Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I have gotten bored with the slow and none too exciting stock '92 Laser AWD. It does have a Southbend DXD clutch in it and Redline fluids in the tranny, xfer case, and rear diff, but otherwise its bone-stock down to a paper air filter. I decided to make a $100 budget for making the Laser a quicker and more fun car.

So far here is what I have gotten:

eBay MBC = $13
OBX 30-0-30 boost gauge = $5
Autometer A/F gauge = $5
Carbon fiber dual gauge pod = $10 (this and both gauges came as a package for $20)
K&N filter = $15
Hacked 1G MAS with removed silencer= $10 (the screws holding mine in are rusted so I can't take it out to hack it and remove the silencer)
3" metal intake = the cost of lunch ~$10

This leaves me at a total cost of $68, so I have $32 left over to spare. I'm hoping to not have to go buy any vacuum line, couplers, or clamps to get all this together, but I may have to spend a few dollars on those once I start installing all this stuff. I have also removed the weather seal above the passenger headlight and will be removing some little bolt-on plates behind the passenger headlight in hopes to increase air-flow the the air filter ever so slightly. If I can sell any of the removed stock parts I will add that money to my fund giving me more to play with, I have also thought about trading my stock EPROM ECU for a non-EPROM ECU + cash to give me a bit more to play with (any takers?).

I have a few ideas what to do with my remaining money such as shifter bushings, put it towards dynoing at the next event, or just pocket it. I am open to suggestions from everyone though so feel free to chime in! If I could get enough money from all the stuff to be able to get a cheap turboback exhaust that would be great, but I don't think it will happen. I would also like a testpipe since thats more reasonable considering the given budget, but even then I'd need a shop to "sponsor" the car (good free publicity, sticker's on the car if you want, etc.) if you will and give me some free/cheap labor since my fund will only cover the cost of actual parts. I have a line on a larger turbo outlet elbow for the cost of Applebee's so that will probably be another $5-10 subtracted from the fund.

I will take and post pics as the actual work is done and parts are installed. My MBC should be here by Friday so I'll probably start the job that night and try and get it all done in one shot!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I know some one who would give you cash and a non-eprom for the eprom he will be over on sunday also. he also has a 2.5in hi flow cat

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Woot! We need before/after pics man! I still think a walbro pump should fit into this puzzle, can you say 20psi on stock exhaust? oh yea!!!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

So this thing is turning into a dedicated track car now, right?

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I would say homemade UICP, that is a huge restriction on a 1g. The one in my red car couldn't have cost more than $30 :P JCwhitney has the bends for cheap.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I have some 3" exhaust bends and piping that could be worked into an ecu deal if we do trade up. If you just do one piece back it can be really cheap to do.

Probably have some old skateboard bearings you can have if you want them. (or snag some from some $1 thrift store rollerblades)

$25 for some carbide bits might be worth while as well.

*edit* Also, evo 8 fuel pumps go for cheap. ~$25

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Please put me in contact with this fellow :)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

OH YEAH! It'll be at RockFalls for MAP's July 8th event! More than likely it'll be on race gas, hopefully leaded if I can get that damn cat out ;)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Get on it JET's Customs! It needs to fit around the ABS box though, that'll make it more expensive I bet.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Nice thought on the skateboard bearings, thats a lot cheaper than the premade metal bushings; and I can do some cheap hardware store washers for the shifter base! Are all skateboard bearings the same size? I was just checking on eBay and I can get 10 for less than the price of 2 when they are labeled as DSM shifter bushings.

What do I need carbide bits for?

Do EVO pumps bolt into 1G's without too much hassle?

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Carbide bits for porting probably.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

If you upgrade the UIC pipe, you'll want a TB elbow too. The stocker is tiny. Good luck with it man!!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Yeah it is pretty tiny, I'll have to see what I can come up with.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Yeah, carbide bits for porting.

I put my EVO pump in with a couple dollars worth of radio shack connections and hardware store parts.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Hrm, I have my stock evo fuel pump sitting in my garage....

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Update: Just got an EVO fuel pump for $20, I now have $12 left.

