Mac's 94 DB8 project thread AKA: Project Aeris.. ITR stuff, body work.. ect

[mac_24_seven]

I get migranes. Loud exhaust and migranes DO NOT MIX. I'll sacrifice some power to be quiet. Though, Andrew is getting a OBX twin loop.. If it sounds good and isn't too loud, I'll get one and maybe pick up 1/2-1 hp I'm losing w/the OEM muffler.

And, the reason why I went w/the complete red front end was because I wanted to make sure evrything matched up real nice. My car had a few incidents w/parking lots and being bumped into and whatnot.. so the fenders werent in the greatest of shape.
I wanted ot make sure I didnt have any damage to the frame or anything (which I don't so YAY! for me).


Unfortunately for me, I woke up w/another migrabe today so I didnt feel like going out w/anybody.. but I felt good enough to work on my car (it went away thankfully).

I started on my front license plate holes...

Then I used a dremel to grind em down..

And I bought some Bondo and put it on, but it's not warm enough for it to dry, so I'll wait and sand it down/primer later this week. I've taken lots of pics so I'll do a writeup on it whenever I'm done.

I woudl have doen it today, but no gauge pod yet So, in my quest to find something to do on my car, I figured I'd clean my engine bay, since it was rather nasty.

Before:

After:

You can see around the head is much cleaner. I just bought some Gunk and used a high pressure washer from a car wash to get it all clean.

And I figured out how I'm gonna run my gauges, so I'll definetly be doing that this week. And, I've changed out my instrument cluster lights w/soe wide angled LED's that I snagged from Andrew..Looks sick.

I'll post pics later tonight when it's nice and dark.

Also...
My dad painted my truck this weekend ( I just helped prep it) so he's got everything that I need to actually paint my car. It's a real bright white which, I havn't seen in the sunlight because we had to leave the truck in the shop to dry. Should look really nice, we'll see. Regardless, since the paints free (have an extra gallon of white) thats what I'll be painting mine with

And, it's very possible I could have my car ready to paint by the end of march! We'll have to see how money/time goes this coming month.

Thanks for the props.More to come guys... stay posted

 

[Andrew]

Heck yeah man! that engine bay is lookin HOT.
Man, your car must be fast... you went so fast you blasted the black paint off the radiator after you cleaned the bay. the dirt and grime built up on the motor musta been holding back the JDM powa

And have you decided what you think you'll do about the valvecover? powdercoat, paint, ITR maybe?

And dude, you gotta get some pics up of the painting process....I can't wait to see what the Ranger looks like....

 

[mac_24_seven]

As promised.. the pic of my gauge cluster. Sorry it's blurry.. It was taken w/a very nice canon digital SLR but I'm not the photographer in the family and I can;t take pics w/it at night.

So this'll have to do. Again, sorry it's blurry. This was the best out of five

I'll get better pics when I get my gauges installed ( I'll have my wife do it )

And Andrew.. I"ll get pics of the ranger as soon as I can. Mom said it looked great I'm curious to see how it looks as well.

 

[Andrew]

lovin those gauges.......... (that'll be $2.50 for the 3 bulbs you stole from me.) =)

 

[mac_24_seven]

Whatever! You gave em to me and YOu got em for free. Plus, I took 8 suckah!

And.. Oh man... I've got REALLY nice pics coming later today (can't wait!!!)

 

[mac_24_seven]

Oh yeah!!!!!!!

Sorry for the dull pic. But you see the goods And just so you know they are ITR...

More goodies coming as soon as Fed Ex arrives!!

 

[Andrew]

 

[mac_24_seven]

I snapped these at lunch time.. Shame I don't have a better camera at work :S

Still waiting on Fed Ex to get here....

 

[BrutalB83]

The gauge cluster looks pimp! Good work!

Oh by the way, had a question for you. Can you just directly swap from the 94-97 front bumper to the 98-up? Do the headlights fit the same?

Just asking because the front bumper on my 97 coupe is about to get replaced due to a minor accident, so if the 98+ bumper bolts right up then I'll go with that.

Sorry for the minor threadjack, lol...keep up the good work...

 

[asmallsol]

I would edit out the pic of the box the cam's came in. It has your address right on it. Remember theives love GSRs

 

[Andrew]

It's cool... it's the address to his work. (like 30 min from his house)

Brutal- I think you have to use the 98+ headlights. actually, I'm almost positive you do, b/c thats what we had to do... lol

 

[SlushboxTeggy]

It's cool... it's the address to his work. (like 30 min from his house)

Brutal- I think you have to use the 98+ headlights. actually, I'm almost positive you do, b/c thats what we had to do... lol

Don't forget that you have to use the bumper lenses from the 98+ too.

 

[mac_24_seven]

Yep.. They are both right. Gotta use the 98-01 headlights/bumperlights w/the 98-01 bumper and the same for the 94-97 bumper/lights.

Though, it doesn;t matter if its for a 2 dor or a 4 door.. The front ends are identical, including the hoods/fenders.

Now, the rear bumpers are different between the 2 and 4 doors..and you can't use the taillights from a 2 door w/a 4 door.. All thet ail lights from the 2 doors 94-01 will interchange, and it's the same w/the 4 doors.

And stupid fedex.. they havn't come yet!!!

 

[mac_24_seven]

Alright. This was the first time I've ever done ANY suspension work of any kind..
and I have to say it's much easier than most people would think (easier than I thought anyway).

So, this little guide should give a n00b a good idea of what they are getting into and
what to expect. This is by no means perfect. I’m sure I’m gonna leave some stuff out
and their may be a better way to go about doing something. I’ll do my best to
describe what I did and any problems I encountered. If something is wrong, please,
let me know and I’ll update so as to not mislead anybody.

