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Lanter

Lanter's rebuild of a '98 Cobra

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1 hour ago, Det_Riot said:

Damn man, just catching up on your build from a while ago and what a battle of ups and downs. I'm glad nothing catastrophic was wrong with the engine, crazy how such a minute tolerance can alter the performance of an engine that much! Can't wait to see her lay down some real numbers soon!

 

 

It's been an adventure that's for sure lol. Hopefully the low points are all behind me now.  I can't wait either, hopefully she doesn't disappoint. 

 

24 minutes ago, Tabres said:

 

Nope, I decided to wait until the fall, maybe mid to late September.  Cooler weather and all, you know?  The old tune is still close enough I can lightly goof off around town.

 

My appointment is late September which sucks to wait that long but should be a better time to tune for sure. These 90+ degree high humidity days are for the birds lol. 

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Car's officially back together and compression on cylinder 5 is 150!!  Sounds much better and runs smoother.  I still need to check compression on all 8 and fix some leaking AN fittings on my coolant lines.  Also sounds like my alternator bearing is on its way out :angry:...   

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35 minutes ago, Tabres said:

Big congrats, man!  Glad to hear the engine is doing much better!  Just get the small stuff ironed out and you'll be set!

 

Thanks Bryan!  Really hoping once the small stuff is taken care of I can take a small break from working on the car and just enjoy it again lol.  

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On 9/3/2016 at 9:57 PM, copmagnet said:

I know I'm late to the party, but I am super excited your engine builder fixed the issues!

 

Me too man!  Really went way better than I expected given the nature or race parts and the time that's gone by.  Now if I could get these damn AN fittings to stop leaking coolant all over the place that would be great lol.   You figure out what was causing your car to run weird?

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Finally seemed to have fixed my coolant leak.  I ended up, after redoing/replacing the fragola fittings 5 times, ended up just pulling all the fragola hose and fittings and replaced them with aeroquip.  Hopefully that's the last coolant leak I see on this car lol.  Also ditched the broken expansion tank and replaced it with one from an s197 mustang.  

 

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Then drove the car to get it up to temperature and make sure once the coolant system pressurizes it remains leak free, which it did.  Car is incredibly dirty but seems to drive pretty well now.  Amazing I didn't know any better but it takes off so much easier now and pulls way smoother, not surprising I suppose since it was down 3 cylinders...

 

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BD5743D8-1034-4EB2-B8B3-EDADAE9EEA5D_zps

 

 

Edited by Lanter
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2 hours ago, RideTech_Ryan said:

Glad to hear that everything is back together and going smooth.  Sounds like you have a great engine builder.

 

Thanks Ryan,  he definitely went above and beyond what I was expecting.  Hopefully I can have a smooth dyno day now and update the thread with good new lol.

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3 minutes ago, RideTech_Ryan said:

lol at least you have news.  Mine hasnt been touched in months

 

 

I have been waiting for some updates on yours for a while now, didn't know it has been quite that long though :(  Any idea when you'll get time to work on it some more and give the people what they want, more of that blower/intake manifold goodness lol  

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8EC10FFE-8A9B-42DD-B5AB-D3F98C414B6D_zps

 

numbers are in!  Car made 700/680 on 18-19 lbs.  We tried upping boost a bit from there but the ignition system couldn't handle it so until I get better/new coils or a boost-a-spark I'm not pushing it harder. Couldn't be happier with Lees tune, car drives like stock and pulls like madd. I haven't felt full throttle yet or up to 6000 rpm but gettin on it 3/4 throttle felt crazy lol.  

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14 minutes ago, Tabres said:

Great numbers, especially for a b-head car!  Real happy it turned out well for you, especially after all the nonsense you've been through with it.

 

Did you take any dyno videos?

 

Thanks man.  I am more than happy with it even if the ignition system wouldn't let us turn the boost up more.  I have a couple videos but they are shot with an iPhone so the quality is shit lol..  I'll get one up though as the sound still is decent.

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34 minutes ago, Tabres said:

Sounds great!

