[thaid]

Drove a total of 10 hours outside of Toronto in the middle of nowhere to pickup this barn find. 115,000km on the odometer, faded paint but little to no rust! Going to transform this into a track car and compete in time attack within the next year!

Current Mod List (Updated 2020-08-14):
Suspension and Mounts:
-Mopar front and rear strut braces
-BC Coilovers
-SDK Poly/Solid 4th (Center) mount
-AGP Transmission mount
-AGP Lower and upper motor mounts
-Prothane bushing kit (Control arms, etc)

Exhaust:
-OBX 3" exhaust (modified for true 3" output)
-MPx 3" o2 housing

Intake/Induction:
-AGP Direct Fit front mount intercooler
-Mopar Performance 3" cold air intake
-AGP Stage 2 Wastegate

Interior/Misc:
-Hurst short throw shifter
-Momo steering wheel hub
-NRG Quick Release
-Momo Alcantara Mod. 30 Steering Wheel with buttons
-Sparco R100 Seats with Sparco seat bases and sliders
-AEM TruBoost Digital Boost gauge (No EBC)
-AEM Wideband
-Innovate Oil Pressure+Oil Temperature combo gauge
-Hurst Short Throw Shifter

Braking:
-Stoptech 309 Brake Pads
-Stoptech slotted rotors
-Power Stop re-manufacturer OEM calipers
-Motul RBF 660 Racing Brake Fluid

Wheels:
-Konig Dekagram 17x8 et 40
-Hankook RS4 245/45/17

Cooling:
-Setrab 44 Row Series 1 Oil Cooler + Setrab sūsa HyperFlow Sandwich Plate + 10 AN lines

Personal Track Time Records:

Toronto Motorsports Park:
July 3 2019 - 01:26:30

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park DDT:
June 28 2019 - 1:45:42

Initial pickup photos:

 

[JeremyJ]

Track racer FTW. I look forward to seeing some build progress with this one.

 

[thaid]

Initial inspection and mods

Went into my trusted performance shop for a shake down. Front calipers were on their way out. Bushings all around needed replacing. A few other minor parts like the tank strap was rusting to pieces. Gave the go ahead for the repairs and initial mods!

Dropped in BC coilovers

Replacement seats ready to go

Resorted to witchcraft and magic to get these tires on. 17x8 Konig Dekagrams ET40, Hankook RS4 245/40/17. Found the wheel bearing and studs were not in great condition also. So slapped in some ARP wheel studs on all 4 corners.

Stoptech 309 pads with Stoptech slotted rotors. Replaced the seized calipers with reman Powerstop from RockAuto.

Only managed to get 1.5 degrees of camber out of these coilovers due to everything hitting everything.. will have to research on how to get more camber out of these.

 

[gump1114]

you'll probably have to go with a lower offset wheel to get more clearance for more camber. I've run 255/40/17 on 17x8 with ET35 without clearance issues, but i also wasnt trying to run a lot of camber.

 

[thaid]

you'll probably have to go with a lower offset wheel to get more clearance for more camber. I've run 255/40/17 on 17x8 with ET35 without clearance issues, but i also wasnt trying to run a lot of camber.

Thanks for the info! But with the wheel setup I went with, we didn't run into the traditional clearance issue. Its when we tried to crank more camber it would hit the strut assembly one way or another. We tried putting in camber bolts but same thing, the tire would catch somewhere and stop us. I'll be taking it for a shakedown at the track first to get used to this new chassis, and then look into dialing in more camber down the road.

 

[dave gregory]

Nice car

 

[JeremyJ]

you'll probably have to go with a lower offset wheel to get more clearance for more camber. I've run 255/40/17 on 17x8 with ET35 without clearance issues, but i also wasnt trying to run a lot of camber.

I'm running 17x8 et35 RPF1s with 235/40s on them. The tires would touch the coilovers unless I added a 3mm spacer. I don't know how you guys fit such wide tires on these things without major rubbing. I'm only running -1 camber on the BCs right now.

 

[gump1114]

I'm running 17x8 et35 RPF1s with 235/40s on them. The tires would touch the coilovers unless I added a 3mm spacer. I don't know how you guys fit such wide tires on these things without major rubbing. I'm only running -1 camber on the BCs right now.

In the front, the upper bolt holes that the strut uses to attach to the knuckle are slotted. So you have some adjustment there, as well as at the top of the strut tower. I'm also on BCs.

 

[thaid]

In the front, the upper bolt holes that the strut uses to attach to the knuckle are slotted. So you have some adjustment there, as well as at the top of the strut tower. I'm also on BCs.

Do you know how much camber approx you're running? I'll take another look at those slotted holes.

 

[gump1114]

Do you know how much camber approx you're running? I'll take another look at those slotted holes.

sorry i do not know off the top of my head. I just recently went through and replaced a bunch of parts in the front end, so it needs an alignment. I can update you once that is complete.

