Zippy's 98

[Zippy]

Starting up another build thread on my car

My 1998 Mustang GT DECH in Bright Atlantic Blue

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Current Mods:

Drivetrain
Aluminum block 2V
Coil on Plug conversion
Steeda Underdrive Pulley's
BBK Cold Air Intake
BBK Throttle Body
Accufab Upper Plem
03/04 Cobra MAF
BBK LongTube Headers into a X pipe w/ Gesi Cats
Flowmaster Catback
3.73gears
Aluminium Driveshaft
Pro 5.0 Shifter
Centerforce Clutch
Canton Rad Tank
Lanier Metals Rad Cover
Made 283/318 on 91

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Suspension
MM K Member + Rack Bushings
MM A-Arms
MM Steering Shaft
MM Coil Over Kits Front & Rear
Koni Double Adjustable Struts & Shocks
MM Extreme Duty Rear Lower Control Arms
Steeda Billet Sway Bar Mounts
Prothane End Links
MM Bump Steer Kit
MM Caster Camber Plates
MM Rear Bump Stop Rubber
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Brakes
Front: ATS 4piston Brembo w/ EBC Reds & SS Lines
Rear: 03/04 Cobra w/ EBC Reds & SS lines
Track Pads: GLock 16/10 compound w/ Plain Brembo Rotors
ATE Brake Fluid

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Wheels & Tires
Street: 03/04 Cobra Chrome 17x9 & 17x10.5 wrapped in Mickey Thompson Super Street 275/40 & 315/35
Track: Cobra R 17x9 with Nankang AR1's 255/40/17 Squared

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[Zippy]

Other Mods
Corbeau Racing Seats
Rear Seat Delete
Upgraded Spare Tire Set
Saleen Wing
Sparco Fixed back with removable halo seat for the track
Cobra Hood
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[Zippy]

History

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It's an interesting story on how I got ownership of this car. My dad's friend John bought this off of a friend of his in the early 2000s. John then had the car up to 2019 where he sold it to me.
In those years, John use to take the car to open lapping days as well as Time Attack events in parking lots. My dad met John through the old mustang club and started working on the car here and there.
John invited my dad and I to one of these events and this car was actually the first car I was ever in doing time attack in. I was pretty young back then, and all I remember was this oversized helmet on my head, my head flinging back and forth as we went through the cones. It's pretty cool to now own that same car.

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In 2006/2007 John and my dad found killer deals on take out Ford Explorer motors from the states. These were the all Aluminum motors, one was brand new, the other had 2k miles on it. The 2k miles motor is in this car, the other went into my dad's 00GT.
During the motor swap, my dad did a coil on plug conversion to get rid of the ugly coil packs that are prone to screwing up. Engine bay looks way better now.
This swap happened in the late fall and the car went into storage. The plan was to get it out early in the spring and finish it up, that never happened. John lost interest and priorities in his life changed and the car sat. Being the car guy John was, he drove it at least once a year and changed the oil&filter then tucked it back into the garage.

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In November 2019, I made a deal with John to take the car off of his hands. Man, it was a long winter waiting to pick it up.
Finally spring time came around and I was able to go pick it up. Best day ever.
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[Zippy]

DECH #2097
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Derek Hanson started DECH in 1985 looking to build parts for mustangs for the racing enthusiasts. DECH was one of the first companies to provide aftermarket components for mustangs in Canada and eventually North America. This car is #2097 of the cars built with DECH parts. This car was sold from the dealership as a DECH car. Way back in 1998 the car was sold new for $42,562.

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This car was not equipped with all the goodies DECH had to offer, but it certainly was ahead of it's time.
It came equiped with...
17x9 Cobra Wheels on BFG Comp TA Tires
Front & Rear Springs
Underdrive pulleys
K&N Filter
Borla Side Exhaust with SVO Side Skirts
Front air damn splitter (AD-1)
DECH Specific Rear Wing (AFD-IV)
Two Plaque's, one on the dash, one of a keytag
Windshield Banner with Front Fender Decals saying "DECH"
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The car to this day still has all the special DECH items, either on the car, or in boxes stored away.
The previous owners bought extra Front Air Dam Splitters as well as a extra AFD-IV Rear Wing.
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[Zippy]

The Plan

My plan for this car was to turn it back into a track monster. I want to be able to drive this car anywhere but still be able to go to the track and turn some good laps. Want to be able to be consistent, make it reliable and fun to drive.
Let's see what I started out with...
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As said before, this car had sat for nearly 15years. It needed a lot of updating/replacing/redoing.
The car had a Procharger on it and I had to make the decision on what to do there.
I decided that a road course car would be a lot more fun NA then it would be supercharged. With the heat of a supercharger & the weight, I decided to strip it off the motor and sell it. The intercooler for the supercharger also made it so you couldn't run A/C as it was in the way of the condenser. Luckily, the previous owner kept all of the old AC bits and I was able to just buy a few hoses and O-rings and reinstall it pretty easily.
No AC = no fun.

Besides the supercharger, some major things I changed on the car was...
- Moved the battery back from the trunk to the front where it belongs
- Removed and sold all gauges from the interior (shift light, boost gauge, A/F Gauge)
- Removed and sold 5link system from rear of the car and will replace with pan-hard
- Removed and kept side exhaust system and replaced with Flowmaster
- Removed and sold Sparco fixed back seats, replaced with Corbeau
- Reinstalled A/C system, was taken out for the Procharger
- Removed Factory oil "cooler" (the pre heater)
- Replaced Oil Pan due to the other one having to be drilled for the Procharger
- Replaced aftermarket headlights for the originals
- Removed welded in driveshaft loop
- Replaced Axles due to wear
- Replaced ALL fluids
- Replaced Cobra R wheels/tires with 03/04 Wheels: Kept Cobra R wheels for storage/track wheels
- Replaced shifter boot, torn

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I can't believe how many parts I've bought for this car since I've owned it... I also can't believe how much selling online through Facebook & Kijiji I've done. I've been pretty thankful for being able to sell off as much as I have. That has allowed me to buy other parts that I needed to get the car on the road.

[Zippy]

Mr. Clean

If you know who I am at all, you know that I'm a pretty big clean freak... especially when it comes to cars. Before I even started ripping it apart for all the upgrades/changes... I started cleaning it.
The underside of the car was not good. It wasn't undercoated, it just was dirty.
Everynight once the weather started to get decent, I was outside with a bucket of soapy water, a toothbrush and something to lay on, cleaning the underside of the car. If we didn't have a car in the shop overnight, I would sneak it onto the hoist and do the spots I couldn't reach on jack stands.
Here are some before and after photo's. My OCD is much happier :clap2::clap2::clap2:

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Some random photo's from when the suspension was installed....

K member dropped & New Oil Pan

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New MM K member

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MM A arms installed w/ steering shaft, koni DA Struts, Coil overs & Bumpsteer kit

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Hubs modded and painted waiting new big brakes.

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Caddy Brakes mounted and bled

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[Zippy]

Rear Suspension & Brake pics

Ford Racing Rear Brake kit (Cobra)
New everything including 28spline axles
EBC Red Pads w/ SS lines
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MM Extreme Duty LCA's. All new hardware

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Koni DA Shocks w/ Coil overs
Rear Diff Fluid done.
Diff cover painted up along with Upper Control arms aswell as stock sway bar
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New Flowmaster Exhaust with new to me rims& Tires
315s!
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[Zippy]

Dialing it in

Getting that road race track alignment.
Still need to dial it in some more with how low I want the car to be.
Shout out to ZR on the alignment and getting it absolutely perfect.
Still need to setup the bump steer... hopefully this spring.
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[Zippy]

Strapped Down

Well after all the suspension mods were done.... it was time for some horsepower.
Since the car had a supercharger on it, a lot of things needed to be changed over and done to the motor to get it back to stock form.
New Belt, relocated the battery from the trunk to under the hood, reinstalled the AC.
Did fresh plugs, new to me Cold Air intake, new to me BBK Catted front pipe w/ a Flowmaster Cat back.
Bought a brand new set of Steeda underdrive pulley's to go along with the BBK Throttle body.
The car made a surprising number of 263/303 at the tire on 91.
Tuned by DCT, he whipped up two tunes for me, a street tune with some extra timing, and a track tune. Want to be able to hold my right foot down on the floor all day long without worrying about it at all.
Going to be adding a Upper Plem and a new JLT Cold Air to it this season. Will also be tuning it for 94 to see if we can't get some more ponies out of this little 2v.
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[Zippy]

Video of one of the dyno pulls. She sounds sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBBha_3BrwE

[Zippy]

