Sprocket's Competition

[clocker]

Money, it's hard to say...well north of 25K, for sure.

Time is also difficult.
I've been obsessed with this project for over a year and a half, in that span I've personally invested hundreds, maybe over a thousand hours of labor and conceptualizing.

I'm sure Sigfrid has spent similar amounts of time (and all the cash).

I'm very fortunate to have found someone who will let me run wild on their car.

[clocker]

I've now lost two giant updates...WTF is going on here?

[clocker]

One last time, let's hope three's a charm...

The last three weeks has been a blur, a blur defined by Mazda wiring diagrams that defy comprehension.
Basically, this car has been kicking my ass, so frequently, it stopped taking names.

Bred on British sportscars (I've owned over twenty), I was not prepared for the complexity or intense reliance on computer power that is present in a modern car.
In my innocence I expected to just reroute some wires and connect directly to switches and bingo!, done.

It took me five days to get the headlights working.
This is five days after the lights and relays are already in place and hot-tested.

The lights are just one example of how difficult it's been to keep the stock appearance and functionality while attempting to retain simplicity and user friendly servicing.

The adventurous amongst you ( yes, I mean you, Kev) might want to remove the steering column trim and contemplate the wiring thus exposed.
You'll find a Medusa like bundle of heavy and very light gauge wires.

Now, it would be logical- and historically based- to assume that one of those heavy wires was feed for the headlights and at least two more would be output to the lights themselves.
When the knob on the end of the stalk is rotated two (or more) of the heavy wires connect to the feed and Bob's your uncle, lights!

You would be partially correct...the heavy wires are power and output lines, but the switch you turn is not in any way physically connected to them.
In fact, the switch has but three tiny- 20 ga.- wires and all they do is provide grounds for signal points in the ECU.
The ECU now knows you want lights and sets several trains of action into motion, eventually culminating in another solid state device in the switch itself to connect the wires via miniature relays.

Trying to duplicate the necessary sequence of events without the stock ECU was a Stygian task.
I first stared at the wiring diagrams- have I mentioned that the "Body Electrical" section of the factory manual is 124 fucking pages long?- made some basic assumptions (all of which were wrong) and then spent two days getting nowhere.

Then I got really ripped and began to grasp the fundamentals of what was going on.
It didn't help that both sides of our combo switch were faulty (we've never had high speed wipers, for instance) and several pages of painstakingly gathered data were rendered moot as a result.

The junkyard saved my ass.

A 626 provided the combination switch that bolted right up and was nearly identical to the much pricier RX-7 replacement.
A 323 donated it's ignition switch ( not the key cylinder, just the switch on the end), so we could finally dispense with the Home Depot Racing doorbell buzzer switch that came with the car.

A short visual history of the journey...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red79.jpg

Hanging from the mirror is the stock firewall harness.
All I need from this are the power window,mirror and door lock circuits.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red77.jpg

It took a while to sort things out.

Several days later, I'm here...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red88.jpg

Be aware that the new harness contains 90% of the circuits that Mazda runs in the dash itself.
When removing the stock dash, 12 connectors must be undone...the new setup requires one.

In the process of troubleshooting ( a generous term for the bumbling I was doing), my original relay setup was hacked into unacceptabilty, so I redid it using a Toyota AC fan relay box...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red85.jpg

All has not been a drudge however.
I did play around a bit.

Emblem from a Ford SUV...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red84.jpg

The gas door/hatch relaease unit from another Toyota (our gas door has been nonfunctional since day one).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red80.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red78.jpg
New fuel pump access panel (cut from ABS) and a partial view of the new rear harness.
Note the tasteful application of black tar undercoat, classy, eh?
It's a La Brea tar pit of crap and must be either removed or covered with something (Dynamat?).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red83.jpg
On the left is Mazda's "CPU #2" which, among myriad other things, controls the turn signals/hazard function.
It's a $200 part.
To the right is my NAPA $12 replacement.

Although I haven't had time to fiddle with the engine yet, we did get a Corvette intake snorkel to play with.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red81.jpg

Also have a 3.90 diff to install and we're going back (temporarily) to the other suspension setup.

Still have a lot to do, I think I've found a career.

[clocker]

Things have been progressing at a satisfactory rate now that most of the wiring is complete.
The heater system is in place...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red103.jpg

About half wired at this point.

I've taken several necessary (and frankly, much welcomed) detours as I try to get her on the road again.
First stop was the gauges.

I'm mounting a Miata gauge cluster in the car which will require substantial work to the RX's bezel and dash pod.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red105.jpg

The gauges in the pic are a set from the junkyard and have been superceded by a set of Japanese market dials which have white faces and most crucial to me, an electronic speedo.
The T-56 transmission has no provision for cable drive gauges.

In a whimsical interlude, I finally got around to replacing the chicken wire grill in the hood vent with a better fitting, less Home Depot-ish piece made from A.C. Ryan computer mesh...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red106.jpg

There were less frivolous tasks laying beneath the new grill.
The two biggies were the intake and the AST (Air Separator Tank).
The tank pictured came from a Volvo (cap is Saab) and is hooked up exactly as the stock Corvette/Camaro would have been.
I hope it works.

Next up was the intake and it was a Catch-22 job from the git-go.
We knew ahead of time that we'd need an oddly shaped filter ("odd" in the sense that it wouldn't be the standard cone-shape most frequently spotted) but couldn't really define the allowable shape until the intake was physically in place.
During reassembly after paint I laid the rad as far back as it could go to increase the available space.
This rendered my previously made beauty panel unusable but it sufficed just fine as a template for the final version to come.
The car has started and run with the new stuff in place but until the dash is back in, she's not drivable ( because the dash hold up the steering column).

Spent time along the way tweaking hoses and such...shortened the oil dipstick, who's cartoonish length has been a thorn in my side for too long.

For all intents and purposes, the engine bay is done.
Certainly, many components will be upgraded/replaced with nicer, but for the most part everything is where it's going to be.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red100.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red101.jpg

And, just to refresh your memory, here's what she first looked like...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Earlyswap.jpg

[Detale]

Wow man. I do read your thread from time to time and the little I do know about cars leaves me with not much to say for fear of sounding dumb.

Dude the car looks amazing! great work. I think I asked this before but what the hell are you going to do whe the project is eventually done?

[clocker]

We've been talking for a while about selling this one off and starting again with a better example.
LSx motor this time so the stock hood will clear.

We'll see.

[Detale]

What would this one go for? Ballpark?

[j2k4]

For all intents and purposes, the engine bay is done.
Certainly, many components will be upgraded/replaced with nicer, but for the most part everything is where it's going to be.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red100.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red101.jpg

And, just to refresh your memory, here's what she first looked like...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Earlyswap.jpg

Hmm.

What a difference a day makes...

[clocker]

First test drive!

Admittedly, I was filled with trepidation but no guts, no glory, so off we went into the wild blue yonder.

She worked perfectly.

Nothing fell off or burned up.
The cooling system finally acts like it should.
Everything I wired, functioned.

Have a short punchlist before she goes back to Sigfrid on Sunday.
Probably won't work too much then but the next weekend (and the ten days that follow) will be wife/children-free (they're going to a summer camp) and we have another major stage planned.
To come are installing the new differential, dropping the fuel tank and replacing the suspension springs.
The diff and springs are relatively straightforward, the tank could hold some surprises but we won't know till it's on the ground.

Things are looking rosey.

[clocker]

As usual, plans have expanded.
The car will still be in the air for diff work this Saturday, but we're also simultaneously pulling the dash so I can do the finish wiring for the new Japanese gauge cluster (which is seriously sweet) and redo the engine harness.

Our engine harness is so seriously fucked up that it amazes me the car runs at all.
Almost all the connectors are damaged in some way, the wire itself is brittle and worst of all, the main ECU connectors are trash.
I already have a mint set of ECU connectors (there are four, each with 32 pins) and yesterday I scored the injector harness from an LSx engined Cadillac.

We've been looking for an affordable LT1 harness to start with but it occurred to me that it would be far simpler to start with a bare injector harness and add in the sensors we need rather than take a full stock harness and weed out the chaff.

I'd like to get the wiring totally finished so I can get the diagrams out of my head...

[clocker]

Diff is installed and solved many problems.
Most of the gear whine and clunking is gone, handling/steering greatly improved (we suspect the old diff was randomly locking/unlocking the limited slip).
It was a dirty job but unlike the electrical, very straightforward.

For a variety of reasons we decided to alter our schedule and delay the dash wiring in favor of some more fabrication, primarily a new underbelly pan and the hatch deck.

The undertray serves two functions- it prevents incoming air from spilling around/under the radiator (think of a shroud for the fans on your watercooling rad, Detale) and, almost more importantly, it added a lot of structural integrity to the scantily mounted nose of the car, particularly the lower lip.

We purchased a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/16" black ABS (only $60) to use for these projects.
This material is absolutely ideal because it's very tough but easily shaped/cut/drilled, flexible enough to conform to irregular mount points and a pleasing satin black (so, no finish work necessary).
None of my pics of this turned out, so use your imagination.

The second stage was the rear hatch area, long a nettle in my sandal due to the slipshod work already performed.
Prior to my involvement the battery had already been moved from the bay to the hatch, housed in a giant "racing" battery box.
This box was bolted to a 1/2" piece of plywood that was meant to sit in the recess for the spare (which is empty) but was so poorly cut that it wouldn't fit.
The entire install not only looked pathetic but also ate up a lot of the room in the hatch.

Future plans (very near future, like this Tuesday) called for the ECU to move into the spare tire well (it currently sits in the passenger footwell) and an entirely new engine electrical harness be fabricated to suit, so the battery needed to move.

I have to give Sigfrid full credit for the construction/modification involved in this seemingly simple (but in reality, fiendishly complex) task.
I picked the new battery location and he conceptualized and then realized the final product.

Cutting the battery box down to a useful size, making mounting brackets, cutting the rear hatch trim to fit around the box and then making a floor panel took him innumerable test fits and adjustments ( I mostly smoked cigarettes and held things when asked) but turned out exceptionally well, IMO.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red114.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red113.jpg

Between our new ABS floor and the car's real floor is an air gap of approx 1 1/8", to be filled with a 1 1/4" piece of foam ( to be purchased tomorrow).
On top of the ABS goes the carpet.

In one fell swoop we've gained the space for the ECU, decluttered the hatch and made a significant visual improvement, so bravo, Sigfrid.

It's just icing on the cake that the battery can be accessed in about 15 seconds, using no tools.
Better than stock, really.

We have the carpet and I'll get the foam tomorrow but before final install the ECU harness must be made.
I have a nearly full set of connectors (I think I need to reuse two from the old harness) and plenty of wire ( the harness will be nearly 14' long and consist of 40 wires).
I'm hoping to have it done and installed in a day ( so it will probably take a week...).

