Gordo's X8 Ramblings

[Gordo 0]

Guess it's about time I do a build thread instead of throwing out bits of my stuff everywhere else.

It's not going to be in any fucking order.

I will post my currant accomplishments, and fill in once in a while with past doings.

 

Just finished building my X8 clutch master cylinder, 3/4" bore to work with my Coleman coaxial throw-out bearing set-up.

 

Rue enlightened me on the 5/8" bore master being a little on the weak side for dislacement.

Trouble is, the run of the mill 3/4" masters here have the wrong reservoir for the X8.

I know people cram them in, but I wanted the long angled reservoir that belongs on an X8 (same as the IS300 / Mk4 Supra).

So after hours of surfing, I found that the Land Criusers in other parts of the world have the correct style of reservoir mount, and are 3/4" bore.

 

So I found one, that is aluminum, and changed out the plastic from one of my spare IS masters.

Had to make a spacer for the front, so that it would mount correctly,

and used a 5mm stainless shcs, instead of the roll pin that comes from Toyota.

 

 

[zombieslider 0]

man, im to lazy to research that much just ran of fitting doing a "remote mount" but wish i saw this a week ago totally would have rather done this looks awesome.

[zombieslider 0]

ran a fitting*

[Gordo 0]

Next item today was to actually get my ass under the car, drop the tank, and get the new fuel pump installed.

Interestingly, the last time I did this many years ago, Incorrect info --> I ordered the generic Walbro, or one for a Mk3, don't remember.

It was actually for a fucking mustang.......

Was a pain in the ass, and I had to cut & bend the original hanger, then hose clamp it in place.

This time, I ordered the kit made for a MkIV Supra, p/n 400-762, because it came with a larger inlet filter.

It fit right in, like it was made for the X8. No cutting, no bending, no hose clamp.

The only thing i did differently was to replace the cheezy 18 gauge wire that came with the pump to 12 ga, with heavier blade connectors.

Sorry, no pictures, I was on a roll, and the pump was back in the tank before I thought about snapping any.

 

So tomorrow, since the tank is out, I will be dropping my 5.29 LSD.

But before my 4.56 set-up goes back in, it's welding time.

My subframe plate is going in, plus another in front, and I may add this cross brace that I seen in Japan.

Just measured, and it needs to be about 21" long, and 1.25" diameter.

[Gordo 0]

Ordered in some 1.25" tube for the brace, and a 25 pack of 2" gussets for the subframe.

Dropped the 5.29 LSD out, but it was cold and windy today, so I spent the time figuring where I was going to beef up the subframe.

 

Have 2 different ideas for the front of the rear section, either a second plate, or maybe 4 gussets on each bushing boss.

 

Thsi week I will get the spare subframe cleaned, stripped, and ready for welding.

Gussets should be here by the end of the week.

 

My 13" front rotors will be here Tuesday, and I can start on the caliper adaptors.

[Gaijin Smash Wayhoff 0]

More updates!

[DiscoShit 0]

How much power are you shooting for gordo. Thats going to be a beefy frame. I deleted my stock mounts and made some with a 1/4 mild plate and some 1 3/4 pieces of moly tubing.

[Gordo 0]

Not that much, say in the 400 range.

Not so concerned with breakage as I am with flex.

That, and sliding into something on a road course will break things, even with little power.

 

Just wish I hadn't sold my serialnine subframe bushings, as all I have in the car now are the poly ones.

They are a big improvement over the stock, but are not solid.......

 

Spent most of my free time today cleaning a 20 year old mixture of road grime & undercoating off the subframe.

Tomorrow it will get a going over with a wire brush on an angle grinder, and pulling the stock diff bushings out.

 

Then I have to cut out the reinforcement plate that will go on the diff side of the rear section.

Decided not to do gussets there.

And I still need to machine the solid diff bushings.

 

In a couple of days, the gussets will be here.

Southwest Speed has them so cheap, it isn't worth my time making them.

25 pcs of their 1/8" x 2" gusset for $8.

 

Here is some of the places I am looking at adding bits.

 

[BomBaClot 0]

nice! can't wait to see the outcome!!!!

[Gordo 0]

These just hit the door.

Wilwood 332mm by 1.25 rotors and hats.

5 lbs lighter each than the StopTech 350Z track rotors I had bought, and a 1/4" larger.

Gave me an instant hard-on (those don't come very often when your 60).

 

Funny thing is, if you go to Wilwood's site, these don't exist.

They have 13", but only in 1.1" thickness.

 

But no matter, they will go on the mill soon, and get a hole patern that matches my X90 Tourer-V rears.

