Piazza_man project

Talk about anything and everything
ImpulseRocket89
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:00 pm
Location: Omaha, NE USA
Contact:

Post by ImpulseRocket89 »

750hp is a goal I want to eventually reach myself, but for now a measly 500-550 will suit me fine. I want to run the car in some Road racing and Pro Solo events and Like the idea of a quick spooling turbo with a broad powerband lol.

I do have one question about the seat mod right now, if you don't mind. When you removed the height adjustment, did you then cut and lower part of the bracketry on the seat frame to get it lower? If so, how much did you remove?

If it makes you feel better, I eventually plan to paint my car Sepang Blue Pearl (that lovely Audi blue). That should remove some of the bizzare factor lol.
1988 Isuzu Impulse Turbo.
2005 Ford Crown Victoria LX

RIP 1989 Impulse Turbo, aka "Rakete"
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

Lol. Nice colour choice btw. You've been dreaming blue, I've been dreaming that Mirrachrome paint finish for that ultimate bling factor. Just a thought and most probably won't happen (for legality issues) but thats's just me thinking outside the norm abit.

Back on this seat issue. I'll put in pics to show you what I've done and hopefully clear up things, then I can get on with explaining how I would handle it differently:
Image
Essentially no lugs were removed off the actual rails, but the pivot point bracket at the rear if the seat was removed, relocated, and welded to the matching bracket on the rail (sinse this no longer needs to be a pivot point). Relocating foreard meant I needed to weld an additional flat plate. See below:
Image

Image

The same thing was done on the other side, but there was no need to weld another flat bar as this side already has this:
Image

Now to the "if I had my time again" bit. This in response to your question about how much did I remove. I probably only removed about 10mm in the height at the back of the seat, but effectively probably removed about an inch overall at the back when you factor in the increase in rail travel and the slope of the rail travel (i hope this makes sense. If not, put your hands up). I can see further room for improvement by ditching the pivot brackets all together and use two small sections of square mild steel bar. This will bring the rear part of the seat closer to the rail, and I estimate another inch in overal head height.

As for the front I would remove the two offending little brackets from seat frame and let the bracket at the front of each rail rest on the seat frame (obviously weld this section too). It only means 2-3mm drop from whete i welded it but it's easy to do:
Image

Hope this helps. I'm on my iPhone so I can't draw fancy pointers to any brackets in my pictures, but if you can't understand anything let me know and I'll do it properly at home.
ImpulseRocket89
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:00 pm
Location: Omaha, NE USA
Contact:

Post by ImpulseRocket89 »

No, those pictures and your description help. I am sure it will make more sense if I took my seat apart and examined it. Thanks for going into a little more detail.
1988 Isuzu Impulse Turbo.
2005 Ford Crown Victoria LX

RIP 1989 Impulse Turbo, aka "Rakete"
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

I agree it will all make sense when you have a look at your own seat.
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

ImpulseRocket89 wrote:No, those pictures and your description help. I am sure it will make more sense if I took my seat apart and examined it. Thanks for going into a little more detail.
PM sent a few days ago mate. Check your inbox.
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

I know it's been a while since my last update. Mainly because the workshop boys have done pretty much sweet fa thanks to recent staff shortages. They'll only get onto my car if they're not busy. Nothing much I can do atm. There isn't any brake fluid in the car so I can't even go for a little spin. The brake master cylinder that was on the car when I bought it was apparently faulty. I think rodavo mentioned he put in a recoed or second hand Rodeo unit (my bad if I got that wrong mate). Apparently there was a seldom and intermittent problem with a sticky valve. Needless to say how hair-raising that would be when applying the brakes, or lack there-of. The mechanic picked this up ages ago when he had to drive it, but I didn't detect any problem on the few times that I drove it. Anyway a new Rodeo unit has been put in, and the brakes just need flushed, bled, etc.

