1988 Isuzu I-Mark Turbo

I took the motor home and started installing the brackets and odd pieces. One day I will machine the words "12 valve" off the cover, and maybe put an Isuzu emblem in there. You don't really impress anybody with 12 valves. Timing belt on Manifold and turbo installed. The Ex manifold ports were way to small. I had to remove quite a bit of material to get it to match the gasket

One thing about putting a move between when you start your build and actually do it is loosing stuff. I've since figured it out, but I could not for the life of me find the bolts and piece that hold the turbo on. It turns our the waste gate actuator bracket is integrated to hold the turbo in place. But, this puzzled me for days.

If I had paid to do all of this basic work at the machine shop: Clean block and parts $50 Bore/Hone Block $100 Deck Block $75 Install freeze plugs $15 Polish Crankshaft $25 Put piston on the rods $30 Valve job $150 Resurface head $50

I didn't include the price for port and polishing, drilling, etc. Those would be more.

So much awesome in this thread. I've always wanted to know the process of what each machine does and what it looks like thanks!

So when's it going in the car? Are you going to clean up the engine bay or do anything else to the car, or is it just going straight in? Getting excited for you! What kind of power should this thing make?

It will eventually go in the car, but I have several other things to sort out first.

If I made 160hp on 7-10 lbs of boost I would be delighted. The car only weighs about 1,950 lbs stock. My goal was never to make a monster. I just want something really fun, unique, and surprising. As a teenager I drooled over the mustangs going 0-60 in 6 seconds running 15s in the quarter mile. I'd like to match that. But to make it I just might have to TURN UP THE BOOST!

As you can see from the picture the original motor mount in my hand is different from the motor mount on the engine. So I drilled and tapped it to match. I used the original water outlet and tapped it also. I used to have a leaky hard line but I cut it off in favor of a braided line. Valve adjustment. You would not believe how many people don't know how to adjust the valves. We see it all the time at the shop. Make sure you're adjusting the valve that isn't being compressed.

I ordered some parts. The mail brought new motor mounts, fittings, braided lines and a QUAIFE LSD! Fortunately the Isuzu transmission is used in lots of GM cars and group buy was made some years ago. I was able to get mine from a person that never installed his. (and for a good price) This is the first time I had ever cracked up a transmission. I was very intimidated. I just went step by step with the manual.

Nasty gunk inside:

Outer cover removed. Those little silver things EJECT! and then you have to get on your hands and knees with a flashlight to find them. Outer gears removed. My advice to anyone doing this. Go slow, take pictures, and mark everything the way it came off. I ran everything through a wire to keep it in order. Cover removed. Everything looks pretty decent. I didn't see any gross wear. The differential would have to be the very last think all the way at the bottom.... FINALLY got it out! New Quaife on the left and original on the right.

Bolting it up with Loctite and prepping to put it back together.

Wow, go big or go home, eh? Should be a fun little pocket rocket at the end!

Very Neat! Keep up the good work!

That LSD will transform the car! You're going to enjoy that machine... a lot! Thanks for sharing all your hard work with those of us living vicariously through you.

Yeah, I'm VERY exited about the LSD. I hated the 1 wheel burn outs I used to do in front of my friends house as a teenager.

(can you get the "I wish I coulda done this as a teenager" vibe I'm projecting through this build)

exactly

What a pain.

Rewiring the engine harness from the old 8 valve engine to the new 12 valve engine sucks. Unfortunately I couldn't re-use the original, because the previous owner had cut and crimped it. There was no way to unplug it.

So I used the harness from the new engine and had to trace each wire back to its source and confirm how it was connected.

I was going to replace the seals. But the one I bought did not have the protective cage around the seal like the originals, so I left the old ones in.
I was terrified that I would screw up and forget one of those little balls or put something in the wrong place. I had the book in front of me the whole time.

There is no easy way to fill the trans with fluid. It looks like the factory used a bolt that was designed to ring off and then plug itself.

So, I welded a nut on so that I could use it. (and the first time I tried it broke off.)

I had planed to reuse that yellow bushing in the middle of the flywheel. To my surprise the cheap e-bay clutch I bought had a brand new metal bearing in the box! Score! I installed a door hinge bushing set to tighten up the action on the shifter quadrant box. Was a total pain. It took way more work than it was worth. I even ruined a set and had to buy another. Braided lines installed clutch installed transmission mated to the engine. (finally) I wonder if my braided lines will be too tall?

Holy cow, what a build. Is your dad looking for any children to adopt?

Do we need to have a GRM day at the machine shop?

Isuzu calls this an "oil separator" which I assume means catch can. I'm impressed that it came stock on a cheap turbo car from the 80s. I'll have to find a new home for it in this new configuration. The thermostat housing for the new motor places all the sensors right in the path of the intake inlet. So, I had swap back to the old one with only one in the way. This is an old HVAC Freon tank we converted over to use as a pressure lube. I filled it with 2 quarts of oil and 80lbs of air.

I plugged it into the oil pressure sensor hole and charged the system. This will keep me from having a dry start. NOTE: If you leave off the turbo oil drain hose the pressure luber will shoot oil all over the floor.

See the oil drain with a hose attached.

Still sorting out wiring issues.

Since I was using larger injectors from an Isuzu Impulse turbo, and turning up the boost, I bought a wide band air fuel gauge from AEM.
The instructions recommend it being 36 inches away from the head. It turns out the old EGR tube will make a perfect spot for this. (I'm pretty proud of coming up with this). I'll have to trip a bit off so the sensor can make it into the stream, and tap it to 18mm.
Cut off and ready to tap. I tried to angle it a bit so the water will roll of and not cause extra rust.

The one thing I forgot to do was tap for a new dipstick. So I used a plumbing coupling that gets pretty close. It isn't perfect, and I still had to cut it for length. Backing it in to get the new motor.

Aww yiisss, watching this thread with anticipation!

That last picture is awesome and reminded me that Isuzu made cool E36 M3 back in the day.

A few last things now that the car is inside the garage. I was sitting inside the engine bay on top of the crossmember tracing wires and soldering. I've gooten pretty good at I too.

Press the two wires together until the strands push out like a flower Twist the "petals" in opposite directions Solder shrink wrap repeat until your neck aches

It is all the tedious stuff that they always gloss over on TV that takes forever and drives you nuts. You're amped up like a meth addict to put your motor in and then somebody says you have to wait in line for Sudafed. You can't seem to get doe with it fast enough.

Yahoo! Can't wait for the engine start video!

it's the little stuff like making a perfect solder joint and seeing the shrink tube laying on the bench instead of already on the wire that makes me nuts! Dangit! Done the same with flares and the flare nut before, soooo I pay extra attention now. haha.

Great progress.

Oh, there will be videos....