There is a set of Tokico Illumina 5-way adjustable shocks on the way as well.
We have all new rubber spring perches/hats and a set of Racing Beat lowering springs to put on them.
Expecting the shocks either Tues. or Wed., they will be installed upon arrival (this will be our third shock swap...we can do all four in about three hours.
If we had a decent spring compressor we could do it in half that time).

At some point soon we need to drop the gas tank and find out where the pervasive smell of fuel is coming from.
When that happens, I think we'll have removed every piece of hardware on the car at one time or another.

She truly will be "Built Not Bought".

[j2k4]

Well done, Sigfrid, and you, of course.

Day-trips to car shows loom...

[clocker]

Yeah, we need to see some shows and find out how real people do their cars.

While fiddling with the intake we discovered that simply touching the MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor) spazzed out the idle, so a new one is on the way.
Decided to increase our chances of success and redo the engine harness as well.

Over the last few weeks I've been culling the required connectors from the junkyard- nearly all of ours were broken in one way or another, so I was able to construct the harness with all new hardware.

I spent 15 hours yesterday on the wiring, the engine side of the harness is done (mostly) and after a test fit, all that remains is terminating at the new ECU location- approximately 45 connections.
After the harness is done ( around noon today, I figure), any problems we experience will have to be due to bad sensors or a bad ECU, because the wiring will be perfect.

With the engine harness finished, the only remaining electrical will be the finish work on the dash, a one/two day project and our car will be 100% new, wiring-wise.

I will be a happy boy when this stage is done.

With the electrical finally out of the way the next step will be finalizing the intake, which mostly consists of finding the "perfect" air filter.
The area in front of the newly laid down rad and the front structure of the car is deceptively spacious...it looks far more accommodating than it really is and we need a very specifically shaped filter to fit perfectly.
It's unlikely such a filter exists, so we'll just have to come as close as possible and make adjustments.

With the intake done, wiring done and the new suspension installed (fingers crossed it arrives today), the main build will be substantially complete.
Our platform will be solid and reliable ( hell, pretty much everything will be brand new) and our days of chasing down gremlins, over.

This will leave us with two more avenues to explore...cosmetics- both interior and exterior- and power.

The cosmetics will be straightforward, on the exterior I'd like to have it professionally buffed out/polished and see what we have.
She's a looker at 20 paces, if we can get that down to 10 paces, we'll call it good.

The interior is mostly a matter of replacing some of the crispiest panels and some recovering on some others.

As for power...well, that's just a matter of cash.
At the very minimum we'll do heads/cam/valvetrain (around $1500) and see where we get.
After that, forced induction- either super or turbo charged- is the next step.

The ultimate goal is 450 HP at the rear wheels, sufficient for fun, yet not so extreme to be finicky.

We're dreaming big.

[clocker]

Engine harness finished, installed and functional (finally).

Although not as extensive as my previous chassis wiring project, the engine harness presented its own unique set of challenges...one of which tripped us up overnight and nearly had us confounded.

From it's furthest outpost in the bay (the ignition control module, mounted in cool airflow in front of the radiator) to it's last connection in the hatch (the ECU trigger to the fuel pump relay), the harness is 21' long...which makes it awkward to deal with physically.

Here's a shot from day 2, the engine side is complete and we're preparing to terminate at the ECU end...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red117.jpg

On the left is the main trunk of the harness and you can (barely) see the grommet where the wiring transitions through the firewall into the bay proper.

Coming forward is the wiring for the engine proper, injectors, sensors and ignition.
Facing back are the O2 sensor leads, the sensors from the transmission (Vehicle Speed Sensor and Reverse Lockout Solenoid) and the reverse light connection.


And one showing the entire harness...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red116.jpg

During construction we ohmed out every single connection and double checked the ECU entry point.
Like most modern cars, the GM ECU operates/controls a huge number of non-engine related components and we had to weed out what we didn't need and make sure what we did need was included.
This is where we screwed up...

After installing the harness, we bowled up and hopefully tried to start the car.
And got...nothing.

We could hear the fuel pump priming and flowing gas through the fuel rails and the starter functioned (which it should since it's not a part of the engine harness), but she wouldn't start.

A quick check proved we had no spark.
For several hours that night and a good part of Day 3, I went back over the harness with the multimeter, trying to find the problem but every single thing was exactly like the diagrams said they should be.

Long story short, we had made an error of omission rather than commission- much more difficult to track down.
One of the relays found on the stock GM car, a relay we cavalierly dismissed as useless to us (the AC Request Relay, in fact) also provides ignition power to the control module.
Because of the way the wiring diagrams are laid out (the AC section is a totally different page than the ignition), our ignition setup looked complete as we wired it up and neither Sigfrid nor I even questioned where- or if- the ignition was to get power...the assumption was that the ECU fed what was required.
Not so.

Once we stumbled on this- and to be fair, t'was Sigfrid who tumbled to the solution- a minor wiring change and viola!, we had lift off.

During the troubleshooting process I realized that I had made a few boneheaded decisions about the power feed arrangement and after the car started, I removed the harness and spent a few hours redoing my mistakes (well, not really "mistakes", more like "dumb decisions") and we finally had everything buttoned up around 9 PM on Day 3.

We've made a few minor cosmetic changes since this pic was taken, but here's what the engine harness looks like in situ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red115.jpg

The new shocks arrive this morning and if Sigfrid can escape work early enough we plan on installing them today.
His wife and kids return tonight and he has the usual clean/laundry, etc. jobs to perform before they arrive, so we may not make it.

At any rate, once the shocks are in, we'll have finally reached the end of Stage 1...essentially we'll have created the car that Sigfrid thought he was buying two years ago.
Pretty much everything is either brand new or reconditioned and every single component works reliably.
From this point forward, we should be able to work without redoing previous mistakes/omissions first...a major step for us.

Our next phase will be cosmetics, primarily in the interior.
This is due to two considerations...first, because the car will now be daily driven, the interior will actually matter (for most of the last two years we've been more concerned with just getting this bitch to run, not how pretty/comfortable she is) and second, this work will be relatively cheap.

During this phase the 7 will transition into her role as a daily driver, which means that Sigfrid's RX-8 becomes redundant and can be sold.
The sale of the 8 will fund Stage 3...the motor.

If you recall (and I'm sure most of you don't), the car originally came with a fully built 383 stroker motor, which was a total blast till it ate itself.
Our current engine is new but basically bone-stock.

We have discussed various options, my preference has always been to remain naturally aspirated ( meaning no turbos or superchargers) and so avoid the complexity and problems of forced induction.
Sigfrid just wants more power.

We've begin discussions with a specialist company in Texas that seem quite promising but that's all too far in the future to get into (since, up till now, our plans have changed almost daily...).

My next project will be the intake and the dash, and I'll detail that as it happens.

[clocker]

Fucking FedEx.
The tracking site had our suspension "out for delivery" but it never showed up.

This means that either I do the job alone sometime next week or we wait till next weekend and do it together.

The second pressing job is finalizing the intake, I still haven't found the "perfect" air filter to fit our space so we've temporarily reverted to the Camaro 90° intake elbow setup.

The intake became "pressing" after we installed the new MAF sensor and the car ran like crap.
The original MAF must have been so nearly dead that the tuners had to work around it somehow, the new part is so sensitive (because it's working as it should) that the idle goes crazy- hunting up and down.
The tuners owe us another session and I'd like the intake and MAF to be in place so they can do it right this time.

Life goes on.

[j2k4]

Hey-

Look what I found - the 3SI group just had their 10th annual "National Gathering" in Indianapolis - one of the members whose Mitsu-Dodge wasn't running drove this:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/shadow334485/2010%20National%20Gathering/DSC_0009.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y166/shadow334485/2010%20National%20Gathering/DSC_0010.jpg[/QUOTE]

The whole thread was pretty cool, actually.

[clocker]

Ah, an LSx conversion.
I so lust after an LS instead of the LT engine.
Much easier intake to deal with, note his uncut hood.

This particular swap is pretty "bread-n-butter", no exotic parts in evidence, a very pedestrian Granny's rad setup but still and all, probably a blast to drive.

Wonder how he'd compare the RX to his Stealth/3000 GT in terms of handling and performance.

[j2k4]

Good question.

I will endeavor to find out.

[clocker]

Please do, it'd be interesting to know.

[clocker]

The shocks finally arrived on Wednesday- a mere FIVE DAMN DAYS after FedEx said they were "Out for delivery".

These were Sigfrid's first (and possibly, last) eBay purchase and basically, I think we got screwed.
I don't know about Sigfrid, but I was certainly unaware that the shocks had been modified.
The rear's mounting saddles had been slotted and washers welded on- raising the holes and effectively lowering the ride height.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red118.jpg

I was concerned that this mod in combination with the Racing Beat lowering springs would drop the rear too far but that turned out not to be the case.
The front on the other hand, is a whole 'nother story.
Which is weird because the front shocks were unmolested.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red119.jpg

Looks like a bloody Funny Car.

Surprisingly, the ride isn't bad at all but the front end is just unfeasibly low, she drags the lip and scrubs the tires even on nice pavement.
This morning I'll pull the fronts and put the stock springs back on, see what happens.

[j2k4]

How much tire you got in front?

Did you put the old nose back on yet?

Can't remember...

[clocker]

Fronts are 255/35/18, rears are 285/35/18.
Nitto NT555 all around.
No, the "new" nose has a way lower lip than this one (and it's blue), so we haven't contemplated using it lately.

[j2k4]

Fronts are 255/35/18, rears are 285/35/18.
Nitto NT555 all around.
No, the "new" nose has a way lower lip than this one (and it's blue), so we haven't contemplated using it lately.


Huh.

I'm looking at your Nitto NT555s for the Stealth - you like 'em?

How much smaller will you need to go, or can you do something with offset?

Is the nose on the car the one that was mounted when I was there?

And lastly, didn't you say something about a body kit.

Thank you.

Btw-

The car looks freaking terrific.

[clocker]

Now that the car actually handles OK it'll be easier to tell if the tires work or not.

Yes, that's the nose you saw but it's been mended and the bellypan stiffens it up considerably.
Yes, there's a bodykit...I've yet to venture into S.'s attic to see it.

Offset and tire size are not the problem, just the ride height.
I reinstalled the stock front springs on the "new" Tokicos this morning and the issue is solved.
Springs raised the car about an inch and all scrubbing/fender interference is gone.
Car rides pretty well now, certainly better than ever before and acceptable for the nonce.

Tomorrow is dash wiring.

[clocker]

Tomorrow is dash wiring.
Yeah, well, you know how that goes.

I decided to take advantage of some cooler weather and work on the intake setup instead of the wiring.
Sigfrid had purchased a new MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor) which didn't run very well although unplugging the IAC (Intake Air Control solenoid) seemed to help.
(The IAC controls a bypass airchannel that smooths abrupt throttle input- especially at low speed).