Whilst waiting for more sweet fa to occur I had plenty of time to accumulate some stuff. Firstly a new K&N air intake now replaces the existing K&N intake to solve rego issues re legalities of the existing filter being exposed in the engine bay. Enter the Apollo unit, which is a fully enclosed universal K&N unit good for up 350hp.
Image
At $180 I still think this is the perfect solution to the problem, as building a custom trick-looking aluminium box would have been a more expensive alternative.

Next was this unsightly problem (to me anyway):
Image

Image
Super stoked to pick up this new bad boy from Clive a few months ago. Absolutely brand new and most probably the last new one left on the planet. Check out how straight it is.
Image

Image

Image
I'll keep the original one to see if I can repair the live hinge with some thin piano hinge or something. But big ups to Clive Burrough for persevering and digging really deep in his stock-pile of Piazza parts. Another champion effort, but I won't be putting it on until I get the car back.

Something else I've been working on in the pursuit of clean lines, are these super thin LED indicators:
Image

Image
Specially made for custom Harleys etc in the US, these LEDs from www.chromeglow.com can be ordered to almost any length and with a clear or smoked tube. In my case I ordered smoked tubes, and will replace the rectangular orange lenses on the front quarter panels, which will have to be filled in. The LEDs will be positioned in a discrete position along the belt-line/groove. The thickness of the LED strip is the same width as the black tape that's there atm. I won't go into the boring details just yet, but it will more than likely require the quarter panels to be removed so that a proper slot and permanent mounting pad can be created behind the panel, and the existing holes to be properly filled in.

Anyway I photoshopped my original pic to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:
Image
The original black pinstriping will probably be replaced by orange pinstriping, which ties in closer to the original Asso Di Fiori concept (albeit the concept had red pinstriping).
User avatar
Ghost
Member
Member
Posts: 139
Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 2:12 pm
Location: Auckland, NZ
Contact:

Post by Ghost »

I like the LED idea, will be good to see how it turns out.
1986 Piazza - 1984 Piazza
1986 Heron MJ1
www.mvpc.co.nz www.ihwedding.co.nz
IZU069
Power Moderator
Power Moderator
Posts: 962
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:59 pm
Location: Melbourne (Orstralia)

Post by IZU069 »

But they'll overload the alternator and blow the flasher can! ;) :laughing6:


Alas I jest. I'm poking fun at my headaches... I mean, my other forums. :banghead: :rolleyes:
IZU069 - ISUZU means a lot to me.
User avatar
vadoo
Probationary
Probationary
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:52 pm
Location: Severodvinsk (White Sea)

Post by vadoo »

I photoshopped some US Impulse pic to give you an idea's )))
Image
Image[/img]
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

Nice blue btw. It works well on a Piazza/Impulse.
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

I've been toying with the idea of having a carbon fibre hood/bonett made up to replace the existing one. For the simple reason of making the car better balanced in the handling department and not have it so nose heavy. I can't exactly remember the split but i seem to recall a 58:42 balance. Feel free to correct me on this but what ever it is no one would disagree these cars are very nose heavy. To address this I made early inquiries at an auto body fibreglass maker who knows a thing or two about doing custom fibreglass and carbon fibre hoods. I'm told the size of our bonnets would make a big difference in weight reduction by around 40% by switching to CF. I haven't weighed a standard bonnet so I can't tell you what that saving would be.

I've been quoted about 6K, give or take, to create a mould and produce a unit. While this is still something I would like to do after I finish everything with the car, it got me thinking if I had a few people interested then we could share the costs to manufacture a small batch rather than individual production. Doing individual costs about 1K each. Getting bonnets to the US would not be a problem as I have a contact who can make this happen with a shipping cost.

Impulserocket might be interested but there might be others out there. Keep in mind I'd only be doing the later model version with the power bulge. The beauty with doing a custom bonnet is of course the ability to add your own design input, and in this case I had the idea of increasing the height of the bulge by about 10-15mm (.5inch). Nothing outlandish or stupid, just a slightly more aggressive look.

