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Techboy's 88 Conquest Engine Rebuild and Engine Bay Makeover


techboy
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Be carefull with having those parts powdercoated, they usualy glass bead the parts before coating, the baffles in the cover can trap the beads- that will destroy your engine. Be double sure it's clean before install.

 

Dad

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Your talking about the front cover I assume? My powdercoated definitely beads everything, I've been using him for years. Thanks for the heads up, I will make sure it's clean. I assume I can probably run it under some soap and water to get anything out of the baffles.
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I finally got the powdercoating back. I had to leave the black chrome valve cover w/ the raised Mitsu lettering at the powdercoater, he wasn't quite done with it, but the wrinkle red one is done. I will post a pic of it when I get it, it's a real thing of beauty. The head is still at the machine shop, and the block is still at the other machine shop, and I just dropped the front cover off yesterday so it can be bolted on when they deck the top like DAD and Indiana suggested. Here's some quick pics I took on my dining room table:

 

VALVE COVER:

http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/1535/dscf0981.jpg

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/9184/dscf0982u.jpg

FRONT COVER:

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8324/dscf0983d.jpg

INTAKE MANIFOLD:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8587/dscf0984b.jpg

ALTERNATOR COVERS / PULLEY:

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/811/dscf0985t.jpg

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/6378/dscf0989q.jpg

COOLANT RETURN&FEED LINES / DIPSTICK / BREATHER:

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9132/dscf0986r.jpg

P/S BRACKET / ALT BRACKET / MOTOR MOUNT BRACKETS / OIL FILTER HOUSING / BREATHER CAN:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2517/dscf0987b.jpg

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That valve cover is OK, you guys gotta see the other one ...

 

This whole project is putting a big dent in the wallet :D ... between the bottom end work being done, the head work, the powdercoating, and new parts .... I'd rather do it all once though and be done. I'll PM you numbers if you're interested.

Edited by techboy
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In the 12 years or so that I've been into building "motors" so to speak I've used 3 different powdercoaters. This is guy is by far the best, but he's the slowest, so you need to plan accordingly. He takes his time and often has multiple other jobs before he can get to yours. I personally think his prices are cheaper than most other places and he does better work, but that is just my opinion. If I can find some pics, I'll post pictures of other work he's done for me.

 

Here's his info: Business is Liquid Powdercoats (LPC), owner is Martin. http://www.liquidpowdercoats.com/

If you go to his gallery and click to enter, click on Valve Covers, go to the 4th page, my valve cover for my Eclipse is on that page.

Edited by techboy
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Don't know, I've never had wrinkle red before. I have doubles of all the parts I had done in wrinkle red, so I'm thinking if I don't like the way it holds up over time I can have everything re-powdercoated in a smooth finish. I don't think it'll be a problem for me b/c I won't be daily driving the car, probably just to shows and whenever the wife wants to go for a Sunday drive.

 

Good people to direct that question too would be the Subaru clubs. The STi intake manifolds come in wrinkle red from the factory ... and now that I think about it I think EVO VC's came in wrinkle red too. One of closest friends drives an STi, I should ask him.

 

BTW ^^^^ nice car ... is that black or a dark blue repaint?

Edited by techboy
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Don't know, I've never had wrinkle red before. I have doubles of all the parts I had done in wrinkle red, so I'm thinking if I don't like the way it holds up over time I can have everything re-powdercoated in a smooth finish. I don't think it'll be a problem for me b/c I won't be daily driving the car, probably just to shows and whenever the wife wants to go for a Sunday drive.

 

Good people to direct that question too would be the Subaru clubs. The STi intake manifolds come in wrinkle red from the factory ... and now that I think about it I think EVO VC's came in wrinkle red too. One of closest friends drives an STi, I should ask him.

 

BTW ^^^^ nice car ... is that black or a dark blue repaint?

Thanks, more medium than dark blue was probably the light or lack of but will soon change to Ford Kona blue to match the engine. bay.

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab51/pc85dr/85%20Revived/IMG_1108.jpg

Edited by pc85
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While I've been waiting for the head and block to finish up at their respective machine shops I've taken on some mini side-projects. Last weekend I spent my Sat de-greasing and cleaning up the oil pan. Real happy with how that came out. Today, I've been working on doing some tapping. I want to convert most of the British taper thread stuff over to standard NPT just to make life easier. I started with the oil filter housing today. I know I'm not the first to do this, b/c I got the idea by reading about it on here. I do have 2 bits of advice for anyone who wants to try it: 1) Use plenty of thread cutting oil, it really helps the filings "clump" together. 2) Go slow, take your time, and when you think you've gone deep enough, go 1 or 2 more turns :) I actually had a spare oil filter housing laying around, so I did both of them at the same time, once I finish cleaning it up I'm going to list it in the F/S section for someone else. The pics are of the powdercoated one I'm using on my motor.

