Sprocket's Competition

[clocker]

I have been unfaithful and strayed.
The past several weeks, Sprocket has not been the center of my hardware fantasies...she's been supplanted.

Not really her fault, if anything, her goodness had lulled me into a state of complacency...dare I say boredom?
I needed some strange.

As it happens, the solution found me.
I answered an ad for help on a car project- a project that's long been near and dear to me...swapping a V-8 into a Mazda RX-7.
This is something I've been considering for well over a year and the chance to get paid while practising on someone else's car was irresistible.

A bit of background...
This car (a third generation 1993 RX) was purchased by the current owner last March.
The engine had already been installed and (supposedly) the car had been driven on the street for over a year.
When purchased, the transmission had issues and the engine was thought to have a blown head gasket.

The new owner flailed away but made little headway and finally sought help.
Enter moi.

We've been working one day each weekend and there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

I should note that IMO the engine was improperly installed from the git-go and, while the new owner agreed, he wanted to continue so he could actually drive the car and see what he thought.
So, it's likely that we're going to rip out the whole install and start all over with a proper engine mount, but that will happen in the future.

Anyway, when we started the car was in need of a lot of basic assembly.
We started with the easy stuff, new ignition, wires & plugs, oil and filter...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Optiplex.jpg

The engine is an iron block LT1 with a six speed T-56 transmission from a '96 Camaro. It's been ported and has solid lifters and a more aggressive cam.
After installing the new Optiplex ignition and waterpump we moved on to the intake and cooling...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake2.jpg

All of this had to be pieced together to fit into the limited space we had to work with.
At this point we were able to start the car and decided that it ran too well to have anything seriously wrong...it had probably been suffering from a flaky ignition.
So far, so good.
More detail work and wiring followed.

New brake pads and wheels/tires were installed.
This week I rolled her out and she got her first bath in over a year...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/wash1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/wash2.jpg

(That's my red second gen RX on the street...)
Still to go is installing the new (to us anyway) bodykit...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Snose.jpg

There are also sideskirts and rear wheel spats.

Sometime next week the car goes into the shop and the transmission gets rebuilt/upgraded.
After that she goes to have the final exhaust fabricated.
Finally, paint.

While she's out getting worked on, we'll be recovering all the interior panels with black Alcantara.
We already have new carpet and new Corbeau seats.

I can't wait to drive this thing.
Compared to the stock car, we've added @ 125-150 horsepower and tripled the low end torque, something the Wankel engine is notoriously lacking.
Gas mileage should be similar to- if not better than- the original engine.

All told, the new engine weighs about 75lbs more than the stocker and this is exacerbated by the poor engine location (it's about 4-5" further forward than it should be).
Effects on handling and suspension are as yet unknown.
We'll deal with that after it gets driven for a while.

The owner plans on using this as his daily driver.
Should make the daily commute interesting.

So, that's what I've been up to.
Sprocket has been understanding so far...

[Detale]

So far she has, wait till you "a come a callin'" Then we'll see.

[clocker]

After this weekend I'll have some downtime from the car and have some plans for Sprocket.
There's a different CPU waterblock to try and an OS upgrade (with possible hard drive rearrangement) in the works.

It's actually been kind of weird to just use the computer and not work on her constantly.
This may be the longest she's ever gone without an upgrade or change.
I think this is how normal people deal with their PC...

[j2k4]

I think this is how normal people deal with their PC...

Just so.

1) What kind of transmission upgrades.

2) Did you get the other three through the shifter yet, or will this fix that, as well.

3) Have any other of us done this type of stuffs.

[clocker]

1) Improved shift forks and synchros

2) The new shift rod block finally arrived and will be installed Sunday...then we'll see.

3) I dunno.

We were going to drop off the car today but Mother Nature intervened with a spring blizzard.
Now going to work on the car some more Sunday and take her in Monday.
The owner goes into the hospital Tuesday for back surgery, so I don't know our timeline from there.

[j2k4]

1) Improved shift forks and synchros

2) The new shift rod block finally arrived and will be installed Sunday...then we'll see.

3) I dunno.

We were going to drop off the car today but Mother Nature intervened with a spring blizzard.
Now going to work on the car some more Sunday and take her in Monday.
The owner goes into the hospital Tuesday for back surgery, so I don't know our timeline from there.

Ah.

Back to 'bated breath, then.

[clocker]

Indeed.
The scope and conditions of his recovery are unknown (to me, at least).

This is a concern because I've expended a lot of energy into the project and have become quite invested in it's success. It's also been a source of income.

To date, money has not been an issue...the owner has spent freely when necessary (and sometimes, even when not) but I really have no idea what the budget- if there is one- might be.
I am also unaware of what "finished"- as he would define it- is.

No matter the outcome of this particular car, my desire to perform a similar swap has only intensified.
A lot will depend on the difficulty we experience passing emissions.

In Colorado, any car less than twenty five years old must pass a regular sniff test (which includes a visual examination).
Cars older than that (i.e., model year 1984 and earlier) are subject to a more relaxed test and qualify for "historic" status.
This status not only gets you a tag good for 5 years at a time (my 240Z had one) but also only gets tested the first time you register the car. From then on, as long as you own it, the car is never tested again.

This means that if I bought a pre-1985 RX ( the first generation body style), I could test it with the original engine and then perform the swap with no further inspection at all...ever.

It also means I could use a carbed engine which is not only cheaper but significantly simpler as it is absent the computerized engine management system.

So you can see why I have more than just one pony in this race.

[j2k4]

Indeed.
The scope and conditions of his recovery are unknown (to me, at least).

This is a concern because I've expended a lot of energy into the project and have become quite invested in it's success. It's also been a source of income.

To date, money has not been an issue...the owner has spent freely when necessary (and sometimes, even when not) but I really have no idea what the budget- if there is one- might be.
I am also unaware of what "finished"- as he would define it- is.

No matter the outcome of this particular car, my desire to perform a similar swap has only intensified.
A lot will depend on the difficulty we experience passing emissions.

In Colorado, any car less than twenty five years old must pass a regular sniff test (which includes a visual examination).
Cars older than that (i.e., model year 1984 and earlier) are subject to a more relaxed test and qualify for "historic" status.
This status not only gets you a tag good for 5 years at a time (my 240Z had one) but also only gets tested the first time you register the car. From then on, as long as you own it, the car is never tested again.

This means that if I bought a pre-1985 RX ( the first generation body style), I could test it with the original engine and then perform the swap with no further inspection at all...ever.

It also means I could use a carbed engine which is not only cheaper but significantly simpler as it is absent the computerized engine management system.

So you can see why I have more than just one pony in this race.

The "pony" reference would be of greater significance if you were talking a Ford swap.

Have you given that any thought?

[clocker]

All options would be open...I'm not really knowledgeable about any American drivetrains.
Which do you prefer?

[j2k4]

All options would be open...I'm not really knowledgeable about any American drivetrains.
Which do you prefer?

The underdog in me says go Ford, and there are more options, but it just stands to reason Chevrolet will hold the edge in installation numbers.

Personally, I like the OHC options Ford offers (they go back a few more years as well, and should have good availability), but it comes down to the best deal you can find.

I can't claim to be right up-to-date on this stuff, but the install-kit websites ought to be a resource.

[clocker]

Install kits are available for either Ford or Chevy.
I haven't researched the relative merits of either- especially in a first gen chassis- as yet.

As you say, finding an engine/trans package will probably be the determining factor because really, either would probably be stoopid fast.

[j2k4]

Yeah.

Reality doesn't bite in either case.

[clocker]

Today's loverly weather.
Really makes you want to get out and work on the car...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Aprilsnow.jpg

It's just a few degrees under being rain, shit weighs a ton.
Apparently we're setting a record for moisture with this one.
Supposed to start clearing in a few hours, if the sun comes out the roads will be dry by tonight.
I hope...

[j2k4]

I feel for you.

[clocker]

Yesterday's weather was the polar opposite (see what I did there?) of the days preceding...65 degrees and sunny.
Today will be even nicer and most of the snow will be gone.

We put in a marathon session, prepping the car for it's trip to the shop later today.

Inexplicably, I forgot my camera but will have it ready for today's meetup, so you'll just have to trust me that she looks like a real car, mostly.

Installed the new shifter block...all six forward speeds now work.
The new short shift assembly is also in and works pretty well although the lever will need some massaging to get it's height down.

Although mostly intact, there are still a plethora of issues to be addressed, all of which we decided to ignore in favor of a test drive.

All I can say is "Clocker, come to Jesus!"...this thing is a monster.

I have never, I mean never ever, been in a car with such a visceral sense of power.
She'll light up the tires in the first four gears without even trying.

The sense of sheer brutality is heightened by the gawdawful loud exhaust (next on the list after the tranny is done) and the extremely tight cockpit of the third gen RX.
The car seems to consist of two seats and a motor- my car is positively Cadillacian in comparison (note to self...stop making up words!).

My entire automotive life I've been an adherent of the European school of thought...small+ light + suspension= speed...and disdained the crude American approach- "Fuck it, gimme more motor!".
After yesterday, I'm rethinking my philosophy.

The animal nature of the car is exacerbated by the wonky clutch action (soon to be fixed, we hope) and the hair trigger throttle (no ideas yet but will have to be tamed).
As I said, we still have a long ways to go.

After yesterday though it'll all be easier since we'll probably still have these idiot grins plastered on our faces.

I'll get some pics up later.

[j2k4]

I'm grinning, myself.

We're getting your snow, so until I read that, I was a bit depressed.

I feel much better now, thanks.

Did you ever dope out the final drive ratio.

[Detale]

Thanks for the crappy weather dude. It's rain now BTW and its not going to stop until Thursday :(. Can't wait to see more car pics ;)

[clocker]

Oh boo-hoo...you get rain, we get 35° and snow.
Trade ya.

Yesterday was nearly 70°, snow all gone.
Car is in the shop.
Wednesday night I go in and we put her on the lift and begin to see what's what.
Pics then.

Edit:
Much to my surprise, when he showed up at the shop yesterday, the car's owner- who we'll call "S." from now on- pulled out a folder that had specifics of the engine build...why I've never seen this I don't know.
Our engine is bored/stroked 350 (now 383 ci) with forged rods, larger valves, porting, bigger injectors, cam, yada, yada.
Most interesting was a dyno chart from 18 months ago.

There's no telling what's she's making now but back then it was 420 HP and 400 ft/lbs...at the wheels!
In a car that weighs @2800 lbs.

No wonder it seems fast...it actually is!

[j2k4]

Oh boo-hoo...you get rain, we get 35° and snow.
Trade ya.

Yesterday was nearly 70°, snow all gone.
Car is in the shop.
Wednesday night I go in and we put her on the lift and begin to see what's what.
Pics then.

Edit:
Much to my surprise, when he showed up at the shop yesterday, the car's owner- who we'll call "S." from now on- pulled out a folder that had specifics of the engine build...why I've never seen this I don't know.
Our engine is bored/stroked 350 (now 383 ci) with forged rods, larger valves, porting, bigger injectors, cam, yada, yada.
Most interesting was a dyno chart from 18 months ago.

There's no telling what's she's making now but back then it was 420 HP and 400 ft/lbs...at the wheels!
In a car that weighs @2800 lbs.

No wonder it seems fast...it actually is!

Yeah...that 420 is also (as I recall) stock LS7 for the car it came out of.

No ATC or ATW referenced, so...

I'm gonna guess your 383 is closer to 480-500 and 450 or so at, what, about 4500 rpm?

A total noob could probably break 11 in the quarter.

Relentless torque - shit, you'll never have to break 5K, unless you're showing off.

Did you get that link I sent.

BTW-

We've gotten about 18" inches of heavy white-stuff so far; it's not scheduled to stop until about 0300 tomorrow.

What's this shit about rain.

[clocker]

Our engine is an LT, not an LS, but that's neither here nor there.

You were on the money re: RPMs....which is a good thing because we have a real breakup/stumble issue right around 4500.
It does clear up over 5 grand* but you'd better have a lot of clear road ahead of you at that speed.
S. and Dan (the mechanic) are hoping that the ignition control module is the culprit.
It's relatively cheap and poorly located, bolted right to end of the head.
We'll get a new one and move it to the shock tower, a much cooler environment.

Can't wait for tomorrow night to get started in a real shop.
It'll be my first real look at the underside of the car.


*When S. first bought the car it had an AutoMeter Monster tach in it.
The telltale read 7400RPM.
We don't know what to make of that...

[j2k4]

Our engine is an LT, not an LS, but that's neither here nor there.

You were on the money re: RPMs....which is a good thing because we have a real breakup/stumble issue right around 4500.
It does clear up over 5 grand* but you'd better have a lot of clear road ahead of you at that speed.
S. and Dan (the mechanic) are hoping that the ignition control module is the culprit.
It's relatively cheap and poorly located, bolted right to end of the head.
We'll get a new one and move it to the shock tower, a much cooler environment.

Can't wait for tomorrow night to get started in a real shop.
It'll be my first real look at the underside of the car.


*When S. first bought the car it had an AutoMeter Monster tach in it.
The telltale read 7400RPM.
We don't know what to make of that...

7400 shouldn't be undoable, considering it's probably got reasonably fresh (and maybe heavier-duty) valve springs.

I'd guess you're right about the ignition, too.

I'd also guess your throttle response will calm down once the exhaust is done; I'm sure the 'puter doesn't have the slightest idea what to think, just now.

You/he might look into the possibility of some reprogramming as well - the Camaro was quite a bit heavier than the Mazda, which would probably like more advance and a quicker curve.

The lower-end should be up to flashing it, but with all the cubes, it's certainly not necessary.

I really like the looks of that little rig.

I'd better go on a serious diet...

[clocker]

I think the throttle is actually a mechanical issue.
A different cam on the throttlebody should clear that up.

Reprogramming/tuning is definitely on the list.

Don't bother with the diet...just get a second gen like mine.
The quality of the 3rd gen interior is really crap and it's just very poor from an ergonomic perspective.

For some reason I just flashed on a fantasy of Kenna's face being ripped off as she sticks her head out this one's window.
Humorous in a disgusting way...apologize to her for me.

[LaPistola]

I just helped a friend with a swap on a 2nd gen Prelude.
New engine was very close to this one-
http://www.preludeonline.com/attachments/f30/465d1213211447-sale-modified-b20a-prelude-engine-g-box-spent-12-000-australia-nsw-prelude-b20a-engine-008.jpg

[clocker]

I just helped a friend with a swap on a 2nd gen Prelude.

Details, please.
What did you swap from/to?
What did the swap gain you?

[clocker]

Well, last night the car went up on the lift and I got my first good look at the underside.
To put it mildly...we have issues.

We knew there were problems- no reverse, for one- but things are worse than I suspected (and certainly worse than S. hoped, for sure).

Where to begin?

The exhaust was as big a POS as we thought but that's not a problem as we'd planned on building a new one anyway.
It's crap construction was actually a boon as it literally fell off the car after the header bolts were undone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Exh1.jpg
Everything was a slip fit...no wonder it sounded like it leaked...it did!

Moving on...
The 3rd gen RX has a "floating" differential, tied to the transmission with a fairly elaborate brace structure.
As we no longer have the stock tranny, the "builders" (very generous use of the term here) had to fab a new brace.
Their engineering, welding skills and material choices leave a lot to be desired...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Diff2.jpg

It's also apparent we have some oil control issues with the diff, hopefully just seals (fingers crossed).

Moving on, we were finally able to access the transmission proper.
Let me clarify a bit, Dan the mechanic was able to access the transmission...my duty to was to stay out of his way. Two factors aided us here- Dan has every tool known to man and the transmission was missing three of the eight mounting bolts.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Trans1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Trans2.jpg

The hope ( fervently expressed by all) was that the lack of reverse was due to a shift linkage problem, a bad lockout solenoid or, worst case, shift forks.

Ah...no.

Removing the rear of the housing (which exposes reverse and 6th gear) revealed this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Trans4.png
Note all the gunk in the bottom of the casing- helpfully pointed out by the red arrow (Yay Paint!)- this is ALL METAL!
Not a good thing.
Removing reverse gear (the large one on the top shaft) exposed the culprit...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Synchro1.jpg
This is the reverse gear synchro and needle bearing, what's left of them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Shaft1.jpg
The carnage extends to the output shaft (it never rains but it pours) which is so badly galled that the remaining gear can't be removed (yeah, it's a terrible pic so just take my word on this).

At this point we retired to the office and began to look up parts.
The first one- the output shaft- is $700.
Yikes!

It was quickly apparent that a rebuild of this unit was going to be very expensive.
The shop (Precision Import Repair) is tied into a nationwide network of junkyards and we searched for a suitable replacement online.
Nearest result was here in town- a rebuilt unit for a mere $2600.

Ouch.

Searching further afield we found others in the $1700- 2000 range but they would involve shipping, so not a real big savings.

The owner, S., just had spinal surgery on Tuesday and I haven't spoken to him since.
Besides hoping that the operation went well, I'm also hoping that he's now doped to the gills on Demerol (or better!) so breaking this news won't be so shocking.

We'll see.

[j2k4]

Revealing (and heartbreaking) pics.

You're going to find out how deep S's wallet is, I think (best to him, btw - rehab is major suckage).

The "builders" you refer to should be made to answer for their affront.

I think S. should buy the one I linked you to and start over.

[clocker]

Have spoken to S. several times today, he is now at home doing as well as could be expected, wishing he had more Percosets.

In a flurry of phone calls, we have located and arranged to pick up a NEW T-56.
Never installed, still in crate, $1650.
I'm picking it up tomorrow morning, it's about an hour north of me so, really not a big deal.

I should have it Dan's capable hands by three or so.
Not that he'll do anything with it right away but at least we're not holding up the show.

Whew.

As to the "builders"...
Realistically, S. has no recourse.
He knew there was a problem with reverse when he purchased the car over a year ago.
They would obviously play dumb and point to the passage of time...case closed.

Dan and I suspect they knew exactly what and how devastating the problem was.
Three missing bolts- and two finger tight ones- point pretty conclusively to someone having removed the gearbox in situ, just as we did last night.

Life is a bitch.

[j2k4]

Have spoken to S. several times today, he is now at home doing as well as could be expected, wishing he had more Percosets.

In a flurry of phone calls, we have located and arranged to pick up a NEW T-56.
Never installed, still in crate, $1650.
I'm picking it up tomorrow morning, it's about an hour north of me so, really not a big deal.

I should have it Dan's capable hands by three or so.
Not that he'll do anything with it right away but at least we're not holding up the show.

Whew.

As to the "builders"...
Realistically, S. has no recourse.
He knew there was a problem with reverse when he purchased the car over a year ago.
They would obviously play dumb and point to the passage of time...case closed.

Dan and I suspect they knew exactly what and how devastating the problem was.
Three missing bolts- and two finger tight ones- point pretty conclusively to someone having removed the gearbox in situ, just as we did last night.

Life is a bitch.

Yeah - it goes that way as often as not.

Super lucky to find a new trans...solid friggin' gold, in fact.

S. should call those guys and ask them to check around, see if they still have the bolts, huh?

Maybe give them a compliment on their engineering and fabrication skills.

I urge you also to congratulate Dan on his no-nonsense mien.

Impressive.

[clocker]

If by "no-nonsense mien" you mean "scary mofo", then I agree.
Really nice guy though and a ferocious mechanic.

[j2k4]

If by "no-nonsense mien" you mean "scary mofo", then I agree.
Really nice guy though and a ferocious mechanic.

Yes, I do, and I appreciate your use of the adjective.

Some people can weld without resorting to pedestrian AC voltage.

[clocker]

Today I picked up a brand new T-56 which we found on Craigslist.
Only $1650.
Still in the shipping crate, all the temperature telltales zeroed.

Work will resume Monday night.

[clocker]

Worked on the car again last night.

Here's the new T-56 tranny...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/T-56.jpg

She looks all grungy because she's been stored for 4 years in a shed but the temp telltales prove she's never been run...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Telltale.jpg

Discovered that the old bellhousing had a broken mount (center bolthole)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Brokenbolthole.jpg
...so we pulled it and used the new one.
Also used the new throwout bearing lever/pivot.

