Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth   Sunday, October 12 2003   Volume 02 : Number 273
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:09:42 -0500
From: "merritt@cedar-rapids.net" <merritt@cedar-rapids.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
I think the Stillen downpipe is the best single performance improvement you
can do. It removes the front precat and the main cat. To get it on, align
the rear downpipe first, put one nut on, then put a floor jack under the
front part of the pipe and raiser 'er up. It is a very tight fit, but it
goes on.
 
While you are installing it, take a 1-in. wood drill bit and a great big
drill, and gut the rear cat.
 
With all the cats gone, the turbos spool up very fast.
 
I matched that with a custom 3-in catback (single side) to a Xlerator
straight through muffler, all  fabbed up by my local muffler shop for less
than $200. Beats the snot out of a $600 Borla. 
 
Sounds good, runs good. LOUD!
 
That's all the tips I got for the moment.
 
Rich/slow old poop
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:51:08 -0500
From: "xwing" <xwing@wi.rr.com>
Subject: Team3S: Road America and 1st 3 mods I like
 
So Rich, your car is running now right?  Coming to Road America with Phil
and I??
 
Get some brake pads and Go!
I think my car might run ok finally, if I can get it to go into 3rd and 5th
gear...might have solved that today.
Jack T.
 
ps I always think the bleeder valve boost controller is the cheapest and
first mod for our cars, best bang for the buck by far.  Exhaust and main cat
removal number 2.  Airfilter so it looks nice and is cheap 3.
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 18:13:20 -0500
From: "merritt@cedar-rapids.net" <merritt@cedar-rapids.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Road America and 1st 3 mods I like
 
At 05:51 PM 10/11/2003 -0500, xwing wrote:
>So Rich, your car is running now right?  Coming to Road America with Phil
>and I?? Get some brake pads and Go!
 
Nah, the tranny still leaks. Pretty bad, too. It leaves puddles. We finally
narrowed it down to the output shaft seal (after taking everything off the
passenger side of the engine so we could see the top of the tranny to make
sure it wasn't blowing out the vents, and twice taking out the transfer
case to inspect the output shaft), so I'll see what Kormex says on Monday.
 
My car runs strong, so it woulda been interesting up at RA. It's seems a
little faster than before with the rear cat gutted and all the intercooler
hoses and vacuum lines tightened up. It's certainly louder, that's fer sure.
 
>I think my car might run ok finally, if I can get it to go into 3rd and 5th
>gear...might have solved that today.
 
Not something as simple as the lower radiator hose blocking the linkage, I
take it? I couldn't get my new tranny into 4th or 6th until we realized we
had installed the lower hose backwards, and it was blocking the linkage.
 
Got enough in your car to take care of a certain mean ol' Z06?  Jon is
going up there to spectate, and he'll point out Big Bad Brian's Z06. I want
you make a point of blowing his doors off, if you can. I will rub it in to
Brian unmercifully if you do.
 
I don't expect you to get Beluga, the great white whale Camaro
 
http://home.mchsi.com/~debbie3004/ra2.wmv
 
but it will be sweet if you do. Big Bad Brian would have to live with the
fact that a RICER beat his Z06 AND his Camaro. He'll spend the winter
investing huge amounts of money to make sure it doesn't happen again, but
Jon and I and the Stealth Boys will never let him forget it.
 
Good hunting.
 
Rich/slow old poop
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 19:22:16 -0400
From: "Joseph Spainhour" <spainhou@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Team3S: OT 3M double sided tape
 
Hello all,
 
  Does anyone know of a good way to remove 3m double sided tape, aside from
scraping it?
 
Joseph
93 3KGT VR-4
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 19:30:44 -0400
From: "The Furmans" <L.Furman1@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
Scott IMHO get the ATR it is ALOT lighter (like almost 6lbs) that the
Stillen, fitment is less of a headache due to the fact that the
flanges rotate and you have the option of getting it set up with
provisions to swap in a highflow cat when you have to put the car
through emissions.  The test pipe and precat are interchangeable via
slip fittings, as for exhaust have a local place fab something up for
you it will be at least 50 bucks cheaper than the borla and will flow
better (more on that statement a little later in this post).
 