 

 

THE TOOLS:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/2229/dscf1001f.jpg

GETTING STARTED:

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/139/dscf1002j.jpg

FINISHED:

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1181/dscf1003z.jpg

EARLS 1/4" NPT to -4 AN SITTIN' PRETTY:

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2349/dscf1004x.jpg

Edited by techboy
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What color grey is that on the oil filter housing,balance shaft cover,mount brackets.

 

it's called "gunmetal black chrome" ... but I'm sure every powdercoater comes up with their own clever little names for colors.

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  • 3 weeks later...
It's been a little bit since I've updated this thread .... I got a call last weekend that the block was done at the machine shop, so I drove down Monday and picked it up. Unfortunately I'm away this weekend so I won't have a chance to work on it, but I'm hoping to get the block painted w/ fresh paint next week and start putting it back together then over the weekend. Of course, I'll take pics as I go. :)
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  • 2 weeks later...

Since I just got the block from the machine shop I figured I'd start off with some shots of the new deck job. Hard to take "cool" pictures of a fresh cut, but I think you get the idea:

 

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2079/dscf1007ik.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5026/dscf1008ly.jpg

 

And, while I had the camera in my hand, I figured I'd take a shot of the underside all nice and clean. Not much to see here, but anyway:

 

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/5886/dscf1011q.jpg

 

I spent the afternoon taping the block off for primer/praint. I bought an "etching" primer, which said on the side of the can that it helped paint adhere better to the metal, so I figured what the heck. The one difference I noticed with it is that it says it takes 3 to 4 hours to dry. Most of the primers I've worked w/ in the past take about 30 minutes. So I decided yesterday just to prime the block and I that I would wait to apply the paint until today. So, I just shot the block with the first coat of paint moments ago. I'll 2nd coat it in a bit and post up pics of the paint job by tonight. For now, here's a few pics of the tape and primer:

 

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/5329/dscf1010u.jpg

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/3113/dscf1009io.jpg

 

It's exciting to finally be getting somewhere again. I got a call this week from the machine shop that has the head. He's almost done with it, so I should be getting that back shortly. Time-wise, it seems like things are going to come together perfectly. I already I have plans w/ my father-in-law for next weekend over at his shop to start reassembling the bottom end. So, I should have another update and more pics next weekend as well. At this point ... I'm hoping for end of May or early June to have the car back together. With the weather turning so early this year, I should be able to shoot the engine bay n the very near future.

Edited by techboy
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Painted:

 

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6750/dscf1014v.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5335/dscf1013cv.jpg

 

This isn't exactly the look I was going for, but I guess that's what happens when you're working outside under a blossoming cherry tree. :lol:

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/6353/dscf1012u.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorta ... I just got a call from my other machine shop last night that my head was cracked in 2 places. Glad I decided to go ahead and have it pressure tested. So, I just picked up another one from NudeLobster. When that comes I'll send that out to be rebuilt w/ my valvetrain.

 

As far as the block goes I was supposed in the shop last week to put the crank back in but my wife's Escape broke down (left her on the side of the road this time) so that ended up taking priority. I'm hoping to get it reassembled this weekend. Pics will follow of course.

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So I was able to put some time into the motor today. Basically, I got the freeze plugs installed, crank spec'd out, crank plastigauge'd, and crank final torque down. I took a lot of measurements on the crank just to make sure everything was good, that probably took the most time. I also took some measurements of the cylinder bore and taper just to make sure everything was within spec there as well. Here's some pics from today:

 

FREEZE PLUGS INSTALLED:

 

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/5451/dscf1018xi.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/9060/dscf1019th.jpg

 

OIL SQUIRTERS BACK IN AND NEW CRANK BEARINGS INSTALLED:

 

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/227/dscf1020ar.jpg

 

 

CRANK SET IN FOR PLASTIGUAGE: (measured .0015 ... spec is .0008 - .0018)

 

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/7261/dscf1021k.jpg

 

CRANK IN AND MAINS TORQUED TO 60 FT.LBS:

 

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/3641/dscf1022f.jpg

 

I should be able to get the pistons back in next weekend ... then it's all cheesecake from there ....

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