Wow... I'm glad you got her back and making her faster. Welcome back yo
My old G20 returns back to me! - Long post
4
Hello All,
<Cliffnotes>
I originally bought my G20 in '03 and I sold it in 2011. I bought back the car from the owner I sold it to on Jan 13, '14. I buy 10 cars in approx 2.5 years before making full circle. Some big plans for the car as it is now 20 years old!
Great to see some of the regulars are still here! (although I am mostly a lurker)
More less happy to have a P10 again post
<--For those interested here is a little story of my G20..-->
I originally purchased my car in 2003 from an ex-Admin from this site. It was in shambles. I basically rebuilt the car.....didn't idle, clutch was gone, leaked oil badly, input shaft bearing was dead, sunroof leaked and roof stained, wheel bearings were dead, airbags didnt work, exhaust muffle rusted through. It was a mess. It was the first car I modded and the it was the first head swap I did (low port to high port) and also the first engine I rebuilt. First car I lowered and it was also the last. Lots of experimentation and memories with this car. My first "performance" oriented car.
Sold my G20 in 2011, but really stopped driving it in 2005. In '05 I graduated from college and moved to Japan and worked there until late '07. Dec '07, I came back to the US and in Feb '08 I had bought a new '08 TSX 6-speed for a great deal. The G20 was modded (high port motor in a 94, exhaust, intake, high port distributor & external coil, etc, battery relocation), the car was a hard sell, IMO. I had tried to sell it in '05 without success at the same time my swapped 240sx sold in a blink of an eye. So I thought what better time to rebuild the DE. So on came the 16VE pistons, JWT ECU, S4 cames, SSAC header, swaintech rod and main bearings. Homesick, by the fall of '08 I decided that I would move back to Japan. The G20 was roadworthy by this time, so I decided to dump the TSX (to be honest, reluctantly) to reduce debt. Two weeks before my last day at work, I reverse everything and get my job back. By this time, Wall Street was toast, GM was on its knees, gas was hellishly expensive and the economy was getting poor. I didn't change my mind about moving for anything logical, like "its a bad time to move," but for a illogical reason that gets to everyone at some point. Anyway I drive the G20 for a while since the TSX was sold.
In '09, I decide to take advantage of the 1st time home buyer's tax credit. Bought a home in Kent Valley in '09 and adopted a couple cats (2013). I was getting tired of the unsophisticated feel of a modded car (I had poly filled engine mounts). I want power and comfort. A good friend talks me in to a '95 white Maxima with a 5-spd. I loved it and swore no mods. That lasted 1 year. The G20 develops 5th gear pop out and I sell the G20 a few months after. It was sold to my friend's brother (The one who talked me in to the Maxima). In addition finding out SR20forum was sold, and The dash made, I wasn't too excited with the online scene for the SR20 I sold it closing a chapter or so I thought.
The Maxima was the 3rd car in a row that was white, I was sick of white. The Maxima, like the G20 (until I swapped it) had a tan interior. I am not a fan of tan interiors. Searching craigslist I found a '96 Maxima that was Pebble Beige with a black interior for cheap. Bought it. Probing forums you always run in to suggested mods. I started out with "just" swapping the intake manifold with a later VQ, then "just" a set of headers and finally "just" a supercharger. That "no mod" car became a full on engine rebuild with 350Z and 370Z parts. I balanced the rotating assembly and with the upgraded top end parts from the Z cars, the motor revved to 7500rpm. It was so smooth it was unbelievable. Awesome power, never dyno'd it but had to have at least 350whp. Boost was about 12psi. Due to an external oil line I had to make to install the 350Z Rev-up cams, the motor pissed oil. It was my fault---I "over" tapped (or poor position) the head for the pipe fitting I used. I attempted to fix it numerous times without pulling the head, which is a heinous pain in the ass, but to no avail. Although my fault, I lost all love for the VQ. I mostly returned the car to stock and sold it to a friend.
<---P.S. Not anything really with G20 related purchases for a while--->
Before buying the 2nd Maxima, I bought a '97 Accord Auto. This car was for flipping, the previous owner let the timing belt go. I fixed it and drove it for a year (as it was the only car with working A/C, lol). I really didnt care for the car, considering it was a 4-cyl, it got worse mpg than the VQ. I sold the car and made money, I was happy. In the meantime, I traded my other "original" Maxima for a riced out 2000 Civic Si. I never drove that car (honest!), he had serious engine trouble and the guy who had it needed a vehicle with better reliability as he was retiring (he was 60!). With the proceeds from the Accord sale, I bought a EK hatch and did a swap with the Si. I loved the hatch with the B16A2; great mileage and fun to drive. I haven't had mileage or fun like that since the G20. I was planning a B18C1 swap, as the B16A2 needed more low end for the street for my liking. I sent a C1 head to portflow for work and intended on swapping the head on the B16A with the GSR top end (variable intake). Well.....I ended up planning on a full rebuild with a stoke up with a LS crank and bore up with with Laskey liners. I wanted 2.0Ls. I had everything for the build except the machine work, rods and pistons. I still have the parts. I sold the Civic in November to fund the 57 Chevy restore. I miss it.
