kimokalihi's 91 SS EJ20 Swap

[PhyrraM]

Yup, agreed. Listed or asking price does not equal a sales price. I'm guilty myself. I've bought 2 Legacy SSs in the last few years. One was listed and and bought for $1600. The other was listed for $2200 and bought for $1500. I guess I'm part of the problem......

[Dominator]

The unfortunate truth is, you're not going to get the amount of money out of a car when you sell it, than what you put into it. That's just a fact. Unless it's got some sort of pedigree history, or a classic car on the rise again, it's going to be a diminishing value property.

The Car Lot on here probably doesn't get much play because we are all here because we already have these cars.

The Parts Shed however is 70x more popular. So if the car isn't selling on the market, people can return them to stock and sell off the modifications to recoup some of the money they have into the project.

For example, the guy I bought my 91 SS from sold and shipped the engine out of it to a guy in Australia to recoup his rebuild costs. I got the rolling chassis for less than a grand.

[Legacy777]

Kimo,

Yes a stated value policy would likely increase the premium.....to how much depends.


Yeah, you'll get far more money from parting a car out then selling it outright with all the mods on it. It just is what is....

[Dominator]

But I'm not suggesting you part yours out.

Just saying that's what some people do when they try to sell their cars.

[sqc151]

i think if the RS guys can get between 8-15k for a swapped RS. theres no reason we legacy owners cant get good money for the mods weve done to our cars. if the buyer is smart, he'll relize the work that has gone into building what they want without spending twice as much. kimo should definitly be able to get 3k if not more without the damage. even if fixed, its still worth more than KKB.

even right now in the car lot, theres a guy selling his car for 9k with some STi bits and extras. not saying its high or low, but compare that to a GC and id prefer the Legacy SS any day.

[Legacy777]

The issue is I don't think anyone disagrees with you, but if the market doesn't support the price, it really doesn't matter. For whatever reason the market supports the higher prices of the RS.....it doesn't seem to support the higher price of the turbo Legacy.

You will obviously have deviations to this rule and may have a very motivated buyer who's knowledgable on the mods and the money required to do something similar, so he or she doesn't mind spending above what the market value is. But I wouldn't say that's a regular occurance.

[kimokalihi]

Got the check and paper work in the mail today. I don't understand the paper work and of course the guy has already gone home from his cushy insurance job and I woke up 2 hours earlier than I normally do. The paper work makes it sound like they want me to sign over my title and even says to include any keys to the vehicle and I don't like the sound of that. If this guy misunderstood what I said,"There is NO way I am giving up my car" when he told me I had two options, sell the car to them for $1000 or take $900 and keep it, then he's an idiot.

I can understand if they want me to send them the title or go the the DMV to get a salvage title but there is no reason to give them my keys so something is probably wrong.

Also, the vehicles they found to compare my car with were not sport sedans. Not even touring wagons. 91 L wagon, 3 92 L wagons and 1 92 LS wagon. That could explain their estimated real market value being so low.

I hate this whole thing, makes me sick. I wish this had never happened.

[PhyrraM]

.....I hate this whole thing, makes me sick. I wish this had never happened.

I know EXACTLY what that feels like. My build has been stalled ever since my incedent.

Don't let it get to you. Just keep working on the car at your pace. Progress will make you feel better.



Oh, I'm sure you know this, but don't cash the check until your certain they won't need the car. You should still have the right to renegotiate until you cash the check.

[kimokalihi]

Thanks, yeah I won't be cashing that. The whole thing has me a bit freaked out. I'd strip that car to a bare shell before letting anyone take it from me.

[Falken-18c]

Thanks, yeah I won't be cashing that. The whole thing has me a bit freaked out. I'd strip that car to a bare shell before letting anyone take it from me.

lol i hear that. i would too.

