From Hairdresser to Street Thug.......the journey

JapCarForum Cars, Cars, Cars! Project Cars From Hairdresser to Street Thug.......the journey

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Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:19 AM

#171

Thought it was about time I updated this thread with pictures so I am going to recap everything from the start too.

Thought it was about time I updated everyone on my build. Confused

mthumbup

Back in 2010 I decided that I wanted to do an engine build on my Evo 8 MR. My car was running around 400/400 and had been mapped by TRL Developments and had been great with no issues but the bug to want more power bit. Big Grin

My aim was a fast spooling road car that had a wide spread of power. My initial requirements back from my thread in 2010 were:

”Anees back in 2010” Now I have been weighing it up and decided that I do want to go for a build. Not anything too mad but what I want is a nice quick spooling road car.

What I have decided is I want a car that is basically like a stock car that you can just jump in and drive.

I will start with what I want from the car.
1. Instant response - car should pull in any gear.
2. Drivability - very smooth and controllable.
3. No turbo surging on part throttle
4. Good amount of low-down torque/responsiveness - currently car feels pretty flat below 3krpm (Car is 400/400 stage 1 mods)
5. Ability to rev the car a bit
6. Car should feel like it left the factory with the power intended by my build and not be overly noisy. I just want to jump in and drive (obviously taking into account normal mechanical sympathy)
7. Still have some degree of fuel economy!

I am the kind of person that usually researches everything in depth before doing it so I asked loads of questions on MLR (owners club):

How reliable are big power cars?
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=334875 (August 2010)

Advice wanted for a fast spooling car?
http://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=344458 (October 2010)

During the research process, both Andy_8 and Spen123 were kind enough to offer me rides in there impressive 500bhp + cars. Both were awesome and they also offered lots of sound advice.

My first decision was to choose a tuner..

Selecting my Tuner

I had always used TRL Developments and they had never put a foot wrong. Matt, Joe, Scott and Adam had always been great to deal with, very fair and seemed to genuinely care about the job they do. TRL are also only 25 mins away from me so localish too which it thought would be very handy.

However at the time of selecting my tuner, MG Autos were always highly regarded on the forums and Spen123 had had his car built by them and he seemed happy. I paid MG Autos a visit and they did have a nice setup and again did seem friendly. They were 1 hour 20 mins away from me however.

I looked into other turners but after speaking to Andy_8 who had used TRL for his build and was very happy with them and also speaking to a few other customers, Shazz and Fahad I decided to stick with what I know and go with TRL. They had never let me down before and I liked the fact that they could spec, build, map and dyno everything under one roof. Andy mentioned to me that them being local was a massive advantage and he was right! In hindsight couldn’t imagine doing this sort of build with the car sat at the other end of the country somewhere.

So on the date of the Royal Wedding 29th April 2011 I dropped the car off at TRL . Driving up to Halifax over Rishworth Moor I had a very enjoyable drive and I was thinking to myself “am I doing the right thing?” LOL

My then stage 1 Evo the day I dropped the car off at TRL
[Image: IMG_0331.jpg]

Fairly standard looking engine bay
[Image: IMG_0334.jpg]

The spec

I had mentioned that I wanted a fast spooling road car but also some good top end power too. I was very interested in the HKS 7460GT turbo which on a 2.0L engine would have been perfect but I already had around 400bhp and I really wanted a significant improvement in performance. The HKS would have got me an extra 80 - 90 bhp which I should have been happy with but I will admit I did get a little wound up looking at power figures.

Matt had a few customers with 2.2L engine builds which were very nice. They spooled up the turbos well and also revved too. Matt and Joe came up with a 2.2L engine on an FP Red HTA as a great combination for me. Now obviously this was a much more expensive kit then a standard 2.0L forged but I thought that I am probably not going to be in a position to be able to do this again financially so I may as well go for it and then not always have at the back of my mind.. I wish I had spent the extra.

The spec that I can remember (!) -there are loads of things that I have missed I am sure!

