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Kimmo's '85 Exa - reincarnated!

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:27 pm
by Kimmo
Location: Melbourne

Period of ownership: Since September 05

Performance: Should be heaps better >: (

Engine Mods: AFM relocation, KKR 280, electronic BOV, shithouse custom manifold, 21/2" zorst

Interior Mods: Adjusted brake and clutch pedals lower and bent the throttle over a bit for easier heel & toeing. Replaced cracked dash section with a bit of backyard upholstery; looks alright. MP3 deck with USB; cassette player hole used as CD stash

Exterior Mods: None... fuck, I'd love to have something sexy available to replace those fugly bars...

Wheels: 14" ET rims, got some Bluebird TRX 15s, just gotta get em to my joint from NSW...

Other: Scored this thing for $800... had to chuck some new discs on it, and a few other minor things... then one day not long after I'd done my rocker clearances, the timing belt tensioner retaining stud let go, and my valves said hello to my pistons. So I got this NT Garage mob in Yarraville to rebuild my motor. Not long afterwards my original turbo shat itself, and I went through a string of secondhand turbos trying to get rid of the smoke. The first turbo (a T25G in good nick) was pinched before I could install it, dammit... the last one was another T25G I'd stuck a T25 turbine housing on, but almost certainly needs a reco... anyway, the smoke was getting worse and worse, so I put a dummy turbo with just a bolt through it on to eliminate the turbo from the equation, and the smoke didn't diminish.
So just 3000 ks or so since the motor was rebuilt it was utterly fucked again. Not happy, Jan. Took it to C&D in Sunshine, and when they pulled the head off they informed me I'd been ripped off hard. Bloody slop everywhere. So they got me a reco donk, and I figured I CBF with the possibility of any more smoke, so I went for a KKR 280 for about $700. This ran kinda meh until about 3500 when it just went insane... once I did the AFM relocation though, there's heaps more power down low so it's pretty sweet now.

Future Plans: I don't want it to be too worked; I want it to retain plenty of driveability in the lower revs so it's still fun in traffic. I'm thinking either a smallish FMIC or a TMIC with plenty of ducting... or even a refrigerated TMIC, hmm... and a boost controller up to maybe 15PSI... a new computer would be nice, too. When the motor's sweet, I'll see about some ET trailing arms for the discs and swaybar. Springs and dampers might have to go at some point, too. Once all the mechanicals are sorted, I'll get onto the body... I figure I'll stick with the metallic charcoal over black, but try and tidy it up a lot... I'll piff off the black bit over the wheelarches (I'm tempted to do it with a spraycan in the meantime), prolly do the door handle and C pillar vent in the grey, bugger off the repeater indicators (maybe integrate some LEDs into the mirrors), change the five holes in the bonnet to a single slot with black mesh, and hopefully at some point, some custom bars and skirts and a nice set of 17s.
But I reckon I'll leave it for a bit before I get onto the body. Better value for my fun tickets in stuff like a 1/8 scale gas R/C beast or a $5000 pushie...

Pics:
Damn, those 13" Pulsar mags were vile...
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Aahhh.
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Like a fucking steam train.
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Picked up a spare car the same colour for $180; swapping a few bits and pieces:
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Those ET rims look bloody miles better, and somehow bigger than just another inch
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Backyard upholstery:
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Heart transplant in progress:
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Mmm, shiny
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CD storage; holds 35:
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State of the engine bay @ 23/11/7:
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With shit new exhaust; 9/1/8:
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Read on for details...

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:01 am
by Rohan 84ET
fuk me thats one shiny turbo!!! see i couldnt handle using it if i owned it, i would send it straight to the pool room! :lol:

is that the same size as T28?

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:50 am
by Kimmo
Nah, like I said, I think it's more like a T2. KKR 330 would prolly be T25 equivalent, and the KKR 380 is like a T28, I guess.
Have a look: http://www.amecautocare.com.au/Turbo%20list.htm

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 12:40 pm
by etking
looks like youv got some good ideas happening there a nice relieable ride goodluck

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 2:40 pm
by Kimmo
etking wrote:nice reliable ride
I'm yet to get to that part... it is coming, right?

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:42 pm
by {TUBZ}
that exa with the et rims...does that have an electric sunroof??? if so that could be my old exa...i wounder if that thing is still alive? good luk anyways mate

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:11 pm
by Kimmo
Yeah, that sunroof spun me out; I couldn't work out if it was factory or aftermarket. This car's also got stickers all over it and lairy bits of plastic bolted to the pedals. It's prolly not worth fixing up; the dude I got it off broke the key off in the driver's door then busted up the ignition switch so he could keep driving it. And pranged it, buggering the front bar and smashing the windscreen. Also the body's a bit rough and the motor had apparently quit, something to do with the ignition, supposedly. It'll be up for grabs when I've got the wheels off it...

BTW, get a load of the serial number on that turbo.
Rohan 84ET wrote:i would send it straight to the pool room! :lol:
Maybe if it was #000001 : p

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:35 pm
by {TUBZ}
when i sold my exa it had alot of oil leaks the dude who bought it didnt notice it hehe...every week i would top it up with oil hehe....nah its not factory

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:50 pm
by The Renegade
Looking nice Kimmo!
And that reliable part...yeah..sure it'll come......LoL

Nah yours should be A1. I had one that was near stock and it never missed a beat.

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:56 pm
by Kimmo
Cheers, mate : )
Kimmo wrote:Nah, like I said, I think it's more like a T2. KKR 330 would prolly be T25 equivalent, and the KKR 380 is like a T28, I guess.
Have a look: http://www.amecautocare.com.au/Turbo%20list.htm
Actually, Ben reckons the 280 is actually a tad bigger than the T25.... I haven't had a chance to compare it to a Garret yet

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:02 pm
by Kimmo
Woot, it's finished!

Just gotta fork out the second half of the $4150 bill and pick it up.

So they grabbed a reco motor instead of fixing mine up; hopefully it's been built properly... the new turbs needed some faffing around; it had to be rotated to suit, with a new bracket for the wastegate actuator, and the oil inlet line had to be changed with a different fitting on the end... and they had to make up a new dump pipe. Here's hoping they managed to give the exhaust a bit more room to turn that corner than the shitty stock one.

Can't fucken wait till it's run in...

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:08 pm
by The Renegade
SCHWEEEEEEEEET!!!!!

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:06 pm
by Kimmo
FUCK yeah.

I haven't been able to drive it without smoke pissing out the back for more than a year now.

Got dobbed into the ETA twice; the next time they were gonna fine me $6k...

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:05 pm
by Kimmo
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I can't cane the little fucker for another 1000 ks, but it sure seems plenty willing now Image
The new turbs sounds fucken shwoit*, mate Image

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*the Poida seal of approval
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Shwoit.

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:37 pm
by BennyET
nice mate, how much boost are you going to feed it without the i/c?