I've posted threads here and there about my water injection, 4 bar map sensor, dual stock fuel pumps, T2 differential, etc. Well tonight after running around on 20 psi I felt inclined to post more about it. I don't expect people to read through all this crap, it's partly for my benefit to look back on and keep track of a lot of the things I've done to the car.

Driving:
The car is F'in nuts. I thought the car was fast at 11 psi with the single, then at 15 psi which made my street tires melt at 65+ mph, this was solved with some BFG drag radials. Now at 20 psi even the drag radials break loose. And it's not from driveline shock from a shift. I can full throttle it in 3rd from 3k and have full traction until say 5500 or 6k then they just start slipping from all the power. It's exciting and a bit unnerving, not just because the tires are being pushed to their limits, but the sheer acceleration even at triple digit speeds is unreal. At 15 psi I was able to get on a clear straight away and monitor my laptop sitting in the passenger seat without fear. At 20 psi looking at the laptop feels like I'm playing Russian roulette. Looking away for even a second feels like the car is going to send us both into orbit or something. Fortunately I was able to tune the 20 psi map quickly on the first night i turned up the boost.

The car is really a blast to drive. And everything on the car was fabricated or done by me. Not one other mechanic has touched the car. this saved me a lot of money, gave me a deeper knowledge of the car and a better appreciation for it.

Things I've fabricated for the car:

Downpipe and midpipe (First time tig welding)
Welded all my own intercooler pipes (first time welding aluminum),
Reinforced the PPF (easy stuff)
Made my own transmission brace (recommended mod)
Made my own solid poly differential mounts (made these using a lathe and the stock bushing cases)

Made my own pre turbo water injection system (makes the boost levels possible on 93 octane)
Broke my differential and put in a T2 LSD (First time setting backlash)
Made my own front sway bar brackets (stock ones were all bent)
Did my own dual fuel pump setup (cheap and effective fuel for over 600 HP)
Figured out correct scale and offset and a way to modify greddy 4 bar map sensor with stock harness

Fabricated a cold air for the turbo (had to redo some of the water injection for this but was worth it)
Oil Catch can (king dollar special w/ silicone hose and a brass fitting in the oil cap total cost under $5)
Turbo heat shield (piece of crap tin cut to fit, will redo with aluminum and heat shield material)
All my own tuning (fairly conservative but not overly, knock at low 20's at 20 psi, AFR's 11:1, lead timing 10-11*, split 12* I noticed an increase in power going from 15 to 12* split (tonight)

Made my own dual center gauge pod from 2" conduit pipe
Replaced my own windshield
Refinished interior panels, custom shift boot from a Passat
Electric door poppers

There's tons of other things that I've left out. Things are always breaking, and needing repaired plus I'm constantly changing things around.

In the near future I plan to:

Raise boost higher
Convert steering to full manual
recharge my A/C
relocate battery
Redo driver side intercooler pipe for more direct flow
experiment with fabricating a throttle body elbow
interior laptop mount
center armrest
small fiberglass box for sound system
bigger WI tank (though mine lasts much longer now that i changed the turn on point)
Check EBP (exhaust back pressure)
More heat shielding
Change housing from .96 undivided to 1.XX divided
Install Fast reacting IAT sensor

 

Some of us do read.

Sounds like you've been busy. Congrats on your accomplishments. The car sounds killer.

 

Yea man, sounds like your finally getting some highway miles and thats what all the work is for. Enjoy them, cause soon enough that go fast bug will bite again and its gonna be down for another few months.

 

Thanks guys. Well i've been driving the car for about a year and a half now and its never been down for more then a week. Usually i just take a day out and do whatever needs to be done then test it the following day and retune. I'm sure the power bug will hit again and i'll want more. The setup definately has more in it so i'll just have to turn the boost up some more. The car is so insane to drive, its hard to imagine getting used to the power too quickly though.

 

Very nice, wish I had all the resources to fabricate stuff, also another thing I need to learn is to tune...

Post some pics up of the beast...

 

Yeah same here, I really wish I knew how to tune. I'm sure if I read up on it I could learn though.

 

From the read, I want to see some pics!

 

+1 on pics.

 

Hey...dude....I really admire the cowboy that takes the bull by the horns and ride that beast like there is no tomorrow!...:-)

Great work, there really is no substitute for innovation and the satisfaction/appreciation for self-motivation in completing some hands on project...congratulations. I would also never have someone else touch my baby.

Say about watching that laptop while going over 3 digits is really hard *****....next time have an assistant do the active tune. Don't want to hear that some FD driver went airborne and no longer posting in this forum.

 

What are you using as input to tell your water injection when to come in and how much water to spray? Boost press.?
Does it inject the same amount of water regardless of boost press above a certain pressure?

 

Gotta see pics. Wait till the 3-rotor bug bites . . .

 

I'm on my cell right now but later i'll put some pics up. As well as links to the thread with info on the water injection system. Basically the water is injected pre turbo by boost pressure. I have a pressure sensor that's currently activated at 8 psi that opens a solenoid valve. As boost goes up the water volume goes up. At 20 psi it flows 500cc. There isn't much special about the car cosmetically, most of my efforts have been focused on engine power and reliability.

 

Speaking of the power bug. I have only 2k miles on my new setup and it's really bitting my *** right now. Why cant I just be satisfied!

 

Because the FD is "pure sex" and we're all insatiable . . .

;-) neil

 

Sounds like a beast.

Get some vid clips man

 

Yeah, Just rub it in while my car sits waiting on the A-Spec kit.

 

Cool stuff man....congratulations.

I have worked in a machine shop for over 30 years now, and though I have been in Management for the last ten years or so, I still love crafting metal, making cool **** using the milling machines and lathes. It is a GREAT feeling for someone to say, "You MADE that????" when they see something cool that they think you HAD to have bought.

 

Ok here's a ton of pics, starting with a few from the day I pulled the car out from sitting.

 

 

Props on the work and setup man. Nothing like doing your own work. One day I will have a single turbo on my car

 

Thanks guy, I appreciate the feedback.

Today I ordered a battery for my relocation. I did a bunch of research and I think I found a good alternative to the miata, and the pc680 batteries that are popular. The battery is a Deka ETX18L, it's a sealed AGM battery. Cost was $74 shipped. I'll let everyone know how it works out. specs as follows.

CCA 300
Amp Hour 20
Weight 18.0lbs.
Length 8 1/8 in.
Width 3 9/16 in.
Height 6 3/8 in.

 

Cool beans man, I wish I could do my own tuning...

 

It is great to see people do their own fab work. Keep it up.

 

fabulous accomplishment... especially your pumpless AI. 20 psi on pump. love it.

hc

 

Yeah I don't know how I went so long without running 20 psi. It feels so much faster. I laugh to myself every time I punch the throttle, The acceleration is just retarded. I love it. I plan on going higher with the boost, but not until 20 psi starts feeling slower. No reason to rush things, otherwise I'll reach the limit of the setup too soon, then have to change everything out and spend too much money.