Shiggz 6a13tt Conversion

[shiggz]

So the original plan was to swap a 6a13tt into my FTO, in 2-3 years time.. I guess Christmas came early

The 6a12 beast is going to be in the garage for a little while. I recently did a top-end rebuild on it, upgrading all seals, belts, etc.
Definitely going to miss the engine, treated me very very well, only having done 110,000kms, but its time for Stututututuu.

IMG_4633.JPG (876.92 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

This thread will outline all the details regarding the swap of the 6a13tt into my FTO, and also includes some other work to the car that was highly required. The basic plan is to upgrade all the parts on my car to support the engine, including braces, rear suspension, battery relocate etc before swapping the engine in, to see how stable I can get the FTO to run before the 6a13tt goes in, as well as to reduce troubleshooting in the future. So firstly the supporting mods will go on, and will be tested, then the 6a13tt will be dropped in. The engine will be dropped in completely stock, at 140,000kms, bought from a wrecking VR4 Legnum over east. The goal is to get the car running properly on stock parts, and upgrade all other sections of the car to properly support the power. In the future I will look at forged internals with upgraded turbos, but currently I just want it to be swapped properly and to be reliable.

The budget is set to ~$9000, and should ideally take approximately a month worth of work, being done in my garage.

[Note this thread will be photo heavy!]

I have already purchased all the materials and parts required for this build. The main parts include:

- 2001 Legnum 6a13tt Engine (With wiring loom, IC, and all associated piping)
- WaveTrac LSD (With Koyo Bearings and Speedo Gear)
- GFB Boost Controller
- GFB Deceptor Pro 2 BOV
- Battery Relocation Equipment (Box, cables, distribution block etc)


So the build began today, upgrading the rear suspension components:

1.JPG (808.36 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

I began installing the following parts in the above picture;
- 24mm Signature Adjustable Swaybar
- HardRace Adjustable Rear Toe Arms
- HardRace Adjustable Rear Camber Arms
- Evo1-3 Rays Rear Lower Control Arms
- Adjustable Whiteline Front + Rear Droplinks

2.jpg (786.34 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

This is a comparison between the stock swaybar and Selby's Signature 24mm swaybar, much thickness, much wow.

To bolt this swaybar on, I had to drill some holes into the mounting brackets. I either had the choice of using a rivnut, or using a bolt with a spring washer and nut. I went with the bolt and nut method, since I'd have to drill a larger hole for the rivnut, and didn't want to compromise the strength of the metal, since there was only a little metal left between my drilled hole, and the original mounting point of the stock swaybar, as shown in the below pictures. Then drilled a perfect hole, sanded it, and bolted the bush and bracket in

3.jpg (736.57 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

9.jpg (407.64 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

10.jpg (588.19 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

The bolt/washer/nut method worked quite well:

11.jpg (400.94 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

12.jpg (431.82 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

Also props to the previous owner, who used the upgraded lancer swaybar mounts, with the double sheet welding at the top of the mount which prevents cracking. According to Bennoz, the part number is MR554491. No wonder my Toyo R888R's didn't rip through the mounts!

Front:

13.jpg (659.5 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

Back:

14.jpg (505.68 KiB) Viewed 11621 times

Swaybar was then ready to be mounted to the car:

15.jpg (882.4 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

The Wavetrac LSD from the 3G Eclipse also arrived today, costing $1500 shipped. Special thanks to Michael Copley from Raventech Racing for importing it for me, and giving me quite a decent price for it. If anyone else is after it, send him an e-mail and mention me!
Very solid product, cant wait to test it out!

4.jpg (540.34 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

8.jpg (454 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

Got the Speedo gear and Koyo/Mitsubishi Bearings from Amayama:

5.jpg (354.7 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

The Koyo Bearings seem really solid, not sure if they're completely OEM spec, or slightly upgraded. Either way, I'm happy!

6.jpg (463.22 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

7.jpg (591.32 KiB) Viewed 11620 times

Solid amount of progress on the car today, and much more to come tomorrow. The rear HEL Braided brake lines were installed today too. Rear pads and rotors were removed, as I shall install some RDA/EBC (Redstuff) Rotors and Pads, temporarily until my brembo upgrade in the months to come. Little bit of a setback with the rear caliper; I was going to rebuild it, as I was having issues with it, however after further inspection I will need a new piston and possibly a clean up of the caliper. Really bad condition on this particular caliper which is strange. Though I should address this issue tomorrow and it should be ready to be installed.

[shiggz]

[ Reserved ]

[shiggz]

[ Reserved ]

[bjk]

Godspeed, sir.

[adzski]

Awesome work, very keen to see the finished product.

[spetz]

Nice work, look forward to seeing all the progress.

How much was a 4G63T conversion?
9k seems like it would cover that?

[shiggz]

Thanks!

Nice work, look forward to seeing all the progress.

How much was a 4G63T conversion?
9k seems like it would cover that?

Not sure how much that conversion is, but I'm more interested in the twin turbo engine. My main goal is to get a quicker 0-160kmph time and greater acceleration, rather than high horsepower with unusable higher top speed.

