1988 Isuzu I-Mark Turbo

ScreaminE wrote:

f6sk wrote: Just bring your parts, and your engine paint.

Wow. You're like a friend with a boat or a swimming pool.

But he has a machine shop - which is way better than either of those. It may be the best possible thing to have.

Ill buy the por15 chevy orange if I can come watch.

Sure. Come on

I am poorer than I have ever been, but I am scheming with Tunawife on how to scrape together cash to make this happen. I'll PM you when I get more timeframe information as I have some unconventional ideas I'd like to throw in.

Sure.

Send the wife and kids to downtown Charleston or the beach while you piddle at the machine shop.

Most excellent reporting on your build! Thank you for taking the time!

I was struggling with a high idle issue. Driving me nuts. Every sensor on this car is 26 years old, so they all needed replacing. I replaced the MAP, fuel pressure regulator, IAC (Make sure you clean the hole the IAC goes in, TPS, and still a high idle. So I saw a video on you-tube about how to make your own smoke test to check for vacuum leaks.

I bought a cigar with a plastic tip, old tin can with lid and some vacuum hose.

Poked 2 holes in the top and ran one line to my air compressor (set on aprox 10psi), and the other to an unused vac line on the intake. Note the cigar side goes to the air compressor.

Light it, but not on your car. (NO fires!)

This thing just didn't put out enough smoke. I tried upping the pressure, but that just put the cigar out. So, I grabbed a hand full of leaves and tossed them in the bottom.

Ahhhh that was the ticket.

I then grabbed my flashlight to check for leaks, and found nothing.... and I discovered why.......

I did some more research and found that the temp sensor will add fuel if it senses a cold start. I checked mine and both prongs were rusted away.

WOOT I think this will fix it

Success! For the first time it behaves like it should. Normal idle, normal AFR. Still a little funky at WOT. I'll have to mess with the timing.

Good work! I like that smoke rig idea.

I think you would need a 5 gallon metal paint bucket with metal lid.

Made it into the magazine!

Saw that, looks good in the picture!

Cool smoke machine and nice fix! Car in magazine, you must be living right.

Pff, i'd trade away a lot of magazine coverage to own a friggin machine shop.

But hey, why not have both! And a neat little turbo Isuzu too. YOLO

My son giving a helping hand. He likes spraying me as much as the car. The sticker that gives the car its mojo. Getting ready to put on some new shocks.

Love the 'kid' shots. My favorites.

Replaced the rear shocks. Super easy. Jack it up, take out one bolt on the bottom, and a second on top. One day I want to make some custom coilovers. Mount the spring to the shock and toss the current spring.

Zero rust. Eat your heart out north people.

New pretty KYB shocks. The only issue is that they now only offer rear shocks for the standard suspension, and not the heavy duty lotus one. you can see that the eyelet for the lower mount is thinner.

my solution was to cut the sleeve out of the old one and use it. I already know it has the right I.D. So it was only a matter of splitting it out of the rubber and cutting it in half. (1 for each side).

Mount it to the top and I was done. The ride was muck improved, although the car sits a bit higher than it did before.

A lowering solution is on my mind.
This guy made his own. I'm also reading about insert cartridges to make my own. But that is a major job for a later date.

Motor Week Retro Car review for the Isuzu I-Mark https://www.youtube.com/embed/KZcQSTHx5Qw

I was not happy with my new rear shocks. They no longer sell the shocks for the lotus tuned suspension - and you can tell. It felt like a rocking horse because every time I hit the gas the back end would squat and the nose point towards the sky. I literally checked my seat to make sure it wasn't broken.

After some searching I found a shock with a slightly shorter length (perfect for when I lower the car) and a near perfect mount. It belongs on a Saab 9-3. So, I blew some cash on a pair of Konis that I wasn't even sure would fit.

The lower mount is a little too wide, and the bolt hole is too large so I made a bushing for the hole.

Step one cut the head off of a 5/8 bolt.

Chuck it in the lathe

These shocks are adjustable which should help me dial the ride in since the Saab is a heavier car.

The final part of the Koni mod was to trim the eyelet width down. I just ground it off with a grinder. Super easy other than the huge mess. It flung stinky tar balls and sticky black dust all over the shop.

The shocks are adjustable by turning the center rod. (It has an allen head on the main shaft). But is does not turn easily since this same rod is double nuted and fastened. Do-able but takes some effort. I bounced on the rear bumper the car seemed much stiffer, - I cant wait to see how it rides.

