Since I lost all my existing photos I got no choice but to search the net for pictures... This is the picture of the boost controller that I previously used... This electronic boost controller is from 'Blitz' which is a renowned company that specializes in churning out go faster bits for cars... They called this boost controller 'Dual SBC' in short form whereas the actual name is called dual solenoid boost controller... Quite a long name and I'm glad they decided to shorten it!!!

Why I said previously used is because I sold this electronic boost controller and got myself a manual unit... One reason I got rid of it is because one of my friend's car got boost spike using an electronic controller and toasted the piston... No doubt that the electronic boost controller is much more convenient because you can set the boost on the go unlike the manual one where you need to stop the car, open the bonnet and adjust it... And you might need to do this procedure a few times in order to get the desire boost setting!!! After using both electronic and manual one, I can confirm that the manual one holds boost pressure better with fewer boost spike... 

Another important reason is because the electronic boost controller is more prone to attention grabbing!!! I don't wish my car windows being shatter just because of it... Although I still retain my boost meter, turbo timer and speed meter, getting rid of the boost controller might just minimise the risk a little bit... Nobody will realize that you are using a manual boost controller unless they take a peek under your bonnet... So it is definitely a much safer route to take... 

Currently I'm setting the boost at around 0.8 bar only... Just 0.1 bar more than standard.  At first I set the boost to 1 bar but the stupid 'ECU' keeps on boost cut and I got no choice but to dial down to 0.9 bar... Better than 1 bar but still it will boost cut when you fully floor it... Really 'potong stim'!!! So down to 0.8 bar and it will only boost cut once in a while... I guess that's because of boost spike... Guess I need an external wastegate to regulate the boost!!! But for the time being, I'm quite happy with the setup although I can't really feel the difference between 0.7 and 0.8 bar!!! At least when I look at the boost meter it shows a higher boost and this itself is more than enough for me to 'syok sendiri'!!! Haha...

To be continue...

Got a new grill for my 'FrankenBenz' because the original one is cracking all over the place... I considered myself really fortunate because managed to get one that is in really good condition... I don't care about the metal surrounding because it is the plastic part that I'm after... I didn't want to spoil the look of my 'W124' so I opted to use back the original design... Nowadays there are a lot of different design but the original one still looks the best... 

A lot of people asked me why I don't wanna change to the new masterpiece bonnet??? I know the new masterpiece bonnet looks much nicer... Besides that, you can also delete the three pointed star and replace it with a flush badge that looks much sportier... The reason is because I'm planning to mod my 'W124' looking like 'The Hammer' which is one of the fastest car in it's time... So if I change my bonnet to the new masterpiece design, I can't achieve the look that I want... Is better to save the money and invest in a new bodykit which is precisely what I'm going to do!!!

To be continue...

Automatic transmission is different compare to manual transmission and I'm sure most of you know the difference... But the difference I'm talking about is not the way they change gear... What I'm talking about here is how they are being cooled... For manual transmission you don't really need to cool it as the temperature is not as hot as automatic transmission... The reason why we need to cool an automatic transmission is because of the torque converter... The torque converter can get really hot... So what is the usual way for cooling an automatic transmission??? Normally the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) gets routed through the radiator... 

Recently I found that my 'FrankenBenz' automatic gearbox is becoming more and more lazy to shift, up to a point that I needed to shift the gear manually!!! When I put the gear selector in 'D', my 'FrankenBenz' seems really sluggish and difficult to move... The reason for this is because the gear is stuck in 4th!!! At first I thought that there might be something wrong with my automatic transmission... So off I go asking around and most of them asked me to install a dedicated cooler for my automatic transmission... Since it is not really an expensive mod, I decided to give it a try... I bought a 'Mitsubishi EVO V' oil cooler for this mod... You don't have to waste money on dedicated ATF cooler as it is actually the same as normal oil cooler... A used oil cooler will do unless you are loaded!!! 

