Finished up the reassembly of my now-serviceable charcoal canister, and air cleaner:

"bucket" parts


Open-cell liner


Activated carbon


Trim the liner to overlap the top & put top filter paper in


Pleat-fold the liner


Install the cover with nylok nuts


Topside, assembled


Bolt to brazed-in studs with more nyloks, & seal edge with gas-safe sealant


Install new felt edge gasket, and original silicone filter gasket... done!


Reassemble painted, polished, and silkscreened filter body


Set up to silkscreen logos


And, wait for them to dry. Flash washed out the shiny wet paint; it's actually the same blue as the other screen prints.


Can't wait for it all to dry, so I can install it and get some outdoor pix!

 

You are an artist!

I have some news too. The 6 port runs actually really well. I'm going to swap it in the blue car. Also a long primary exhaust is going in. I'm fairly excited to find out how much more power this will have vs the 4 port that's in there now. If the 4 port is currently making around 130HP...

A stock 74 ported 13B made 110HP at 6k and 117TQ at 3500. The blue car's current engine is probably around 130HP with 74 ports, DLIDFIS, a free flowing but still 2" exhaust and a light steel flywheel (these don't make power but do free it up). The carb is a stock Hitachi with 20mm venturis like any Nikki out there. So power is limited by those factors, but the point is it's probably around 130 flywheel max right now.

I think the 6 port is capable of a fair amount more if done correctly. For example the stock GSL-SE was rated at 135HP at 6k and 133 torque at 4k. When RB added their long primary exhaust it added 21HP for 156. Then they swapped in their dellorto adding another 21HP for 177. Not bad. I believe they left the flywheel stock (26 pounds) and the ignition was also left stock.

The actual amount of improvement was about 15% with each upgrade they did. I'll use 15% as a basis for estimating power improvements on the 6 port below.

The 6 port I just put together has a GSL-SE assembly and will get a light steel flyweel (should provide an improvement in perceived power right there*). The side plates and rotor housings are S4 NA with stock ports but smoothed/removed casting flash. S4 NA means bigger aux ports and bigger exhaust ports. And yes I removed the diffuser things. Karack says this is good for 15HP!

The S4 NA was rated at 145HP. Its rotating assembly was 44 pounds with 10 pound rotors and a 24 pound flywheel.

*This GSL-SE assembly with light steel is actually 40 pounds.

So we can begin our calculations at 145. Add 15 from Karack's diffuser removal mod. Now we're at 160. Add 15% for long primary exhaust. That's 25HP. We're now at 185! Can we add any for ignition? Let's go with 5HP with DLIDFIS because the ignitors, coils and spark plugs receive their own power supply instead of the FC's shared primary/dual outlet coil with single ignitor. 190HP anyone?

Next up is the carb.

I have an Edelbrock 600 and a Weber 45DCOE. Gotta pick one. Probably the Edelbrock as others (RogueWolf) have had good results with a 500 Performer series on a 12A. I feel the bigger 600 will be better on a 6 port 13B. But how much power will it add if any? Hmm, maybe nothing beyond 190 because it needs to flow enough fuel and air to make 190HP first, let alone any additional. Maybe I'm not understanding it fully at this time.

Anyway 190HP (estimated) flywheel at 6 or 7 grand certainly sounds enticing. Can you guys critique?

 

nice work DD!

 

dayum DD I have to stay objective and non bias ... but your presense will not be missed in the first gen class at WHiV

 

Jeff; Gunbai! You are building some excellent stuff; sure wish I could get away with that.

I sure hope the refurbished canister works well; I may have overstuffed it a bit which might limit airflow, but I'll know when I try it.

Now, I got to get back in this time-eating alternator polish-out. I got some new, loose-sewn buffs from Caswell via mail this week, hopefully they will be able to reach into the places that my spiral-sewn buff just couldn't get at.

So, the song is - - more cowbell.

 

I already bought my hardboard. 5$ a sheet and it's enough space to make 4.
I'm going to open up the area just to get around the tweeters and wrap it in vinyl. I looked at what the fb kick panel look like and for whatever reason I'm not a fan.

 

It's not "perfect," but I declare it 'good enough' considering I just cannot spend any more time on it just now.

Before and after pix.

 

DD It may not be up to your standard but still looks pretty darn good!!!

 

well drove the SA to work Thursday and to our meet Thursday evening ... the car was running froggy (froggy is when it's running particulary strong)

My CO WHiV coordinator was going to bring his Pettit Supercharged 8 to work so figured be nice for some teaser pics ... .Jump in the car Friday morning ... crap zilch nada car will not attempt to crank ... volt meter reading over 12 ... so off to work in the DD

Well anyway finally got back to it today ... can anyone tell me how the spade connector can disconnect at the starter solenoid when the wire goes down on the connector? graivty was not the issue

after some head scrathing and hooking the wire back up ... brap brap brap back in bussiness

 

Yeah, I'd give it a 7.5 where I normally shoot for at least a 9 on stuff I do for my car... The loose buff helped quite a bit (once it finished spraying threads all over the place - learned a while back not to run a new buff in the garage, heh) and it brightened up quite a bit once I finally moved off the emery compound and on to tripoli (with yet another new buff).

