89 Sunbird GT Build a.k.a the FUNBIRD

[Mzspd6]

So one of my buddies was selling a 89 Sunbird GT with the lt3/c20get and a th125....c? im not sure...
So $380 bucks and this lil black hoor was about to be all mine... BUT the catch, It did not run.

Well my first bet was hey, I can get it going... but then I thought better of it and asked chris/PrecisionBoost if he could lend some knowledge.
When we got to the car step one was take the plugs out... spark is good. Turn it over to make sure and we see that the O2 sensor is no longer existent in the bung. The main giveaway was the facefull of soot that Chris wore on his face once the car actually fired up.

So some seafoam, a set of rims that i had laying around, some new oil and a few other odds and ends and this bad boy was good to go. fully operational headlight eyelid thingys, working power windows, working power locks, working convertible top with no rips or tears was road worthy... well more so road going then road worthy.

It sat for a while and I tried to save every penny to try and get this build underway. School was very demanding, im just saying this to draw away from the fact that me and chris managed to have a bit of mis-communication on when he was not so swamped at work...


**I KNOW THERE ARE NO PICS AS OF YET. FLICKR IS SLOW...like the final product haha**
So the car as it sat stock:

Yeah... it says princess... WHAT! lol.


Now things that came off:
AC condensor
AC Pump (Looked like a war zone on the block as it appeared to have blown up)
AC Belt



More coming off:
Rad
AC Canister thinger
Some ac lines
VAC Canister



Stock Exhaust Manifold
Stock Turbo
Stock Exhaust
Parts of the crash bar
LOTS of junk in the trunk, from pool noodles to shoes everything in between.
Spare Tire





THE TRUNK LID, yes the popper solonoid had rusted in place so the trunk was cut apart in order to get off and make room for a new one with functional popper.


The car in pieces:

Now for the car to go back together:

Parts used are as follows.

Some T3/TO4E "O" Trim turbo
3.5" Vband to roughly 3 inch downpipe using Heavy cast elbows
The exit is right behind the rear tire... I love it.
EVO 9 FMIC Core
2.5" stainless pipes for intercooler
PrecisionBoost One Of A Kind exhaust manifold with EWG
Turbosmart 38mm Ultragate 10psi spring
*Yeah yeah the wastegate is not in the best position for proper flow, but it works so settle down*
CX Racing BOV and BOV Pipe
Some ricey green 20psi boost gauge


well now for the money shots.



Rad moved foreward.



More manifold work



TEH TURBOZ!




IC Mockup



Stock pipe used... for now...




Turbo is in!




All wrapped up!



Now she sits for winter waiting for some transmission mods.

[Mzspd6]

Makes 12psi on stock fuel system.

Not too shabby for the worst head ever lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qloTyk73 ... re=related

Im looking for a na cam because i have read that it has a little bit more lift and duration...
I have a na throttle body, and a mpi manifold. It appears to be way bigger plenum wise.

[benzino]

is that turbo white?! lol

very nice MPS6 as well! (except for the gap between the tyres and wheel arches )

[Mzspd6]

Yeah it is.

I also have lowering springs for the 6, but winter just hit so... They will have to wait till the rims go back on in the summer.

[PrecisionBoost]

good to see you made it finally

[Mzspd6]

Hey man....






That is all.

[Mzspd6]

Update!
As of today the car tries only to start off in second, I guess this is better since beforehand it would only slip in first. When I select first it slows hard when moving, and from a stop takes full throttle but moves so slowly and in such a struggling manner.
When I got the car hot after a 1 hr drive the car stalls in reverse and when trying to put it into drive..with the tcc circut unplugged car only stalls trying reverse, but foreward motion is fine.
So I'm on the lookout for an m32 but need to figure out what I will need to use for a clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and a starter. Oh and axels, I guess those are important.

As for new parts I got a hold of a really good deal on 3 glowshift gauges and an evo 8 pod I'm going to modify to fit the sunbird .
Gauges are boost, oil pressure and egt, I bought the set for the egt since I got the 3 for the cost of the egt shipped directly from glowshift.

I'm seeing that it only takes 1x 300 dollar shipment to become a dealer, might be something worth looking into since the car still needs a wideband, oil temp, fuel pressure and perhaps a really big rice rocket clock tach and shiftlight. Lol.

[Mzspd6]

More parts ordered
Silicone couplers to replace chrises, rad mounting kit, some header wrap, and a new air filter.

[gse_turbo]

let me know when you get to doing the M32 swap. I can supply you with the clutch kit you'll need. I just have to confirm that the input shaft is 1" 14-spline or something else. I can make it to fit the flywheel you have.

is the stalling issue strictly because of a traction control issue? how is that turbo coming onto boost? what RPM. Just wondering becasue it seems masive for then 8v inline 4.

keep the progress up! looking forward to completion.

[benzino]

I wish we got the c20get in australia
it would make for a wicked starting point for a project

[Mzspd6]

The car stalls when first shifted from park to a gear. Unplug the tcc connector on the front of the th125c and the car does not stall in foreword, only reverse.

I'm pretty much waiting to hear back from Chris as he has been the massive knowledge bank behind this project. He is a busy guy, who earns a living Monday to Friday. Plus I lack the fabrication skills he has.

I sent him a pm, but he was last here on the 21st and I sent it the next day. Guess I should try the old fashioned method and call him.


Along with the clutch what can you get me for connecting rods? Camshaft? Pistons and rings?

[gse_turbo]

for the connecting rods, I have, K1 Technologies, CP-Corillo, Pauter, Scat and a few others. it pretty much depends on your budget.

pistons, I exclusively use Wiseco. I've had hyperutectic Mahle and I've used JE forged and neither even compare. the Wiseco pistons I offer are forged and completely custom. any desired compression ratio and bore is available. I suggest 9.0:1 compression ration for turbo applications. I have them made standard with skirt coating, top level rings and the lightest and strongest wrist pin available in the required size.
ceramic piston tops, wrist pin and piston ring coatings are also available options.
pricing depends on what options are picked. standard turbo piston sets built for a minimum of 20psi sell for $650.

Cat Cams Belgium offers 8v cams from blanks but they get pricey. I work with a company in the States that offers hard-weld and reprofiled cams from OE cams. This is a great option. it's been a while since I've have had a single cam made for someone but the price should be about $350.

[Mzspd6]

How would added lift and cam duration fair with higher compression pistons?

[gse_turbo]

regarding valve clearance? if you were to have custom pistons made I would have them done with the proper valve pocket depth.

I'm not really sure how the standard pistons will do with high lift cams.

[Mzspd6]

this might be a question for you, but im hoping to find an m32 sooner or later, and im just getting togeather a listing of all the parts i wold need to make it work.
before i try and get too far ahead of myself, do you have any idea on what would be necessary for a clutch setup?

i would need the clutch for a cruze/sonic m32, the pressure plate and flywheel of a c20get... i think.
i hope i have this correct, the pp and flywheel are attached to the engine where the clutch is with the input shaft of the transmission?