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[BoostedAWD91]

If and when you decide to sell the cusco bolt in cage please let me know, I want it!
congratulations on the new vr4 and Thanks for saving it

 

[ApexHunter]

^ click