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03/04/07 – More on paint/body, Fuel Cell Install, Wastegate Install, Flex install 

Friday:
A question was posed:

“All this work Newman and you still plan to sell once it's done? If you do still plan to then you have to have a buyer lined up already right? If not, I'll make the first bid by offering up my first born.....”

 As it looks now, I'd probably sell the lotus and keep this, but chances are I will just keep all 3.1

 I'm still waiting on some exhaust parts, so in the meantime:

 Yesterday, I removed 58 LBs2 of sound deadening from the trunk, as well as all the carpet. I put the 8 Gallon fuel cell into the spare tire well. The Summit 8 Gallon cell has no sending unit, so I can see myself running out of fuel once or twice. I may make a holder for an extra fuel can of Just In Case fuel.3

 I scored some strips of 16GA 304 that I will make hold down straps with. Today I also plan on mounting the WG. I am not doing a dump, I've decided I hate WG dumps4, so I will try to tie it into the exhaust a ways downstream... probably at the second straight section.

 If I still have time remaining, I am going to look into mounting the IC, while also performing a bumper tuck. (To do this you remove the pressure from the gas springs behind the bumper and press them in)5

 This is a picture of an aluminum bumpered car that's been tucked and painted, I think the only change needed is painting the door molding black.

THIS IS THE COLOR I WANT + Fat gold wheels = sex:

It's BMW urban green. only came on a few Z4s

Saturday:
Got everything I planned for accomplished today.

First:
Fuel Cell6

Next:
Wastegate mounted to manifold7

Then:
Added some flex to the downpipe

After:
Connected the WG to the DP with some tube and a flex joint8 (minimize internal, thermally induced, stresses)

The completed Downpipe:

Building this thing was fairly easy.  It’s made of 304SS J bends that I got from (I think) Vibrant Racing.  They were easy to work with and cut, Matt from HC welded it up for me eventually.  The 4 Bolt flange is kind of wimpy at only 3/8 inch, but I don’t foresee any major problems.  I got a lot of questions about the mini flex section for the wastegate.  It also came from Vibrant.  Also, more gross rust on the fuel cell shots!  Later I added a VBAND clamp to the down pipe after the flex.



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(1)       Or mod the hell out of my STi, sell the lotus and buy a Range Rover!

(2)       Seriously!  I weighed it!

(3)       I did not get a unit with a fuel level sender.  I cheaped out.  If I run out of gas, it’s my own fault!

(4)       I retract this statement.  I love WG dumps.  My Subaru and Turbociv’s 328 sound so good.

(5)       Or I could just cut the hell out of an Mtech1 valence.

(6)       Complete with rear mounted sump.

(7)       I actually bought this used from a kid in the mall who had it on a cursed turbo IS300.  I hope it doesn’t curse my car.  I hope I still have the fire ring.  I hope that the guy in Best Buy who asked me why I was carring a wastegate around the mall wound up turboing his civic.

(8)       It’s so cuuuute.