While all that crap is happening, I change jobs and while looking for parts for the Accord in a wrecking yard, I spot a 57 Chevrolet IN THE YARD (Sept 2012). I buy that car. This is where I go on my V8 binge. April 2013, I buy a 2005 Pontiac GTO, for some rear drive LS love. That is an awesome motor. But I make the mistake of buying an Auto because it was cheap and fear of the clutch on a V8 car (my Dad has a '32 Ford with a manual....the clutch is unbelievably heavy). Power Awesome, MPG not awesome. Driving like a sissy, I got 20mpg. I decide that if I could not enjoy the power due to fuel costs, I shouldn't own the car. I turn a profit on the car since I got it cheap, I sold it Nov 2013.
In July 2013 I buy 2 more 57s. 1 for keeping and the other for parts.
All this while I yearn for a 240 with a SR swap. But every 240 I find with a swap for a reasonable price was a cluster fcuk. I eventually give up on this and decide to concentrate on restoring the 57 I intend to keep. So off with the body on that 57 and had the frame sent to Colorado for suspension modification. For more details on this project...http://www.trifivechevys.com/showthread.php/2504-Ryan-s-57-4-door-Belair-Hardtop-Project . I decide to sell the Civics and GTO, which I own at the same, to concentrate.
Without a Commuter car and a collection of Classics that do not run, I needed another car. My girlfriend wanted me to get something "nice" = Grown-up. I acquiesce. So I lease a 2013 black Accord V6 (Oct '13). Great car, quiet and great MPG. I was going to buy a 4-cyl Sport with the 6-speed. But I drove the V6 and had to have it. Only problem the sedan Accord's only come with an 6-speed auto. I figure I would be fine. This is the first time since my first car, which also happens to be an automatic Accord, I only have an Automatic car to drive.
<Back to G20 related>
I need a manual! I find myself searching craigslist for cars I'd like to have. 97-01 Preludes, EG Civics, 240s, G20s, nothing really fits the bill. Earlier this month I hear my G20 was on its last legs. I told my friend that if they want to get rid of it I will buy it. I'm stoked. At the time there was some problem with the shifter. Just after I sold the car I swapped in a B15 tranny I had bought with intention to swap. I convert it to cable and give them the car. So I figure that maybe something happened with the B&M shifter it had or somehow I did not grind enough off the shift linkage. But the mechanic they take it to fix the problem, whatever it was. So, I was like damn! A week later the car apparently dies and is pushed to a gas station. They want to get rid of it. Either I buy it or to the wrecking yard it goes. They say that the battery dies all the time. So I buy back the car for $500 (friends after all) and take a look at the car. IT IS TRASHED. Huge dent in the rear quarter panel, antenna missing, paint is peeling, headlight out, smells horrible, emergency brake does not engage, oil pan bashed in (I guess they drove off road with it sometimes, swaintech bearings FTW!), sunroof broken and the engine bay is unbelievably dirty. I get it started and runs surprisingly well considering the condition and then notice the lights are dim (its night time) and the alternator light is on.....look under the hood to check it out.......the alt belt was GONE! I later find out my friend's brother tried to tighten up the belt as it was squealing. Well, not knowing what to do, he doesn't loosen the adjustment bolt's hold down on the bracket and strips out the adjustment screw. Anyway, I get the car towed home. As disappointing it was to see the car in its current condition I was stoked at the same time.
As we speak the car is in the garage airing out. After a day the garage is putrid. I buy coffee grounds and spread it in the car on a suggestion. It works out great! It has a coffee smell instead (after this step I will use real mesquite charcoal to remove the coffee smell). Also got the alternator mount fixed. The anchor bolt's stop was broken and that was a pain to remove. 4hrs of pain, but with a smile on my face. I went to a wrecking yard today and yesterday to rape a 91 G20 I found. 91s had much nicer carpet than the 94s! I take all of the trunk parts, amongst other things.
Since it is the car's 20th birthday this year, I plan to fix it up in tandem of my 57 chevy (which I hope to get it roadworthy by the end of the year). Come on tax return
- Convert to Hydro clutch
- Purchased VVL top end
- Actually use a partial W10(?) turbo set up I bought from Nelson
- Clean up the interior
- Replace the many screws, clips that were seemingly lost in the previous ownership
- Fix the driver seat leather
- Impul Mesh grille I never installed.
<Some pics>
Sunroof. This is the most it opens now.
Hood Paint, see the edges....
Rear quarter dent after knocking 70% out it out.
As it sits...
Let the fun begin!