 

[T4EaterJonny]

I'm running 17x8 et35 RPF1s with 235/40s on them. The tires would touch the coilovers unless I added a 3mm spacer. I don't know how you guys fit such wide tires on these things without major rubbing. I'm only running -1 camber on the BCs right now.

I ran -2.7 in the front and -2 in the back. 17x8 245's BFG Rivals. no spacers. Just rolled the fenders. Car is not slammed. 14'' in the back from centerline of axle to top of fender and 13.75 or something like that in the front. I think this is as low as an SRT should be. I've pretty much given up on trying to make this car handle well. :frown: The car is meant to be a 3rd and 4th gear pull car lol

 

[Gizmodo]

I run -2.7 up front on 235/40/17 tires. My car is pretty low and I don't have problems with rubbing. I have stock control arms up front with Realtune bushings and modified struts with Ground Control camber plates.

 

[thaid]

Final touches

Thanks for the input guys! Good to see its possible to run more camber on a ~245 wide tire.

New update. Final touches added. CBD Carbon hood.. serial #001 (I think thats pretty cool lol) installed. Hit the mountain roads for some spirited driving with my squad for a quick shake down.

Close up:

Dropped in fresh oil. Amsoil Diesel DEO 5W40. My trusted oil for years on forced induction cars.

Foam washed art:

At the end of the day, everything looks good. Car is safe and ready to set a lap time at the track. I'll keep a lap time record on the main post so you guys can see the improvements i've done through the build.

 

[JeremyJ]

I want to see pics of the seats installed.

 

[thaid]

I want to see pics of the seats installed.

I didn't get a chance to install the seats so they're still sitting in the garage. I'll post a picture when I have them installed.

Update! Went on a trackday with the boys at Toronto Motorsports Park. Managed a 1:26.3 (I will be keeping personal lap records on the main page so you guys can see my progress).

Ran into a couple of issues.. car caught fire at the exhaust tips. Tried to pry the exhuast down so it sits lower... haha.

Power steering fluid would overflow from the cap. Not sure if its boiling or just expanding, but it seems to be a common issue when you run these cars hard. If anyone has any suggestions/possible fixes, please chime in. I'll probably replace the cap and replace the fluid with Red Line power steering fluid to see if that'll fix the issue.

 

[Gizmodo]

There should be a plastic deflector on the bottom of the car that deflects air into the power steering cooler. These pieces of plastic are usually hanging by one rivet or completely gone.

Do not use power steering fluid! ATF+4 is what the system calls for. I think you need to do some research on fluids. Using something just because it seems better is not always the case. Seeing the oil you selected and you wanting to put power steering fluid in is what leads me to this suggestion. Why 5w-40 diesel oil? Use what is recommended, 5w-30 Mobil 1. Run the car, get an oil analysis, then make a decision. Simply throwing diesel oil in just because isn't a good idea.

My car sees about 1000 miles of track time every year. I run e85 with a big turbo and I still use Mobil1 5w-30. I get an oil analysis done every year, so I know that oil works just fine.

 

[s3*ps2]

Ahhh a build thread love it.

As for the oil comment. I run 5w-40 on my AGP 50t JBB srt-4. A ton of guys recommend that oil weight on these cars due to the heat, especially during the summer in a hot location. Gets 90+ all summer long with heat indexes up to around 120 during the summer months here in Kansas.
https://www.srtforums.com/forums/f180/what-oil-type-do-you-use-629057/ I like reading Blackbird_R/T's posts he is a very knowledgeable guy. Looks like he is running diesel 5w-40 in that thread ^ Also see post 67. I don't drive my car that much but will switch to 5w-30 in the colder months.


Don't want your build thread to turn into a huge discussion on oil just stating my opinion.

What is the size and offset of those Konigs? 17x8 et42 is my guess. Offset looks high. Oh for the love of God put stock style headlights back on. Those projector style ones are nasty.

I had to get my whole rear fascia re-painted due to the previous owner with a single JDM tilt exhaust that burned the paint a bit. But didn't damage the urethane.
How your times compare to the MazdaSpeed 3?

 

[thaid]

There should be a plastic deflector on the bottom of the car that deflects air into the power steering cooler. These pieces of plastic are usually hanging by one rivet or completely gone.

Do not use power steering fluid! ATF+4 is what the system calls for. I think you need to do some research on fluids. Using something just because it seems better is not always the case. Seeing the oil you selected and you wanting to put power steering fluid in is what leads me to this suggestion. Why 5w-40 diesel oil? Use what is recommended, 5w-30 Mobil 1. Run the car, get an oil analysis, then make a decision. Simply throwing diesel oil in just because isn't a good idea.

My car sees about 1000 miles of track time every year. I run e85 with a big turbo and I still use Mobil1 5w-30. I get an oil analysis done every year, so I know that oil works just fine.

