I
bought the 91' Z24 in May of 97'. I bought it so soon after the accident,
because it is difficult to find Z24s with 5-speeds. After I bought it,
I installed the struts intended for Mark I and I also installed the rear
springs and replaced the rear shocks with new Tokicko (the ones in the
Mark I were twisted up). The car then took a trip from Dallas, TX to Syracuse,
NY.
Later that summer, my parents wanted to do some house remodeling. I agreed to help and in exchange my father loaned me money to begin construction on the car. I then proceeded to begin construction on the brakes/suspension. Knowing how badly the old car handled, I wanted to greatly improve this one. I researched brake upgrades and discovered that there really were none. I then read the GM Performance Manual and discovered that the J-bodies and it's relatives could be fit with Toronado front hubs, spindles, calipers, and rotors. I began designing the new brakes. I bought most of the components at junk yards and modified them to fit the car. I also discovered that the Toronado used different axles (because of the larger bearings). I found a local company who made them for me. GM wanted 1200.00 each for the halfshafts (yes, GM offers them in the catalog).
I also wanted to have rear disc brakes. I went looking for a car that had
a rear beam axle, like the Cavalier. I discovered that the Pontiac 6000
was available with rear disc brakes on the front wheel drive model (they
also make a AWD Model). I then took the hardware from a 6000 and
a rear axle from a junked Cavaler. I modified the rear axle to accept the
disc brakes, altered the brakes lines, and altered the parking brake. I
then replaced the stock Cavalier master cylinder with one from a 4-wheel
disc 6000. The only problem was the fact that the new brakes used a 5x115
mm bolt pattern instead of the Cavalier's 5x100 mm. This wasn't a problem
for me, because I was replacing the wheels/tires anyway. I bought ASA wheels
from a local store. Most 5x115 mm wheels are not actually drilled for 5x115
mm. They are actually drilled for the SAE equivilant. I had the rims specifically
drilled for the metric bolt pattern. The dual purpose rims tend to cause
vibration at higher speeds. I also bought 225/50-16 tires from TireRack.
Many companies I talked to claim that those tires will fit, but not really.
The front tires can scrap the plastic splash guards and I had to have the
rear fender flares flared more. Boy does the car handle.
Then the settlement happened November, 1998. I then proceeded with the construction of the engine. This time I decided that 250 hp wasn't quite enough. I wanted this car to be sooooo fast. I also wanted not only to beat my friend's Z28, I wanted to blow it away. I decided that I would build the engine. I removed the engine from the Mark I. Then it went off to the junk yard in the sky. I then tore the engine completely apart. I sent the block off to a machine shop to have it honed, vated, and checked out. I also found out that the 3.1 can use rods for a pre-68' small block. I ordered the rods from Crower with the necessary modifications (the big end needed to be machined narrower) and I also ordered lower compression pistons from Ross. Becuase I was ordering custom pistons, they could retain the small block wrist pin (it is quite a bit larger). The machine shop also ordered the cam. I wanted, springs, lifters, rockers, and all of those little valve train components. GM recomends that for high performance, you use the iron heads. I located them at a junk yard. Unfortunately I had to go back, because one of them was cracked. I also wanted a better intake manifold. I found a 3.4 Camaro engine and bought the upper and lower intake manifolds. I also needed a different pressure regulator for the 3.4 intake fuel rail and I sent it off to be custom built. I also ordered the 52 lb/hr injectors from the same company who made the regulator. I found a LT1 throttlebody and modified the intake manifold to accept it. I also modified the upper intake manifold to work in a FWD engine (notched it for the alternator). I really didn't like the stamped steel valve covers, so a friend suggested I use the cast aluminum covers from a Fiero. I wanted to retain the 3.1 timing chain cover, so I modified the alternator bracket to fit on the iron heads.I had assembled most of the parts for the engine, when my current 3.1 of the time decided to develop a coolant leak. I discovered that the coolant fitting in the intake manifold for the heater core had rotted. I tried to remove it, but it broke in the manifold. It's the fitting right below the ECU temperature sensor. I really couldn't remove the fitting until the engine was out, so I decided that I would go ahead and start the engine upgrade.
I was still waiting for my new Turbo, so I went to Majestic Turbo in Irving, TX and they let me
use a turbo with just the housings on it. I then finished assembling the engine and took it over
to a Shop called Minette Enterprises. He made the first crossover using just the engine and turbo
, but when I got it back to my garage, it was in the wrong position.
I then removed the crossover pipe and began to install the engine. I installed the engine and
then rented a car dolley to tow the car myself. By this time, my turbo was finished.
The guy's at Majestic Turbo were kind enough to take my T2 as a core in return for the T3/T4 turbo.
I was very happy with the turbo they provided.