Initially there is some improvement but it just can't eliminate it totally... Sometimes, I still need to change gear manually, so this is definitely not the culprit... I ran out of idea and decided to sent my car to a 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' specialist which is located in 'Labu, Seremban'... After checking, he told me that my car 'ECU' is faulty!!! At first I was a bit skeptical because when I first bought the halfcut, everything runs really fine and it is quite hard to get a faulty 'ECU' unless it comes in contact with water... And this is what actually happened!!! Blame myself because I asked my mechanic to place the 'ECU' in the same place where the old 'Merc' 'ECU' reside which is in the engine compartment... But I'm pushing some responsibilities to them as well because they are not knowledgeable enough to tell me that the new 'Toyota' 'ECU' cannot be put in the same place as water will ruin it!!! 

After spending those unnecessary money and got my 'ECU' changed, problem solved at last!!! It seems like a lot of those so call mechanic are not really knowledgeable because I bump into someone using 'Merc W124' as well as transplanting the same engine as mine and guess what, he's having problem with his automatic transmission as well!!! His problem is even more severe compare to mine... Stuck in 1st gear all the way!!!

To be continue... 

If you still remember, a while ago I've posted a blog post called 'Stranded' and this blog post is something like a follow up... Although this happened a few months ago, only until recently my car is back to normal without any hiccup... Touch wood!!! 

Let me refresh your mind if you can't remember or don't know what really happened that unfortunate day... I was left stranded on the 'North-South Highway' somewhere near 'Seremban'... My engine fan actually hit the radiator and causes a massive hole and the best part is I don't know when it actually happen... I didn't hear any sound (maybe because of me blasting my sound system???) nor feels anything wrong with my car until detonation occur... When I stop my car I can see that the temperature is sky high but I didn't get panic at the moment... The moment I got panic is when I open the bonnet... Water is everywhere... It even drips from the bonnet!!! The whole engine compartment is wet!!!

A quick check at the radiator and I know what actually happened... There's a BIG hole on the top left side of the radiator and besides that, I found the engine fan blade broke in several places... I can still use back the fan temporary but not the radiator... It need to be fix before I can put in anymore water... 

Ok these pics show the aftermath of what happened that day... As you can clearly see the whole engine compartment is in a mess... Rusty water all over the engine bay...

Is a bit hard to see the broken fan but it is broken in several places... At least 3 of the blades are broken...

Luckily I managed to get my radiator fix and got my car moving... But this was not the end of it... For the past few months, I've been having overheating problem with my car... Sent my car to a few workshop for diagnosis and change a few things but still I can't get it fix... 

I've change my original fan to an electric fan not once but twice!!! The first one is not powerful enough to cool down the engine... There's no point changing back to the original one because this will surely happen again as the fan is very near to the radiator... Is just a matter or time... Electric fan solve my problem temporary but still I'm losing water... Between these few months, I've sent my radiator for repair at least 3 to 4 times because of leakage... In the meantime, I'm also searching for a new aluminium radiator for my 'FrankenBenz' and trust me, it is not an easy task (will blog about the aluminium radiator in my future blog post)... After changing to a new aluminium radiator, I'm still losing water... This time I know that the cost of repairing will be high... Since this is a new radiator, the chances of it leaking is really low... So I know that the water must be going through the gasket and this means that I got myself a blown head gasket... I know '1JZ-GTE' is one tough engine but this does not mean that it is indestructible!!! Blown head gasket rarely happen to '1JZ-GTE' because it comes with metal gasket... So I blame myself for this!!! 

So what happens after changing a new head gasket??? Problem solve!!! No more overheating problem and I don't have to top up water everyday!!!

To be continue...

Change both front tyres recently due to one of it decided to be bloated!!! The tyre swollen to a state that it is almost impossible to drive as the car is virtually riding on pogo stick!!! Besides that, I'm really scare that the tyre might blow up... I have the privileged to encounter a blown tyre and I don't wish that to happen again... 