Now in place (all hardware new as well)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/T-56In.jpg

A few random shop shots...here's a nice 1st gen RX (probably an 81)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/1stGen.jpg

...and one for Kev...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Kev.jpg

Now we're just waiting on some parts.
Should have enough stuff in hand by Friday to work over the weekend and get most everything done.
Maybe.

[clocker]

Our two largest remaining fabrication projects...

-Proper alternator mount.
The LT1 engine accepts a wide variety of alternator brackets, depending on the vehicle application.
Because of the way the builders chose to mount the engine- using very simple engine plates instead of proper subframe motor mounts- none of these factory options are available to us.

Instead, they cobbled a simple- and structurally unsound- install which has been nothing but trouble.
This needs to be addressed and I think I know how to do it.
Preliminary fab work begins today.

-The "Power Plant Frame".
First used in the Miata, the Power Plant Frame (or "PPF", for short) ties the transmission to the differential with a lattice-like structural member.
This is what the stock part looks like...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/rx7powerplantframe.jpg

For some reason, the original builders completely discarded this piece and crafted a replacement out of what appears to be random pieces of stock laying in their shop.
Outside of the crappy build quality, the biggest problem is that the replacement piece completely ignores the original mounting points and inexplicably ties to various random parts of the rear subframe.

I admit that I don't fully understand the the Mazda engineering- and there are several aftermarket replacements meant to address weaknesses in the stock design- but it seems bizarre and willfully ignorant to deviate too far from the original design.

So we've found an original PPF in Chicago and it's on the way.
Obviously, the transmission end will have to be modified to fit the T-56 transmission- until the part is in hand I have no idea how difficult this will be- but it should be a far better solution than what we started with.

There remain myriad smaller issues to deal with, but once the above two are completed- and the exhaust fabricated- the car should be legitimately "driveable".

Speaking of the exhaust...the one that came on the car was so horrendously built and welded that driving the car around the shop with just the open headers is no louder than it was with the "exhaust" installed.
Remarkable.

[clocker]

Despite my silence work has been ongoing.

Primary focus has been on adapting the stock PPF to fit the T-56 transmission. Finally got it (mostly) bolted up last night.

This has been quite a tedious process, requiring that the PPF be bolted in, assessed, marked, removed then trimmed about 20 times.
When we finally got the differential pinion angle and the transmission angle correct it was finally time to tack weld on the first transmission mount bracket.

Then fit, adjust, remove and finish weld.
All that's left now is a bit more bracing and a spacer fabricated to install the rear transmission mount and she's done.

Working again Thurs. night and after that one more day in the shop should have most of the little stuff addressed.
It sure has been nice to work in a real shop instead of the owner's garage and Dan the mechanic has been a godsend.

After this, she's off to get a real exhaust fabricated and some final detailing done.
Then she goes on the dyno for tuning work and finally we see if she'll pass emissions.
It's almost scary how rasty this thing is and even scarier is the fact that it's running pig rich and untuned.
When properly setup, there's no telling what this car will do.

Probably blow the rear end off...

No real good pics from the latest work session since I was too greasy to handle the camera.
I do have one from when we were done and Dan wanted to test the integrity of the PPF...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Chirp.jpg

The tire chirps on the floor are the result of revving it up and dropping the clutch...in third gear.
I think we're going to need a pinion snubber.

[j2k4]

Oy.

[clocker]

Well...
bring the car into the shop tonight and the clutch pedal goes to the floor.

Up on the lift expecting to see a blown slave cylinder, but no.

A more detailed exam reveals that the throwout bearing has broken into pieces.
Gaahh.
The transmission we just installed had to come right back out.

New clutch and bearing on order, won't arrive until Monday at the earliest.

The good news is that we finished the PPF, just need to clean up some welds and paint it.

I wonder if this damn thing will ever be finished.

[j2k4]

Be patient.

I've never had a TO bearing go to pieces, btw.

That's new.

[clocker]

Me neither but then again, I've never seen a Stage 2 ACT, pull-type clutch before either.

We should have pulled/inspected the clutch while the gearbox was off the first time.
Probably wouldn't have caught the TO bearing but the friction plate was fairly worn and S. would have almost certainly decided to replace the unit anyway.

Just a waste of labor really.

On a happy note, I'm almost finished piecing together a really trick two stage controller for the efan in my car.
A triumph of internet investigation and junkyard scouring it is.

[clocker]

Not sure if anyone is still following this (besides Kev) but since I like to hear myself talk I'll keep going.

Thirsday night Dan and I pulled an all nighter (5:30PM to 4 AM) and basically thrashed all the remaining problems into submission.

New clutch installed and clutch pedal properly adjusted (sits level with brake pedal now). Pedal feel is somewhat stout but actually not bad while driving.

Transmission back in, shifter installed and PPF finished and bolted in.

Diff opened up for inspection (appears brand new, has 3.9 gearing from an automatic), resealed and filled.

Ebrake cable bracket fabbed, welded in and cables installed- now have functioning ebrake.

Relocated/rewired ignition module from DS head to wheelwell, away from the heat.

Added helper spring to throttle body, eliminated tendency of throttle to hang open.

Friday morning (at 7:30...I'm definitely too old for this shit!) we again met at the shop, got her off the lift and fixed a few more piddly little things.
At lunchtime, S. met us at the shop, paid Dan for his work (thanks, Dan!) and we prepared to drive the car to the exhaust shop.

S.'s recent back surgery precludes him from driving this beast (manual steering rack with big tires= high steering effort), so I was the driver by default.

Hairiest ride of my life.

Car has no exhaust, just open headers, so it sounds like the end of the world is approaching.
Harley riders- with their typically stupid loud exhausts- quivered in envy.
So, we had to plan out route to avoid any known cop hangouts...instant ticket if caught.

Worse though is the way she drives.
Without an exhaust there are no O2 sensors in place, so the CPU assumes it's in START mode all the time and adds lots of fuel...and keeps pouring it on.
This means that as the car warms up, it won't hold an idle and must be revved over 4K to continue running.
So, I'm driving a kinghell LOUD car, revving the piss out of it to keep from stalling and then drag launching at every stoplight- don't want to be slipping/overheating a brand new $500 clutch, ya know.
All this on neighborhood streets with 35 MPH speedlimits.

Fortunately, I only had to go a few miles but still, was completely frazzled when I arrived.
Exhaust should be done on Monday.

Hopefully, she'll be easier to handle cause then I drive her to my house to do some fab work on the alternator mount and cobble in a fuel filter.

Then it's off to Boulder for some dyno time/tuning.

Finally, we'll see how badly it fails emissions.

No pics of recent work since I've been too greasy to handle the camera but I'll try for some while she's up on the lift at the exhaust shop Monday.

There is light at the end of this tunnel.

[j2k4]

I'm still with you.

Sounds like you're having fun.

Just call me green (with envy).

[clocker]

Minor update.

Sadly, the first set of mandrel bends did not work out.
Put the exhaust too close to the oil pan and the drain plug could not be removed.

Another pair of bends is on the way and the exhaust should be finished tomorrow morning.

Here's a pic showing the close quarters they have to work within...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Exh2.png

Circled in red is the end of the header flange.
From this flange to the top of the subframe is only about 6"...not a lot of room to work with.
The arrow points to the raw gaping wound where the "builders" thoughtfully hacked away the rear part of the subframe to clearance the oilpan.
We've discussed the need to box this closed but I think it'd be better to just get the right motor mount setup and avoid "repairing" this abortion altogether.
We'll see,

Next up are two shots of the finished PPF...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/PPF4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Washer1.png
In the second pic, the red arrow points to stacks of washers that fill the space between the rear tranny mount and the bottom of the tailhousing/PPF.
I'll be machining some alloy spacer tubes for this when I get her to my house, so it's not as ghetto as it appears now.

You can also see the cattywumpus rear trans mount...this should be an interesting obstacle for the exhaust shop to get around.
I can't wait to see how they squeeze two cats and a resonator into this area...

[clocker]

Small update.

Exhaust is finished.
Looks beautiful, they did a great job snaking through the obstacles and keeping it tucked up.
Naturally, I have no pictures.

Also par for the course, the car wouldn't run.
Started fine but died after 15 seconds.

Finally occurred to me that something- almost certainly the ECU- was killing the fuel pump- it must not be seeing a sensor or something, so it shuts down the engine.
I jump wired the fuel pump direct to the battery (which has conveniently been relocated to the trunk) and she runs perfectly.

Drove her @10 miles back to my house with no problems...water temp maxxed at 190°, oil temp at 170° and oil pressure @55-60PSI.
It was 93° outside at the time, so I'm pretty happy with the performance.

The new clutch has fairly high pedal effort but is not outrageous and the tranny shifts nicely.
The new exhaust is aggressive but not ridiculous, no one seemed to pay me much attention so I guess it's OK.

I'll get some pics up tomorrow.

[j2k4]

How's the comfort level now?

You must be heading for the twisties soon, I would imagine.

[clocker]

She's almost a real car.
Not quite, but close.

No twisties till she's done.

[clocker]

Here's the exhaust...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Exh11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Exh12.jpg

[clocker]

Yesterday I finished up the fuel filter install.
Was not able to relocate the alternator as the geometry just didn't allow for a clear run of the belt around the waterpump...sigh.

Anyway, it was time to ferry the car from my house to S.'s and naturally, rush hour was the most convenient time to do so.
Remarkably, she drove just like a real car...sat idling in traffic without overheating and was completely docile.
Idle stayed steady, oil pressure and temp were absolutely nominal and even the clutch- which at first blush seems quite stiff- was no problem.

Steering and suspension were normal, car tracks fine on Denver's typically patched/rutted/multi-surface roads and only the new front facia's absurdly low front lip will be a problem...one must navigate dips and curbs carefully.

Once we button up all the interior she should be very liveable...kind of noisy and hot right now.
From the outside the exhaust sound is unremarkable...no one even glanced over at me in disgust, which is exactly what we wanted.
Certainly she rumbles- an astute observer would instantly know something was going on- but it's not overly loud or obnoxious.

Honestly, I was surprised.
Given what I consider some really dubious install methods and the unfinished state of the project, I was expecting a cruder, more brutal experience but that was not the case.

The T-56 transmission is more mechanical feeling than I'm used to, not sure I'm a real fan yet.
The gear ratios are probably not ideal for our application- first is essentially useless, second is where I started off, even on hills.

My involvement in this project will be winding down now I suspect.
I think S. is running a bit low on funds and he still has to get through emissions and have the car dynoed/tuned, so I may be sidelined for a while.

Sure has been interesting and fun though.

[clocker]

Well, so much for being sidelined.

Spent all day yesterday tracking down and solving two vexxing issues, both related as it turns out, to the fuel pump.

Long before my arrival on the project, S. had installed a Supra fuel pump- a popular alternative to the more common Walbro- necessary to provide the higher flow required by the bigger injectors.
At least, this has always been my understanding of what had happened.

Turns out, the pump actually came in the car and S. had merely added a relay/fuse to the wiring.
The wiring turned out to be the root cause of issue #1...intermittent stalling and engine cut out.
We had already spent considerable time/money chasing this through the ignition system...new plugs, wires, HP OptiSpark distributor, ignition module and coil pack...all to no avail.

The stalling continued intermittently and was getting worse.

Turns out, the relay assembly S. had installed (buried under the hatch plastics and thus, impossible to get to easily...of course) had an integrated resettable circuit breaker which was malfunctioning and killing power to the fuel pump.
After a few seconds, it would reset and begin working again.

Replaced the relay and installed a real fuse and viola!, problem solved.

The second major issue was a strong fuel smell in the car which we could never localize.
Finally removed the fuelpump access panel and JesusGawd, what a nightmare!
The wiring between the access panel and the pump cover on the tank was a total cobbler's nightmare...the +12v to the pump was bare, twisted wire and the fuel level sender wire was missing altogether (which explains why we could never get the fuel gauge to work) but even worse, there were two open holes drilled into the pump cover.

No clue what what going on here, can't for the life of me imagine how somebody could leave open holes in the gas tank, but there you go.
Used nuts/bolts/fender washers and RTV to plug the holes and surprise, surprise...fuel smell gone!
We have been extremely lucky that the combination of escaping fuel vapor and bare live wires didn't incinerate the car.

Also got the fuel gauge calibrated and working (easily done now that it's finally getting a signal from the tank) and hooked up and calibrated the speedo.
The speedometer was a bit of a trial...the ECU gets the signal from the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) on the transmission and then conditions the signal and sends it on to the speedometer.
Turns out, the Autometer speedo wants the unconditioned signal, it must do it's own processing internally.
Once we tried that, all was good.

Car now pulls strong (real strong!) through 6500 RPMs, which was as high as we dared run her without a tune.
The engine sounds like a bucket of bolts, possibly due to the solid (non-hydraulic) lifters and cheap, stamped metal valve covers.
Looking for some cast aluminum valve covers to put on after the valve adjust and I also suspect we have an exhaust leak at the header flange.
We're planning on wrapping the headers (and probably even further down, past the cats) with heat wrap and will replace the gaskets at that time.

All in all though, another great day of progress.

[j2k4]

Well, so much for being sidelined.

Spent all day yesterday tracking down and solving two vexxing issues, both related as it turns out, to the fuel pump.

Long before my arrival on the project, S. had installed a Supra fuel pump- a popular alternative to the more common Walbro- necessary to provide the higher flow required by the bigger injectors.
At least, this has always been my understanding of what had happened.

Turns out, the pump actually came in the car and S. had merely added a relay/fuse to the wiring.
The wiring turned out to be the root cause of issue #1...intermittent stalling and engine cut out.
We had already spent considerable time/money chasing this through the ignition system...new plugs, wires, HP OptiSpark distributor, ignition module and coil pack...all to no avail.

The stalling continued intermittently and was getting worse.

Turns out, the relay assembly S. had installed (buried under the hatch plastics and thus, impossible to get to easily...of course) had an integrated resettable circuit breaker which was malfunctioning and killing power to the fuel pump.
After a few seconds, it would reset and begin working again.

Replaced the relay and installed a real fuse and viola!, problem solved.

The second major issue was a strong fuel smell in the car which we could never localize.
Finally removed the fuelpump access panel and JesusGawd, what a nightmare!
The wiring between the access panel and the pump cover on the tank was a total cobbler's nightmare...the +12v to the pump was bare, twisted wire and the fuel level sender wire was missing altogether (which explains why we could never get the fuel gauge to work) but even worse, there were two open holes drilled into the pump cover.

No clue what what going on here, can't for the life of me imagine how somebody could leave open holes in the gas tank, but there you go.
Used nuts/bolts/fender washers and RTV to plug the holes and surprise, surprise...fuel smell gone!
We have been extremely lucky that the combination of escaping fuel vapor and bare live wires didn't incinerate the car.

Also got the fuel gauge calibrated and working (easily done now that it's finally getting a signal from the tank) and hooked up and calibrated the speedo.
The speedometer was a bit of a trial...the ECU gets the signal from the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) on the transmission and then conditions the signal and sends it on to the speedometer.
Turns out, the Autometer speedo wants the unconditioned signal, it must do it's own processing internally.
Once we tried that, all was good.

Car now pulls strong (real strong!) through 6500 RPMs, which was as high as we dared run her without a tune.
The engine sounds like a bucket of bolts, possibly due to the solid (non-hydraulic) lifters and cheap, stamped metal valve covers.
Looking for some cast aluminum valve covers to put on after the valve adjust and I also suspect we have an exhaust leak at the header flange.
We're planning on wrapping the headers (and probably even further down, past the cats) with heat wrap and will replace the gaskets at that time.

All in all though, another great day of progress.

How's about a few pics of the car from a few paces away for a bit of perspective?

This is about 2500 lbs. or so, eh?

If the thing has solids...gee whiz, who even uses them anymore.

Bit of a poser, that.

[clocker]

If the camera is available, I'll get pics on Saturday.

Yeah, solid lifters...imagine that.
Rednecks in Longmont still like 'em, I guess.

What was my car, something like 2740 full of gas, right?
Then yeah, 2500 for the FD would be about right, the sheetmetal is noticeably thinner- you daren't lean on the fenders- and the interior is made of dreams.

The car gets it's ECU downloaded on Monday and hopefully a test drive by Mike at Precision.
S. is convinced that there is something terribly wrong with the handling but cannot pinpoint where it comes from. Hoping Mike can either confirm and locate the problem or dispel the fear.

Saturday we'll be continuing down the (ever-shortening) punchlist...the end of my tunnel is definitely in sight, I think.

[clocker]

Back from the grave...

Still working on this POS.
And, since it's winter again, still freezing my ass off.

Rereading the thread, I see I left off quite optimistically...how naive I was.
Long story short, the car came with the wrong clutch slave cylinder- too much throw.
This caused the throwout bearing to literally get punched through the clutch (another $500 down the drain!) and ultimately destroyed the thrust washers on the crank...motor got trashed.

Found a brand new longblock- not as trick as the one we started with, only 400 HP at the crank- and traded our built motor + some cash, just to get rolling again.
Naturally, this was not the only problem.

We also discovered that the ECU was not out of the donor Camaro but instead was some truck unit.
Got new ECU but because it was a stock part, it immediately started throwing codes because it wasn't seeing all the sensors it expected.
Our tuner can fix this but we had to reinstall the old ECU just to get running.

So, the car now actually runs more or less correctly.
Now that she's driveable it turns out the suspension is crap, one blown rear shock and all the bushings in the back are shot.
Parts to rebuild the rearend are over $500 (seems like everything we need costs at least $500...), not including the shocks.
Probably going to buy a Harbor Freight hydraulic press and do the bushings/pillowballs ourselves since labor would be absurd to drop the whole rearend and have it done.

Brakes also need a complete redo but in the greater scheme of things this is a minor detail.

It's been nearly a year now since I got involved in this project and the light at the end of the tunnel is still but a glimmering mirage.

Hopefully the owner's will and pocketbook will prevail.

[j2k4]

Hmm.

The hit he would take dealing this car doesn't bode well for the other situation, does it.

Storage for one, storage for....ah, I don't want to think about it.

You, Craig's list and Sigfrid's wallet could cure this thing in a reasonable time-frame, my guess.

But.

I will try to remain optimistic.

[clocker]

Things have changed- yet again.

For the last two months the owner of the car has been facing a transfer to Europe (France, specifically) but that has ended.
Since he's staying, we started to forge ahead and try to (semi) complete the project.

First on the list was the suspension, which had basically collapsed last time the car was driven.
Rather than fiddlefuck around we decided on a "scorched earth" approach...just replace everything.
So, we now have four new shocks, new springs, new shock mounts and most of the suspension bushings have been replaced with an Energy Suspension polyurethane kit.
Since the entire suspension was off we decided to go ahead and redo all the brakes also so all four rotors were turned, all calipers rebuilt, new Hawk pads all around, new stainless brake hoses, new hardlines fabricated and the booster/MC were replaced with a custom setup I built (larger twin diaphram booster from an Acura, larger bore MC with integrated proportioning valve from an Infinity, custom machined rod to mate the two).

We also decided to attempt a retrofit of a FC manual steering rack, replacing the stock FD power unit. This looks promising and the final necessary part should arrive today (fingers crossed!).

This Saturday we'll begin reassembly, starting in the rear.
We optimistically expect to have the back finished in one day (rumor has it that the new bushings make reinstalling the the suspension pieces very difficult...we've opted to ignore these dire predictions).
While Sigfrid works on the back, I'll be finishing up the steering rack install since it has to be finalized before we can do the front...if it ain't gonna fly, we need to know now.

The next weekend the front gets put together (considerably easier than the rear), brakes get bled and she should be on her wheels again.
That's the plan.

I'll get pics up after our Saturday session.

[j2k4]

Good.

Been wondering when you'd roll it outside for a walk-around.

Of course, there's another car in the way, isn't there?

I'm on it, and relief is on the way.

[clocker]

We also decided to attempt a retrofit of a FC manual steering rack, replacing the stock FD power unit. This looks promising and the final necessary part should arrive today (fingers crossed!).
OK people, you can uncross your fingers and carry on...the package arrived.
It was missing the steering knuckle we needed though.
"Oh," says the vendor, "made a mistake and grabbed the wrong piece, we'll ship out the right part tomorrow."

That's all well and good but means I won't know till next week if this cool rack swap is going to work out.
Damn.