I tried all combinations of MAF and IAC on/off with a ride on my test loop to get results.
I then removed the IAC solenoid and cleaned/reset it.
Why didn't I do this first, you ask.
Physically messing with the solenoid seemed to have about a 20% success rate on forums I scanned and was widely considered to be a Hail Mary shot before conceding defeat and purchasing a new one.

Which is pretty much where I thought we were.

I think the procedure (a cleaning of the pintle with injector cleaner followed by an ECU reset sequence) staved off the inevitable, at least for a while.
She still hunts at idle but beyond a walking pace, runs pretty smoothly.

Our smartest move would be to preemptively replace all our major sensors along with our crispy ECU and (fingers crossed) be done with it.
Even better would be to ditch the stock engine management and go to aftermarket standalone electronics.

Neither option is cheap, the first @ $500-750, the second @ $1500-2000.

One the final test drive she left me stranded with a dead battery.
I finally maneuvered into a bumpstart position and she fired up, at home finally, I decided the culprit must be the cooling fan, which is not key operated and runs with the car off.
I figured that multiple short stops, with the fan running constantly, was too much battery drain and the solution was to cut the fan with the ignition.
I had considered this option when building the front harness and the necessary wiring was already in place, so it was a simple job.

With the battery recharged and the (presumed) cause repaired, t'was time for another test drive.
First though, I decided to temporarily repower the gauge panel ( disconnected during engine harness install and awaiting dash removal to properly redo) and check fuel level.
Had plenty of gas, not so much in the charging department though.

Voltmeter only reads 11.5v, not 14.3v as it should.
Apparently, the alternator passed away sometime during the past week and we didn't notice because the voltmeter wasn't working.

It was a $25 used part from the junkyard so the demise was neither unexpected nor a terrible loss...a decent reman unit will run @ $125, we're getting one today.

The journey is made of a thousand detours.

[j2k4]

There is a book, here - you realize that, don't you.

Oh, and I finally heard from the errant ECU wizard; and for perhaps the third time in my life, someone actually uttered to me (in print) the words, "The (pick'em) is in the mail!"

By the end of the week, he says - and the rims are due back from powder-coat.

I am a mere set of tires from pics.

Alas.

Oh, and the book could be called One Man's...no, make that, Two Men on a Journey Ordeal Trial Path Search [/I]...

Or you could call it S & S's Excellent Adventure.

[clocker]

I'll take that under consideration, Kev.

New alternator solved the charging issue, car is basically running like a top.
Sigfrid says the ride/handling are better than the 400HP rotary RX-7 that he owned in California.

This Saturday we tackle the dash wiring.
Really...this time for sure.

[j2k4]

New alternator solved the charging issue, car is basically running like a top. Sigfrid says the ride/handling are better than the 400HP rotary RX-7 that he owned in California.

Yeah, and the best power/weight I have ever owned were the slightly tweaked 429SCJ Mustang I had; just shy of 600HP @ 2950LBs, and my '67 Mustang small-arm 302; that was about 410 @ 2700.

I'll bet it drives super tame, too, eh?

[clocker]

Yup, disturbingly docile.

Well, mostly.
Now that the diff is working properly and the suspension isn't trying to buck us out of the cabin, turns out it'll hook the back tires and spin the car pretty easily.
Sigfrid was doing smoky donuts in front of his house.
That's with our (estimated) 250 RWHP...the plan is bump the motor to the 400 HP range, which should make her pretty ah...entertaining.
Our current curb weight ( 1/2 tank of fuel, no driver) is 2650 lbs.

[j2k4]

Good God.

LS, here we come...

[clocker]

LS, here we come...
Man, I wish.

Being currently involved with the cold air intake, the LT's weirdness (oval throttle body flange and gigantic MAF) stands in stark contrast to the LSx arrangement.

Sigfrid has always advocated the LT because of it's reputed ability to handle boost (either super or turbo- charged) better than the later series...which he now realizes is bunk.
A swap to a later LS (or even LQ) series engine would not only gain us net HP and lower weight (approx. 125 lbs.) but with the lower, simpler intake, make that area of fabrication much simpler.
We could even use the stock, uncut hood.

Oh well.

[j2k4]

Give it time.

Time has been good for you guys, y'know?

[clocker]

Well, another 13 hour day on Monday and good progress was made.

We first removed the dash ( a simple 10 minute procedure with two people) to make a few wiring changes and final install of the gauge wiring.
I've now modded in the gauge cluster from a 2004 Japanese spec Miata and we have everything functioning save the speedo (need to switch the signal source at the ECU) and the tach (works, but reads twice as high as it should- this was expected and all we need to do is "condition" the input signal with a resistor).

With the dash reinstalled, we moved on to a few fiddly things we've been putting aside, primarily installing a hood strut to replace the hood prop.
I've pulled several struts from the junkyard and the most useful came from a 2nd gen Nissan Maxima.
I like it so much I put one on my car...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Strut1.jpg

Not earth-shaking but a nice touch anyway.

At this point, the car is almost as far as we can get her with what we have.
The only remaining mechanical-type job is to drop the fuel tank and find out where the constant gas smell is coming from.

I have a Corvette intake snorkel coming from eBay (I hope!) and, should it prove suitable, the intake can be finalized.

With those two jobs finished, all the major work will finally be behind us and we can start upgrading the interior pieces at our leisure (and Sigfrid's Visa card's health).

She's a daily driver now.

[clocker]

The project came to a temporary halt as we accumulated parts for the next stage, which should begin this weekend.
We have a better air separator tank to replace the plastic Volvo unit and the cooling system should finally be configured properly.
Also finally got the Digital Dakota signal conditioner for the speedo- this translates the output signal from the transmission into a wave form the Mazda gauge can understand, so the speedo should be functional.

I came up with a Corvette intake snorkel that may-emphasis on "may"- finally allow for a nice looking intake.
I need to do some research, and possibly prototyping, to see if it can be used.
It looks cool as hell and I'd really like to try it, but there are technical obstacles to overcome (mainly, placement of the MAF).
Today I'm going to attempt to get some questions answered by a Corvette specialty shop, we'll see how it turns out (they haven't been very cooperative in the past because we don't have a "proper" Corvette and they are total snobs).

I installed the hood strut last week and it works as well on the FD as it did on the FC- better, in fact because the FD aluminum hood is a featherweight compared to my much larger panel.
Pull the hood release and the hood rises all by itself...quite disconcerting if you're not expecting it.

I can't wait for Saturday to get back to work.

[clocker]

Air separator tank installed.
We need better fittings than the generic hardware store ones that we have and I'm waiting to take pics till I can find them.
At least we can see if the cooling system/recovery works right now.

Installed the Digital Dakota unit and finally(!!) got it working properly.
The weirdest thing was the lack of proper setup info- not from Digital Dakota, that's very straightforward- but from the forums.
Were we using a stock FD speedo all the info needed is readily available, but we're not, so we turned to the Miata swap forum and found a gaping hole in the knowledge base.
Even the big "tuner magazine" article they produced glosses over the issue by claiming they ran out of time and didn't get to the speedo.

I don't believe it, I think they failed to get it working and didn't want to admit it.

The DD is simply a solid state device that conditions the speed signal (either straight from the transmission or semi-preconditioned from the ECU) so whatever speedo you are using can read it properly.
It's actually quite a nice piece but the various options are vast and our first problem was just getting into the ballpark so the speedo would do something.
This took several hours and just as we were about to give up, we found the settings we needed.
(There are five different output port options, and four dipswitches...so you can see how many possibilities there are to explore)

With the speedo finally moving, the next step is to fine tune the signal so it's reading correctly.
This can be done in a couple of ways, we chose the "measured mile" approach (in our case actually a measured 3.3 miles) and finally got it to within a few dozen yards of being correct.
The ultra fine tuning will require following a car with a known correct speedometer and syncing the readings down to a fraction of a MPH.
At this point (we ran out of time) I'd guess that at an actual 60 MPH we're reading about 61-62 MPH.
Not too bad but we'll get it closer, it will just take some time.

Our tach is reading @ 2x what it should, DD also makes conditioners for that and we'll probably need to get one.

That leaves only the oil pressure gauge non-functional.
It's hard to get good info since we're using a Japanese market gauge cluster mated with domestic market sending units (we have three Mazda sending units) and it's possible that the gauge itself is more of a dummy style than a full sweep real gauge.
(Mazda was fond of these "fake" gauges...my 2nd gen water temp gauge is one such and sits in the middle of the sweep from 160°F to 240°F...basically, by the time the needle starts to rise above "NORMAL", you're already toast. The gauge is more of a dummy/warning device than a real temp indicator).
We'll figure out something.

Ran out of time/daylight so no movement on the intake.

She's running well though, so daily driving is certainly possible (and, with a functioning speedo and fuel gauge, we'll finally be able to see what kind of gas mileage we're getting).

Next work session is in two weeks.

[j2k4]

Got the wheels done - the pics don't do them justice; the color is much hotter in person:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010011.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010010-1.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010008-1.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/P1010012.jpg

Also, those are the Nitto NT555s, and so far I like 'em alot.

What do you and Sigfrid think of them?

[clocker]

Wheels are beautiful, Kev...nice choice.
Car needs to drop a few inches, but...

As for the tires...I guess they're OK (on our car)...it's hard to tell.
I think we have too much rubber up front (255's), which is contributing to the slight kick-back on rough pavement and mildly heavy steering but without actually changing them (not gonna happen), that's just a guess.
I'm a granny driver anyway, so Sigfrid would be the one to ask.

What's with the swingset?

[j2k4]

Wheels are beautiful, Kev...nice choice.
Car needs to drop a few inches, but...

Thanks.

I'm thinking I might end up buying coil-overs just to get the drop I want; S-Techs would give me 1.5" in front, 1.3" in back - not enough, I fear.


As for the tires...I guess they're OK (on our car)...it's hard to tell.
I think we have too much rubber up front (255's), which is contributing to the slight kick-back on rough pavement and mildly heavy steering but without actually changing them (not gonna happen), that's just a guess.
I'm a granny driver anyway, so Sigfrid would be the one to ask.

The steering bump is probably as you say - the V8 does you the favor of keeping the front pretty-well planted, I would guess.

Smaller tires may help - what size rim, again?


What's with the swingset?

Grandsons - 3 so far, another due next week sometime.

[clocker]

The fronts are 18 x 9, rears, 18 x 10.

I'm hoping we just just need to tweak the alignment a bit.

[clocker]

Minor update.

Sigfrid and I worked on the car again Saturday.
We finally got around to dropping the fuel tank- surprisingly, much easier than I'd feared- and discovered that the vapor accumulation tank on the top was cracked in half (it's plastic).
This explains the constant gas smell we've always had, the tank was always venting to atmosphere.
Lacking a replacement tank, we simply bypassed the piece with a tee-fitting which goes to the stock evap charcoal cannister and the fuel smell problem is now eliminated.

We played around with the IAC solenoid and MAF (we have three IACs and two MAFs) and got her to idle and run pretty nicely- still needs a retune but not bad for now.