The previous tyres are 235 series and I decided to change it to 225 series as it keeps scrubbing my fender... But sadly, 225 series can't eliminate this problem entirely... There is still some fender scrubbing but it is definitely not as bad as before... Some improvement I guess... Before this I'm on 'Goodyear' tyre and this time round I decided to try 'Dunlop'... The model of the tyre is 'Direzza DZ101' which is consider as a performance oriented tyre... I believe it is really important to get a better tyre rather than other things as tyres are the only contact you have on the road... 

Just a few days ago my rear tyre decided to be bloated just like those on the front some time back!!! I still have around 70% of tread and again I'm force to change!!! Since I dislike mixing and matching different tyre manufacturer and model, my rear tyre is going to be 'Dunlop Direzza DZ101' as well... Besides that, I'm opting for a slimmer rear tyre as well... The previous one is 265 series and the new one is 255 series... I got better luck with the rear tyre as I didn't notice any scrubbing now... That's really good news to me...

I don't have the time to test out the new tyres yet but initial thoughts are the tyres are quieter compare to the previous one... Steering feel is also better... If the new tyres decide to be bloated again, I think I'm gonna downgrade it to 17" as the price of the tyres is really killing me!!! The cost of 4 tyres can almost get me another 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' engine for my 'FrankenBenz'!!!

To be continue...

After getting my car for a few weeks, I needed to sent my car to the workshop again... When driving I can hear some grinding noise and during initial acceleration, I can feel the car vibrating a bit... I'm suspecting the long shaft to be the main culprit...

After checking my mechanic confirm that something is indeed wrong with my long shaft... But the problem does not lies on the long shaft rather than the mounting... Guess I need to train myself not to step on the accelerator pedal everytime I'm behind the wheel of my 'FrankenBenz'!!!

Besides the long shaft mounting, I'm changing my power steering box as well as the old box is leaking severely... I need to top up everyday and a 1 litre power steering fluid won't last me a week!!! That's how bad it was leaking... After replacing the power steering box, there is a noticeable difference between steering feel... The steering is so much heavier and a lot less free play... This is how it should have been...

What is this 'Proton Savvy' doing in my mechanic shop???

A 'Toyota 4E-FTE' in a 'Proton Savvy'!!! Really Malaysia Boleh...

To be continue...

Boost meter install on my 'FrankenBenz'!!! Currently still running on stock boost so I'm only able to boost at 0.7 bar the most... If you are not power hungry, stock boost is more than enough... But my target is to boost at around 0.9 to 1.0 bar!!!

All the meters are working fine... If you are familiar with W124, I'm sure you will notice something different with my speedometer... My mechanic swap out the original 'Merz' speedometer and replace it with a 'Toyota' unit... I'm really impress because he manage to find one that looks almost identical in terms of design and lettering!!! The only downside is the meter max out at 180km/h only as oppose to the original one at 260km/h... I don't know about others who went down the same route as me by transplanting another engine, but i find it really hard for me to keep track on my service interval... When I bought the 'Toyota' engine, the mileage is around 155k++ but the speedometer that my mechanic found have around 189k++!!! So I guess that's the price that you need to pay... No BIG deal actually...

To be continue...

Change my 'Victor' steering wheel to this 'Nardi'... This is one of the most sought after steering wheel on the market right now made famous by drifters!!! I like this steering a lot and it is damn hard to get a good condition used unit nowadays... Besides that, the price is not really cheap for a good condition one...

I find this steering wheel more compatible with my current car... As I consider my 'FrankenBenz' as a classic, I think it is more appropriate to fix a classic looking steering wheel on a classic car!!!

By the way, my old 'Victor' steering wheel is for sale... Message me if you are interested!!!

To be continue...

Finally my FrankenBenz is ready to roll!!! My first test drive ended with a BIG grin on my face!!! The moment I put my foot down I went OMG!!!!!!!!!! The power delivery is really awesome... If you ask me, I think the power delivery is actually quite smooth and no sudden burst of speed like some other turbo machine... You can definitely feel being pin down to the seat...