Go Seahawks!! (Sorry 49er fans!)
<Cliffnotes>
I originally bought my G20 in '03 and I sold it in 2011. I bought back the car from the owner I sold it to on Jan 13, '14. I buy 10 cars in approx 2.5 years before making full circle. Some big plans for the car as it is now 20 years old!
Great to see some of the regulars are still here! (although I am mostly a lurker)
More less happy to have a P10 again post
<--For those interested here is a little story of my G20..-->
I originally purchased my car in 2003 from an ex-Admin from this site. It was in shambles. I basically rebuilt the car.....didn't idle, clutch was gone, leaked oil badly, input shaft bearing was dead, sunroof leaked and roof stained, wheel bearings were dead, airbags didnt work, exhaust muffle rusted through. It was a mess. It was the first car I modded and the it was the first head swap I did (low port to high port) and also the first engine I rebuilt. First car I lowered and it was also the last. Lots of experimentation and memories with this car. My first "performance" oriented car.
Sold my G20 in 2011, but really stopped driving it in 2005. In '05 I graduated from college and moved to Japan and worked there until late '07. Dec '07, I came back to the US and in Feb '08 I had bought a new '08 TSX 6-speed for a great deal. The G20 was modded (high port motor in a 94, exhaust, intake, high port distributor & external coil, etc, battery relocation), the car was a hard sell, IMO. I had tried to sell it in '05 without success at the same time my swapped 240sx sold in a blink of an eye. So I thought what better time to rebuild the DE. So on came the 16VE pistons, JWT ECU, S4 cames, SSAC header, swaintech rod and main bearings. Homesick, by the fall of '08 I decided that I would move back to Japan. The G20 was roadworthy by this time, so I decided to dump the TSX (to be honest, reluctantly) to reduce debt. Two weeks before my last day at work, I reverse everything and get my job back. By this time, Wall Street was toast, GM was on its knees, gas was hellishly expensive and the economy was getting poor. I didn't change my mind about moving for anything logical, like "its a bad time to move," but for a illogical reason that gets to everyone at some point. Anyway I drive the G20 for a while since the TSX was sold.
In '09, I decide to take advantage of the 1st time home buyer's tax credit. Bought a home in Kent Valley in '09 and adopted a couple cats (2013). I was getting tired of the unsophisticated feel of a modded car (I had poly filled engine mounts). I want power and comfort. A good friend talks me in to a '95 white Maxima with a 5-spd. I loved it and swore no mods. That lasted 1 year. The G20 develops 5th gear pop out and I sell the G20 a few months after. It was sold to my friend's brother (The one who talked me in to the Maxima). In addition finding out SR20forum was sold, and The dash made, I wasn't too excited with the online scene for the SR20 I sold it closing a chapter or so I thought.
The Maxima was the 3rd car in a row that was white, I was sick of white. The Maxima, like the G20 (until I swapped it) had a tan interior. I am not a fan of tan interiors. Searching craigslist I found a '96 Maxima that was Pebble Beige with a black interior for cheap. Bought it. Probing forums you always run in to suggested mods. I started out with "just" swapping the intake manifold with a later VQ, then "just" a set of headers and finally "just" a supercharger. That "no mod" car became a full on engine rebuild with 350Z and 370Z parts. I balanced the rotating assembly and with the upgraded top end parts from the Z cars, the motor revved to 7500rpm. It was so smooth it was unbelievable. Awesome power, never dyno'd it but had to have at least 350whp. Boost was about 12psi. Due to an external oil line I had to make to install the 350Z Rev-up cams, the motor pissed oil. It was my fault---I "over" tapped (or poor position) the head for the pipe fitting I used. I attempted to fix it numerous times without pulling the head, which is a heinous pain in the ass, but to no avail. Although my fault, I lost all love for the VQ. I mostly returned the car to stock and sold it to a friend.
<---P.S. Not anything really with G20 related purchases for a while--->
Before buying the 2nd Maxima, I bought a '97 Accord Auto. This car was for flipping, the previous owner let the timing belt go. I fixed it and drove it for a year (as it was the only car with working A/C, lol). I really didnt care for the car, considering it was a 4-cyl, it got worse mpg than the VQ. I sold the car and made money, I was happy. In the meantime, I traded my other "original" Maxima for a riced out 2000 Civic Si. I never drove that car (honest!), he had serious engine trouble and the guy who had it needed a vehicle with better reliability as he was retiring (he was 60!). With the proceeds from the Accord sale, I bought a EK hatch and did a swap with the Si. I loved the hatch with the B16A2; great mileage and fun to drive. I haven't had mileage or fun like that since the G20. I was planning a B18C1 swap, as the B16A2 needed more low end for the street for my liking. I sent a C1 head to portflow for work and intended on swapping the head on the B16A with the GSR top end (variable intake). Well.....I ended up planning on a full rebuild with a stoke up with a LS crank and bore up with with Laskey liners. I wanted 2.0Ls. I had everything for the build except the machine work, rods and pistons. I still have the parts. I sold the Civic in November to fund the 57 Chevy restore. I miss it.