Didn't work on the car too much today, but all my ordered parts have officially arrived! The caliper rebuild kit is here from poland, Part number, MB857874. So i'll be rebuilding my caliper tomorrow (Maybe tonight if i have the energy).

And mainly, THE ENGINE IS HERE!

19.JPG (236.83 KiB) Viewed 11616 times

20.jpg (661.99 KiB) Viewed 11616 times

Just squeezed into my garage!

22.JPG (991.79 KiB) Viewed 11616 times

I bought the engine, at ~140,000kms. Apparently no leaks, no smoke. Saw a video of the engine before it was removed from the Legnum, and it seems quiet with no signs of leaks, which means I'm not taking any of it apart! Score! The front bank was compression tested, resulting in approximately 180psi. I shall do another wet and dry test tomorrow on both banks to confirm.
Though I unfortunately found some drops of oil inside the intake system; turbo compressor, and throttle body. Not sure if a turbo seal is gone or if it's a normal amount of blow by due to the engine being run at more than stock boost. But either way, i'll confirm that tomorrow with the compression test.

In addition to the engine, I also bought the stock intercooler, engine loom, all the associated intake/IC piping and all engine accessories except the starter motor. Got it all for $2600 shipped, which is veryy reasonable.

In my head I broke this down as:
$1000 - Engine
$300 - Turbos
$350 - Intercooler and all piping
$350 - Engine Loom
$600 - Shipping
$0 - Engine accessories (Alternator, AC compressor etc)

21.jpg (902.88 KiB) Viewed 11616 times

[bjk]

At least you have a reasonably spacious garage. How'd the engine come off the truck?

[shiggz]

Yeah! Lucky it just squeezed in there, since I couldn't move the FTO.
The engine came on a pallet from over east, a tail lift truck delivered it to my house, and the guy used a pallet trolley (jack pallet) to wheel the pallet/engine into the garage.
It was unexpectedly easy!

[bjk]

Yeah! Lucky it just squeezed in there, since I couldn't move the FTO.
The engine came on a pallet from over east, a tail lift truck delivered it to my house, and the guy used a pallet trolley (jack pallet) to wheel the pallet/engine into the garage.
It was unexpectedly easy!

Ah, tail lift...that's what I really need haha. Mine is just going to the depot, so I have to find something to put it in there and then get it home and off

[spetz]

If you have a trailer then perhaps you can just bring a disassembled engine crane?

[Vectose]

Or a couple blokes and lift it on. lol

[Daniel2019]

+1 just get 4-5 people to pick it up.

[bjk]

If you have a trailer then perhaps you can just bring a disassembled engine crane?

Or a couple blokes and lift it on. lol

+1 just get 4-5 people to pick it up.

Depot should have a forklift. Have reasonable people-power, it's more the transport. Anyway, on with the thread.

[Vectose]

If you have a trailer then perhaps you can just bring a disassembled engine crane?

Or a couple blokes and lift it on. lol

+1 just get 4-5 people to pick it up.

Depot should have a forklift. Have reasonable people-power, it's more the transport. Anyway, on with the thread. :lol:

Pull your spare wheel out of corolla and chuck a old tyre in, set engine on that.

[shiggz]

Got all of the suspension components installed. Super keen to see how the car handles now

23.jpg (803.05 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

24.jpg (620.3 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

Weird Panoramic:

25_2.jpg (353.93 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

Rear caliper rebuild kit also finally came, so i rebuilt that, and yaaas, the piston moves in and out way smoother (Even though theres no comparison, since it was seized before)

26.jpg (716.37 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

Nicely greased up

27.jpg (641.38 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

28.jpg (586.89 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

Trial fitted the stock Legnum intercooler, which fit pretty damn perfectly. Lowered it down (VL Spec stutuuuu) so that the bottom right hole can be directly bolted in, and custom brackets made for the rest.

29.jpg (829.29 KiB) Viewed 11615 times

Initially thought about installing two secondary fans to retain the high CFM that the stock fans have, however there wasn't enough space as I later discovered. I instead installed two 12" Mishimoto fans, although will probably upgrade them in the near future to higher spec fans.



Lastly, changed the remaining front brake lines.. only to find that the driver's side flare nut was completely rounded, like so:

31.PNG (1.41 MiB) Viewed 11615 times

I attempted to file the nut into a hex shape and even a square shape to get some vice grips on it, but that further rounded it. Seems like the nut was seized and/or crushed onto the actual brake line
Soo I cut the line, and made my own flared line using another flare nut.
For those of you who may come across a similar issue, its actually not too difficult. This is how you double flare a brake line:

1. Cut off the line as close as possible to the nut (You want to keep as much of the hard brake line as possible, especially if you don't flare the line properly and need to try it again)

32.jpg (546.54 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

33.jpg (314.62 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

2. Use a dremel / file / sanding tool to make the line completely flat. Preparation is key to flaring a line.

34.jpg (380.46 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

36.jpg (462.82 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

3. Use a circular file to clean up the inside of the line, and to also put a slight bevel on the inside, to create a better flare and better seal. Also use a regular file on the outside section of the line to create a slight bevel.