[kimokalihi]

Just sucked about 8 or 9 oz of oil out of my engine and replaced it with a half can of sea foam. I would like to seafoam the intake but it's looking a bit difficult to do. The PCV valve is inconveniently located directly below the throttle body so in order to get to it (I bought a new valve as well) I will need to remove the intercooler, replace the valve and put a long hose on it and then install the intercooler again and do the sea foam. Then attempt to reinstall the crank case hose with the intercooler on.

Does anyone know if it's safe (or even effective) to pour sea foam in the intake before the turbo? There's a VERY easy to use nipple on my silicone intake.

First pic is the vacuum ports on the top of the manifold. There's 3 and they're all at the front so I don't think the rear runners would get their share if any and they're on the sides right by the runner so it could all go into the runner that it's closest too.








This is the nipple I would like to use but don't know if it would be safe or be as effective because it could pool in the inercooler or associated piping and also it would probably dilute it so maybe it won't be concentrated enough to work properly? I don't know.

[Legacy777]

I wouldn't pour sea foam in before the turbo or intercooler.

[kimokalihi]

That's what I thought. Bummer.

On an unrelated note, the time for this message board is 15 mins fast.

[Legacy777]

It is....good catch.

[vrg3]

Yeah, you want to feed the Sea Foam into the intake downstream of the throttle body so engine vacuum sucks it up. You should be okay with one of those nipples on top. Even if the flow is uneven (and I don't think it actually would be that uneven), as long as you use enough Sea Foam, it's not a big deal if the front cylinders get a little more than the rears. You could also use the nipple where the brake booster hose attaches. Or pour it into the IAC valve inlet, cleaning the valve at the same time.

[CAV3MAN227]

-This may help to:
http://www.seafoamsales.com/motor-treatment.html

-Joe

[kimokalihi]

The brake booster hose is down the number 4 intake runner past the IAC valve. I don't see any possible way that would feed any cylinder other than #4. PCV valve is the only place that's centered and it has to be replaced anyhow so I think I'll try that.

Just gotta get creative and I'm used to that so tomorrow I'm tackling this bitch.

[kimokalihi]

I'd like to make note that I can clearly smell the sea foam when I've been driving the car and I stop. A little inside and a lot when I exit the car. The engine bay reeks of it. Does this mean I have a PCV system leak?

[kimokalihi]

After using Sea Foam®, do I need to change my oil?

The most frequently asked question about using Sea Foam® is as follows: “After using Sea Foam® in my oil, fuel, or through the vacuum line (to clean carbon from the combustion chamber) do I need to change my oil?” The short answer is: No you don’t have to change your oil after using Sea Foam® in any application.

When using Sea Foam® in your fuel or through the vacuum line for carbon cleaning your oil does not need to be changed. Using Sea Foam® in your oil, at 1 ½ ounces per quart, is a safe way to clean a crankcase, free up rings or free up sticky lifters as you drive. Sea Foam® is not a chemical engine flush and therefore, it will not damage internal engine components or plug the oil pick up screen. Sea Foam® is a pure petroleum blend with no chemical additives and is safe for long term cleaning or short term pre-service cleaning.

Sea Foam® is a blend of highly refined additive oils and is compatible with all motor oils including synthetics. It is safe for all internal engine components and will not affect any seals, gaskets or o-rings. Sea Foam® cleans oil deposits and varnish in your crankcase by safely/slowly re liquefying the old oil residue so contaminants may flow and be filtered. The longer Sea Foam® is in your oil the cleaner your crankcase will become. When adding Sea Foam® to clean oil, for long term maintenance cleaning, you must check your oil periodically for color and clarity, when your oil looks dirty change it. Because you added cleaning oil (Sea Foam®) to your oil you may have to change oil before the expected service interval.

When adding Sea Foam® to dirty oil before an oil change, for best results use 1 ½ ounces per quart of oil at least 100 miles before oil is changed.

[kimokalihi]

I'm going to change it probably after 200-300 miles after oil change. On my next days off in a week. Oil is already black so I doubt I'll be able to gauge it on the dirtiness of the dipstick oil.