[Bill 0]

Since I knew I was going to install my Largus rear sway, I built some big bad sway mounts that accept energy mounts and just turfed the stock mounting brace. My subframe just has thick plates where the stock mounts were, and big steel washers and some reinforcements around the rear diff mounts. Stupidly, I opted for factory front diff mount just so I could get the driveshaft angle right the first time.

[Gordo 0]

Yeah, I have to address that too.

So far, I haven't had any breakage in that area, but it's probably because everything, including the lower arm is flexing.

[Gordo 0]

Fuck, screwed up the piece of aluminum that I had been saving for my diff bushings, while trying to multi-task again.

Grabbed the wrong drill bit, and made the center hole .100" over size.

Oh well, ordered more bar stock, and it will be here in a few days.

 

My gussets are in, and have most of the paint stripped from where they will get welded in.

 

Also got in my 4-point roll bar from Kirk Racing, and instead of the slide over / bolted connections that came with it, I picked these up from SouthWest Speed.

 

[Gaijin Smash Wayhoff 0]

You found a premade cage that will fit our cars?

[Gordo 0]

I just contacted Kirk Racing, and showed them what I wanted.

The mount plates, rear support bar mounts need to be welded on, the bottom of the main hoop cut flat, and the rear supports cut to length.

It is made of 1-3/4" x .120 wall DOM.

 

But yeah, he will do anything.

The nice thing is that it came in the correct size, and all the bends were symetrical.

I may add side bars down the line.

 

I had the rear bars bent to allow access to the rear seat, and they will attach up next to the shock mounting points.

Here is the drawing on the rear bars.

Of course they should be strait on an all out competition car, but mine sees daily street service.

 

I'm thinking of doing subframe connectors tubes below the floor pan, like the mushtang guys do, there is pleanty of room there.

 

 

[Gaijin Smash Wayhoff 0]

Nice! If I had this info I wouldn't have had to by the caged shell! lol

 

Any chance you'd want to do dimensions on a halo and front down bars? BD Racing will also make them if you send measurements. Not sure what Kirk charges.

[Gordo 0]

It would have to wait until I have the main hoop installed.

By the way, my main hoop is low because I wanted to keep the sun roof functional.

I paid like $600 shipped to my door.

 

 

I wish I had never let that idiot put the cage in that shell you ended up with.

What a fucking moron, I have never seen such poor welding on body pannels in my life.

If I was you, I would cut that whole roof pannel off, and put another one on.

Toyota does sell that pannel, both with, and without the sun roof.

[Gaijin Smash Wayhoff 0]

I didn't look too close at the roof. I will again when I pick it up tomorrow. If it's bad enough maybe I'll do a sweet wide roof scoop with some ducting since I have no AC.

[Gordo 0]

Well, it does have one of the few Mk3 diffs that are installed correctly (pinion angle not fucked up).

And people wonder why they are eating 5-speeds.......

The Supra LSD won't mount at the correct angle unless you beat the shit out of the subframe.

And when you mount one without reforming the front of the subframe higher, the trans is constantly speeding up, and slowing down,

like twice per revolution, and that induces a lot of stress on the whole drive.

[Gordo 0]

I edited the info I had put in about the fuel pump.

Actually found a little time to dig through my records, and found the info on the pumps.

[Gordo 0]

OK, finally got around to sandblasting all the points on the subframe that will get attention.

Cut out the front & rear strengthening plates.

I leave way more material in my rear plate, unlike the Ausie style, so it will require more work,

such as the raised lip around the diff fill plug access hole needs to be pushed down to the same level as the bushing bosses.

 

I also will be fully welding the bosses in, both the rear where Toyota only did half the circumfrance,

and the front, where they did none.

I truely think that this alone would stop most breakage, as the way they come from Toyota, they can move, and start ripping off.

 

Still to do, cut the cross tube to fit between the rear chassis mount points like the picture from Japan.

[Gordo 0]

Tube is 1.25" DOM, and was initially cut to 20.875" long, and then the ends ground until it slipped in between the 2 rear chassis mount points.

Ended up about 20.8" at the longest point, but no 2 subframes will be exactly the same, so cut long & grind.

Roughly a 13 degree angle on the ends.

 

 

[Gordo 0]

And got this FRP hood vent in from Japan Monday:

 

 

$175 to my door.

I would have bought one from Lucas, but we had a little communication problem.

[Gordo 0]

Crap, I hate running out of argon.......

[zombieslider 0]

that vent looks like it will be pretty awesome, and 175 from japan is cheap.