So each year I've always set a goal of what I want to do in terms of continuing the improvement of my rally car and my vacation away from the car is pretty much at it's end. So this years agenda items were new lower intake manifold, better exhaust manifold, stand alone engine management, adjustable front suspension and Supra rear diff into the car. The adjustable front suspension design is nearly done, we just need to get on building a prototype and what not. But the main point of this thread, I ordered my Megasquirt II last night. Ordered from Wilson Racing who is making a plug and play kit for these cars.
http://www.wilsonracingms.com/kits_and_options
Doing the boost control and 2 step rev limiter options. Will probably install and start playing with it next month after the first CRC event on April 4th.

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Grant Hughes

Cool deal Grant. Alex a guy on one of the forums developed a PNP megasquirt kit for the MazDogs. He's only offering MS1 at this point. I'm still holding out for MS2.

Be sure to share info about it, learning curve, any tricks you figure out, etc...

What about your travel plans and such? Before spending all this dough are you asking yourself if it'll get you out there in the world? Did you forget already?

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Michael LeCompte

I've got three more flights already booked, I've logged almost 30000 miles on 11 flights with 5 different airlines already. I think I'm okay. Mark and I are exploring a trip to Central America in my Starlet this spring/summer as a test run for the $500 challenge. Preliminary rules are $500 allowed to buy the car, $300 allowed to make any repairs.

I'm doing the Colorado based events, most of which don't cost me much more than a regular weekend anyhow. I may try to get to Idaho, but that's way up in the air.

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Grant Hughes

Kewl.. Glad to hear you're still focused on travel. Right now it's more important to travel than a rally car is. When I want to buy parts now..I think 'is this going to broaden my horizons or keep me here?'

I didn't know you had a starlet!! What all is done to it? I just sold mine cos I'm moving soon and didn't want the hassle of taking it with me. Got enough junk.

So the plan is to drive from Colorado to Central America and back? Is it an event or something you two are doing for fun? It sounds like it would be an awesome adventure. I don't have a single friend that would be willing to do something like that. Wish I did.

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Michael LeCompte

NoCoast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mark and I are exploring a trip to Central America
> in my Starlet this spring/summer as a test run for
> the $500 challenge. Preliminary rules are $500
> allowed to buy the car, $300 allowed to make any
> repairs.


Grant,

Not to piss on your foot or anything...But it might not be the best time to travel thru Mexico on your own for the next year, or so. The gov/narco wars are really heating up. Narco's seem to be winning at the moment.

Rich Smith

so no Oregon trail? bummer it would of been rad to have out out for that.

So far about all that's been done to the Starlet has been trying to get it driveable. Front brakes, now rear brakes. Will probably weld the diff, try to clean up some of the rust, and paint it lime green this summer.

Of course Mexico is dangerous. That's why you have to really think through the route. Plus, would it be an adventure if it weren't dangerous??? This more or less would be a test run to see about: feasability, time, fun, costs, and adventure of such a trip. If it worked out, we may consider doing something similar to what the Adventurists do with the Mongol Rally and making it a point to point adventure for charity.

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Grant Hughes

Did you get EFI or a carbie on your starstang?

I'm wondering about Mr. Wilsons MS2... The mazda guys are calling it NLS (no lift shift) and he's calling it a 2 step. My guess is it's that same thing.

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Michael LeCompte

Isn't every rev limiter by default = no lift shift?

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Grant Hughes

What he said to me was that you could have an initial RPM limit where all the ECU does is retard timing ten degrees, then a second RPM limit where it does full spark cut.
I figured for $25 I'd have him add it onto the system and I'll fuck with it to get it to do what I want to do, which would be launch control. Retard timing and hold revs around 3500 RPMS or so, then regular RPMs once you get going.

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Grant Hughes

Searching for info on the Starlet is pretty annoying though. Maybe because I don't really like cars all that much, I just like to drive them and don't really want to learn what all the stupid vin codes and engine codes and transmission codes, etc are for Toyota.

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Grant Hughes

Anything you want to know about Starsluts brah... just ask away. Been there done that.

Starlets called KP61 chassis. 81-82 is 4KC engine. 83-84 is 4KE. 4K is the series. K series engine version 4. the C or E stands for the carbie or efi.

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Michael LeCompte



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2009 01:37PM by pikespeakgtx.

Hey Grant

I was just curious if there was a reason you decided against using a Turbo dodge SMEC ECU - I thought I remembered you considering it.

I've been playing around with it as the Turbo Dodge distributor fits into my Peugeot engine perfectly with about 10 minutes of modification (just to the slot drive) - so using it should be dead simple.

Curious if there was a reason - or if the MS2 kit is just an easier PnP option.

Good luck with the mods too!

Rabin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2009 10:50AM by bean.

Never considered it. I'm not in to those types of solutions typically. And I hate Dodge shit.

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Grant Hughes

Well then - I stand corrected!

I researched the crap out of it, and the capabilites of it - and it's hard to beat (especially for the cash). Fully programable, and it's a speed density system that's really pretty darn good. (Probably as much fiddling to get right as an MS system though)

I know other xratty guys have used it from the reading I've done - but can't argue with the MS2 solution you went with.

As for Dodge shit - I thought the same till I drove a stripped out Omni with a 2.5T and an open wastegate. Car was STUPID fast and the engine was bullet proof considering the beating it took in a number of rally-x's and ice dices we did.

Rabin