Monday, July 28, 2008

Fushing the XO Vision Sceen and making a bracket


I like this screen because it was very inexpensive. I managed to nab it up for $160 plus shipping. This was on ebay of course. The retail is $300. Still the two main things I care about are here. A DVD player, and head unit. This screen is also a CD player , tuner, Tv, and has USB and SD card slots for additional memory. There are two AUX in video inputs, one for backup camera, and another for a game system. So far this screen is looking pretty good. I hope to be using it in a week or so. I already soldered the wiring harness.This is what I came up with to mount it. I hope this is strong enough or I will need to go by the OEM metal brackets. I will need to drill two holes for the screws so this can be mounted. My biggest concern is the DVD player flushing to the bezel. As you can see it can be done in the picture above however I dont know if it will be able to slide forward will the bezel i made having such tight clearance. I may need to sacrifice flushing the unit to make sure it can open. I will only slide it out enough for the screen to open without resistance.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Bezel cam in, and so did the XO dvd player, here is how they fit!


It is not perfect but I can deal with it. It would be hard to find a perfect fit.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Garrett Turbocharger families, Choosing a turbo for Honda, Mitsubishi, and Toyota 4 cylinder cars ect.

Garrett makes alot of turbos , but when choosing a turbo you should know the BASIC characteristics. This won't make you an expert but you will outsmart that Honda punk with the TO4E ! Don't be dazzled by the biggest turbo you can find or it will be " just for looks".

Turbocharger familiesThe T25 family = super fast spooling "small" turbo that makes good low rpm torque, but lacks top end power. This turbocharger is commonly used where throttle response and low rpm torque are desired without much regard to high rpm power.


The T3 family = "intermediate turbo" that spools slower than a T25, but has the ability to make substantially more power than the T25 family. The T3 family is the most common series found on factory performance vehicles. When a OEM turbo car wants better perfomance they can simply Upgrade turbines or compressor type. They can make impressive power, but were known to be laggy. If you choose a T3 turbo get the SMALLEST one that meets your horsepower expectations to maintain the best drivability, torque and economy! The smallest are .42 AR but the most likely one to use on a car between 300-350HP is a .48AR


The T3/T4 Family= They are the common turbo for the single turbo 400-550 HP 4 cylinder and rotary applications. The boost does not start till 3000+ RPM and reach full boost around 3800+ RPM. This turbos efficiency is good in the 300+ Horse power range and Ideal for Road warriors like Honda, Mazda, Ford, Toyota scion ect. Take in mind that the engine must be reved high before there is boost so that means 60 foot times may be slow. Also this turbo is not ideal for anyone who is not going to run over 10psi Boost daily. You simply would not use it to its potential. I use a turbonetice T3/T4 now and it does not have boost until around 3500. Because the turbo is larger it also exerts drag ( like stuffing a potato in your muffler) until the compressor spools fast enough to overcome the power loss of the drag. The most use is found on 350-500 HP imports and that is when they have the oportunity to stomp the gas. The reaction on this family is slow 2-3 seconds depending on what RPM you are at.



The T04 family = "big turbo" that makes huge power, but is very very laggy. Without the beauty of being able to make a hybrid turbo, a T04 would probably not even be an option.The 3 main components that have the biggest impact on performance are the a/r of the turbine housing, the size (aka trim) of the tubine wheel, and the size (aka trim) of the compressor housing.


Common turbine housing a/r "sizes"T25: .64 a/r, .86 a/rT3: .36 a/r, .48 a/r, .63 a/r, .82 a/rT4: not listed...see why later(CivicRyda2K's addition)

Common compressor housing a/r "sizes"T3: .42 a/r, .50 a/r, .60 a/r, .82 a/rT4: .50 a/r, .60 a/r, .70 a/rIn a nutshell, the larger the a/r, the later the power comes. A small a/r gives you a fast spooling turbo but limits top-end power. A large a/r gives you a laggy turbo with big top-end power.

Common T25 turbines:DSM trim (?? not sure how big it is, but it's quite small)60 trim (small)76 trim (medium)Common T3 turbines:Stage 1 (small -- most common turbine on junkyard turbos)



Stage 2 (med)



Stage 3 (large -- most common turbine on new T3/T04 hybrids)



Stage 5 (very large)Common T04 turbines:I'm not gonna list any because I don't have info on them and the T4 turbines require so much exhaust energy to spin that they are practically unusable in our application unless you want insane lag and have got a motor that will spin to 10k every day.


