1988 Isuzu Imark Project Car ($1500 cash or trade)

[Lusos]

1988 Isuzu Imark ( Handling by Lotus Package) $1500
Up for sale is my 1988 Isuzu Imark LS with Handing by Lotus package. Fully built motor, one-of-a-kind suspension, and a gorgeous set of Enkei 92 wheels. Car is NOT RUNNING. WILL NEED TO BE TOWED.

It pains me to do this, but times are tough and I do not have room for an extra automobile. I have another project and I need to concentrate on one thing at a time. Likewise I'm about to DEP with the Navy and having three automobiles is going to be impossible during my time at OCS.

This is a Georgia car, purchased from Isuzu of Warner Robins new in 1988. I am the 4th owner of the car and have had it since 2004. The original owner had this car for a number of years and I was told by Isuzu of Riverdale that he had the car serviced at their dealership until he sold it. The Imark was rear ended in 1990 in Macon; hence the slight dent in the C pillar. Another owner bought the car in the late 1990's and stayed local to middle Georgia. Finally, a dealership bought it in 2003 before my father picked it up for me as a project car. When I got the car in 2004 it was not running. Some idiot never changed the oil and the turbo started leaking from the bearing seals. With help from friends I put the car back together and it ran great. I drove it daily for a good two years.

I saved up over the years and in 2011 I started a gnarly engine build. The motor is ground-up built with the best components available (see mod list). It's mounted in the car and ready to run but I don't have time to fool with the wiring problem or tune. Due to work and school for the last few years I have not been able to touch the Imark and I get depressed just going outside and seeing it sitting in the garage. The car will turn over, fuel will squirt out, and the plugs will fire in order but for some reason two of the injectors are staying wide open. The wiring harness is a weird amalgamation between the factory 4XC1-T with some splicing done to accompany the larger 4XE1 motor. I'm sure someone with better knowledge of wiring can get this car ready in a weekend but I do not have that kind of time or expertise. This is the MAIN problem with the car. It needs someone who doesn't mind playing around with the engine wiring and tuning on the Haltech. A Microsquirt would be a great option also, being that the car has a distributor and only needs control for the fuel.

This car is NOT for the faint of heart. It was designed to be a drag strip monster and later turned into more of a rat rod project. Isuzu pulled out of the US non-commercial market about 5 years ago so aftermarket support is little to nonexistent. There are only a handful of guys who make aftermarket parts and they do so through the Isuzone forum and a Facebook group. All of the aftermarket parts are group buys or made as a side-business so don't expect to be able to buy anything short of standard replacement items (CV axles, filters, seals, gaskets, etc.).

Body:
The body is in great shape, no rust at all. The trunk is a slight bit misaligned from the accident that happened in 1990 but I have never bothered to fix it. No rust whatsoever and a very clean undercarriage. The front bumper could use some love as I tried to fiberglass it as a teenager and it never turned out so well. A good half hour with a sander would clean it up right away but I live in an apartment complex and working on cars is punishable by fine. I cut a hole in a junkyard hood so that the turbo could fit and scuffed the hood up to look a little bit more "raw". I have the factory hood, mint condition with no dents and excellent paint which I will include with the car.
Engine:
The engine is no less than a monster build (I was shooting for 400whp, something which has been done with less than what I have). 4XE1 1.6L DOHC naturally aspirated motor swapped out of a 1990 Isuzu Impulse. 9.5:1 Ross pistons, Impulse RS forged pistons, ARP rod bolts, ARP head bolts, new Isuzu OEM main bolts, turned crank and block professionally honed and cleaned by Franks Engine Services in Griffin, Georgia. The head has been cleaned, resurfaced, and assembled my Marietta Cylinder Head Exchange. Valve springs are 100lb springs made by Tuner Werks Inc out of Ohio ( a side project of a former Isuzone member), valves are OEM replacement Isuzu (which are discontinued), and the cams are custom ground by a shop in Washington state. Specs are .225 duration and .416 lift for both cams. It's a mild cam setup but in Isuzu cars these things give an awesome little "chop" at idle.
The intake has been cleaned up and I'm using an RTR phenolic intake manifold spacer. The exhaust manifold was made equal-length with T3 flange by a fabricator in Oklahoma. It's wrapped in DEI titanium wrap and has been jet coated underneath. The turbo is a Garrett T3 divided inlet with 0.82 a/r and a 3" V-band exit. Wastegate is a Tial 38mm into a little screamer pipe dumping under the car. The Exhaust is 3" out of the turbo, coming out in front of the right tire, drag car style with a little half-moon notched in the bumper. The entire exhaust is wrapped in DEI titanium wrap as well. Brand new AEM UEGO wideband and brand new O2 sensor have been installed.
Fuel is through the stock rail with factory fuel return. I have a set of Mitsubishi EVO 880CC injectors being fed through an Aeromotive 340 fuel pump in the tank. No leaks whatsoever in the fuel system and a tank which was cleaned and coated a couple of years ago. I have been very cautious to drain any bad fuel and use Stabil during the hibernation period of this car. Fuel pressure regulator is stock and engine management is via a Haltech E6GM-X. I have all software, a couple of downloaded maps, a USD to RS232 adapter, and the stock ECU which is a Delco-style 96 pin ECU. Any and all electronic sensors on this car are brand new, from the distributor to a 3-bar MAP sensor.
Ignition is fed from an MSD-HEI coil into a set of RTR firebraid wires. These wires are hand-made by an Isuzone member in Colorado and are fire resistant. The spark plugs are Beru Ultra-x copper plugs.
All of the intercooler piping was done by TurboDave fabrications in Powder springs. The piping was originally black-coated 6061 aluminum but after the welding it turned this awesome bronze color which is definitely one of a kind. Wastegate is an older Blitz valve without the trumpet. The intercooler is an authentic Mishimoto intercooler with a lifetime warranty. Radiator is a Mishimoto radiator designed to fit an EG civic, but rerouted to give more room for the turbo. The radiator is cooled with a FAL super-thin fan wired direct to a missile switch in the cab. Brand new water and oil pump along with a thermostat.

Suspension is a Handling by lotus package. There are only a few dozen of these left on the roads here stateside. The front springs were chopped (hacksaw, not torch) for a 1.5" drop. The brakes are all stock, but the components were replaced at the same time of the motor swap. Brand new OEM calipers, rotors, etc.

Wheels are a set of new Enkei 92's 15x8 with a +25 offset. They are wrapped in a set of Yokohama 195/40/R15's with quite a bit of stretch. The front tires have ZERO miles but the back tires have about ~80 mile from where I moved the car with a tow dolly to my new location. Literally brand new wheels, easily $1100 alone.
Interior is gutted. Battery in trunk, and an older Blaupunkt audio setup. Nothing notable here.

There is much more that I could elaborate on this car.

Asking $1800 or trade for a nice car trailer. I WILL NOT PART OUT. I can deliver this car if you would like, but it must be within reasonable distance (400-500 miles). The price is a little high for a non-running car, but wheels and engine alone easily up to $1800 so in essence you're getting a nice shell, new brakes, CV axles, clutch, transmission, and suspension for free.


Thanks!


asking price $1500 or trade for car trailer
Phone number: six seven 8 five eight 8 three four six won