I also got another package (different vendor on eBay) that contained two inner tie rods and two tie rod ends (all new) so I can properly depower another rack. This rack (as yet unbuilt) has a faster steering ratio than the manual rack we're installing and is being prepped for possible install in either my car or Sigfrid's V-8.

I have three racks in my attic and have just been waiting for some money to continue.
Purchased from Mazda, the four tie rod pieces I got come close to $300 ($80 apiece for the inners and $60 apiece for the ends).
The package was on eBay for $39.95 with free shipping.
How could I resist?

The clincher was the qualifier in the ad, "OEM Brand Parts".

Opened the package today, removed the boxes and just had to laugh.
The parts are made in China and the company name is "OEM Brand Parts".
No relation whatsoever with Mazda or whoever was the original supplier but I had to admire their gall.

Parts look OK so I'll be using them.
I'll assume that the extra cadmium, mercury and lead will only make the parts better and the child labor force was having a particularly good shift.

[j2k4]

I'm stifling an array of conflicting reactions just now.

As another aside, when time comes, what do you think of this...

http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=57-1500-1

...for the Stealth?

It's CARB-legal, hear tell.

Might as well get a bit more mileage and performance on the trip, eh?

There's also this...

http://www.stealth316.com/2-freeboost.htm

Free horsepower is good.

[clocker]

The solenoid mod seems straightforward enough but will make little to no difference on your trip since you'll barely be boosting at all on the highway in fifth gear.

The air filter looks mildly interesting but I have to wonder why you give a rat's ass if it's CARB legal or not.

[Detale]

Maybe he's worried he'll get fat??
http://fatlossdot.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/carbs.jpeg

I thought there were going to be pics bud?

[j2k4]

The solenoid mod seems straightforward enough but will make little to no difference on your trip since you'll barely be boosting at all on the highway in fifth gear.

The air filter looks mildly interesting but I have to wonder why you give a rat's ass if it's CARB legal or not.

Agreed as to the first, but hey, it's free, and...

...CARB legality, while of no actual moment, creates the impression I'd be 'doing my part' while in your lovely state.

Hell, I might even order up a set of headers with a complete cat-delete exhaust to install before I hit the road, just to flout Colorado law.

Not that they'd notice (or so I'm told).

[clocker]

They wouldn't.
Little to no recourse even if they did.

[clocker]

Saturday update:

For a change, things went better than expected yesterday.
With most of the suspension pieces in hand, we hoped to get the rear of the car assembled and, as we began, that seemed a realistic goal.
The 3rd gen RX7's rear suspension can fairly be called a "multilink" setup and figuring out the proper assembly sequence took about two hours on the first side.

Using the experience from side one we were able to complete the second side in about 45 minutes.

To begin, she looked like this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Beginback.jpg
(toe control arm already in place)
Later, it looks like so...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/backdone.jpg
At this point the entire rear end is buttoned up.

We decided to move forward and see how far we could get.
The front end is (comparatively) simple and we got it completed as well.
"Mostly completed" would actually be more accurate, there is still the steering to finish*- waiting on tie rod ends and the missing steering knuckle- and the sway bar links need replacing, but most of the major assembly is done and the entire brake hydraulic loop is now intact.

Speaking of brakes, here is a shot of the new passenger side hardline.
Doesn't look like much in the photo, but it's a world of difference from the nasty, halfassed job the original builders left us with.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/brakeline.jpg

Moving to the driver's side, we see the new booster/MC assembly that I'm really dying to see in action.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/booster-mc.jpg

If my research into brake systems is correct, we should now have as good a system as possible using the stock calipers and rotors.
Again, this is a major cosmetic improvement over the system as delivered.
This car was factory equipped with ABS and it's relatively common for it to be deleted but properly doing so requires a bit of fab work, which the original builder(s) neglected to perform.
Completely redoing all the hard lines makes for a much nicer install and was really pretty simple- well worth the effort (and surprisingly cheap...we needed three pieces of hard line- 1 x 30" and 2 x 20", total cost was $12).

With any luck we have wheels on the ground next weekend.


*Ah, the steering.
All 3rd gen RX7s came factory equipped with power steering.
Why Mazda built a small, light sports car and never even offered manual steering as an option is a mystery that has plagued owners for a long time.

So, for folks wanting manual steering there have been only two options- depower the original rack or find an aftermarket rack that would work.

Depowering the original rack is straightforward but there are a few physical features that leave the newly manual rack unsuitable for our particular application.
The aftermarket racks available are quite expensive (in the neighborhood of $1000).

In the forums there would be the occasional plaintive cry wondering if the commonly available 2nd gen manual rack could be adapted for use but these inquiries were generally ignored.

I was able to find two threads where someone claimed to have done it...the first was extremely light on hard info- he basically just said "Hey I did it and it works!", the second was a bit more helpful.
Combining the meager data from both sources- and my conveniently available manual rack- we decided to proceed.
Actually mounting the rack went pretty easily- the brackets need a bit of tweaking and the bushings need some work but in general, it's about as close to a "drop in" mod as one could ask for.

The second thread starter mentioned the steering knuckle issue which I had preemptively tried to address but bad delivery times have delayed us there.

I was also aware of a potential problem with the tie rod ends- the taper of the FC ball joint stud doesn't match that of the FD hub/spindle and the offset is a little weird.
There is a Nissan pickup truck rod end that is reputed to solve both issues and we are prepared to purchase them if necessary but decided to bolt everything together just to see what it looked like.

This is where we ran into a problem not mentioned by either of the two (supposedly) successful swappers.
Even with the rod ends fully extended on the inner tie rods we don't have enough length to get the wheels pointed straight.
If each rod end was @3/4" longer we'd be fine, plenty of thread engagement and enough adjustment for the alignment, but no one mentioned this problem and until I purchase the new rod ends I have no idea if they are longer or not.

This is of course, the price one pays for following old, poorly detailed build threads.
Giant problems get glossed over leaving one to wonder if the original poster was either lying or such a wiz that the problem didn't faze him.
Either way, it doesn't help me much.
I'm really hoping to get this sorted out by next weekend because if the manual rack isn't going to work we need to explore our other options- can't drive with no steering.

Wish me luck.

[j2k4]

It's a pleasure to be in the gallery during these trying times, sir.

You'll get 'er - no worries.

[clocker]

Picked up the recommended tie rod ends from NAPA this morning.
Can't tell about the pin taper but these are straight (like the stock FD ones were) and appear to be about 3/8" longer than the FCs.
With luck they'll solve all three of our issues in one fell swoop.

[Detale]

Forgive my ignorance bud, but why would you want manual steering?

[clocker]

Some people- myself included- prefer the heightened sense of connection to the road that manual steering affords.
"Feel" aside, we are dealing with a more practical issue.

Although the RX7 came stock with power steering, when the V-8 engine was installed they didn't bother with the power steering pump so we had a worst case situation.
All of the drag/resistence of a power rack without the benefit of assist.

Depowering the rack was an option but the manual FC rack has an advantageous ratio and seemed the easier way to go.
We'll see soon enough.

[Detale]

Thanks for the explanation. Myself I never liked the "feather touch" power steering of old in a '72 Monte Carlo I had for a short while (Started rebuilding it but it was too costly both time wise and monetarily. I much preferred the Assisted steering on later model cars. As far as manual goes I had a beat up Chevy Nova '70 I think and it had manual and I hated that thing especially living in NYC where if you get over 60 it's a big deal, and forget about parallel parking ( the norm here). I may be jaded though.

[clocker]

Obviously, environment is a major factor.
I can't even remember the last time I parallel parked.

This car will never be a grocery-getter anyway.

[j2k4]

This car will never be a grocery-getter anyway.

A crying shame, that is.

You could drive 'er up-and-down the aisles easily, even with the manual rack...of course, it still wouldn't fit in Sahadi's, so.

[clocker]

Whole Foods frowns on internal combustion shopping bags.

[j2k4]

Even if it's passed a sniffer test administered by complete incompetents?

A sad state of affairs, that.

Of course, the only pub I've ever been banished from found it necessary only after I'd driven a friend's Harley round inside the place, so.

[clocker]

Friends don't let friends ride Harleys.

I picked up the super-secret tie-rod ends from NAPA yesterday(oopsie, forgot I'd already posted this...perhaps I should read my own stuff sometime).
It's impossible to tell if the pin taper is correct (it's hidden under the dust boot) but it is physically about 3/8" longer and straight instead of doglegged.
I'm encouraged that they'll work, even more so after realizing that we were trying to "zero out" the toe-in with the suspension fully extended.
This should be done while the car is on the ground and the suspension loaded, just like a normal alignment.
Having just begun to grasp the effects of bump steer, I can see how this works now.
I hope.

I also found the correct fitting to connect our clutch line hose (braided stainless) to the new Wilwood clutch master cylinder.
We found yet another little timebomb when our recent brake work opened up that area and we could see what what there originally.
T'weren't pretty.
The "builders" had fabbed an adaptor fitting that was obviously pieced together at Ace Hardware- it even had gas compression fittings in it- and then soldered the bejeezus out of it.
How it managed not to rupture is a mystery.

Still awaiting the highly critical steering knuckle...the seller has provided a new tracking # but it hasn't gone live yet.
If it arrives by Friday, we're golden.

To kill some time, I'm going to be painting the valve covers.
This is merely a cosmetic project and of no real importance other than it signals how close I think we are to actually having a functional car.
And I'm bored.

While the car is in the air we're also making templates for the underbelly tray that will ultimately need to be fabbed up.
I'll be forming this from 3/16" ABS along with a beauty panel for the radiator and a cover for the intake.
About my favorite type of fabrication, I'm quite looking forward to it.

That's it for now.

[Detale]

When you start the fab work man, don't forget the camera! I love watching stuff like this come together.

[j2k4]

Friends don't let friends ride Harleys.

Agreed, but it was perfectly suitable for a low-speed pass through the bar.

[clocker]

Friends don't let friends ride Harleys.

Agreed, but it was perfectly suitable for a low-speed pass through the bar.
It could be argued- successfully, I'd wager- that low speed passes through bars are precisely and exclusively what Harleys are "perfectly suited" for.

It has recently been discovered that Harleys are more frequently waxed than other vehicles (Paris Hilton not counted) and are therefore excellently efficient carnuba consumers.
As soon as a really positive spin can be developed ("Is there a carnuba layer in the atmosphere that needs depleting?" or "Is carnuba a shark repellent?"), HD will proudly join the ranks of the elite GREEN corporations, shepherding our future to it's best and most utopian result.

[j2k4]

Agreed, but it was perfectly suitable for a low-speed pass through the bar.
It could be argued- successfully, I'd wager- that low speed passes through bars are precisely and exclusively what Harleys are "perfectly suited" for.

It has recently been discovered that Harleys are more frequently waxed than other vehicles (Paris Hilton not counted) and are therefore excellently efficient carnuba consumers.
As soon as a really positive spin can be developed ("Is there a carnuba layer in the atmosphere that needs depleting?" or "Is carnuba a shark repellent?"), HD will proudly join the ranks of the elite GREEN corporations, shepherding our future to it's best and most utopian result.

Harley's lame claim to fame is that it's two-cylinder configuration leaves plenty of available cylinders for the impending environmentally-conscious 'cylinder credit' program.

Ducati fans are aghast.

[clocker]

The tracking # for the missing steering knuckle finally went live, should be delivered tomorrow.
That will be the final piece needed to complete this latest stage of work...I hope.

This upcoming Saturday should be very interesting as many of our remaining issues should get addressed all at once.
I hope to get her to the alignment shop next week.

I'm kinda excited.

[j2k4]

I'm knowing the feeling.

[clocker]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

After last week's unexpectedly rapid progress, we started work yesterday with very high hopes.
Ah, optimism.

As a teaser, I'll tell you that the car did sit all four wheels on the ground...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/touchground.jpg

...but only briefly.
Here's why.

Our two main projects for the day were to bleed the hydraulics and finish installing the steering rack.
I also had a few (surprise!) cosmetic enhancements to throw into the mix and naturally, we gravitated to the fun/easy stuff first (strong coffee and high grade bud make for a bad decision making process...).

Since first laying eyes on Sigfrid's car, the stamped chrome valve covers have
bothered me and last weekend- as a milestone appeared to be in reach- I pulled the covers and was determined to do something about them.
Ferrari Red wrinkle finish was what I had in mind.

I only had about a half a can of this left (I used it on my engine this summer) and was unable to locate any in stock locally, which was a problem.
There was also the matter of prepping the chrome plated surface so the paint would have a prayer of actually sticking, another problem.

Last Monday, I decided to completely scrap the covers and start anew.
Went junkyarding and by Wednesday had acquired a set of stock Chevy covers, physically identical to ours but painted black.
Cleaned 'em up and sprayed on some Hammertone Black to spiff them up.
Bought some new PCV grommets and valve, along with mounting bolts.

S. was quite pleased and we immediately started installing them which, in and of itself is but a matter of minutes but lead to about an hour of rearranging/tweaking hose and wiring runs to neaten things up.
Meanwhile, the real work awaited.
Here is a really crappy shot of the bay when we finished...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/overview-1.jpg

Trust me, it looks much better in person.

When approaching a project such as this, an overarching aesthetic should be determined from the get-go.
There are basically two paths that can be taken- all out custom where every bracket and part is custom machined/finished and it's obvious that major work has been done or, a "stealth" approach which uses OEM (albeit from several different manufacturers) parts and attempts to appear as though the car was factory assembled.
We went for the second, cheaper look (custom machined parts are expensive!) and tried to make the bay as clean and organized as possible.
So far, we think we've attained our goal.

Buoyed by the easy initial success, we moved to bleeding the hydraulics- brakes and clutch.
The brake system was essentially all new and almost every new connection we had made leaked.
Took us over an hour an a half to track down every leak (some connections were difficult to see and we had to guess what we were doing based on the trail of leaking brake fluid) and finally get the brakes buttoned up.
The pedal feel is stellar, we're both quite excited to see how the brakes actually work on the road.

Next, the clutch.
All we had done to that was replace a cobbled together set of fittings connecting the braided line to the master cylinder with a properly sized banjo and the reservoir was changed.
Bleeding this should have been one of our easier tasks, so naturally, it totally kicked our asses.
We have no clutch now and no explanation why.
Of course, when installed, the slave/throwout bearing arm are completely obscured, so we cannot even determine if the slave cylinder is moving.
We get resistence from the pedal- it almost feels normal- but cannot shift into gear.
It's logical to assume that we simply have a bleeding problem but cannot seem to make any progress and will have to explore for info this week.

Stumped by the clutch, we moved on to the steering rack.

The new tie rod ends worked like a charm.
The steering knuckle connected the rack to the column just as it should.
We had steering!

Well, we had steering until the car was on the ground and we discovered that the FD rack brackets just don't work on the FC rack...at all.
We were aware of the problem but not of the severity.
Indeed, I had already ordered a part to deal with the passenger side mount but shipping delays meant that we didn't yet have it in hand.

The big problem is the driver side bracket.
This bracket actually locates the rack to the subframe and keeps it in place and the FD bracket is quite different from the FC part.
We hoped it would work but it didn't...with the wheels on the ground, turning the steering wheel causes the whole rack to slide side to side till it finally butted up against the smaller FD bracket and started to move the wheels.
Basically, a whole turn of the steering wheel (in either direction) did nothing to steer the car.

Oh well.
The new passenger side bush/bracket will arrive this week and I'll (be trying to ) modify the main FC bracket to work with the FD subframe.
I'm fairly confident this will all work out but we know how that goes.

So, we have a plan for the steering and no clue yet about the clutch.

Although we had high hopes of driving the car by end of yesterday, all in all we're still doing quite well.
In under twenty hours we've redone the complete suspension and brake system and almost swapped in the steering from a completely different car.
All in less than optimal conditions ( a freezing garage with no heat or lighting) and buffered with lots of beer and pharmaceuticals to ease the pain.
A good time has been had by all and really, what more can one ask?

This week I'll be sidetracked by another car project for a few days.
It's kinda secret and will probably not be revealed by me but may make it up here anyway.
How's that for a cliffhanger?

[j2k4]

This week I'll be sidetracked by another car project for a few days.
It's kinda secret and will probably not be revealed by me but may make it up here anyway.
How's that for a cliffhanger?

Is that my cue?

Btw-

Have you checked to make sure the Mazda's clutch disc isn't stuck to the flywheel?

It happened to me, with precisely the same circumstances.

The vehicle had only been idled for about a week-and-a-half, and under similar weather/temp conditions...

[clocker]

Is that my cue?
Yup.




Have you checked to make sure the Mazda's clutch disc isn't stuck to the flywheel?

Not even sure how to go about this...any advice?

[j2k4]

Yup.




Have you checked to make sure the Mazda's clutch disc isn't stuck to the flywheel?

Not even sure how to go about this...any advice?

The only answer I'm aware of is to take the trans down and remove the pressure plate, which grates, because it only takes about two seconds to free the damn disc.

I've thought on occasion opening an inspection cover (if you even have one) may give enough access, but getting the plate to slide back on a good-fitting spline is next to impossible, so.

What it is, mostly, is a really stupid and annoying thing to have happen to good people.

As to the other, I'll see if I can upload some stuff.

[clocker]

The only answer I'm aware of is to take the trans down and remove the pressure plate, which grates, because it only takes about two seconds to free the damn disc.


OK, well, that ain't gonna happen.
At least, not in our garage, not with our tools.

Here's hoping for a less painful solution.

[j2k4]

Can you get an eyeball on it any other way?

Can you assure yourself the pressure plate is actuating/releasing?

[clocker]

I can't even tell you if the throwout bearing arm is actually moving.
It's a mystery "down there".

[clocker]

I can't even tell you if the throwout bearing arm is actually moving.
It's a mystery "down there".

[j2k4]

Well, then.

A few months ago, Clocker informed me he'd been offered a tremendously tempting deal on a certain car - the car was in very nice shape, especially considering it's vintage; it had been well-cared for.

We knocked the question around for a short time, and I told him if he decided to pass, I'd like to throw my hat into the ring.

After weighing the situation for a few days, Clocker decided not to switch horses in mid-stream (he has his Mazda RX 7 to play with, and a slightly amorphous set of long-term plans according), so he basically consented - graciously - to act as my proxy in the purchase of this, oh, let's go ahead and call it a mid-life crisis.

I took the precaution of securing Missus J's blessing as well, which fact, along with Clocker's abilities as an intermediary, resulted in my taking possession of this:





























http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/1992%20Stealth/Picture001.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/1992%20Stealth/Picture002.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/1992%20Stealth/Picture003.jpg

It's a 1992 Dodge Stealth RT Twin-Turbo, which is equipped with AWD and all-wheel steering; also a very comprehensive (and slightly bewildering) collection of options designed to please the senses.

It is the mechanical twin to the Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4.

I am flying out on the 16th to visit Clocker and drive it home, and I am not bothered in the least that I haven't the syllabic wherewithal to describe my anticipation.


I can't even tell you if the throwout bearing arm is actually moving.
It's a mystery "down there".

Perhaps Dan-the-Man can advise...

[clocker]

Yup, that's it.

The Stealth was another of Sigfrid's "boy's toys" and for various reasons- none of which concerned the car itself- he decided to dispose of it.

I was sorely tempted but in the end, the mechanical complexity was a factor I could not overcome.
All wheel drive, all wheel steering and twin turbos make for an almost overwhelming plethora of things that could go wrong and I doubted my ability to deal with them easily.
Since Kev will not be dependent on the Stealth for daily transportation, if (when?) something happens, he can deal in leisure instead of desperation.

It's a pretty cool car (although the Mitsu 3000 GT has nicer bodywork IMO) and relatively fast.
Kev and I shall be attending to the few small pre-trip details necessary to ensure a safe arrival (new oil/filter, check tire pressure, etc.) and also a few mods to increase performance. With any luck, his 1300 mile journey home will be fun but uneventful.

I should take possession of the Stealth this week and transport it to my lair where time and weather will dictate what I can do before Kev's arrival on the 16th.
I'd be willing to drive the car just as she sits, there is nothing apparently wrong and she drives nicely, so we really needn't knock ourselves out prepping the car.

I'm sure that once he has it home Kev has big plans for it.
There may even be a thread about it.

The future looks bright.

