Geoff’s Incredible Journey Build- 2008 Octane Blue Evo X GSR
Jul 4, 2015, 08:35 AM
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Geoff’s Incredible Journey Build- 2008 Octane Blue Evo X GSR
Geoff’s Incredible Journey Build
2008 Octane Blue Evo X GSR
This has been one hell of a journey so far. I will post the full parts/mod list when Kaizen phase 1 is complete. Before I get ahead of myself… Special thanks goes out to following:
- My future wife for putting up with my spending and such.
- My family, well… bc they’re my family.
- Sean at DSGPerformance (@Sean@DSG) for the endless calls and advice throughout the years. Very good bud and runs one hell of a ship! The majority of parts that went on the car were purchased through Sean.
- Scott (@Scott@Kaizen) and the entire crew @Kaizen for taking on my build. These are the guys who make dreams reality. Stage 1 is everything but the engine/internal. Cannot stress how awesome these guys are. Scott took the time to cover every square inch of this build as I am extremely particular with who touches my car.
- Caesar @Lightwerkz for the worlds first Quad Projector/Angel-eyes w/ blackout.
- Santi (@N.G.S.) for all his TPMS help.
- Last but not least… the forum! Thank you for all the years. Been a lot of fun.
I purchased my evo in 2008 with every option available. In fact, I had to drive to Delaware at the time just to get the exact model, color and options I was wanted. At that time everyone was raving about the new design and refinement that came with the new 4B11 platform. I was 25 years old and beyond excited that I had a car like this. Like most, I joined all the forums I could (remember evo x club haha). It didn’t take long before the mod bug hit. Following epic builds from the very beginning didn’t help much ether (Thanks Leo -LVS!). I wasn’t 100% confident in a tuner/builder just yet so I took the tame route at first. The list of parts included:
Blue Relays, HKS Kansai CF Front Bumper Garnish, HKS Kansai Engine Strut Bar, Okuyama Front Tow Hook, Varis CF NACA Duct, Varis CF Fender Vents, Varis CF Exhaust Shields, Varis CF Pillars, C-West Hood Vents, Jun Aero Mirrors, FQ 400 VG, FQ400 CF Engine Cover, Coltspeed Hood Dampers, Custom Alcantara Suede Steering Wheel & Shift Boot, Console Upgrade, Tommy Kara Shift Knob, TWM SS, AMS Bushings, PIAA Fogs and a few others. This is what my evo looked like when I picked it up from the body shop back in 2010-ish.
2008 Octane Blue Evo X GSR
This has been one hell of a journey so far. I will post the full parts/mod list when Kaizen phase 1 is complete. Before I get ahead of myself… Special thanks goes out to following:
- My future wife for putting up with my spending and such.
- My family, well… bc they’re my family.
- Sean at DSGPerformance (@Sean@DSG) for the endless calls and advice throughout the years. Very good bud and runs one hell of a ship! The majority of parts that went on the car were purchased through Sean.
- Scott (@Scott@Kaizen) and the entire crew @Kaizen for taking on my build. These are the guys who make dreams reality. Stage 1 is everything but the engine/internal. Cannot stress how awesome these guys are. Scott took the time to cover every square inch of this build as I am extremely particular with who touches my car.
- Caesar @Lightwerkz for the worlds first Quad Projector/Angel-eyes w/ blackout.
- Santi (@N.G.S.) for all his TPMS help.
- Last but not least… the forum! Thank you for all the years. Been a lot of fun.
