Gravy's Race Car

[Gravy]

So I've finally bitten the bullet and purchased a car with the intention of completely transforming it into a pure track car. I've been getting into amateur SuperSprint racing these past few years but haven't had the money to splash on my own track car. Things have changed!

This project will take at least 12 months, probably more like 3 years. This thread will serve as to a regular update page so others can see where I'm up to with the build.

So here we go!

The car: 2003 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII GSR
A JDM base model imported Evo 8 as a bang for buck starting point.



The aim: Competitive times in the SuperSprint series and a car to learn the required skillset for more competitive racing series.

The plan: Upgraded suspension, modified and tuned engine and drivetrain, semi-slicks and go-fast stripes.

As of Friday 7th May 2010 the car is 206kW atw with no modifications other than a turbo-back exhaust, boost controller/gauge and a turbo timer.

Now to visit my local Evo specialist to discuss the options for my desired outcome!

[Gravy]

[CrAnIuM]

Done a dyno yet ?

[Gravy]

Done a dyno yet ?

Next weekend hopefully! Will post up the sheet when I get it done.

I know some people in the Sydney area with Evo 8's and 9's running at over 400kw and have spent no more than $5,000 on them. Now to find out how..!

[CrAnIuM]

Next weekend hopefully! Will post up the sheet when I get it done.

I know some people in the Sydney area with Evo 8's and 9's running at over 400kw and have spent no more than $5,000 on them. Now to find out how..!

Ya don't have to give away trade secrets or anything but if you come across stuff that a mediocre gear head like me might have missed while teaching himself how do do stuff ... Then post it here !!

[KommieKat]

Dude! Looks snazzy....(we still use that word?). Not too heavy with the cosmetics. I like. Would like to see the innards (engine), the dash, your seats and most importantly, your sound system.

[Gravy]

Dude! Looks snazzy....(we still use that word?). Not too heavy with the cosmetics. I like. Would like to see the innards (engine), the dash, your seats and most importantly, your sound system.

Will take some photos today and post them up tonight. Everything on the exterior is stock, except for the rims (which I'll probably get painted at work until I get some lightweight ones in the future).

The seats are the stock suede Recaro's in the front. I put a JVC head unit it yesterday and don't intend to change any of the speakers. No need for added weight! The only reason I put the JVC unit in is because it had a Japanese minidisc player in it when it got off the boat and their radio frequencies for FM only range from 80-90. The JVC unit has an aux-in and a USB port at the front so I can just shove my iPod or flash drive straight in and be on my merry way!

[Gravy]

[Gravy]

I seem to be peaking at just under 2bar, so me thinks this baby was boosted more than the importer suggested.

Yesterday, I asked my girlfriend if she saw anything wrong with the intercooler. She then got down on the ground and had a close look. I pushed the intercooler spray button and she got soaked! Ohhhh I love this toy!

[Gravy]

I've installed a cheapo CD/MP3/AUX/USB player as you can see above. Most people with a set of hands and half a brain could do this themselves, so I won't bother with the write-up for that. I've also got an EcuTek engine management computer on the way. After that arrives, I'll give the little lady a nice tune before hitting the dyno to see where I'm at!

Oh yeah! Here is a close-up of the gauge:



I put her up on the hoist and had a good look during the week as well. Very clean underneath, but needs a new turbo-back exhaust.



I would have taken more photos while I had it up, but I was busy doing a clutch on an AE86 Sprinter. Fucking Toyota's...

[Gravy]

On a quick cruise around Olympic Park last night I managed to get 1.5bar boost at approximately 5000rpm under heavy acceleration in 2nd gear. I'm scared of what this thing can do when I've finished modding it!

[Gravy]

Random shot with a mate's RX-7 at work


Painted the track rims at work yesterday:


New cams, adjustable cam gears, fuel pump, BOV, dump, front pipe, high-flow cat, cat-back exhaust, slotted brake rotors and window tint coming gradually over the next few months. Been too busy lately to spend much time on the car!

[Gzus]

AE86 Sprinter.

Drifting much?

[Gravy]

Drifting much?

You betcha. It has a turbo Supra motor in it and kicks out just nicely especially in first and second gear.

Looking stealthy now:

[TopGrey]

Nice ride! I've a friend with a Subaru Sti pushing 680 bhp, or 507 kW, he runs it at SCCA meets here in the area.

I've always like the Mitsu's better.

BTW---your shits all on the wrong side. Here in the U.S. we call RH drivers Postal trucks/cars!!!!