Dialed the speedo in a bit more, probably within a few percent of being spot on.

This pic shows the state of the engine bay as of this weekend...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red23-1.jpg

Note the new strut tower covers, sourced from a Subaru.
Also, the hood strut (on the left firewall, next to the wiper motor).
This is the mate of the Maxima strut I put on my car and it works very well on his ultralight alloy hood.

Finally, towards the end of the day we decided to go get a VDO oil pressure sending unit, reputed to work with our new gauge cluster.
On the way home we took a detour to the highway, just to check out high speed running and Sigfrid hit a wheel eating pothole at @ 85MPH.
The tire still holds air but the wheel is probably bent.

I say "probably" because once we got home the car refused to start again...no idea what is going on.

We are both rather discouraged.
The closer we get to completion, the more finicky she seems to get.

Oh well, weekend after next we'll try again.

[j2k4]

Man.

I don't even have to think about flipping back to the beginning of this thread to appreciate the utter transformation.

Does Sigfrid ever check this thread out?

On another note, I might have to buy another one of these 3S vehicles.

I want a black one, too; a '96-or-7 VR4.

[clocker]

In the past two days I've seen three 3000GTs, very weird.
I much prefer their body styling to be honest.
Is that what you're talking about?

[clocker]

Worked on her again this morning.
After following a troubleshooting tree it finally became apparent that the car wouldn't start because of a faulty Optispark distributor.

This is a pain for two reasons:
-The Optispark costs $350. Ours is an "upgraded" Accel replacement, purchased over a year ago but with under 500 miles of actual use.
Summit Racing only has a 90 day warranty on it, so we're going to eat the replacement cost.

-The Optispark sits behind the waterpump (which straddles it), so the entire cooling system must be drained and the pump removed just to R&R the distributor.
(This is why even GM recommends replacing the Optispark if the waterpump leaks...an expensive proposition).

Anyway, I pulled the pump and distributor.
The high-tension half of the distributor was completely melted together, the rotor was in pieces. Six of the eight spark plug terminals were covered in plastic goo.
How this thing ran at all is a mystery but there's no question it's the root of our recent troubles.

New part on order...will install next weekend.

The shit just never ends.

[HeavyMetalParkingLot]

You should use a little of that money and get that yard worked on. That grass is an embarrassment. :)

On topic: she's purdy

[j2k4]

In the past two days I've seen three 3000GTs, very weird.
I much prefer their body styling to be honest.
Is that what you're talking about?

I've put my finger on the styling difference that makes the VR4 more attractive - it's that, on the Stealth, the faux brake-scoop's bottom line is curved, whereas on the VR4, it's curved on the top line, allowing the bottom line to parallel the rocker and further the illusion that the VR4 is lower and sleeker.

I think the problem can be mitigated on the Stealth by adding a bit of rake when adding the lowering springs.

My opinion, anyway.


Worked on her again this morning.
After following a troubleshooting tree it finally became apparent that the car wouldn't start because of a faulty Optispark distributor.

This is a pain for two reasons:
-The Optispark costs $350. Ours is an "upgraded" Accel replacement, purchased over a year ago but with under 500 miles of actual use.
Summit Racing only has a 90 day warranty on it, so we're going to eat the replacement cost.

-The Optispark sits behind the waterpump (which straddles it), so the entire cooling system must be drained and the pump removed just to R&R the distributor.
(This is why even GM recommends replacing the Optispark if the waterpump leaks...an expensive proposition).

Anyway, I pulled the pump and distributor.
The high-tension half of the distributor was completely melted together, the rotor was in pieces. Six of the eight spark plug terminals were covered in plastic goo.
How this thing ran at all is a mystery but there's no question it's the root of our recent troubles.

New part on order...will install next weekend.

The shit just never ends.

Sometimes aftermarket shit is, well, shit.


You should use a little of that money and get that yard worked on. That grass is an embarrassment. :)

On topic: she's purdy

Are you referring to my car at all.

Please refer any complaints about the grass to my wife's dog.

Btw-

The grass in the foreground belongs to my absentee neighbor, who rents to a person whose standards are not high.

My lot is only fifty feet wide, you see.

As to the car, it is, as Clocker can attest, what we call a twenty-footer, meaning one must be closer than that to see all the flaws.

Nonetheless, thank you for the compliment.

[clocker]

Sometimes aftermarket shit is, well, shit.


Indeed.

There are two sad parts to this story...
The Accel part replaced a perfectly good functional GM Optispark...kind of a "preventive measure" as it were.
Then, Sigfrid threw out the GM part.

When he purchased the aftermarket part we discussed alternatives because the distributor is far and away the weakest part of the LT series package.
It's possible- albeit expensive- to do away with the Optispark and convert to the more reliable (and more tuneable) LS style ignition.
This was rejected on cost but we've now spent more on maintaining the original ignition (we've also replaced the ignition control module and the coil) than the conversion would have cost.

Hindsight, 20/20, etc.

[j2k4]

Well, just advise him properly and hope for the best.

[clocker]

OK, we now have a new distributor to install on Saturday.
It's a reman unit with a MSD cap & rotor.
We'll see how that goes...

In other news, Sigfrid found a complete rear suspension from a 2000 RZ (Japanese model) and that's on the way as well.
Several months ago we rebushed the entire suspension but did not replace the pillowballs (three on either side).
This was primarily a money issue, the pillowballs are not available from the aftermarket and cost $60 apiece from Mazda.

When we recently dropped the fuel tank, we discovered that the driver side hub had significant freeplay in all directions because of sloppy pillowballs and realized that the situation needed immediate attention.
I thought we were just going to bite the bullet and order the parts from Mazda...Sigfrid had other ideas and this is what he decided on.
I'm not sure how this approach will play out and until the parts show up (next week sometime) it'll remain a mystery.

My concern is the bushings, I don't think we can remove the new Delrin parts from the old suspension and install them on the RZ pieces, so we just have to hope the RZ bushes are in good shape.
Time will tell.
Naturally, installing the new suspension will necessitate yet another alignment but that's probably a good thing- after I swapped out the shocks/springs we should have gotten realigned anyway.

Assuming the new OptiSpark gets her running again, I'm going to lobby for bringing her back to my place and redoing the intake.
I have the parts/materials to fab it up and would like to give it a try.
It's a somewhat experimental idea which I think will work fine but no way to tell without actually making it.
Visually, it'd be stunning and for that reason alone I think it's worth trying.
Again, we'll see.

[j2k4]

Ah - 'bated breath.













Again...

Ah - 'bated breath, yet again.









No, wait - that's panting.

[clocker]

Up and running again.
From this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red130.jpg

To this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red132.jpg

In about an hour and a half.
We also installed the Digital Dakota tach signal conditioner (we're sending an 8 cylinder signal to the Miata 4 cylinder tach), so now all the gauges are functional and calibrated.
This is our Japanese market late model Miata gauge cluster installed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red131.jpg

The only glitch left to decipher with the gauges is to figure out why it zeroes out the digital tripmeters every time she's shut off. Total mileage is retained but the resettable function doesn't work properly. We'll figure it out eventually.

Next up is the all new rear subframe install, probably weekend after next.

[clocker]

Productive day on Saturday...we replaced the entire rear subframe/suspension*.
Our original subframe was cracked in two places (apparently a common malady on hopped up 3rd gens) and the pillowball bushes were shot.
This low mileage (reputedly under 20k) unit lacks the Delrin bushes we recently installed but the pillowballs were all in excellent shape and it seemed like a good tradeoff.
The project took about 7 hours of reasonably easy work, we had no trouble with frozen/stripped hardware and although bulky, the assembly isn't terribly heavy, so it wasn't too physically taxing.

Car now needs another alignment but the test drive revealed that all the clunks and jerkiness are gone, the new parts seem to work very well.

Sigfrid put over two hundred miles on her this last week with no mechanical issues, so we look to be close to daily driver reliability.
Oddly, the tripmeter memory problem seems to have fixed itself and the gauge is working properly.
No idea what happened, but for a change it's good to have something fix itself, so I'm going to ignore it for now.

Our next worksession is scheduled for two weeks away (next weekend being a three day holiday), we'll see what needs doing then.





*This job done, we've now disassembled the entire car with the exception of the doors.
With the advantage of hindsight, I cringe to think of the time and energy we could have saved had we just stripped the car to the bone when we started...it would have been so much easier.

[clocker]

Hello again.

Yesterday was perfect "work on the car" weather- 80 degrees, light breeze, sunny...couldn't have asked for a better day.
We had a full schedule of interlocking projects and started at 7:30am.

The initial job was installing a new fluid balanced front crank pulley.
Supposed to help with higher RPM smoothness, these pieces normally sell in the $250-300 range but I found one for $100 at an "open box" sale at the local race shop.
Although our car is considerably easier to work in than the stock Camaro/Corvette engine bay, it would still be easier to do this with the radiator removed...and that got me thinking.

Our car came with a '96 Camaro rad and it's been a sore point with me the whole time.
It's too wide to fit nicely between the frame rails (we have 28" to work with, the rad is exactly 28" wide) and is only a single core matrix...basically a crummy OEM POS.
Plus, it has a filler port with pressure cap that is completely redundant in our application.
It's also been beat to hell, the fins are completely garbaged up.

Unfortunately, a custom radiator built to our specs would run @ $350 and that's just been one of those expenses that never seemed to have priority since the car was running fine (coolant-wise, at least).

This delay has slowed progress on the intake because until the radiator is finalized we don't know exactly what kind of space we're dealing with.

Long story short, I found the perfect setup in the junkyard.
Sourced from a '92 Volvo 850, the rad/fan were so close to my ideal it was scary.
Like kismet, or something.

I got the whole shebang- radiator, fan, relays and wiring harness-for $55...impossible to pass up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red131-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red130-1.jpg

It's 27" wide, 17" tall and has a triple core matrix...this particular example was in excellent shape.
In these pics the stock Volvo mounting tabs and other extraneous bracketry have already been (quite nicely, if I do say so myself) trimmed.

So, since we already had to pull the rad to install the crank pulley, we'd just put the new Volvo unit back in at the same time.
Amazingly, we did.

Here's the crank pulley installed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red135.jpg

The Volvo radiator/fan in final position...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red136.jpg

Although the rad is securely mounted, we were working with what we had laying around and the brackets are crude...now that it's positioned we can design better pieces and replace them at our leisure.
"I'm right on top of that, Rose".

Positioning the radiator took a few hours.
The best ( and easiest) location for the rad was the worst position for our desired intake and vice-versa, so compromises were made in both directions until a happy medium was found.

This is how we ended the day, the intake is merely the beginning of the finished product...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red143.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red139.jpg

The car has been aligned (again!) and drives beautifully, the suspension is good but could be better.
It's on the list.

Next up, finalizing the rad mounts and building the intake.

