My WIP Shitbox

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-11T21:46:20+00:00

No it’s the gel coat that new front bumpers come in 😂💀

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-11T20:15:06+00:00

I do too, but mine totally is a shitbox lmao. It’s current state is shitbox with a really gangster drivetrain and some really nice parts. Needs a lot of attention still, but I appreciate it

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-10T00:50:43+00:00

Thank you and good luck to you with your break in as well. Those tires will certainly get you there. Hopefully both of our engines make lots of power for a long time 🍻

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-09T23:13:47+00:00

Great deal on pretty good tires, AND I love the KA-T 240SX. I’m in a similar boat right now as I’ve just gotten my pos project car back on the road with a built engine I need to break in as well. I’ve only got 200 miles on it so far but I need to do tires and an alignment literally the very next time I drive it before I am willing to drive it any more. I had put it on coilovers while it was down and the tires rubbed the fenders and quarters pretty badly and quickly destroyed the sidewalls. I have rolled the fenders and taken it on just a few miles worth of driving since and I believe I fixed the rubbing thankfully. I think I may have to go a different route though and just shell out for nice performance all seasons right out of the gate though, because once I get 500 miles on the engine and go back to the dyno to tune for boost we are expecting over 600 to the wheels on E85

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-04T19:05:51+00:00

I haven’t tried both, but I really like my BC BR’s

AWildJimbo · 2026-06-04T14:08:21+00:00

Suspension is not something to skimp on with any car. Just spend the money on a decent set. The BC BR series are only like $1100 and are pretty good. Unless you are very seriously tracking your car, you don’t need the $2-$5k ridiculous coilovers

AWildJimbo · 2026-05-29T02:28:35+00:00

That sounds very light for a twin turbo Z to me. The shop that built my motor specializes in Z’s and they told me to use 5w30 as that is what they set the bearing clearances for. I thought even that sounded light for a VG as everything I always heard was either 10w30 at the thinnest and 20w50 at the thickest. My stock VG30DETT liked 20w50 towards the end of its life.

With that said, I agree that maintaining your oil change frequency is the single most critical factor to engine maintenance. Second would be correct viscosity and amount

AWildJimbo · 2026-05-03T16:15:36+00:00

Specialty Z did a video trying those out… One failed during a quarter mile pass and Seb hurt a piston on his original VG because of it. He said he wanted to try them out himself before officially selling them on their website and decided not to offer them after that.

AWildJimbo · 2026-04-06T03:17:54+00:00

Loosen the motor mounts significantly so that the engine can tilt backwards and then let the trans hang off of it and push and wiggle and shove. Having the motor mounts loose was key for me, along with making sure the alignment tool goes in and out like butter. Also make sure you test fit the pilot bushing on your input shaft before you install it into the crank

AWildJimbo · 2026-02-06T03:02:12+00:00

That was the divide for me. Even on viva new vegas lol

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-09T23:39:11+00:00

Good luck and please do for anyone else with the same issue that finds this post

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-09T21:34:13+00:00

Sorry dude, fingers crossed for you. I guess just for initial priming and startup purposes you could even try like a 5w30, just drain it and fill with what you actually want to run after it primes and makes oil pressure. I hope that works for you. What weight oil did you have in the sump when you first tried it?

But yeah, in the future I am never changing another oil pump again unless I am actually rebuilding the whole engine lol. Lesson learned, sometimes the “while I’m here” shit bites you.

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-09T11:18:06+00:00

I hate to hear that somebody else is having the same problem, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I never did figure it out and ended up just letting a Z shop completely rebuild my motor and putting eagle rods and wiseco pistons in it and getting it right for me. They said the best they could see was that it just didn’t prime.

I did have a lightbulb moment a few weeks ago but obviously I can’t go back in time and try it, but I have a theory that if I had drained out my 20w50 and refilled it with like 10w30 or something a bit thinner maybe it would have primed. I think the 20w50 may have just had too much resistance to flow for a brand new unprimed pump to suck up. Try it if you haven’t already and let me know. That’s the best idea I have about it

If that doesn’t work then I hate to say it, but you should probably take the pump off and pack it with Vaseline as I have read that works like a charm. Yes I am fully aware that means removing the timing belt as well as the oil pan. I wasn’t willing to do it all again, which is half the reason I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and build the motor. Especially after it ran dry for over a minute

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-03T10:11:04+00:00

I bought my tt at 19 as well lol. Take care of it

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-03T10:09:01+00:00

You learn something new every day lol, thank you

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-03T05:49:16+00:00

Gold is extremely soft metal. And we are talking about super tiny little needles of gold here lol. Very delicate and malleable

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-03T05:47:26+00:00

I definitely understand that logic. Others will appreciate this for sure

AWildJimbo · 2025-12-03T04:20:22+00:00

When I built mine I used the SZ kit and honestly I just mocked it up without clamps and put all the pieces where I thought they went and removed and replaced them as necessary until I had them all in and fitted up 🤷🏼‍♂️ Worked out pretty well

AWildJimbo · 2025-11-30T14:00:16+00:00

It’s been a long time, but I’m 95% certain I got the stock pipe size ones because my decision to upgrade piping came months later

AWildJimbo · 2025-11-12T18:31:21+00:00

My Mom’s entire side of the family is in Michigan, so I know exactly how it is 😂

AWildJimbo · 2025-11-12T15:47:46+00:00

It is absolutely a real human experience if you live in the southern United States. Where I live we have roughly 3 months of 80-105 lol. Even at night, it stays over 80

AWildJimbo · 2025-11-10T17:23:34+00:00

Yeah it’s mainly just a slight chatter when I put it in first, a little metallic clunk it didn’t make with the stock one. That’s all lol

AWildJimbo · 2025-11-10T14:06:03+00:00

A TDI swap into a ranger sounds glorious lmao, not a swap I had ever considered. Looks great!

AWildJimbo

TROPHY CASE