First Track Day
Well... after all this work to bring the car back to life... it was finally that time to take it to the track to see how it does!
A huge thanks to ZR for the long hours of sorting through this car. I think we had 75% of the car apart to get it to this point. Long nights of wrenching and working weekends to get this ready to go for track day.
Covid made things really difficult with getting parts in a timely manner... or even just getting the parts.
Really thankful to all the sponsors of TMC and all the people that had a hand in helping me get this car back on the road.
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I have done a lot of laps in the passenger seat at TMP... but only a handful behind the wheel. It certainly is a totally unique experience driving your own car at the track for the first time. Anxiety was through the roof!
Started off in the rookie group in the morning to make sure the car was good ... and most importantly the driver was good! I was thankful to have John, the previous owner of the car, able to come out to the event and ride shot gun. He was a HUGE help in showing me where I need to put the car. I picked up on it quickly and jumped into the intermediate group in the afternoon.
I have a pretty good understanding of what to do behind the wheel, just need more laps to put it all together consistently. More track days are ahead for the DECH... that's for sure.
Here are some pics of it rounding the final corner.
Also a pic of John & I. (Me Left / John Right)

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[Zippy]

Troubles in DECH land

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It wasn't always flowers and sunshine working on this car up to this point. Had some major hurdles to get over.
On one of the first test drives, there was a wicked noise coming from the middle/rear of the car... Turns out whoever welded in the driveshaft loop... didn't center it. Every hard right hand corner the rear end would move over just enough to make it so the weight on the driveshaft would touch it. It sounded really really bad.
Cut it out and sound gone!

Another teething problem we had with the car was it popping out of 4th gear. John, the previous owner, mentioned it to me prior to me buying the car. It never ever did it on the street... however, on the first track day, it did it a handful of times.
As I was buying parts to fix the trans, which cost an arm and a leg btw! I was able to find a spare T-45 from a reliable source. Going to hold onto both T-45's while I own the car as it's getting harder and harder to find good transmissions.

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The last major hurdle we had was inside the diff. When doing the Cobra Brake upgrade on the back, we found that the rear axles were smoked. Also found a couple of bad bearings inside the diff.
Replaced axle bearings w/ seals & bearings inside the diff. Raided the stock pile of parts we had kicking around to get me back on my feet. Shout out to Da'silva's for rushing me axles.
Doctor ZR had me fixed up in no time.
Next Diff upgrade will be a T2R diff and 31spline axles. (maybe next year)

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[Zippy]

New Wheels

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The DECH is getting some new street wheels this summer. Wanted to change it up. I was up for tires on my old Cobra Rims, so I figure this is the time to change up the rims.
Found this set of Enkei GTC02 rims for sale... was going back and forth with the seller on price for a week and a half. Finally pulled the trigger this afternoon and picked them up.
They are pretty much brand new, had tires on them and taken off. Never driven on.
Hoping they look good *crosses fingers and toes*
For people wondering they are a 18x9 square.
Going to buy a square tire setup for it so I can rotate them front to back for longer life. My aggressive camber will not be kind to front tires :)

Couldn't find a picture of these on a mustang... but to give you an idea of what they will look like...

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[Zippy]

New track rubber ordered!
Shout out to Fast Ed for making it painless once again on buying stuff.

Went with the 255/40/17 Nankang Ar1's for this season.

Should fit really well on my 17x9 Cobra R wheels.
Should be no BS on fender clearance /strut clearance. SUPER EXCITEDDDDDD!!!

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[Zippy]

Spare Tire Solution
Well it came to my attention last summer... how in the world am I suppose to put a spare tire onto the front of my car if I got a flat?
With the new brake setup, my old spare wasn't even close to fitting, the 17inch cobra rims barely clear it as is.
At the time, I wouldn't be able to put a rear on the front, then the spare on the back, as I was running a 10.5 on the rear.
The idea came to put on a S550 spare on the front.
Was able to purchase one for a great price and did some mock up.
Was able to make it work with a small spacer on the front. Looks pretty good for a spare too!
It fits perfectly in the rear where the spare goes.
Great peace of mind that if something happened... I'm not stuck waiting for a tow truck.

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[Zippy]

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Can't wait to get the car out of storage... won't be long now...
Major upgrades coming in the spring!

[Zippy]

Bought some aftermarket lug nuts to better suit the new wheels.
SALT GO AWAY ALREADY!

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[Zippy]

Messing around with my new to me race seat. Looked for along time for a halo style seat. Found one on an insane deal.
Can't wait to mount it in the car. This will be only used on track days as I don't think it'll be that comfortable on the street.
I really like the fact that the halo's unbolt from the seat so that it is safe to drive on the street.
Purchased new side mounts for it as well as a new seat base for it.
Will have to monkey around with it to figure out where I want it in the car.

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[Zippy]

New track day tires arrived yesterday. Shout out again to Fast Ed for looking after me.
Excited to mount them onto my Cobra R rims and get them onto the car! :cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:

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[ZR]

Nice purchase Zip.

[Zippy]

Picked up a few go fast parts over the winter for the car.
JLT Cold air intake. My plan is to have it hydrodipped before installing. Really like the look of carbon fibre.

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Picked up this really cool and unique shifter. Hope it works as good as it looks.
Made by Agent 47.
Had the shift ball custom made. White shift knobs are my favourite and having the ford racing on the side should look really cool in the car.
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[Zippy]

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Got a call from the storage place this afternoon! Looking like this weekend hopefully to pick up my car!
:highfive::highfive::highfive::highfive::highfive:

[Zippy]

Finally got my car home over the weekend. Havn't had the chance to drive it yet. Time to spend everyday after work working on it :mechanic:

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[Zippy]

Well Team DECH won't be driven a freaking mile with this lockdown...........................
I guess this is the best time to pull the motor.
:highfive:
.... stay tuned.

[newbiestangowner]

Well Team DECH won't be driven a freaking mile with this lockdown...........................
I guess this is the best time to pull the motor.
:highfive:
.... stay tuned.

[emoji848][emoji848]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210417/d9d2067262f7f2c7f6a75cbca05a099f.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zippy]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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[Zippy]

The DECH is going under the knife really soon.
Thinking about trying this for a motor removal. I think it'll save some time on the uninstall portion of the job.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBVmXukx_Gk

[ZR]

Love it.

[Zippy]

A proper update to my thread and what is going on with the DECH.
Ever since I've bought the car, on a cold cold start (if I havn't started it in acouple of weeks) it makes a pretty good noise under the hood. Sounds like the chains are slapping the front cover.
ZR and I have narrowed it down to it probably being the Primary tensioners losing prime. The ladder of it is most likely broken or just aged from sitting.
The car sat for years at a time without being started, not ideal.
Anyways, I havn't started it since I've picked it up from storage as the likely hood of it jumping the timing chain is pretty real.

The parts from MMR finally hit my doorstep today...
I went ahead and bought the upgraded Iron ones. My year motor most likely has the plastic tensioners.
It'll be a lot of work to change them... but rather be safe then sorry.
Motor's are way too expensive these days to risk it.
Hopefully in the next 1-3weeks we can get to it. Roads are a mess right now anyways and the track isn't even open.

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Have some visual upgrades and some performance upgrades that I'll be doing at the same time.
Planning to have the Valve covers & Cold Air Hydrodipped at the same time.
Also have the MM Strut Tower Brace to go on aswell as a new Upper Plem from Accufab to install.
Here's of what I'm hoping the Valve covers will look like. Carbon Fibre :drool:

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[Zippy]

Took my car out for a drive the other night.
I know I know... I shouldn't be driving it... but I couldn't resist...

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[Zippy]

Finally got around to mounting my nankang's to the cobra r rims. They look fantastic! Hope they work as good as they look!
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[Zippy]

Also... found a great deal on side skirts for my car last week. Someone was parting out a BAB 98 cobra and I scooped up the side skirts!
In pretty decent shape. Just going to clean them up and slap them on for now!

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[Zippy]

I think I'm addicted to buying parts... or maybe just to finding a killer deal on stuff...
Found a off road X pipe for sale on Facebook and scooped it up tonight! Was only a 20minute drive!
Going to give it the Zippy clean up with some high heat paint!

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Also pulled the trigger and ordered a set of BBK Long tube headers (ceramic) w/ the proper 02 extensions.
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... I know what you're thinking "an off road pipe?!?!?!?"
Hold your horses ... going to be buying a set of one of the best Cats you can put on your car. Gesi.
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The plan is to do the exhaust system once in the DECH.
Since the panhard is going in as well as the Torque Arm... exhaust work will be needed no matter what... might as well do it all in one shot.
Hoping it will sound badass with the flowmaster catback *crosses fingers*

[Zippy]

Update time
Finally found a set of valve covers with the correct number of bolts and correct placement for the oil fill. Damn you ford and you're million variations of 2v stuff!
Anyways... found a guy in Bolton that does hydrodipping. Dropped off the two valve covers and my JLT cold air for him to do in Carbon Fibre.
I hope it comes out good...
*crosses fingres*
Just waiting on some other small parts that I forgot to order for the header install... and I should have everything by early next week.
Hope to sneak it into a hole during the week and get the DECH back on the road and onto the track!
#Sendit

[Stephen06GT]

Who is the guy in Bolton that does the hydro dipping?

