Part 6 - Steering and Stopping
Welcome back everyone. I finally have some time to sit and write an update for yall so get your popcorn cuz we have a lot to go through.
Diving back in now with the rear end of the car pretty much done it was time to turn my attention to the front and share some love. It started with a plan to rebuild the steering rack. Did it need it? No, but I've heard enough stories from drifters about the PS developing leaks due to worn seals and race conditions, so I figured it would be good future proofing. I picked up a seal rebuild kit for a few bucks and began disassembly. I don't know what the part is called, but the aluminium (?) locking collar that holds the main barrel together.. I broke it. The wrench I used was slightly over-sized and it was putting up a fight for some reason and it tore off a corner, then another. My choices now were to find a used replacement, junkyard pull or go for broke.
If I got a replacement I would still want to rebuild it and an OEM rebuild cost just as much if not more than aftermarket options. So I went for broke and got a new aftermarket rack.
*KFab Steering rack w/ solid bushing kit*
Install was pretty simple, mostly because there's literally nothing else in the way. One of the hard-line connectors was seized to the line so it took some finagling but I eventually got it hooked up. The bushing replacement went smooth as the rubber ones were new and pliable and the bracket was straight forward. While here I did replace the steering knuckle (universal joint) and connected it to the column.
Up next was to break open a box I had sitting for a long time, the angle kit. Since I want this to be a street-able car, at least somewhat, I didn't jump right into a mantis kit. To me that would shift this to a more dedicated drift car and in all honestly my noob skill wouldn't be able to make the most of it anyway. So I landed on something in the middle, I hope.
*GKtech V3 Angle Kit*
Apparently the earlier versions of this kit would require you to shave part of the knuckle for it to sit properly, luckily they fixed that so this just bolted right up. It did take a number of times taking them off and on to get measurements and center alignment as close as I could by eye. This kit also came with a Tie Rod extender so I did have to remove the boot and install that as directed. Then did one final check all the way around before thread-locking were required and torquing the bolts.
This next part may cause some heat but let's get into it. Brakes, glossing over the part where I ordered a set of rebuilt rear calipers for the dual setup, I had my sights set on a BBK. The Wiz managed to find a full set of Brembos for a good price so I grabbed them. While they sit in his warehouse still unseen by me (do they even exist?
), I still needed an extra set of rears so I kept my eyes open until I found a set of Akebonos I just had to drive 3 hrs for, worth it. I never owned/experienced either first had so I tried to do my due diligence for choosing which ones I wanted as my main set.
I won't try to say I'm an expert by any means but here is a good article that did a test comparison:
https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/inde ... =6446_6565
There can certainly be an argument made on both sides (as there are many discussions on it) as to which is "
better" but I think a lot comes to the pads, rotors, overall cost, etc. I sided with Akebono, people said they have a more balanced feel, better heat dispersion during cycling, less break dust. However, you do need additional mounting brackets for the front, new rotors and may cause wheel fitment issues on some OEM styles, but I digress.
The spray paint looked horrible so I sanded them down with 60 grit until they were smooth to the touch and prepped for paint.
*G2 KAE Dark Gray Metallic Paint*
This was my first time working with epoxy based paint and it was..interesting. They aren't perfect but I'm happy with the result, I topped them off with new bleeders and of course the decals.
Pro Tip Get some small bottles to divide the paint into BEFORE adding the hardening compound. Add a fraction of the compound to each bottle as you need it. I could notice by the second coat it was already getting harder to work with and I imagine trying to do them all at once the paint would have been unusable by the end. I will say though, there is plenty of paint. I did 2 coats doing the entire caliper and had enough left over to probably do a 3rd coat.
*Parts Shop Max Akebono Bracket*
As mentioned I did need these brackets, other retailers sell them, all comparable pricing, but I like the style of these. As noted on their site, you do have to shave the knuckles in a couple spots for them to seat properly. Oh, and make sure you put them on the proper side. I definitely didn't have them on the wrong side and go ham with the grinder before realizing it...
Alright, one final part of this update I'll touch on what's happening with the transmission. I have the pieces of an empty case, I have the guts, now it just needs to go together. Easier said than done for sure. I know absolutely nothing about the inner working so pretty much this entire part of the build is left to the Wiz on his practically non-existent spare time, to say it's taken a while. So here we stand..
*CD009 Cryo-Treated Gear set*
You can see a lot of the gears and syncros were already together but I shoulder surfed and helped a little getting them into the plate. It was cool to see and get a slightly better understanding on how it all works. From here we will get final pieces in > attach rb bell housing to motor > set shaft into motor ensure alignment and everything > weld bell to case for a complete trans, EZPZ.
Honestly, that pretty much catches you all up to where things currently stand. I haven't been able to get down there as much recently so progress has slowed a bit along with cost of parts for next steps. One final thing I could use opinions on is what route I should take when it comes to turbo setup. The original plan was a large single as is probably most common with rb25s, but I also have the option to go with a twin setup (think rb26dett). I don't know the exact sizes of them to share right now, I will when I find out, but in terms of spool time, boost range, etc how they differ? When I get specs I'd like to know things like max psi, hp and figure out which setup would be best for my desired application for the car.
That's all for today folks, hope you enjoyed the read an looking forward to when I can update yall next.