[vrg3]

I feel like I usually smell some Sea Foam for a while after using it in the intake. Maybe some of the fumes make it out of the air filter just due to the weird airflow patterns? I dunno.

When I use Sea Foam in the crankcase, I just let it idle for a while or drive it very gently but change the oil before driving normally. They may claim it's safe to add 1.5 ounces per quart, but in my mind there's no way that it doesn't hurt the lubricating abilities of the oil. 1.5 ounces per quart means something like 5% of what's going through the engine's bearings is Sea Foam instead of Mobil 1.

[kimokalihi]

I pulled it off via the PCV valve after installing a new one. Old one turned out to be fine but I replaced it anyway. I had to remove the intercooler and replace the valve and then fit a hose to it and reinstall the intercooler. Poured in half a can and as I was doing so I noticed smoke coming up from the left side of the engine. Jacked the car up and found out my header collector to up pipe gasket is blown. Bolts are wicked tight and I could see nasty colored liquid seeping out of the bottom of it and turning to smoke. I'm very glad I sea foamed my engine! Never would have known as it was inaudible over the rest of the exhaust.



I am also glad I did this because I found out my PCV system was leaking terribly which is why I get an oil/fuel smell all the time. The hoses I used were tighter than a nun's cunt when I first put them on so I didn't think I needed clamps but now they were so loose they would have fallen off if there was more room for them to slide and oil was coming out the ends. Replaced the hose with what used to be either a coolant hose or a brake booster hose and put hose clamps on it. I'm a little worried about the hose holding up over time because it probably should have been a hose specifically for oil and fuel but at least it has good clamps now.

Took it for a spirited drive and there was the usual smoke show. Feel sorry for the people who I passed that had to drive through that cloud of smoke. I'll get that gasket replaced real soon and dump a can of sea foam in my tank next time I fill up and then change my oil. Should be running better than ever. Although it does knock now in boost (not because of sea foam, it's been doing it for a few months now) a little bit.

I also finally got around to moving my gauges to my center vents. I have a good idea of how I'm going to finish it off but for now they're relocated and I wired in pair of connectors on the boost gauge because Innovate are idiots and they decided it was a good idea to have a built in connector on their AFR gauge yet it apparently wasn't necessary on their identical boost gauge. WTF Also, the AFR gauge only has one color, white, but the boost gauge has white and orange. WTF?!??! It's the same series of gauges made to match and I'd much rather run the orange which not only looks better but is easier on your eyes at night. Oh, and one more gripe about them, one is white and one is a blueish white. It's clearly a different color!!! I guess that's what you get for buying cheap ($80 a piece) gauges. Other than that they function just fine and look good but I would prefer the ring around the glass (plastic) was black rather than silver.

[kimokalihi]

I found out the strut brace makes it impossible to remove the intercooler so it has to come off first. Small pain in the ass. I was halfway through sea foaming the intake when I noticed the exhaust leak and jacked the car up and I didn't remember the nuts were still off the strut top bolts and the wheels suddenly gained 3" of suspension travel! That was fun. I had to grab jack stands and set the car down so I could use the jack to jack up the wheels while I guided the bolts into their holes. Lesson learned, always put the nuts back on after removing the strut brace.

[beatersubi]

Other than that they function just fine and look good but I would prefer the ring around the glass (plastic) was black rather than silver.

Paint 'em.
You'll probably have better boost response after you fix that exhaust leak. Could be contributing to an inaccurate O2 reading, as well.

[kimokalihi]

I got the gasket today. I'll put it in soon. I'm just glad I won't have to smell the fumes anymore. I hope those are bolts and not studs on that up pipe bottom gasket. That way I can remove them and do a switcharoo and not have to remove the whole header because I only got the one gasket since they're all about $20 a pop. BS. Especially since they told me on the phone it was $14.

I'm going to paint those gauges. I doubt the rings separate so it might be tricky.