[Zippy]

Very pleased with how my valve covers and JLT came out
They aren't perfect but I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg having them done perfect.
Probably going to have some other bits and pieces done as well...
Check it out!
:highfive:

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[ZR]

Look sick in person, well done.

[Stephen06GT]

They look great. A nice little modern touch without being too in your face.

[ZR]

Who is the guy in Bolton that does the hydro dipping?

Link to his site.
https://catsassconcepts.ca/

[Zippy]

Gesi Cats came in today...
I can't believe how heavy they are.
The DECH will be ultra clean out the back and hopefully won't need to replace them for years and years.
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[Zippy]

The time has come... to fix the DECH!
Stay tuned ...
:highfive:
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[ZR]

So no updates??? (likely meant he put air in the tires).

[Zippy]

So no updates??? (likely meant he put air in the tires).

Mission accomplished. After blowing on the valve stems, I have reached acquired air pressure..
:sarcasm:

DECH IS ALIVE...

Pics to come...

[ZR]

https://pics.me.me/thumb_well-were-waiting-rampant-election-fraud-happening-hey-doj-37670179.pnghttps://pics.me.me/thumb_well-were-waiting-rampant-election-fraud-happening-hey-doj-37670179.pnghttps://pics.me.me/thumb_well-were-waiting-rampant-election-fraud-happening-hey-doj-37670179.png

[Zippy]

Alright... pics of what we did the past two days on the DECH.
The before pics... it's so dirty... :slap:

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Motor out and onto the floor... came out oh so nice!

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So, a refresher. I havn't been driving it at all since it came out of storage. I think I maybe did 300kms on it this year.
I had a wicked noise on cold start... sounded like the chain hitting the timing cover...
Well... it was. As you can see in the photo below, chain was loose as a goose.
The 'black' thing in the photo is the Tensioner. That one is made of plastic. That was ford's "new and improved" design... :choke:
Anyways, new IRON tensioners put into place and the chain is as tight as it needs to be now! (picture 2)
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[Zippy]

More pics of the inside of the mighty 2v
and some pics of the motor out of the car...
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[Zippy]

Forgot to take during photo's... going too quickly to get done to remember to take more pics...
Anyways... here's what we did.
New Valve covers Hydrodipped CF
RePainted the Front Cover and a bunch of bolts
Regasket'd front cover, valve covers, upper plem, Throttle body, EGR, header MLS gaskets.
New BBK Ceramic Longtube Headers
New to me Accufab Upper Plem painted grey hammer
Cleaned up some more wiring
ARP Crank Bolt
New EGR Sensors (had a running problem just off idle sometimes)

Super super super super super super super happy with how it turned out.
I was worried the CF would be too over the top... but it fits in really well. Updates the car under the hood.

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[Zippy]

All ready to go back in...

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[Zippy]

Motor back in and time to install the new Gesi cat's.
Marked where we wanted it, cut it, tac'd the cats in place... took the pipe off and finished the welding...
Came out really nice
02 extensions were obviously needed when doing Long tube header's.
Drilled a couple of spots in the trans case to be able to hang the 02 wires up and out of the way.
Came out sweeeeeeeeeeeet!
Please excuse the rusty subframe connectors... they'll be coming off for a real set really soon.
Plan to paint the mid pipe after the Torque arm from MM is installed. Might need to do some more exhaust work to fit the Panhard/T.A into the car.
Header's fit really nicely. Do not hang low at all like some other brands we've installed in the past.
Really pleased with how it all came out.
Need to finish cleaning the floor pan... that 0.196pounds of dirt really is slowing me down :spitcoffee:

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[ZR]

Was other Jelly Bean there for moral support??
Looking great Rossco, sounds fantastic out the tailpipes.

[Zippy]

Was other Jelly Bean there for moral support??
Looking great Rossco, sounds fantastic out the tailpipes.

I needed a diagram on how to put it back together obviously LOL

[ZR]

Obviously.

[Zippy]

So after slugging on it for 2 solid days... we got it back in the car and running again!
Looks great, sounds great... so happy!
I have a Dyno date for July 2nd, going to put some km's on it next week and see what it does next Friday.
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[Zippy]

Well... tried to get myself some Nitto's for the DECH... but no one around has them.
Went with option #2
Mickey Thompson Street Comps
The only other manufacturer to make a 315 on a 17inch.

So ordered
275/40/17 x 2
315/35/17 x 2
Hope to have them by first thing next week
Shout out to Lou @ Barone Performance for the quick hook up
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[newbiestangowner]

Nice!!!
I have to sit down with you sometime, how did you stuff a 315 out back??

Slow turd is only sporting 285 out back, was never happy with the look of it.

[Zippy]

Nice!!!
I have to sit down with you sometime, how did you stuff a 315 out back??

Slow turd is only sporting 285 out back, was never happy with the look of it.

315's on a 10.5inch rim fit with lots of room. No rolling of fenders required either. Could probably go bigger but rather avoid the headache of rolling fenders!
Plus... the Dech ain't spinning a 275 let alone a 315. #MorePowerNeeded

[newbiestangowner]

315's on a 10.5inch rim fit with lots of room. No rolling of fenders required either. Could probably go bigger but rather avoid the headache of rolling fenders!
Plus... the Dech ain't spinning a 275 let alone a 315. #MorePowerNeeded

Who says slo turd spins tires
Only in wintertime bro!

It’s just for looks !( for me)

https://media1.giphy.com/media/1d7F9xyq6j7C1ojbC5/giphy.gif

[Zippy]

Just got back from a test ride with the new mods... all is well!
Tomorrow it gets strapped down!
Interested to see the gains from headers + other mods.

[Zippy]

Tires came in yesterday! Get them mounted next week!

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[Zippy]

The DECH got tuned yesterday and man did it perform well!
From all the mods I did, headers, new cats, upper plem & different cold air, I gained 20horsepower & 17torque.
Something to note aswell, yesterday's dyno session was 4celius hotter then when the car was previously tuned.
Diogo and his team at DCT did a great job as always. Car sounds wicked out the back.
Here are a bunch of photo's of the day.
Hope to get out to the track where it can really stretch it's legs!
**video coming sooooon**
Official Numbers
Old Tune: 263/303
New Tune: 282/319

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[Zippy]

Video of the car on the Dyno on Friday
Creds to Shaun at DCT for the footage and photo's

https://www.facebook.com/DiagoCustomTuning/videos/325380645910587

[Zippy]

Track wheels mounted and clear nicely! Almost ready to send it!

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[Zippy]

DECH performed really well at the track on Monday. Had a rough morning on the street tires. The back end was trying to pass me entering the corners! lol.
Had my first trip into the grass which was exciting... did the right thing and didn't try to save it and just drove off. Lost it going into Turn 2, way too deep on the brakes.
Put my nankang's on around lunch time and really enjoyed myself in the afternoon. Man O man do those tires hang on!
Excited to put on my G-lock pads for Thursday and see how it does.
Trying to remember that I'm still fairly new to lapping my own car and that I need to walk before I run out there.
Couple vids coming soon!

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[Zippy]

Today we installed my race brakes.
Glock R16 & R10 pads on fresh rotors
Also had the chance to install the RedLine Tuning hood struts... #NoMoreRod
Looks sooooo much better.
And since I got rid of the prop rod, I installed this custom made radiator cover that is powder coated black
Ties in with the Rad tank pretty nicely me thinks!
Just about done under the hood, I think all I have left is the clutch quadrant and the jlt catch can
Didn't have time to test fit my race seat... next time!
The DECH is ready for round 2 at TMP tomorrow!

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[Zippy]

All cleaned up.... god it's beautiful
:dragster:

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[Zippy]

The DECH was at the track day event on July 22nd 2021 @ TMP
What a great day I had! I had so much fun throwing it around and stomping on the brakes. The car works better then I thought it ever would to be honest.
After the first session I went up 4 clicks of front compression and found big gains. Much more balanced and lost a bit of the pitchiness it had. Compared to Monday, the track had loads of grip!
I'm definitely improving each time I go out, trying to inch my way into each brake zone and pick up the throttle just a bit sooner out of each corner.
Slow and steady wins the race
Should of set up my phone to see what kind of lap times I was doing... but honestly... I don't really care... I had so much fun!
It was a blast shooting the shit with people I haven't seen in a year or more.
The plans for mods before the September day is to hopefully get the Pan Hard in the back and get my race seat mounted into the car.
Also going to look into getting a thicker FR500 steering wheel (probably the SVE one from LMR) as my current one is super slippery and is so small. Feels like I'm holding a toy steering wheel sometimes LOL

Shout out to everyone from TMC that came out and either helped with the event or just came and supported the event.
Shout out to ZR for putting up with my nagginess on getting my car in the shop when I need something installed LOL :spitcoffee:

Also... race brakes driving home... I sounded like a damn bus! LOL!