[clocker]

OK, engine bay nearly finished.
Radiator is final installed, used a combination of Honda door glass stops (sturdy little L-brackets) and Kia brackets (one can't be picky...).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Radmount1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/RadIn2.jpg

I made a new heatshield/beauty panel, retweaked the intake snorkels and added a new K&N filter that better fit the space we had.

Then I made up a custom set of plug wires.
This is the first time she's had a decent set of wires on her...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Wires1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Wires2.jpg

Tomorrow the AST gets slightly relocated using a nicer bracket (Subaru fuel filter bracket) and the engine bay will be substantially finished...I hope.

[j2k4]

I think you oughta go back to the engine plates and start over.
























Nah - it's serious pretty these days.

Gold medal.

Hows trix?

[clocker]

Trix are OK but Sugar Frosted Flakes are Grrrreat!
Why my opinion on breakfast cereals is of interest I'm not sure but I'm happy to weigh in...

AST is relocated and the bay is finished.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bay4.jpg

Tomorrow I hope to finish up the dash wiring- primarily connecting the heater controls (which won't require dash removal, praise Allah!).
That should pretty much tie up all the loose ends before the weather starts to crap out...not sure what we'll do next but I'm guessing there will be somewhat of a lull as Sigfrid replenishes the money tree.

Assuming nothing breaks or falls off...

[clocker]

Tomorrow I hope to finish up the dash wiring...
Yeah, like that happened.
(Hint: it didn't)

There were a few small details I wanted to address and I found myself at the junkyard again, looking for oddball bits and bobs.
Despite having done so many times before, I also searched for the elusive "perfect intake setup" and amazingly, actually scored.

A bit of background...
The intake consists of the throttle body, the MAF (mass airflow sensor) and the filter.
These three parts must be connected in such a way that the filter ends up in a spot that exposes it to fresh incoming air.

This seemingly simple job is complicated by two major factors...the size/shape of the component parts and the necessity of fitting them within the confines of the bay with the hood closed.

An additional complication is my desire to use pre-existing OEM parts so as to create the impression that the car is "stock", not custom.
Typically, an intake like ours would be fabbed up from generic aluminum tube shapes and couplers...I wanted to minimize the number of pieces and subdue the appearance, all the while getting from A to B within the confines of the allotted space.

The major problem here is component size.
The throttle body's flange is oval shaped (not round, as is more common) and the MAF needs a 3 1/2" round tube connection.

Oval shapes are extremely rare in molded pieces but we've discovered that a 4" diameter tube can be forced to stretch and ultimately fit.
So we now need a piece with one end 4" diameter and the other end 3 1/2" diameter, between 7" and 9" long and flexible enough to bend.
That covers the connection between the throttle body and the MAF.

From the MAF to the front panel, we need a piece that's 3 1/2" diameter at both ends and makes a tight 35-45° bend in the space of about 8".

Such specific pieces are very thin on the ground, especially in a junkyard where, keep in mind, a significant percentage of potential donors are cosmetically unacceptable (fire damage, parts destroyed in a front end impact, neglect, etc.)...after all, the stuff not only has to fit, but look good also.

Anyway, I actually scored some pieces that were very close to our needs...so the entire intake project- only completed 2 days prior- was scrapped and I redid it again.

Visually, it's very similar and it's only the unfortunately compulsive (me) who will notice.
From a construction standpoint, this is an almost ideal solution.
The entire intake, from the throttle body to the filter, is removable as one piece...everything is anchored to the upper radiator panel which is fastened with four bolts.
The whole thing comes off in 5 minutes.

This is it:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intakenew3marked.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intakenew5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intakenew4.jpg

In the top pic, the black arrows point to the new intake rubber pieces.
The yellow arrows show new hose routing to the PCV valve and the AST.

The coil has also been relocated from the front of the driver side cylinder head to the new rad panel.
This isolates the coil from engine heat and also declutters the front of the engine.

I also finish trimmed the exposed edges of the panel ( now 1/4" thick, up from 3/16")...I like the long rear edge but need to refine the two short side trim strips a bit.
May or may not reuse the "Mazda V-8" badging from the penultimate effort.

So there.

[clocker]

Well, I'm back!
Surely you didn't think this project was done?

Let's see, what has happened in the past two months...

Finally got around to hooking up the heater controls.
It was more convoluted than I'd thought, the dash was removed twice...I really should have done this at the same time as the main harness, would have been much easier and more integrated but c'est la vie.
With all the actuators functioning and the blower fan working in all speeds...we had no heat.
Fabulous.

Out comes the dash- again.
This time I had to drain the coolant and remove the heater core and the central heater box...in other words, down to the firewall once more.
Then I had to figure out how all the controls actually worked.

The FD does not have a water valve in the heater loop, the core is always getting full water flow.
Temperature control comes from mixing air that bypasses the core with air diverted through it...this is done with several interconnected "mix doors" that channel air.
Our unit is missing (entirely!) one door and a secondary flap is cracked and non-functional.
Someone has been in here before and pretty much fucked it up.
We're going to need a whole new assembly to regain full functionality but I had to do something right away, so I used foam to mimic the door configuration for full HOT.
All air from the blower is forced through the heater core and the car warms up nicely.

Of course, when spring comes he'll roast like a turkey but we'll deal with that later.

I also had to completely disassemble the heater control unit only to find that all the illumination bulbs had been removed...no idea why that might be thought necessary, possibly needed to light up the heater doors they removed earlier.
Anyway, we now have heat, all the different "modes" work and the controls light up as they should.

During my time fixing the heat I had the opportunity to take a few long drives (back and forth to Boulder three days straight) and was appalled by the car's general behavior.
Very skittish, required "driving" the car at all times.

We know the suspension sucks but I felt there was more going on than that.
Finally decided that it was worth swapping wheels/tires, just to see what happened.
We've been running staggered all this time (18 x 9 w/ 255/35 tires in front and 18 x 10 w/ 285/35 in the rear) and we traded wheels from the RX-8 which has 18 x 9 w/ 225/45 all around.

I was expecting a change...what we got was a transformation.
I finally see why the FD is considered a high point in Japanese car dynamics, the thing handles like a go cart.
She's now dead stable on the highway- no more trammeling- and corners like a cat.
Unbelievable difference.

"More is better" is NOT the case with our car.
Search is now on for a set of 17" wheels to try...17" tires are way cheaper than 18" and they're even closer to the stock wheel size (16").
My Mustang wheels would probably work, but the big 18" rears from the FD won't fit my FC, so we can't change them out without disabling my car.

As for my car...
I've actually spent some time on her lately.
Found a cherry set of Honda Prelude seats in the junkyard- originally planned them for Sigfrid's car but they're too wide- and mounted them.
They're like Barcaloungers compared to the Corbeaus, absolutely fabulous car seats.
I also swapped out the FD steering wheel for a MOMO unit but that only lasted about a week as the MOMO obscured the gauges too much.
Now using a steering wheel from a 929, slightly less clunky than the FD but perfect fit and vision.
No pics yet.
(Soon)

My alternator crapped out, probably due to the aftermarket alternator relocate bracket breaking.
Sourced a nice replacement from the same 929 that gave up it's wheel.
Moved it back to the stock location.
All better now.

Until the cooling started to go crazy.
I'm getting such weird/contradictory data that I can't begin to troubleshoot.
First, I discovered that the fan was not working.
I finally decided that the current draw of the new(ish) Lincoln fan was too much for the Volvo relay assembly, so I redid the relays/wiring using higher capacity parts.
Still nothing...the Audi fan trigger switch apparently died as well.
I've never liked that particular aspect of my install and am searching for a better alternative, so the low speed is temporarily wired to come on with the ignition.

Yeah, it's halfassed, but I needed it to work NOW!

Of course, with the fan always on the car doesn't want to warm up properly, so this "fix" is really not all that suitable.

Naturally, I know exactly how to fix this...the thing is, I don't wanna.
Pisses me off that the damn car waited until it was 30° to demand repair.
Had all fucking summer and ran like a top- now that I'll suffer from cold, she fritzes out.

Bitch.

[Detale]

Oddly I was thinking about this thread the other day. Myfan clutch went on my Durango and my mechanic didn't have the right one the part will take 2 weeks to get here so for now he installed one he had from a much larger truck and now my car sounds like a jet taking off when I start it up. As I was out there looking at what he'd done I thought to myself How the fuck does clocker hang out in the Colorado cold fucking with cars?? He's out of his mind. Indeed you are sir as I'm sure your insanity isn't limited to this thread alone.

[clocker]

Yeah, well...I'm not happy.
Then again, I'm not in New York either, so there's that.



Actually, I love NYC...had a lot of fun there once upon a time.

[Detale]

Happy thanksgiving man. You can be happy about that!

[clocker]

Thank you.
Same to you and yours...and everyone and theirs, too.


Awww...group hug.

[clocker]

So, it's been a while.
Not much new with Sigfrid's car, she's running pretty well and he's gathering parts (we have new fenders and a set of coilovers, waiting on a stock front bumper).
As long as she continues to run reliably we'll probably wait till the weather warms up before doing any more serious work.

My car came up for it's biannual emissions test this month and that is usually a trying and exasperating experience.
At 197k miles I was not hopeful.
Previously, I had gone to rather extreme measures to squeak by but was so pessimistic this time that I just went to the testing station cold...did no prep whatsoever (well, I did reinstall the cats which I remove to preserve during non-test times).
She passed first try.
Unbelievable.
I have no idea how it happened but I'm now good for two more years and couldn't be happier.
This little hero just refuses to die.

[Detale]

Make/model/year of the hero?

[clocker]

1991 Mazda RX-7.

[Detale]

Oh I thought Sigfried's was the rx7 ? Am I confused yet again?:huh:

[clocker]

His car is a '93.
I've owned mine since '07.

[j2k4]

So you have, so you have.

It bides well, does it?






How's Sig and his little monster?







How's yer folks?







And how's D?

[clocker]

I'm fine, he's fine and they're fine.
It's you who's been MIA.

[Detale]

I thought POW

[clocker]

So, this Saturday we installed another set of shocks (the fourth, I think?) and may have finally gotten it right.
These are Koni Yellows (adjustable) with Ground Control sleeves and Eibach springs...coilovers, basically.

I admit I was dubious but the results are fantastic.
The car was way lowered (we had to raise ride height about an inch all around) but the dampening and ride are beautiful.
She swallows bumps while still being stiff enough to corner well and steers nicely to boot.
We reinstalled the RX-8 wheels as well (they are not staggered and have skinnier tires), which greatly helps trammeling.
Needs a new alignment but we'll wait till we finalize wheel/tire selection.

Finally, got something right it seems.

[clocker]

Proving myself nothing if not dogged, here are the latest deets about the project.

She's been a fairly reliable driver for some time now and Sigfrid and I were preparing for this season's warm weather attack on the interior when everything went pear shaped.
Idle/driveability began to deteriorate, she randomly refused to start and last and worst, the clutch went...AGAIN!