Any one interested?
ImpulseRocket89
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:00 pm
Location: Omaha, NE USA
Contact:

Post by ImpulseRocket89 »

I would definitely be interested if the total cost isn't too inhibiting. I actually toyed with the idea of doing the hood and front fenders in fiberglass.

You were very close on the factory weight distribution. Official figures from Isuzu are: "57.2/42.8"

Something else that I have considered is the front bumper core/crash bar. I think a good amount of weight can be taken off by making a tubular steel replacement. This would also remove a good deal of weight from the very front of the car, which would have a greater impact on weight distribution.

Other simple things, such as relocating the heavy battery to the back or middle of the car will also have an effective impact. The stock battery location is fairly high up and forward of the front axle line. Being lower and toward the rear will shift it considerably.

There is also a good deal of weight removed when modifying the car. Removing the air injection system, including the heavy pump in the front bumper, removes close to 40lbs of weight between all of the parts, hoses, and hard lines.
1988 Isuzu Impulse Turbo.
2005 Ford Crown Victoria LX

RIP 1989 Impulse Turbo, aka "Rakete"
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

You're absolutely right with all those other weight reduction/redistribution ideas, and I guess I wanted to concentrate on one of those aspects. The battery was another major thing I was looking into as well, but I decided to do this at a later date. When I initially asked my mechanic to relocate the battery his eyes rolled, and he ooohed, and he ahhhed. I was then able to deduce that this was no simple matter, so I'm shelving that plan until after I get the car registered.

I always wondered what the function of the air pump thingy at the front of the car is for. Is this assembly located on the front left side of the car? I removed this on my first Piazza and didn't notice any difference when driving around. What is it actually for? I'm guessing it has something to do with assisting on cold engine starts and/or engine refinement? Although I don't recall the assembly weoghing about 40lb.

Impulserocket maybe you know other people in the States who might be interested, or you can ask your fellow zone members. Alternatively, maybe there's some one in the US who can make custom hoods as well. I'm not fussed who does this btw.
IZU069
Power Moderator
Power Moderator
Posts: 962
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:59 pm
Location: Melbourne (Orstralia)

Post by IZU069 »

Re the battery, it shouldn't be too difficult.
You'd need an AGM battery to locate inside the car (eg, boot/trunk). I'd recommend a Deka in Aus but there may be another recommendation (which I base on the experience of Ariel Batteries in Clifton Hill, Melbourne), and stateside Deka or Kinetic. (Based on various sources I don't recommend Optima, nor my old fave Odyssey. And apparently my all time fave Yuasa has gone downhill.)

The alternative is a normal wet/flooded battery but that must then be mounted in a sealed enclosure which is vented to the outside.
FYI - for single and dual/multi-battery systems, I recommend wet cells as the main cranker. AGMs are then used for the aux batteries - eg, to power big audio systems, though wets are probably still best for winches and deep or extended flattenings.

The S = Sense terminal from the alternator is extended to the battery +ve terminal. (That's the beauty of "two-wire" (or more) alternators - that remote sensing cannot be done with single-wire D+ type alternators.)

A HEAVY cable is run from the battery +12V to the starter motor heavy terminal. This probably needs to be heavier than the standard starter heavy cable from the battery (longer distance, more resistance.). I suggest a reduction starer is fitted. These exist on many Aussie Piazzas but can otherwise be obtained from 4ZE1 engined Isuzus (Jackaroo/Trooper, Rodeo etc). But more on that below.

The other battery circuits are then extended from the starter motor's heavy terminal. This involves the (3?) fusible link circuits and the alternator output terminal.
It may be best or simplest to extend one heavy wire from the starter heavy to the main fusebox and have all circuits meet there. (I don't quite recall the terminals available at the Piazza's fuse or relay boxes. I can review if desired.)
One exception is the alternator output that could go to the starter heavy terminal. This may be easier, and in principle is preferred to minimise the voltage drop from the alternator to the battery, but in practice wire resistances should be (designed) low enough to minimise voltage drops - in this case from the "common" fusebox etc location to the starter heavy.