[Detale]

Hey, I'm just glad you bought American :P I drive a Dodge Durango and love that gas guzzling bitch!

[j2k4]

Hey, I'm just glad you bought American :P I drive a Dodge Durango and love that gas guzzling bitch!

Yes, an American Mitsubishi, in this case, but one capable of (hear tell) mid-twenties, mileage-wise.

I have the vague feeling the trip home will net a bit less than that.

Don't know why.

Hey, check your PMs, D.

[clocker]

Next, the clutch...We have no clutch now and no explanation why...It's logical to assume that we simply have a bleeding problem but cannot seem to make any progress and will have to explore for info this week.


OK, we really do have a bleeding problem.
Turns out, it's increasingly common to see clutch hydraulics sold/serviced as a complete system...master, slave and hose all connected, filled with fluid and bled. Just bolt in the parts and you're done.
Our slave cylinder is from such a system and has no bleed screw on it at all.

The only way to deal with such a setup is to use a vacuum bleeder.

Which we don't have.
Yet.
Hoping Harbor Freight has something cheap.

Passenger side steering rack bushing arrived today.
One down, one to go.

[j2k4]

/The gallery breathes a sigh of relief

[clocker]

She drives!

Started out yesterday installing the steering rack.
The new passenger side bushing/bracket and the modified driver side bracket worked perfectly to locate and tie down the rack, no more lateral movement.

Won't be able to evaluate the swap until the car is aligned.
We lost every possible adjustment when the rack and suspension were replaced and it's a miracle the car even goes in a straight line.
Depending on Kev's visit and the weather, probably get her done on Friday.

I went over every hydraulic connection and gave them all a little tweak...no more leaks.

Dan the mechanic had kindly lent us his vacuum bleeding apparatus for the weekend and Sigfrid and I tried our best to make it work.
It seems completely counterintuitive to me and indeed, it did not seem to be doing anything...after a few hours we gave up.
Very frustrating, we were so close to being able to drive her and something as simple a clutch bleed was going to stop us.

Rolled her out of the garage to test fit some seats and just by habit, Sigfrid put it in gear...and it went!
No idea what happened, we went from having a good pedal feel but not able to go into gear to having good pedal and OK shifting (it actually seemed to improve as we drove)...it's very mystifying but it works, so I shan't question the results.

After the alignment I'm going to swing by Precision and have Dan bleed it properly, so it should only get better.
Maybe get him to vacuum bleed the brakes too...couldn't hurt.

The new shocks/springs lowered the car quite a bit.
It has a beautiful stance on the wheels but we'll probably need to roll the fenders for clearance.
We'll know better once it's aligned and the wheels are sitting properly.

No pics this week, we were too frazzled and the car is too dirty.
I'll rectify that ASAP...promise.

[j2k4]

Can't wait to see the little beast.

[clocker]

Well, Kevin didn't have to wait long...he saw the "little beast" Wednesday evening.
I'll let him detail the visit as he sees fit but I had a great time, despite coming down with some sort of bug.
After Kev left Friday morning I went back to bed and didn't get up till 5 PM.
Feel much better now although I still sound like a consumption ward.

We took the little beast for an alignment on Thursday.
Everything adjusted to spec and she steers like a normal car.
I'm calling the steering rack swap a success but Sigfrid has yet to drive it and see how he likes the ratio.
If it's too slow, I have two other racks with faster ratios we can try.

The brakes are crap, hopefully a rebleed will solve that but if not, I have several other combos to install (yes, I have a crapload of parts...).

Thursday night j2 and I drove the car back over to Sigfrid's- approx. 20 miles- in a rather nasty snow/ice storm.
We made it in one piece (although I slid us off the road in my car on the way home) which I consider somewhat of a miracle.
A rear wheel drive car- no traction control or ABS- with 285/35 high performance summer tires, 400 + HP, a twitchy throttle and wonky brakes does NOT make for the ideal winter ride.
Saw many cars slide off the road but the RX's did fine.
Later, after we'd left, Sigfrid tried to move the car up his driveway into the garage and barely made it...he was amazed we'd gone 20 miles since he could barely go 20 feet.

I attribute this to my F1 level driving skills.

The project has taken yet another turn.
We now have a proper mounting kit coming and will basically rip out everything and redo it.
It's the way I've wanted to go since day one and Sigfrid finally agrees.
We'll have a whole new subframe and engine mounts, new tranny mount and power plant frame.
This should alleviate the horrible vibration issues we now have and also makes it possible to properly mount the alternator.
Should also make a more efficient intake easier to install.

Sigfrid and I will be discussing our approach today, so I'll let ya'll know how this will work.

[Detale]

I attribute this to my F1 level driving skills.
:lol::lol:

[clocker]

What?
It could be true.

Too bloody cold to do much yesterday.
We rebled the brakes and they are now much better.
The weather is supposed to get nicer as the week progresses and Sigfrid plans on driving the little beast to work, so we should get some idea of the overall viability of the current package.

Along with the new engine mount kit there is also a stock gauge cluster on the way.
This will eliminate the awful AutoMeter mechanical gauges and the mangled cluster we now have.
This will probably be our next project as the engine mount kit is coming from Honolulu and will take a while to arrive.

Looks like we still have several weeks of work to go...

[Detale]

If anyone here drove F1's it would be you bud ;) Hawaii? I take it it's used or did they open an auto part factory there I missed?

Could you take a pic of the gauges before and after please.

[clocker]

Here is a pic of our kit...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/kit-1.jpg
I'm guessing this has never been used (look at the driveshaft flange) but could be wrong.
It is not uncommon to find kits such as this, typically for one of two reasons.

One, someone bought the kit and then came to their senses and realized what they were getting into or two, during the (usually extended) build process they decided to go with the newly released (and much nicer) Samburg kit.
As pictured, this Granny's kit sells for $1700, the Samburg kit goes for nearly three grand.

We'd like the Samburg kit but the bucks just aren't there and even this is a major upgrade from the plate mount setup we began with.
With our current solid mounted engine anything over 2500 RPM and the mirrors are blurred beyond use.

TBH D., I'm not that great a driver.
Competent, yes, safe, yes, fast...not so much.

[j2k4]

Well, Kevin didn't have to wait long...he saw the "little beast" Wednesday evening.
I'll let him detail the visit as he sees fit but I had a great time, despite coming down with some sort of bug.
After Kev left Friday morning I went back to bed and didn't get up till 5 PM.
Feel much better now although I still sound like a consumption ward.

Clocker is sick, folks.

He is a sick S.O.B. in real life, too; he made me drive through lousy weather with his RX 7, rather than let me drive the Stealth.

To his credit, as it happens - the weather was lousy, but it was a piece-of-cake for me; he had to drive The Beast...

I almost larfed out loud.

Then, to finish, he has the art to execute a right-lane-inside-out drift, hanging a wheel out there nicely - only to gracefully describe it as the automotive equivalent of a tank-slapper.

He is an aggressive driver, even while behaving...let's just say no one passed us on the way home from the airport, home, where he and his creators maintain supremely comfortable digs, not the least compromised, only enhanced by the fact that real people drink real coffee.

I partook of it with hunger.

Really.

No, really.

This is a treat I only get when I hang with Clocker.

Anyway, I didn't get to take my jacket off and he drags me over to the car.

It was pretty damn cool.

Then he made me drive it.

It stayed cool for the rest of the trip.

Cool abounded.

His parents, (I almost typed your names, there), were cool.

He was cool (the usual, you know).

His friends were cool.

Sigfrid is an awfully enthusiastic car nut who truly knows that cars should be enjoyed in selfish ways on the most regular basis circumstances allow.

I liked him, and I thought he was cool.

He big dumb dog, Romeo, kept me in stitches and dog spit while I was there, and reminded me of home.

Romeo was cool.

His neighbors were half-cool; he walked the dog in a few too-many ways, she was friendly and bubbly.

Their dog wasn't too cool - maybe half-cool, like I said.

There's a theme to this.



We took the little beast for an alignment on Thursday.
Everything adjusted to spec and she steers like a normal car.
I'm calling the steering rack swap a success but Sigfrid has yet to drive it and see how he likes the ratio.
If it's too slow, I have two other racks with faster ratios we can try.

The brakes are crap, hopefully a rebleed will solve that but if not, I have several other combos to install (yes, I have a crapload of parts...).

Thursday night j2 and I drove the car back over to Sigfrid's- approx. 20 miles- in a rather nasty snow/ice storm.
We made it in one piece (although I slid us off the road in my car on the way home) which I consider somewhat of a miracle.

Miracles are always stressful.

You did fine.


A rear wheel drive car- no traction control or ABS- with 285/35 high performance summer tires, 400 + HP, a twitchy throttle and wonky brakes does NOT make for the ideal winter ride.
Saw many cars slide off the road but the RX's did fine.
Later, after we'd left, Sigfrid tried to move the car up his driveway into the garage and barely made it...he was amazed we'd gone 20 miles since he could barely go 20 feet.

That car...when it's done, it'll be right, and when it's right, it'll be awesome.

Like an old Cobra, but friendlier, in a slightly, um....evil way, if you follow.


I attribute this to my F1 level driving skills.

Okay, I did larf a little, there, just in the back of my throat.

You are a fine (foul weather...who knows, maybe even fowl weather) driver.

I got a bit practicing to do (on the F1 part, at any rate).




The project has taken yet another turn.
We now have a proper mounting kit coming and will basically rip out everything and redo it.
It's the way I've wanted to go since day one and Sigfrid finally agrees.
We'll have a whole new subframe and engine mounts, new tranny mount and power plant frame.
This should alleviate the horrible vibration issues we now have and also makes it possible to properly mount the alternator.
Should also make a more efficient intake easier to install.

Sigfrid and I will be discussing our approach today, so I'll let ya'll know how this will work.

This will fix the car - as much as it can be, and still consider it streetable.

It's gonna be quite a ride.



It is not uncommon to find kits such as this, typically for one of two reasons.

One, someone bought the kit and then came to their senses and realized what they were getting into or two, during the (usually extended) build process they decided to go with the newly released (and much nicer) Samburg kit.
As pictured, this Granny's kit sells for $1700, the Samburg kit goes for nearly three grand.


We'd like the Samburg kit but the bucks just aren't there and even this is a major upgrade from the plate mount setup we began with.
With our current solid mounted engine anything over 2500 RPM and the mirrors are blurred beyond use.

And I'd like to have had a date with Ann-Margret, except now I'm too old for her.

Fix it and report, like.

Bugger the weather.


TBH D., I'm not that great a driver.
Competent, yes, safe, yes, fast...not so much.

I said, you're fine.

The Stealth's gearbox shifts like a stick in a bucket of swill, but the car is in all other respects an utterly amazing conveyance.

I did some driving on the way home I wouldn't even attempt in any other vehicle I have ever driven.

Think of it as the World's-most-highly-refined ox-cart, to the tenth-power.

Or something.

I am just so damned pleased about everything that has happened, here.

Really extraordinarily lucky, lately.

More later, as events warrant.

[clocker]

Where are the pics?

[j2k4]

Can't get my phone software to play nice with Win 7 64-bit.

Oddly, it seems to be an OS problem rather than 64-bit; it worked fine with Prophesy 64 bit, so.

The pics will be okay on the phone, but I'm still working on that, among other things.

Scouring the Samsung site for a patch for the, um, patch.

Actually.

Bastards at Samsung will probably outlast my phone - hell, it's already 8 months old...

[clocker]

Well, get on it son.
Those parking lot pics should be sweet.

[clocker]

Both the mounting kit and the new gauge panel will be here Friday.
Sigfrid's company has a deal with Fedex and 2 day shipping from Honolulu to Denver was only $50, which is a remarkable deal.

There are some parts we're going to need that I'm hoping to source from the junkyard- primarily an alternator mount- but the weather ain't being real cooperative.
Today looks like the only nice day of the week so I'm going to mush my way over there and lay in the snow to work.
Oh joy.

[clocker]

Well, I saw the kit yesterday and it's pretty much exactly what we were hoping for.
It's the "base" kit, which lacks some lightening holes in the main crossmember and was rather haphazardly sprayed with satin black paint instead of powdercoating.

I'll be respraying it this week with some Hammertone black just to pretty it up some.

We hope to bolt it in next Saturday and are optimistically hoping for a one day install.
This is almost certain to be impossible but the engine/tranny should at least be in place.
No telling yet whether the exhaust will be salvageable with some modification or if we'll just need to start from scratch.
There is also the possibility that the new engine mount pedestals will foul our exhaust manifolds, so we may even need new headers...yikes!

Both Sigfrid and I are baffled by the transmission mount.
The brace we received makes sense (and is far better than what we have now) but which rubber mount we should use is a mystery.
The problem is that this engine/tranny was used by the factory in a wide variety of cars (Camaros, Vettes and even trucks) and they all use different mounting blocks...we need to find out which one to get.
Lots of little details to iron out here...

The "new" gauge panel is a disaster, not at all as advertised.
That is not of immediate importance but needs to be straightened out eventually.

Sigfrid leaves for a week long business trip next Sunday, so I'll be left to deal with whatever is uncompleted after Saturday's session.
If I can somehow get the car drivable enough to bring home we'll be fine but I doubt that'll happen.
Just have to see how this plays out.

[j2k4]

I can barely wait to hear how this shakes out.

(See what I did, there?)

I think I forgot to ask what kind of mounts it'll take - standard sandwich types, or.

Anything at all - even solid mounts - should help the vibration problem immensely.

Hope the exhaust clears...

[j2k4]

As promised, then - please forgive the cell-phone pictures; I was traveling light - the three cars at Clocker's - The Stealth on the left, Clocker's RX7 in the middle, and Sigfrid's RX7 V8 car on the right.

Oh, yeah - all human impersonations performed by the host -

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0046.jpg

Same thing only backwards:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0045.jpg

Backwards, backwards. I guess.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0044.jpg

An RX3, with a narrowed differential and slicks; runs a bad little rotary:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0042.jpg

For comparison, size-wise:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0043.jpg

More of Sigfrid's little pocket-rocket - Clocker and I have begun to refer to it as The Beast:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0039.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0038.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/1backforty8/Stealth%20trip/Photo0037.jpg

[clocker]

Glad you used a cell phone...makes my car look as nice as the other two.

[j2k4]

The right cell-camera is like a good paint-job...










I think they all just look - really friggin' red, mostly.

[clocker]

So...we did it.
Mostly.

The conversion went well, if not as quickly as the more optimistic members of the team (Sigfrid & Dan) expected.

The motor and transmission are completely remounted, the new driveshaft and power plant frame are installed.
The new engine cradle moves the engine/tranny back almost 4" and puts us right up to the firewall.
Plenty of room now for a better efan and intake setup.
The boneshaking vibrations are totally gone.

We were also able to go back to the stock shifter and the transmission now feels like a normal car, the agricultural clunks are gone and even reverse is easy to get to.
Amazing difference.

Of course, not all was rosy.
The exhaust is going to need replacing, no way it works with the new setup.
The Optimists thought we'd be able to "cut-n-paste" our system to fit but the mods would be so extensive that a new system makes more sense.

The alternator relocate was a pain.
Sigfrid had purchased a mounting kit but it didn't align the pulleys properly, so it required about an hour of fiddlefucking to make right.
It's good now but the alternator decided to take a dump right as we were going to final test drive her (yup, open headers and all...loud as hell but awesome sound), so a new one is being obtained today.

For some reason, the flange on the new driveshaft didn't mate with our differential, so we had to swap out the flanges.
Not difficult, but another hour spent modifying a "bolt-in" part.

The front lower control arms had to be removed to swap cradles, so our alignment was lost. This was expected but is still one more thing that needs immediate attention.

Only one of the many pics I took turned out so I'll have to redo them when I can but I'll leave with the one that did work...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/beginning.jpg

Dan and Sigfrid are marvelling at something, you can see the exhaust and transmission have already been removed and are laying on the floor.

Dan had done quite a bit of planning and his sequence of attack worked perfectly.
We didn't even have to remove the engine and in fact, none of the wiring or coolant system was disturbed, which saved lots of time.
Had the alternator not failed, we'd have driven the car out of the shop Saturday night.
As it is, we now face a few days delay but I finally sense that we might be getting close.

[j2k4]

Hurrah!

The final resolution is in sight, at long last.

[clocker]

Yes, it is but things have slowed to a crawl this week.
Sigfrid is out of town on a business trip and Dan is working on customer cars, so the Beast just sits.

Later today I'll be installing the new (junkyard) alternator and after that I don't know what's next.
We had briefly considered changing the headers but the one's we wanted were sold before I could see them.
The car desperately needs an alignment but it's obnoxious to drive with no exhaust.

I might just lay back till Friday and let Sigfrid sort out the schedule.

[j2k4]

The guy with the wallet...

[clocker]

...can make shit happen.

[Detale]

But a more impending question is. What are you going to do with yourself when this project is finished bud?

[clocker]

It's going to finish?

[Detale]

Well put. OK it will either finish or you'll expire :shutup: my money's on the later

[clocker]

There is still a goodly amount of work to be done and remember, this car has yet to be driven much, so things we haven't even considered are sure to pop up.

Sigfrid and I have already begun to kick around some ideas for another project.
As long as he can bankroll it, I'm in.

[j2k4]

Here's hoping the train keeps rolling.

There may be a few more trips in my future.

[clocker]

New alternator/wiring is in.
I was going to drive the car over to the exhaust shop but the front end is so out of whack that I turned around and came back.
Sigfrid- either braver or more foolhardy than I- is going to pilot it over to get aligned tomorrow morning.

From the alignment shop we're supposed to go for the exhaust but S. has found some potentially useful headers that we may go see instead.
In other words, beyond an alignment, I have no idea what happens next.

[j2k4]

Yeah, but that's good.

The adventure continues...

[clocker]

It's just frustrating to get so close and then grind to a halt.
I need the car for at least two days to redo the cooling fan and shorten the shifter and I'd prefer to work in the nice weather we're currently enjoying (60° today!) rather than the cold that's on the way (March and April are traditionally our snowiest months).

Oh well, I have a new brake setup for my car that I can work on...

[j2k4]

Yes...frustration is the word-of-the-day here, too - we've had nice weather as well - all the little Stealth chores are done, and (you want to talk frustrating) both Stealth/Mitsu forums I frequent have posting/tenure requirements for access to the trade/sale sections, and no one (including the mods and admins) seems to know what they are.

I gots high-ticket tires to deal, mang.

Want to see if I can swap 'em for some decent 18" rims, or summat.

[clocker]

Lowering springs?

[j2k4]

Hmm.

Maybe.

I think there are several that won't affect the g-sensors.

[clocker]

The beast is now aligned and drives properly.
She's at the exhaust shop now but nothing will happen till Monday.

Progress- albeit incremental- at last.

[j2k4]

Monday, Monday.

Like the song.

[clocker]

Jeez, Mama Cass had one helluva voice, didn't she?

Decided to play with my car today.
Swapping out the vacuum booster and brake master cylinder.

This time I'm trying an Integra booster (twin diaphragm from a non-ABS donor car) mated to a 1 1/16" Subaru WRi master cylinder and a stock RX7 proportioning valve.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Nubaru4.jpg

I spent a goodly amount of time this fall experimenting with various brake components (I currently have the booster/MC/valve from a Mazda 929 installed)...all in search of the illusive perfect pedal feel.
Without changing rotor diameter and caliper capacity (both areas that I'm looking at for future work...), actual stopping distance will not change- at this point it's just an ergonomic improvement I'm going for.

Previously I've concentrated on the MC and prop valves.
Larger than stock cylinders will move more fluid with less pedal travel (pedal feels "harder") but require more force to do so.
Different proportioning valves change the ratio of work done by the front and rear brake circuits.

It now turns out that the booster can have different and very distinct effects on the feel as well.
Varying the size and design of the vacuum release valves in the booster will change the progression/intensity of the assist provided.
"Sport" setups will typically provided more assist quickly (initial bite seems very strong) and "normal" units are softer and more progressive.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what's what (especially in the junkyard) as all the differences are internal to the unit and the "feel" is quite subjective and only anecdotally described.

Guys on the Subie forums have a vague list of desirable boosters to swap but they all come from relatively rare models never seen in the yard.
Acura guys are just the same but I lucked into one of the boosters they rave about, so that's what I'm trying.