So now my car is definitely more powerful but the suspension is getting softer... The reason is because the 'Toyota' engine is much more heavy and it causes my tyres to scrap on the fender and it is really annoying!!! Besides that, the engine is much more powerful and the car felt somewhat wallowy... Initially when I went looking for Richard of 'Titan', he said that the custom absorber is more than enough for my old 'Merz' engine but it is better to get his adjustable kit when my car is fitted with the 'Toyota' engine... At first I wanted to save some $$$ and opted for the absorber only but it seems like I got no choice but to get the adjustable kit as well!!!

Custom fabricated adjustable kit for 'W124 Merz'...

I'm still using the original 'Merz' spring... In order to get it stiffer and lower, they cut the spring again!!! But I truly trust them because the first time I cut my spring, I'm really amaze at how well my car rides... Normally, I don't encourage people to cut their spring in order to get the lowered look but if 'Richard' of 'Titan' said it is ok, then by all means go ahead... They know what they are doing...

4 pot ATE caliper and disc fitted to my car!!!

Another view of my puny intercooler...

'Nissan Cefiro A31'... At first glance they is nothing wrong with this car but take a look at the engine bay and you will notice something different...

'Toyota 2JZ non VVTI' with a bad-ass turbine!!! I asked the owner why he decided to plonk in the 'Toyota 2JZ' and he said because this engine is powerful!!! Before this he's using the 'Nissan RB25DET' and he said that this engine is for sissy!!! Totally lack of power and he told me from experience that an original 'Toyota 1JZ' with auto transmission can smoke a RB25DET manual easily!!! No joke!!! So guess I make the right choice...

Ohh la la... What a nice view if you ask me!!!

So what is the difference before and after installing the adjustable kit??? Night and day difference is my answer... The car ride much more stiffer hence eliminating the wallowy feeling... But it is definitely not crashy... Highly recommended if you ask me but the kit is not really cheap... I guess good things doesn't come cheap!!!

To be continue...

Damn look at all the wire!!! This is one of the toughest job according to my mechanic... He promise me that all the meter will be working except the 'economy' meter... I'm okay with it cause I don't really care about that particular meter anyway... The purpose of the 'economy' meter is to let you know how heavy is your right foot on the accelerator pedal...

Bought my turbo timer and boost meter for him to install as well... Will be getting myself a speed meter in order to bypass the speed cut which limits the car to 180km/h only and for backup just in case the analog meter don't work... At least I still know how fast I'm going... But the speed reading will not be accurate anymore because of the rear axle ratio... The 'Toyota' uses a 4.1 ratio whereas my 'Merz' uses a 3.27 ratio... By using the 'Merz' original axle, the acceleration will suffer but I will gain top speed... If you ask me, I prefer acceleration more than top speed but I'm going to use the original axle first... If I break it, then I will definitely go for a 'Toyota' or 'Nissan' unit with a higher ratio!!!

This is my only concern regarding my engine mod... The fan is way too close to the radiator... My mechanic told me in order to solve this problem, I need to change to a electric fan or get myself a hydraulic fan kit found on the 'Toyota Chaser' halfcut... I decided to try it out first before changing anything so I'm keeping my finger cross... Hopefully nothing goes wrong!!! (Some spoiler on what happen!!! My gamble doesn't pays off and I'm paying for it now... Something BIG happens... If you read my blog, I'm very sure you know what happen as I've posted it!!!)

Messy interior... Oh ya, anyone wants this steering??? I'm not using it anymore cause I got myself a new one as this don't really goes well with my car now...

The new 'Toyota ECU' residing in the same place where the old 'Merz ECU' used to be... Another BIG mistake I made asking my mechanic to place the 'Toyota ECU' there!!! Will blog about this later...

Air filter on... Now the filter looks so tiny fitted to this engine... When I used it on my previous car, it doesn't look so apparent!!!

To be continue...

Mounting done and the new engine is in the bay now!!! What a sight to behold!!! It looks so much neater compare to the old 'Merc M103' engine... The wiring is not ready yet so the car is still unable to start...