Common T25 compressors:I'm not gonna list any. I do have some info on them, but for the most part, a T25 compressor will struggle to stay in its efficiency range on a boosted Honda.Common T3 compressors:40 trim (20lb/min -- haha...don't even think about it)45 trim (21lb/min)50 trim (30lb/min -- probably one of the most common on junkyard turbos, works well for SOHC and LS engines)60 trim (34lb/min -- biggest "production" T3 compressor, excellent power on D series/LS) <=== my old turbo "Super 60" (36lb/min -- note: this is NOT the "60-1" compressor)

Common T04B compressors:

S trim (37 lb/min)

V trim (48 lb/min)

H trim (49 lb/min)

Common T04E compressors:

40 trim (36 lbs/min)
46 trim (41 lbs/min) <=== my new turbo
50 trim (47 lbs/min)
54 trim (45 lbs/min -- note that the 54 trim flows less than the 50 trim)57 trim (49 lbs/min)60 trim (50 lbs/min)

Common T04S compressors:60-1 62-1 (bigger yet -- I believe this is a T04S compressor...correct this if it is wrong)


Performance (listed in order of increasing performance):

  • A T25 is a straight T25 turbo --> T25 turbine + T25 compressorA



  • T28 is a hybrid T25/T3 turbo --> T25 turbine + T3 compressorA



  • T3 is a straight T3 turbo --> T3 turbine + T3 compressorA



  • T3/T04B is a T3/T04B hybrid turbo --> T3 turbine + T04B compressor (used in Drag kits)



  • T3/T04E is a T3/T04E hybrid turbo --> T3 turbine + T04E compressor ( This is the Turbonetics Turbo currently on the Talon)



  • T3/60-1 is a T3/T04S hybrid turbo --> T3 turbine + T04S (60-1) compressor

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Iron Man 360 install continues, test fit into the dash of the Eagle Talon, and control panel for 360

Iron Man 360, update on test fit and update on Control panel.


The Xbox 360 on the dash is a tight fit overall. I this picture the 360 is sitting inside the enclosure. The unit is sitting about 1/2 to 3/4 inch lower that it will once it has been mounted. This is to promote airflow out the bottom cooling fans and leave room for video and power cables. Three screws across the top, on in the top left hand corner, and two on each side of the DVD drive. These are already original mounting points within the original case an Xbox 360 is sold in from the factory.



This is the straight forward view from the passenger seat. Agian this is the 360 about 3/4 inch lower that is will be mounted. The entire cd window will be visible when mounted after the finishing and primer is done. I am sure you noticed there is some kind of hole busted in the left corner of the glove box cover. This is where I removed the original xbox button that use to be installed with the original xbox we use to have. Since this advertantly was insterted in the update I will continue by showing what is going on with the glove box cover.



A better view from the passenger door, more of what an ouside spectator would see.


The original xbox button was here but before I fully removed It I took pictures to show how the original power of button and eject button was.

Comparison of the 360 power button in relation to the original xbox button. Since the Xbox 360 can eject the disc from the user interface, by selecting it with the remote control, there is no need to install another eject button. Note: the usb door will not be included in the 360 interface from the front of the glove box.










Ultimatly the xbox button will replace the old one , but it seems somewhat plane to only have the power button, so I descided to include the majority of the Xbox 360 faceplates features.




This is the configuration that I am going to use. The power button will be aligned with the two memory car doors, IR eye and Bluetooth button. Tbe power button will be about 3/4 inch closer to the doors and eye as I am holding them right here. The DVD tray hole ofcourse will not be included.




This is the configuration I am going to use. There is no cd tray here and each button and door will have the lip hollowed out around the edges. Once plexiglass is cut in a shap to wrap around each door they will all be lit with leds. I will have either green and red or blue. I can change what color all leds with light with a simple switch. This is mostly due to restrictions on the use of red and blue in a street legal vehicle. The two memory car doors I do not believe I will use for memory cars , but USB jacks a very easy to extend and mount inside the memory car bays.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Iron Man Xbox 360 Elite, Red Powdercoat and DVD window

Iron Man Color Themed Xbox 360


This is one of the better pictures, I will take better pictures with my camera in a day or two. These cameraphone pictures from the blackberry are good enough to see what was done.


With the 360 upright you can have a better view of what you would see from the outside. The DVD window turned out very clean especially after the red coating was applied. The fan shroud will stay this color for the moment ,but will eventually be painted or replaced with a clear version.

This is what the 360 looked like before the splash of red. The wide piece behind it and towards to bottom is the mount I am using to fabricate the fiberglass enclosure. Once the eclosure is finished it will float on Plexi glass lit with leds inside a painted enclosure.

Here are the parts as they were recieved from my powder coater. I only see a couple imperfections , but they are dwarfed be the overall appearance and not noticable. The richest of all the color is on the back of the cage that will be facing the mount. That is sad times, but overall it still looks great!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Eclipse Trunk install for Diamond Audio and fiberglass is done!


Here is a nice done picture from the cell phone. All this needs is lighting for the plexi and the trunk latch reinstall when its back from paint, both of those you can not see in this kind of picture anyways so for all intensive purposes it is done. The amp is foating on plexi glass ( floating is when it is above the install and you cant see the legs. This is about 40-50 hours of work. The initial ten hours were framing, making a floor underneath, stretching the cloth and initial fiberglassing. Then two more layers were added to the back and one to the front. About a gallon of body filler was used and 5 layers of primer. This is in the back of the GST Eclipse Spyder.