[Gravy]

Shopping List Update:

HID head light kit - fitted!
Evolution 8MR BOV - fitting this weekend
Exedy Sports Organic Clutch Kit - fitting next weekend
Tune - will be carried out at 3 stages. Stage 1 - After fitting turbo back exhaust. Stage 2 - After completing engine modifications. Stage 3 - Allowing for any adjustments made after stage 2.

Still to buy or fit:

Invidia 70mm dump w/ O2 extender cable
Tomei front pipe
TurboXS High Flow Cat
Fujitsubo RM-01A CBE
Cusco 4 point underbody brace
Cusco rear strut brace
DBA slotted front rotors
DBA rear rotors
TEIN superstreet coilovers - will have to be done after I move out of this apartment, otherwise I will scrape the front end on the driveway
Whiteline front swaybar
Whiteline rear swaybar
Evolution 9 Turbo - or an HKS turbo if I win the lottery!
HKS camshaft gears (intake and exhaust)
272/272 camshafts (not sure which brand I'll be going with yet)
Walbro fuel pump

Bling still to buy or fit:

Evolution 8MR headlights
Evolution 8MR tail lights
Evolution 8MR vortex generator
Evolution 9 rear bumper
Do-Luck style front lip
Front canards
Perrin stubby antenna


A lot of work still to do, but it will slowly come together over the next 2 years. It's hard to find the free time to get everything done! I'm saving thousands on labor by doing most of the work myself though, so will be worth it in the end!

[Gravy]

MR BOV & Exedy Clutch both installed a month ago and working great!

Update:

ARC Intercooler + pipe kit
ARC Radiator + pipe kit

Purchased near new from a mate from another forum at an unbelievable price of $1500 all up (RRP $2700+ just for the intercooler) this morning. Fitment tomorrow after work! Will also evacuate and recharge the R134A from my A/C while I'm at it. Got to keep cool during summer!

[Gzus]

Looking tits with the black wheels there Mr D
Maybe small bits of red detail could look nice . . . . or not.

[Gravy]

Looking tits with the black wheels there Mr D
Maybe small bits of red detail could look nice . . . . or not.

It's on the agenda! I was going to do the lip of the rims in the same Brembo red as the brakes, but in a few months you'll see why I didn't!

[Kill_em_All]

22 year-old, suburban white boys all over America are jealous of your car.

[Toao]

That's a cool car, but is there a way to fix the steering wheel?

So have you dealt with Infiniti yet? Mine's pretty quick for a stock car, but some of the modded ones on youtube seem unreal.

[Gravy]

22 year-old, suburban white boys all over America are jealous of your car.

Funny that. Most nice cars in Sydney are driven by Wogs, Lebs, Jews or Greeks. The white boys normally drive around in a Ford or GM piece of rubbish!

That's a cool car, but is there a way to fix the steering wheel?

So have you dealt with Infiniti yet? Mine's pretty quick for a stock car, but some of the modded ones on youtube seem unreal.

What's wrong with the steering wheel? It is only an angle because of the way I had it parked in the driveway!

We only get the Infiniti G35 import down here. All of the rest of them retain the Nissan badging and naming. We don't see any modified G35's, though. For the Nissan's it is mostly the S15 Silvia, 180SX (240SX in the USA), R32/R33/R34/R35 Skyline, 350Z or 370Z that you see on the street. You rarely see any of them on the track, though, and the ones on the street aren't the quickest cars out there!

[Toao]

What's wrong with the steering wheel? It is only an angle because of the way I had it parked in the driveway!

It's on the passenger side.

The sport models of the Infiniti are a bit quicker. According to the magazines, mine doe 0-60mph/97kp in 5,7 and the 1/4 in 14.1, which while not the fastest, is decent, for a full sized stock family car. I took it up to 240kph when I got it, and it felt surprisingly comfortable at that speed.I was tempted to have one of the shops by my work play with it, but on the west coast, emissions are a pain in the ass.

[Gravy]

21/05/2011
Eastern Creek Raceway

Best time 1 : 57 : 405
(running street tyres and stock-tune to stay in the slow group for my first crack at this track with this car)
Pretty happy to get under 2 minutes. The Super Modified class were doing around 1:38 this year, which is on par with the World Time Attack Challenge times.

Didn't get to complete the full day because of a mate's intimate encounter with a concrete wall (Part 1 Part 2 please don't repost photos) which left him hospitalised for the afternoon.

Have been taking way too many photos of the mods and DIY's. I'll probably post some up in this thread next month when I get some time off work to go through them all.

[Josie]

Gravy is D... teh fuck?