 

Thanks man.  It has a small exhaust leak somewhere you can hear at part load but if you get into it the wastegates are the only thing you can hear lol..  Oh thanks for the tips on taking tools and extra spark plugs, ended up switching plugs once and regapping twice.

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Purchased a speedhut oil pressure gauge during their black friday sale and finally got it mounted into the car.  Gauge took a while to get here which gave me time to redo the cup holder gauge pod and make it a dual gauge pod.  

 

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The pod still needs some sanding to make it smoother in prep for a paint that matches the interior black better.  But for now it looks decent and I like it a lot more than when it was just a single gauge pod.

 

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Also bought a set of export mirrors, both need tore down and restored but come spring time they should be finished and paint matched to the car.

 

BC901D23-6920-4137-8371-4B492AFE5BFF_zps

 

Also still need to pull the driver's side axle out to have it re-booted and re-greased.  

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Can't believe I have owned my exports for two years now and have yet to wire them up lol... I have started to get a game plan together to do this though and my plan is to just use the factory 4 pin plug and just add a single one pin connector to both tail lights. Anyone else that has wired in exports care to share their method?

 

Here is my schematic I will try to follow. Only thing still up in the air is whether I want to make all three tail lights function as brake lights or leave just the standard two outer bulbs as brake lights.

 

export_wiring_with_factory_plug_zpsarcs6

 

Going over it in my head and reviewing some of the writeups online I think it'll take only two wires being modified to work, the brake/turn signal wire to the factory tail lights and the third brake light wiring. My plan is as follows:

(1) Tap into the signal wire for the third brake light and run a lead to both tail lights
(2) Cut the factory turn signal/brake light wire for each tail light on the car body side of the harness.
(3) Connect the third brake light signal lead from step 1 to the newly cut turn signal/brake light wire so that the third brake light signal wire now goes into the tail light plug
(4) Run the factory turn signal/brake light lead that use to go to the factory 4 pin connector to it's own single pin connector. This wire will signal the amber turn signal bulb in the export light.
(5) Add in an extra bulb for the amber turn signal and connect its ground lead to the other tail light bulbs ground leads. Run the signal lead out to the newly added single pin connector.
(6) To make the amber turn signal bulb only operate for the turn signal indicator and not for the brake lights you need to cut the signal wire under the dash. From what I have read there are two red wires with green stripes, one for the main brake lights and the other for the center brake light. You want to cut the one for the main brake lights since you won't need this brake light feed anymore, since the light will now only act as a turn signal
(7) Last will be replacing the flasher unit with one for LED bulbs so to slow down the flash speed. 

 

Here is a good reference writeup that I used. http://www.fordvschevy.com/mods/must...taillight.html I will be adding pictures and more details in the coming weeks when I complete the install.

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I was able to take advantage of the ridiculously warm weekend to get my export mirrors painted.  They still need another round of buffing but turned out pretty well, still makes me want any color but black so they wouldn't blend so much lol.  Here's what they looked like when I started.


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They were a little scuffed here and there but overall in good shape with exceptional glass.  So first step was dissassembly.  First in this process is removing the glass, I have read online about simply yanking on the glass until it pops out but the design uses plastic hooks to retain to the motor assembly and this plastic is now 20 years old and inherently brittle so I took the approach of using two small flat tip screwdrivers to pry the hooks off the motor on one side then the glass pops out with ease. 


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 After that you can remove 6 torx screws, three that hold the motor to the outer portion of the mirror (part that swivels) and three that hold the swivel portion to the base.   Now you can either disassemble the wiring from the plug so you can completely remove the motor from the base or do as I did and just tape up the motor to protect it from paint.


BFCCEA1D-86B2-453A-AFB6-DAFBF2F6F79C_zps


After a good wash I hit them with 300, 400, 600 grit sandpaper and then degreased.  I then sprayed the bases and outer mirror with gloss black.  I then sprayed the bases with flat clear coat and the outer mirrors with a gloss clear coat.  


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Time for reassembly.
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And the finished product.
DCCCE3B6-933F-4733-95B9-1E05EE08A0F6_zps

 

Here is the before and after, not the most dramatic change but the entire car really needs a good wash and the mirrors need to be wet sanded and buffed again.  Should look better out in the light of day as well lol.