But it's just not smooth in the tight places like I'd like, and I've really got to get on other projects at this point. Less than a month left, and life is being busy.

Heck, I finally got around to washing my dd for the first time in a couple months, last night - just couldn't stand looking at it any longer.

Vibration will work stuff loose and even make tight items move 'uphill' depending on the cycle of elasticity.

And gremlins.

 

It's a .250" quick disconnect on the starter, and they can come off when you drive it hard with sloppy stock motor mounts. Done any burn outs lately? That'll do it. I've had push back on several, even driving it normally, but spririted stuff is the usual cause.

 

Last night, with the help of a friend with a 25 gal air compressor and an impact gun, got the flywheel off of a 12a I've been meaning to tear down. Surprised how quickly these things can be field stripped.

fm

 

Drove it to the dealership to get some door and rear hatch seals. Driving through the Gap with water dripping on my knee reminded me of driving my '67 MGB 35 years ago. A couple of salesmen stared at me like I was from outer space. The parts man said "Nope, not gonna have 'em." I said, "Go through the motions, my money says you do." He offered apologies 2 minutes later.

 

quilty ... as I said she was running froggy and I was seizing the moment ... at one point was making a right when I saw choopacrabra heading the other acknowledge him ... nailed it in second and was not quiet holding the lane, front wheels yes rear wheels not so much

today to work ... grab youngest one from school and home ... no issues

 

I've got a bum motor, needs overhauling, and I don't have the space or money to fix it. It's a pity because I put a new transmission in it last fall.

 

I tested an Edelbrock for the first time on a fresh rebuilt 4 port R5 13B. It fired right up even with an open PCV valve nipple. Capped that off, and then it was able to idle at 800 perfectly. This engine has about 1 minute of total run time since its rebuild a little while ago. I'm impressed with these carbs now. RogueWolf was right! Haven't driven it yet, but so far really impressed. It's gonna go on the 6 port next.

 

Got the rear housing off of the 12A I'm tearing down now. Some minor chrome flaking on one section of the edge, but not nearly as bad as I expected. Totally useable. Pulling the other tonight.

fm

 

Congrats. I got a set of 12A housings like that the other day. Totally useable with minor missing chrome.

I get to choose a clutch package for the 6 port and throw it back in the brown car today. This time for real with an oil cooler and radiator. Then I'll fab up a nice long primary exhaust. The manifold will be ordered for the Edelbrock but in the mean time I'll get it running on a crappy manifold and a nice Nikki.

 

What is the "R5"?

 

Yup... Never had a lick of issues out of mine; cept the secondary air flaper thing (I forget its actual name). And a tendancy to run lean on sweeping left turns.

Now I don't see why people put them on the 12A... Seems like taking a 16# cannon to a fist fight with an armless man.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generati.../#post11389947

 

Some people call it the donkey door. Hmm. I think I am supposed to remove some metal from it to make it open easier/sooner. Some drill out material but I'd rather take a saw to it or something. How do you get it out?

This one is a 600 for a 6 port. Figured it would be appropriate. The 12A guys use 500. Seems to work for them.

Update: The clutch parts consist of an RB light steel flywheel, stock duty disc and pressure plate. I want them to slip (just to see if they will).

Got the oil cooler installed. The stock mounts had separated rubber from steel so I swapped in some typical waterpump nuts that are the same thickness. Some through bolts and a couple of 1/4" holes later, and the oil cooler is in! I test cranked the engine on the 3rd and final mushroom shaped pressure sender I found in the pile (other two were broken or leaked), and saw 45psi at cranking speed. Nice.

I'd like to deal with the radiator tomorrow. Still need a waterpump, DLIDFIS, window switches, a long primary exhaust... The list is endless.

 

Oooo, precision fit. I'd probably cut a big hole, cover that with window screening (for support, then stretch vinyl over it, perforated over the speaker, if I wanted the vintage look.

You really should post some pictures of the exceedingly clever (and well-executed) head unit install in your '79.

 

Just for you FrankenRex. My idea, and Frankenrex's know-how.

 

I really like the way that turned out.
The most awesome thing? That brown VW gauge pod matched the brown that the burgundy interior had faded to so closely. I've had the pod in the garage for literally 20 years.

I was also really surprised at how loud it got with just the little 4-inchers.
It was also a joy to work on such a clean, unmolested car.