Shop Tour: 3SX Performance - Part II

Picking up where Part I left off, we find ourselves in the back of 3SX Performance's service shop. In addition to a handful of lifts in the main service bay, 3SX also has a number of other rooms filled with interesting stuff in the back of their shop - starting with the dyno room.

This is 3SX's photo, because I somehow forgot to take one of the dyno.

3SX's dyno is a SuperFlow AutoDyn 88, which is a four-wheel-drive unit.  This seems like a no-brainer, but the vast majority of dynos at private shops are only 2WD models, as they're cheaper, easier to set up, easier to keep working right, and easier to use.  But when the bulk of your business is tuning 4WD cars, a 2WD dyno is about as useful as a chocolate tea pot.

That's four drag slicks.  Yup.

Since the front and rear rollers are interconnected, the SuperFlow dyno works with modern AWD cars equipped with ABS speed sensors, stability control, and other systems that make modern AWD cars hard to accurately dyno.  And with a 1500bhp capacity, there's very little you can strap to the dyno that will out-run it.

Next to the dyno room is the "clean room" or engine-building room, where 3SX strips down and builds entire motors.  While I visited, there was only one engine sitting on a stand - but if you're only going to look at one engine mid-build, it might as well be this one.

Is that a big turbo, or are you just happy to see me?

This engine was pulled out of the red fourth-gen Supra Turbo that was visible in some of the pictures in the previous article.  It's had the bottom end rebuilt due to bad bearings, and it's close to complete in this point.

braided stainless lines and anodized fittings: art in motion.

After doing a little research, from the markings the turbo seems to be a Garrett T-67.  This is a Garrett T3-based racing turbo with a huge .70 A/R which is good for 650+ horsepower, and it'll be more than adequate for this street-driven Supra Turbo.  Also check out the divorced Tial race wastegate - serious hardware, no half-assed setup here.

Here we observe the mighty 2JZ at rest.

Moving into the machining room and back shop, we arrive at the shelf full of spare transmission parts.  Remember how I mentioned these gearboxes are fragile at high output?  This is proof right here.

Oh god.

That's an entire shelf of transmission parts.  Considering Getrag no longer makes replacement parts for the 6-speed transmission in later VR-4's, having a huge stockpile of Getrag parts is a great idea for a VR-4 shop.  Still, it's a sobering sight if you're looking into your VR-4's engine bay and imagining huge turbos.

Like a nest of snakes fighting, only much faster.

Moving further back into 3SX's back rooms, you find some interesting projects in various states.  This is under the hood of 3SX's VR-4 drag car, which to date has run a best time of 9.214 seconds @ 154.98 mph. Best trap speed was just shy of 160mph in the 1320, 159.23mph.  That is seriously quick, and in fact 3SX's T4 drag car held the record for fastest AWD 3S-chassis in the 1/4 mile until recently.  How does a car that normally runs 13.4-13.7 in the quarter run a 9.2?  Short answer: 996awhp.

It's lonely at the top.

Long answer?  A bit more complicated.  3SX has run through quite a few configurations to get the T4 drag car kicking ass and taking names like it is now.  This one uses custom-ground cams, forged internals, a custom intake plenum, and a set of twin Garrett GT35 twin-scroll ball bearing turbochargers(!)  Most drag cars with 902whp have sort of dramatic take-offs; 3SX's T4 drag car just sort of disappears.  Here, watch.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0hIPmuGEI

Give me turbos!

3SX seems pretty fond of Vipers; this newer SRT-10 hard top is another shop toy.  Mostly stock, just high-flow cats, but you have to wonder what's in store for under the hood of this snake.  Of course, it's not just Vipers and 3000GT's that 3SX works on; you can find all sorts of interesting things laying around their shop.

Not a common sight.

This is a DOHC Chrysler 420A under the hood of a second-gen DSM (in this case, an Eclipse that it really isn't worth showing you the outside of.)  Contrary to popular belief, not all DSM's had Mitsubishi 4G63's under the hood - this engine was also found under the hood of the first-generation Neon's.  This one has a pretty serious TD04 turbo setup under the hood, but had been left behind after a diagnoses of needing an engine rebuild from the bottom up.  It would probably be a quick car if it was running.

Next, we'll be moving into 3SX's other building, where they have a warehouse, the online sales department, a showroom, and the offices.

Ohhh... shiny.

This showcase has a few of the parts 3SX offers for the 6G72 - twin cam and single, turbo or non - including an intake manifold, downpipes, valve covers, pistons, transmission mounts, Y-pipes...

3SX/Ross pistons.

But this building really gets interesting once you make your way back into the warehouse.  Stacks of parts up to the ceiling, parts and project cars strewn about, and in the middle of all of it, this:

One of these is not like the others.

A '59 Cadillac hard top.  The tastes of even the most specific enthusiasts sometimes stray to poles - who says a fan of complicated, high-tech twin turbo AWD Mitsubishi's can't rock an old-school Caddy in his spare time?  There are other interesting cars stuffed back in here, too - check out this pristine (if dusty) intercooled, big-turbo Starion.

Sadly, no "turbo" logo seatbelts.

Don't let the layer of dust fool you - although this car has been sitting for a while, it's probably the nicest Starion I've ever seen.  The setup under the hood looks like a lot of fun, too:

G54B, remember me?

Another really interesting car can be found tucked in the back of 3SX's warehouse - their "T2" front-wheel-drive drag car, which holds the record for the fastest FWD 3000GT down the quarter mile, with a best run of 10.191 s @ 140.31mph.

Man those tires are wide.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj2pBhATvmk

Obviously, the T2 drag car isn't naturally aspirated like all of the production FWD 3000GT's and Stealths were.  This one uses a modified VR-4 engine with custom port and polished heads covering race cams, 1000cc injectors run by AEM stand-alone engine management, custom prototype turbochargers, Pauter rods and 3SX/Ross Pistons, and a huge front-mount.  The engine has come out of this one, eventually to find a home inside an early VR-4 for street use.  Which will be sick. Unlike the T4 drag car, this one can lay down a pretty solid warmup burnout even on those ludicrously wide drag slicks.

Yeah, the EPA is on the line, they want a word with you.

Need parts for your 3000GT?  Probably should try giving these guys a call, chances are they've got it.

Some call it hoarding.  It's "inventory" if you sell it!

How about a box full of turbos?  I'd love to set this on the family room table as an art display.  But I suppose I have weird tastes in art...

More than a Veyron's worth of turbos.

I would mount this on my wall.  Screw posters.

Get some!

As I wrap up the shop tour of 3SX Performance, I'll leave you with this last picture:  When you're biggest fish in a small pond, sometimes they get stacked up pretty deep.

.

Questions?  Comments?  If you liked the shop tour, drop a line!  If there's something you'd like to see or read more of (or less of) on the next one, let me know.  And if you have a VR-4 and would like it to possess weapons-grade horsepower™, give 3SX a call at 704-784-3724.  If you just need some parts, the warehouse can be reached at 704-786-6400.  And if you hate phones, shoot them an email at info@3sx.com, orders@3sx.com, or service@3sx.com.  That's all, folks!

Thanks one last time to the whole 3SX crew for letting me traipse through their shop, ask all sorts of weird questions, and take pictures of everything with a turbocharger on it.