failsatheals
Active LVC Member
To start this off Ill explain about my last year and my car experience. Im 21 and currently going to college, my grandparents finally loosened up and allowed me to sell the car they bought me in high school. I quickly sold my 2001 Civic and got a BMW after seeing all the hype around putting a 302 in them. The more I looked into it and I learned about ford engines, my preferences quickly changed to a 4.6l. Around January ish, I changed my mind and traded my few 302 parts I found for a pair of 5.4l navigator heads.
By around spring break I finally had a good portion of money saved up and I decided to finally go ahead and find my self a nice little terminator. I had been observing a seller on ebay who has a shop up in the Michigan area and noticed he was parting out at least 2 cobra's a month. I won the auction for 4000 and take off from nebraska to pick it up.
I get it back home and store it, I decided to swap into a different car (I change my mind a lot) so I put my M3 back on the market. Mid june I happen to notice budpytko's old mark viii was for sale. I had family in virginia at the time so I decided to fly out and take a look at it. Long story short, the guy was an *******, trashed the car, wouldnt drop 200$. I check CL a lot and noticed he just re listed it. Since I was so determined to get a mark, I flew down to Phoenix where my mother lives and continue my search.
Behold, my first mark! 108k miles, texas car, needed door blend, aftermarket HIDs and some touch up work on the bumper/side mirrors. After having my mark, the engine and some cash I decide to tear into my engine and get everything ready to swap.
As my buddy and I dug into the engine we noticed more and more aftermarket parts/studs. Unfortunately for me the previous owner bored/stroked the engine and didnt put over sized pistons back in. I tried contacting ebay and the seller but ebay sided with him even though his description didnt fit the condition it was in. So at this point I have to do a complete rebuild, the only part salvageable was the intake/supercharger. Since I have been slowly buying cheap parts and getting everything ready.
I originally had planned to get the engine rebuilt and swapped into a mark by time my fall classes started. Since I am in a long term position now of getting my rotating assembly rebuilt I decided to sell my mark and begin the hunt for a Midnight grey. I posted my mark and a gentlemen from Kansas contacted me, the next day I meet him half way and he hauls it away. Gives me time to find a gray mark and to get my engine 100% ready to drop it when I do!
I took my crank in to get it ready and found out the thrust landing it shot, since it was a better aftermarket crank and from a stroker kit I decided to just ship it off to get it welded and repaired. It will be about a month before I get it back and finally get my block rebuilt. At this point the only machine work I need to do is port match the intake to the heads, port match the exhaust. I have almost all the parts I need besides some belt tensioners, lower SC pulley kit and a good pair of cobra calipers. As soon as I find a decent mark I can install my rebuilt LSD, hub swap, new tires and build some frames/braces.
I am pretty bad at taking pictures of actual progress, but I figured Id start it now. When things pick up again and it goes together Ill have more interesting of a build! I really appreciate the help you guys have been!
By around spring break I finally had a good portion of money saved up and I decided to finally go ahead and find my self a nice little terminator. I had been observing a seller on ebay who has a shop up in the Michigan area and noticed he was parting out at least 2 cobra's a month. I won the auction for 4000 and take off from nebraska to pick it up.
I get it back home and store it, I decided to swap into a different car (I change my mind a lot) so I put my M3 back on the market. Mid june I happen to notice budpytko's old mark viii was for sale. I had family in virginia at the time so I decided to fly out and take a look at it. Long story short, the guy was an *******, trashed the car, wouldnt drop 200$. I check CL a lot and noticed he just re listed it. Since I was so determined to get a mark, I flew down to Phoenix where my mother lives and continue my search.
Behold, my first mark! 108k miles, texas car, needed door blend, aftermarket HIDs and some touch up work on the bumper/side mirrors. After having my mark, the engine and some cash I decide to tear into my engine and get everything ready to swap.
As my buddy and I dug into the engine we noticed more and more aftermarket parts/studs. Unfortunately for me the previous owner bored/stroked the engine and didnt put over sized pistons back in. I tried contacting ebay and the seller but ebay sided with him even though his description didnt fit the condition it was in. So at this point I have to do a complete rebuild, the only part salvageable was the intake/supercharger. Since I have been slowly buying cheap parts and getting everything ready.
I originally had planned to get the engine rebuilt and swapped into a mark by time my fall classes started. Since I am in a long term position now of getting my rotating assembly rebuilt I decided to sell my mark and begin the hunt for a Midnight grey. I posted my mark and a gentlemen from Kansas contacted me, the next day I meet him half way and he hauls it away. Gives me time to find a gray mark and to get my engine 100% ready to drop it when I do!
I took my crank in to get it ready and found out the thrust landing it shot, since it was a better aftermarket crank and from a stroker kit I decided to just ship it off to get it welded and repaired. It will be about a month before I get it back and finally get my block rebuilt. At this point the only machine work I need to do is port match the intake to the heads, port match the exhaust. I have almost all the parts I need besides some belt tensioners, lower SC pulley kit and a good pair of cobra calipers. As soon as I find a decent mark I can install my rebuilt LSD, hub swap, new tires and build some frames/braces.
I am pretty bad at taking pictures of actual progress, but I figured Id start it now. When things pick up again and it goes together Ill have more interesting of a build! I really appreciate the help you guys have been!
