FrankenProbe work log, 2010

[Lt. Dangle]

Keep the shell man, maybe a few years down the road, you can re-visit FP, and do it the way you would like.

Hope to see the parts make big numbers and stay in the community.

Pm'ed.

[Dan [Sac]]

Sent you a PM back.

Everyone else, I'm working on making the thread. I'm halfway done and already at 1,500 words, so sit tight for another few hours while I finish compiling the data. It truly is a staggering amount of info.

[TRWeiss1]

I can only imagine...

[Rayman]

good luck with everything dan....hope u can at least recuperate a significant portion of what you spent. i'd love to get some of the stuff from ya, but i myself have reached a similar decision just a few months ago...except that i'm just sticking with the car as is and not move forth anymore.

[KING6]

..........quitter


:p

[Dan [Sac]]

I think I did alright for someone who did not know how to change the oil when I bought my first Probe.

[ShimiShang]

Most definitely an inspiration for people like myself who are afraid of doing our own work. X10000

[Dan [Sac]]

So there are 5 more folders of photos to put up to complete the reassembly prior to last week's track day. I'll post them up in order, so the log can be complete...for anyone that cares.

First off, in late November '10 I finished the turbo lubrication system. Feed from the block, trough a special turbo oil filter, and out through -10AN line to the pan.

I also re-did the hot pipes as I didn't like the angle that the wastegate was at.


























Cylinder heads....they be clean. It's what you get when you live your life a quarter mile at a time, and the rest under a cover on jackstands. Notice the custom PRD 'shorty' plug wires in the rear head - yeah, that's how I roll.









Drilling and tapping the IM for the brake booster vacuum signal:









General shot of the insanity:

[Dan [Sac]]

More late November work. This time mainly centered around getting the manifold ready to go. Had to drill and tap holes for the fuel pressure regulator, BOV, brake booster, boost gauge, SDS MAP sensor, and I had 2 as spares (for anything else, like boost signal for dyno tuning, and a MAP sensor for the Zeitronix WB system). Without planning ahead and sketching it out, I would have forgotten half then things.

All wastegate vacuum/boost signals go through -4AN SS line. This stuff is too expensive for "my hose fell off and I overboosted" accidents. More on that later (I got to learn about British Pipe Thread and other interesting stuff).






























New spark plugs also went on. Simple little guys, yet very effective. $1.99 each at NAPA. The race shop where I first bought them at was selling them as 'race plugs' @ 6.99 each.

[Dan [Sac]]

Next up, in late December I got the throttle cable mocked up and bolted up. As i wasn't intent on reinventing the wheel, I used the stock bracket.
























Next, finding fittings for the AVC-R to go to -4AN line - I had to re-tap the threads to 1/8"-27 (NPT) from 1/8"-28 BPT - thankfully they were so close that it worked out beautifully. I had to do some research on this and found out a lot of guys do this rather than try to source the harder to find and more expensive BPT-threaded adapters.

Sealing done via Teflon paste.

[93probeanator]

did you weld that im your self?

[Dan [Sac]]

No, I haven't got skills like that, or a TIG welder. I paid a fab shop to do the welding after I built the manifold.




Next work, in early Jan 2011 - I had to make a 'bumper' for the car as the front end is all open now. So I used some leftover 1 5/8" seamless DOM tubing from a roll cage to beef it up.




























Next, I had to make a retaining bracket for the parachute cord - I didn't want it flopping about in the wind and either damaging the chute as it deployed, or randomly hitting the car about.

Made the bracket from steel, and the retainer itself from a pair of aluminum blocks that I drilled in the middle to let the cable through (pinch the exterior, but still allow the inner cable to slide unhindered). Kinda ghetto, but without a mill it came out alright.

[Dan [Sac]]

Finally, I needed an overflow reservoir for the coolant - made a bracket for this thing to bolt to the radiator, and it fit like a glove. This one I lucked out on, as I didn't plan it out thinking that I'll find some room somewhere for the overflow.

[Dan [Sac]]

Next, all my hot pipes (and the lone cold pipe) were coated with NIC Industries C186 Piston coat both inside and outside. This is one of the best coatings available in the world.

I sandblasted all the pipes, wiped them clean with degreasers, then coated the inside, then sprayed 2 thin coats on the outside. Needed to use a smaller thin coat gun to shoot them. The result is fantastic heat retention by the pipes.

My 4" downpipe is less than 1" away from the cold pipe that feeds the intake manifold. With the ice-water cooling, I was seeing IATs that were almost 20 degrees below ambient with no ill effect from the hot pipe proximity. Literally minutes after shutdown, you can touch the primaries/secondaries and the downpipe, while the intake manifold is still too hot to touch.

Very impressed with this stuff, even at $50 for the 4oz sampler that was just enough to do the job. I will be using it again on any serious build.


The pipes are, from left to right:

*cold pipe, from intercooler to IM
*4" V-band down pipe exhaust (that's the whole exhaust)
*1 3/4" wastegate dump exhaust
*secondary pipes (also v-banded)
*rear primary (EGR hole filled)
*front primary

[Dan [Sac]]

Finally, some pre-dyno finished assembly photos.


The wastegate solenoid with the -4AN SS signal lines - this was a PITA to source and build because of the BPT threads in the solenoid, but I addressed those concerns in the bottom half of post #250. I like the peace of mind though of knowing I have a stable WG signal that will do its job in the proximity of some hot parts:













Another shot of the oil filter/feed, and the heat protection for the intercooler water lines:









Another shot of the back side of the IM, pre-strengthening. Again I love the shorty rear PRD wires instead of the grotesquely projecting stockers...










Bumper fitment - this went well (fits nicely) until I put the new battery box in. Will need a little trimming to fit the bigger battery, but it'll work. At the track I ran without bumper/hood - it was quite a sight, to say the least. A PRM front clip would probably net me ~5mph in the top end from aero alone....

The downpipe and WG pipe still need minor trimming but I left them alone just in case I/the next owner goes to a 1-piece clip and needs a little extra length.