I purchased my evo in 2008 with every option available. In fact, I had to drive to Delaware at the time just to get the exact model, color and options I was wanted. At that time everyone was raving about the new design and refinement that came with the new 4B11 platform. I was 25 years old and beyond excited that I had a car like this. Like most, I joined all the forums I could (remember evo x club haha). It didn’t take long before the mod bug hit. Following epic builds from the very beginning didn’t help much ether (Thanks Leo -LVS!). I wasn’t 100% confident in a tuner/builder just yet so I took the tame route at first. The list of parts included:
Blue Relays, HKS Kansai CF Front Bumper Garnish, HKS Kansai Engine Strut Bar, Okuyama Front Tow Hook, Varis CF NACA Duct, Varis CF Fender Vents, Varis CF Exhaust Shields, Varis CF Pillars, C-West Hood Vents, Jun Aero Mirrors, FQ 400 VG, FQ400 CF Engine Cover, Coltspeed Hood Dampers, Custom Alcantara Suede Steering Wheel & Shift Boot, Console Upgrade, Tommy Kara Shift Knob, TWM SS, AMS Bushings, PIAA Fogs and a few others. This is what my evo looked like when I picked it up from the body shop back in 2010-ish.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:43 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:35 AM
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Next stop on the timeline express was to Caesar at Lightwerkz. I originally approached him with a project that had never been done yet. I wanted the first Quad HID system with Quad Angel Eyes and Blackout. He was up to the challenge and after a dozen back and forth emails I dropped my evo off at his shop. I couldn’t have been any happier with the end results. Enjoy the pics.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:44 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:36 AM
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In between I had acquired every rare part an evo fan could ever want . All the rare ARC parts, Akraprovic exhaust (Sean can back this up lol). Well I had everything for a killer JDM stock frame turbo build and then what happened? I wanted a GTR. Not gonna get into it too much but most know it. Should I or shouldn’t I? Well i started to sell all the parts in prep for a new GTR. Then what happened? I got engaged and bought a house. Goodbye GTR! So I decided to keep the evo and go all out lol. I started getting into picking up performance type parts in prep for the build. Here are a few pics of those initial pick-ups.
Dual Guage A-Pillar
AMS Gate Selector & Underhood Bushings
AEM Boost and AFR Gauges
Cobb V1 Accessport
Giro disc Stage 4 Kit (2 Piece Rotors, SS Brake Lines, Magic Pads, Shims, Fluid)
AMS CMC Upgrade
Volk LE Center Caps
Grimpsed 3-Port
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:44 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:36 AM
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At this point in my journey were at my crazy “New Pickups” thread I made this past winter. This adds to all the performance parts that I had acquired up until this point. I’ll leave my original commentary for added nostalgia. Enjoy the pics.
Amuse R1 Titan Exhaust! Enough said!
This piece is just gorgeous from top to bottom.
Didn’t want to unwrap all the plastic as it won’t be installed for a bit. You can somewhat make out the burnt titanium awesomeness that lies beneath.
Even though I said I would unwrap everything I just couldn’t resist peaking at the tips. As you can see it was wrapped in bubble after being shrink wrapped. Can you say “Full Burnt Titanium with Gold Rings!”
Mmmhm
To compliment high flow awesomeness I chose the AMS Resonated Test Pipe
Solid AMS quality.
To protect this beauty I looked to Varis. Rear Cabon Diffuser!
Gotta love Varis! Piece is gorgeous through and through.
A little Varis John Hancock
Up next I have the infamous AMS 750 kit! I am very excited about this. Has been a long time coming for sure. All piping in the engine bay is AMS wrinkle black. Still on the fence about what color I want my valve cover to be but I like the small pops of red to compliment all the wrinkle black piping. The options I chose were recirculated Wastegate; Red Tial MVR 1.0 Bar Red; Cold Air Intake Wrinkle Black w/ Heat Shield. I plan on using the same heat shielding @Madmartigan is using. This baby was packed so tight that I only took out the big items to inspect or else I would never get the box closed again.
Like I said… tight but filled with so much goodness!
Well hello there!
Staying with the small pop of red theme. Behold the Tial Wastegate.
Moving past the downpipe and the intake bull**** for the New Turbo! Securely wrapped in bubble and plastic.
Amuse R1 Titan Exhaust! Enough said!
This piece is just gorgeous from top to bottom.
Didn’t want to unwrap all the plastic as it won’t be installed for a bit. You can somewhat make out the burnt titanium awesomeness that lies beneath.
Even though I said I would unwrap everything I just couldn’t resist peaking at the tips. As you can see it was wrapped in bubble after being shrink wrapped. Can you say “Full Burnt Titanium with Gold Rings!”