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[ZR]

You killed it out there Ross, proud of ya.

[newbiestangowner]

You killed it out there Ross, proud of ya.

Yup agreed, car ran great!
Thanks Ross for the ride along, really helped me on the section I was having trouble on.

[Zippy]

Thanks boys!

[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

B I G Plans for DECHY coming...
#Staytuned
(no it's not a driver mod) :spitcoffee:

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[Zippy]

Another DECH update...

I am not happy at all with my new Mickey Thompson tires that I bought. Perhaps I have the tire pressures low... but everytime I go for a drive in it, it shakes and drives horrible for the first 15 or so minutes. Going to try upping the air pressure in them to see if that will help... it is what it is I guess.

For the power upgrade over the winter... I'm hoping to buy a set of Modular Head shop's TFS 185 competition heads with a matching stage 2.5 camshaft.
I've been running the numbers on whether or not I'm going to put a piston and rod in it at the same time to up compression... not really sure as of yet.
I have learned very quickly that going fast costs big bucks.
Might even just wait and save up and do it once.
Zero chance of me motor swapping this car as I think with the power goals I'm looking to get to (around 400 at the tire NA) ... no swap makes sense to me financially.
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In other news... starting to teach the GF how to drive it. (she doesn't know stick)
Step 1 of getting her to start it and eventually move it in 1st gear is complete!
Our mini goal is to have her decent enough stick driver to be able to do the parade lap at TMP next Spring.
:highfive:

[Zippy]

Track day soon approaching... had to get a few things done on my car for the event.

Track seat finally mounted! Man o man what a pain in the ass that was.
Sparco's 'bolt in' track put the seat up wayyyyy too high in the car. Thankfully had a Corbeau bracket with a double locking track here. Was able to make some brackets to all make it work together.
Spent a lot of time messing around with the angle of the seat and getting it centered behind the steering wheel. It's very very close now and really happy with the result.
It's a big seat for a big guy in a not so big car. lol

Also got some other minor things done such as
Trunk struts, the old ones didn't hold it up anymore, new ones installed!
Window switches... yeah... I couldn't put down the passenger side window from the driver side... but the passenger side didn't allow it to go up...
Anyways... 3 new switches and the windows now work as they should !
I found a A Pillar cover from a car being parted out (the car had one in it that had a bunch of holes in it from gauges)
Also installed a JLT Catch can. Interested to see if I catch any oil or not.

Other then that, just need to throw my race brakes on for TMP next Thursday and I'm ready to rock and roll... excited to get back out and keep on improving and learning.

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[Zippy]

Car will be listed for sale in the next week or so.
If seriously interested, please text me at, 416 876 8931.
PM's will not be answered.
Thanks

[Zippy]

Alright... the car isn't for sale. One of those weeks that week :slap:

DECH update. Car performed excellent at the Fall track day. Getting really comfortable driving it and being able to repeat every lap. I wanted to get some laptimes that day but it just didn't work out.
I'm looking into getting a window mount for my phone as I found an App that I want to try using next time out. Should be able to see sector times and be able to mess around with different lines to see what works best for the car/me.
New seat was fantastic, held me in very nicely. It felt very easy to drive the car at speed as I wasn't having to hold myself at all during the day. It was so nice.

In terms of mods to come in the future, I think I'm going to sway away from doing anything big to the motor. The amount of money to spend to make it make any amount of horsepower is kind of ridiculous.
My current plan is to put a stage 2 MHS cam, ford gt rockers, TFS lash adjusters, TFS adjustable cam gears. This should net me close to 25-30horsepower and bump me into the 305-315 range and be a lot easier on the pocket book.

Some bad news, I had my first 'accident' if you will with the car.
Driving into a parking lot I never been into, pulled in forwards... heard a crunch... got out... took some paint off the DECH front air dam. It's not as bad as one would think... more so missing some paint more then anything. Going to see if Ford still makes a touch up paint for it (doubt it) or just have one made from Paint Circuit here in Scarborough. It is what it is, I went longer without damaging it then I thought TBH!
Bought a couple of items from LMR... new door handle pull plastics, mine were getting gross.
Also bought all the clips that hold the side skirt onto the car. Hope to get those on the car before it goes into storage.


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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Finally getting around to ordering the parts I need to do the cams in my car
On order today...

Ford GT/GT500 Roller Rockers/Followers
- These improve oil pressure, are lighter and stronger then stock.
- A bit overkill but fuckkkkkk it

TFS Lash Adjusters
- This is the last time I plan on pulling the motor apart
- these are the best lash adjuster to buy for the mod motor

ARP Cam Bolts

Going to sit down and get the MHS cams ordered. Need the cam and the adjustable TFS Cam gear and should be good to go.
Will have to pick up another front timing cover set just incase the gasket rips taking it apart... other then that... should be good to go!!!
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[Zippy]

Well finally had time to sit down and fill out my order to Modular Head shop.
Going with their stage 2 cams and degree service. With the degree service you have to buy the TFS Billet crank gears.
Don't really care how long this takes to come as I won't install it till the spring.

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I am currently looking to buy a set of light weight wheels for the track next season... if anyone has a 18x9 Enkei rim kicking around... I'd love to use to test fit. :)
My current choices are Enkei 18x9 +35 w/ extended studs and a 1/2" spacer on the front.
OR
Apex's 18x9.5 +22 wheels
I got lots of time to figure it out so no rush in pulling the trigger on something. Also going to hold off and wait on Christmas deals... that might come? We shall see.
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[Zippy]

The Dech is hitting the track one last time this coming Monday. Dialed in some more camber... let's see how it does!
Hope to get my app working and get some laptimes as well. Then throw some parts at it in the spring and go try and beat it lol.
Also, adding the Fast FC04 wheels to the table for new race wheels for next season...
18x9 +30, offer them in silver & Black or bronze for a bit more $$

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[Zippy]

Last track outing in the DECH was a successful one.
Started off really cold with some standing water on the track. Turn 2/3 and entering turn 1 was really really really sketchy. Just like always, TMP was really windy and the sun was out, the track was almost dry by 11am (second session).
For this track session we added half a degree of camber to the front... man what a difference in overall front grip. This however exaggerated my issue of lack of rear grip in the car. I need to figure out how to get the car to hook better in the rear to be able to carry more speed through the apex of the corner.
The other thing I'll be looking at getting over the winter is a new diff. I'm not able to put the power down on the exit of T1, the J (turn 5) and the second last corner that is really slow and tight. It spins the inside rear wheel.
Everything else was great with the car, still love my race seat and god do I love cold days... the car was pulling way harder then it ever had at the track due to the cold weather.

This was also my first session timing myself. For peeps interested, here's how my times went as the day went on.
1st Session: 8laps, PB 1:29.919 (lap 7) - Street Tires
2nd: 11laps, PB 1:27.435 (lap 4) - Street Tires
3rd: 4laps, PB 1.26.350 (lap 3) - Nankang Tires
4th: 8laps, PB 1:23:940 (Lap 3) - Nankang
5th: 10laps, PB 1:23.836 (Lap 7) - Nankang
6th: 5laps, PB 1:23.700 (lap 4) - Nankang

It was a bit of an odd day in terms of getting out there and doing laps, we had 2 or 3 red flags due to cars stopped on the track resulting in delays, and when the track reopened, the track was packed with cars and didn't want to deal with that lol.
Still had a blast!
Anyways... here are some pics of the day... hope to keep on improving throughout the year next year.
Please excuse how bad the track map layout looks, it looks like I went offroadding in the telemetry. Going to need a phone mount so the phone's GPS works better mounted up near the windshield... had the phone in my center console.
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[Zippy]

Found another pic from the track day...
TFS Lash adjusters finally came, now waiting on my MHS order to ship!
Excited for the spring!
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[Zippy]

Another year in the books with the DECH. Glad to have gone to the track as many times that I did! More go fast parts for next year! The countdown till spring starts !
Shout out to ZR for helping me do the brakes on the car in the cold last night ... and a tire change... and clean it LOL
:highfive:
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[Zippy]

Mega upgrade on order for the DECH!!!
Pulled the trigger on a Eaton Truetrac diff for my car.
28spline to fit my current moser axles!

This should help me get back to the gas sooner at the track and give me traction out of the low speed corners.