I'm very particular with engine bay neatness so I told my mechanic to hide all the wiring if is possible... Try to make it as neat as possible... I know a lot of people dislike engine transplant because they think that the engine bay will looks awful with all the wiring running around and it doesn't looks original... So I'm trying to prove them wrong here...

Still retaining the original 'Merc' engine mount... Can't change the mounting if you are going for endorsement...

Original 'Toyota Soarer' intercooler... It is situated at the side of the car instead of the norm which is in the middle... The intercooler is small if you ask me but I believe that it is sufficient for my usage as I'm not going for high horsepower...

To be continue...

While waiting for my engine to be fitted, I did some shopping and bought some essential items for a turbocharged car... Boost meter is one of it... I know is not necessary to install one but I think that it is good to have one... At least I know how many bar my turbines are boosting and it makes me know whether I'm over boosting or not...

Next item is the turbo timer... Again I know that it is not necessary but I believe it is important for a turbocharged car to have one... It is not advisable to switch off your turbocharged engine after running it... At least let it idle for around 20-30 seconds before shutting it off in order to prolong the life of the turbine... With a turbo timer install, you don't have to wait for 30 seconds before shutting of the engine... You can just switch it off and let the timer do its thing...

Okay this item is not only for a turbocharged car... All cars needed one... It is important to run your car with an air filter... I know some hardcore driver running their car without one... Last time I did it too with my individual throttle bodies 'Kelisa'... But definitely not advisable!!! I'm using a 'HKS Reloaded' open pod air filter for my car... I'm using this air filter on my previous car... Since the filter is still in a very good condition, I only change the filter element... Nowadays there are a lot of imitation one around so please be careful when you purchase one unless you are looking for an imitation one in the very first place...

Still looking good after all these years...

Looks just like new...

To be continue...

Finally the 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' engine is ready... Didn't do much to it just the usual timing belt, oil filter, engine and gearbox oil change... Frankly speaking, is been a long time since I'm this excited!!!

Adding some final touch to the engine...

Measuring the cross member in order to fabricate a custom engine mount... The original 'Merc' engine mounting is still retain though... Can't wait for them to fix the engine in!!!

My goodness... Just look at all the rust!!! The whole battery tray is gone...

Another 'Merc' sitting in the workshop... This is a W140 model with a 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' engine with manual gearbox... If I'm the owner I will not go for manual although I love manual transmission... But I think that a 'Merc' is more suitable with an auto gearbox... Besides that, I would opt for the 'Toyota 2JZ-GTE' instead of '1JZ-GTE' as this 'S-Class' is one BIG and heavy car... So I believe the '2JZ-GTE' with all the extra torque is a much wiser choice...

To be continue...

The thing that I hated most on the interior of my 'FrankenBenz' was the sun-visor... Just take a look at the pic and you will know why... Although I don't use the sun-visor, but looking at it makes me feel like puking!!! So I decided to search for a second hand one as I'm sure that it was almost impossible to get a new 'ORIGINAL' one nowadays!!!

And finally, I found what I wanted!!! This was a newer version and it looks so much cooler than the one in my car... The price was steep but good things like this seldom comes along often... So I took the brave pill and bought the damn thing!!!

Damn... It looks good!!! Making my 'FrankenBenz' a few years younger now...

To be continue...

Sent my car to the workshop and it took only half a day for them to take out the original engine... What's left inside the engine bay was the original 'Merc' engine mount and aircond condensor...

I'm going to use back the original rear axle as well... Fabricating and fitting a 'Toyota' unit causes a lot of headache so for the time being, the original one will stay... I was told that the 'Merc' axle is the weakling here because it can't handle the power and torque from the 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' engine... Besides that, the ratio is also different... But I guess the reason the axle fail is because of the material used for the gear inside the axle... Kinda soft I guess...

Original mounting...

Back half of the original 'Merc' long shaft still in place... A custom front section will be fabricated in order to fit the 'Toyota' unit with the 'Merc' unit... A word of caution here... A well balance long shaft is really crucial because if it is not balance, you will feel the car vibrating and this can be really annoying!!!

One BIG hole waiting for the new heart!!!

To be continue...