35.jpg (441.83 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

4. To confirm that the line is shaven completely flat, bolt the line into the flare-bar, with the uniform/horizontal surface of the bar adjacent to the line. Stick the brake line only a touch out of the flare-bar, enough to file it to the horizontal section of the flare-bar, which ensures a levelled surface of brake line.

37.jpg (649.1 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

5. The line should then be top-notch and should look like this:

38.jpg (481.4 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

6. Before starting to flare the line, make sure you put the new flare nut through the line! I used masking tape to hold it onto the line, out of the way

39.jpg (466.86 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

7. Again bolt the flare-bar onto the line, this time, with the conical indents adjacent to the line; ready to flare. Use the appropriate size conical flare indent for your application (Brake lines being 3/16"). Have the brake line bolted into the bar, such that it sticks out the same length as the first step of the flare-die. The first step, being the one closest to the nipple (not the base!). The picture is a little deceiving. But how it works is that the first step from the nipple actually forms the first flare on the line, until the base comes into contact with the flare-bar. With the line in the bar, tighten the bar, first tightening the butterfly nut closest to the nut. Tighten the bar till its snug, but don't over tighten it because you don't want to crack the line.

40.jpg (594.5 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

8. Lubricate the nipple / brake line with a touch of brake fluid, before flaring the line

41.jpg (587.31 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

9. Start the flaring process by inserting the flare-die, with the nipple into the line, and hold it together using the chuck. IMPORTANT: Make sure that the flare-die is completely perpendicular to the line! If it isn't, the line and hole will be lopsided, and you will have a useless flare and useless seal, and you'll have to start again. Flare the line by tightening the chuck such that the flare-die pushes into the line. Reverse the chuck every 1-2 turns (similar to that of threading a hole). The first flare will be finished once the chuck is turned, and the first step bottoms out. Not a heap of effort/strength is required to actually flare the line. Do not over tighten it!

42.jpg (680.2 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

10. Once the first flare is complete, loosen the chuck and remove the flare-die. The double flare comes by flaring the line a second time, without the flare-die. Start screwing the tip of the chuck into the brake line, ensuring that its going in completely straight. If it's done at an angle, you won't produce a true flare. Keep screwing the chuck in, until it becomes snug, again don't over tighten this; you'll know when its done.

43.jpg (726.69 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

11. Remove the chuck, and admire your flare!

45.jpg (672.79 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

Note, if you used the flare-die or chuck at an angle, you'll produce a flare like so:

44.jpg (607.28 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

You will then need to cut that off, and restart the entire process, including the prep work to get the line perfect before flaring it again.


12. Since the brake line was cut, it will be different to mount the line onto the existing metal bracket, as there will be less hard brake line, and more braided brake line on top of the bracket, as shown:

46.jpg (390.12 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

I secured the brake line using some rubber seals, metal tube and the existing metal bracket.

I used 2 of these rubber seals found from the 6a13tt airbox mounting hole (And a piece of metal that protruded the seal).

47.jpg (742.46 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

I simply cut the rubber seals in half, and squeezed one into the metal bracket, which gave me a place to use the existing metal clip. I then bent the small metal tube open, and wrapped it around the braided brake line, and wrapped the second rubber seal around that, above the bracket.

Finally cable tied the top rubber seal since it's cut in half, just to ensure it doesn't come off. I was then left with a pretty secure mounting point, used by scrap items, which still looks fairly factory

48.jpg (633.92 KiB) Viewed 11614 times

13. Screw the flare nut, into the new braided line, and that's it! Major problem diverted very easily


[I should make this a how-to guide ]



The rear rotors and pads should be here tomorrow, after some typical delay
But once they're installed, I can bleed the brakes, and the car will be running for almost the last time till the 6a13tt goes in!
Tomorrow I should also be compression testing the 6a13tt.. Looking forward to some good 180, 185psi results

[Bennoz]

Nice.

Please bin that shithouse Legnum intercooler though. The minute you get boost, you'll want more. Nekminut, front bar off, bigger intercooler goes in. It's like the setting of the sun, it will happen.

[shiggz]

Hmm well the intercooler is good for the stock 10psi.
Im thinking of running probably only 13-15psi. What intercooler do you have / what size? Because I was worried about turbo lag, and thought I'd stick with the stock one

[Bennoz]

Hmm well the intercooler is good for the stock 10psi.
Im thinking of running probably only 13-15psi. What intercooler do you have / what size? Because I was worried about turbo lag, and thought I'd stick with the stock one

I went 300 x 600.

If you're keeping the stock TD05s you wont get any lag. They're tiny, spool up heaps quick. I'm at full boost by 1800rpm.

[bjk]

Hmm well the intercooler is good for the stock 10psi.
Im thinking of running probably only 13-15psi. What intercooler do you have / what size? Because I was worried about turbo lag, and thought I'd stick with the stock one

I went 300 x 600.

If you're keeping the stock TD05s you wont get any lag. They're tiny, spool up heaps quick. I'm at full boost by 1800rpm.

f**k me, now I kinda wanna keep them