With that said, here we go!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The patient is a 1994 GSR Sedan names Aeirs. I’ll be installing Ground Control coil overs (dampers) w/KYB struts.

Now, the first thing you want to do is get it off the ground w/jack stands, or
jacks. Whatever is safe. Absolutely, NEVER EVER EVER EVER get under
or work around a car that's not secure. Jacks can fail and stuff breaks.. You
don't need to be under a car when it happens. Safety is more important than
your car being low

I chose to do my like this..

So, if the jack failed, the blocks would catch it, and if the blocks failed, the car would
still be resting on the tires(had tires on the other side, underneath as well. So, I felt safe.)

Tools needed:
Jack/jack stands
12-18 MM sockets/wrenches
A buddy (always helpful if you have one around)
Some Nirvana (preferably Nevermind, but whatever works for you )



First up: The front suspension.

#0: Obviously, remove the tires


#1: Remove the two 12mm bolts holding the brake lines to the strut.

The brake lines have a little bracket they are bolted to on the damper,
(2) 12 mm bolts I believe. I used a 1/4 drive ratchet to get em’ off. Be sure to move
the brake lines out of the way so they don't get caught in between a spring.

#2: Remove 14 MM bolt on the damper fork.
Now, the damper sits in a little socket in the damper fork. It has a 14 mm bolt going
through a flange that screws into a self locking nut, to clamp the assembly down and
hold it in place.
It looks like so:

#3: Remove the 17 (or 18mm) bolt holding the damper fork into place.
Next up, you need to loosen the damper fork so the whole assembly will drop
down.. I forget the size of the nut, but I think its like a 17 or 18 mm.

It looks like this..

#4: Remove the two 12 MM nuts holding the damper in place in the engine
compartment.
Once that bolt is removed, you can then go up top and remove the 2 nuts holding the
whole assembly on

You can do it w/out removing the strut bar (if you have a GSR or aftermarket) but I
decided it would be easier and went ahead and took it out.

With those last 2 nuts, the complete damper assembly will pull right out. You have to
wiggle it and maneuver it through the suspension components, but it'll come out.

The finished product! Asbestos FTW!

Now for the rear.. which is slightly more aggrivating than the front.


#1: Remove the backets holding down the wheel sensor line. 12MM bolts.

#2: Remove flange bolt holding the damper in place.
Next up, is the very annoying bolt thats hard to remove and even harder to get back
in. It's a 17 or 18 mm.
Use a punch or a screw driver, once it's loose, and tap it out of its home. Or pull it
w/some pliers, whichever way you so choose.
It's on the far left of the picture, at the bottom. I've already removed the bolt in the
pic.

#3: OPTIONAL
I didn't take a picture of it, but your gonna want to remove the bolt holding the sway bar (if you have one) so you have some more room to play with.


#4: Remove nuts holding the damper in place, in the trunk. 12MM bolts
With those done, you can go up top and remove the two 12 mm nuts holding the
assembly in. If you have a 2 door, you have to remove a lil cover to get to them. in a
4 door, you have to remove the panels in the trunk, as I did.

With evrything loose, you can now remove the assembly. Your gonna have to push down on the rotor (or drum) so give yourself the room to remove the damper. Kind of tricky, but not too bad.

Now for the goods

Sexy huh?

The assembly is just the reverse of the removal for the front and back. It’s helpful to
have 2 sets of hands to do this, but one person can manage.

A tip for the rear...Remember that big bolt I said was hard to get out?

Using a jack, pick up the suspension and line up the hole so the bolt will go through. Use a hammer to lightly tap on the bolt while raising/lowering (whatever you need to go) to get it to go back home. Not the easiest thing to do, but you kind of have to, so don't whine

As for the front, the dampers are opposite hand (a left and a right.) The bracket for
the brakes won't line up with the brake hoses.
Also, three is a little indention in the strut where the bolt you removed here..

The bolt and that indention MUST line up.


And then, the finished product. I bought these from a guy who had em on his Integra,
so they were already set up, so I haven’t adjusted them YET. But it’s suppose to be
really easy

Overall, it's a pretty straightforward process. Anybody w/half a brain should be able
to do it. It's a simple as knowing what you have to take out, and removing any
bolts/nuts that are hindering you from doing so.

IF I need to add/change anything that may be correct, don’t flame, just let me
know and I’ll be more than happy to change it. I want this to, maybe just
maybe, help somebody out one day. J



Terrance
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[Andrew]

I see me in one of those pics

 

[mac_24_seven]

Yay! Christmas in Feb!
Look what ole Saint Fed Ex man brought me!

Skunk 2 IM
ITR Throttle cable and bracket
Stock GSR IM gasket
"Frog Eye" gauge pod

Sweet! I needed this cause I really e'ffed up some stuff at work today and I was feelin pretty freakin lousy

ANd tomorrow, my wife is gonna be out of town.. so since I won't have to tend to her tomorrow evening I'll be able to hook up my gauges!!

ANd yes, it's you.. I thought about posting that other pic.. But I decided against it

 

[Andrew]

Ohh... lol... the one you snapped of me takin a piss?



IM is here!!! YAY!!! wanna install it this weekend? and pull the motor out of the 240?

 

[mac_24_seven]

Umm.. No. I'll lose power and things will suck.

I'll wait untill I do the head. And plus, I wanna clean it up some.

 

[Andrew]

Don't forget to spray paint it!
Heres a few things to consider too:

Completely dissassemble your TB and polish the butterfly/ airflow area.
Port match the IM to TB.
Port match the IM to the head.

stuff like that... but I'm sure you know that.

 

[mac_24_seven]

I was thinking about saving up and buying a new,bigger throttle body actually..