Super excited!!!!!
Thanks to Lou @ Barone Performance for helping me get this!
His customer service is always 100%.
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[Zippy]

I am feeling very spoiled today... ZR let the cat out of the bag that he bought me something for xmas... and they arrived today!
New DECHy track wheels
18x9 Fast FC04's
They weigh 19lbs a rim!
Should save 10-12lbs a rim over my current Cobra R wheels (these are sold btw)
Can't wait to get the car out of storage and test fit them on... have some spacers on order just in case.
Rubber to be ordered in Jan/Feb time. Going to be going with Nankang AR1's again but jumping from a 255/40/17 to a 265 or 275/35/18. The 275 tire is 3/4"wider then the 255's!
More tire on the ground means a better lap time!!!! Super excited.
They look killer to boot.
Thank you ZR :)

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[newbiestangowner]

I am feeling very spoiled today... ZR let the cat out of the bag that he bought me something for xmas... and they arrived today!
New DECHy track wheels
18x9 Fast FC04's
They weigh 19lbs a rim!
Should save 10-12lbs a rim over my current Cobra R wheels (these are sold btw)
Can't wait to get the car out of storage and test fit them on... have some spacers on order just in case.
Rubber to be ordered in Jan/Feb time. Going to be going with Nankang AR1's again but jumping from a 255/40/17 to a 265 or 275/35/18. The 275 tire is 3/4"wider then the 255's!
More tire on the ground means a better lap time!!!! Super excited.
They look killer to boot.
Thank you ZR :)

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Awesome Congrats!!!
I think he was more excited than you lol - he gave it early and couldn’t wait.

[Zippy]

Little mid winter DECH update.

I mentioned it in another post... but my cams are still not here!!! Emailed them and they are now saying they might ship in February...
Hope to be putting my tire order in here in the next few weeks for my new track wheels! Going with the Nankang AR1's again. Really happy with how they held up last year, grip is predicatable and from my lap times, they hold on and are consistent lap to lap. Excited to be going from a 255 to a 275!

Things that I've bought for it over the winter are...

Phone Mount: Quad Lock
- Going to be using this for lap times on the dash so I can experiment lap to lap and see if I'm gaining or loosing in certain sectors based off of the line I take. I'm a very data driven guy, so having that info right infront of me will be really useful to getting better!
Big thanks to TMC for the suggestion, it looks like it's well made and the phone case is really slim and I might use it all the time!

Also been gathering small parts that I need to do the cams and other jobs... gaskets for the motor and changing up a the upper rad hose as the texture it has is stupid looking LOL.

Also!!! I had to buy a fuel tank filler neck for it. The gasket that locks the fumes and gas out of the cabin is no good. Last time washing the car I just got some soap in the gas fill area, sprayed water to rinse... then when vacuuming the trunk out for storage I noticed water in the trunk... FACK! Anyways, you can only buy the seal when buying a whole new filler neck! DAMN YOU FORD! Anyways... on order and I'll replace!

And last but not least... I bought a tow hook/rope for it. Been looking around for months on getting a proper tow hook for it, the only company that made a direct bolt on won't respond to any messages so I had to take another route.
Rat Attack on the board has a similar setup so I stole the idea of just buying a tow strap. Not sure where I'll mount it yet but I'll find something!!
Now the DECH can properly be hooked onto if I get stuck in the mud or break down.
Just kidding, I bought it so I could tow ZR around the track. LOL

... is it spring yet?

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[ZR]

Little mid winter DECH update.

I mentioned it in another post... but my cams are still not here!!! Emailed them and they are now saying they might ship in February...
Hope to be putting my tire order in here in the next few weeks for my new track wheels! Going with the Nankang AR1's again. Really happy with how they held up last year, grip is predicatable and from my lap times, they hold on and are consistent lap to lap. Excited to be going from a 255 to a 275!

Things that I've bought for it over the winter are...

Phone Mount: Quad Lock
- Going to be using this for lap times on the dash so I can experiment lap to lap and see if I'm gaining or loosing in certain sectors based off of the line I take. I'm a very data driven guy, so having that info right infront of me will be really useful to getting better!
Big thanks to TMC for the suggestion, it looks like it's well made and the phone case is really slim and I might use it all the time!

Also been gathering small parts that I need to do the cams and other jobs... gaskets for the motor and changing up a the upper rad hose as the texture it has is stupid looking LOL.

Also!!! I had to buy a fuel tank filler neck for it. The gasket that locks the fumes and gas out of the cabin is no good. Last time washing the car I just got some soap in the gas fill area, sprayed water to rinse... then when vacuuming the trunk out for storage I noticed water in the trunk... FACK! Anyways, you can only buy the seal when buying a whole new filler neck! DAMN YOU FORD! Anyways... on order and I'll replace!

And last but not least... I bought a tow hook/rope for it. Been looking around for months on getting a proper tow hook for it, the only company that made a direct bolt on won't respond to any messages so I had to take another route.
Rat Attack on the board has a similar setup so I stole the idea of just buying a tow strap. Not sure where I'll mount it yet but I'll find something!!
Now the DECH can properly be hooked onto if I get stuck in the mud or break down.
Just kidding, I bought it so I could be towed by ZR and finally make a fast lap around the track. LOL

... is it spring yet?

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Happy to help Zip.

[ZR]

Pssssssssst, don't anyone tell Zippy, it's a secret.
Email from MHS yesterday, cams will be hitting their door early to mid this week, should be degreed n ready to ship from them by same time next week..............won't be long now.


http://www.torontomustangclub.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=26597&d=1633914026https://image.shutterstock.com/image-vector/illustration-running-car-smoke-vroom-260nw-1724799559.jpg

[Zippy]

Tires came in!
Thanks again Fast Ed!
Man they are visually a lot bigger then the 255s.
Excited!
Check out how big dads 315s are... not fair. (lastphoto)

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[Zippy]

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
Ordered these back in October and they have finally arrived!!!!
It's going to be a kickass summer.

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[Zippy]

DECH OUT OF STORAGE THIS WEEKEND!!!

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[Zippy]

I have too much free time sometimes. Meant to make a vid of the last time it was on the dyno... so here it is.
Stick around to the end to see what the Dech does to Camaro owners.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOi_zXG1ffk

[ZR]

Didn't you mean to post this vid Zip????


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtGP_W71RmI

[Zippy]

Ol' Dech is back out from storage. Was nice driving it home from Port Perry this afternoon. Excited to upgrade it some more and take it to the track this year.
Goal of a 1.20.xxx this year at TMP! Only need to find 3seconds LOL
Up first on the mods list is to do the diff & install the new rad.
June 9th can't come soon enough :dragster:


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[Zippy]

Well, today was the day that I test fitted my new track wheels. Was pretty nervous over the winter whether or not they would fit... but thankfully they do!
:highfive:
I've learned quite a bit going through this roller coaster ride of trying to get a wheel to fit... but finally I got to the end.
Anyways, these are Fast FC04 wheels.
Specs:
18x9 +30
Obviously I can't put the car down to see what it would look like on the ground... but there is very little poke while the car is jacked up. I am running about 3degrees of negative camber... so the wheel should tuck into the fender pretty well.
Also to note. This is with NO SPACER. It clears the ATS brembo brakes and has lots of room on the strut/coilover.
Going to get my AR1's mounted to them and get them on the car to see how they look.
Really happy with how they look. Hope I can feel the difference!

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[Scrape]

Looking good! Those wheels are light indeed.

[ZR]

Combo of lighter wheels n larger tires, whats not to love.

[Zippy]

Tis the season of upgrades

Had some time one afternoon this week and got to work on the Dech trying to get it all ready for track day.
On the list today was...
New Fluidyne rad
New Harpell Auto Fab Power Steering Tank
Oil Change
Grease it
Try on new wheels and pray they still clear.

First up was the rad, it was a pretty straight forward install. Had to do some AC line bending and moving to get it to fit... but overall went pretty good. Fits nice. Looks nice.
I thought as I am going to be upgrading to more power (the cams) replacing the original rad with an upgraded one is probably a good idea... and well... it looks sweet lol.

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Secondly was the Power steering tank. This is made by Harpell Auto Fab in Calgary area. Great high high quality piece.
It's baffled inside and really just looks cool.
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[Zippy]

Next up was mating my new track wheels and rubber together.
Shout out to Joy City Tire for getting me in right away. They said they balanced up really really well and had to use very little weight to get them into where they need to be.
We've also put aluminum tape on the wheel weights to make sure they will not kick a weight while on track.
but.....
THEY LOOK AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really happy with how they look and I'm really excited to see how they perform on the track. Taking 10lbs + a corner off the car should feel amazing.
Just a reminder, these are 18x9 +30 Fast FC04 with Nankang AR1 275/35/18.
And for those interested, no spacers or machining of the wheel or any funny business to get them to clear my brakes.
You can also see from the last photo, this combo has ZERO poke. I know I'm running a very aggressive camber, but I bet with stock alignment the wheels would fit perfectly.
I'm almost tempted to buy a 18x10/11 for the back and run a set of these all the time... however I really really enjoy the chrome SVT wheels.