Now onto the my bone of contention with the borla, it runs 3" from the
cat back splits into dual 2.5" piping but inside the damn canisters it
drops down to 2" WTF........
 
Get a boost controller that has overboost protection because on stock
injectos and fuel pump you have a high likely hood of overboosting and
hurting your engine (been there done that, got three cast ashtrays to
prove it)
 
Once the BPU power upgrades are done I would highly recommend
upgrading your brakes and suspension.  Brakes just go to speedtoys.com
and get the complete Porterfield package inclusing SS lines you will
not be disappointed
 
Suspension is a whole another issue and we will cross that bridge when
you wallet permits......
 
Russ F
CT
 93 VR-4 DR-650's and supporting mods
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 19:33:16 -0400
From: "The Furmans" <L.Furman1@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: OT 3M double sided tape
 
Yeah joe get this stuff called goo gone it will dissolve and is
supposed to be harmless to paint, read the bottle to confirm this
though.
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 20:14:35 -0500
From: "merritt@cedar-rapids.net" <merritt@cedar-rapids.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
We've had the Stillen downpipe off three times in the past week (working on
the tranny), so my buddy Jon and I are getting good at it. It's not that
big a deal, once you learn the secret (back pipe on first, then use a floor
jack to lift the front up).
 
As for emissions, I have the entire stock exhaust sitting in my garage. If
emission testing ever comes to Iowa, I can just swap the stock downpipe
back in, thus putting my front pre cat and the main cat back in. No
problem, we can do it on jackstands in about 30 minutes.
 
If the ATR is a lot lighter, I wonder where they skimped on materials to
get 6 lb? Maybe it will rot out in a year.
 
Love my Stillen. They make crappy brakes, but their downpipe rocks.
 
Rich
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 21:42:18 -0700
From: "Bob Forrest" <bf@bobforrest.com>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Harbor Freight Jack question
 
Sounds like you might have a lemon.  Ours seems OK - smooth and solid, so far.
Both ET and Nissa - females of the 130# variety - have had no problem
repeatedly changing tires on the VR-4, Stealth, and Miata.  That includes
lifting up the whole front of the VR-4.  I must admit that I thought it felt a
*little* harder than it should be when I've lifted the front a couple of
times...  But I 'favor' my (bad) back a bit when bending, so I'm not a typical
"healthy young racer" kind of user.  I had to lean into it a bit, IIRC, but it
didn't seem unusual at the time.  All in all, I'm pretty happy with mine -
it's one handy, portable tool.  Maybe the price was so low because Harbor
Freight had an unusually high return rate on these jacks(?)...  Perhaps we
just got lucky with ours.
 
- ---Forrest
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 14:15:58 -0400
From: "The Furmans" <L.Furman1@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
Rich the ATR is 304 Stainless so it rotting away isnt a concern, I
have had my ATR on my car about 2 years now and even when it has faced
good ol CT winters it hasnt even begun to think about rusting
(although the factory mounting bolts and nuts decided to.....)
 
The weight savings probably comes in from the fact that piping wall
thickness is visually thinner that what the stillen is and the fact it
doesnt have a 18" long SS braided flex section occupying a large
portion of the main pipe to the exhaust. I am not concerned about
breaking the D/P because I have the 3SX Poly mounts so my motor doesnt
even have the option of thinking about moving around, although the GF
asked why my car now felt like my bike ;)
 
Russ F
CT
DR650's and supporting mods
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 15:22:26 -0500
From: "merritt@cedar-rapids.net" <merritt@cedar-rapids.net>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
Somebody, somewhere posted a complaint about the ATR a couple of years ago,
which is why I went with the Stillen. Maybe it was the lack of the flex
section. Maybe it was the group buy that convinced me. I guess either one
is OK.
 
Rich
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 00:25:06 +0200
From: "Roger Gerl" <roger.gerl@bluewin.ch>
Subject: Re: Team3S: Guidance from the ground up
 
The ATR doesn't rust at all, it's even better in quality than the stillen as
it rusts where the flex section connects the piping. It's very heavy too. I
have placed a flex section into the tubing to the front turbo.
 
Roger G.
93 & 96 3000GT TT
www.rtec.ch
 
***  Info:  http://www.Team3S.com/Rules.htm  ***
 
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End of Team3S: 3000GT & Stealth V2 #273
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