Wait, $12 - 10 for that bigger turbo outlet elbow = $2 fuck

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

$2= 1/3 to 1/2 gallon race gas.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

$2 = corn fuel!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I'd need bigger injectors first! Hmm, maybe Scheides needs larger injectors ;)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Just put another 450cc injector in the TB elbow, there is your 25% extra fuel, that should be close :D

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

"Its frustrating, its frustrating, its frustrating, its frustrating."

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Are ya getting the modding bug again? :drive:

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Peter only let him put the tip in.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Can I add a '0' to the thread title yet? ;-)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

It is staying at $100! I will not go over budget!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Never lost it, the S just doesn't respond.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Boost the S will respond to boost and you will rule all under 350.

I have used shifter bushings for a good price. :beerfunnel2:

SOrry it took me so long still on vac-a :sex2:

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

How much for the bushings and are they the ones for the shifter base or the shift levers?

I'd love to boost the S, but I don't want to have to pay for it ;) 300WHP in that car would own.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

SUCCESS! Stage one has been completed!

I want to thank Scheides for opening up his garage for the day and lending a very helpful hand. I'd thank Cory too, but all he did was sit on his ass ;)

Today we installed an EVO fuel pump, crushed the stock BOV, removed the metal plates behind the passenger headlight for more airflow to the filter (and removed the weather seal above the headlight on the hood), 3" metal intake pipe, hacked 1G MAS with K&N filter, a carbon fiber dual gauge pod, an OBX boost gauge, and an Autometer A/F gauge (didn't hook this up, they are too annoying). Everything went extremely smoothly without a single hitch or broken anything. We even did a boost leak test and it was pretty buttoned-up as far as we could tell (after nearly getting shot in the face by the tester). We wanted to do a MBC too, but my eBay special hadn't arrived yet so we're going to have a wait a few more days for stage 2 to be completed. We did find a way around that though and clipped a few slits in the vacuum line coming off the turbo outlet elbow to lower the pressure being seen by the BCS :P

We did some scientifical testing and the car is definitely quicker! The exact specs will be posted tomorrow, but it was roughly 1.4 seconds faster from 3-7k RPM in 2nd gear (both at stock boost levels of ~7-8 psi, this was before our "slitting"). The butt-dyno says its pulling much harder than stock too, and it definitely sounds better. The BOV is venting to atmosphere since the intake pipe doesn't have a return tube, and surprisingly its running pretty well.

Many pictures will be available tomorrow hopefully :)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Stage 2 completed, the MBC is installed!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Well I'm pretty sure this one pic sums up the whole day:

http://www.scheides.com/albums/lazer...1903.sized.jpg

I spent all of an hour editing together our scientifical data, videos, and pics to help showcase the caliber of work hughes & I can do when we put our minds to it :D

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...56366984909249
note: I *just* uploaded this to google, so it might be a few hours before everyone can see it.

For testing we did 3 pulls in 2nd gear on mostly flat streets around my house. The car still has stock exhaust, so I wasn't too worried about pissing off the neighbors :D We went from 3000rpms to 7000rpms

Stock times (in seconds): 7.97, 8.65, 6.88

Stage1 times (in secs ) : 5.85, 6.41, 5.91

The times themselves are off a little, but we did the pulls on the same stretch of road so when averaged they should be fairly accurate:

stock avg: 7.83 secs
stage1 av: 6.06 secs

MAD POWA YO!!!!!

More pics here:

http://www.scheides.com/gallery/lazer-stage1

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Thats awesome, great video! Extra power aside, the $88 was worth the retarded fun we had yesterday :D

Thanks for the video and all the pictures!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Hows that thing shifting now that all the clutch components are good? I was meaning to ask you and kinda forgot. Is it still grinding into second?

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Haha that's a pretty sweet movie :)

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

It grinds 2nd unless you shift slowly so I always just double-clutch it. The rest of the gears are fine as long as you know the feel of the transmission, I can shift them quickly and have no grinds or notches.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

That's awesome. You should dremel for a day and see what yuo can improve.

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I'd be in the 10's no doubt!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

I got $100 plus an ECU for my EPROM so I have made all my mod-money back plus $12 :) Laser fund now = $112

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

Dude, almost enough for SGH's RIMZZZZZ!!!

Re: Laser's $100 Project Thread
 

get rid of the good, fendors, hatch, and all the windows. then, only run a down pipe.

Or, get NAWZ.