CCF96D43-8F24-47A3-977C-07704D7A86E1_zps

 

A49F2FF3-3D69-4A13-8FCF-A8ECAC4C11D3_zps

 

Next project is wiring up the tail lights, oil pressure gauge and taking out the rear axles for maintenance.... 

Edited by Lanter
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Man.  I knew you were having some fits with the car, but I didn't know the extent.  You are a trooper!  Through the trans issues and the engine issues and everything.  That's really great to hear your engine builder stood behind his work like that.  I think if you guys weren't halfway across the country, I'd have to go talk to him about the engine for the Charger.  Really cool though to see it all come together and really lay down some nice numbers.  The whole package; engine, turbo, drivetrain, wheels, rare bits and pieces, interior, and nice paint, it's all really something to be proud of.  

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On 1/24/2017 at 10:59 AM, Lanter said:

 

CCF96D43-8F24-47A3-977C-07704D7A86E1_zps

 

A49F2FF3-3D69-4A13-8FCF-A8ECAC4C11D3_zps

 

 

 

These photos here... I'm curious how well your doors fit to the fenders?  It looks like the fenders are almost more tucked in on the vertical plane than the doors are or is it really just an optical illusion.  Reason I ask is because my car does has that issue.  No matter how I adjust the fenders, the gaps suck.  I've got them to the point where they're not super terrible but I'm not happy with them.  I know my car was involved in a front end collision before I bought it and at this point I question how well the repair was done.  The gaps were never too much of an issue until I started getting the car level and square and stiffening the chassis with subframes, roll-bar, and all of the MM suspension stuff.  I'm guessing the frame probably needed pulled at some point and never was.

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6 hours ago, Tabres said:

 

 

These photos here... I'm curious how well your doors fit to the fenders?  It looks like the fenders are almost more tucked in on the vertical plane than the doors are or is it really just an optical illusion.  Reason I ask is because my car does has that issue.  No matter how I adjust the fenders, the gaps suck.  I've got them to the point where they're not super terrible but I'm not happy with them.  I know my car was involved in a front end collision before I bought it and at this point I question how well the repair was done.  The gaps were never too much of an issue until I started getting the car level and square and stiffening the chassis with subframes, roll-bar, and all of the MM suspension stuff.  I'm guessing the frame probably needed pulled at some point and never was.

can't you loosen all the mounting bolts and then pull it out and then tighten it down?  Do you have any fender spacers in place?  

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On 1/27/2017 at 10:49 PM, SublimeRT said:

Man.  I knew you were having some fits with the car, but I didn't know the extent.  You are a trooper!  Through the trans issues and the engine issues and everything.  That's really great to hear your engine builder stood behind his work like that.  I think if you guys weren't halfway across the country, I'd have to go talk to him about the engine for the Charger.  Really cool though to see it all come together and really lay down some nice numbers.  The whole package; engine, turbo, drivetrain, wheels, rare bits and pieces, interior, and nice paint, it's all really something to be proud of.  

 

The cars certainly not made it easy at times but it could have been worse. Roger (the engine builder) really treated me better than he had to given the time that had past but after talking a lot with him I think that's just how he is. Thanks for the kind words. I am proud of where the car is now an hope I can keep making it better. 

 

On 1/28/2017 at 10:45 AM, Tabres said:

 

 

These photos here... I'm curious how well your doors fit to the fenders?  It looks like the fenders are almost more tucked in on the vertical plane than the doors are or is it really just an optical illusion.  Reason I ask is because my car does has that issue.  No matter how I adjust the fenders, the gaps suck.  I've got them to the point where they're not super terrible but I'm not happy with them.  I know my car was involved in a front end collision before I bought it and at this point I question how well the repair was done.  The gaps were never too much of an issue until I started getting the car level and square and stiffening the chassis with subframes, roll-bar, and all of the MM suspension stuff.  I'm guessing the frame probably needed pulled at some point and never was.