Our engine issues were finally traced to a bad Idle Air Control solenoid.
We had a spare already attached to the aftermarket (larger bore) throttle body (Holley) and decided to just throw the whole thing back on.
This throttle body was originally on the 383 stroker motor and was deemed too big for our new "stock" engine, so it's lanquished in a box for the past year.

Everything got a lot better.
Still needs tuning (we have a "new" tunable ECU already installed) but she idles steadily at 750 RPM ( and more importantly, returns to idle smoothly) and will pull past 5k RPM without hesitation.
Not a lot of power up there yet (@ 4K RPM seems to be the sweet spot right now) but we're getting closer to the theoretical peak of 6.5K RPM.
Figure we need a cam and rockers to make this happen.

The starting problem was traced to a bad connector on the fuel tank bulkhead plate.
This was the problem I planned on fixing this week...until the clutch decided to crap out.
Most inconveniently, I must add.
Sigrid's expanded work responsibilities require frequent trip/stays to Houston and during this one, I was to get the car and basically just drive and enjoy it. Tinker as necessary- the fuel pump wiring- but mainly try to reconnect with the reason I was involved...a fun car to drive.
I "enjoyed" four miles before the clutch pedal sank to floor, never to return.

Fortunately (in a relative sense) it was only the throwout bearing (our third failure of this component).
Unfortunately, the bearing is $230, only available from GM.
Many aftermarket companies sell clutch kits for the LT1 (which would include the bearing) but won't sell the bearing by itself.
No clue why...

Our Frankensteined clutch hydraulic system is apparently overextending the slave cylinder, which stresses the throwout bearing to failure.
The previous failures actually ripped the bearing out of the clutch plate (it's a "pull-style" clutch), this time the bearing flange distorted to the point that the fork slipped off the back of the bearing, leaving the clutch intact.
A silver lining, I guess.
Our last clutch cost over $700, so it's not a trivial expense...especially when labor gets added on.

Working on the clutch is beyond our physical capabilities (I'm far too old to lay on my back with a transmission on my ribcage), so the car was towed to Precision and our old friend Dan knocked it out for us.
Coincidentally, a few weeks ago Precision bought an alignment rack from a closing business.
The display didn't work and I miraculously was able to fix it.
So they kinda owe me a favor, which I'm cashing in tonight as Dan and I corner weight and align the beast.
Hopefully this will eliminate our handling quirks...I'm excited to find out.

Today I must address the clutch problem- how to prevent this overextension?
I have three approaches, ranging from the dead simple (a pedal stop) to the more elegant (smaller master cylinder).

We'll see how it goes...

[clocker]

Well, that was educational.

Spent five hours Friday night corner weighting and aligning the bitch and finally, for the first time ever, I think she rides/handles better than my RX.
Very sweet.

Surprisingly, Sigfrid and my method of measuring fender height to set the suspension resulted in a near perfect cross corner weight balance (with driver and 1/2 tank of gas, we were 7 lbs. off...too close to mess with).
Our loaded weight (driver & fuel) is 2988 lbs which puts us exactly at the stock car's stated weight (2740 lbs.).
The car is slightly tail heavy (which is not what one would intuitively expect) and we decided to leave it that way.
The thinking is the steering will be lighter and weight transfer under braking would bring us to 50/50 distribution.
We can dial this in later if necessary by slowly raising the rear spring perches (a two minute job).

If the corner weighting was perfect, the alignment was anything but...every adjustment on every wheel was FUBAR.
Dan set us up with an aggressive street setup- more negative camber (better grip but increased tire wear), slightly less front toe (less self-centering but more responsive steering) and "street" caster ( half degree more on the passenger front to compensate for the normal crown of the road -the extra caster helps reduce the tendency to dive at curbs on crowned pavement but is unnoticeable on flat roads).

I haven't done a lot of driving since then and what I have has all been low speed city driving.
I'll finally get on a highway when I return the car to Sigfrid this morning, so far she's been wonderfully docile and easy to live with.
I'm quite pleased.

[clocker]

Slight update.

When Dan removed/installed the transmission he did not first remove the center interior console.
As he pushed the gearshift back up through the rubber boot, it dislodged and ultimately started interfering with the shifter throw.
I thought the clutch needed adjusting but redoing the shift boot fixed the problem and she shifts cleanly again.

Just thought you'd like to know.

[clocker]

As he's pressed the 7 into daily service, Sigfrid has become obsessed with the "tune" of the engine and minor driveability glitches.
We have several possible problem areas and have begun addressing them...the trick is figuring out a priority tree to follow.

This weekend we'll be replacing all the engine sensors (MAP, IAT, TPS, IAC and VSS) with new parts.

Our current fuel injectors came straight off the intake I pulled from the junkyard last year and have never been tested/cleaned.
We have a set of bigger injectors from the original 383 engine, may put them in just to see what happens but they are untested as well, so I'm not sure what
info this would give us.
Ideally we would just get a new set and be sure they were good.

Our exhaust manifolds leak and in general pretty much suck.
Sigfrid bought a new set of Pacesetter headers (shitty brand but better than what we have) off Craigslist and I tried fitting them while the car was up on the rack,
but they were just not configured right for our application. Probably would have fit if the subframe was dropped but that would destroy our alignment every time the headers were removed, so I vetoed the idea.

Finally, there is the engine harness we built last year.
Since then we've learned a lot about how this could be improved (ground loop mitigation and twisted pair/shielded sensor wiring) and have been kicking around the idea of totally redoing it.
Sigfrid found a site that makes custom harnesses (and tunes ECUs as well) and began an email exchange.
Turns out, the guy is located in Golden, CO...about 5 miles from Sigfrid's office.
He's interested in seeing the car, Sigfrid is interested in getting the harness and I'm wanting to redo the entire body harness.
We should all be happy.
And busy.

[clocker]

Finally, there is the engine harness we built last year.
Since then we've learned a lot about how this could be improved (ground loop mitigation and twisted pair/shielded sensor wiring) and have been kicking around the idea of totally redoing it.

Well, we quit "kicking the idea around" and finally just did it.
Kind of.

Due to some recent personal upheavals the future of the Beast was in doubt and we went into "prepare for selling" mode.
The chassis wiring I did last year has performed without fault but the engine harness has suffered a lot of abuse as we (mistakenly) blamed it for driveability faults.
We had finally gotten everything in order but it looked terrible and did not reflect my current thinking on placement.
After completing the project last year, hindsight revealed much better ways to do it and I was eager to try.

It made sense to relocate the ECU and clean up the interior portion of the engine harness because that was a very low cost job that would significantly increase our curb appeal.
Selling a car like this is difficult because of the "shadetree" nature of the result. The buyer knows you've been all over the car and something as ugly and amateur as our ECU install would
frighten off many folks.
Rightly so.

Took us about 2 hours to strip the interior and begin the wiring.
The ECU fit into it's new location in the driver footwell almost as if it was factory designed.
One very simple bracket and two foam pads are all it took.
It's completely accessible with the dash in place and because we had extra length in the harness, the computer could be removed and set in the driver seat without disconnecting it.
Not sure if the last is a "feature" or a "bug".
Anyway, we were quite pleased that the project had gone so easily and quickly.

Of course, she then refused to start.

We adjourned for the day and began anew on Friday morning.

We decided- after no small amount of disagreement...I lost- to shorten the harness by a few feet and reverify all the connections.
(keep in mind that at this point we have not touched any of the harness forward of the firewall)
Ended up removing almost three feet of wire length and checking every single pin at the ECU (there are 49 altogether).
The harness was now nicely loomed, the grounds were all rationally laid out and in general, it was pretty fuckin nice.

Still didn't start.

Figured we had to get under the hood and start checking...out of sheer laziness I went for the easiest connector to get at, the coil.
Which did not have +12v where it was supposed to.
Neither did the ignition amplifier.
The solution struck us both simultaneously.

When we first built the harness last year, we had the exact same problem which turned out to be a flaw in our reading of the GM schematic.
The fix was a simple one wire relocate in the engine bay and a corresponding jury rig at the ECU side.
When we redid the computer to exactly match the GM layout, we "broke" the circuit we had jury rigged last year.
Undoing our previous fix at the coil connector was all it took and she fired right up.
Hallelujah.

I'm also happy to report that the plan- at least for now- is to KEEP the 7 and truly make it a daily driver, sole source of transport.
In light of this, I now consider the entire wiring layout to be at the end of beta stage.
Component layout is almost perfect and a very clean harness route has been established.
Next- and final- step would be a complete redo with all new wire and connectors.
We'll see.

So, we not only crossed another milestone, we also were finally able to get some info about our poor running issues (we have a constant Check Engine light).
Now that the diagnostic port was finally functional ( a long and involved story best left for later) we could finally pull codes and see what was up.

The "new" ECU (purchased from an online seller who flashes your desired tune and removes unneeded components) thinks it should have an auto transmission and is freaking out from lack of sensor data.
So it goes into limp mode to protect the "fatally damaged" transmission we don't even have.
We're getting no trouble codes from the engine itself.

Our older ECU (replaced because of burned connector pins) only complains of VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) signal failure (rectified during the harness repair) but doesn't have as good a tune for our setup.
We need the guys who sold us this last computer to replace it with one for a manual trans (which is what we ordered dammit!) and we should be good to go.
If it runs like this in limp mode, I can't wait to see her unleashed.

Money will probably be very tight for a while, as will time since we'll now have to concentrate on keeping her on the road instead of torn down in the garage.
Nevertheless, I'm pretty happy with how things are going.

[clocker]

Two pics from yesterday:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bay21.jpg

Only the compulsive will see any changes here and that's actually kind of the point.
The Beast is due for an emissions test this month (required to register/tag the car) and, well...we really don't have much of the original emissions stuff installed.
So, we decided to install these Corvette intake valley covers to cover up the area where most of the stuff is supposed to be.
They look very nice, I think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Miata3.jpg

Also installed a Miata gauge cluster bezel which is a big step towards integrating the Miata gauges into the FD dash.
This shows the driver's view and how well the whole setup fits the steering wheel, all that remains is to transition from the new bezel to the dash, and we're exploring options for doing that.

[clocker]

So, here's what happened yesterday...
As previously mentioned, we need to emission test the car.
The first- and so far, only- time we got "tested", money exchanged hands and a pass was slipped to us through the backdoor, as it were.
Since then the state has tightened up procedures and our "free market" approach is no longer possible, so into the belly of the beast we rode, having decided that a full frontal approach was best.
Figured we'd just present her as a normal car and see the response.

The first check uses a mirror on a broomstick to verify presence of catalytic converters and evap system...we have both and they're fully functional.
(The cats play a part later in the story, so get ready...)
Next, the VIN gets entered into a computer and a picture of the engine bay appears with arrows pointing to systems/parts that must be present...the hood is then opened and a comparison made.
This is where things got a bit weird since the Corvette engine looks nothing like the Mazda rotary.
At one point there were six techs huddled around the car (one of whom kept insisting the car was actually a Viper...go figure) and I was pretty sure the test would be halted right then due to the obvious and massive discrepancy.
But it wasn't, and she proceeded to the rollers for the sniff test.