Mmmhm
To compliment high flow awesomeness I chose the AMS Resonated Test Pipe
Solid AMS quality.
To protect this beauty I looked to Varis. Rear Cabon Diffuser!
Gotta love Varis! Piece is gorgeous through and through.
A little Varis John Hancock
Up next I have the infamous AMS 750 kit! I am very excited about this. Has been a long time coming for sure. All piping in the engine bay is AMS wrinkle black. Still on the fence about what color I want my valve cover to be but I like the small pops of red to compliment all the wrinkle black piping. The options I chose were recirculated Wastegate; Red Tial MVR 1.0 Bar Red; Cold Air Intake Wrinkle Black w/ Heat Shield. I plan on using the same heat shielding @Madmartigan is using. This baby was packed so tight that I only took out the big items to inspect or else I would never get the box closed again.
Like I said… tight but filled with so much goodness!
Well hello there!
Staying with the small pop of red theme. Behold the Tial Wastegate.
Moving past the downpipe and the intake bull**** for the New Turbo! Securely wrapped in bubble and plastic.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:45 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:37 AM
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Up next is cooling… Continuing with AMS and the wrinkle black theme. Alas the AMS FMIC and AMS Upper intercooler piping. The AMS Lower Piping and to come, was shipped in another box. Having inspected the ARC FMIC up close and now the AMS I can say that AMS shines.
AMS Lower Intercooler piping in wrinkle black with Tial BOV (Red) and fueling to compliment my new 750 kit. AMS Fuel Rail, AMS Fuel Pressure Regulator kit.
Up next… More fueling support! Injector Dynamics 1000cc Injectors w/ pnp adapter (Note: these were the wrong model number injectors. Was swapped out before the car got to Kaizen), Walbro 450 Fuel Pump w/ Install Kit & Torque Solutions Fuel Pump Holder.
And for good measure. AMS Fuel Feed Drain Line.
Cant forget about the Mishimoto X Line Radiator.
And this picture is mostly for my good bud Sean! Im running out of space! Cannot wait to get these on my X. The wait is killing me.
Thanks for looking. Have a bunch of other goodies on their way. Waiting on my Varis CF Hood and Volks CE28s at the moment. Will have much more in-depth photos during the build. At which point the “official” build thread will launch. @Scott@KaizenTuning get back to me when you can
AMS Lower Intercooler piping in wrinkle black with Tial BOV (Red) and fueling to compliment my new 750 kit. AMS Fuel Rail, AMS Fuel Pressure Regulator kit.
Up next… More fueling support! Injector Dynamics 1000cc Injectors w/ pnp adapter (Note: these were the wrong model number injectors. Was swapped out before the car got to Kaizen), Walbro 450 Fuel Pump w/ Install Kit & Torque Solutions Fuel Pump Holder.
And for good measure. AMS Fuel Feed Drain Line.
Cant forget about the Mishimoto X Line Radiator.
And this picture is mostly for my good bud Sean! Im running out of space! Cannot wait to get these on my X. The wait is killing me.
Thanks for looking. Have a bunch of other goodies on their way. Waiting on my Varis CF Hood and Volks CE28s at the moment. Will have much more in-depth photos during the build. At which point the “official” build thread will launch. @Scott@KaizenTuning get back to me when you can
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:45 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:37 AM
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Well as one can probably tell, Scott @Kazien and I got to talking. Much thanks here. Scott took the time to talk through all these parts I’ve been collecting and discuss overall goals with the build. We decided to upgrade all bolt-ons, driveline parts, suspension, turbo, cooling, fueling, aero, etc, and save the engine build for phase 2. With the 750 turbo kit the idea is to keep everything a bit on the conservative side until the engine gets built. Also, with my wedding vastly approaching (7/18) I just couldn’t swing it all at once. Besides, we have to save some fun for next spring! So we set a date for me to bring the car and parts up to Kaizen.
Then my other goodies arrived arrived. Received my Volks, a set of MPSS, new set of TPMS sensors courtesy of Santi and a whole slew of other goodies. Additionally I received my custom spark plug cover, ARP head studs and then started heat coating in prep for delivery day.