 

No illusion, I was in a small front end collision back in 2007 that I admittedly haven't taken the time to adjust everything, assuming I can get it back to factory fit. It bothers me but has always been lower priority compared to other things and now the weather is a little to cold for me to go into my garage since it's more of a parking garage not so much a working garage. Come spring I am planning to try and get the fenders fitting better and respray a factory hood I picked up. The one on the car is aftermarket and leaves a lot to be desired in fit and quality. 

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5 hours ago, White95 said:

We're showcasing your ride on Facebook as the "build of the week". Congratulations ?

 

Awesome, I appreciate it!  

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@White95 Exports are wired, I repeat exports are wired lol.  After a couple of years I finally broke down and tackled the wiring.

 

I ended up using my factory tail light harnesses with an added bulb that I pulled out of a junk yard harness.  Goal was to not modify the interior body harness or plug at all, except to tap into the third brake light, so all my modifications were done to the actual tail light harness.  Below is my crude wiring diagram I used, wire color in the diagram are arbitrary and do not reflect actual harness color.

 

export_wiring_with_factory_plug

 

So step 1 was to remove the tail lights and pull the harnesses off.  I then added one two wire bulb that will become the turn signal bulb.  I simply spliced into the ground wire located on the tail light bulb above it then ran the signal wire down the harness and to the factory plug.

 

Step 2 was to remove the brake light pin (happens to on a '98 be the only pin with two wires going into it).  I then removed the pin from the two wires with a pick after a lot of stuck fingers and patience.

 

Step 3 was to run the signal wire from the newly added turn signal bulb to the pin that use to contain the brake light wires, I re-crimped the pin onto the turn signal bulb signal wire and re-installed that pin into the factory 4 pin plug.

 

Step 4 involved adding a single weather proof plug that will now supply the brake lights with their signal from the third brake light.  I purchased two single 14 gauge weather pack connectors from McMaster Carr.  So I now moved the two brake light wires that were originally going to the factory 4 pin plug and crimped them into the new single pin plug.

 

Step 5 was adding the brake light signal wire.  This involved tapping into the third brake light, in my case the wire is located in a plug that goes to the trunk harness and is red in color.  I then ran the tapped wire to the tail lights and plugged it into the added single pin weather pack plug.

 

Step 6 you need to de-pin or cut the brake light signal wire located at the main distribution block behind the driver's kick panel.  Photos of where this block is located and what wire to cut can be found here: http://www.chythar.net/mustang/mustang_94-95_export_taillight_installation.html  It's worth noting that if you take your time and dissasseble the distribustion block ever so slightly you can pull the wire and pin out of the block instead of cutting it.

 

Step 7 just involves replacing the factory flasher with a Tridon EP-27 "trailering" electronic flasher.  Reason here is the flasher works by operating with a known resistance across the turn signal bulbs, when one bulb goes bad the resistance changes since current can no longer flow across that bulb.  When this happens the flasher speeds up to alert the driver a bulb is bad.  Well in the factory case there are two turn signal bulbs in the tail lights, with the exports there is only a single bulb.  So the factory flasher is operating under the same conditions as a factory car with one bad turn signal bulb, hence the fast flashing turn signal.  Replacing with the trailering flasher which is made to operate under a different resistance valve slows the flasher back down since it is for a single tail light turn signal bulb.

 

It was late and dark out so I didn't take any pictures of the harnesses but if people are interested I can take some this weekend when it's light out.

 

Results:

 

IMG_3245

 

 

IMG_3238

 

Edited by Lanter
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Dammit...

 

You won the race!! Thank you for the most informative write up. I think you should copy/paste it to a new thread in the "how to" section.

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58 minutes ago, White95 said:

Dammit...

 

You won the race!! Thank you for the most informative write up. I think you should copy/paste it to a new thread in the "how to" section.

 

This race was in the works for some time now, there's so many people I'd like to thank for my victory haha.  Will do, and I'll add more pictures to it when I get a chance to take some. 