Thank you for your input. Red Line Power Steering Fluid meets or exceeds ATF requirements and is safe to be used as a direct replacement. For the 5W40 diesel oil, as stated by s3*ps2's post, the 40 weight works great in high heat conditions especially for forced induction cars. Amsoil DEO is API-SM gasoline compliant so the main noticeable difference with "regular" oil is the high zinc (ZDDP) content (which is great to reduce metal to metal contact). The only trade off in running a diesel oil is a slightly faster catalytic converter wear which won't matter to me once I go cat-less. Once I perform another oil change, I will send the oil off for analysis and post it in here. But it is safe to assume I will see excellent results just like my many past oil analysis from previous vehicles running this oil.

Ahhh a build thread love it.

As for the oil comment. I run 5w-40 on my AGP 50t JBB srt-4. A ton of guys recommend that oil weight on these cars due to the heat, especially during the summer in a hot location. Gets 90+ all summer long with heat indexes up to around 120 during the summer months here in Kansas.
https://www.srtforums.com/forums/f180/what-oil-type-do-you-use-629057/ I like reading Blackbird_R/T's posts he is a very knowledgeable guy. Looks like he is running diesel 5w-40 in that thread ^ Also see post 67. I don't drive my car that much but will switch to 5w-30 in the colder months.


Don't want your build thread to turn into a huge discussion on oil just stating my opinion.

What is the size and offset of those Konigs? 17x8 et42 is my guess. Offset looks high. Oh for the love of God put stock style headlights back on. Those projector style ones are nasty.

I had to get my whole rear fascia re-painted due to the previous owner with a single JDM tilt exhaust that burned the paint a bit. But didn't damage the urethane.
How your times compare to the MazdaSpeed 3?

Thanks for your support! Great info and good to see others running 5W40. I knew it was going to be my oil weight of choice before doing the research. That thread backs it up.

The wheels are Konig Dekagram 17x8 et 40 wrapped in 245/40/17 Hankook RS4. Needs a little spacer and fenders pulled to fit. Unfortunately the previous owner didn't give me the stock headlights so I went with these cheap blackout ones for now. I will be slaughtering one of them to make an intake port so it'll be fine.

My friend's Mazdaspeed 3 is heavily modified with a big turbo, so he pulls away on the straights and there are some corners where I can catch him so we're pretty even. He ran into mechanical problems before we switched positions for the cat and mouse.

Here's a small Youtube clip: https://youtu.be/fDf-i2uUh2s
You'll see I missed 3rd once in the video and I'm still not sure if thats me being an idiot or the car isn't catching 3rd. Also once I passed the Mazda, he broke down so we'll have to visit this match up again.

 

[Gizmodo]

As I said, you need to do your research. Some guy's (incorrect) opinion on a forum hardly counts. All his, and now your assumptions are based on myth and folklore.

Grab a copy of the June 2019 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. There is a multi-page article where they ask people that make and design oils these questions and most of what you based your oil choice on is wrong. It isn't 1995 anymore, the level of ZDDP in an oil isn't what determines how well it lubricates. Straight from the Amsoil website: "...While zinc is important in protecting against wear, the greatest concern should be in using a well-balanced oil that is designed for its intended application."

As for diesel oil, diesels aren't nearly as dirty as they used to be and many of the diesel oils don't contain the same amount of detergents in them and an synthetic oil with a good base stock.

Not to mention the most import thing. Get your oil analyzed and see what the report says. That is the true answer to all your oil questions.

 

[thaid]

As I said, you need to do your research. Some guy's (incorrect) opinion on a forum hardly counts. All his, and now your assumptions are based on myth and folklore.

Grab a copy of the June 2019 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. There is a multi-page article where they ask people that make and design oils these questions and most of what you based your oil choice on is wrong. It isn't 1995 anymore, the level of ZDDP in an oil isn't what determines how well it lubricates. Straight from the Amsoil website: "...While zinc is important in protecting against wear, the greatest concern should be in using a well-balanced oil that is designed for its intended application."

As for diesel oil, diesels aren't nearly as dirty as they used to be and many of the diesel oils don't contain the same amount of detergents in them and an synthetic oil with a good base stock.

Not to mention the most import thing. Get your oil analyzed and see what the report says. That is the true answer to all your oil questions.

I agree ZDDP content isn't the only thing that determines how well it lubricates, but it makes a difference, and DEO has a higher content of it than other oils. Also, yes a UOA is the only way to tell what is exactly going on with the oil and I will be posting my results once I do another flush.

For transparency, I chose this oil not because of some forum posts or from my positive experience with this oil, but from big shot local motorsport oil gurus in the industry for 15+ years. They've done way more UOAs than most and its been proven over and over again Amsoil (including DEO oil) is one of the best oils out there. Using DEO was from their recommendation years back and it has worked for me. Again, we'll end the oil debate here and wait for the UOA results! :smile: