My 87 GXL and its ongoing evolution...

[lokirx706]

Well, I havent posted much on here despite owning rotaries constantly for the last decade. So I figured its time for my broke ass budget build...

First things first... Last summer I had a lifted 85 Toyota pickup, that I had bought stock and built it to the teeth. After offroading one night the frame snapped behind the cab. I decided to repair it, which I did, and I decided I wanted something else. Preferably something a little more fuel efficient, as I was lucky to get 15 mpg out of it. And I used to have an FC a few years ago, I have always had FB's (one of which I have had non-stop for nine years!) Anyway I was searching for many, many different kinds of cars, and one day I turned up an ad for a running, and driving 1987 GXL for 1K! I went an saw the car, and after some negotiating drove it an hour home for $700! Brace yourself for the before pics!













Totally BONE stock! I told myself I would fix it up, leave it mostly stock and just drive it... Well... I just cant leave anything alone...

More updates on the way!

[lokirx706]

I LOVE S4 tails, so I had to repaint them to their original glory.



Threw an exhaust under it..



And a cone filter..



Resprayed the bumper the closest color I could find off the shelf. And refinished the wheels...



Touched up the fender as well...



For fun!



Some pics from the day I bought it, introducing it to my longtime owned FB..
Note the odd rust hole in the hood!



E-fan..



Lowered..



Sport wing!



And I got a great deal on a T2 hood, so I replaced my rusty stock hood.

[lokirx706]

Air pump, ACV, and A/C delete.









I set up most of the meets for our local club Ohio-rotaries.com and in attending them, many people asked if I was ever going to boost it, because I had a T2 hood. And at ANY import meet I took it to, I had to field that question constantly, but I had no intentions of doing so.

[lokirx706]

Well one day I received an S4 turbo for free... And then things snowballed, I started buying everything I would need for a 6 port turbo. Wideband, boost gauge, SAFC, Walbro, T2 intake, 550cc injectors, the works. I bought everything and drove the car while I started fabbing up things like the oil feed and drain off of the car. So I bought a bunch of 6 port 13b's to mock everything up. In the meantime I didnt really tell anyone what I was doing. I was going to meets without anyone the wiser.

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Then came the fun part, in just a day or two or three, I cant remember now, I had a running driving 6 port turbo!



Swapping to a tapped oil pan, I later tapped the front cover instead.

[lokirx706]

Wiperless hatch with 100 hp of stickers!







Then a knock off SSQV



Checking the diff mounts after some hard launches...







Taurus Alternator!



Then we had a fire when an injector o-ring got pinched...





Some hoses, and new injector clips and wiring and we were back underway thankfully...



Then I went through three blown turbos... (This is the summarized version LOL)



Did a DIY rebuild, and she was back!



And some T2 wheels!!







Some updated shots with the FB!



And a new exhaust since the old one has a quart of oil in it!







Whew! We are up to date! It has NOT been easy getting here. I find myself reminiscing about when it was N/A and I could get decent fuel economy, and drive the hell out of it without worrying about anything but the temperature... But its worth it, this is my first turbo, and I built it. Its got nearly 1500 miles on it, boosting nearly non-stop. It is running mostly N/A electronics with an SAFC, which is VERY temporary. Between the initial swap, and the fire I am cleaned out and way over budget! Next step is a full standalone, and with my income (and the fact I am trying to buy a house...), that could take awhile. For now the car is running pretty well with stock boost, and thats where it will stay until I get a standalone and some fatter injectors. Im pretty damn happy with it, and it works better than you might think!

[GySgtFrank]

Very nice. I love these projects. Over budget? Trying to have fun without breaking the bank is a lot of the fun of it. Just so it doesn't hurt so much I tell myself all the time, What would I have had to pay for the classroom time to learn all I've learned? Purely educational, yeah..that's it, educational. And you have the car to boot. Keep after it, the cars looking good.

[lokirx706]

Originally Posted by GySgtFrank

Very nice. I love these projects. Over budget? Trying to have fun without breaking the bank is a lot of the fun of it. Just so it doesn't hurt so much I tell myself all the time, What would I have had to pay for the classroom time to learn all I've learned? Purely educational, yeah..that's it, educational. And you have the car to boot. Keep after it, the cars looking good.

Thanks! Thats the way I look at it, Im from a family of gearheads, so I grew up turning wrenches! We all have a budget, mine is more limited than some, hopefully that will change soon. But I do enjoy doing as much as possible with what little I have, I think of it like a challenge!

[lokirx706]

Installed a T2 front cover, and deleted the FPD. I was having issues with light smoke after extended idling, this seems to have cured the problem. I was always unhappy with my home made drains, so I bit the bullet and installed the factory setup. Should have done this in the first place...

[infernosg]

Looks good! Makes me want to get my FC done even faster so I can start attending some of these meets!

[lokirx706]

Originally Posted by infernosg

Looks good! Makes me want to get my FC done even faster so I can start attending some of these meets!

Next one is on the 21st of July at Defined, and the Dayton and Cincy people are going to try to caravan over there! Dont know how far you are from I70 so it might be too far out of your way and not worth it at all.

Let me know if you need a hand! Im always up for meeting area 7 owners!