Ross Sport 2.2L Long Rod Kit

[Image: DSC_0411.jpg]

Ross Sport 94mm (2.2) Billet Crank Shaft
R&R Ross Sport LW Pro-Billet I-Beam Connecting Rods (153mm)
CP Custom X-Forged Pistons
Full TRL D Blueprint build
FP Red HTA Turbo
S90 Throttle Body
MAP Rev 2 intake manifold
JMF Exhaust Manifold
TRL Ported and Polished Cylinder Head
Cosworth 272 M2 Cams
ACT HD-MSS-7 Clutch and Flywheel
Synape BOV
Fuid Damper

[Image: IMG_0919.jpg]

I was hoping for the mid 500bhp with this setup (notice how when you do a build you start wanting more and more power? LOL)

Brakes and Suspension

Front: K-Sport 8 Pot Brakes painted Brembo Red with XP10 Pads
Rear: XP10 Rear Pads with upgraded grooved disks fluid

Intrax 1K2 Coilovers with Ralliart Top Mounts

[Image: image001.jpg]

Whiteline Rear AntiRoll Bar
Whiteline Anti Bump Steer Kit
Whiteline Roll Centre Adjustment Kit
Fast Road Geometry Setup by Neverneverman.

17x8.5 Volks Racing CE28N with Brand New Yokohama AD08 Tyres

The build.

TRL did a great job on the build and because they are not too far from me I was able to pop over after work on Thursdays to see how they were getting on. It was sad watching my car sat around with no engine in it for having to be pushed around while the engine was being built. It had been a few weeks and then I got a call from Matt to give me a bit of bad news. My standard Mitsubishi cylinder head was a bad casting and was warped. It was no good for an high power engine! Matt had however already found a replacement head and was having that ported and polished. Engine finally came back a few weeks later and TRL kept me up to date once it was in the car. It RUNS, it BREATHS I thought. lol

[Image: IMG_0913.jpg]

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:19 AM #171

Thought it was about time I updated this thread with pictures so I am going to recap everything from the start too.

Thought it was about time I updated everyone on my build. Confused mthumbup

Back in 2010 I decided that I wanted to do an engine build on my Evo 8 MR. My car was running around 400/400 and had been mapped by TRL Developments and had been great with no issues but the bug to want more power bit. Big Grin

My aim was a fast spooling road car that had a wide spread of power. My initial requirements back from my thread in 2010 were:

”Anees back in 2010” Now I have been weighing it up and decided that I do want to go for a build. Not anything too mad but what I want is a nice quick spooling road car.

What I have decided is I want a car that is basically like a stock car that you can just jump in and drive.

I will start with what I want from the car.
1. Instant response - car should pull in any gear.
2. Drivability - very smooth and controllable.
3. No turbo surging on part throttle
4. Good amount of low-down torque/responsiveness - currently car feels pretty flat below 3krpm (Car is 400/400 stage 1 mods)
5. Ability to rev the car a bit
6. Car should feel like it left the factory with the power intended by my build and not be overly noisy. I just want to jump in and drive (obviously taking into account normal mechanical sympathy)
7. Still have some degree of fuel economy!

Fairly standard looking engine bay
[Image: IMG_0334.jpg]

Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:19 AM

#172

Matt recommended the Syvecs ECU. I was really worried about getting an aftermarket ECU to be honest and it was something I really wanted to avoid. I have heard stories about problems with Cold start/hot start, Idling issues and major drivability issues. I looked at Vipec/G4 Link and a few others (since Matt can map almost anything!) but Matt was passionate about the Syvecs and I thought that since he rates it so much he will do a good job mapping it. Matt also sweetened the deal by offering to fit the Syvecs, make up the harness and do all the mapping for free; I just had to pay for the Syvecs ECU. He wants the Syvecs to become more prominent on the EVO scene. In return I would provide constant feedback about drivability and day to day issues since my intention from the very start of the project was to make the car something that I could use daily if I wanted.

I told Matt to take his time with the mapping and try and get the car to drive as close to standard as possible with the best road manners possible.

A few weeks went by and I finally got the call I had been waiting for. Matt said the car was done!! Big Grin

However Matt did mention that he was a little dissapointed with the power the car had produced. The car had made 536bhp and 460ftlbs torque. He said that the car does not seem to have quite the same top end power as he would like. Matt promised he would solve this for me by producing another cylinderhead for me free of charge because he wants me to be fully satisfied by the car TRL have created for me. I can’t remember what the uprated cylinderhead was supposed to have apart from some TRL witchcraft - I think it was a race head or something. I was free to take the car but I decided that since I have waited so long I can wait a little longer and get the car that Matt actually wants me to have. I was also having some work done at home and a garage built so I didn’t really have a secure place to keep it so I asked Matt to keep the car and give it me back when the cylinderhead is done. I really appreciated the offer of Matt producing this cylinderhead for me.

During the wait for the cylinderhead I had read about Ball Bearing turbos and the better transient response, spool up and increased reliability they offer over the journal type turbos. I thought to myself that I have had this awesome engine built by TRL and the last thing I want is for the turbo to potentially fail and cause some major engine issue. I decided to bite the bullet and Ross provided TRL a brand new FP Red Ball Bearing. I couldn’t really find much information on the turbos both on the UK or US forums but thought it would be good.