Volk CE28s 18x10.5x18 in Diamond Black
Got the downpipe, exhaust manifold, turbo (hot-side) and heat shield heat coated.
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Ok… May 16th! Time to go to Kaizen. Woke up early and picked up a sweet econoline van and headed back to the house to pack everything up. Here are just a few pics of the labeled and categorized parts as I load up.
Then my other goodies arrived arrived. Received my Volks, a set of MPSS, new set of TPMS sensors courtesy of Santi and a whole slew of other goodies. Additionally I received my custom spark plug cover, ARP head studs and then started heat coating in prep for delivery day.
Volk CE28s 18x10.5x18 in Diamond Black
Got the downpipe, exhaust manifold, turbo (hot-side) and heat shield heat coated.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————— ———————————————————————————
Ok… May 16th! Time to go to Kaizen. Woke up early and picked up a sweet econoline van and headed back to the house to pack everything up. Here are just a few pics of the labeled and categorized parts as I load up.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:46 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:37 AM
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Econoline van is now completely packed. Had to take out all the rows of seating just to fit everything. Rear view mirror was now rendered useless haha. I can now pull the evo out and get this show started. The girl and I drove in the evo while my father followed in the kickass van. Special thanks goes out to the both of them!
We got to Kaizen 4 hours later. Drive really wasn’t that bad. Was too pumped that the build was starting to care anyhow haha. Here are a few shot of the Kaizen crew unloading the parts for the build.
We got everything squared away with the paperwork and bull****ted a while. Once again, very cool crew at Kaizen. Everyone was very cool and accommodating. The facility is very impressive. Lots of Evos, GTRs and STIs. After we finished bull****ting we had to say goodbye to Kaizen and continue on our journey. Next on the list was a seafood lunch in Boston Harbor-side. A long and epic day needs an epic lunch. I took my father and girl to Legal Seafood. which was right on the water Highly recommend it. Killer lobster rolls. These pics are courtesy of my lovely fiance.
A quick 4 hours later and I was home. One hell of a day. Needless to say I was beyond excited to see progress shots. The Kaizen team assured me they were going to take pics and send them along the way. Surely enough, a week later, the photos poured in. Special thanks to Scott and his whole team at Kaizen. They keep me informed every step of the way and sent the following shots. Cannot wait to see the finished product.
We got to Kaizen 4 hours later. Drive really wasn’t that bad. Was too pumped that the build was starting to care anyhow haha. Here are a few shot of the Kaizen crew unloading the parts for the build.
We got everything squared away with the paperwork and bull****ted a while. Once again, very cool crew at Kaizen. Everyone was very cool and accommodating. The facility is very impressive. Lots of Evos, GTRs and STIs. After we finished bull****ting we had to say goodbye to Kaizen and continue on our journey. Next on the list was a seafood lunch in Boston Harbor-side. A long and epic day needs an epic lunch. I took my father and girl to Legal Seafood. which was right on the water Highly recommend it. Killer lobster rolls. These pics are courtesy of my lovely fiance.
A quick 4 hours later and I was home. One hell of a day. Needless to say I was beyond excited to see progress shots. The Kaizen team assured me they were going to take pics and send them along the way. Surely enough, a week later, the photos poured in. Special thanks to Scott and his whole team at Kaizen. They keep me informed every step of the way and sent the following shots. Cannot wait to see the finished product.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:46 AM.
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Jul 4, 2015, 08:39 AM
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Waiting on a few more things to button up before the tuning process can begin. In the interim my Varis hood arrived! Just need to shoot with the Nikon. In the meantime Ill just leave this here…
Stay tuned for further updates.
Thanks,
Geoff
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:55 AM.
Jul 4, 2015, 08:39 AM
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8/2 - A couple of quick updates. The T-case is back from Shep and in the car. Buttoned everything up underneath. Including the new cusco bracing! Thanks to Scott and crew for more pics!
Now onto the Radium wiring.
Now onto the Radium wiring.
Last edited by RedL1neX; Jul 4, 2015 at 08:55 AM.