While all that crap is happening, I change jobs and while looking for parts for the Accord in a wrecking yard, I spot a 57 Chevrolet IN THE YARD (Sept 2012). I buy that car. This is where I go on my V8 binge. April 2013, I buy a 2005 Pontiac GTO, for some rear drive LS love. That is an awesome motor. But I make the mistake of buying an Auto because it was cheap and fear of the clutch on a V8 car (my Dad has a '32 Ford with a manual....the clutch is unbelievably heavy). Power Awesome, MPG not awesome. Driving like a sissy, I got 20mpg. I decide that if I could not enjoy the power due to fuel costs, I shouldn't own the car. I turn a profit on the car since I got it cheap, I sold it Nov 2013.
In July 2013 I buy 2 more 57s. 1 for keeping and the other for parts.
All this while I yearn for a 240 with a SR swap. But every 240 I find with a swap for a reasonable price was a cluster fcuk. I eventually give up on this and decide to concentrate on restoring the 57 I intend to keep. So off with the body on that 57 and had the frame sent to Colorado for suspension modification. For more details on this project...http://www.trifivechevys.com/showthread.php/2504-Ryan-s-57-4-door-Belair-Hardtop-Project . I decide to sell the Civics and GTO, which I own at the same, to concentrate.
Without a Commuter car and a collection of Classics that do not run, I needed another car. My girlfriend wanted me to get something "nice" = Grown-up. I acquiesce. So I lease a 2013 black Accord V6 (Oct '13). Great car, quiet and great MPG. I was going to buy a 4-cyl Sport with the 6-speed. But I drove the V6 and had to have it. Only problem the sedan Accord's only come with an 6-speed auto. I figure I would be fine. This is the first time since my first car, which also happens to be an automatic Accord, I only have an Automatic car to drive.
<Back to G20 related>
I need a manual! I find myself searching craigslist for cars I'd like to have. 97-01 Preludes, EG Civics, 240s, G20s, nothing really fits the bill. Earlier this month I hear my G20 was on its last legs. I told my friend that if they want to get rid of it I will buy it. I'm stoked. At the time there was some problem with the shifter. Just after I sold the car I swapped in a B15 tranny I had bought with intention to swap. I convert it to cable and give them the car. So I figure that maybe something happened with the B&M shifter it had or somehow I did not grind enough off the shift linkage. But the mechanic they take it to fix the problem, whatever it was. So, I was like damn! A week later the car apparently dies and is pushed to a gas station. They want to get rid of it. Either I buy it or to the wrecking yard it goes. They say that the battery dies all the time. So I buy back the car for $500 (friends after all) and take a look at the car. IT IS TRASHED. Huge dent in the rear quarter panel, antenna missing, paint is peeling, headlight out, smells horrible, emergency brake does not engage, oil pan bashed in (I guess they drove off road with it sometimes, swaintech bearings FTW!), sunroof broken and the engine bay is unbelievably dirty. I get it started and runs surprisingly well considering the condition and then notice the lights are dim (its night time) and the alternator light is on.....look under the hood to check it out.......the alt belt was GONE! I later find out my friend's brother tried to tighten up the belt as it was squealing. Well, not knowing what to do, he doesn't loosen the adjustment bolt's hold down on the bracket and strips out the adjustment screw. Anyway, I get the car towed home. As disappointing it was to see the car in its current condition I was stoked at the same time.
As we speak the car is in the garage airing out. After a day the garage is putrid. I buy coffee grounds and spread it in the car on a suggestion. It works out great! It has a coffee smell instead (after this step I will use real mesquite charcoal to remove the coffee smell). Also got the alternator mount fixed. The anchor bolt's stop was broken and that was a pain to remove. 4hrs of pain, but with a smile on my face. I went to a wrecking yard today and yesterday to rape a 91 G20 I found. 91s had much nicer carpet than the 94s! I take all of the trunk parts, amongst other things.
Since it is the car's 20th birthday this year, I plan to fix it up in tandem of my 57 chevy (which I hope to get it roadworthy by the end of the year). Come on tax return
- Convert to Hydro clutch
- Purchased VVL top end
- Actually use a partial W10(?) turbo set up I bought from Nelson
- Clean up the interior
- Replace the many screws, clips that were seemingly lost in the previous ownership
- Fix the driver seat leather
- Impul Mesh grille I never installed.
<Some pics>
Sunroof. This is the most it opens now.
Hood Paint, see the edges....
Rear quarter dent after knocking 70% out it out.
As it sits...
Let the fun begin!
Go Seahawks!! (Sorry 49er fans!)
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