Passed with flying colors, the tailpipe emissions were barely a blip on the screen (and we hadn't tweaked a thing, she ran just as she normally does).
I was dumbfounded as it looked like we were home free.

But no, they failed us on the "visual" inspection, specifically citing the lack of an airpump.
We showed them documentation from our new (very expensive) catalytic converter (Random Technology, if you care) that specifically and emphatically states that air pumps must NOT be used because new design cats are so efficient they don't need extra oxygen to work properly and the extra air just overheats and destroys them.
This swayed them not at all...the computer says an airpump should be there and they had no leeway to excuse it's absence.
They also entered into the system that there appeared to be "non-standard" engine modifications- no shit Sherlocks, we changed the whole damn thing- which now forces us to visit a state referee.

Once we get by him, he'll amend the system to reflect the changes and excuse the car from further visual inspections.
I hope.
Tomorrow morning (Thurs.) we're going to bolt in an electric airpump and fake wire/ hose it, so it looks functional.
We have an appointment with the ref at 3pm.
It will be a major milestone if we can get her absolutely legal and smogable...fingers are crossed.

[clocker]

Met with the referee yesterday.
It did not go well.

Our "fake" airpump install did not impress him- he actually followed the airline down and discovered it does not connect to the cat (to be fair, it kind of does blow air at the cat...or it would if it was actually wired to anything and ran).
And he wants an EGR system installed...preferably where he can see the valve/solenoid (which means even the stock GM parts, which are hidden behind the intake manifold, would not do).

The irony of the situation was not lost on any of us*...our car sails through the sniff test, yet we're being penalized on technicalities and must spend time and money adding parts that in all likelihood will make the car run worse and will be removed again immediately following the inspection.
Sigfrid and I agreed after the meeting that the ref (who was a nice enough guy) was willing to work with us and we'll probably get through this OK.

So, it's off to the junkyard, which will be a total morass after days of massive thunder/hail storms.
Ah, good times.


*I asked what would happen if we installed an electric motor- would we still be required to have an airpump and EGR system?
No answer was forthcoming.

[j2k4]

Nice car continues to 'nicen'.

As to the other, this popped into my head -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAvQSkK8Z8U

[clocker]

Behold the glory of our emissions and despair!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Emission3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Emission2.jpg

We now have air injection for the cat and EGR for the intake.
None of it functional of course*, but results are not the issue...being present is all that apparently matters (since the car passes-easily!- the tailpipe test without any of this nonsense).
With a 1/2" open end wrench, a 10mm socket and a Phillips head screwdriver, the entire mess can be removed in under ten minutes.
Which it will be, immediately following the date with the inspector.
Hopefully, Monday.


*The air pump is actually wired and comes on with the ignition key but doesn't really send any air into the exhaust.

[clocker]

Wazzup, bitches!
Time for an update.

Failed the inspection on Monday.
Inspector decided to be a hardass and insisted on air injection into the header (both sides) and demonstrated control of the air pump by the ECU.

So...
The headers came off and new bungs were welded on to accept the one way check valves and air injection from the pump.
The air pump was relocated so it could be connected more unobtrusively to both headers.
A relay, triggered by the engine computer, was installed to activate the air pump.
The EGR system was left as I originally installed it.

This pic shows some of the details...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/emissions9.png

An overview of the engine with full emissions installed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/emissions5.jpg

This finally satisfied the inspector and the car is now fully legal.

Which means that all of this stuff gets removed, boxed up and stored until the next required test, two years from now.

Just for irony's sake, here's a shot of our first tail pipe tests, before any of this nonsense began...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/emissions6.jpg

Note that she's running substantially cleaner than required...we've been struggling to meet the letter of the law not the intent.

This is a major milestone, the car is now fully legal and could be sold without burdening the buyer with shady dealings...the state knows about and recognizes the legality of the swap.

Whew.

[clocker]

Progress continues- hardly "apace", but still.

Now that the beast has become legal and been pressed into daily service (Sigfrid's RX-8 has been sold), I felt our next two areas of attack should be the front bumper and the interior.
The car's nose has been a visual and practical blight (it's so low it scrapes on almost any incline and has been chewed up as a result) and I've longed for a nice stock front bumper to replace it.
A stroke of luck found us up in Loveland, answering a Craigslist ad for the (almost) perfect example.
It had been trimmed a bit to fit a front mount intercooler but was the correct factory red and in otherwise good shape.
We also picked up an unmolested hood- but haven't done anything with it yet.

Here's the old fiberglass nose:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red99.jpg

And the new factory part:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/nose3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/nose1.jpg

Hard to really tell from these shots but it does fit much better and the "nose dragging" has ended.

Also note the hood scoop in the last shot.
The intake does not clear the hood and this was the original builders solution- I don't really hate this scoop but Sigfrid does.
However, now that we've properly mounted the engine the amount of interference is much less and we don't need such an exaggerated solution...the new hood we have may allow for a less obtrusive "hump".
Time will tell.

As for the interior, we face practical as well as aesthetic challenges.
Of immediate concern is the main heater box, which is missing two air mix doors (so temp cannot be regulated, heat is either all ON or all OFF).
This needs to be addressed before winter sets in.

Our aesthetic issues are the poor condition of the dash itself and many of the interior plastics.
We've discussed various approaches but simple replacement is the obvious best option...just takes money.
About $1500 to $2K, I figger.

Not a week after we had this conversation, Sigfrid tackled the problem head on...he bought a motorcycle.
No, I have no idea either...our new interior is now parked on two wheels next to the car.
Who the fuck buys a bike AT THE END OF SUMMER?

*sigh*

[clocker]

Spent the day detailing the car.
Wash, claybar then wax and powerbuff.
Even did all the jambs.
The hardest part was removing several globs of tree sap...that shit is seriously sticky.
First I rubbed it with an ice cube, which made it hard enough that a lot could be peeled off.
The remainder was covered with an alcohol soaked towel and after 3 minutes or so, wiped right off.
I learned about this method on the internets and it worked, so...amazing!

Got medieval on the glass- applied Windex and scraped it off with a single edge razor blade.
Clay barred the exterior glass then washed in and out with hot water/isopropyl alcohol (50/50) followed by a dry rub with tee shirts.
Can actually see out of the car now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/red53-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/red50-1.jpg

Sigfrid still has her up for sale but even at $12k the salvage title scares people away.
More accurately, it scares their lenders away.
Who the hell is financing a toy like this anyway?

[clocker]

And now, nearly a year later, I'm back.
Much has happened and a new chapter is about to begin.

Sigfrid and the FD are gone, the car was sold about 4 months ago (for a desperation induced $9500) and S. had to accept a job in Houston.
Meanwhile, my car suffered two parking lot hit-n-run incidents, which made me a very sad panda.
I have long consoled myself that the dents in the body were all on replaceable panels (front fenders/doors, primarily) and were easy to deal with should I choose.
The parking lot insults all fell on the back of the car which meant real live bodywork would be needed and that shit's very expensive.
I was casually considering a new car.

Fate has intervened however and a quite elegant option has presented itself.
My friends at Precision (home of dangerous Dan) recently acquired a red 1990 GTU RX7.
She's a import from California that sat here for about a year before the owner was motivated.
Sadly, he waited too long and rabbits discovered how tasty the wiring harness was and ate it.
I do not know the details of the transaction but Precision was only interested in a few things-mainly, the engine and transmission.
The rolling chassis was just getting in the way, so they offered it to me in exchange for some computer work and a few electrical jobs.

The GTU model was the very bottom end of the range, no sunroof, no power windows, no nice brakes...the stripper.
It's brother, the GTUs was the same bare chassis with upgraded suspension brakes and drivetrain...the boy racer version.
Neither model sold well at all.

Which of course, makes them highly desirable today.
The sunroof delete in particular makes me very happy. That's 35 lbs removed from the top of the car, a potential leak point eliminated and extra headroom gained, all in one fell swoop.
The unpopularity of this particular barebones model was further enhanced by fitment of factory mudflaps...another obscure option much prized today.

The paint is filthy and oxidized.
I hope it can be cleaned/claybar/polished and buffed to a semblance of shine but don't really care because the body itself is pristine, not a dent anywhere, the undercarriage is perfect, the pinch welds straight and unbent.
The interior is intact with the exception of the armrest console and in excellent condition, no wear to the driver seat, all the vents uncracked...really quite remarkable.
The passengers automatic seatbelt is damaged.

I'll have the car in my garage next weekend and can begin a detailed evaluation.
The plan is to clean and upgrade the chassis/electrical as much as possible without cannibalizing my current car, which is paid up till March.
In February, I'll strip the running car and transfer everything over to the renovated chassis.
This is suspension, brakes and (probably) engine/transmission. I'm still entertaining the idea of an engine swap, circumstances will dictate the possibility.

If I keep the rotary, it'll get a new clutch and probably headers during the changeover (because it'll never be easier to do than when hanging on a hoist) but even so, I figure I can complete the chassis swap in five days, assuming I work alone and take it easy.
After the chassis swap there will still be a lot of valuable stuff left to sell (the taillights and black interior are particularly popular) and I should be able to recoup most of my costs with sales and ultimately, the scrap value of the chassis.

So, we'll see how this goes.

[clocker]

I'm now on Day Three of working off my debt on this new (to me) chassis.
I've replaced the dash harness on a 1981 RX7 and gotten almost all of the electrical system functional.
Not only did I have to contend with the normal expected problems (some of the electrical connectors literally turned to dust when handled) but the car has been butchered by stereo and alarm installers.
I was able to save the stereo install but the alarm was removed.
All that remains is to get the front and rear washer pumps working and I'm done.
I'm guessing this erases my obligation and I'll own the new chassis outright.
YAY!

[Artemis]

That's great to hear clocker, I have enjoyed your blog about the rebuild of Sigfrid's RX7, and had missed the continuing adventures, it is a shame after all your hard work that the car was sold for so little.

But now for the new adventures of sprocket's (other) competition. Interestingly enough most RX7's sold here (N.Z.) were models without the sunroof, it was an optional extra and not often specified.

[clocker]

It's exactly the opposite here in the US, Artemis...finding a non-sunroof/manual window car is exceedingly difficult.
The majority of US cars also got power steering and AC (my new chassis has both, but not for long).

I now have the title in hand, the car is really mine.
It's still over at Precision however, so yesterday I spent a few hours in the brutal sun, prepping the engine for removal.
Their plan for the motor includes carbs and a distributor, so the entire intake is irrelevant to them but potentially useful to me.
I carefully unbolted stuff where they would have just ripped shit out...I want as much spare stuff as possible to play with.