Note that some run an extra +12V wire from the battery +12V to the fusebox etc, but this should be unnecessary. Except when cranking, the batt+ to starter cable carries no current, and being much heavier than such additional batt+ to fusebox cables has far less resistance and hence a lower voltage drop.
Provided the batt+ to starter does not experience too high a voltage drop during cranking, then the extra wire is superfluous. (And they can't be paralleled since they both experience the cranking drop.)

That leaves the battery earthing. That needs to be a solid cable which is at least the gauge of the +ve batt+ to starter cable (the heavier the better) from batt- to the chassis/body. I expect the Piazza to have suitable solid bolt locations for earthing. In vehicles with suspect chassis/body electrical bonding or no suitable local earth point, an earth cable can be run (like the batt+ to starter cable) from batt- to the engine or front chassis/body mounting point.

Note that insulation of the +12V wiring is imperative. As with any vehicle system, a short from the battery +12V or its unfused starter cable to ground is extremely hazardous. Cables with probably fuse and flame and battery(s) may explode etc - and then fire!
Through-panel runs must be well grommeted though special through-panel studs for the purpose can be obtained (I can find a link...).
The starter cable can housed in plastic conduit or even garden hose etc.
Whether to run the +12V cable through the car or underneath... I'd prefer underneath as that's only one through-panel hole and probably a straighter (shorter) and easier run - and that's despite my habit of bouncing floorpans off rocks and humps.
Of course a big fuse could be mounted near the battery +12V terminal if the physical (electrical) security is a concern. (Maybe then with a separate +12V feed to the fusebox...) Though for batteries with lead posts, the post might act as a fuse of last resort.


Important checks after installation are the system voltages.
With the extended alternator S-wire to the battery+ terminal the battery charging voltage should be fine. (Alternator voltages are set for battery recharging which should be no higher than 14.4V long term. Most systems are ~14.2V. Older systems are the traditional 13.8V but that "low" setting has since been discarded.)
The voltage output of the alternator at the fusebox or common connection point should also be verified. The voltage drop to the battery+ is added to the alternator output. EG - if there is a 2V drop to the battery whilst charging, the the alternator and "system" (car electrics) could be 14.2 + 2 = 16.2V which is likely to blow electronics.
Of course every good car (LOL) has a voltmeter that monitors system voltage - the Piazza and my Wasp have! (My Wasp having a blue-LED 3-digit voltmeter incorporated in its Jackaroo dash idiot lights. Strictly speaking they should be digital as analog does not have the required resolution to discriminate 14.4V (good) from 14.6V (bad) etc. And only 3 digits - eg, 14.2V - NOT 4 digits (14.21 with lots of digit bobble). And they should be across the battery +ve & -ve terminals since it is the battery that is central to all vehicle electrics and voltages, but we might also want to check other voltages occasionally.)


I was going to write more about starter cable dimensioning (reduction starters take ~140A compared to ~240A or more for traditional starters) and especially how the Piazza wire-type flinks (fuselinks) should IMO be upgraded to modern plastic equivalents, but this reply is already so big.
Also how the reduction starter will crank quite acceptably at 5V (though the ECU etc probably won't operate at that voltage) and other options or considerations like headlights powered from the alternator rather than the battery, or a dual-switched voltmeter that normally reads the battery voltage but can be switched to check the system voltage, etc.
But I'll save that for when interest is shown.

Maybe this reply should be deleted and (rewritten and) pasted as a workshop submission?
IZU069 - ISUZU means a lot to me.
User avatar
Piazza_man
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 863
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:53 pm

Post by Piazza_man »

Interesting stuff there, but I'll deal with this a little later. I agree maybe you should cut and paste it in the workshop section.
Post Reply