Finished 99 GT 3S-GTE Swap from Dr. Tweak UPDATE W/PICS AND VID Page 3, Titled "The Thing That Should Not Be" Options

[Fastbird]

"The Thing That Should Not Be"

This was a swap that should have never happened, and suddenly in April, a decision was made and the rest is history. Anyway,

Swap is DONE! Sadly, we didn't get to dyno tune it today due to a slight glitch, but it's running at pretty much 100%. Here's what was done:

JDM Gen II 3S-GTE w/ECU
eBay Downpipe
Custom 3" Exhaust system from ST Performance (all stainless, pieced together mandrel bends, Magnaflow muffler and resonator)
ATS Racing TB Inlet Pipe
ATS Racing GM Knock Sensor kit
GReddy Electronic Boost Controller
Perfect Power SMT-6 Piggyback
HKS BOV
Whalbro 255 LPH High Pressure pump (whines like a mofo!! )
Autometer Nexus Gauges in a Lotek Pod (unfortunately, Autometer forgot to include a power cable in the controller box, so they're not working yet).

I left the exhaust setup choice up to Dr. Tweak, and he did us right. My wife and I both popped a huge grin when we first heard the car. Sounds completely AWESOME.

We turned up the boost to 15 PSI, car seems to run really well. Down low is nothing to write home about, but at about 3000 RPM the boost comes on HARD and she pulls like a mofo on the top end.

Given that there wasn't a dyno tune, how much power and torque do you think I'm putting to the wheels??

Dr. Tweak, a review.

Dr. Tweak has been nothing but outstanding during this whole endeavour. His customer service is certainly top notch and he's done an outstanding job with the swap. He was having issues with getting the SMT-6 wired in last night and ended up staying at the shop until 3:30 in the morning and only got two hours sleep before coming back in to get everything polished up. If that's not a testament to his dedication I don't know what it. EVERYTHING works on the car, from the A/C back. Nothing but perfection. Everything was installed where and how I asked, cleanly done. He even installed a couple of "feeder wires" through the firewall in the event we decide to install anything in the future that needs wiring through the firewall.

Money wise, his estimation was almost spot on. Due to a couple of unforseen events I had to pay some out of pocket, but nothing terrible and certainly an understandable deal. I consider what we got to be well worth the money, and for anyone even contemplating paying someone the swap, I would highly recommend getting ahold of Dr. Tweak. He will go out of his way to make sure that you, the end consumer, is happy. A TRUE professional.

Feedback on dyno numbers please people. I'd love to have an idea of where we're at.

Lastly, videos to come. Took a couple today and will download and edit them into one vid when we get home tomorrow (parked in the middle of North Carolina for tonight).

This post has been edited by Fastbird: Jul 23, 2006 - 6:35 PM

[jgreening]

Here are my observations and comments:

1. Exterior looks GREAT.

2. Looks like knock response at 4700 RPMs. Is timing controlled by the SMT-6?

3. A/F at 12.5 under boost is too high for my comfort level

4. Interesting that they went over the axel on the exhaust.

5. exhaust welds are not that impressive, IMO. Probably doesn't matter if it doesn't crack.

6. HKS air filter generally gets bad reviews - may want to think about replacing it.

7. The combination of knock response, the GM knock sensor, high a/f ratios, and adjusting a/f with a piggy back (which can effect timing) would worry me.

8. Why are there two couplers on the intercooler piping near the throttle body?

I wish you all the best Fastbird. Don't get boost happy!

Jay

[Fastbird]

1. Thanks!!! It's going to get better this week, and with the drop should be really nicely done.

2. Timing is not being controlled by the SMT6 yet. Have to wire a single resistor in, and Dr. Tweak couldn't source one at 2 AM.

3. A/F was starting to fluctuate badly due to heat soaking of the motor towards the end of the day. It had been steady at about 11.0 most of the day, you can see it in the video on the pull at the end.

4. Wanted the ground clearance.

5. I thought they were pretty good actually.

6. I've heard this, but it was a freebie with the motor. I'm actually looking at doing a solid 3" tube to the AFM with a better conical filter (hey, more HP to be found!!)

7. Not so sure it's knock response. It's present at that exact point EVERY time, and tended to coincide with a slight AFR dip.

8. The ATS Racing TB Inlet I guess.

Here's my concern. We know that the JDM ECU's had pretty agressive timing curves. The issue with the SMT6 is that you can't see what's already programmed, you can only make changes. If someone could post a stock JDM ST185 spark table for reference, I'd be a lot more comfortable making timing changes than in the blind. The fuel I'm comfortable changing because I can reference the AFR (or soon the pyro from in car) and see the changes. But the timing just makes me nervous without knowing where it's starting. Hopefully the A/F fluctuation from heat soak will be able to be taken care of via the SMT6 as I noticed a chart in there to actually on the fly make percentage changes based on engine temps.