Up next on the to do list is to get the Diff in and I'll be all set for track day.
Also also! I am going to be attempting to polish my car. The poor thing hasn't been waxed or polished in probably 15+years or more. Time to get the paint up to snuff with the rest of the car.
More on Zippy's detailing adventure soon!

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[Zippy]

I snuck the DECH in yesterday evening and got the new diff installed. Man O man is it sexy looking. I forgot to take a picture of course!
Along with the diff I found a Ford racing cover someone had bought but never put on and picked it up for a smoking deal!
Drove it around the block and seems good, car feels lighter on its feet. Excited to see how different it feels at the track!

One of these days I'll get around to taking the diff back out and cleaning/painting it... I think I'll worry about the topside before the bottom lol.
Hope to try my hand at polishing it this weekend or next.

Track Day June 9th... the DECH is ready...

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[Zippy]

First Track day of 2022!

As many of you know, we had our first track day last Thursday, June 9th! I finally got to test out my new diff & my much bigger tire & wheel combo.
Man O man what a difference. The car's handling attributes really changed with the new diff. I now have a bit too much understeer on throttle as I am no longer spinning the inside tire on exit. Really noticed the understeer in T1. I am going to play around with the shock settings next time out to try and get it to rotate a bit better coming off the corner. All in all the car felt much more composed and honestly even easier to drive. I am finally getting use to how much brakes I have and I'm not over slowing the car as much into T1 & T2. Baby steps.

I also had my first major lockup in the car. Early in the morning I was on my street tires... in the first session it started to just spit rain... was fine for a few laps... then all of a sudden a cloud burst going into T1... Its like all of a sudden the car was on ice, had to stand on the brakes and I locked all 4 tires up! Thankfully I was able to keep it out of the grass... apparently it made for a good smoke show from the pits LOL (p.s. I meant to do that, :spitcoffee:)

In terms of lap time, my old personal best was a 1.23.8 last October in 18C weather.
I am now able to do mid 1.23's pretty comfortably and setting a new personal best time around TMP @ 1.22.6xx. 1.2seconds faster then last year... I'll take it.
I think the biggest thing the diff & tires have done is make me super consistent. Viewing my times, if not caught in traffic, I am within 2-3tenths per lap everylap... which is pretty good in my books.

The next mods I am looking to do is install the Maximum Motorsports Pan Hard bar & remove the poorly installed subframe connectors (done by another shop) and install Maximum Motorsports full length subframe connectors. I also would like to put our bumpsteer gauge on it and get that dialed in 100%.
Now that I have even more grip from the bigger tires, I can feel the rear end of the car moving left and right under hard cornering. The pan hard bar should due the trick.

All in all I'm really happy with the progress I've made. Just need to keep practicing and inching up on it.
Big thanks to my dad (ZR) as always for helping me figure out what to do and helping me get it ready to run each track day.

Here some photo's of the car at Track day and some pics of my laptimes.

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[Zippy]

Paint work!

I finally got around to getting the DECH shined up. Last weekend my dad and I spent Saturday Night/all Sunday polishing the car.
What a difference it made in the paint. It had a ton of car wash marks/scratches aswell as light cover marks in it. We were able to get alot of them out and the car looks fanastic.
We used meguiar's products on it. Compound - > Polish - > Wax.
It is by no means perfect, but it looks a ton better.
The car looked like a straight blue before... now you can see a little bit of pearl in the sunlight. It has gotten dramatically brighter.
I'm going to go back over it and take a more aggressive pad to it in some area's and get some more of the marks out of it... but for now... couldn't be happier.
I recon I'll be able to pick up at least 2 seconds with how slippery the paint is now. LOL.

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[Zippy]

Track day July 25th, 2022

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Before heading to the track we did some upgrading onto the DECH. The DECH got a brand new maximum motorsports clutch cable and quadrant/adjuster. The old cable was starting to bind and was having a hard time getting it into gear once the trans got hot after track day. Install went smooth as silk and also put on a new belt as the old one was starting to look a bit suspect.

I had a really great time at the track. For once I wasn't all that nervous about going and was able to eat some food in the morning which kept me energized for most of the day. The car ran really well and felt insanely good from a balance POV. Not much understeer and just enough on throttle oversteer where I could rotate the car at will. It was insanely fun to drive and throw around... couldn't have been happier with it.
It was an open lapping day at TMP so there were some new comers out there that were way off of my pace, so unfortunately wasn't able to string out a bunch of good laps in a row... but when I am on a clean hot lap, I can consistently now put it in the 1.22s at TMP. I am basically running my old PB's as my new consistent laps... which I'm super stoked about. I had a new PB of a 1.22.2xx at the end of the day... sadly my next two laps were held up by traffic... and I think I would have been in the 1.21s looking at my early sector splits.

All in all, extremely happy with the car, it's so easy to drive and is very predictable. The only slight problem I am having now is, I am cornering so hard, the rear end is moving or the tire is deflecting enough and it is now hitting the Left side tail pipe which is in turn moving the tail pipe into the frame rail. Not a big deal at all, going to put a spacer on it to give it some more room.

Up next on the mods lists is PAN HARD BAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Super excited to see what that does for it. I can't wait!
Here are some pics from the day. Enjoy

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[ZR]

Awesome job behind the wheel Rosco.

[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Track day September 15th, 2022

Best track day yet?
Most likely the last track day of the year for me happened this past Thursday @ TMP. The changes I made to the car worked really really well. Camber 3deg negative, toe zero & went way up on compression settings on my koni shocks all the way around. The track in the morning was quite slippery for some reason, I think I lacked tire temp. However, after lunch, the car started to really work well. My lap times throughout the day went from a low 1.22.xxx to mid 21's in the afternoon.
The very last session, i said screw it! Let's drive it for everything it is worth. I did 4 or 5 hot hot laps then ran around really slow to cool the tires... then did another couple of laps. I was able to get it down all the way down to a 1.20.121! That means from my last personal best to this one... I shaved 2.1seconds! Now, the track & weather were probably in the best conditions I have ever run... but to shave 2.1seconds purely based off of 'driver mod' ... I'm pretty freaking happy. My goal of getting into the 1.19s is within sight now! I am excited to get the cams & pan hard bar in and see what it does!
As always, a big thanks to my dad @ BoothAutomotive for making sure it's 100% before each track day.

I have been currently been driving the DECH to and from school... and hope to do so till late October. Man I love driving it around... even when it has the "bus brakes" on it. LOL.

Here are some photo's of the day.
Big thanks to the GF for taking killer shots.

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[Zippy]

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[ZR]

Congrats Ross, you were freakin smoking it around the track.

[Stephen06GT]

Congrats Ross, you were freakin smoking it around the track.

Yes he was, and I was fortunate enough to be in the right seat for a few laps. Impressive is not a strong enough word to describe the driver and the car. Well done Ross.. :clap2:

[Zippy]

Storage 2022

DECH is all ready for storage. Swapped over the race brakes to my street brakes... found I torched the seals on my caddy calipers. Not bad for 3yrs of use. Will source those over the winter and rebuild them next year. Going to also order another set of pads for my race brakes to have for next year.
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The car was great to me this year. Zero problems at all. I drove it the most I ever have. Drove it everyday to school for almost 2months while the Elantra was still in storage.
For next year, the plan is to do the following...

Panhard & Cams
- Hoping the panhard gets the rear stability I am after in the rear now that I am pushing it alot harder. The back is not as 'connected' to the track as I want it to be. With some more security, I think I'll be able to throw it in harder and get my apex speed's up.
- I still have the stage 2 MHS cams sitting here with GT500 followers and TFS Lash adjusters. I am hoping to be in the 310~ range to the tire next year (currently 284).
I am hitting about 166-169/170 entering T1 @ TMP... maybe hit 175-180 with the cams? That will be amazing to have.

Spacers
I am currently slightly rubbing the rear tires on the tail pipes when at the track. I think I am moving the rear end so far that the tire is then hitting it. Probably once the panhard is in, this problem will be solved, however, if it's still happening, I have some spacers here I am going to install. I am also thinking by adding width to the track, this will also aid in my search for some rear stability.

Delrin Front Control arm bushings
I bought a set of delrin bushings for the front MM arms. I currently have the urethane. Not unhappy with the urethane, but I'd like to take the next step into making it more a 'dedicated' track car.

Bumpsteer
Dad and I have roughly set bumpsteer but have yet to put a gauge on it. I would like to dial this in for next year. Every ounce of stability we can add in brake zones will help it. With the toe at zero, it still moves around in the brake zone more then I would like it to, setting up the bumpsteer to as close to zero as possible would be ideal.

