A new build......seriously the stuff of legend

[c4ptiv3]

Well crap, thanks for the info Doc. Just for the record they are TRD 272, guess I'll hit up NST about a set.

[c4ptiv3]

Got out to the garage today and made some progress. The goal is to make NST Round 1 in Galveston, so I've kicked myself into high gear!

Laid down what I thought would be the final coat of primer and it looks really good except for the roof and hood, from what I've been reading it was the angle of the can that caused it so it looks like I'll be laying down one more coat next weekend since I have to pack this week. Once I get the hood and roof fixed the bumpers and flares will be finally attached!

I also adjusted the caster and it now almost clears the fenders when I'm turning. I'm guessing there is only so far you can adjust them before the effects are negligible or can I go all the way to the end of the threads if I have to?

Screwing around with the MAF a bit more and I got it to run better. I was doing some research and found information saying the LSA on the TRD 272 cams is to much and I'll need some adjustable cam gears, I placed an order with NST and hopefully they will be showing up in the coming weeks.

I spent about 2 hours trying to get the bumper bolts out but I had no luck, anyone have some tips? I need this bash bar on.

I forgot to take pictures so I got a video instead with commentary, more updates coming next week!

[McKenney]

nice job sir, and hammer the bolts out with a hammer. I have good not rusty ones if you want, or some heavy duty electroplated ones like I'm running(I have spares if ya want em). car is coming along nicely!

[Mexd1_Sicario]

I took them out with alot of wd40. Kept soaking it . Then just finally got them off. Good luck. When is the nst event going to be?

[c4ptiv3]

I kept blasting them with PB Blaster, hammering the shit out of them and I even took a propane(or Butane forgot which specifically) torch to them and still nothing. I'll screw with it more after the move this Friday.

Round 1 is March 22nd and 23rd at GGP in La Marque, Texas.

[c4ptiv3]

Spent 3 days hammering those bolts and they just started bending at that point so we tried another tactic. we hammered the bash bar underneath the existing bolts towards the rear that wouldn't budge and will use the forward bolt hole positions to secure it down.

We also ran into a new problem with the JDM blinker lights for the bumpers, they are hitting the bash bar so I will have to do some modifications to make it fit but atleast I will be able to drive it until then.

I adjusted the caster too far and now the tires are hitting the rear fenders near the door, I was going to order some 15x9's and just be done with it but Diamond does not offer the 15x9's in OEM/DOT approved wheels which completely blows my mind. They make every size up to 15x14 or some sh*t but not 15x9. I'm going to have to just try to find the sweet spot where it will clear the front and rear of the fenders until I can save up enough to order some legit wheels. I think the car is going to look a little strange because the front wheels stick out just a little too far but oh well.

Got the new NST prototype cam gears on the engine this week and found my power issue with the engine, for some reason everytime I line up the timing I go with the top "dot" on the OEM cam gears and it's off by a tooth. Now that I'm TDC the car has been dying to get out and drive.



I tried to wet sand out the tiger strips/mottling in the primer but it was futile and it didn't really help that I don't know what I'm doing. Hit up my friend Fielding and he got me in touch with his paint guy, we got a deal worked out and the car will be sprayed Viper Red.

Last weekend we got the body kit, flares and bumpers bolted on and she's ready for paint. Just waiting on income tax and then I'll unveil the bisch on here and of course it will be able to be seen in person at Round 1 in Galveston/Texas City! Until then you'll just have to use your imaginations.

[joel26]

those are some good looking cam gears...

[c4ptiv3]

I thought so as well!


To do list before March 21st:

Source door handles (Rue)
Register vehicle
Lower it!
Adjust caster
Front end alignment
Paint
Install headlights and new bulbs
Fix dash wiring issue, if anyone is in the Plano/The Colony/Frisco/Lewisville area can bring their car by and let me look at their dash harness where it connects under the firewall that would be fantastic.


