GTSBoy

Yes.

Plus remote triggered can of "Start Ya Bastard" pointing into the air cleaner?

There's almost certainly shades of grey here. For one thing, every engine and block is different. There's a bell curve of outright strength. On top of that, there's all the thousands of variables of how that block has been treated across its years of use, the power level that it has been run at, the particular mods/method by which the power is being made (ie power from more revs or power from more cylinder pressure). + how it is used. Street vs circuit vs drag, etc etc etc. Then the next shade of grey is, for any given block, wherever it falls on that bell curve, surely adding the block brace still has benefits. Making the bottom end even less likely to walk around, for one. But I'd still expect it to raise the limit of that block before it will break. Trouble is, you can't go pulling out anecdotal evidence of "this block ran for 2 years at XXX HP without a brace and was fine" and "this other block broke at less HP with a block brace added", because the bell curve created by adding up all the uncertainties is likely to be far wider than the difference in power of those engines. Unless you are in a position to gather a large number of statistics your (anyone's) statistics must be taken with a huge grain of salt. Confidence levels are only built up by having many examples with almost no difference between them to describe the average behaviour of that type of example (along with the other statistical parameters of interest, particularly the SD). There's no point comparing two examples if the stats are so poor that the SD is several times wider than the difference between the examples.

Just get one to suit a turbo?

The original body loom ends in a plug with female electrical connectors in it, yes? Then just make your loom extension with separate male pins that you can plug directly into each female recepticle on the existing body plug and throw some heatshrink around it to hold it all together. maybe a spot of hotmelt glue between the wires underneath the heatshrink to provide some mechanical strength. This would all be reversible without leaving any sign that it was there.

If it were me, I'd just replace the socket on the module with one sourced to match a new loom plug from something else. Deustch, etc. The module's socket could be on a short flylead coming out through another hole in the case.

No idea. But I think most people (in the stupid power brigade - ie the drag and runway guys) have quit trying to make stupid power on 2.6 blocks.

Probably not budget compliant though.

I'm beginning to plan for the end times.

No, but the exhaust goes Pfltlflblbltlffltlt

I think I've seen RB26 (in particular) failures up high on the exhaust side near #4.

I think that the conservative approach is to grout up to the bottom of the lowest welch plug(s). Adds some stiffness but still allows the coolant pretty much full access to the bores. It doesn't put any grout around the part of the bore that might expand from internal pressure, but it certainly locates a clamp around the bore which constrains how far down the bore any such movement can occur, thereby reducing the amount of movement that can occur in the top half. Perfect? No. Better than nothing? Of course. There have been many people on here who have done pretty much what I described above. Read these. https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/429446-strengthening-a-rb26-block/ https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/431462-grout-fill/ https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/210084-rb26-resin-filled-blocks/

Who the f**k changes oil in a Stagea at 5k intervals? Just do them both at 10k intervals and win at life. My Neo RB25 is lucky if I get around to it at 12k intervals (ie, annually).

Head work, no cats, less concern for turbo response because it's kept on the boil more, etc etc.

How much poking around with a multimeter have you done?

Have you even got the workshop manual?

I'd buy the new one. Known working box for affordable money. Just do it. These old cars are not for broke-arse skimping any more.

I think my point is more..... what does it matter if you go to a shop and get a matching mix for, say, $100, vs. spending $30 on a touch up pen that doesn't match. You're not blowing your money. You are spending your money correctly (when you spend more to get proper stuff).

Does it really matter?

30. Year. Old. Car.

Available brand new for sensible $$.

Metallic touch up paints bought at a distance are a waste of time. Take it to a trusted crash repairer and get them to match and mix you up a small amount for brush touching.

How dare you infringe his civil liberties like that!!!???!!!11111!!11onejuan

Do diagnostic. Investigate returned code.

I think we already have those.