Maintence
I am going to do all the fluids, trans, brake, diff for next year. I have yet to boil over the brakes using the ATE Brake fluid but I think it's time to change the fluids.

Rear Sway bar
I am currently in search for a aftermarket rear sway bar. I would like to have one just to have. It's super easy to change and small enough to take with me to the track. Be interesting to swap it in and out at a track day to see how the car reacts to it. PM me if you got one kicking around, H&R, Eibach or Steeda. Thanks!!

RaceBox Laptimer
I am currently looking into buying a more serious laptimer for next year. I would like to have something with a better GPS signal then my phone. I also would like something that I can watch my delta. It's very helpful in a sim setting to see if taking another line is faster then another. Racebox looks to be new on the market, they make a price point laptimer/telemetry device. I believe it's $350cdn on amazon. Other laptimers such as Aimsolo 2 are closer to the $1,000 mark. Still watching reviews before I pull the trigger.

The goal next year is to be in the sub 1.20's at TMP with a new goal of a 1:18:xxx for next year. Probably out of reach... but I also thought a 1.20 was out of reach.
Till next year
:dragster:

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[Zippy]

Merry Christmas Dechy

We are going full on racecar mode in the DECH for next year.

Pulled the trigger on the following...
Steeda Rear Sway bar
Steeda Front Bumper Bar (-10lbs+ on the nose of the car)
Maximum Rear coil over upper shock mount
..... and I'm also looking at doing a Lightweight battery upfront (in around 25-30lbs of weight savings on the nose)
I can't help myself LOL.

Super excited for next year. My god I am excited.

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[Zippy]

Some more goodies for the DECH arrived this week...

I emailed Metco motorsports and asked if they would sell me some 6rib smooth idler's for my car as they don't offer them on their website...
Rick from Metco said np!
Sent me up two pullies!
Won't make it go any faster but it'll look so cool doing it :)

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[Zippy]

The DECH was lucky enough to get some parts for Christmas this year!
Moroso Race Oil pan and matching windage tray for DECHY!!!
Big thanks to my dad for the great gift!

Hope this will keep this ol' 2v alive for many years to come!!!
It's super sexy!!!

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

New set of brake pads for the DECH for this year!
Went again with Glock.
Frank Ewald in BC is having a sale once again, 20% off!!!


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[Zippy]

Well... I can't help myself at this point.
The Dech is going on slicks for this season.
I have acquired a set of used Hoosier R7's that have limited use on them.
275/35/18
I have picked up another set of Fast wheels... but this time in Bronze from Fast Ed (thanks ed!).
Pictures don't do them justice. Pictures make them look alot brighter... but they are quite dark. Should look great on the car.

If these tires don't get me into the sub 1.20s I'm selling the Dech!!!
:spitcoffee:

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[Zippy]

Everyone who asks me about my car always goes... "how's The DECH?"

Fitting plate I think.

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[Zippy]

The dech is in the shop getting a few upgrades......... stay tuned

:highfive:

[Zippy]

The DECH was in the shop on the weekend getting a very important upgrade!!!

We finally got the Pan hard bar installed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

I am super excited to see how it works on the street and much more importantly the track.
I am hoping it gives me the rear stability that I am after to #sendit a bit harder into some of the high speed switch backs.

Forgot to take pics as always...

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[Zippy]

A bit behind in Dechy updates.

Acouple of days before track day we got it in and serviced the front brakes. As posted before, burned the dust boots out of the calipers.
Ended up buying some ACdelco kits to rebuild them.... however the seals that came with the new dust boots... did not fit the pistons... Calipers were jammed.... Had to completely disassemble and install the old non ripped seals.

#MadeinChinaParts

I didn't get pics, but I installed a set of new track pads and rotors onto it. Got 3years of use out of them... pretty happy with that.
Went with the Glock R16front pad compound again. Seems to be working well at the track. I have yet to boil over the fluid...

Anyways.

Track day went alright. I wasn't feeling on my game but the car performed really well. You can really feel the difference in the panhard bar. The back of the car is a lot more planted. It feels even easier to drive closer to the limit, however, I think I have picked up a bit of understeer in all of the corners. Going to work on adjusting that out of the car with shock settings and possibly installing the steeda rear bar that I have. Overall, the Panhard bar is for sure an upgrade, just need to figure out how you utilize it better.
The Dech was able to run low 22s and some mid 21s throughout the day.

In terms of next for upgrades... I'd like to get my cams and all my motor stuff installed. Have cams, lifters, gt500 followers, oil pan w/ windtray to go in.
I am HOPING/praying these upgrades put me in the right direction in terms of speed at the track. I'm worried that the increased horsepower may come with some downside to the torque numbers... where the Dech shines atm.
We won't know if we don't try it out though!
Car makes 284/320 now... based off of research and what I have been told from MHS, I should get to the 310-320range while staying above 300torque.... but we shall see. Another 25-30horsepower out of it would be amazing.

Hope to at my next track day to try out the hooiser's that I have and push for a new PB.
:dragster:

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[Zippy]

Engine update...

As many of you know been following this thread or talking to me... I've been struggling on what I want to do with the car in terms of power.
Coyote? LS? NA build? Buy another car?

Well, I have thought/talked about this a lot with ZR... and I finally have landed on building a NA 2v deal.
I know what some may think... "you could make a lot more power by doing ___"
Honestly, I don't really care. I'm not really interested in motor swapping this car, all the BS of making stuff work 100%... I'm not into butchering a car or spending a million bucks making it perfect.

So the plan is, once the fall comes around, pull the motor, and store it as a roller. Going to have my aluminum motor built into something pretty badass.
I am working with Beatty & Woods / Modular head shop on what everyone thinks the best combination of parts would work best for what I am after.

My power goals/expectations are in the 360-380 range and around 330-350torque at the tire.
Revving it to 6500 all day long at the track.
Compression 10.5
TFS Heads from MHS
Unsure on what cam as of yet
- want to still be able to drive it wherever I want
We will NOT be making it a stroker due to reliability issues
Custom Wisco pistons
Forged rod
Stock crank
- what I have is more then strong enough for what I am doing

Overall this build makes the most sense to me. Already have all the supporting mods in terms of K member, pulley setup, Throttle body/plenum/headers + exhaust etc etc.

Super excited to get a move on this. Stay tuned, the DECH will be blowing the doors off TTC bus's in no time!

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[Zippy]

Ordered my TFS heads from MHS.... let the build begin...

MHS Prepped TFS Twisted Wedge 2V Cylinder Head / Cam Combo
44cc (10.4:1 CR)
TFS Stainless Steel 1.84" Intake / 1.450" Exhaust Valves
MHS / PAC RPM Series Valve Springs - 130lbs Seat Pressure, .600" Max Lift
MHS 4130 Chrome Moly Retainers
Viton Valve Seals
Ford GT Followers / Rockers
Ford GT Lash Adjusters
Stage 3 TFS 2v NA cams
Camshaft Bolts, Sprockets, Spacers and Washers
Camshaft Degree Service
A Set of TFS Billet Adjustable Crankshaft Gears
:highfive:

[ZR]

WOW.............gonna be cool.

[Zippy]

Interior Mods!

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I haven't done much on the interior ever since I got the car. But this year we have made some adjustments!

First up... I have been looking for a FR500 OEM steering wheel ever since I got the car. The prices on these are absolutely insane. 700-900usd + for USED wheels.... no thanks.
Anyways, ended up getting the SVE version of the wheel. A mega improvement on the overall feel when driving the car. The larger diameter of the wheel makes it so you do not have to grip the wheel so hard and feels great.

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Next up was the shifter!
I have been somewhat happy with the Pro 5.0 the car came with, but I wanted to try something new. With me trying out other cars with a weighted shift ball... I had to have one.

I introduce to you... RaceEng's weighted shift ball. I believe this shift ball weighs 2.1lbs. Has a nice shape and the 5speed engraved on the top.
I also went ahead and bought a MGW shifter from Lou @ Barone Performance. Big thanks to him

Here are a couple of pics of the install and the final product. Shifts really really nicely. Looking forward to trying to out at track day.

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Sept 14th 2023 - Track day!