I learned early on that it's hard to tell what might be useful/valuable, so save everything.
When I first got my current car it had factory mudflaps on it and I was conflicted about liking them or not.
One day I got a wild hair and removed them, finally threw them away.
About a year later I find out that the mudflaps are among the "Holy Grail" accessory options, very rare and highly desirable- even average sets like mine are an easy sale @$250.
The new chassis has a set that looks to be in excellent shape, not sure if they'll stay or be sold as funding but they certainly won't end up in the dumpster.

I have already lined up the sale of a few parts I know I won't be needing but need the car at home to properly pull them.
I hope to have the engine/trans fully removed in the next few days, just waiting for an empty lift in the shop so I'm not killing myself in the parking lot.
I'll try for pics soon, she's hemmed in by cars right now and it's hard to get any distance/perspective but I'll see what I can do.

[Artemis]

Aircon was another optional extra, not just on the RX7 but virtually all N.Z. models if they even offered it, in the 80's. It took the flood of grey market second japanese imports in the 80's and 90's which were far more highly spec'ed than the equivalent N.Z. models for the car companies to offer aircon and electric windows as standard items.

[clocker]

In the US, by the time of the S5 2nd gen RXs (1989-1991), the car had turned into more of a GT model than a real sports car.
Never particularly fast, Mazda saddled the RX with all the luxury crap it could to justify the high price (which was really the fault of the unique rotary engine, only used in this model).
Because they did not have airbags (except for, inexplicably, the convertibles), Federal law required they have automatic "mousetrack" seatbelts...so, more motors tracks and electrics.

From a practical standpoint, it's all this added crap that makes maintaining the car today such a PITA.
The harnesses are over twenty years old, the plastic connector housings are crumbling from UV exposure and heat and of course there are twenty years of owner meddling to contend with.
I will gladly suffer manual window lifts to avoid rebuilding yet another switch (I've redone mine five times in five years now...), the autobelts will be replaced with manual and I won't miss the sunroof at all.
In five years I've opened it maybe five times, enough to learn that my thinning hair means I'm now subject to a sunburned head...we won't be doing that again.

In that same "practical" vein, the one option I would like to have is the rear hatch wiper/washer.
It's kind of fugly looking but the extreme size and angle of the glass make it a snow magnet, rear visibility disappears in a storm.
I hope to arrange a trade with someone looking for a cleaner look who doesn't care about winter conditions.

[clocker]

Well, this project has started slowly and strangely.

Well over a week ago I finished my part of the transaction by working on one of Precision's customer cars, a nightmare job no one else was up for.
I received the title for my new chassis, all that remained was for them to pull the engine/tranny that they supposedly wanted.
Nothing happened.
When I went by two days later I offered to begin the work till they could free up a bay/lift to finish the job (which they said would take about an hour).
I spent that afternoon unplugging all the little crap that connects a motor to a chassis...it was brutally hot in the parking lot.

Came back the next day thinking I'd observe as they finished the job but again, no one seemed at all interested in touching the car.
Since I already knew that they weren't going to use the stock intake, I decided to remove it for myself (this is not required to pull the engine but does make it a bit simpler).
This gives me a very nice, unmolested throttle body, a full set of injectors/rails, several sensors and valves...all of which might potentially make it on to my engine and if not, are sellable.
Again, for the two days I spent doing this, it was hellishly hot (I'm in a paved lot, surrounded by hot, reflective cars, about twenty feet from a major highway...so I'm simultaneously getting crisped from all angles and asphyxiated by the traffic).

I spent Thursday recovering and called yesterday morning..."Oh yeah, we should should have a free bay this afternoon, come on down and we'll knock it out."
I arrive at noon, car is still in the lot, tires still flat.
As they're eating I hump the air tank out (multiple times) and fill the tires.
Then they tow it into the shop to a lift.
Finally!
Now we're cookin.

And everyone walks away.

Basically, what I now realize is that this transaction is a much lower priority for them than me.
Mike had very little money into the car, they had already robbed a few parts for other jobs and luring me into doing a job for them that was a moneypit for a book mechanic was pure gravy for the shop.
Pulling the motor to put into the fist gen racecar that's been sitting there forever was one of those, "Gee, that sounds fun, we should do it sometime" deals.
The only person who really had any skin in the game was me, my window of opportunity was open.
I have six months before I need to have the car finished and I want to take full advantage of the warm weather (there are so many things that just can't be done in the cold).
Also, this is fun for me, I don't want it to turn into a last minute desperation thrash.*

Monday I go back with a whole new mindset.
I've been futzing around, occasionally getting sidetracked, because I've been expecting Mike and Dan to come over and actually finish the job.
Now I realize that the only way this happens in a reasonable time frame is to do it myself.
At this point (with the car up in the air), only an hours work should finish it up, the motor just sitting on the mounts, everything disconnected.
I should be able to get some help actually winching the lump out...if not, I'll do it myself.

With luck I should have better- and more entertaining- news soon.


*There is another factor in play here.
We are approaching hail season and I do not want the car sitting outside risking damage.
The body after all, is the whole point of this exercise, it's really very nice.

[clocker]

So, today this finally happened:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU2.jpg

She should be in my garage tomorrow.

[clocker]

And she is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU8.jpg

Already got a quick bath to remove the most egregious crap but it's too hot to seriously attack the paint.
Tomorrow I'll empty all the extra parts from the hatch area and begin stripping the front (all the bodywork ahead of the doors) to facilitate cleaning/stripping the engine bay.

[manker]

I read the build up and it looks a lot different to what I expected. My mam had one of those for a few years in 2008ish.
She got rid of it because she felt self-concious driving it or something. Definitely one of the best looking cars I've ever seen. It had really cool back doors and the acceleration was fantastic.

A family friend also had one at the same time and while there was never any problem with my mam's black one, the red one that this guy, Jim, owned kept breaking down all of the time. It was something to do with the oil circulation or something else. Anyway, after several attempts, Mazda couldn't fix so they gave him some money back.
I think if it wasn't for his tribulations, I would have pushed the boat out and gone for one of them instead of the MX5 I had for a bit.

Looking forward to charting the progress of yours on here :]

[clocker]

I read the build up and it looks a lot different to what I expected. My mam had one of those for a few years in 2008ish.
She got rid of it because she felt self-concious driving it or something. Definitely one of the best looking cars I've ever seen. It had really cool back doors and the acceleration was fantastic.

You're talking about a RX8 (with the "cool" back doors).
That's considered the "4th gen(eration)" of the series (now extinct), Sigfrid's swapped car was a 3rd gen, mine is a 2nd.

The RX8 was a fantastic chassis, saddled with the wrong engine.
Not only must you be fairly committed to deal with the vagaries of the rotary (and the 8's did have a real problem with oil consumption) but they are far more suited to racing than daily driving.
They have zero torque and demand RPMs to get out of their own way.
Once moving, they're fantastic.
The real killer though is the fuel consumption.
Not many people want a 16 mpg grocery getter that only seats amputees in the rear.

[manker]

Yeah it was an RX8. Despite your parenthesis, there literally isn't a more fitting adjective for the back-doors.
It is the natural thing to say when you see them open for the first time.

I didn't understand most of your post but what I took from it was that it was a good thing I didn't get one of these cars :ermm:
Also, it it did more than 16mpg. I drove it a lot and I'm fairly sure it was in the mid to high twenties.

[clocker]

I wasn't making fun of your description- because the doors are really pretty cool, just highlighting the fact that were four doors to begin with.
The RX8 was the first in the series with four doors.

Gas mileage was naturally dependent on driving style.
Also, what measurement do you furriners use for gas?
Isn't an Imperial gallon larger than the official US version?

[manker]

Oh yeah it is bigger. I remember reading in a tabloid that this was why petrol is so comparatively cheap over there.
The mathematics of the situation didn't seem to bother the writer nor the editor but in this case it does go some way to explaining the disparity.

So it's discontinued now?
I wonder why Mazda didn't put a more reliable engine into it because it surely would have been a marketing hit with reliability added to the aesthetics and those awesome doors.

[clocker]

Yup, Mazda currently makes no rotary engines.
They claim this will change but I wouldn't bet on it.

So, today was the first full day of whatever this project is.
Started out early ( because it's cool and you're not supposed to work on paint over 80°), gave her another wash and then claybarred everything from the windshield back.
The another wash.

Decided to remove the massively heavy exhaust (factory original in amazing condition) while trying to save all the good factory hangers (a replacement set is $170!).
Complete PITA but done.
While I was buried up her ass, the GTU sneezed and her nose fell off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU9.jpg

Exposing a deviated septum:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU10.jpg

Fortunately, that crash bar and the bolt on crush boxes behind it worked exactly as planned and there's no damage to the chassis at all.
I probably won't even bother installing the one from the other car...save a bunch of weight and have better ducting options for the radiator.

The all sorts of shit started falling off:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU11.jpg

First bath of the mostly bare engine bay:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU13.jpg

Tucked back in the garage for the night:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU14.jpg

I have to repair two broken bolts, remove some more stuff and get serious cleaning again, but she looks like she'll shine up quite nicely.

[clocker]

Pictorially, a rather meh day, sorry.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU18.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU19.jpg

Finished stripping the bay and cleaned it again.
Then moved to the wheelwells where the brakes were removed (none of which will be reused) and more cleaning.
Basically, the bay is done with Stage 1 (cleaning/inspecting) and ready for Stage2 which is making the physical modifications (there are a few grommet holes to be enlarged and a few holes to drill).
Also plan to run a tap through all the capture nuts, so the car can be assembled nicely.

I need to clean the rear wheel arches and the bulk of the heavy cleaning will be done and I'll be free to move back to the paint

[clocker]

My, my...two years pass in the blink of an eye.
Well, if one blinks very slowly.

So the RX-7 was completed and still does duty as my daily driver.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/TC_zps9d6b4f2f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/GTU408_zpsf8e91bb2.jpg

Haven't had a single issue with her, this fall she even made the trek to j2k4's near-Arctic lair.

But that's old news.

Sigfrid returned from exile in Houston and we soon began our car building game all over again.
In June of 2013 we acquired a 1977 Datsun 280Z:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/78z_zps72566f45.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Z126_zps9b3f3f04.jpg

A long, bumpy road later, we are here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/147_zpse929858a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/zcar/Z218.jpg
She was stripped to the bare chassis, cleaned and bedlinered, then reassembled with all new suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. After extensive bodywork (mostly hole filling and shaving lights, there was zero rust on the chassis), we Plastidipped the exterior.
I'm beginning the electrical this weekend and we might be running by end of June.
Assuming the engine is any good.
So, that's what I've been up to.

[Skiz]

The RX7 looks nice. I remember "helping" my dad work on his old Chevy truck in the early 80's. Wish I'd been old enough to understand what was going on and retain it. I plan on buying a '77 Jeep at some point so I guess there's some learning to be done.

That 280Z will be awesome when finished, I just know it. Does it have the pop-ups in the front or the built in lights?