With the new Ball Bearing Turbo, Matt sent me a PM that he was really happy with the car and it made very good power too! 590bhp and 525ft/lbs torque and it was nice to drive. This is just straight V -Power too!!!!

[Image: IMG_20120608_224507.jpg]

I was still a little worried about this aftermaket ECU and when I went to pick the car up, Matt went with with me for a drive with his laptop. He was tweaking the car and adjusting little drivability things to adapt the car better to how I drive. Some aspects of driving which might not be an issue to him could be different to me so he just wanted to make sure that I was happy before I finally took the car out.

Got the car home and had a little squirt over the moors and the car felt quick and responsive. It was raining so I didn’t want to go mad quite yet.

On the weekend I got chance to take the car for a proper blast over my favourite private roads. Well what can I say? The car eats up road like nothing I have ever driven. :coolsm::coolsm::coolsm: You seen a gap between you and the car infront - tap the acceleratotor and the gap is gone! :eek::eek::eek:The car sounds awesome as it comes on boost and has a very deep growl. It is just mentally quick. I took a car-mad friend of mine out in the car on some twisting roads and I thought I was going to have to buy him a nappy!! He said it was like a rollercoaster. He has driven a Lamborgheni Gallardo but he admitted that on pure acceleration and around these kinds of roads the Evo would just monster it! :mhihi::mhihi::mhihi:

When you acclerate you have to prepare yourself. You need to look down the road to make sure it is clear, then accelerate and hold on as you get pummelled back into your seat and head towards the horizon. The car accelerates so smoothly that it feels more like a big engined V8 then a 4 pot turbo. On the road the car feels really responsive and the wide powerband is awesome - the car holds very good power and the head work I think has paid off with the strong top end performance and good spool up. Car easily revs to 8k rpm and has more to come.

Before the build I was hung up with spool up and was worried about turbo lag and had spent too long reading about what on the road translates to tiny differences. My reasoning for going for a 2.2L Long road was that it would offer to spool up the turbo quicker so I would get some good low down torque and yet also rev well.

On the road it does feel very similar to response to my previous stage 1 400/400 Evo 8 MR turbo but obviously with a lot more power. I have compared the dyno graphs of my car before it went in to TRL and the car now and yes on paper it does look like I have lost power below 3000 rpm BUT practically driving you are hardly ever below 3000 rpm so this doesn’t matter. The turbo can be heard spooling from about 2500rpm and then by about 3500 - 4000rpm its hitting hard and then the power keeps going and going to the 8000rpm rev limit. Confused

mthumbup

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:19 AM #172

I thought things would be close to completion in a few weeks now that the engine was back in but once Matt had run the engine in, unfortunately he picked up another problem when mapping the car.

Because the engine has gone from a 2.0L to a 2.2L the harmonic frequency of the engine had changed. This meant that the stock knock sensor kept picking up random knock. Matt had played about trying to change settings but it was no good. The only real solution was an aftermaket ECU which Matt said was my choice. I popped down one Saturday to chat to Matt about it and my car was actually already on the dyno from the night before. It had made 490bhp/450ftlbs torque. Obviously this was nowhere near what the setup was capable of. Sad

Matt recommended the Syvecs ECU. I was really worried about getting an aftermarket ECU to be honest and it was something I really wanted to avoid. I have heard stories about problems with Cold start/hot start, Idling issues and major drivability issues. I looked at Vipec/G4 Link and a few others (since Matt can map almost anything!) but Matt was passionate about the Syvecs and I thought that since he rates it so much he will do a good job mapping it. Matt also sweetened the deal by offering to fit the Syvecs, make up the harness and do all the mapping for free; I just had to pay for the Syvecs ECU. He wants the Syvecs to become more prominent on the EVO scene. In return I would provide constant feedback about drivability and day to day issues since my intention from the very start of the project was to make the car something that I could use daily if I wanted.

I told Matt to take his time with the mapping and try and get the car to drive as close to standard as possible with the best road manners possible.