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The Dech was back at the track once again!
Experienced my first 'cold slicks' laps. The first laps on the slicks that morning was insanely scary! LOL! The amount of grip, or lack of, was insane. I was wrecking loose for the first 2laps or so as I built tire temp into them. Was kinda fun!
Overall, the car did pretty well even with the Diff still not working 100%. I had to be extremely patient on the gas or the rear inside tire would just light up. Was frustrating at times, but started to figure out how to control it better near the end of the day.
I had my first break down! At the end of the second session that I did, I experienced the car got extremely loud in the car. Came into the pits and found out the rear passenger tailpipe had slipped out of the muffler! Big thanks to ZR for helping me get fixed up so I could run the rest of the day and drive the car home!
I also tried this track day, rear hub spacers. I used H&R 3/4" rear wheel spacers. The overall thought on this was to bring a bit of stability to the car, and it did. The car felt more balanced front to back with this change. Improvements!
I was able to sneak it into the 1.21's a couple of times throughout the day. I'm starting to think the 1.20.1 I did last year, was a fluke and/or didn't really happen. I have yet to get back into the 1.20s and I think I'm going faster then I ever have.
My confidence in T1 & T2 brake zones has gone way up... so puzzled why I'm not able to get back to 1.20s. I think I'm going to reset my PB as a mid 1.21 and go from there.
The only other explanation that I can think of... the tires that I am on, are getting worse while I am getting better, but laptimes are staying the same, not sure.

Not sure if this was the last track day of the year or not, either way, was a decent season with the car.
Massive changes coming next year with the new motor! Sub 1.20s in coming?

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Let the build begin!

The DECH is finally coming apart for the motor build over the winter.
Motor has been pulled !

A bunch of parts have been ordered over the past few weeks... will update as pieces come in!
TFS heads are still a few weeks out.
When I have some spare time, going to pull my motor down to just the block and send it over to Beatty to have it checked. Once it gets checked out, the bottom end will be ordered!
My goal is to have the motor fully ready to go for the time the car comes out of storage. Then throw it back together.
I'm going full OCD under the hood in terms of clean up.
Going to clean and paint as much as possible. Got acouple more cool items that are coming for it aswell.

Getting excited now!

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Cylinder heads should arrive this week....................................

:highfive:

[Zippy]

They have arrived... and they are beautiful.

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[ZR]

Congrats Ross.

[Zippy]

All the cooling

The DECH is getting a diff cooler for next season!
ZR came across a used diff cooler close to us here and scooped this up for me.
This an identical kit that we put on Big Blue this past season.
We saw amazing results with it.
We are hoping this will add some longevity to the DECH in the rear end department. Have a couple more pieces to obtain before install... but all the major stuff is there
So sexy!

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[Zippy]

Update on the motor!

It is finally fully stripped down to the bare block.
Upon inspection... the bottom end and heads looked 100%. Looks like a brand new motor on the bearings etc. Super pleased with that
The chains were still G string tight aswell.

The block is now at Beatty and Woods to have checked out and measured. Once they report back, the bottom end will be ordered!
I have since gathered a mountain of other parts.
All gaskets and seals
upgraded to 8bolt flywheel along with a 11inch clutch
New bigger fuel pump
Head bolts
ARP studs for the bottom end
Bunch of other ARP bolts (flywheel, side block bolts etc)
Front timing set
etc etc etc

It's getting real exciting now!

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[Zippy]

Side note
The old crank/rods& Pistons oil pan and timing set & Pi heads will be up for sale once the motor is completed... if anyone is interested in making a deal on it all, please PM me.
Thanks

[Zippy]

Update time..........

Bottom end is finally on order. Block turned out to be 100%... no damage etc etc.

Custom Wiseco pistons will take 10weeks to come... hopefully the timeline will stay somewhat consistent and I will have this back together for track day... lol.
*fingers crossed*

[Zippy]

I decided to get a new balancer to go along with my new motor.

My innovators west balancer showed up today!

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[Zippy]

ITS A MODERN DAY MIRACLE.
MHS will be shipping the rolling assembly out later this week.
Still a chance we run by June?
:highfive:

[Zippy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb2fjZa_L74

[Zippy]

Parts are finally in!!!!
Check out the pistons... amazing.

Also... Honda parts going in the DECH... Vtec confirmed.

More pics to come...

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

All parts cleaned up and painted. Everything labled and bagged for Beatty to assemble.
Off to Beatty to drop off #soon
Getting excited
Full build deets as soon as it's built :)

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[Zippy]

Parts have been dropped off at Beatty and Woods.... now we wait.

:waiting:

I'll probably call him at 9:01am Monday to see if it's ready. (kidding)

[Zippy]

And now we wait. Dech is back home from storage

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

It has arrived!

Motor is finally ready to go back in!

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[Zippy]

Pics of it starting to come together.
God it's beautiful

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[Zippy]

And the drivetrain is ready to go in.
Engine/trans harness cleaned up and retaped
Alot of painting and cleaning of bolts
Alot of minor details cleaned up to make it just that much cleaner of an install.

Also installed my new Mcleod clutch. I believe it's called the Super Street single disc.
New flywheel and release bearing etc

I also have swapped out the underdrive pullies and went with aftermarket balancer.
Swapped to the short water pump setup aswell.
Found a good set of used 39lb Cobra OEM injectors.
All new gaskets throughout
New ford oem motor mounts


The one major hurdle, my freaking BBK headers have a 2inch crack in the passenger side header.
I am pretty bent about it tbh. No impact on them or anything. We have bandaid fixed it for now as we couldn't get headers fast enough. Pretty annoying for only being 2years old and only acouple of thousand km's on them....

Anyways
It looks like a million bucks. Super happy with how it turned out.

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[Zippy]

It runs :)

More pics and a write up when i get back from vacay.

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[Zippy]

So here are the final install pics of the new DECH motor

It looks pretty darn good under there.

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[Zippy]

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[Zippy]

Did a new upgrade on the fuel pump. Did a drop in walbro assembly
Cleaned the gastank while it was out.... I also washed the trunk area of it as well... lol


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[Zippy]

What did it make?

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After 750km's of driving and breaking in the motor and clutch, we threw it on the dyno at DCT to see what this new combo would make.
Being told it would make anywhere from 410-430, to realistically thinking it would be high 300s to it making what it did... a bit disappointing honestly.

The new numbers are 342/330
+60 horsepower & 11ftlbs of torque
(Red new, green old)
The biggest thing is, as you can see from the graph below from the old numbers, it has gained significantly more power in the upper range of the RPM curve.
It was pretty much done making power at 5,000rpm... now it makes power to about 5800-6k rpm before it starts falling off.

I still have yet to contact MHS about what happened... but ya.
I am on the lookout for a TFS Street burner intake manifold, we think my stock intake might be holding it back.
This combo was suppose to make power to 6400ish rpm (where the stock manifold is suppose to be good to)

Was able to take it to track day, and it was okay. Was having a really hard time shifting it and with the track being wet in spots, not really sure if it was faster or not. Definetely pulls out of the corners alot harder.
Excited to go back on a day/night when the track is dry and you can really ring it out.

Big thanks to ...
Lou @ Barone Performance for getting alot of the parts for the builds
Beatty and woods for putting this combo together for me in a timely manner
Rick Booth (ZR) for putting it together with me and answering my million questions about things

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[Zippy]

Link to facebook to DCT for video of it doing its thing

https://fb.watch/t5O62FvWH0/

[Zippy]

FINALLY!

I have found the perfect intake for my car over Ebay. Thanks to my dad for looking at the same time

Found a Street Burner TFS intake with a Track heat upper (bigger TB) that has been ported by Wilson Manifolds in the US. Wasn't cheap... but hopefully it will be worth it.

Get it in a week or so!!!!

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[Blackmare]

Congrats Ross!

[Zippy]

Some more pics of the intake I am getting here this week or early next.
Ported... beautiful :drool:

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[Zippy]

First TFS box arrived today... get the intake Tuesday......... RUNNING BY WEDNESDAY? lol

[Zippy]

It has arrived!
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[Zippy]

Out with the old...

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[Zippy]

In with the new!
Installation has begun. Will need some odds and ends to finish up the install, but we are making progress!
EGR pipe... a PITA to install is finally hopefully sorted. Onto fuel lines and lengthen some wiring and we will be in business!

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[Zippy]

Lots of things need to be adjusted to install this new intake.
Looks way cool
Had to take apart the wiring harness and move a bunch of connectors and lengthen a bunch of stuff.
Getting there

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[Zippy]

Still waiting on a cold air intake setup to arrive before we can fire this bad boy up! I'll have to snap acouple more pics. It looks pretty darn good under there!

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[Zippy]

COMPLETE! We are back up and running!
Looks so good...
Hope it gets me a few more ponies... we shall see! Big thanks to ZR for helping me install it.
ALOT of things moved around and redone to install this. Really happy with how it turned out!

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[Zippy]

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Unfortunately another disappointing day at the Dyno.
Alot of effort went into the intake for very minimal results.
Gained 11horsepower and 4torque over what I had previously.
New #'s are 353/334.

Still only making power till about 5800/5900 ish and its pretty much done.
Something is not right in the valvetrain or the cams are in wrong or not the correct ones. Something is a miss!
We will figure it out next spring...