Stretch goals. These are not crucial, but if I have time and $$ I'll give it a shot.
Modify bash bar
Wire and install bumper lights

[dr.occa]

Spent 3 days hammering those bolts and they just started bending at that point so we tried another tactic. we hammered the bash bar underneath the existing bolts towards the rear that wouldn't budge and will use the forward bolt hole positions to secure it down.

We also ran into a new problem with the JDM blinker lights for the bumpers, they are hitting the bash bar so I will have to do some modifications to make it fit but atleast I will be able to drive it until then.

I adjusted the caster too far and now the tires are hitting the rear fenders near the door, I was going to order some 15x9's and just be done with it but Diamond does not offer the 15x9's in OEM/DOT approved wheels which completely blows my mind. They make every size up to 15x14 or some sh*t but not 15x9. I'm going to have to just try to find the sweet spot where it will clear the front and rear of the fenders until I can save up enough to order some legit wheels. I think the car is going to look a little strange because the front wheels stick out just a little too far but oh well.

Got the new NST prototype cam gears on the engine this week and found my power issue with the engine, for some reason everytime I line up the timing I go with the top "dot" on the OEM cam gears and it's off by a tooth. Now that I'm TDC the car has been dying to get out and drive.



I tried to wet sand out the tiger strips/mottling in the primer but it was futile and it didn't really help that I don't know what I'm doing. Hit up my friend Fielding and he got me in touch with his paint guy, we got a deal worked out and the car will be sprayed Viper Red.

Last weekend we got the body kit, flares and bumpers bolted on and she's ready for paint. Just waiting on income tax and then I'll unveil the bisch on here and of course it will be able to be seen in person at Round 1 in Galveston/Texas City! Until then you'll just have to use your imaginations.

Nice colors. Are the markings on those Blox cam gears pretty accurate? Also, do you know what material the outer toothed rings are made of? Hopefully not aluminum.

Sorry to hear about the little bumps in the road but way to go on the progress so far.

[c4ptiv3]

I'm not sure on the material but I can find out. What is the issue if it's aluminum?

TDC was dead on and each mark is supposed to be 2 degrees, I'm not sure what other accuracy you are referring to but if you can rephrase the question I will try to answer the best I can. This is how I found out my timing was off was putting the car to what I thought was TDC and putting the new gears on and they were off by a tooth. I talked to Mike and realized I had used the wrong marks AGAIN. I don't know how many times I've done that.

Tackling issues that pop up during a build is the most satisfy part, plus I like to learn and see what I can accomplish on my own, I bet if I had some guidance from someone familiar with painting I would have done a better job. Didn't help that I used rattle-can.

Thank you sir for your support, I'm sure I'm not done asking for advice and direction and I appreciate all the help you guys have given so far.

Once it's painted I'll have to start working on getting the interior cleaned up and replaced as well as the engine bay and engine. I still have a long long way to go.

[joel26]

So they are not nst cam gears ????????? they are blox cam gears....

[c4ptiv3]

I'm not sure on the story behind that, I think maybe they are producing them for NST? I have no idea though, just that it's the only set available right now.


Edit: looks like 1 of 2 sets in the wild right now, I was asked to test the prototypes. That's all I know.

http://club4ag.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9452" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dr.occa]

I had seen a pair on the Australian Ebay site and I thought they just looked familiar. The etched Blox logo were left off in this listing.

If the outter ring gear is made of a soft metal, then what happens is the gear starts getting worn down. HKS ran into this issue a few years back with their famous purple models with the 3 bolt inner locking piece. Your timing goes a bit off, belt tension is lost along with potential slippage. That's why I was asking about the outer material. NST's original design incorporated the use of the original Toyota factory gear which never had that issue due to their hardened steel material. Maybe Blox makes them out of steel or an equivalent. Hopefully they do.

[c4ptiv3]

That's a good question and I'll make sure to ask. Thanks for the heads up Doc.

[Mexd1_Sicario]

Regales of what brand there very nice looking man.