A few weeks went by and I finally got the call I had been waiting for. Matt said the car was done!! Big Grin However Matt did mention that he was a little dissapointed with the power the car had produced. The car had made 536bhp and 460ftlbs torque. He said that the car does not seem to have quite the same top end power as he would like. Matt promised he would solve this for me by producing another cylinderhead for me free of charge because he wants me to be fully satisfied by the car TRL have created for me. I can’t remember what the uprated cylinderhead was supposed to have apart from some TRL witchcraft - I think it was a race head or something. I was free to take the car but I decided that since I have waited so long I can wait a little longer and get the car that Matt actually wants me to have. I was also having some work done at home and a garage built so I didn’t really have a secure place to keep it so I asked Matt to keep the car and give it me back when the cylinderhead is done. I really appreciated the offer of Matt producing this cylinderhead for me.

During the wait for the cylinderhead I had read about Ball Bearing turbos and the better transient response, spool up and increased reliability they offer over the journal type turbos. I thought to myself that I have had this awesome engine built by TRL and the last thing I want is for the turbo to potentially fail and cause some major engine issue. I decided to bite the bullet and Ross provided TRL a brand new FP Red Ball Bearing. I couldn’t really find much information on the turbos both on the UK or US forums but thought it would be good.

With the new Ball Bearing Turbo, Matt sent me a PM that he was really happy with the car and it made very good power too! 590bhp and 525ft/lbs torque and it was nice to drive. This is just straight V -Power too!!!!

[Image: IMG_20120608_224507.jpg]

I was still a little worried about this aftermaket ECU and when I went to pick the car up, Matt went with with me for a drive with his laptop. He was tweaking the car and adjusting little drivability things to adapt the car better to how I drive. Some aspects of driving which might not be an issue to him could be different to me so he just wanted to make sure that I was happy before I finally took the car out.

Got the car home and had a little squirt over the moors and the car felt quick and responsive. It was raining so I didn’t want to go mad quite yet.

On the weekend I got chance to take the car for a proper blast over my favourite private roads. Well what can I say? The car eats up road like nothing I have ever driven. :coolsm::coolsm::coolsm: You seen a gap between you and the car infront - tap the acceleratotor and the gap is gone! :eek::eek::eek:The car sounds awesome as it comes on boost and has a very deep growl. It is just mentally quick. I took a car-mad friend of mine out in the car on some twisting roads and I thought I was going to have to buy him a nappy!! He said it was like a rollercoaster. He has driven a Lamborgheni Gallardo but he admitted that on pure acceleration and around these kinds of roads the Evo would just monster it! :mhihi::mhihi::mhihi:

When you acclerate you have to prepare yourself. You need to look down the road to make sure it is clear, then accelerate and hold on as you get pummelled back into your seat and head towards the horizon. The car accelerates so smoothly that it feels more like a big engined V8 then a 4 pot turbo. On the road the car feels really responsive and the wide powerband is awesome - the car holds very good power and the head work I think has paid off with the strong top end performance and good spool up. Car easily revs to 8k rpm and has more to come.

Before the build I was hung up with spool up and was worried about turbo lag and had spent too long reading about what on the road translates to tiny differences. My reasoning for going for a 2.2L Long road was that it would offer to spool up the turbo quicker so I would get some good low down torque and yet also rev well.

On the road it does feel very similar to response to my previous stage 1 400/400 Evo 8 MR turbo but obviously with a lot more power. I have compared the dyno graphs of my car before it went in to TRL and the car now and yes on paper it does look like I have lost power below 3000 rpm BUT practically driving you are hardly ever below 3000 rpm so this doesn’t matter. The turbo can be heard spooling from about 2500rpm and then by about 3500 - 4000rpm its hitting hard and then the power keeps going and going to the 8000rpm rev limit. Confused mthumbupmthumbupmthumbup

Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM

#173

Back up and support

One of the reasons why I have taken so long to actually write about my experience is I was mindful of reading many threads where people have had there car back after a build and they create a thread saying that the car and the tuner is the best thing since sliced bread. I wanted to take my time to get a balanced view and offer a fair assessment. With a car running this much power I did expect a few problems and the few little mapping issues I have had TRL have sorted for me straight away with no fuss and with a friendly service.

I would just like to also give special mention to both Matt for doing his up most firstly to convince me to use him and making me feel like he really wanted to do a great job for me and also to all of the TRL team who have put up with me turning up just to take a look and chat with them when they are busy working on all sorts of exotic cars (not just Evos).

I would like to thank Joe especially, who has been fantastic with his work and also the advice and the countless extras he has done on my car for me like the lights, the mirrors, fitting various bits of carbon and advising me on which shiny bits look good! lol :lol: He really passionately loves what he does and takes pride in doing the best he can for TRL customers. I have only mentioned to him that “one day I’d like to.............<mention some mod>” and the next time I am down at TRL its done and he does it all because he likes to deliver to his customers and to take pride in what he does! Top Top guy!!