I had to machine an adapter to properly set the booster pushrod/MC cylinder piston fit (a very critical and finicky dimension) but it was an otherwise straightforward task.
The MC reservoir pictured may or may not be used...it's not the stock Subie part (which is unacceptable because it sits at an angle and has a glaringly yellow cap)...I have several from which to choose.

I'm going to further complicate matters by fabricating and installing a MC brace.
Working on The Beast, I was surprised- and shocked- to see how much the firewall flexed when the brakes were applied.
Some of the braking effort was being absorbed rather than applied...not good.
The brace will bolt to the strut tower and extend to the end of the master cylinder thus reducing (if not outright eliminating) firewall movement.
In theory.

We'll see how it goes.

[j2k4]

Jeez, Mama Cass had one helluva voice, didn't she?

Decided to play with my car today.
Swapping out the vacuum booster and brake master cylinder.

This time I'm trying an Integra booster (twin diaphragm from a non-ABS donor car) mated to a 1 1/16" Subaru WRi master cylinder and a stock RX7 proportioning valve.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Nubaru4.jpg

I spent a goodly amount of time this fall experimenting with various brake components (I currently have the booster/MC/valve from a Mazda 929 installed)...all in search of the illusive perfect pedal feel.
Without changing rotor diameter and caliper capacity (both areas that I'm looking at for future work...), actual stopping distance will not change- at this point it's just an ergonomic improvement I'm going for.

Previously I've concentrated on the MC and prop valves.
Larger than stock cylinders will move more fluid with less pedal travel (pedal feels "harder") but require more force to do so.
Different proportioning valves change the ratio of work done by the front and rear brake circuits.

It now turns out that the booster can have different and very distinct effects on the feel as well.
Varying the size and design of the vacuum release valves in the booster will change the progression/intensity of the assist provided.
"Sport" setups will typically provided more assist quickly (initial bite seems very strong) and "normal" units are softer and more progressive.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what's what (especially in the junkyard) as all the differences are internal to the unit and the "feel" is quite subjective and only anecdotally described.

Guys on the Subie forums have a vague list of desirable boosters to swap but they all come from relatively rare models never seen in the yard.
Acura guys are just the same but I lucked into one of the boosters they rave about, so that's what I'm trying.

I had to machine an adapter to properly set the booster pushrod/MC cylinder piston fit (a very critical and finicky dimension) but it was an otherwise straightforward task.
The MC reservoir pictured may or may not be used...it's not the stock Subie part (which is unacceptable because it sits at an angle and has a glaringly yellow cap)...I have several from which to choose.

I'm going to further complicate matters by fabricating and installing a MC brace.
Working on The Beast, I was surprised- and shocked- to see how much the firewall flexed when the brakes were applied.
Some of the braking effort was being absorbed rather than applied...not good.
The brace will bolt to the strut tower and extend to the end of the master cylinder thus reducing (if not outright eliminating) firewall movement.
In theory.

We'll see how it goes.

You gotta start writing this shit down somewhere.

The firewall flex is disturbing.

I assume your brace is going to have some sort of triangular orientation, if you can manage it?

[clocker]

You gotta start writing this shit down somewhere.
I have a thread devoted to my experiments on the RX7 forum.


I assume your brace is going to have some sort of triangular orientation, if you can manage it?
I have unused threaded holes on the strut tower to work with.
Until the new brake assembly is installed I'm not sure how useful they'll be but I'm sure I can figure something out.

[j2k4]

I've got to check that out, then.


That last brings back memories, some bad ones, too.

Had a buddy planted both feet hard on the brake pedal of a set he'd bought and then modified unto incoherence whilst installing in an old, hopped-up Golf.

The car actually flew; and then he got this ^ bright idea.

Anyway, he gave it a really good push (big fella, he was), and put the boards right into the strut going into a fast curve in the woods.

He was in a wheel chair until he died (ultimately) of pure sloth about five years ago.

Nevermind all that.

Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Bytheway-

You should start shopping for a stretch of road that'll let you do some reasonable 0-100-0 tests.

[clocker]

Well, the new brakes are in.
And....










...they suck.
In a major way.
Not sure what the hell is going on, going to take a nap and ponder the situation.

[clocker]

Right then, suitably refreshed, I'm (almost) ready to begin anew.

I've decided to leave the Integra booster in place- it's the biggest bitch to install (must remove both coil packs and the strut tower brace, not to mention the contortions in the footwell to get the mounting nuts/clevis in place).

I'm going to remove the Subaru master cylinder and put the Integra cylinder in it's place.
The Integra part is structurally dissimilar to most masters I've seen, it's possible that the booster/MC must be used as a pair to work properly.

That is the operational theory ATM, I don't know how else to proceed.

Until I get the brakes operating right there's no point in making the MC brace (which can be done with everything in situ anyway) although I did make a template of the mounting holes on the strut tower, so that will be ready when needed.

Good thing I stocked up on brake fluid last week...

[j2k4]

Oy.

Keep us posted.

I've ordered the 60K maintenance package and may just go for a ride - tomorrow the summer tires are going on.

[clocker]

Exhaust is done.
I pick up the Beast tomorrow am.

[j2k4]

Are you driving both cars, or what.

[clocker]

I have the V-8 all to myself till Sunday (S. is on another business trip).
I'm quite looking forward to my first drive with her fully functional.

The exhaust shop did a beautiful job, we couldn't have asked for better fitment...they really liked how open things were with the new mounting kit.

We may have a problem with the alternator's pulley alignment, I'm told the belt is already beginning to fray on one side.
I'll have Dan check it out.

I have a long list of things to do, the weather and my creativity will determine how far along I get.
I'm thinking to start with the fan but we'll see after my drive today what takes precedence.

Oh boy...it's supposed to be sunny and 60° today.
Good weather for walking if this bitch leaves me stranded.

[j2k4]

Be interesting to hear Dan's analysis of the thing at this juncture.

Anticipating a blast of clocker-creativity with the wiring harness.

[clocker]

Dan liked it...a lot.
We found nothing obviously amiss with the alternator.
For now, the old belt is back on (albeit somewhat the worse for wear) and I'll monitor it as I go along.

Started with the fan install today.
The Volvo 940 fan fits almost perfectly- just as I suspected it might- and the wiring is 90% finished.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/vfan1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/vfan2.jpg

The final piece of the puzzle is to drill and tap the waterpump housing for the fan trigger switch.
This meant the pump had to be removed, so goodbye coolant (oh, we hardly knew ye!).
I hope to have all this reassembled by noon tomorrow.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/vfan4.jpg

Next on the list will be the shifter area.
I have to make a new cover plate and then cut down and tap the shift lever to accept the knob Sigfrid wants to use.

Weather is supposed to be good till Thursday night when it begins snowing.
Not anticipating anything major and it should clear out by Sunday.

After the shifter...who knows?

[j2k4]

Dan liked it...a lot.
We found nothing obviously amiss with the alternator.
For now, the old belt is back on (albeit somewhat the worse for wear) and I'll monitor it as I go along.

Started with the fan install today.
The Volvo 940 fan fits almost perfectly- just as I suspected it might- and the wiring is 90% finished.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/vfan1.jpg

If I'm not mistaken, that's an excellent view of the ground, as seen from under the hood.

There's some operatin' room there, Maynard.

[clocker]

Correctomundo.
We picked up 4" in front when the motor was rehung.

Doesn't sound like much but it's making all the difference in the world.

Now we can carry through with the next step (well, not right now, but soon) which lays the rad down at about a 20-25° angle and brings the intake straight over the top of the rad with the filter in front.
Eliminating the convoluted intake we currently run is probably going to gain us well over 20 horse.

Just returned from Harbor Freight where I finally obtained the 13/16" bit I needed to bore out the sensor hole.
I was unpleasantly surprised to find that oddball, large drill bits are very thin on the ground.
HF had it but only as part of a set.
Oh well, the bullet was bitten.

Feeling a bit lethargic (for all the obvious reasons), so I might knock off for the night and start afresh on the morrow.
It's quite refreshing to work on a car that doesn't need to go anywhere.
When I play with mine I must always balance what I want to do against how much time I have to use. Multi-day projects must be carefully planned.

The Beast has nowhere to be till S. returns on Sunday, so I have an unusual amount of wiggle room.

[j2k4]

Kewl.

How are you feeling physically, these days?

[clocker]

Sore.
The hacking cough/pneumonia is gone though.

Bounced out of bed this (early) AM and while the coffee was a'brewin, opened up my new drill bit set.
It has two 15/16" bits and no 13/16"...which is the only size I cared aboot.
So much for my "early bird/worm" plan...now I have to wait till 8 o'clock and drive back out to Harbor Freight and exchange this set for an intact one.

Somewhat of a bummer.

[Detale]

I do love me some harbor freight, but I have had many stories like this one friend missing/broken parts etc. Another sad fact is that there is no retail store here in NYC :(

[j2k4]

Yeah, y'know, Harbor Freight is Walmart for tools.

They don't have to last forever, and most of the stuff can save the day at least once before it's trash.

God love 'em.

[clocker]

So, yesterday went swimmingly...at least in the beginning.
Did all my running around and was back home by 9, the water pump was finished and installed by 10.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sensor1.jpg

The new fan trigger is the big three pronged connector at the lower right of the housing.
We originally had the mechanical water temp gauge plumbed into this hole but we're swapping over to stock electrical units- sometime in the future.
Till then, we have no idea of the water temp.

While all the hoses were out of the way I looked at the new alternator mount and boy, it was fucked- almost as bad as the mickeymoused original.
Two hours and uncountable "put it on/take it off"s later, the alternator now sits straight and is adjustable like a regular car.

Our old intake no longer fits right.
In this pic...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/sensor2.jpg

...I have cobbled it together so I could start the car and bleed the cooling system but the hood will not clear the intake, so it's a temp fix at best.

The new fan system works perfectly and should be an improvement over the old fan, even if just in sound quality.

This morning I'm gonna bong up and hit the junkyard for intake pieces.
I am not hopeful as the specific requirements of our placement are probably unique but you never can tell.

Our weather degenerates tonight (but no one knows how much yet) so I fugure I'll be housebound for a few days.
Need to stock up on the necessities just in case.

I plan to replace the brakes with the 929 setup I just pulled from my car...best done in the garage anyway, so the weather is irrelevant.
Probably do that tomorrow as it coincides with some other work that I need supplies to finish (this is stuff like relocating the fuel filter for which I need more hose...).

Updates later.

[Detale]

Why not cut the hood and add a scoop :O

[clocker]

We already have one, silly person.

[Detale]

Sorry, I missed that. Well then you need a bigger one to accomodate the intake then. or you could just do something like....
http://ultimategto.com/pow/pow0227a.jpg

[clocker]

Sorry, I missed that. Well then you need a bigger one to accomodate the intake then. or you could just do something like....
http://ultimategto.com/pow/pow0227a.jpg
That would look great parked next to my doublewide.
Yeehaw!

[Detale]

LOL, But won't the general lee be lonely?

[clocker]

Daisy Duke shall entertain him.

Much went well today.
An early morning junkyard ramble uncovered an unmolested LT1 engine.
Scored a sweet stock intake manifold elbow and a few other bits.

This manifold has the unique oval shape to match the throttle body on one end and accepts the MAF sensor on the other. It has fittings for the intake temp sensor and the Optispark vent. It's rubber, so it's flexible.
Digging around in my attic I stumbled upon some stuff from the 240Z.
Nothing much useful except for the ideal K&N airfilter, brand new sitting unopened.
Shaped weird as fuck, I have no idea why I bought it but it could hardly be more suitable for my current project.

This combination cuts our connections in the intake track down by 2/3 and makes for a pretty slick install.
The hood clears it too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig2.jpg

I also tidied up the brake booster vacuum supply line and remounted the fuel filter...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig10.jpg

She got a bath today...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig7.jpg

Took it out for a spin and think the brakes are fine as is, not going to mess with them now.
Tommorrow I deal with the shifter area...

[Detale]

Are those tints legal in Co? Thats where you are from right? Here you would only be asking to get pulled over.

[clocker]

Don't know.
Never thought about it actually.

[j2k4]

Sorry, I missed that. Well then you need a bigger one to accomodate the intake then. or you could just do something like....
http://ultimategto.com/pow/pow0227a.jpg

I built a few like that.

Scary, never went too straight.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig4.jpg

Hey-


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig2.jpg

Is that filter mounted "backwards"?

If so (well, even if not), it's pure-dee genius.

Well done.

Also:

What sort of surgery did you have to do with the bracket?

Heat and hammer with a slight quench, I figure (without a better look).

[clocker]

The filter is indeed a backwards taper.
For the life of me I cannot remember why I needed such an oddball shape- which is probably why it spent 5 years in the box- but it came through perfectly this time.

What bracket are you referring to...the one holding the rad?
If so, it's just aluminum and was hand bent by Sigfrid the Strong.
T'was supposed to be temporary but keeps proving useful, so we keep using it.

Ultimately, this is what we want...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig12.jpg

It's a kit developed by Samberg Rod & Custom specifically for this swap and features a custom built rad/shrouds, fans and a carbon fiber K&N filter assembly.
It's pricey- $1100- but exactly what we need.

[clocker]

So, I took her for a spin last night, first extended drive she's taken as a complete car.
Not bad, not bad at all...basically, just like a real car.

Suspension is way too stiff, gonna put the stock springs back on but all of the disturbing clunks are gone and you can feel the suspension working, so once the springs are softened up it should be fine.

I mushed through the snow and was at the junkyard first thing Sat. morning.
It was treacherous going, snow blanketed the frozen bumpy ground and walking was a chore.
Couldn't really see anything either since it was all covered in white but I already knew where I needed to go and what I sought.

Pulled the stock LT1 throttle cable bracket and cable and then, just for good measure, nabbed cables from two other cars.
I don't know what cable we had to start with but it's routing sucked and they had cobbled a crappy little retaining bracket for it which I was constantly gouging myself on.
All gone now.
Throttle action is smooth and progressive and you don't have to be hyperaware of the pedal anymore.
As I said, like a real car.

The FC manual steering rack is fine, effort is not excessive IMO, and she tracks true at 85 MPH (the fastest I went).
The turning radius sucks though, I'm not sure why.
I think we'll properly depower S.'s stock rack- we had clearance issues before that have gone away with the new cradle- and pop it in to see what happens.
It's a faster ratio rack also, so that might be good.

I hear noise from the rear brakes and suspect the rear calipers are sticky.
We should probably just get reman calipers and be done with it.
Car stops fine though and maybe we just need a rebleed and more bedding of the pads.

I fabbed up a new transmission tunnel cover plate and shortened the shift lever.
It sits at a good height now but isn't a short throw like I'm used to.
Kev can confirm how short my shifter is and the Beast feels like a school bus in comparison.
I suppose one could adapt but I'd change it if I could.
Shift action is smooth and positive and even reverse is easy to find now.

The car is weird...put it in third and leave it and you can almost pretend it's an automatic.
I did a whole section of city driving in just that one gear...she pulls like a bastard.

There is still much to be done but for the first time in a year it feels like we've made real progress and can start making improvements instead of chasing down problems.
The potential I had hoped to see last March is finally realized and I'm very pleased to have been a part of the process.

Now, for my car...

[j2k4]

Well, the situation is vindicated by your persistence and expertise.

I can't help but wonder how much Sigfrid would have into it (or not!!) if you hadn't done your stuff.

I thought you said you had to massage the alt bracket?

I can indeed attest to the short throw of the shifter in your car...sweet.

Absolutely no drama whatsoever.

Hey, third is my all-purpose gear as well - from about 15 mph to, oh, about 90.

Fun, innit?

Say hey to Sigfrid.

[clocker]

Welp, here are some final pics as I prepare to hand over the car to it's rightful owner.

I quickly cobbled together a master cylinder brace from a piece of scrap aluminum.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig14.jpg

'Tain't pretty but I just wanted to see what effect it had.
Fairly dramatic, actually...I was surprised.
Firmed up the pedal feel quite a bit.
Probably build a finished version sometime in the future and will definitely be making one for my car ASAP.

Final shot of the engine bay as I call it quits for the day...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Sig15.jpg

Definitely more of a rat rod than a show car but it's the best we could do with what we had (and Sigfrid could afford).

To answer your question, Kevin...
There is no way to calculate the labor that I have into this thing.
Untold hours at the junkyard and just as many pondering solutions.
If one had to make a guesstimate, I'd say $15K would come close.

And we're not finished yet.

[clocker]

So, Sigfrid didn't fly in till late last night, so I have the beast for one more day.
Going to junkyard again and try to come up with a hood prop...the car has never had one and my supply of ski poles/random sticks is drying up.
Might rebleed the brakes if I have the time/energy.

[Detale]

Considering how far you've come a hood prob should be child's play dude.

[clocker]

It was.

[clocker]

I delivered the car to Sigfrid last night.

The drive over to his place (22 miles away) was through rush hour and the Beast performed flawlessly.
After showing off all the work I'd done- and some social lubrication, hereafter known as "B &B" ( beer and bowls)- he drove me home and the full implications of "real car" hit him.

We were on the highway doing 75, windows down and could have a conversation without yelling. He had an elbow on the window sill and was steering with one finger.
Acceleration is instantaneous, braking is drama free.

His grin was priceless.

After over a year and tons of money, he finally sees the car he thought he'd bought.

I stopped at the junkyard before going over to his place and weighed the car on their scales.
A stock 1993 RX7 weighs 2840 lbs. (they don't specify if this is wet or dry).
Our car weighs 2850 with a full tank of fuel.
Even assuming their scales aren't perfect, we're pretty damn close to being exactly the same as stock, with twice the horsepower/torque.
An acceptable trade off, methinks.

We're taking next weekend off (S. needs to spend some "family time" since he's been out of town so much) but the following Saturday we begin again.
The stock springs are going back on, we'll go through and retighten all the suspension pieces (just to be safe) and there's a fairly ferocious oil leak from the front main seal that must be addressed.
Then it's off to the tuner.

Can't wait to feel this thing when it's actually running right.

[clocker]

First meeting with the tuner is Monday.
He is going to advise us on some things we have questions about (specifically, the throttle body) and reflash our Camaro ECU so we can run the car on it (right now we have a Chevy truck ECU installed because the Camaro unit won't let us run without four O2 sensors and VATS).
The weekend following we shall reinstall the stock springs and tie up some more loose ends and then have the car fully tuned.

Progress continues.

[Detale]

We were on the highway doing 75, windows down and could have a conversation without yelling.

Ummmmm dude.
http://www.dreamstime.com/speed-limit-55-thumb411934.jpg
Reported!

[clocker]

Oh noes!

[Detale]

*D thinks to himself "Why hasn't clocker replied in his thread at all"

http://www.bustedplay.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/handcuffs.jpg

[clocker]

Sigfrid met with the tuner(s) today.
They took one of our ECUs to reflash and load a base tune without VATS and the second set of O2 sensors.
Also wrote up a list of things to change before the final tuning begins.

The list is not long and we were already aware of most of the changes, so hopefully it won't be a big deal to implement.
The hardest part will be installing the steam vents in the heads...the plugs are extremely difficult to remove and I anticipate breaking some cheap tools in the process.
I don't even know where the vents end up but S. says he has it handled, so he can have at it while I change the springs back.

We work again this Saturday.
I've snagged the adapter fitting to mount the new water temp gauge sending unit and found some preformed aluminum heater hose tubes (from some Chrysler SUV thing) that might work out well for us.

We'll see how it goes.

[clocker]

Spent four hours in the junkyard yesterday, attempting to remove a LT1 intake manifold.
It completely kicked my ass and I was unable to budge it...cannot figure out why.

There are a couple of reasons I want this part.

We are currently running an aftermarket (larger) throttle body and bigger injectors...both (presumably) specced to match the ported, cammed, big valve heads that were on our original built 383 motor.
Since we no longer have that engine, I'm thinking that we may get better performance going back to stock.
The junkyard intake comes complete with throttle body, injectors, fuel rails and all sensors.