So easy to install, I had it done in 45 mins.

Cool install!

Does anyone have the valving specs for the OE Lotus suspension kicking around? If you can't find a good spec on the Koni (assuming only single adjustable), maybe you could get a revalve at a place like Feal.

I was planning to drive my car to work for the first time this week. But, I was concerned about my head gasket. I think my gasket is blown because; 1. I under torqued my head studs when I first installed the engine. I used the regular cylinder head torque specs, and didn't learn until later that the ARPs recommend a larger amount of torque. 2. I also ran the car hot when my radiator failed. 3. I installed the head gasket with copper coat that had dried over night, rather than installing it tacky.

After seeing one spark plug that looked a little rusty, skipping at start up only, feint smoke, and a gurgling sound from my heater core I pulled the head. It took me about 3 hours.

Oh my gerd the bolts that hold the motor mount at the timing cover were hard to get at.

I did not see any obvious signs of a blown gasket. But wow the copper coat makes things nasty.

I want to re-use the head gasket, but cleaning it with carburetor cleaner and a tooth brush was not enough. I was worried about bits of debris between the layers. So after an internet tip I drilled all the rivets but one to "fan" out the gasket and clean the individual layers, while at the same time maintaining my alignment.

While I had the head off I took everything apart and inspected stuff. The combustion chambers were black and sooty like I was running rich. I was rich trying to figure out my fuel issue. The valves were still seating properly. And I resurfaced it for good measure

Fixing my exhaust manifold has been on my list for a while. I'm glad I had the opportunity before it broke all the way in two pieces.

This is a magna-fluxer. It is a powerful electron magnet. You use it for crack detection on cast iron cylinder heads and blocks.

The way it works is you sprinkle some metal powder on you work and turn on the magnet. The powder will define the crack because it magnetically seeks the north or south sides of the crack.

I then welded up the cracks with a high nickel rod used for cast iron (And took a picture of my best weld and not the crappy one on the other side)

Welding cast iron always leaks and will eventually re-crack, but it will give it a bit more longevity.

I was worried that I had changed the shape of the manifold when I welded it. Sometimes the metal will shrink or deform. So I resurfaced it flat again.

Once I brought the head back home and began to clean the gasket surface on the block. (I used WD-40 and a razorblade). I had a Oh E36 M3 moment. There was a huge scar in the cylinder. Big enough to hang a fingernail on. Really nasty considering I've run the car less than 1,000 miles.

Some say it is an oil ring that went screwy. I'll have to bump the piston out and see. For the moment the plan is to sand down any ridges on the skirt of the piston, ball hone the cylinder, and install new rings. If somebody brought this into the shop I'd tell them they'd have to bore it. The compression on this cylinder was right in line with all the others (140psi on my crappy harbor freight gauge) Run it till it blows up and then build the Isuzu Impulse RS DOHC TURBO motor I bought at the junkyard.

I just picked up an 1988 isuzu i-mark rs turbo for $100. they couldnt get it to run right and was mad at it. (why i got it cheap) ended up being the TPS was reading WOT. now it runs pretty good. where did you get the clear corner lens at? i found lotus struts for the front at rockauto but yea not the rear shocks. i also need a headlight can not seem to find them either lol this car has been the hardest to find anything for out of all the cars i have owned. it is the white hatchback. ill add some pictures soon. i only bought the car after reading this entire post of yours haha. nice work.

Woot! somebody reads this!

I bought my clear corners from Germany through e-bay. (Thanks google translate) But they also have them at yahoo auctions japan. Search for a JT150. Ebay has headlights - also search for a chevy spectrum because it is the same car.

Also check out the isuzone.org page and the isuzone.org facebook page.

Congrats on your new purchase. I'm currently in a holding pattern because life. But will attempt to have it re-assembled soon.

I saw this bumped and got all excited.

Any updates?

I wouldn't lose sleep over that score in the cylinder. The f2t i run has 40+ that deep or worse. Runs great.

No updates at the moment. "Because life" oh, and this:

They are "parked" where my car should be. My wife got a call that these dogs were to be euthanized. They said there was a rescue that would take them, but they couldn't take them right away. So, we are puppy-sitting until they can be picked up.

And with the car.... I've already bought new rings and am debating re-painting the engine bay while it is empty.