Future Plans

I would like to say that this is it and the car is done but in the real world cars like these are never ever “finished”.

Something I really need to address is the gearbox. I have the standard 6 speed gearbox which as we know is pretty weak. When the engine was out it as a golden opportunity to fit a 5 speed box but I decided I wanted to stick with the 6 speed; afterall my aim was a mega fast road car and I much prefer the 6 speed box. I looked into the stronger gearset that Shep Transmission in the US provide for the 6 speed box but by the time I was able to look at purchasing it they had sold out. CliveW is also working on a stronger 6 speed gearset but this is in the future. I have added my name to the waiting list for the Shep Transmission 6 speed gearset so when it comes back in stock I want to get a spare 6 speed gearbox and have the gearset swapped over and have it ready to swap. Would also like to deal with the transferbox too. I am just going to take it easy while this is done.

At the moment obviously 590bhp is a crazy amount of power so what I want to do is learn to drive the car properly and once the gearbox is sorted, I wouldn’t mind seeing what a Meth map would do...600bhp++ anyone??....lol and I want to take the car on track!!

My conclusion

My initial goal was a fast spooling road car. I’ll be honest and say that due to the length of time the car has been away I can’t actually honestly say that the car spools as quick as my 8 MR turbo does because I can’t remember!! LOL However what I will say is that I don’t ever feel the car is laggy on the road and I always seem to be in the powerband whenever I need it.

Some of the GOLDEN RULES I have learnt when doing this build that I hope helps others are:

1. Do your research. Get as many rides as possible in different cars and make up your own mind about what you want.
2. Trust the tuner to build you the car you want
3. Make sure the tuner understands 100% what you want from your car.
4. Expect delays but give the turner the time to complete the job. Try not to rush
5. Find somewhere local (in hindsight I found this very important)
6. Have a contingency fund.
5. Expect niggles so work with the tuner to resolve them

Overall I am very pleased with the car and thrilled with the service and support I have had from TRL and can not recommend them enough!!

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM #173

Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM

#174

Pictures of the car currently

[Image: evo-18.jpg]

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM #174

Pictures of the car currently

[Image: evo-18.jpg]

[Image: evo-16.jpg]

[Image: evo-37.jpg]

[Image: evo-1.jpg]

[Image: evo-38.jpg]

[Image: evo-39.jpg]

[Image: evo-13.jpg]

[Image: evo-12.jpg]

[Image: evo-10.jpg]

[Image: evo-2-2.jpg]

[Image: evo-3-2.jpg]

Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM

#175

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:20 AM #175

[Image: evo-8.jpg]

[Image: evo-2.jpg]

[Image: evo-7.jpg]

[Image: evo-6.jpg]

[Image: evo-3.jpg]

[Image: evo-31.jpg]

[Image: evo-25.jpg]

[Image: evo-40.jpg]

[Image: evo-28.jpg]

[Image: evo-27.jpg]

[Image: evo-26.jpg]

[Image: evo-22.jpg]

[Image: evo-21.jpg]

[Image: evo-20.jpg]

Anees
Posting Freak

902

06-08-2019, 01:21 AM

#176

I was also able to integrate the Syvecs ECU software into my Car PC as can be seen by the you tube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8RuwRqjPK8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtTZPqoFFuc

Big Grin

Not quite Nissan GT-R standard but its a start!! :LOL:

Anees

06-08-2019, 01:21 AM #176

Sparkystav
Administrator

14,683

06-08-2019, 01:42 AM

#177

Great write up mate, I love the fact you put proper research in first. Too many people dive in with a tuner and end up stung. Or research forever and never have realistic intentions of building it.

Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.

OutlawJapClub Admin Team

Sparkystav

06-08-2019, 01:42 AM #177

Great write up mate, I love the fact you put proper research in first. Too many people dive in with a tuner and end up stung. Or research forever and never have realistic intentions of building it.

Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.

OutlawJapClub Admin Team

el_bandido
Account not Activated

2,757

06-08-2019, 02:04 AM

#178

that is a thing of beauty.

el_bandido

06-08-2019, 02:04 AM #178

that is a thing of beauty.

FirebirdPhil
Posting Freak

7,101

06-08-2019, 02:13 AM

#179

Defiantly a beautiful car.

"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"

FirebirdPhil

06-08-2019, 02:13 AM #179

Defiantly a beautiful car.

"Life's goal is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body. But, rather to skid in sideways........
totally worn out and broken, shouting 'Holy ****, WHAT A RIDE!'"

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