At some point- sooner rather than later- the intake must be removed to install the new oil pressure sending unit...there is no other way to gain access.
With the new intake (even if we only use the manifold and retain all the "high performance" parts), I could clean/ paint it ahead of time and just slap it on.
Our current part has a deep and very noticeable groove worn across it, the result of interference between the strut tower brace and the intake in the old engine position.
If nothing else, the new manifold would be a significant cosmetic improvement (assuming of course, that I can get it cleaned up enough to paint nicely).

I'm going back today armed with bigger tools, to try my luck again.

[clocker]

That bitch be MINE!
A three foot long prybar scared that manifold right off the block.

Removing the last two bolts probably helped also.
Yeah, yeah...gimme a break.
Two of the studs were double nutted, I had removed the top ones but the very bottom nuts were still hidden in the muck.

You can see how filthy this part is...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake1-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake2-1.jpg

...and that is after an initial cleaning (not to mention time spent yesterday troweling out crap so I could even find the bolts...).

Sigfrid has a pressure washer and his work has a media blasting cabinet, so we can hopefully get this into paintable condition this week.
I'll spray it with wrinkle finish red (think Ferrari valve covers), then sand/polish the ribs running down the top.
Probably polish the fuel rails as well, we'll see how it goes.

This is the look I'm going for...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Edelbrock.jpg

[clocker]

Yesterday was the longest work day yet...14 hours, non-stop.
No lunch, no beer, no interruptions.

I am beyond sore, approaching immobility.

We had two main objectives for the day, replace the springs and replace the seals in the timing chain cover.
There was a sublist of smaller projects we hoped to get to as well but I was pretty sure that the main jobs would take all our time.
Ever the optimist, Sigfrid was sure we'd get everything done.

I was more right than he.

We started at 8 am by jacking the car up, putting in stands, removing the wheels...and flipping a coin.
In hindsight, it appears I lost since I got to replace the springs, Sigfrid got the timing cover.

Last month we rebuilt the entire suspension and it took but a half day to reinstall all four corners of the car. It was shockingly easy.
This time however, all I wanted was the shock/spring out and without undoing anything else if possible.
Not possible.
The car has double A-arm suspension at all four corners which means that the shock goes through the middle of all the suspension pieces and it ain't comin out till some of the other connections are undone.
Unfortunately, some of those "other connections"- naturally, the easiest to access- are the adjustment points for the alignment and if they were disturbed, we'd need our third alignment in two months...so, can't touch them.
All told, it took me six hours to weasel out the two rear shocks, replace the springs- DO NOT get me started on the joys of consumer level spring compressors- and reinstall.
I also replaced the passenger rear brake caliper...we'd been having issues and it was easier to simply put a new part on.

Meanwhile, Sigfrid had been working on the timing chain cover, a source of oil leaks since we've had the car and mysteriously, never addressed before.
He figured maybe three hours total...it took ten.
To be fair, we also incorporated several side projects into his list because in order to remove the timing chain cover the waterpump must go, so all the coolant was drained.
While the engine was dry it made sense to redo the heater core lines and reposition the radiator, both jobs took more time than expected (although by then we were getting kind of punch drunk and not operating at peak efficiency).

I shan't enumerate the gory details, suffice to say that if something could be difficult, it was.
We got no breaks at all.

She finally dropped back to the pavement around 8:30 and a short test ride was in order.

Going back to stock springs made the ride 100% better, she's stiff, but very compliant.
Our oil leaks appear to be gone.
The new rear caliper seized and locked up the wheel.
By the time we limped home it was too late and too dark to mess with so I have no idea what happened.
Although I am willing to admit the possibility that I screwed up, it seems very unlikely- I've done this hundreds of times and the parts only go back together one way...if it fits, it's right, if it doesn't, something's FUBAR.
It fit, so I've been pondering more esoteric causes...I'm thinking there's something wrong with the geometry of our e-brake cables (which were missing altogether till Dan welded in some brackets and installed cables during our first transmission removal).

Or maybe I just screwed up.

At any rate, it was frustrating after a string of highly productive days to work so hard for so little apparent effect.

You'll have that from time to time.

[clocker]

I went over and worked on the car alone today.
Could not stand the idea of her sitting for three weeks- Sigfrid has obligations the next few weekends- because of something so stupid and trivial as the rear brakes.

The problem turned out to be the slider pins provided with the newly remanufactured caliper...they did not properly fit the receptacles in the caliper carrier and the caliper would not fully retract.
I put the old slider pins in and we had brakes.

I officially hate this style of caliper.

An extended, heavy traffic test run revealed no problems, the car ran fine and no apparent leaks.

This leaves the intake as our last major engine project and Sigfrid and I are having a philosophical debate as to the path we should take.

My preferred approach (backed by the guys at Precision) would be to install the junkyard intake- suitably tarted up- with stock injectors and the stock throttle body.
Have the ECU reflashed with a stock GM fuel map (useless sensors and codes deleted) and we should be running more or less like a stock car.
Granted, we leave some horsepower on the table this way, but really, power is not a big problem with this small, light chassis and our reliability/fuel mileage should be optimized.

Sigfrid- backed by his tuner- wants to keep the large Holley throttle body and big injectors and add a LT4 camshaft, followed by a full dynoed tuning session.

By way of comparison, my approach will cost somewhere between $300-500, Sigfrid's between $3500-4000 (the tuning session(s) alone are over $2500).
His method- assuming all goes well- will result in @150 more horsepower.

My logic:
Sigfrid has now owned this car for two years.
He's spent well north of $25K so far and put fewer than 400 miles on it (and a significant chunk of that was me driving)...he's driven it to work twice.

We still have the stock diff installed and nobody expects it to hold up to even the reduced horsepower of the stock LT1, much less a goosed version.
It's not a question of IF but rather WHEN will it explode.
The fix costs about $3K and should be done before it fails and potentially fucks up something else.

We still have major projects to address before the car is truly streetable.
The entire dash/gauge panel must be redone, the interior is a mess, there is no stereo.
No heat/defrost either.

I am not averse to stupid horsepower but think we should "complete" the car before going after it.
Besides, once you start talking about 400+ HP, it makes more sense to me to just get the aluminum block/head combo offered by the stock LS series engines.
Not only do they make that kind of power out of the box, but we save 150 lbs. in the bargain.

And finally...having not really lived with the car yet- other than as a sad, depressing garage ornament- Sigfrid doesn't even know if he likes the car as a daily driver.
He's been chasing a dream and I think it's time we ground to reality for a bit.

Sigfrid's logic...
I WANT MORE POWER!

It's his wallet, so he'll be calling the shots.

Looking back on everything, I feel that I've more than fulfilled my expectations for the project and should emotionally disconnect from the outcome.
If S. wants to spend more on the motor, well fine...go ahead.
If we ignore what I consider priorities, OK...I won't be paying for it.

Perhaps my contribution was shepherding the project to the point where the car isn't actively trying to kill the driver...and we're now there.

My initial interest was to learn about the conversion and make a few bucks.
I feel confident that I could swap my car in two weeks, now that I've learned how NOT to do it and have indeed made a few bucks.
I also consider Sigfrid a friend and that's worth something too.

Interested to see where we go from here.

[Detale]

Not sure if this was ever asked of you bud. What kind of car do you drive?

[clocker]

A 1991 Mazda RX7.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Bullet1.jpg

[clocker]

Although I haven't mentioned it lately, progress has been made on the intake manifold.
I've been soaking it in soap and water overnight, then scrubbing it with a steel toothbrushy thing and Purple Power to loosen the crud.

Today was the third cycle and it's almost getting there...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake71.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake72.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Intake73.jpg

Pretty much down to the nooks/crannies now and I'm hoping I can use the Dremel to get in them (my other brush is too big).
After the outside is mostly done I'm going to use oven cleaner to decarbon the inside...I hope.
Heating the manifold will also help "sweat" out any remaining grease trapped in the pores of the casting which will help the paint adhere.

This has been a pain...

[clocker]

Been beavering away, made some progress...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red4.jpg

Should be able to install tomorrow.

[clocker]

And now it's "tomorrow".

Intake with fuel rails/injectors installed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red6.jpg

Old intake removed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red7.jpg

A closer shot of the tee fitting that needs replacing.
Currently it holds the sending unit for the oil temp gauge and the feed line for the mechanical oil pressure gauge.
What we want is a flex line to hold just the sending unit for the stock oil pressure gauge...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red8.jpg

Everything buttoned up...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red10.jpg

Turned on the key and was pleasantly surprised that there were no fuel leaks under pressure.
Emboldened by this success, I started her up...she ran perfectly.
Steady idle, no missing, all seemed normal enough to risk a test drive- which went fine.
Just finished a longer drive and after she cools down I'll inspect more closely for leaks.
So far, the intake swap is an unqualified success.

Maybe I can move down my "to-do" list now...

[clocker]

I think I'll just consider this my private diary from now on...

Anyway, about that "unqualified success" business.
Does an oil leak count?

Yeah, I thought so too.

Bloody fukkin hell, removed the manifold again, remade the sending unit connection, regooped the ends of the valley and reinstalled everything.
Went for a test drive and...

...it still leaks, maybe even worse than before.

Tomorrow I get medieval on it's ass.

My last session was not a total loss, I did (successfully!) redo the alternator wiring and fix the steering.

Oh, had I not mentioned the steering?
Silly me.

A few days after the new engine cradle was installed we discovered that the car's turn radius was all weird.
Normal to the left but way wide to the right.
I couldn't come up with a theory- which meant I had no clue what to try- but I finally decided to loosen the rack brackets and column u-joint clamp bolts, spin the wheel from side to side- measuring to see if the wheels were physically moving the same amount- and then retightening.

And that fixed it.
I guess the lower u-joint was binding up in one direction and turning while everything was loose allowed the two parts to "normalize" and play nicely.

So something worked out today...

[Gripper]

Qhhh looking very pretty Clocker,well done.

[Detale]

Oil leak? Wheel alignments? You need a garage bud ;)

[j2k4]

'S very nice.

Btw-

You aren't using the corks under the front and back ends of the manifold, are you?

Delete, delete and use a big fat bead of 'da blue stuff.

IF you aren't, already.

Also - surely you can find brass to replace that ugly-ass chunk of galvanized, eh?

[clocker]

What ugly chunk of galvanized?
Oh, you mean the radiator?
Yeah, I'd love to replace that POS too...

No, no cork (or rubber) under the ends, just goo.
This is the procedure I used this last (oh please, please let it be the last) time...

The problem of a leaking intake manifold so often surfaces on this and many other Forums, I decided to write this procedure. I have found, over the years, this procedure to be a fool-proof way to address the problem. However, like so many other things, there are other methods that can work equally well, it's just that over the past 40 years or so, I've found this one to work best for me. Believe me, I've tried a LOT of different methods, too.


Most often, the leak will occur at the rear of the intake manifold in the area we commonly refer to as the "China Wall". Over the years I've come to conclude that increasing crank case pressure - caused by excessive blow-by - causes the sealant (or gasket on engines using them) to be forced out, resulting in an oil leak.


The lessening of torque on the intake manifold bolts can, over time, result in a leak too. Some bolts, over time, can become so loose they can actually be turned with nothing more than your fingers. So we're dealing with a double whammy, neither of which is good if you want an intake that doesn't leak.


I've had my share of intake leaks in that China Wall area and, on one occasion, one of my racing engines was waved off the starting line at the track due to the intake leaking oil. That was so embarrassing, I decided to find a way to prevent a recurrence. What I finally came up with is a combination of "old" and "new" school applications.


So here's how I now do it:


In removing the leaking intake, special care should be taken to insure no foreign particles fall into the lifter valley or down the holes in the block used for oil drain-back or the distributor/oil pump drive. It may be difficult to prevent every piece from falling in, but if one does, be sure to pick it out.


Next, all the mating surfaces must be cleaned thoroughly to be free of any oil, coolant or gasket material. This can be done using something as simple as carburetor/brake cleaner. I prefer brake cleaner since it leaves no residue. Go over the surfaces several times to be sure all residue has been removed. This is critical to allow the sealant to, well, seal and not move. Be SURE to use Sensor Safe RTV. RTV doesn't adhere as well to an oily/greasy/unclean surface.


Once cleaned, the surfaces (both intake and block) should be sanded with sand paper in order to roughen up the mating surfaces. This adds even more "grip" for the RTV.


Once the block, heads and intake are squeaky clean it's time to improve the ability of the sealant to adhere. I specified RTV sealant since the cork or rubber gaskets that still come with some intake manifold gaskets SHOULD NOT BE USED - DISCARD THEM!

I then dimple BOTH China Walls (front and rear) on the block using a nail set; this is the Old School/Old Racer's trick. I also do the same dimpling on the corresponding areas on the underside of the intake manifold.



This gives the RTV something to "bite" into. I've never actually counted them, but I end up with around 30 or more dimples at each of the four locations.

I have a photo of the dimples if you're interested.


I simply use a normal claw hammer and a nail-set to create the dimples. They only have to be deep enough to grab your finger-nail.
The process is easy to do and doesn't take long. Just strike straight down after placing the nail-set perpendicular to the surface so the nail set doesn't slip off.


After all are done, I wipe down the areas with a rag wetted with brake cleaner a few times. The cleaner will evaporate quickly leaving a clean, dry surface.


I use Permatex Sensor-Safe Sealant (SSS), this is the New School trick. I apply a thin layer on BOTH sides of the intake gaskets and apply it around all the intake ports and all the coolant openings (if the intake manifold has them).


I use my finger and spread a thin layer on both heads around each intake and water port . I then set the intake manifold gasket in place and press on it with my hand. I then apply ANOTHER thin layer on the gaskets, keeping both layers about 1/4" away from the port openings. That way it won't get squeezed into the port opeining(s) once torque is applied to the intake bolts.


Some prefer using other sealants, like The Right Stuff, etc., but Permatex SS has always worked for me - so "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is my train of thought.


I then apply a 3/8" diameter bead of SSS to the China Walls. I use a 3/8" bead rather than the 1/4" bead you may see in some manuals. I've found that a 3/8" bead seals better. If you're unsure of the diameter, just take a look at the diameter of the threaded end of a intake manifold bolt; that's 3/8".

I carry those beads, unbroken, up and onto the four corners of the intake manifold gaskets to seal the areas where the intake meets the cylinder heads and block.

I then immediately install the intake manifold,BEFORE the SSS skins over. I want the SSS, while still wet, to be able to flow into any crevice and especially the dimples. Once it cures, usually 24 hours, the SSS is anchored in place.


When installing the intake manifold, I set the intake straight down with no back or forth movement. I look through the intake manifold
bolt holes to align them with the holes in the heads. Minimizing back and forth or side to side movement of the intake is desirable to prevent disturbing the SSS. STRAIGHT DOWN IS THE KEY!


I then install all the intake manifold bolts by hand, finger
tight with Anti-Seize applied to the threads.. I always use washers under the heads of the intake bolts to more evenly distribute the clamping force.


I follow the torque sequence shown in my shop manual. The torque sequence differs depending on the year/model of the engine, so you'll need to refer to a manual to see which one is recommended for the engine you're working on. My thinking on this is 'there has to be a reason why GM recommended a certain sequence so, absent contrary evidence, why re-invent the wheel?.


I use at least three steps to torque all the bolts to 35 ft lbs of torque.


Now here's the trick that I feel has always helped contribute to excellent sealing:
.

I let the intake set for an hour or so, (while I'm doing something else) then go over every bolt in the same torque sequence, tightening (re-torquing) them as needed.


It's not unusual to find that one or more bolts has lost torque due, I believe, to compression of the gaskets. I wait for another hour or so, then go over all the bolts again.


I keep doing this until all the bolts hold the 35 ft/lb (lb/ft if you prefer) torque setting. After all the bolts have held the torque setting, I know I'm good to go.


In torquing down the bolts, some amount of sealant on the China Walls will be forced out - Not a problem. Once cured, the SSS won't break off and those of you who may be concerned about piece of SSS falling into the lifter valley needn't be. It won't happen.


For those who may be somewhat anal and who wish to remove the small amount of SSS which protrudes from the exterior of the China Walls, be sure to wait until the SSS has fully cured. Then take a very sharp razor blade and slice away the unwanted sealant. I never do, preferring NOT to disturb the seal.


Should it ever become necessary to pull the intake again - like when swapping cams, etc., - the SSS that's been compressed into the dimples can be easily removed.


If it's done like this, the sucka won't leak down the road.

I also used this high zoot shit called Permatex Right Stuff for the sealant...came highly recommended on several forums and is reputed to be what GM uses on the production line.

So, here's what today looked like...

Started out removing the manifold and cleaning up the surfaces.
Then I sidetracked to redoing the oil pressure sending unit mounting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red13-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red14.jpg

I had planned on redoing the engine wiring harness as I waited for the sealant to cure (even though Permatex says it's ready immediately, the general consensus was more curing time was beneficial) and I realized that some of the harness was inaccessible with the manifold in place, so I had to deal with that first.
Here is the harness partially stripped...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red15.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red16.jpg

The back of the harness, covered by a flexy rubber tube...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red17.jpg

After dimpling, cleaning, degreasing and applying sealant, the manifold went back on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red18.jpg

Then I started on the driver's side wiring and installed the intake...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red19.jpg

All that's left now is relooming the passenger side of the harness, which should take an hour or two depending on how extreme I decide to get.
That's for tomorrow morning though as my back is killing me...too much hunching over the engine.

By tomorrow night I'll know how I did.

[j2k4]

Aye, that oughta do it.

Awaiting the final/final.

[clocker]

After finishing the install yesterday, she went for a fun drive in traffic.
Forty miles of stop/go in 75° weather and nary a hiccup.
Before the trial, she got a bath...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red20.jpg

And the engine got sprayed down to remove all the Mongolian dust...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red21.jpg

Sat overnight in the driveway and didn't drop a single spatter of oil...absolutely bone dry under the car.
This is a first, she's always had at least a minor leak somewhere and why it's suddenly all gone is beyond "interesting", approaching "miracle".
I checked the dipstick just to confirm there was actually oil in the crankcase and yes, level is nominal.

Before venturing out this afternoon (going to see Kick Ass!), I'm moving down the punch list and trying to fix the turnsignal switch.
The problem lies in the "clockspring" assembly and I hope it's just a setup issue, not a physical defect.
I've never dealt with one of these before.

Saturday morning the now completely non-useful EGR hardline to the passenger side manifold (visible in the engine picture, dangling stupidly in the air near the wiper motor on the firewall) gets cut off and welded shut.
The fantasy that this car would ever be emissions legal will be officially crushed after this.
When I redid the wiring I culled all the emission solenoid connections from the harness...no going back now.

There are still a plethora of minor details needing attention but I'm hopeful that the hump has been topped and we're on the downside of the project.

Yeah, like I haven't thought that before.

[j2k4]

Looooooking gooooooood.

As they say.

Aye, beware the clockspring - gonna have to maybe deal with that on the Stealth in order to swap in the new ignition switch; my buddy Vern thinks he may be able to brainstorm a way to do it without pulling the wheel and etc.

Fucking switch is attached with those snap-off fasteners.

I predict the French fellow's enthusiasm will be at least minimally refreshed by your efforts.

[clocker]

The clockspring was pretty straightforward actually.
The problem turned out to be the Momo hub Sigfrid had assembled.
Too confusing and esoteric to explain, but once I realized the problem, the fix was simple and the turn signals work normally.
Car again navigated through traffic without a problem.

She's a runner.

[j2k4]

X-kewl.

When is Sigfrid due back?

[clocker]

He returned sometime last night.
Gets the car back this evening.

I've been tinkering about and will post pics of the project as she now stands later today.

[j2k4]

He returned sometime last night.
Gets the car back this evening.

I've been tinkering about and will post pics of the project as she now stands later today.

As well as his reaction, if available.

[clocker]

Jesus, the best laid plans...

Today was an unmitigated disaster, particularly since I was only planning on hosing off the car and delivering it to Sigfrid.
In other words, I figured I was mostly done, maybe a leisurely ramble through the hardware store for some fiddly bits...but no, the car had other ideas.

Started out with a dead battery.
No idea why, just happened.
OK, not the end of the world, I have a charger.

Couple of hours later the car starts, I press down the clutch pedal...

...and it stays down.

Look under the car and sure enough, nice big puddle of fluid beneath the slave cylinder.

Sigh.