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Recently installed a n2mb WOT box so have been playing around with it.  Have to relearn how to drive the car as I use to always rest my foot on the clutch pedal which now trips the box into thinking I am going to shift, the clutch switch in these cars are really sensitive lol.  Anyway the 2 step needs some work as it's flooding the car if I hold it too long but I have read upping engine speed can remedy that so I need to give that a try as I was just testing it out at 3000 rpm when I had the flooding issues.  The no lift shift feature is awesome and damn close to what I would consider a must have for a turbo car.  In the video below I am shifting around 5k just testing but even short shifting it's a vast difference.  You can see in my 2-3 shift boost barely drops, I fully expect it to not drop at all when I shift at 6500 instead of 5000.

 

 

 

Apologize for the crappy video and not turning my iPhone sideways but driving and shifting one handed proved to be a challenge lol... really need to get a go pro

Edited by Lanter
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Picked up a set of 16" standard gt wheels and some hoosier QTP's.  Hopefully I can get a chance to try them out tomorrow with the 2step and cut my 60 times down to at least a sub 2 second range lol. 

 

36662610294_a82e831d44_o.jpgUntitled by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

Edited by Lanter
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Not a lot has been going on.  Just driving the car and enjoying it.  Really haven't had time to get to the track as it seems to always rain on Fridays during test and tune night lol.  Was able to get it down in the 11s at 130 with a still terrible 2.1s sixty foot, getting use to and setting up the two step and WOT shifting is taking time but every time I get to the track I only get two runs in so not a lot of tuning time.  

 

38034419022_395179ce01_k.jpgdrag by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

Also picked up another datsun lol.  I've had a couple 280z's in the past and sold both, always regretted selling the 1977 280z.  So anyway I found a blasted and sealed 1974 260z that needs new floors and some other metal work.  I've never taken on a project of this depth but am excited to force myself to learn.  Black Friday I am planning on picking up a TIG welder and some metal to practice on then get started replacing the floors and getting the body squared away.  Also for those that know about the s30's I picked up a L28 with a 5 speed that I will do a high compression NA build that will have triple carbs.  My last two z's were turbo sixes which were fun but I think a period correct race inspired carb's z will be a blast.

 

24073684508_3747383389_b.jpgUntitled by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

37215039684_ff9f702bd5_k.jpgUntitled by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

37871444996_4649d92ea8_k.jpgUntitled by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

37215039814_3efe58d68f_k.jpgUntitled by Kevin Lanter, on Flickr

 

 

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looks like a heck of a project but fun for sure.  Since I picked up a welder and learned to weld and gained some confidence I have wondered about a project this in depth.  First thing I did was go to my local metal supplier and got some small pieces for the first project I planned and while I was there picking it up I asked if they had some scrap pieces that they did not need or would miss for me to learn on and they were happy to point at a dumpster in the corner and told me to take what I wanted.  

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20 hours ago, White95 said:

YES!! I love old Nissans!!!

 

Yea, there is something about them that I love too.  Just really simple, easy to work on, fun to drive cars.   And I think this one staying carb'd and stripped down will be enough of change from my mustang that I can enjoy both.

 

14 hours ago, ttocs said:

looks like a heck of a project but fun for sure.  Since I picked up a welder and learned to weld and gained some confidence I have wondered about a project this in depth.  First thing I did was go to my local metal supplier and got some small pieces for the first project I planned and while I was there picking it up I asked if they had some scrap pieces that they did not need or would miss for me to learn on and they were happy to point at a dumpster in the corner and told me to take what I wanted.  

 

I'm excited to be back in a datsun project but it's going to be a slow one to finish as it literally needs everything, as you can see lol.  I'm comfortable on the MIG but have never tried out a TIG, which is why I am going to buy one so I can force myself to learn.  We have a couple massive metal scrap bins at the technical center that I work at sometimes that I can grab out some practice pieces.  Definitely plan on taking advantage of it lol.

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Just now, Lanter said:

 

Yea, there is something about them that I love too.  Just really simple, easy to work on, fun to drive cars.   And I think this one staying carb'd and stripped down will be enough of change from my mustang that I can enjoy both.

 

 

While it's not what most people would go for, I'm after a "late model classic' Nissan in the future:

 

Related image

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