Jack up car and unbolt the slave, which is suspiciously dry on the pushrod end.
Corralled a neighbor to press the pedal while I'm below the car watching...get a faceful of brake fluid.
Turns out the braided steel hose has ruptured.
Oh joy.

An hour later I have a new hose in hand and am ready for the real nightmare, bleeding.

"Bleeding" you say, "What's the big deal?"

I'll tell you what the big deal is...there is NO FUKKIN BLEED SCREW ON THE BLOODY SLAVE CYLINDER!
In fact, if you go to GM, they only offer the parts as a complete system- master/slave/hose, preassembled, filled with fluid and already bled.
They DO NOT expect you to bleed it yourself.
Fabulous.

After hours of work, I finally got pedal and the car would go into gear...that is, until you started the motor, then nothing.
At one point it would actually shift but the pressure point was way down at the floor, further bleeding only made it worse and now it won't shift again.
I'm bummed, man...totally.

Fortunately, Sigfrid will be at work too late to take delivery tonight.
See what I can figure out tomorrow.

Bloody fucking hell.

All was not completely crap today though.
Before all the shit hit the fan I made the Mark II version of the upper radiator beauty panel, which also serves as the first part of the radiator ducting we plan on making.
Currently, incoming air can go anywhere it pleases and being lazy, the airflow will choose the path of least resistence, which is NOT through the radiator.
This upper panel will prevent the air from flowing over the top of the rad, subsequent panels will contain/direct it even more advantageously.
This piece is made from 1/8" black ABS, one of my new favorite materials.
Very easy to machine, flexible, resistent to most chemicals/heat (within reason) and cheap...the 3' x 1' piece I started with cost all of $6.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red25.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red26.jpg

I also rerouted the spark plug wires which were a disaster before.
They now run above the exhaust manifold, out of harm's way and their length makes sense (we had huge amounts of extra length the way Sigfrid/Dan had run them before and they were just draped all over the place).

So, at least that worked out.

[clocker]

So, after almost eight hours today I finally began to get the clutch bled.
I had pedal and the engagement point wasn't right on the floor.
Drove it around the neighborhood even.

Then, sitting in the driveway, engine off...the one day old braided stainless line...fails.
I'm flabbergasted.

So, here I am back to square one.
I exchanged the hose for a new one and decided to start anew in the morning.
Beforehand though I decided to refurbish the master cylinder which had been horrendously cobbled together.
I came up with a new Mazda clevis and pin and turned a new pushrod on the lathe.
The old pushrod was from a Mazda and had a bolt welded on the end (not concentric, of course) which featured some bizarre thread (maybe Whitworth), so there was no jamb nut.
All fixed now.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red27.jpg

Yeah OK, not really a big deal but I wanted something to go right today.

[clocker]

Well, I may be dumb but I'm persistent.
Sometimes that's all it takes.

Got the new hose installed and the line bled.
Went to start the car and the starter barely wanted to turn over, a symptom she's been displaying more frequently of late.
Sigfrid had long ago relocated the battery to the trunk and I've never been happy with his execution. I suspected that we had some major current drop over his (undersized, IMO) long battery cables or either the battery or alternator were crapping out (I don't know where his generic battery came from and I pulled the alt from the junkyard, so it wouldn't be shocking if they were bad).

Anyway, I charged the battery again and hit the key...starter still spun very slowly, and then....smoke from the engine bay.
Holy crap!
Checked the usual suspects but nothing was amiss.
Till a wisp of smoke showed me what was really going on...

The clear sheathing on the new oil pressure sender hose was melted off, hose still warm to the touch.
WTF?

It took several cigarettes, a few bowls and a pot of coffee- so basically, about fifteen minutes- for everything to click into place.
We are so bloody dense.

When we swapped from the solid engine mounts to the new set up, we isolated the engine on rubber engine mounts. The motor/starter used to get ground through the mounting plates but when we changed over we took away the ground and forced the starter to find an alternative path.

Which was the braided steel clutch line.
Got hot and the Teflon inner liner melted and ruptured.
Three damn times.

I ran up to Checker and got a $5 ground strap and slapped it on.
Mirabile dictu!, the starter spun up like crazy and everything worked.

Of course it had already melted the clutch hose I had just put on, so I got to do that all over again.

But it's done now.

Can hardly wait to see what new creative method this treacherous bitch finds to stab me in the back...

[Detale]

Wow now that's a story! Funny how things happen that way. Well, funny to me and maybe one day in the distant future it will be to you as well. Lucky you didn't get juiced there bud, that would have sucked.

[clocker]

Oh no, I find it humorous right now.

At the end of the day this is mostly an intellectual exercise for me, figuring out/diagnosing the problems- and lawd knows this car presents and endless array of puzzles- is more fun than anything else.
Besides...it ain't my car.
Not gonna stroke out over someone else's toy.

[j2k4]

Mirabile dictu, indeed.

It was the bowls that flushed the problem, I'll bet.

Best diagnostic tool on the planet.

[clocker]

We'll see if you still think that when your motor is strewn all about the garage.

Edit:
Actually Kev, after thinking about it, you're in a completely different boat than I.
Your car is vastly more complex but essentially unmolested, so you get to decide what to remove/modify...which is where the bowls will be helpful.

My project (note the inappropriate possessive) on the other hand, is the smoldering remains left by a meth crazed gaggle of redneck dipshits and we're trying to modify while discovering little "easter egg" surprises left in their wake.
The car is literally a booby trap- how else to explain my favorite example of their "craftsmanship", the decision to remove the ebrake cable bracket? Not only is the bracket completely buried in the tranny tunnel- so it takes a lot of effort to even get to it- but it's totally out of the way and interferes with nothing.
Someone however, decided it had to go.
This same someone (presumably) did not find it necessary to install the brackets retaining all the fluid lines from the front to back of the car (fuel, brakes, evap), so they were just left dangling.
Brilliant.
Trust me, no amount of dope can create the mindset necessary to comprehend their plan.

You'll get to deal with the factory/OEM way of thinking and to best comprehend that I'd recommend LSD.

[j2k4]

Oh, I'm dealing with one right now; gonna whip up on it tomorrow.

Apparently the collected parts in the Stealth's starting circuit have the normal habit of degrading ever-so-slightly over time and cumulatively adding just enough resistance to over-stress the capacity of the existing conduit to transmit sufficient voltage to the starter.

Replacing the individual components brings temporary relief, and after discovering that the ignition switch ($140) had taken a dump, the relay ($60!!) went next.

We are going to replace the factory stuff by putting the big voltage on the other side of the relay so as to just tickle the switch and the relay rather than asking them to handle high current.

Funny; this is apparently a common condition with these, but no one's tumbled to fixing it the way we're doing it.

I think.

Anyway...

[clocker]

Good luck.

[clocker]

Did some final detailing today, tomorrow she goes back to Sigfrid.
Weather has turned shirty- it's rain/snowing now but I test drove anyway and everything works.

Took some final engine bay pics but first I'll show a picture from when I started...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Earlyswap.jpg

To now...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red29.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red31.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red32.jpg

It's easy for me to lose sight of the forest for the trees...obviously we've come quite a ways since last year.

[j2k4]

Aye.

You've done a chunk, for sure.

Hope Sigfrid feels the same.

[clocker]

Hope Sigfrid feels the same.
Oh, he does.

We had a very productive day despite the cold and wind.
Redid the suspension again, swapped the spacers to preload the springs a bit...made a big difference.

We cleaned the interior and completely installed all the panels.
This is the first time since he bought the car the inside has been completely assembled.

We removed all the window tint.
The door glass had three layers of tint, the hatch had two.
Took us about two hours using single edge razor blades and visibility is markedly improved.

Car is now going to be daily driven for a week or two as we prepare for the last big project...the dash.
If the tuner can squeeze us in, the car might get tuned during this period but she runs OK for now, so we're not really pressed.

The goal right now is for the car to go for the next two weeks without a failure/breakdown.
I think we'll make it.

[j2k4]

I take it then that he is suitably refreshed.

This is all good news.

The Stealth...just changed the oil again (it likes 10w30 much better), as well as refilling the transaxle, transfer case, and differential with the good Red Line synthetics, so I took a ride well north of the village and on a nice long straight stretch out in the woods, I let 'er out a bit - 145 (pulling like a gorilla), with a good bit of fourth gear left.

I have developed a tendency to forget about fifth, on these two lane, 55 mph roads...

This car is good fun.

[clocker]

This car is good fun.
I'm happy for you, Kev.
Hope it all pans out the way you plan.

I probably won't see the Beast for two weeks- Sigfrid's wifes birthday is next weekend and I suspect flogging on the car isn't part of the festivities- so I'm gearing up for the (hopefully) last big project...the dash.

Given the sorry state of the rest of the car, we're assuming that the wiring behind the dash is shoddy as well, so the whole thing is coming out for an inspection.
The heater is not working and we hope to fix that along with cleaning all the ductwork.
Once the dash is back in we can install the new stock gauge panel and a stereo (amazingly, the car is quiet enough that a stereo makes sense now).

This will probably take place at my house so I can work during the week while Sigfrid is earning the big bucks.

During this time I have three sub-projects to work on as well, two of which will be considerably simpler with the dash removed.

-I think the clutch system would benefit from a larger (specifically, a 1" size) master cylinder. With the current 7/8" cylinder, full pedal stroke is required to move the slave far enough to cleanly disengage the clutch.
I've had to remove all freeplay from the system to achieve this, which is not a good thing. A larger master will push more fluid for the same pedal stroke and should allow for a wider range of adjustment.
I'd like to find a Japanese OEM part for this and dispense with the crude adaptor used to mount the Wilwood master we now have.

-I want to install the 929 brake booster/master cylinder/proportioning valve and see if the brake feel doesn't improve.

Both of these hydraulic jobs will be much simpler with the dash removed since I won't have to contort into the footwell to access the mounting bolts.

- Finally, I'd like to fabricate a real cold air intake.
We've already paved the way for this by relocating the radiator and making the trim panel for the rad.

The problem here is the MAF unit...it's big and bulky, making the packaging quite difficult. Hood clearance is quite an issue in this area.

Accordingly, I've been researching tuning options that would remove the MAF.
It's called "speed density" tuning and while not as sophisticated as MAF tuning, the real world performance is reputed to be nearly as good.
This is a totally unfamiliar area for me, I'm hoping our tuner can steer us in the right direction.
If the MAF must stay, I'll have to completely rethink my options.

After this final round of flogging, she should be capable of daily use and we can begin some fun stuff...have I mentioned there's a body kit in Sigfrid's attic, waiting to be installed?

[j2k4]

All worthwhile refinements.

A body kit, you say.

Huh...nice?

[clocker]

A body kit, you say.

Huh...nice?
Hard to tell.

It's already been painted- Mazda Montego blue- so it doesn't match our car.
We've had the nose mounted once already and the lip is very low, so we scraped a lot going into driveways etc.
Since we've gone back to the higher stock springs, this may no longer be an issue.

The sideskirts look OK, haven't even test fitted them yet.

The rear valance cannot be tried until we cut off the tow reciever- yeah, this thing apparently once towed some sort of trailer (??!!)- which is on the list to do...sometime.

Personally, the body kit is way down on my list of important things to do, Sigfrid may feel differently.

Car goes to the tuner on Wednesday and will be done on Friday.
I'm very curious what this will do for us.
I have zero background in American motors, so I can't tell if we're running well now or not.

Sigfrid has started to daily drive the car- to date, I've put about 5 times more miles on the car than he has- and he sent me a list of things he doesn't like.
I'm actually encouraged as most of his complaints have nothing to do with the swap and are little niggling issues that anyone might have with a totally stock used car.
If our biggest problem is now the speed of the power windows, I think we've crossed a Rubicon.

[j2k4]

This is a good thing.

As to the tune, while I would expect any power gains to be fairly significant, they won't be on the order of what one would expect from a turbo- or super-charged set-up, but certainly more than, say, a re-curve of the distributor...maybe 60-80 hp, maybe more - that's a bit of a blind stab on my part, but if you're running reasonably well right now, I'd think you're in the ballpark.

I can't wait to hear what the numbers actually are.

I'll tell you, some of the stuff I'm finding out with these turbo-cars...stock-block (over 100K mile specimens) cars with minor injector/fuel-pump upgrades, piggyback ECU controls, larger turbos and a good dyno-tune (by a tuner familiar with the platform, natch) are routinely yielding 600-700 AWHP - phenomenal numbers.

The record holder is a fellow named Matt Monett, who runs in the eights at over 165 mph-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqRpJeMvM08

-but there are scads of guys running low tens.

Hell, I'm only looking to run mid-to-high-elevens...probably do it for about 7K.

BTW-

Check out the size of the snails on this thing...can't figure out what it is, 'cuz the video is so damn dark, but there's no mistaking that serious shit is going on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8pUwin9co&feature=player_embedded

[clocker]

BTW-

Check out the size of the snails on this thing...can't figure out what it is, 'cuz the video is so damn dark, but there's no mistaking that serious shit is going on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8pUwin9co&feature=player_embedded
From the comments below- and the relatively low redline- I think it's something American.
But Jeebus on a pogostick, those turbos could suck a small child right out of a stroller.

As for our tune...
I'm very curious to see what happens.
I've not met the guy in person- and not likely to- so I sent along a few questions for Sigfrid to ask.

His response was not good...something along the lines of "If your friend knows so much about it, why doesn't HE tune it?"

I had prefaced the remarks- and have stated here- that this is way out of my experience zone, so I didn't think I would be stepping on anyone's toes but he apparently brooks no inquiry...he's gonna do what he's gonna do.

I'm sure the car will run better and just smoothing it out (she runs like crap till warmed up now) will be a major improvement, even if the power level stays the same.
She is after all, a street car and driveability trumps absolute speed.

I'll know on Friday...

[Detale]

Well I never saw anything wrong with questions, I mean hell you're only asking right? The guy sounds like a dick. Best line in this whole thread BTW

"Jeebus on a pogostick, those turbos could suck a small child right out of a stroller."
I really laughed out loud

[j2k4]

BTW-

Check out the size of the snails on this thing...can't figure out what it is, 'cuz the video is so damn dark, but there's no mistaking that serious shit is going on...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8pUwin9co&feature=player_embedded
From the comments below- and the relatively low redline- I think it's something American.
But Jeebus on a pogostick, those turbos could suck a small child right out of a stroller.

As for our tune...
I'm very curious to see what happens.
I've not met the guy in person- and not likely to- so I sent along a few questions for Sigfrid to ask.

His response was not good...something along the lines of "If your friend knows so much about it, why doesn't HE tune it?"

I had prefaced the remarks- and have stated here- that this is way out of my experience zone, so I didn't think I would be stepping on anyone's toes but he apparently brooks no inquiry...he's gonna do what he's gonna do.

I'm sure the car will run better and just smoothing it out (she runs like crap till warmed up now) will be a major improvement, even if the power level stays the same.
She is after all, a street car and driveability trumps absolute speed.

I'll know on Friday...

Well, tuners tend to be pricks...they don't want to impart knowledge to anyone, and I suspect your questions were probably a bit too on-point.

Suffice it to say (in my case, anyway), a good guess is still naught but a guess, but hell, he probably gets all sweaty when someone else wins the fucking Lotto, so.

[clocker]

The tuner just dropped the car off at Sigfrid's.
Apparently, she runs quite well, despite the fact that we have a few issues to sort out.

One O2 sensor is dead, we'll just replace them both with new.

The Holley 58mm throttle body is too large for our setup and the ECU cannot set a steady idle, so I'll put our stocker back together and we should be fine.

Our crankcase venting is not right, there is excess pressure- probably the cause of our oil leaks. He's going to send us diagrams of the factory layout and we can adjust accordingly.

The fuel tank is not vented/recovered properly.
Everything is right in the engine bay, so the problem is back at the tank...oh joy.

Sigfrid has gone for a short test ride and says she's a whole new animal, acceleration is markedly improved, she'll pull to 6K RPM, no vibration and idle is (slightly unsteady) at 600 RPM.
We had one bad fuel injector clip, the injector worked but not as it should...the tuner replaced it and all is well.

So, with the exception of the fuel tank venting, we can fix all the problems in about an hour and have a fairly decent runner.
We found a Corvette intake snorkel- it's on it's way- so I can begin to finalize our cold air intake.

The light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to blind me.

[j2k4]

All hail the tuner.

I wonder how much power you picked up?

[clocker]

I wonder as well, too bad dyno time is so expensive.
I'd be happy with 300 at the wheels, Sigfrid probably would not.

I'll be getting an update later after he drives to work.

[j2k4]

I doubt my bosses' Bullitt would be cool enough for him, but it's for sale - 475 RWHP, and pretty mildly tuned, to boot - 36K.

Lemme find the link...here you go...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=278216073&dealer_id=65214843&car_year=2008&rdm=1272725168291&lastStartYear=1981&model=MUST&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2008&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=used&distance=75&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&sownerid=100004226&showZipError=y&make=FORD&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar::ispsearchform&min_price=30000&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=p&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=49946&advanced=&end_year=2011&doors=&transmission=&max_price=38000&cardist=19&standard=false

[clocker]

Thanks, Kev.
I'm going over there this afternoon for a while and I'll mention that.
And threaten to kill him if he even considers it.

Somehow Sigfrid managed to eke out a couple of work hours during his wife's birthday weekend.
Not sure how, not gonna ask.

We're going to address as many of the issues raised by the tuner as possible.
I have the stock throttle body cleaned up and ready to install.
We have new O2 sensors and PCV valves.
Not sure what else...

I should get a chance to drive her and see what the tuner hath wrought.

[j2k4]

Again, 'bated breath, etc.

[clocker]

Well, yesterday's work session has come and gone and I'm somewhat underwhelmed by our results.

Installed the new O2 sensors (15 minutes...most of which was undoing the electrical connectors designed by Satan) and the stock throttle body.

The "Check Engine" light (or, more properly, the "Malfunction Indicator Lamp"/MIL) now stays off, so the ECU is apparently happy with the O2 sensors.

As far as I can tell, swapping the throttle bodies did nothing for our irregular/hunting idle issue.
A common cause for this is leaks through the throttle shaft seals but after an inspection of the area, I'm not willing to get into those...made no sense to me and I'm afraid I'll screw it up.

We might have a bad TPS (throttle position sensor) or Idle Assist solenoid but I'd have thought the tuner would catch that.

The car will now rev freely past 4k RPM (not easy to do in a residential neighborhood, BTW) but still vibrates too much.
We think the culprit might be the main crank pulley/harmonic balancer which is the unit from our first 383 stroker motor.
I wish I knew more about these engines because we seem to be chasing down issues mostly related to our bastard build motor and neither Sigfrid nor I are very savvy about how much mix/matching is allowable with these things.

At any rate, this week I'm going to attempt harvesting the balancer/pulley from the same junkyard donor that gave up our new intake manifold.
If I can get it- and that's a fairly emphatic "if"- we'll try it out and see what happens.
After that, I'm out of ideas and we'll need to buy some expert help.

Despite the above quibbles the car does seem to run better.
She averaged 18 MPG last tank but there was the tuning session and lots of acceleration "testing" during that time.
This next week of daily driving should give us a more accurate indication of the mileage to expect.

As darkness fell and the temperature dropped, we retired to the patio and imbibed adult stimulants and talked.
We are both very pleased with the dramatic improvements since the motor was properly mounted a few months ago...she actually started to behave like a normal car.

However, the gap between a "normal" car and a "great" car has never been more apparent and after all this work and money, we want a great car.
We are probably about $10K away from achieving this level- and that does not include any bodywork or paint.

Sitting in the driveway is Sigfrid's 2009 RX-8, the best handling car Sigfrid has ever driven (and he has more experience than most).
It's in perfect and unmolested condition.

There is a kit available to mount an LSx series V-8 into it.

It is so very tempting.

Sell off the Beast- almost certainly at a substantial loss, which, emotionally at least could be written off as a "learning experience"- buy a new crate engine and graft it into the Mazda.
There are significant but Byzantine subplots to this plan which I'll not go into but the fact is, we both are tired of fixing things on the Beast that have nothing to do with the swap and should never have been touched in the first place. The carnage seems endless.
The latest example of this is the door sill switches. Every car has 'em, they're the little plunger type things that the door depresses when closed - they're what operate the courtesy lights and are also tied into the security system.
Ours were not removed- which involves one Phillips screw- oh no...ours were gutted and left in place.
The wire for it was cut back to the main harness in the sill.
I cannot imagine a rational explanation for doing this.

We've bandied this idea about for a few months and it's becoming increasingly logical and attractive.
I'm on board.

[j2k4]

I would lay odds the vibe problem is your balancer/damper - the 383 is a crank/block swap and requires different balancing than the stocker.

If I recall correctly, it's a combination of 350/400 CID parts; one is internally balanced, the other externally.

Get one for the engine/displacement you are using, pronto.

[clocker]

Wilco.

[j2k4]

Also-

IIRC, the 350 crank was used in the 400 block to make a 383, and - though I think it would be a massive stretch - the 400 flywheel was peculiar to the 400 (because of the balance issue), make sure you don't have one of those, fucking things up...I assume/hope you have a removable bell-housing cover.

This is unlikely, as you said the 383 was pro-built, I think, but.

[clocker]

The flywheel came with our new engine, so I assume it's correct.
The front crank hub/pulley are remnants of the 383 and I have no idea whether they are suitable or not.

Everything about the car was represented as "pro built" and we've seen how that turned out.
Maybe they meant "professional accountants" or "professional hit men" and Sigfrid just assumed professional mechanics had been involved.
An easy mistake to make, I'm sure you agree.

[j2k4]

Well, he's a great guy, but, hey...he's young and impressionable.

[clocker]

I snagged the front pulley/balancer off the junkyard donor car yesterday...not an easy task with hand tools and no puller.
There was blood.

After that was accomplished, I did my usual stroll to see what might be new.
Spotted a Subaru WRX with the engine pulled but an intact brake setup (sadly, no calipers).
A bit of backstory...
This car comes with the largest bore master cylinder I've seen on a junkyard car, 1 1/16" bore. I pulled one of these last year (just the master cylinder) when I first began my brake experiments, loved the pedal feel, hated the performance. Tried it again a few months later with a different booster but got similar- unsatisfying- results.

This MC confused me because it contradicted my expectations so dramatically.
I finally decided that I'd have to try it again but only if I could use the whole original setup, which meant I needed the booster unit.

Removing the booster from the Subaru is a daunting task, it almost seems that the chassis was built around it.
I'd hate to be the Subie line mechanic tasked with replacing a booster in a completely assembled car...I had the double advantage of an empty engine bay and complete disregard for anything else in my way and it still took nearly two hours to lever the booster out of the car without damaging it.
Absolutely nuts.

At the time I was thinking of trying this in the Beast but given her uncertain future, I'm going to put it in my car.
If it works out, good for me, if not, no harm no foul.
Besides, I haven't done anything nice for my baby lately as I've focused all my attention on Sigfrid's project.

Time to play in my own sandbox for a while.

[j2k4]

I heard that.

[Detale]

What do you drive bud?

[clocker]

You've asked that before.

[clocker]

Because of the upcoming Mother's Day weekend, Sigfrid opted to take Friday off to work on the car.
A lot fewer interruptions with no family units around.

We had two major projects lined up and got them both done in good time.

The new (junkyard) harmonic balancer was installed and really helped (in fact, probably eliminated altogether) the engine vibration over 4k RPM.
Excellent.

Sigfrid has not been happy with the brake pedal feel and I agreed that it could be better.
I had recently procured the booster/MC from a Subaru and it was prepped for install into the Beast.
Here it is, cleaned, painted and configured for his brake lines...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red36.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red35.jpg

And installed...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red39.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red40.jpg

Brakes are now absolutely superb...best setup I've found to date, I'm off to the junkyard today in search of a similar set for my car.
I love it when a plan works out.

We also addressed a few smaller issues, the car now runs better than ever.

Assuming she survives another week of commuting- and I have every expectation she will- we will probably start on the interior next weekend.

Now that the mechanical platform is nearly complete, the diff has been exposed as the final big weakness.
It just ain't right and is the last remaining part of the original drivetrain, which automatically makes it suspect in my book.
It doesn't lock up consistently and makes weird, vaguely scary noises.
We may also have to upgrade our axles but won't know till we pull them.

So, the search has begun for a new differential, preferably one from an automatic with 3.90 gearing.
Our current 4.10 diff renders 1st gear all but useless, the 3.90 should not only help there but highway mileage should improve as well.

Replacing the diff while maintaining our alignment will require dropping the entire rear subframe as a unit...a fairly big job.
We decided to do this because it will also expose the fuel tank, which has a pretty complex system of vents/check valves/separators that we need to freshen up. All of this nonsense is situated on top of the tank is is not accessible till the tank is off the car.
It's a crappy job but needs doing.

Soon as we locate a diff, this will get slotted into the schedule.

[j2k4]

What sort of bore size has that MC got, and I'm gonna recommend a 3.73 rear ratio; should be easy to find.

You've got the 5-speed, after all, and 1st is pretty low; you've got low weight and lots of power.

If he doesn't like the way the mill pulls that gear, then build in more power.

How many overdrive gears has that box got, anyway?

[clocker]

MC bore size is 1 1/16".

3.73 would be nice but Mazda only offered 4.10 and 3.90 stock, so that's what we have to choose from.

We actually have the six-speed and I believe 4th gear is 1:1, so both 5th and 6th are overdrive.

[j2k4]

Oooh.

Brain fart.

Are those standard ratios for the RX7, or are there some automatic ratios you could swipe from another Mazda diff?

[clocker]

I don't know about interchangability between different models.
The ideal solution would be to get the Cobra diff mount kit and have access to all the gearsets we could desire.
"Ideal solution"= $3k, so it might be a while.

[j2k4]

That car's starting to run into some real money. :whistling

[clocker]

Yes, it is.

Saturday she comes for another extended stay in my garage.
We're going to pull the dash and repair the (inevitable) damage we find behind it- primarily wiring and the heater core.
Since we won't know how extensively it's screwed up till we get it apart, there's no real timeline on this job but since I'll have full-time access, we should be able to button it back up by the following weekend.

With the dash reinstalled, cosmetic improvements can proceed on the exterior dash plastic- going to cover it all in black Alcantara (looks like suede)- and a permanent gauge panel. I have a Miata gauge cluster that looks like a suitable candidate but it's hard to tell if it will work until I try.

Meanwhile, as usual, I have a few pet peeves with the car that I plan on addressing while I have it.
#1 on the list is fixing the gas fill door release, which is broken on our car.

Every Mazda in the junkyard uses the exact same setup to operate this door...and of course, the RX7 is completely different and unique.
And stupid/poorly engineered.

It's the perfect example of the lengths Mazda went to to decrease weight in the 3rd gens...instead of using two cables and levers to open the hatch and the gas door, they use one cable to perform both functions, saving maybe an ounce of weight.
The mechanisms attached to the cable are absurdly Rube Goldbergesque and brutally expensive to replace.
I'm going to attempt a replacement using the parts from a 626 (already pulled at the yard, total cost for everything, $5).

Yeah, it's a small thing but it drives me crazy.

No luck yet sourcing a diff, the search continues.

The car is running well on Sigfrid's daily commute, our idle issues seem to have been solved and vibration has been virtually eliminated.
He complains about lack of top end- I have no idea where he's getting the car up to that kind of speed driving to work- but we can address that after the rest of the project has caught up.
He absolutely loves the new brake setup, says it's the best he's ever felt.

Things are looking pretty good overall.

[j2k4]

Yeah, the "lack of top-end" is a poser, even given the final drive; two OD gears ought to give a nice chunk of that back.

Valve train is reasonably fresh, isn't it - no weak springs?

What's he turning, or haven't you a tach?

BTW-

The pile-o-parts continues to grow - I just rec'd the turbo rebuild kits for the 13G (standard size on the export/GTO version of the Mitsubishi) turbos I bought (which should be here tomorrow).

I intend to use these to familiarize myself with the data-logging set-up and learn how these things tune.

Should be good for about 50 HP.

I got a super deal on the snails - usually $1200-1300 rebuilt for a pair; I'll have about $375 in these.

[clocker]

Yes, we have a functional tach.
Heads (and all components) are new.
She runs out of steam around 4500 rpm...we're told an LT4 cam (unique to the Vette), ported heads and beefed up valvetrain are what we need.

Now that she's a runner I'm hoping we can get the Vette guys to deal with us.
Last year I took the car by a Vette specialist shop and they wouldn't even look under the hood, had absolutely no interest in working on the car.
Now that we've elevated our game and the car isn't an obvious POS, I'd like to see if we can't get access to their knowledge and maybe even have them build up the motor.

Neither Sigfrid nor I have the background in Merkin iron needed to get this thing right.
We need some outside expertise.

Good deal on the turbos, Kev.
You should get that thing dynoed before you start all this upgrading so you can verify results.

[j2k4]

Closest AWD dyno is 300 miles away in Wisconsin.

These have been done to a fair-thee-well anyway; typical stock wheel HP is 240-250 - parasitic loss is large on these.

When we tear into it this fall I'm going to let the compression #s tell the story - if it's fairly uniform and 150-ish, we'll call it good and go from there.

Anecdotally, there is much merit in going with an unmolested stock-block; Matt Monett's Stealth broke into the nines on a 120K specimen - so the story goes.

The way it works is, guys build acceptable platforms - according to a couple of paths/formulae, then tune them (phone advice is easy to come by from the several big shops) well enough to drive them to a dyno-and-tuner (again, the several shops thing) where the badasses make them come alive.

The process is downright incestuous, truth.

It's not a big community - I've already made a few enemies-for-life doing the political thing.

BTW-

Ask S. to tell TJ I will swap him his health-club membership card for whatever historical paperwork he has on the car.

Please.

Just another add:

I've been poking around on the Factory Five site.

Very interesting.

[clocker]

I've been preparing for this weekend by studying wiring diagrams...what a PITA.

It's been fruitful though, I'm beginning to see just how much useless crap is still in the car and how much simpler/more rational we could make it.

Traditionally, Mazda uses one wiring harness for each model and that harness has provision for every possible accessory available, whether your particular car came with it or not, the wiring is there anyway.
From what I can tell, about 90% of our engine bay wiring is completely useless at this point and it would be simpler to start from scratch and remake the harness to include just what we need rather than modify what we now have.
We can relocate the components that are left- mostly relays and fuses- to a less conspicuous spot (I know just where!) and really clean things up.

We'll see how it goes this weekend.

[j2k4]

A lovely idea - cleaning things up.

Like to do it with the Stealth, but.

[clocker]

So, I had a productive weekend...if by "productive" you mean "destructive".
End of day two and I don't have the entire wiring harness removed yet...this thing is monstrous.
Sigfrid and I started yesterday morning by stripping the interior, including the dash.
It was immediately apparent that just cleaning up was not going to get it, we needed major surgery.

Modern cars have such incredibly complex and interconnected systems, all of which seem linked to the ECU in one way or another.
We don't have the stock ECU anymore, nor ABS, nor airbags, nor AC...you get the picture.

Anyway, getting everything out means stripping the whole front end off as well, so we end up like this...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red43.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red42.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red41.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red40-1.jpg

Looks like fun, don't it?

[j2k4]

I really try not to do too much of that type of thing.

I spent a large chunk of Saturday morning inside the Stealth stripping it's interior from the front seats back.

I spent a large chunk of Saturday afternoon extracting myself from the car.

I spent most of Sunday morning moving very (very) slowly.

I really need a small, talented Japanese automotive intern to do this stuff for me.

[clocker]

I really try not to do too much of that type of thing.

I spent a large chunk of Saturday morning inside the Stealth stripping it's interior from the front seats back.
How come...lose a quarter?


I spent a large chunk of Saturday afternoon extracting myself from the car.
I know that feeling.


I spent most of Sunday morning moving very (very) slowly.
Yeah, know that feeling also.


I really need a small, talented Japanese automotive intern to do this stuff for me.
That's racist.
Can I have him when you're done?

Feeling kind of overwhelmed this morning as I look at the carnage.
It's too late to go back, so I just have to hope that I can figure this all out.

Not really too worried about the engine bay part, that will be tedious but not difficult...it's interfacing with the dash harness that concerns me.

Some of the switches provide power, some provide ground and in at least one case (the main light switch), it does both.
Need to be careful I don't zap anything and burn up the car.

Now there's a pleasant thought to begin the week.

[j2k4]

Indeed.

All I need to do now is dope out why I lost power to the antenna (I went back to the extendo-unit because I found a good deal on the OEM units) merely by taking it out an reinstalling it.

[clocker]

Well, the bay harness finally hit the ground around six last night.
I know I sound like a broken record but I'm still boggled by the complexity and extent of a modern day wiring harness.
The harness and associated components- fuse/relay boxes, airbag sensors/actuators, anti-lock brake wiring,etc.- weighs 32 lbs. and is 11' long.

This project is taking a discouraging amount of time, I was completely naive about the complexity and difficulty but hope that things will progress faster now.

I've also taken a few side journeys I hadn't anticipated.
Our GM engine harness and ECU interface with the Mazda wiring at only four points- it gets switched +12v from the ignition switch, and sends signals for the tach, speedo and fuel pump (the latter we don't really need).

During the original swap these wires were hard mounted (crimped/soldered) and had to be cut to remove. I've gathered them together to a four pin connector to make future work simpler...the entire engine harness is now standalone and runs through it's own dedicated firewall grommet so when it's replaced (oh yeah...it needs replacing also!) nothing else needs to be disturbed.

Our battery- relocated to the trunk before I came onboard- had two heavy gauge cables running to the engine, one to the starter and one to feed the fuse box(es) and connect the alternator.
I've pulled one of them (Sigfrid is quite fond of zip ties, I must have cut about two million of 'em to free the cables) and rerouted the other.
Again, it needed to be done but slowed down my work in the bay itself.

Mazda had three large relay/fuse boxes in the bay originally, we now have one fuse box (sourced from a Suzuki Samurai) and standalone/individual relays.
This isn't quite as elegant as the relay boxes but while perusing the junkyard I saw far too many boxes with melted components...one mishap and the whole box is trash.
This way one bad relay can be dealt with individually without messing with everything else.

Of course, the standalone system takes more room and we don't have a lot to spare if the wiring is to be hidden.
I've found a solution that best addresses the constraints I've set and that's my main priority for today. It's unorthodox but clever, I think.
Once the location of the fusebox and relays is finalized I can begin to construct the new harness.

As ever, I remain optimistic.

[j2k4]

You're optimistic because you're good.

[clocker]

Thanks.
Here are a few teaser pics of where I stand right now.
Here's the harness in it's decrepit glory...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red49.jpg

New horns, compliments of a Ford Explorer...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red47.jpg

A closeup of the regrommeted engine harness and the relocated main battery cable...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red50.jpg

The fuse box...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red51.jpg

And finally, the relays...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red54.jpg

Now that all the components are in place I can actually start wiring.

[clocker]

My, what a difference a day makes.

My relay setup failed to impress me in the cold (actually, quite springlike) light of the next morning...it looked just like what it was, a quick-n-dirty homejob.
Not the effect I was going for.

Plus, some realizations about the wiring made me reconsider the use of the relay boxes I'd previously acquired.
An hour or two fiddlefucking around and we have a whole new arrangement...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red55.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red56.jpg

The large fan relay has been relocated to the front of the car where it's current connections still fit without modification. All it needs is a power feed from the fusebox.

On other fronts, we have a 3.90 differential on the way, should arrive next week.
We're also going to Dynamat the interior...everything is already out, it'll never be easier to do.
Today I have to get her back on the ground and rolled out into the driveway.
Sigfrid is coming over tomorrow morning and wants to paint in the now exposed areas of the bay (primarily the front), so she needs some serious cleaning and time to dry.
Again, this is easiest done right now before I start adding the wiring back in.

Kevin, email Sigfrid and ask about the leather seat company he's talking to.
Apparently a top notch product, we're getting the two front seats and the rear seats ("seats" only in the cruelest of terms) recovered for $1100.
You might be interested.

Sigfrid also has a line on a new Camaro engine harness, complete with a modded ECU and the gauge cluster.
Not sure if the cluster does us much good but for $75 it doesn't much matter, a perfect, non-crispy harness is worth that by itself.
Not sure how that transaction is playing out but I'm hopeful.

Although I keep chipping away, this project seems to have a ever expanding scope and apparently, may never end.

[clocker]

So, we decided (and by "decided" I mean that Sigfrid insisted and I acquiesced) that it would never be easier than now to touch up the engine bay paint.
Only a rattle can job, nothing fancy (or permanent, for that matter), just something to make the whole bay look consistent.

Yesterday I stripped everything possible back out and cleaned/degreased/washed the bay and left her to dry overnight.
Looked like this after washing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red56-1.jpg

This morning I began masking then Sigfrid arrived and began his paint prep routine.
He claims special talent in spray can paint jobs so I deferred to his skill and basically just watched- and offered wry commentary- as he went about it.
Turned out pretty nice, all things considered.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red57.jpg

[j2k4]

Why, it appears Sigfrid is as good as I am with a fizzy-can.

Did he use any clear, or just get it wet with color?

[clocker]

Just color, j2.
He's planning on wetsanding and rubbing out the paint at a later date (i.e., "will never happen").

More updates later today.

[clocker]

Bright and early Sunday morning I began reinstalling all the components removed for the shade tree paint job.

At first I'd planned on detailing the parts as they were going back in but quickly realized that I could spend a few days doing so and the timetable for the wiring would be destroyed, so I just put everything back in as it was.
Once the car is back together, we can spend a weekend going back and prettifying everything.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red59.jpg

Then it was time to strip the old harness to cull the wiring/connectors I wanted to keep.
It took three grueling hours just to remove all the tape and assorted mounting tabs built into the loom- no wonder I had put it off for so long.

With the wiring finally free I was able to pull what I wanted and begin to assemble the new harness.
I'm working from the front to the firewall, plugging in the components and running back to the fuse/relay area.

I got this far by last night...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red60.jpg

This is essentially the entire harness for the front of the car, only missing are four wires to the headlight retractor motors.
Included here are:
-turnsignals/hazard lights
-running lights
-low/high beam
-fog lights (which we don't even have but may in the future)
-radiator fan
-water temp sensor
-windshield washer pump
-horns

There will be no wiring at all on the driver side of the bay, unlike the original which brought almost everything through that side.
I find the driver side footwell to be the worst, most awkward place to work- what with the steering column and pedals, access is difficult and gymnastic, so I want to keep that area clear.

Hope to have the bay harness essentially finished by tonight.

[j2k4]

Looks like it should be pretty clean.

[clocker]

Damn straight, Skippy.

Work has continued apace.
It hardly looks it but I've been at it nonstop all week.
The front harness/relay cluster is totally done and finish installed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red76.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red75.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red74.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red73.jpg

The pop-up headlight relay was the worst, t'wasn't till I actually got it to work that I finally grasped the working concept.
Makes sense to me now but no amount of staring at the schematic revealed it's secret.
But it's all good now...turn on the headlights and the motor pops 'em up. Turn the lights off and they automatically retract.
Just like Mazda intended.

Sigfrid will be reinstalling the front bodywork on Saturday as I'll still be wiring in the car.

I've pulled the entire rear harness, stripped it and culled most of the needed wiring.
Along the way I removed the power antenna (non-functional and there's no radio in the car anyway) and made the rear relay pack, which consists of the brake lights, fuel pump and running light relays.
Pretty much just connect the dots and the whole rear will be finished as well.
I'm shooting for tomorrow.

Then I'll finally be able to interface with the dash.
Here's the interior now...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/Red77.jpg

I've been junkyarding almost daily as well.
Found lots of useful widgets and gizmos including my real treasure...a fusebox I can work with.
The stock Mazda fusebox is a nightmare...command central for every possible connection and configured so it would only fit in that particular location.
I want nothing at all in the driver footwell, what with the steering column and pedal assembly it's already crowded (which makes me wonder why Mazda insisted on cramming so much in there.

I want the fusebox in the passenger footwell where access is much better and it's right where all the new connections are going to be made.
Just like the engine bay, there will be absolutely no wiring on the driver side of the cabin.
It's from a Subaru...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/red66.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/clocker/red64.jpg

Going to be tedious splicing all those wires.

[Bestfriend81]

@clocker

can you tell the time and money spent you for that?